20-10-2020

tuesday

DhAkA : October 20, 2020; kartik 4, 1427 BS; Rabi-ul Awal 2, 1442 hijri

www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www.bangladeshtoday.net

Regd.No.DA~2065, Vol.17; N o.198; 12 Pages~Tk.8.00

InternatIonal

Why rape horrors

continue unabated

in India

>Page 7

art & culture

Script of 'Arai

Mon Swapna'

fascinated me: Moutushi

>Page 8

sports

Shoriful elated to

learn so many things

from seniors

>Page 9

Finish RNPP housing

graft probe in

6 months: HC

DHAKA : The High Court on Monday

ordered the authorities concerned to

complete investigations into three graft

cases filed over the purchase of furniture

and other household items for

Green City housing project under the

Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP)

Project, reports UNB.

The bench of Justice Md Nazrul

Islam Talukder and Justice Ahmed

Sohel also adjourned the bail petition of

Engineer Shahiful Islam, an accused in

the cases, for six months.

Advocate Syed Ahmed Reza stood for the

petitioner while Advocate Khurshid Alam

Khan stood for ACC and Deputy Attorney

General AKM Amin Uddin Manik represented

the state. On August 17, the HC

issued a rule asking the government to

explain why Shahiful should not be

granted bail in the cases.

Suspended DGHS

staff Abzal sent to

jail in graft cases

DHAKA : A Dhaka court yesterday sent

to jail Abzal Hossain, suspended staff of

Directorate General of Health Services

(DGHS), in two cases lodged over amassing

illegal wealth of Taka 36 crore.

Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special

Judge KM Imrul Qayesh passed the order

as Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC)

produced the accused before the court

and pleaded to keep him behind the bars

till the conclusion of probe in the two

cases. The court on September 2 placed

him 14-day remand in the two cases.

Earlier on August 26, Abzal surrendered

before the court and pleaded for

bail. After holding hearing on his pleas,

the court sent him to jail. ACC deputy

director Md Toufikul Islam on June 27,

2019, filed the two cases against Abzal

and his wife Rubina Khanam.

DB arrests four

with fake currencies

worth Tk 49 lakh

DHAKA : Members of Detective

Branch (DB) of the Dhaka

Metropolitan Police (DMP) in an

overnight drive has arrested four persons,

including two women, from a

house at Nurjahan Road under

Mohammadpur Police Station in the

city for their alleged involvement in

making counterfeit money.

"Fake currencies worth about Taka 49

lakh were recovered after raiding a house

on the second floor of a six-storey building

of Nurjahan Road in Mohammadpur

area," Gulshan Division DC of police M

Mashiur Rahman told BSS.

Zohr

04:44 AM

11:50 PM

03:52 PM

05:33 PM

06:50 PM

5:57 5:30

In just eight days, another span was added to the Padma Bridge on Monday. As a result, 4.9 km of

the bridge became visible.

Photo : Star Mail

Wear masks to avoid

Covid's second surge: PM

DHAKA : In the wake of Covid-19

resurge in many European and

American countries, Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina on Monday urged all

to follow health guidelines and use

face-masks in public places and gatherings,

aiming to prevent the possible

second wave of the pandemic in

Bangladesh, reports UNB.

The Prime Minister made the call

while presiding the weekly Cabinet

meeting held virtually.

She joined the meeting through a

videoconference from her official residence

Ganobhaban, while other cabinet

members joined it from

Bangladesh Secretariat.

"We all should use masks... no one

should go to public places, gatherings,

mosques and other festivals,

including upcoming Durga Puja,

without wearing masks under any

circumstances.

The Prime Minister and the

Cabinet expressed the hope that it'll

be enforced in tighter way," said

Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul

Islam at a press briefing after the

meeting.

He said the Prime Minister asked

all to be more careful against the pandemic

saying that though the second

wave of Covid is an uncertain matter,

the massive use of masks can reduce

the risk of infection.

The Cabinet Secretary said many

people are seen somewhat relaxed

over the use of masks. The government

has already asked the Islamic

Foundation to make people aware by

the imams of mosques-at least after

Zohr and Magrib prayers-over the

use of masks in public places and

gatherings, he said.

He said the infection rate will

decline automatically if everyone

uses mask.

"There should be a slogan at

mosques, markets and all other

places that no one should come without

wearing mask," Khandker

Anwarul Islam added.

BNP fails to understand

people's mindset: Quader

DHAKA : Awami League General

Secretary and Road Transport

and Bridges Minister Obaidul

Quader yesterday said the failure

of BNP lies in their inability and

inaptness to understand the language

of people who are now

made engaged in any decisionmaking

process through strengthening

democracy.

He was addressing a virtual press

conference on contemporary issues

from his official residence on parliament

premises.

Quader said the government of

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is

working tirelessly to give democracy

an institutional shape side by

side with strengthening it. Now

people are being engaged in any

decision-making process, he said.

He said BNP is beating about the

bush over the recent by-elections

and they could not come out from

their traditions of falsifying any fact

and raising allegations after any

polls.

Mentioning that BNP does not

stick to in any issue, he said there is

no way to hold an interim parliamentary

election as the polls will be

held following the constitution.

The AL general secretary said if

BNP wants to go to power through

any undemocratic way, the people

will resist them.

He urged BNP to stay beside people

instead of wasting time in

hatching conspiracy and creating

unrest.

The minister said the Election

Commission is a constitutional

institution and it is acting independently.

Cooperation of all political

parties is needed to strengthen

the EC, he said.

He said if BNP places their constructive

criticism without making

criticism as a whole, EC may take

measures.

Quader said BNP's calling of hartal

boycotting the results of by-polls

is like giving programme against

people's verdict.

If BNP destroys people's peace

and comfort, Awami League along

with the people would resist them,

he added.

Why journalist Kajol

should not be granted

bail, HC asks

DHAKA : The High Court on Monday

issued a rule asking the government to

explain why photojournalist Shafiqul

Islam Kajol should not be granted bail

in a case filed under the Digital Security

Act (DSA), reports UNB.

The HC bench of Justice M Enayetur

Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur

Rahman issued the rule and asked the

investigation officer of the case to

appear before the court on Nov 12 with

all documents.

Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua stood for

Kajol while Deputy Attorney General

Mohamamd Sarwar Hossain Bappi

represented the state.

The journalist had gone missing on

March 10, a day after the case was filed

by the Awami League's Magura-1 MP

Saifuzzaman Shikhor.

Kajol and 30 others, including

Manabzamin Editor Matiur Rahman

Chowdhury, were accused in the DSA

case for publishing and sharing an article

on Facebook regarding expelled

Jubo Mohila League leader Shamima

Noor Papia.

Two other cases were filed against

Kajol at Kamrangirchar and

Hazaribagh police stations under the

DSA on March 10, 11.

After his 53-day disappearance, Kajol

was detained by Border Guard

Bangladesh (BGB) at the Benapole border

on May 3 and was produced before

a Jashore court the same day.

Rohingya Atrocities

Netherlands for ensuring

justice through ICJ

DHAKA : The Netherlands has reiterated

its commitment to help ensure justice

and accountability for the atrocities

committed against Rohingyas by the

Myanmar authorities, reports UNB.

Foreign Minister of the Netherlands

Stef Blok in a letter to his Bangladesh

counterpart Dr AK Abdul Momen conveyed

it saying they will help to ensure

justice through the International Court

of Justice (ICJ).

Dutch Ambassador to Bangladesh Harry

Verweij on Sunday met Foreign Minister Dr

Momen st State guesthouse Padma and

handed over the letter, said the Ministry of

Foreign Affairs on Monday.

On September 2, the Netherlands

and Canada said States parties to the

Genocide Convention must resolve to

prevent genocide but also, critically, to

hold perpetrators in Myanmar to

account.

"Canada and the Kingdom of the

Netherlands reiterate their call to all

states parties to the Genocide Convention

to support The Gambia in its efforts to

address these violations," the two countries

said in a joint statement.

Francois-Philippe Champagne,

In quickest verdict, Bagerhat

rapist gets life term

BAGERHAT : In the quickest trial in the

country, a Bagerhat courton Monday

sentenced a man to life imprisonment in

a child rape case within seven working

days after framing of charges, reports

UNB.

The verdict was pronounced following

huge protests against the growing rape

incidents across the country and demand

for capital punishment for rapists.

Amid the widespread protests,an ordinance

has been promulgated by the

President allowing death penalty as the

highest punishment for rape instead of

life term imprisonment.

The convictin this case is Abdul

Mannan Sarder, 50, a resident of

Makordong village in Mongla upazila.

The court also fined him Tk 20,000

and he will have to serve one year more

imprisonment if he fails to pay the

money.

Bagerhat Women and Children

Repression Prevention Tribunal-2 Court

Judge and Sessions Judge Md. Noor-e-

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, and

Stef Blok, Minister of Foreign Affairs of

the Kingdom of the Netherlands, issued

the statement regarding intention to intervene

in The Gambia v. Myanmar case at

the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

During his meeting with Dr Momen, the

Dutch Ambassador mentioned it.

The envoy assured continued

humanitarian support from the

Netherlands for Rohingyas who took

shelter in Bangladesh.

The Ambassador laid emphasis on

justice and accountability issues for a

sustainable solution to Rohingya crisis.

Dr Momen said Bangladesh is giving

much importance to safe and dignified

repatriation of Rohingyas.

He sought an effective role from the

Netherlands though coordination with

the European Union so that Myanmar

creates a safe environment in Rakhine

State for Rohingya repatriation.

On Sunday, Bangladeshcautioned

that if the Rohingya issue is not

resolved immediately, radical elements

can take advantage of the displacement

and "regional and international security

would certainly be jeopardised."

Alam announced the verdict, said Ranjit

Kumar Mondal, assistant public prosecutor

(APP) of the tribunal.

The court framed charges on October

13 afterpolice submitted a chargesheet on

October 11.

The judge on Sunday heard the arguments

of the lawyers from both sides-the

plaintiff and the defendant-in the case.

The court then fixed Monday (October

19) forannouncing the verdict.

According to the case statement, Abdul

Mannan Sardar called a seven-year-old

girl to his house on October 3alluring her

with a promise to give biscuits and then

raped her.

Later, the girl's uncle filed a case

against Abdul Mannan with Mongla

Police Station under the Women and

Children Repression Prevention Act.

Station sub-inspector of Mongla Police

Biswajit Mukherjee, who is also the

investigating officer of the case, submitteda

chargesheet against Abdul Mannan on

October 11.

The rubber of the two 'expansion joints' of Demra Sultana Kamal Bridge has completely lifted. Major accidents

can happen at any time if not repaired quickly.

Photo: PBA

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2020

2

Bangladesh Chhatra Union organized a human chain program in front of Bangladesh National

Museum to meet its various demands.

Photo : TBT

Global coronavirus cases approaching 40 mn

Global coronavirus cases are

approaching the 40 million-mark

amid resurgence of infections across

Europe, reports UNB.

According to the latest tally of John

Hopkins University (JHU), the total

coronavirus cases reached

39,884,616 as of Monday morning.

Besides, the global death toll was

registered 1,112,535 while 27,418,921

recovered.

The US saw its tally of coronavirus

cases surpass 8.1 million, followed by

India and Brazil, which over 7.4

million and 5.2 million registered

coronavirus cases, respectively.

Italy has announced a new raft of

measures to tighten restrictions amid

a surge in coronavirus cases, reports

the BBC.

The moves came as Italy recorded

its highest daily infection rate for the

second day in a row.

Another 11,705 new cases were

announced on Sunday, beating the

previous record, which came a day

earlier on Saturday, of 10,925.

12 hurt in Khulna

clash between

cops, jute mills

workers

KHULNA : At least 12 people,

including three policemen,

were injured in a clash

between police and former

jute mill workers on Khulna-

Jashore highway in Khulna

city on Monday morning,

reports UNB.

Under the banner of

Sammilito Nagorik Parishad,

the workers blocked the

highway in front of Eastern

gate of Atara Industrial area

around 11am to press home

their 14-point demand

including reopening of 25

state-run jute mills soon.

Police came to the spot

after a few minutes and tried

to remove them from the

highway, triggering the clash.

At one stage, police charged

batons and fired teargas

shells to disperse them from

the road, leaving nine

workers injured, said Kudrate-Khuda,

convener of the

parishad.

One of the injured workers

was admitted to Khulna

Medical College Hospital.

At one stage, the

demonstrators hurled brick

chips at the law enforcers,

leaving three of them injured.

However, law enforcers

managed to disperse them

from the highway and

brought the situation under

control, according toKhulna

Metropolitan Police (KMP)

Additional deputy

commissioner (North) Sonali

Sen.

Besides, police arrested

four workers from the spot.

The government decided to

shut down the 25 state-run

jute mills under Bangladesh

Jute Mill Corporation

(BJMC) by providing cent

percent dues of some 25,000

workers of the mills.

Italy was the European nation

hardest hit at the start of the

pandemic. It has now recorded

414,000 confirmed coronavirus

cases. Its 36,500 deaths place it

second to only the UK in Europe.

A number of nations have

strengthened their approach to

coronavirus as the "second wave" of

infections continues to increase.

There have been at least 722,400

confirmed cases of coronavirus in the

United Kingdom, according to Public

Health England. As of Sunday

evening, 43,646 people had died.

France saw a record number of new

cases on Saturday at 32,427 and

there was close to another 30,000 on

Sunday.

Switzerland on Sunday reacted to a

sharp increase in infections by

making the wearing of face-coverings

in indoor public spaces compulsory

from Monday. Gatherings of more

than 15 people in public are also

banned.

The Czech Republic said on Sunday

it would wait two weeks before

deciding on whether a full lockdown

was needed. The country currently

has the highest coronavirus infection

rate in Europe and has closed most of

the hospitality sector and moved

schools to distance-learning.

Ireland is set to announce tighter

restrictions on Monday. A minister

said a localised policy had not been

sufficient and implied the cabinet

was looking at a "level four" approach

that would close all non-essential

businesses.

Germany hit a daily record of new

infections on Saturday and

Chancellor Angela Merkel urged

people to stay at home and avoid

travel where possible.

In the Netherlands, PM Mark

Rutte admitted he should have given

better advice to the royal family after

they cut short a trip to Greece amid

public anger that they were

holidaying shortly after the

government had introduced a partial

lockdown.

Industries Secretary for setting up

dedicated light engineering

research center

DHAKA : Industries Secretary KM Ali Azam

yesterday underscored the need for setting

up a dedicated light engineering research

center for the development of light

engineering industry.

"Bangladesh Industrial and Technical

Assistance Center (BITAC) would set up a

research center under the Ministry of

Industries. It will have to recruit talented

manpower as well as introduce advanced

technology. In order to attract talented

engineers and researchers to work in this

organization, it is necessary to guarantee

higher salary structure, special incentives

and other financial benefits," he said.

KM Ali Azam gave the instruction while

presiding over an inter-ministerial meeting

to review the progress of implementation of

the recommendations identified by the

Ministry of Industries in the development of

light engineering.

Additional Secretary of the ministry Md

Helal Uddin highlighted the progress of

implementation of the recommendations

made for the development of NDC light

engineering industry.

Speakers at the meeting called for setting

up of dedicated industrial parks to

accelerate the ongoing development

activities in the light engineering industry,

providing low cost funds and financial

incentives for entrepreneurs, training of

skilled workers and managers through

training, marketing of manufactured goods,

development of subcontracting industries

and legislation.

Speaking on the occasion, Ali Azam said

light engineering is the most promising

industrial sector in Bangladesh at the

moment.

The importance of the light engineering

industry has increased a lot this year as

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has declared

it as the 'Product of the Year', he added.

In order to achieve the goal of

industrialized Bangladesh, he said planned

development of this industrial sector has to

be done.

To this end, he said it is necessary to build

dedicated industrial parks and research

institutes as well as increase advanced

training facilities.

Jago Bangladesh Garments Sramik Federation formed a human chain in

front of National Press Club yesterday to pay the arrear. Photo : TBT

3 others in critical

condition

CHATTOGRAM : One of the

men, who suffered severe

burns in an explosion in

Chattogram's Double

Mooring area, succumbed to

his injuries on Sunday night,

reports UNB.

The deceased was

identified as Shah Alam, 38,

son of Adam Ali Khan of the

area. He had suffered 100

percent burns.

Sadip Kumar Das, officerin-charge

of Double

Mooring Police Station, said

the explosion took place on

Saturday night when Shah

Alam was working on the

water tank of the house of

one Belal Khan. Four

people-Alam, Md Babul, 35,

Sabuj Mia, 17, Najrul Alam,

60 -- were injured in the

blast.

They were taken to

Chattogram Medical College

Hospital.

Of the injured, Alam,

Babul and Sabuj were

shifted to Sheikh Hasina

National Institute of Burn

and Plastic Surgery where

Alam died on Sunday night.

Sources say the other three

have suffered 85 percent

burns.

Police said it is unclear

what sparked the explosion

but suspect that an electric

short-circuit or accumulated

gas inside the tank might

have caused the blast.

Bank branches

to remain closed

on Tuesday in

election areas

DHAKA : Bank branches

will remain closed on

Tuesday inparts ofthe

country where elections

and by-elections todifferent

upazila and union councils

will be held on the day, said

a Bangladesh Bank

circular.

It said the measures were

taken in accordance with

the declaration of the

general holiday by the

Election Commission on

the occasion of elections in

those areas.

An ECgazette notification

shows that by-elections to

chairman, vice chairman

and female vice-chairman

posts will be held at

Daudkandi upzila while

vice-chairman election at

Dinajpur Sadar upazila and

chairman election at

Jessore Sadar upazila,

South Matlab of Chandpur,

Jamalganj of Sunamganj,

Shibchar of Madaripur,

Sarankhola of Bagerhat,

Paikegachha of Khulna and

Manda upazila of Naogaon

district on Tuesday.

General election will be

held at 10 union councils

and by-election to vacant

posts of chairman of 41

union councils in different

districts will be held on

October 20.

Worker killed in

Kushtia falling

from underconstruction

building

ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY : A

construction worker was

killed after falling from an

under-construction building

of Islamic University in

Kushtia on Monday

morning, reports UNB.

The deceased was

identified as Monirul Islam,

26.

Dr. Poresh Chandra

Barman, proctor of the

university, said that Monirul

fell down from the fourth

floor of the underconstruction

building of

Business Faculty while he

was working there around

9am and died on the spot.

On information, police

recovered the body, said

Mostafizur Rahman, officerin-charge

of Islamic

University Police Station.

All sectors get Prime

Minister's assistance during

corona pandemic: Tofail

BHOLA : Awami League Advisory council

member Tofail Ahmed yesterday said Prime

Minister Sheikh Hasina has given assistance

to all sectors during the corona virus

pandemic. "Common people including poor,

even Imam and muazzin of the mosques

were not excluded from the support

provided by the Prime Minister during the

onslaught of the COVID-19", he said in a

video conference as the chief guest while

distributing Prime Minister's special

financial assistance cheque here.

Tofail said, there is no such a place where

the Prime Minister does not enhance

support, adding that even the newsmen also

get the support from the PM.

Bhola press club president M Habibur

Rahman chaired the progrmme.

Talking about per capita income, the

senior ruling party leader said, "Our per

capita income is now more than India-which

was more than us[Bangladesh] but now has

been dropped due to the pandemic -it has

possible due to Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina."

He said : "we had handed over the Awami

League flag to Sheikh Hasina in 1981 ..and

she has been leading the party since then

with utmost honesty and integrity. She has

turned the country into a dignified state", he

added.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina faced

attempt to murder for 21 times and huge

repression and torture has also been carried

out on her, Tofail said. "Once the country

was inferior one, but now Bangladesh has

become a wonderful emergence to the

people across the world", the former

minister mentioned.

Bhola-2 constituency lawmaker Ali Azam

Mukul, Bhola-3 lawmaker Nurunnabi

Chowdhury Shaon, Zila Parishad Chairman

Abdul Momin Tulu, Sadar Upazila parishad

chairman M Mosharref Hossen and district

Awami League Organizing Secretary Mainul

Hossen Biplob, among others, spoke on the

occasion.

Bhola Press Club General Secretary

Amitabh Roy Apu moderated the function.

Later, the Awami League leader

distributed around Taka 7.50 lakh among 75

newsmen.

Thai authorities seek to censor

coverage of student protests

Thailand's embattled prime minister said

Monday that there were no plans to extend a

state of emergency outside the capital, even

as student-led protests calling for him to

leave office spread around the country.

Police, however, indicated they were

working to censor coverage of the

demonstrations, reports UNB.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha's

government has already issued a decree that

bans public gatherings of more than four

people in Bangkok, outlaws news said to

affect national security and gives authorities

broad power to detain people.

None of that has been able to keep the

mostly young protesters from gathering en

masse across Bangkok the past five days to

push their demands, which also include

constitutional changes and reform of the

monarchy. On Sunday, rallies spread to at

least a dozen provinces outside Bangkok.

Prayuth told reporters the state of

emergency will remain only in Bangkok for

now.

"I want to ask them for a few things: Don't

destroy the government and private

properties and don't touch the monarchy,"

Mominul Haque Majumder, Treasurer of Daffodil International

University hands over the cheque to Mr. Hamidul Islam, Father of Md.

Yeasin Ali, student of Software Engineering Department. Mr. Rezaul

Karim Masud, Senior Assistant Director (F&A) was also present during

handing over the cheque.

Photo : AP

GD- 1367/20 (4 x 3)

Prayuth said of the demonstrators.

Nevertheless, police said Monday that

there were pushing forward with ways to flex

their power, including seeking to invoke

censorship measures to restrict reporting on

the protests.

Deputy police spokesman Kissana

Phataracharoen confirmed that police are

forwarding a request to the appropriate

agencies to take action against information

providers that give what he called "distorted

information" that can cause unrest and

confusion in society.

Under existing laws, the National

Broadcasting and Telecommunications

Commission and the Ministry of Digital

Economy and Society are empowered to ban

broadcasts and block internet content. Police

themselves can also do so under the

emergency decree, which went into effect

Oct. 15, a day after protesters heckled a royal

motorcade in once unthinkable scene in a

country where the monarchy is protected by

strict laws and treated with reverence.

Kissana spoke after a leaked copy of the

censorship request, officially termed an

order, circulated on social media.

TuesdAY, OCTOBeR 20, 2020

3

Bam Ganatantrik Jote organized a human chain program in the capital city yesterday demanding the

announcement of lowest wage in government and non-government jute mills.

Photo : TBT

3rd World statistics day

to be observed today

DHAKA : The third World Statistics

Day 2020 will be observed in the

country today with the theme

"Connecting the world with data we can

trust" reflecting the importance of trust,

authoritative data, innovation and the

public good in national statistical

systems, reports BSS.

On the eve of the day, President M

Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina expressed their

happiness that Bangladesh is going to

observe the day for the third time like

other countries across the globe.

President Abdul Hamid in his

message said, "Statistics is a determiner

of development and progress. The

statistics has an immense importance

in determining the pace and nature of

all socio-economic activities and

formulating development plans".

Basically, the accurate statistics is a

prerequisite for effective planning, he

said, adding that the extensive use of

statistics in quantitative and qualitative

measurements is noticed in all

economic, demographic and social

sectors.

Noting that the use of accurate and

timely statistics is essential for the

development and progress of any

country, which is also not different for

developing countries like Bangladesh,

Hamid said the application of accurate

and timely statistics in every sector can

transform the country into a developed

country fast from a developing one.

The government of Bangladesh is

very much sincere for modernization of

the national statistics system and its use

for the development activities, the

President said, adding, "I am happy to

know that the Statistics Act 2013 and

related national strategies have been

GD- 1366/20 (10 x 3)

formulated for the development of the

national statistics system".

He hoped that the observance of the

World Statistics Day will increase the

use of statistics in all sectors of the

country accelerating the pace of

economic development.

In her message, Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina said one of the prime

conditions for the development of the

country is to adopt the right plan while

timely and accurate statistics is required

for the proper planning.

The more accurate statistics helps the

policymakers formulate plans and

make decisions easily, she said, adding,

"Our government is committed to

collect and publish the necessary,

timely and quality statistics for making

information based decisions and plans

in all areas".

The government is always striving to

use modern technology in

data processing and

identification, provide the

right data to meet the

challenges of globalization

and make statistical activities

timely and expeditious, the

premier said.

"I believe that accurate,

reliable and timely statistics

serve as the basis in

formulating sustainable

development plans and

making decisions and help us

understand the changing

world," Sheikh Hasina said,

adding the importance of

statistics has increased

further in saving lives from

the coronavirus epidemic

and overcoming it.

The Prime Minister urged

planners, policy makers,

academics and researchers

who are working tirelessly for

the sustainable development

of the country to make the

best use of the existing

statistics.

"I think celebrating the

World Statistics Day is a

unique opportunity to make

people aware about the

importance of statistics," she

said. The President and the

Prime Minister wished

success of all the

programmes of the day.

At the 41st Session of the

United Nations Statistical

Commission, in February

2010, proposed celebrating

20 October 2010 as World

Statistics Day.

Acknowledging that the

production of reliable, timely

statistics and indicators of

countries' progress is

indispensable for informed

policy decisions and

monitoring implementation

of the Millennium

Development Goals, the

General Assembly on 3 June

2010 adopted a resolution,

which officially designated

20 October 2010 as the first

ever World Statistics Day

under the general theme

"Celebrating the many

achievements of official

statistics."

In 2015, with a resolution,

the General Assembly

decided to designate 20

October 2015 as the second

World Statistics Day under

the general theme "Better

data, better lives," as well as

to celebrate World Statistics

Day every five years on 20

October.

BRAC seeks stay

on Jaha Alam's

compensation

order

DHAKA : Brac Bank Ltd on

Monday filed a petition with

the High Court seeking a stay

on its previous order asking

the bank to provide Tk 15

lakh as compensation to Jaha

Alam, reports UNB.

Anisul Hasan, a lawyer of

Brac Bank, filed the petition

and said it would likely be

placed before the Chamber

Judge. Alam languished in

jail for three years instead of

the real accused in a case filed

by the Anti-Corruption

Commission (ACC) for

misappropriating Sonali

Bank money. On Sept 30, the

High Court asked BRAC

Bank to give Tk 15 lakh to

Jaha Alam as compensation

within a month.

Two officials of the bank

were blamed for the

incident.

The court also asked the

ACC to be vigilant so that

such mistakes do not happen

in the future as people have a

lot of expectations from the

ACC, said the ACC lawyer.

On February 12, the court

kept the matter as a case

awaiting verdict (CAV)

completing hearing on the

rule asking the government

to explain why directives

should not be given to

provide compensation to

Jaha Alam in the loan default

case filed by ACC.

Hailing from Tangail, Jaha

Alam languished in jail for

years in 33 cases instead of

real culprit Abu Salek

involving embezzlement of

Tk 18 crore from Sonali Bank.

The HC took cognizance of

the matter following a

newspaper report that an

innocent man was suffering.

It passed a suo moto order

following the newspaper

report.

Jaha Alam was released on

bail granted by the apex court

on February 3 this year.

7 'teen gang

members' held

in city

DHAKA : Members of Rapid

Action Battalion (Rab)

arrested seven members of a

teen gang along with drugs

and sharp weapons from

Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area of

the capital, reports UNB.

The arrestees are

Mohammad Sagar alias

Roman, 19, Hatem Ali, 19,

Muktaruzzaman, 19, Rakib

Shikdar, 20, Alamin

Hossain, 19, Hridoy, 16 and

Jibon, 16.All of them are

members ofnotorious teen

gang 'Parvez group'.

GD- 1368/20 (6 x 4)

HC warns deputy jailor

over releasing inmate with

unsigned vakalatnama

DHAKA : The High Court (HC) yesterday

accepted unconditional apology sought by

Dhaka Central Jail deputy jailor Khandaker Al

Mamun for releasing an inmate, who was

granted bail but filed an unsigned vakalatnama

with the jail authorities, reports BSS.

A High Court division virtual bench of Justice

Md. Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Ahmed

Sohel passed the order as the jail official

appeared before the court and sought

unconditional apology.

The court also asked jailors and deputy

jailors to write their full names while signing

the vakalatnama of the inmates. The jail

authorities also directed to maintain a registrar

book for this purpose.

The court also scrapped bail of the accused

Mizanur Rahman Kanak and ordered him to

surrender, deputy attorney general AKM Amin

GD- 1365/20 (8 x 3)

Uddin Manik said.

The High Court on June 15 granted bail to

one Mizanur Rahman Kanak, accused in two

cases lodged over loan forgery, but as the

affidavit wing of the High Court was closed at

the time due to corona pandemic, the court had

directed to submit all the necessary documents

after affidavit, within one week of resuming the

court operation.

The accused later submitted his

vakalatnama, which had no signature of the jail

officials. The court then asked the defence to

submit the document with jail official's

signature. And the defence did accordingly.

The court then wanted to know how the

accused, who was out of jail on the bail,

managed to collect jail official's signature, and

on October 11 passed an order, asking the jail

official to appear before the court.

TuESDAY, ocToBEr 20, 2020

4

confrontation and continuity

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam

e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com

Tuesday, October 20, 2020

GDP indicates

impressive economic

performance

The International Monetary Fund (IMF), in its

October 2020 report, titled, World Economic

Outlook: A Long and Difficult Ascent, notes that

Bangladesh has overtaken India in terms of per capita

GDP scoring US$ 1888. Notably, in 2015, just five years

ago, India's per capita GDP was around 40 percent higher

than Bangladesh. The focused and visionary plans,

actions, and the hard work of the Sheikh Hasina

government and the people of the country made possible

such success for Bangladesh.

The impressive economic success of Bangladesh has

become a matter of discussion in the Indian media and

beyond. It is also seen that while many countries in the

world including the developed ones are experiencing

negative growth due to COVID-19 global pandemic,

Bangladesh is experiencing positive growth that also

becomes a matter of celebration for Bangladesh. In this

context, it becomes crucial to investigate the rise/

emergence of Bangladesh as an economic power house.

The decades long severe discrimination against former

East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) by erstwhile West Pakistan

economically, politically and structurally led to the

independence movement in East Pakistan under the

leadership of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Finally, after nine-months of War of Independence,

Bangladesh emerged as an independent nation-state in 1971.

The 1971 War exacerbated the situation. The United

Nations estimated the reconstruction cost in/of

Bangladesh at US$938 million. In such a scenario,

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the father of the

nation took the leadership to rebuild the country, and to

make it a 'Shonar Bangla' (Golden Bengal). In fact, it was

a daunting task. Even at this stage, many raised questions

about the viability and stability of Bangladesh as nationbuilding

in a new state was not an easy task.

For instance, during his visit to Dhaka in 1974, Henry

Kissinger termed Bangladesh as a 'bottomless basket'.

Ambassador U. Alexis Johnson defined the newly born

state, Bangladesh as 'international basket case'. However,

Bangabandhu was able to overcome those predictions

and speculations through his visionary leadership.

On October 4, 2019, the incumbent Prime Minister of

Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina wrote that "Beyond selfsufficiency,

we are now the fourth-largest in rice

production, second-largest in jute production, fourthlargest

in mango production, fifth-largest in vegetable

production and fourth-largest in inland fisheries in the

world'. Since 2009, Bangladesh has been achieving more

than 6 percent growth. The country graduated to a lowermiddle-income

nation in 2015 while in 2018 it met the

UN criteria for graduating from the 'least developed

country' status by 2024.

Bangladesh is one of the key players in the global textile

industry. This is, in fact, tremendous achievements for

Bangladesh. Behind such achievement, the visionary

leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina played a

crucial role along with the hard work of the tens of

thousands of farmers, factory workers, garments workers,

and other classes of people in the country. Bangladesh

has been awarded 'South-South Award' in 2013 for

making remarkable progress in poverty alleviation. If one

looks at few forecasts, according to a study of UK-based

firm PwC, Bangladesh will be 23rd largest world economy

by 2050. In addition, the Goldman Sach forecasts

Bangladesh as one of the countries in 'N11' after BRICS

who will dominate the future world economy.

Bangladesh has the potential to become the economic

hub in South Asia which requires regional and global

economic cooperation. Under the leadership of Sheikh

Hasina, Bangladesh is preparing 100 special economic

zones for major investors which will create employment

opportunities for millions along with increased economic

growth that can contribute immensely to the overall

socio-economic development of Bangladesh. To attract

foreign direct investments, Bangladesh enacted One-Stop

Service Act in 2018 to provide all the required services to

investors from the same point. In addition, Bangladesh

offers the most liberal and congenial investment regime

in South Asia. Notably, the GDP of Bangladesh has grown

from US$102 billion in 2009 to US$302 billion in 2019.

One can also note that foreign direct investment has also

increased from US$ 700 million in 2009 to US$ 3613

million in 2018. In 2018, Bangladesh was the second

recipient of FDI in South Asia.

After coming to power in 2009, the Sheikh Hasina

government set several targets for Bangladesh, i.e. to

achieve the status of a middle-income country by 2021,

accomplishing the SDG goals by 2030, becoming a

developed country by 2041, and executing a delta plan by

2100. Thus, one can argue that under the visionary

leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh

is moving forward with specific targets in mind. Many

argue that Bangladesh can be a developed nation by 2041

if the current political stability in the country under

Sheikh Hasina regime continues along with the supports

from the major development partners. One of the major

strengths for Bangladesh is among its more than 170

million people more than 60 per cent are energetic and

dynamic youths who can contribute immensely to the

overall development of the country.

The world needs to know that Bangladesh is no more an

'international basket case'.

IT'S relatively easy to understand why

so many observers remain cynical

about the possibility of any change in

the logic of power in Pakistan.

Mainstream political parties here,

especially those advocating for change,

are ossified, dynastic, and self-serving.

These very traits make them too illequipped

to push through any

substantive transformation. On the other

end, those actors who control the state

have no incentive to give up their control.

In this impasse, it's hard to see a clear

route to greater constitutionalism - ie the

simple act of power being exercised

according to formally agreed rules.

The frequently unstated premise here

is that constitutionalism is a desirable

end-goal. Alongside normative and

moral arguments which favour it as an

end-goal in itself, largely instrumental

ones are now also worth making. The

literature on law and development has

achieved some degree of consensus in so

far that it says stable, inclusive and rulefollowing

institutional arrangements are

generally considered good for

development. They facilitate wealth

creation, redistribution, and attainment

of 'expressive' needs.

Even a cursory look at Pakistan's ruling

arrangements - whether civil, military, or

hybrid - would confirm that stability,

inclusiveness, and rule-following are not

their most obvious traits. Personalised

rule constantly holds intra-party

factional intrigue at bay; military elites

provide guarantees for repeated

concessions till the moment they don't;

the bureaucracy switches between total

submission and complete indifference. In

most cases, exogenous events -

inflationary pressures, geostrategic

considerations, global corruption

scandals - throw arrangements into

disarray, but very rarely change the

underlying logic and hierarchy of rule.

The exogenous moment this Monday is

non-existent economic growth and

inflationary pressure. The opening is

further provided by the fact that the

ruling party only has a limited amount of

political capital to spend in some parts of

the country.

The government faces no immediate

threat to its stability. The PM can rest

easy.

The fact that growth had to be halted

out of necessity - one induced by the

previous PML-N government's

macroeconomic policies - and that

inflationary pressures are in some part

related to supply-side shocks out of the

government's control bears little

meaning here. Perceptions of

incompetence and indifference are

enough to resuscitate political

mobilisation. The PML-N's gambit in

particular relates to the possibility of local

body polls. A year or so of transacted

silence has given way to a strategy of

noise.

And so the present wave of opposition

uMAir JAVED

YouSEF Al-BENYAN

protests, punctuated by Nawaz Sharif's

extremely categorical speech, is an

attempt to leverage these exogenous

circumstances to create political space for

parties currently outside the ruling

arrangement. That is the extent of its

ambition; at this moment, this ambition

is arguably in service of

constitutionalism, but dispassionate

analysis requires us to look beyond

fleeting moments.

The government faces no immediate

threat to its stability. Its position in KP is

remarkably secure - a fact that is down to

both performance-based and political

legitimacy and one that often goes

unheralded. In Punjab, the coalition is

brokered by higher authorities and will

remain in place till they deem fit. At the

centre, the numbers are well-tilted in

their favour. The prime minister can rest

easy.

If anything it's the opposition that will

now have its work set out for itself.

Outcomes of confrontation between

political actors are determined by the

resources available to each. Amorphous

popular support is good to capture

headlines, fill stadia, and run hashtags,

but insufficient in the face of a wellresourced,

extremely organised, multidecade-long

incumbent. The test that

PML-N faces is not dissimilar to what it

has faced in the past: its leadership has

chosen a particular trajectory for its

politics, and has to ensure that the party

stays in line.

If there is internal factionalism over

strategy, it has to be ironed out. If there

are legislators with doubts, they have to

be coerced or cajoled into falling in line.

Anything short of this, and it all starts

going extremely pear-shaped.

On the other hand, the true incumbent

faces a more familiar task. It just needs to

curate a forward bloc or two ahead of the

Senate elections; if there are local

government polls before it, it needs to

ensure that the ruling party retains the

upper hand in key localities in north and

central Punjab. This can be done through

a variety of ways, but, short of actual

manipulation, mopping up dissident

opposition politicians is usually the most

reliable one.

For anyone interested in the usual

factional intrigue that high politics ends

up being in this country (which if our TV

channels are anything to go by, is a lot of

people), these are the trends worth

watching out for in the next few months.

Short of another drastic change in its

political strategy, PML-N is on a

conflictual path against the incumbent,

and even the most generous assessments

of its organisational capacity would

currently place it as under-equipped to

deal with the challenge. Let's see if this

assessment holds true in the months

ahead.

Source: Dawn

Embracing leadership at home and on the global stage

Twenty years ago, a series of crises in

emerging markets created the need

to expand the G7 to the G20 - a

ministerial group representing the largest

and most systemically important

economies - in order to provide a broader

perspective and better coordination on

international economic policy.

In the wake of the 2008 global economic

crisis, the leaders of those G20 countries

convened to identify steps that would

restore stability to the global economy -

and did so successfully.

The focus of the G20 expanded in the last

decade through the creation of

engagement groups to establish a dialogue

with civil society on a wide range of topics

from the environment to gender equality to

social justice. One such group, Business 20

(B20), serves as the voice of global

business to the world's largest economies.

In this year's G20 Presidency of Saudi

Arabia, I have been fortunate to chair the

B20, which identifies the most pressing

priorities impacting all business - large and

small - in the developed and developing

world.

This has been a fantastic opportunity,

not only for business leaders such as me,

but also for the Kingdom overall. Saudi

Arabia is the first Middle Eastern country

to be bestowed with the distinct privilege of

hosting the G20 and B20 and it comes at

one of the most challenging times in

modern history, given the coronavirus

disease (COVID-19) pandemic. One could

view this as unfortunate timing for Saudi

Arabia, but I believe just the opposite.

The world's eyes will be on our country in

the coming months for the B20 and G20

summits as global political and business

leaders gather virtually to discuss a host of

important issues. At the top of the list will

be how the public and private sectors can

best address the health and economic

fallout resulting from the COVID-19 crisis.

This is no small order. But Saudi Arabia

has never been one to shy away from

challenges, whether it be managing major

health issues such as MERS (Middle East

Respiratory Syndrome) or creating a new

economic blueprint for one of the youngest

populations in the world.

In line with the B20's past contributions

we are confident we will put forth

recommendations that, if adopted, will be

critical to helping to restore and

reinvigorate the global economy. In fact,

we came together as a group early on in the

pandemic to create a dedicated COVID-19

initiative, tapping global business leaders

for their insights on how to best navigate

the crisis and restore the economy at a

regional and global level.

Over the past nine months, I have had

the good fortune to partner with several

Saudi business leaders who serve as chairs

of the B20 taskforces and the Women in

Business Action Council. Working with

them, their co-chairs and the 650 plus

This has been a fantastic opportunity, not only for business leaders such as me,

but also for the kingdom overall. Saudi Arabia is the first Middle Eastern country

to be bestowed with the distinct privilege of hosting the G20 and B20 and it

comes at one of the most challenging times in modern history, given the coronavirus

disease (coViD-19) pandemic. one could view this as unfortunate timing

for Saudi Arabia, but i believe just the opposite.

FrANciS WilkiNSoN

members of the B20, representing every

conceivable business sector from all

corners of the world, we have identified 25

priorities for the global business

community.

Interestingly, when we first developed

these priorities the pandemic was on no

one's radar, but they remain every bit as

critical in importance. The priorities cover

a wide swath of issues, including the need

for increased digitalization, managing

climate change, fair and equal trade,

healthy supply chains to move critical

goods and services across borders and the

eradication of corruption. All these

priorities were developed with several

factors in mind, including alignment with

the United Nations Sustainable

Development Goals (SDGs), increased

participation of women in the global

economy and creating an environment for

MSMEs to prosper.

The presidency and impending summits

have helped to raise the profile of the

Kingdom, providing a voice not only for

Saudi Arabia but also for the Middle East

region and developing countries overall.

Also, it comes at a time when the Kingdom

is pursuing its Vision 2030 goals, which in

many ways align with the priorities we are

putting forth, demonstrating we can in fact

lead by example.

The Vision 2030 reform plan's focus on

preparing the next generation for the

workplace of the future, boosting the

participation of SMEs in the economy and

delivering equal opportunities for women

are a representative sample of the

Kingdom's alignment with B20 Saudi

Arabia. With one of the youngest

populations in the world (50 percent under

the age of 25) and women playing a strong

role (50 percent of university graduates are

female), we must focus on the future to

build a better world for the next

generation.

However, we cannot tackle these

challenges with a "go it alone" strategy. As

business leaders, we need to engage with

governments, civil society and multilateral

institutions to lay out a road map to

success.

Source: Arab news

Elections 2020: What a Biden presidency would look like

It's also possible that Biden might succeed

in having an awful lot of his political cake and

eating it, too.

US politics has changed dramatically over

the past four years. Persistent problemspublic

investment shortfalls, soaring

inequality, rural stagnation, the threat of

environmental catastrophe, a burgeoning

underclass not making decent wagesremain.

To many in the party, especially the

Bernie Sanders/Alexandria Ocasio Cortez

wing, these problems have only grown more

acute.

On the moderate side of Biden's coalition,

which tends to be older and (and larger), the

crisis of Trumpism has superseded all

others. President Donald Trump's attacks on

democracy, rule of law, decency and

competence pose an existential threat to the

prosperity and stability of the US Sanders

and AOC have acknowledged as much, with

AOC explicitly citing the need to vote for

Biden to allow democracy to "live another

day."

Trump Vs Biden: Michigan offers a

glimpse of America's 'White Salafis'

US Elections 2020: No more presidential

debates a possibility

And so the present wave of opposition protests, punctuated by

Nawaz Sharif's extremely categorical speech, is an attempt to

leverage these exogenous circumstances to create political space

for parties currently outside the ruling arrangement. That is the

extent of its ambition; at this moment, this ambition is arguably

in service of constitutionalism, but dispassionate analysis

requires us to look beyond fleeting moments.

US Elections 2020: What happens when

Presidential debate is cancelled

Repairing the federal government will be a

painstaking task. It will not, however, be a

highly contentious one. There is no

constituency in the Democratic Party for

appointing hacks or grifters to high office, or

for emulating Attorney General William

Barr's transformation of the Department of

Justice into a chop shop where the law is

dismantled in pursuit of partisan obsessions.

A public display of honesty, proficiency

and ethics will buy Biden a lot of leeway. His

election alone would help restore

democracy, though more will have to be

done to protect it. Similarly, a competent

attack on Covid-19 "- if it's not too late "- will

generate political as well as economic

confidence.

If Democrats fail to take the Senate,

Biden's policy agenda is doomed "- no matter

how many hosannas to bipartisanship he

sings. The party that preferred a looming

depression to Democratic success in 2009

will likely be more extreme and vindictive in

2021. Bipartisan progress may be possible in

some areas, but not on big-ticket items such

as green energy and expanded health

insurance. Even with a Democratic majority

it's hard to see how transformative

legislation can be passed without first

eliminating the filibuster, enabling the

Senate to operate with simple majorities.

A Democratic Senate majority would

empower the most conservative Democrats

"- Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Kyrsten

Sinema of Arizona and some newcomers

from purple states "- as the deciding votes.

Manchin's state has had double-digit

unemployment much of the year; Sinema's

has regularly experienced triple-digit

temperatures. Democrat Mark Kelly is

leading this year's Senate race in Arizona

while calling for "massive investments" in

renewable energy.

It's unclear what precisely such moderates

would oppose in a $2 trillion investment to

overhaul the US energy sector, create jobs

and combat climate change. Biden's green

new deal can be contrasted with AOC's green

new deal and portrayed, correctly, as the

moderate option. (Manchin's coal miners are

not going back to the mines no matter what

colour the deal is.) Likewise, Biden's plan for

a public option for Obamacare will be the

moderate alternative to Sanders' Medicare

for All.

Losses on the left will take the form of hefty

half loaves; the rhetoric deployed by Sanders

and AOC can make the repast easier (or

more difficult) to digest. In any case, young

Americans accustomed to paralysis and drift

would witness action on a scale they've never

seen. Police reform and a $15 minimum

wage are policies that unite Democrats and

have special salience to the Sanders/AOC

ticket. And a Biden intervention in the

housing market, with subsidies for first-time

home buyers and new protections and

supports for renters, will target the needs of

a rising generation bludgeoned by debt,

pandemic and Trump. How many

Democrats will balk at such support?

Across a range of issues, Biden's policies

are less than the Sanders/AOC ticket

demands but more than anyone previously

imagined possible. Just as Lyndon Johnson's

Texas drawl helped make a lunge toward

racial equality less threatening to Whites,

Biden's moderate demeanour can help sell

costly investments to the financially secure.

Source: Gulf news

TUeSdAY, OCTOBeR 20, 2020

5

Is electric car green at

maximum mileage?

Researchers in Australia blamed climate change for the loss.

MaRIa CRaMeR

the great Barrier Reef, one of the

earth's most precious habitats, lost half

of its coral populations in the last

quarter-century, a decline that

researchers in australia said would

continue unless drastic action is taken

to mitigate the effects of climate change.

Researchers studied coral colonies

along the length of the reef between

1995 and 2017 and found that almost

every coral species had declined. Colony

sizes were smaller; there were fewer

"big mamas," or older large corals that

produce baby corals; and there were

fewer of those babies, which are vital to

the reef's future ability to breed.

"Our results show the ability of the

great Barrier Reef to recover - its

resilience - is compromised compared

to the past, because there are fewer

babies, and fewer large breeding

adults," Dr. andy Dietzel, the lead

author of the study, said in a statement.

the study was published on Wednesday

in the journal Proceedings of the Royal

Society. Dr. Dietzel and other

researchers from the aRC Center of

Photo Internet

The Great Barrier Reef has lost half its corals

this year, roughly a quarter

of the vast Pantanal wetland

in Brazil, one of the most

biodiverse places on earth,

has burned in wildfires

worsened by climate change.

What happens to a rich and

unique biome when so much

is destroyed?

the unprecedented fires in

the wetland have attracted

less attention than blazes in

australia, the Western United

States and the amazon, its

celebrity sibling to the north.

But while the Pantanal is not a

global household name,

tourists in the know flock

there because it is home to

exceptionally high

concentrations

of

breathtaking wildlife:

Jaguars, tapirs, endangered

giant otters and bright blue

hyacinth macaws. like a vast

tub, the wetland swells with

water during the rainy season

and empties out during the

dry months. Fittingly, this

rhythm has a name that

evokes a beating heart: the

area.

flood pulse.

the wetland, which is larger

than greece and stretches

over parts of Brazil, Paraguay

and Bolivia, also offers unseen

gifts to a vast swath of South

america by regulating the

water cycle upon which life

depends. Its countless

swamps, lagoons and

tributaries purify water and

help prevent floods and

droughts. they also store

Photo: Maria Magdalena

untold amounts of carbon,

helping to stabilize the

climate.

For centuries, ranchers

have used fire to clear fields

and new land. But this year,

drought worsened by climate

change turned the wetlands

into a tinderbox and the fires

raged out of control. "the

extent of fires is staggering,"

said Douglas C. Morton, who

leads the Biospheric Sciences

excellence for Coral Reef Studies in

queensland, australia, measured

changes in colony sizes as a way of

understanding the capacity of corals to

breed.

Bleaching - a process in which corals

expel algae and turn white as water

temperatures rise - contributed to steep

losses of coral colonies in the northern

and central great Barrier Reef in 2016

and 2017. the southern part of the reef

was also exposed to record-setting

temperatures in early 2020, according

to the researchers, who cited climate

change as one of the major drivers of

disturbances to the reef.

"there is no time to lose," the

researchers said in their statement. "We

must sharply decrease greenhouse gas

emissions aSaP." "We used to think the

great Barrier Reef is protected by its

sheer size - but our results show that

even the world's largest and relatively

well-protected reef system is

increasingly compromised and in

decline," one of the researchers,

terence hughes, said in a statement.

the decline of "branching and tableshaped

corals," which provide critical

habitats for fish, was especially

pronounced, the researchers said.

"these were the worst affected by

record-breaking temperatures that

triggered mass bleaching in 2016 and

2017," Professor hughes said. "the

changes to the Reef are shocking," he

added on twitter.

he lamented what he saw as a lack of

attention to the study from government

leaders in australia, the world's biggest

coal exporter. the government has

resisted calls to reduce carbon

emissions even as heat waves, drought

and fires continue to reveal the

country's vulnerability to climate

change.

the great Barrier Reef, which

supports a vast array of marine life, has

between 300 and 400 coral species and

stretches for thousands of kilometers

across the australian coast. "You can

literally see it from space," said Deron

Burkepile, a professor in the

department of ecology, evolution and

marine biology at the University of

California, Santa Barbara.

How wetland turned inferno

A dead heron in the Baía dos Guató Indigenous

laboratory at the naSa

goddard Space Flight Center

and studies fire and food

production in South america.

"When you wipe out a quarter

of a biome, you create all

kinds of unprecedented

circumstances."

his analysis showed that at

least 22 percent of the

Pantanal in Brazil has burned

since January, with the worst

fires, in august and

September, blazing for two

months straight. naturally

occurring fire plays a role in

the Pantanal, in addition to

the burning by ranchers. the

flames are usually contained

by the landscape's mosaic of

water. But this year's drought

sucked these natural barriers

dry. the fires are far worse

than any since satellite

records began.

the fires are also worse than

any in the memory of the

guató people, an Indigenous

group whose ancestors have

lived in the Pantanal for

thousands of years.

PaUl StenqUISt

they only look like conspicuous

polluters. a new breed of electric

performance cars, including Porsche's

taycan and the tesla Model S P100D,

shows how environmentally minded

fans of horsepower might square their

circles.

a supercar with a carbon footprint

that seems closer to a jet engine's than

to a Prius's may feel irresponsible in the

face of climate change. But what about

electric vehicles that can keep pace with

or even outperform the likes of

lamborghini?

the tesla Model S can sprint to 60

miles per hour in slightly more than two

seconds, making it one of the quickest

machines on the market. Is it notably

cleaner than a comparably fast

gasoline-fueled car like the BMW M5,

which is powered by a fuel-hungry 617-

horsepower twin-turbo V8?

the numbers say yes. the tesla is

convincingly the green choice, but

there's more to the story. even small,

less powerful electric vehicles haven't

always been cleaner than the most

efficient gas-powered autos. a 2012

article in the new York times

summarized a report from the Union of

Concerned Scientists that found the

environmental benefits of subcompact,

modestly powered electric cars like the

nissan leaf depended on where they

were charged.

at the time, many states still relied

heavily on coal-fired plants for

electricity, and the investigators found

that in some areas, electrics were no

cleaner than efficient gasoline-powered

cars when factoring in the emissions

resulting from electricity generation.

e.V. technology has advanced

considerably since then, and electricity

generation in america has shifted, as

well. the latest report from the Union

of Concerned Scientists, in a February

article by David Reichmuth, its senior

vehicles engineer, is much more

optimistic than the one eight years ago.

after analyzing all emissions - including

those from fossil fuel production, along

with conventional vehicle tailpipe

emissions and power plant emissions -

the group found that electric vehicles

were responsible for about 10 percent

less overall emissions in 2018 than they

were just two years earlier. emissions

generated during vehicle and battery

production or in the mining of lithium

for e.V. batteries were not part of the

calculation.

In this study, the average electric

vehicle in the United States was found

to be responsible for emission levels

equivalent to those generated by a

gasoline vehicle that gets 88 miles per

gallon. In areas where a lot of coal is still

burned to make electricity, the electric

vehicle m.p.g. equivalency number can

fall to as low as 49 miles to a gallon, but

those areas are few and less densely

populated than regions with clean

power.

OK, but what about electric supercars

like the Model S and taycan? Since they

produce mammoth horsepower,

doesn't it follow that their emission

levels are high as well? "a very

powerful electric performance

automobile is less efficient than a

hyper-efficient e.V. but still far cleaner

than a comparably powerful car that

burns gasoline," Mr. Reichmuth said in

a telephone interview. he added that a

Model S driven in California, which has

some of the nation's cleanest electrical

power, is about equivalent to a gasoline

vehicle that achieves 120 m.p.g. In

other words, in an area with relatively

clean electric plants, this extremely

powerful machine can be cleaner than

even the most efficient gas car.

the numbers Mr. Reichmuth cited

assume that the Model S is driven

responsibly. With the throttle held

wide open, a Model S will gobble up the

watt-hours. While tesla doesn't

provide data for aggressive driving,

some tesla owners have explored the

extremes. One estimate on tesla's web

forums claims that at full throttle the

car will use about 869 watt-hours of

electricity per mile and have a range of

about 88 miles on a full charge. In

simple terms, that means driving 30

miles at full throttle would require

about the same amount of electrical

energy that an average american home

uses in one day.

Driving at wide-open throttle at

length would quickly heat the tesla's

battery, triggering electronic safeguards

that would slow the vehicle. So the

tesla isn't going to take on gasoline

rivals in an endurance race. But its funto-drive

factor is very high, and in short

sprints, it is nearly unbeatable. In one

2016 drag race captured on Youtube, a

Model S takes on a 707-horsepower

Dodge Challenger hellcat, and emerges

the victor.

the taycan, according to Car and

Driver magazine, is rated even quicker,

but the magazine editors recorded

identical 70 MPge power consumption

with both cars on a 300-mile trip at 75

miles an hour. (MPge is an acronym for

miles per gallon equivalent, and it's the

government's way of quantifying the

efficiency of electric vehicles. the

environmental Protection agency,

officially, pegs the tesla at 97 MPge

combined city and highway driving,

and the Porsche at 68 MPge

combined.)

the discrepancy in the tesla and

Porsche e.P.a. ratings is likely due to

the structure of the test and appears to

indicate that the tesla has an efficiency

advantage over the Porsche in stopand-go

city driving. no gasolinepowered

high-performance car can be

driven anywhere near as economically

as the tesla or Porsche electric.

a comparison of e.P.a. ratings

suggests that the least economical

gasoline-powered cars emit more than

twice the emissions of the most

economical gas car. For example, the

Mitsubishi Mirage g4, with its threecylinder

engine, is e.P.a. rated at 35

m.p.g. combined, while a Ford Shelby

gt 500 Mustang earns a 14 m.p.g.

combined rating.

the spread between the electric

extremes is much narrower. the

hyundai Ioniq electric, one of the most

efficient electric vehicles, is e.P.a. rated

at 122 MPge, yet the tesla Model S

Performance car earns a 98 MPge

rating. Choosing a high-performance

e.V. over a mild-mannered electric

comes with much less of an efficiency

penalty.

the way e.V.s are charged adds to

their worth. When asked if electric cars

were overtaxing the electrical grid, Mr.

Reichmuth said, "a high-performance

e.V. is not like an appliance with a cord

that draws electricity in real time."

he added, "Oftentimes, they are

plugged in at night. So a highperformance

model is going to be

plugged in longer, but it doesn't take

more power at any one time." Consider,

too, that charging stations are turning

to renewable power sources like solar,

in combination with a battery storage

system. tesla has promised that its

Supercharger high-speed charger

network will eventually be powered

exclusively by renewable energy.

It's all good news for performance

enthusiasts. now you can go fast and go

green. You may have to play to an

artificial soundtrack, but play you can.

The Tesla Model S and the Porsche Taycan give environmentally conscious speedsters an outlet

for their desires.

Photo: Collected

Kenneth Chang

For decades, physicists have

dreamed of discovering a material that

could effortlessly convey electricity at

everyday temperatures, a feat that

would save gargantuan amounts of

energy and revolutionize modern

technology.

Writing in the journal nature, a team

of researchers announced on

Wednesday that they have done just

that. they have made a

superconductor that works at 58

degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature of

a cool autumn day.

this material is still far from

practical, produced in only minute

quantities and under immense

pressures usually found closer to the

earth's core. But the scientists hope

that with further experimentation they

can devise a variation of their material

that remains a superconductor even

after that pressure is removed.

"Ultimately, we want to bring the

pressure to almost ambient pressure,

to actually have an actual application,"

said Ranga P. Dias, a professor of

physics and mechanical engineering at

the University of Rochester and the

senior author of the nature paper.

Shanti Deemyad, a professor of physics

at the University of Utah who was not

First room-temperature superconductor invented

involved with the research, said, "It's a

very robust study, very beautifully

done."

the first superconductors observed

by scientists lost their electrical

resistance only at ultracold

temperatures, a few degrees above

absolute zero, or minus 459.67

degrees, the lowest possible

temperature. In the 1980s, physicists

discovered so-called high-temperature

superconductors, but even those

became superconducting at

temperatures far more frigid than

those encountered in everyday life.

the latest research is an outgrowth of

predictions decades ago that hydrogen,

the lightest of elements, turns into a

metal and then a superconductor,

possibly at room temperatures, when

sufficiently squeezed. But pure

hydrogen is difficult to work with.

three years ago, Dr. Dias, then a

postdoctoral researcher at harvard,

and Isaac Silvera, a harvard physics

professor, reported that they had

produced the long sought metallic

form of hydrogen.

that claim, not yet reproduced, is

It conveys electricity in the climate of a crisp fall day.

Photo: University of Rochester

still viewed skeptically by many.

Scientists also started looking at

hydrogen mixed in with another

element. the bonds between the atoms

of the other element might help

compress the hydrogen together.

In 2015, Mikhail eremets, a physicist

at the Max Planck Institute for

Chemistry in Mainz, germany,

reported that hydrogen sulfide - a

molecule consisting of two hydrogen

atoms and one sulfur atom - turned

superconducting at minus 94 degrees

Fahrenheit when squeezed to about 22

million pounds per square inch. that

was a record warm temperature for a

superconductor at the time.

"that's, I would say, the gamechanging

paper that sort of set the

tone," Dr. Dias said. Dr. eremets and

other scientists subsequently

discovered that lanthanum hydride - a

compound containing hydrogen and

lanthanum - reached a

superconducting temperature of

minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit at

ultrahigh pressures.

Dr. Dias's group looked at a mixture

of three elements: hydrogen, sulfur

and carbon. With three elements, the

scientists were able to adjust the

electronic properties to achieve the

higher

superconducting

temperatures.

TUeSDAY, OCTOBeR 20, 2020 6

MP Rimon holds view exchange

at Betagi Press Club

Md MoHsiN KHaN, BeTagi CorresPoNdeNT:

Barguna-2 MP alhaj shawkat

Hasanur rahman rimon as the chief

guest held a view exchange meeting

with the convening committee of

Betagi Press Club on Monday.

The meeting was held at the

conference room of the Upazila

Parishad under the chairmanship of

the convener of the Press Club saidul

islam Montu and Member secretary

shamim sikder moderated the

occasion. among others, Upazila

Chairman Md. Maksudur rahman

Forkan, Mayor of Betagi

Municipality aBM golam Kabir,

Municipal awami league President

Babul akhter, general secretary

Hadisur rahman Panna, UP

Chairman Nazrul islam, Press Club

joint convener swapan Kumar dhali

and Md. Mohsin Khan were also

present at the occasion.

Congratulating the new convening

committee, MP shawkat Hasanur

rahman rimon said one should not

be made a member of the press club

if he/she has a newspaper card. The

image of the press club will be

brightened if the new post is given by

looking at the conduct and justice of

the journalist. The committee will

present an ideological committee in

the future and will continue to strive

to bring back the past traditions of

the press club, he said.

In observance of the 57th birthday of Sheikh Russel, Jubo League organized a cake cutting ceremony in

Madarganj on Sunday.

Photo: Julfikar Bablu

Jubo league celebrates sheikh russel's

57th birthday in Madarganj

Barguna-2 MP Alhaj Shawkat Hasanur Rahman Rimon as the chief guest addressed a view exchange

meeting with the convening committee of Betagi Press Club on Monday. Photo: Md Mohsin Khan

relief, health safety items

distributed in Pirganj

JUlFiKar BaBlU, MadargaNJ CorresPoNdeNT:

Madarganj Upazila awami Jubo

league celebrated 57th birthday of

sheikh russell, the youngest son of

Father of the Nation Bangabandhu

sheikh Mujibur rahman, in the

upaizla. Marking the occasion, a

discussion meeting, prayers and cake

cutting ceremony were held.

The discussion meeting was held at

the party office of Bangladesh awami

Jubo league in Madarganj on sunday

evening. Madarganj City awami Jubo

league President Mahbub Hasan

Minhaj chaired the occasion while

general secretary Hasanuzzaman

sagar moderated the occasion.

Madarganj Upazila awami league

general secretary and Upazila

Chairman obaidur rahman Belal

spoke as the chief guest at the

programme while among others,

Madarganj Upazila awami league

Vice President Babu arun Kumar

saha, organizing secretary raihan

rahmatullah rimu, Upazila awami

Jubo league President Faridul islam

and general secretary shafiqul islam

were also present at the occasion.

after the discussion, the party

leaders and activists cut a cake on the

occasion of sheikh russell's 57th

birthday. Besides, this program has

been carried out in 6 unions of

Madarganj upazila on the initiative of

awami Jubo league.

BisHNU roy, PirgaNJ CorresPoNdeNT:

relief and health safety items have

been distributed among 800

vulnerable, helpless, miserable and

extremely poor families and

awareness campaigns and leaflets

have been distributed and

employment assistance has been

provided to the unemployed in

Pirganj upazila.

Bishnupada roy, co-operative

chairman of Hope Bangladesh,

presided over a discussion on the

issue at the adP office premises in

Niamatpur in the upazila on Monday

morning. Former MP of Thakurgaon-

3 constituency and president of

Upazila awami league imdadul

Haquewas the chief guest at the

occasion while among others, Kyung

yub lee (Korea), Bangladesh Country

director of the organization, Hesik

Park (Korea), director of education,

ekramul Haque, Chairman of

syedpur UP, anil singh, co-ordinator

of the organziation, Zulfiqar alam,

president of the union awami league

and gaziur rahman, UP member,

among others spoke on the occasion.

at the end of the discussion, various

ingredients including rice, pulses,

sugar, salt, oil, soap were distributed

to prevent corona infection.

Relief and health safety items have been distributed among 800 vulnerable, helpless, miserable and

extremely poor families in Pirganj upazila on Monday.

Photo: TBT

A mobile court has sentenced a drug peddler named Tania Begum to two years in prison in Gopalganj. The

woman was arrested along with 139 pieces of yaba tablets from Chandradighlia area of Sadar upazila by the

Gopalganj Narcotics Control Department on Monday and handed over to a mobile court. Later, mobile court

judge and executive magistrate Sheikh Salauddin Dipu sentenced the woman drug dealer to two years in jail and

ordered her to be sent to jail.

Photo: S M Nazrul Islam

dipankar Talukder MP inaugurates various

development projects in langadu

oMor FarUK MUsa, laNgadU

CorresPoNdeNT:

dipankar Talukder, MP,

Chairman of Parliamentary

standing Committee on

Ministry of Food and MP

from rangamati, has laid the

foundation stone of a Tk 10

crore development project

for various educational

institutions in langadu

Upazila which is funded by

the education engineering

department.

during the visit, he laid the

foundation stone of the 4-

storey building of the iCT

department of langadu

government Model College

at a cost of Tk 3.5 crore on

sunday. after inspecting the

Bangabandhu Corner built

in the college, dipankar

Talukder MP said in an

exchange meeting at the

office of the principal of the

college that the present

government has done a lot

for the development of

education in the hills. This

college has been nationalized

in view of the long standing

demand of the upazila

residents. Hopefully, the

Police 'obstruct'

BNP procession

in Tangail

Md Nasir UddiN, TaNgail CorresPoNdeNT:

Police allegedly obstructed BNP

procession in Tangail, who were

protesting vote rigging and

demanding re-election. as part of

the BNP's central program on

Monday morning, the Tangail

district BNP tried to take out a

procession from the city's secluded

shaheed Minar.

at that time the police obstructed

the procession. later, BNP held a

brief rally there. district BNP

general secretary advocate Farhad

iqbal gave a short speech at the

rally. during the time, district BNP

vice-presidents sadequl alam

Khoka, ataur rahman Jinnah,

Mahmudul Haque sanu and Ziaul

Haque shahin were present on the

occasion.

Moreover, leaders of allied

organizations including district

Jubo and Chhatra dal leaders were

also present at the rally.

Dipankar Talukder, MP, Chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee on

Ministry of Food and MP from Rangamati, has laid the foundation stone of a Tk 10

crore development project for various educational institutions in Langadu Upazila

on Sunday.

Photo: Omor Faruk Musa

students of this educational

institution will be able to

work for the development of

the country by getting

quality education.

during the time, langadu

army Zone Zone

Commander lt. Col. Miraj

Haider Chowdhury,

langadu Upazila Parishad

Chairman abdul Barek

sarkar, Upazila Nirbahi

officer Mainul abedin,

rangamati Public College

Principal Tasaddik Hossain,

rangamati education

al celebrates sheikh russel's

57th birthday in rangpur

raNgPUr: awami league (al) and

its associate bodies celebrated the 57th

birthday of shaheed sheikh russel, the

youngest son of Father of the Nation

Bangabandhu sheikh Mujibur

rahman, in the city on sunday night,

reports Bss.

leaders and workers of the district

unit of al and its associate bodies

attended limited-scale programmes

arranged for celebrating the birthday

maintaining health directives of the

government in the wake of the

coronavirus (CoVid-19) outbreak.

They also placed wreaths at the

portrait of sheikh russel followed by a

discussion, milad and doa mahfil at its

office at night. They prayed for eternal

peace for the departed souls of sheikh

russel and other martyrs, including the

architect of the country's independence

Bangabandhu sheikh Mujibur

rahman.

Presided over by President of district

al Mamtaz Uddin ahmed, its general

secretary advocate reazul Karim razu

engineering department

executive engineer ashikur

rahman, , Upazila Vice

Chairman sirajul islam

Jhantu and Women Vice

Chairman anwara Begum

were among others also

present at the occasion.

addressed the discussion as keynote

speaker.

Vice-presidents of district al Mazed

ali Babul and Utpal sarker, its Joint

general secretary Motahar Hossain

Mandal Mowla, organising secretary

Wazedul islam, office secretary amin

sarker, Publicity secretary latifa

shawkat, leaders of Jubo league,

swechchasebak league, Mohila al and

Chhatra league addressed the

discussion.

advocate reazul Karim razu said the

conspirators assassinated sheikh

russel mercilessly and brutally aiming

at reversing independence and

sovereignty of the newly liberated

country through eliminating

Bangabandhu's blood from this soil.

strongly condemning assassination

of Bangabandhu and most of his family

members, including russel on august

15, 1975, he said Bangladesh and

Bangabandhu are inseparable and no

conspiracy would succeed to destroy

the country's independence.

TUESDAY, OCTOBEr 20, 2020

7

UN arms embargoes on Iran

expire despite US objections

Not just in Bangladesh, women are at risk everywhere. In neighbouring India, for

instance, a woman is raped every 15 minutes. This isas per the official government data,

asunder the many more such crimes that just go unreported due to the fear and stigma

surrounding sexual violence.

Photo: UNB

Why rape horrors continue

unabated in India

Not just in Bangladesh, women are at

risk everywhere. In neighbouring

India, for instance, a woman is raped

every 15 minutes. This isas per the

official government data, asunder the

many more such crimes that just go

unreported due to the fear and stigma

surrounding sexual violence, reports

UNB.

In fact, nothing has changed even

seven years after the brutal and fatal

gang rape of a 23-year-old medical

student on a moving bus by six men in

Delhi that shocked the nation and

forced the country's government to

frame stricter anti-rape laws, as Indian

daughters continue to face sexual

assaults. In just the past month, a 19-

year-old lower caste woman was raped

in the northern Indian state of Uttar

Pradesh's Hathras district, 200 kms

from the national capital, allegedly by

four men from the upper caste. After

fighting for her life for two weeks, she

Armenia, Azerbaijan

blame each other for

truce violations

Despite a second attempt at

a cease-fire, Armenia and

Azerbaijan traded

accusations Sunday of

violating the new truce in

their destructive conflict

over the separatist region of

Nagorno-Karabakh, reports

UNB.

The latest truce, which was

announced Saturday and

took force at midnight, was

the second attempt to

establish a cease-fire since

heavy fighting between

Armenian and Azerbaijani

forces broke out in Nagorno-

Karabakh on Sept. 27. The

fighting and shelling has

killed hundreds of people -

both combatants and

civilians - and marks the

biggest escalation of a

decades-old conflict over the

region in more than a

quarter-century.

The fighting, involving

heavy artillery, rockets and

drones, has continued

despite repeated calls for

cessation of hostilities

coming from around the

globe. It also raises the

specter of a wider conflict

that could draw in Russia

and Turkey and threaten

Caspian Sea energy exports.

Armenian military officials

on Sunday reported artillery

shelling and missile strikes

by Azerbaijani forces in the

conflict zone overnight. In

the morning, "the enemy

launched an attack in the

southern direction," and

there were "casualties and

wounded on both sides,"

Armenian Defense Ministry

spokeswoman Shushan

Stepanian said.

Azerbaijan's Defense

Ministry, in turn,

maintained that Armenian

forces used mortars and

artillery in the conflict zone

overnight despite the ceasefire

and in the morning

attempted attacks in several

directions. The ministry

accused Armenia of using

large-caliber weapons to

attack the positions of the

Azerbaijani army.

died at a hospital inDelhi. Her

tormentors were arrested only after the

case sparked protests across India.

In 2014, shortly after Prime Minister

Narendra Modi came to power, his

government pledged a "zero tolerance"

policy on violence against women. And

indeed it introduced death penalty for

child rapists, for the first time in this

country, and even raised the minimum

jail term for rapes against those above

12 years.

However, activists say little has

changed on the ground. "India still

continues to be one of the world's most

dangerous countries,where rapes and

sexual violence are common. Last year

alone, an average of 87 cases of rapes

were reported daily, as per the National

Crime Records Bureau," says Manisha

Ranjan, a Delhi-based women rights

activist. In a patriarchal society like

India, rape has always been a taboo and

never a real issue to be discussed on

public platform. After the 2012 Delhi

gang rape, attempts were made to raise

people's consciousness about the plight

of the woman and the justice that's

often delayed on "frivolous grounds".

"But the quest for justice is often

marred by questions around the rape

survivor's marriage or lack of it that she

may have to suffer due to the trauma

undergone. 'Who will marry her?' is the

question that is of most concern in

maximum cases instead of justice, if the

rape survivor is unmarried," says Tripti

Sharma, a lawyer.

What's worse is when a rapist comes

forward to marry his prey. "This further

delays the legal process, as the rape

survivors in India are usually seen as

outcast, a burden on her family. So, an

offer of marriage-irrespective of

whether the woman is ready to marry

the person who violated her-is often

accepted by the survivor's family,"

arma adds.

Shoppers wearing face masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus

with their purchased goods walk through the capital city's popular

shopping mall in Beijing, Monday, Oct. 19, 2020. China's shaky economic

recovery from the coronavirus pandemic is gaining strength as consumers

return to shopping malls and auto dealerships while the United States and

Europe endure painful contractions.

Photo: AP

China’s economy accelerates as

virus recovery gains strength

China's shaky economic recovery from the

coronavirus pandemic is gaining strength

as consumers return to shopping malls and

auto dealerships while the United States

and Europe endure painful contractions,

reports UNB.

The world's second-largest economy

expanded by 4.9% over a year ago in the

three months ending in September, official

data showed Monday. Retail spending

rebounded to above pre-virus levels for the

first time and factory output rose, boosted

by demand for exports of masks and other

medical supplies.

The recovery is broadening out and

becoming less reliant on government

stimulus, Julian Evans-Pritchard of Capital

Economics said in a report. He said growth

is "still accelerating" heading into the

present quarter.

China, where the pandemic began in

December, became the first major

economy to return to growth after the

ruling Communist Party declared the

disease under control in March and began

reopening factories, shops and offices.

It is the only major economy that is

expected to grow this year while activity in

the United States, Europe and Japan

shrinks. The Chinese economy expanded

by 3.2% over a year earlier in the three

months ending in June, rebounding from

the previous quarter's 6.8% contraction, its

worst performance since at least the mid-

1960s.

The economy "continued the steady

recovery," the National Bureau of Statistics

said in a report. However, it warned, "the

international environment is still

complicated and severe." It said China

faces great pressure to prevent a

resurgence of the virus.

Authorities have lifted curbs on travel

and business but visitors to government

and other public buildings still are checked

for the virus's telltale fever. Travelers

arriving from abroad must be quarantined

for two weeks.

Last week, more than 10 million people

were tested for the virus in the eastern

port of Qingdao after 12 cases were found

there. That broke a two-month streak

with no virus transmissions reported

within China.

Industrial production rose 5.8% over the

same quarter last year, a marked

improvement over the first half's 1.3%

contraction. Chinese exporters are taking

market share from foreign competitors that

still are hampered by anti-virus controls.

A decade-long U.N. arms embargo on

Iran that barred it from purchasing

foreign weapons like tanks and fighter

jets expired Sunday as planned under

its nuclear deal with world powers,

despite objections from the United

States, which insists the ban remains in

place, reports UNB.

While Iran says it plans no "buying

spree," it can now in theory purchase

weapons to upgrade military

armaments dating back to before its

1979 Islamic Revolution and sell its own

locally produced gear abroad.

In practice, however, Iran's economy

remains crippled by broad-reaching

U.S. sanctions, and other nations may

avoid arms deals with Tehran for fear of

American financial retaliation. The

Trump administration has warned that

any sales of weapons to Iran or exports

from Iran will be penalized.

The Islamic Republic heralded the

end of the arms embargo as "a

momentous day for the international

community ... in defiance of the U.S.

regime's effort." The Trump

administration, meanwhile, says the

expiration is moot since it reimposed all

U.N. sanctions on Iran, including the

arms embargo, via a clause in the

nuclear deal Trump withdrew from in

2018, a claim ignored by the rest of the

world.

"Today's normalization of Iran's

defense cooperation with the world is a

win for the cause of multilateralism and

peace and security in our region," Iran's

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad

Zarif wrote on Twitter.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo

flatly rejected the expiration.

"The United States is prepared to use

its domestic authorities to sanction any

individual or entity that materially

contributes to the supply, sale, or

transfer of conventional arms to or from

Iran, as well as those wto ho provide

technical training, financial support and

services, and other assistance related to

these arms," he said in a statement.

"For the past 10 years, countries have

refrained from selling weapons to Iran

Millions more

virus rapid tests,

but are results

reported?

After struggling to ramp up

coronavirus testing, the U.S.

can now screen several

million people daily, thanks

to a growing supply of rapid

tests. But the boom comes

with a new challenge:

keeping track of the results,

reports UNB.

All U.S. testing sites are

legally required to report

their results, positive and

negative, to public health

agencies. But state health

officials say many rapid tests

are going unreported, which

means some new COVID-19

infections may not be

counted.

And the situation could get

worse, experts say. The

federal government is

shipping more than 100

million of the newest rapid

tests to states for use in

public schools, assisted

living centers and other new

testing sites.

"Schools certainly don't

have the capacity to report

these tests," said Dr. Jeffrey

Engel of the Council of State

and

Territorial

Epidemiologists. "If it's done

at all it's likely going to be

paper-based, very slow and

incomplete."

Early in the outbreak,

nearly all U.S. testing relied

on genetic tests that could

only be developed at hightech

laboratories. Even

under the best

circumstances, people had

to wait about two to three

days to get results. Experts

pushed for more "point-ofcare"

rapid testing that could

be done in doctors offices,

clinics and other sites to

quickly find people who are

infected, get them into

quarantine and stop the

spread.

Beginning in the summer,

cheaper, 15-minute tests -

which detect viral proteins

called antigens on a nasal

swab - became available.

The first versions still

needed to be processed

using portable readers.

under various U.N. measures," Pompeo

said. "Any country that now challenges

this prohibition will be very clearly

choosing to fuel conflict and tension

over promoting peace and security."

Russia's deputy U.N. ambassador,

Dmitry Polyansky, responded to

Pompeo with a tweet urging the U.S. to

help Middle East peace by not

provoking Iran. "And please change

words 'sanctions' and 'punishment' in

your vocabulary to 'dialogue' and

'engagement'. That would help a lot!

Make US respected again!", he added.

Sunday's expiration of the arms

embargo was, in fact, the proximate

cause for the U.S. decision last month to

move forward with the so-called

"snapback" of international sanctions in

Iran. The Americans tried

unsuccessfully to get the U.N. Security

Council to extend the embargo but

suffered a humiliating defeat when only

one country on the 15-member panel

supported it. In response, the

administration announced that it had

invoked "snapback" - a mechanism

provided for in the Security Council

resolution that enshrined the nuclear

deal that allows any participant in the

accord to restore U.N. sanctions if they

determine Iran is not complying with its

terms. The rest of the council, however,

rejected U.S. standing to trigger

snapback, saying it had lost its right to

do so when Trump pulled our of the

deal. The United Nations banned Iran

from buying major foreign weapon

systems in 2010 amid tensions over its

nuclear program. An earlier embargo

targeted Iranian arms exports.

The U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency

predicted in 2019 that if the embargo

ended, Iran likely would try to purchase

Russian Su-30 fighter jets, Yak-130

trainer aircraft and T-90 tanks. Tehran

also may try to buy Russia's S-400 antiaircraft

missile system and its Bastian

coastal defense missile system, the DIA

said. China also could sell Iran arms.

An Iranian clergyman stands next to missiles and army troops, during

a manoeuvre, in an undisclosed location in Iran. A decade-long

U.N. arms embargo on Iran that bared it from purchasing foreign

weapons like tanks and fighter jets expired Sunday, Oct. 18, 20202, as

planned under its nuclear deal with world powers, despite objections

from the United States.

Photo: AP

Trump, Biden go on offense

in states they're trying to flip

President Donald Trump and Democratic

rival Joe Biden went on offense over the

weekend, as both campaigned in states they

are trying to flip during the Nov. 3 election

that is just over two weeks away, reports

UNB.

Trump began his Sunday in Nevada,

making a rare visit to church before a

fundraiser and an evening rally in Carson

City. Once considered a battleground,

Nevada has not swung for a Republican

presidential contender since 2004.

The rally drew thousands of supporters

who sat elbow to elbow, cheering Trump and

booing Biden and the press. The vast

majority wore no masks to guard against the

coronavirus, though cases in the state are on

the rise, with more than 1,000 new

infections reported Saturday. The president,

as he often does, warned that a Biden

election would lead to further lockdowns and

at one point appeared to mock Biden for

saying he would listen to scientists.

"He'll listen to the scientists. If I listened

totally to the scientists, we would right now

have a country that would be in a massive

depression," Trump said.

Biden, a practicing Catholic, attended

Mass in Delaware before campaigning in

North Carolina, where a Democrat has not

won in a presidential race since Barack

Obama in 2008.

Both candidates are trying to make inroads

in states that could help secure a path to

victory, but the dynamics of the race are

remarkably stable. Biden enjoys a significant

advantage in national polls, while carrying a

smaller edge in battleground surveys.

Earlier in the day, Trump sat in the front

row at the nondenominational International

Church of Las Vegas as the senior associate

pastor, Denise Goulet, said God told her

early that morning that the president would

secure a second term.

"At 4:30, the Lord said to me, 'I am going

to give your president a second win,'" she

said, telling Trump, "you will be the

president again."

Trump spoke briefly, saying "I love going

to churches" and that it was "a great honor"

to attend the service. He dropped a wad of

$20 bills in the collection plate before

leaving. The message was far different in

both style and substance later in the day,

when Biden attended a virtual discussion

with African American faith leaders from

around the country.

Biden held up a rosary, which he said he

carries in his pocket every day, and described

it as "what the Irish call a prisoner's rosary"

since it was small enough to be smuggled

into prisons. "I happen to be a Roman

Catholic," Biden said. "I don't pray for God to

protect me. I pray to God to give me strength

to see what other people are dealing with."

Earlier, at a drive-in rally in Durham,

North Carolina, Biden focused heavily on

promoting criminal justice changes to

combat institutional racism and promised to

help build wealth in the Black community.

He noted that Trump had said at one of his

rallies that the country had turned the corner

on the pandemic.

"As my grandfather would say, this guy's

gone around the bend if he thinks we've

turned the corner. Turning the corner?

Things are getting worse," Biden said.

In addition to public polling that indicates

Biden has an edge, the former vice president

enjoys another considerable advantage over

Trump: money.

Trump raked in $12 million during a

fundraiser Sunday afternoon at the Newport

Beach home of top GOP donor and tech

mogul Palmer Luckey, which also featured a

performance by the Beach Boys.

But over the past four months, Biden has

raised over $1 billion, a massive amount of

money that has eclipsed Trump's onceoverwhelming

cash advantage.

That's become apparent in advertising,

where Biden and his Democratic allies are on

pace to spend twice as much as Trump and

the Republicans in the closing days of the

race, according to data from the ad tracking

firm Kantar/CMAG.

Though Trump has pulled back from

advertising in Midwestern states that

secured his 2016 win, he's invested heavily

elsewhere, including North Carolina, where

he is on pace to slightly outspend Biden in

the days ahead.

In Nevada, which Trump came close to

winning in 2016, Democrats are set to

outspend Trump in the closing days by a

more than 3-to-1 ratio.

Trump's visit to the state is part of an

aggressive schedule of campaign events,

where he has leaned heavily into fear tactics.

Trump's Carson City rally was held at an

airport with a golden scrub brush-covered

hill providing a dramatic backdrop. He

relived fond moments from his 2016

campaign against Hillary Clinton, revisited

his long-running feud with NFL players and

went on an extended rant about water

management policy, which he blamed for

people having to "flush their toilet 15 times."

He also added to his litany of hyperbolic

attacks against Biden, claiming that, if Biden

were elected, he would mandate new

lockdown measures that would make Carson

City "a ghost town" and "the Christmas

season will be cancelled."

TUeSDAY, oCToBeR 20, 2020

8

Shakib’s ‘Bir’

and ‘password’

to re-release in

theaters again

Script of ‘Arai Mon Swapna’

fascinated me: Moutushi

TBT RepoRT

Popular actress Moutushi

Biswas has made a comeback

after a long time with the short

film titled 'Arai Mon Swapna'

directed by Abu Shahed Emon.

The story of the short film is

based on the Corona pandamic

situation in the country. It

mainly focuses on the struggle of

a low-income family. Fazlur

Rahman Babu has acted

opposite to Moutushi in the

short film.

"I haven't done any shooting

for a long time," Moutushi said.

The shooting was stopped for a

long time due to Corona. Then

when the work started again, I

went back to work with this short

film. In fact, I did the short film

in the fascination of the story.

The story is about the crisis that

Corona has brought to the

people. I want to say about

Fazlur Rahman Babu. He has

done great job. I have become his

fan again. It's like being

fascinated. The director has also

done the job with great care. The

audience will be able to say the

rest. ' The short film was released

on October 17 on the online

platform Bing. Raunak Hasan,

Deepak Sumon and others have

also acted in it.

"OTT platforms are as popular

in our country as they are around

the world," she said. Its

popularity has increased

especially in lockdown.

Television and YouTube as well

as viewers are taking this

medium very well. '

The busyness of the stars has

returned as before again. After a

long hiatus due to Corona,

everyone has started acting

again. However, many have not

yet returned to work regularly.

Popular actress Moutushi

Biswas has recently done job

after eight months. However, she

did not return to work with any

drama or movie.

Surfer Bethany Hamilton

expecting Baby No. 3

Bethany Hamilton will now have

to teach three kids to ride the

waves! The surfer revealed in an

Oct. 17 Instagram video that she

is expecting her third child with

husband Adam Dirks.

In the video, Bethany and her

two kids, Tobias, 5, and Wesley,

2, play around in the ocean in

their paradise home of Kauai,

Hawaii. The 30-year-old holds

her pregnant stomach while

perched on a surfboard. In the

next part of the video, she and

the kids walk across a log, which

has "Tobias," "Wesley," and "?"

written across it. The rest of the

video is a glimpse into Bethany's

family life, which includes

Tobias surfing the ways

(impressive!) and Bethany

snuggling up to Adam on the

beach.

Bethany was 13 when she was

attacked by a tiger shark while

out surfing with a friend. She lost

her arm in the attack.

Determined to return to the

ocean, Bethany began surfing

again less than one month later.

In 2004, Bethany released

the book Soul Surfer: A True

Story of Faith, Family, and

Fighting to Get Back on the

Board. In 2011, it was adapted

into a movie, starring

AnnaSophia Robb as Bethany.

In a fun twist, the real Bethany

did all of the actress' stunt

surfing in the film.

The devout Christian has

released a total of nine books,

most recently the 2018

children's book Unstoppable Me.

A documentary, titled Bethany

Hamilton: Unstoppable, was

released the same year.

Shortly before revealing her

third pregnancy, Bethany

gushed over her husband Adam

in an Instagram post.

Source: eonline.com

TBT RepoRT

It was learned that the movie

'Bir' starring Shakib Khan is

going to re- released all over the

country. The 50th film 'Bir'

directed by Kazi Hayat was

released in February this year.

Besides, Shakib's 'Password'

movie will also be released.

Producer Iqbal said the hall has

opened after a lomg time due to

Corona.

He said that he plans to rerelease

two of his films 'Bir' and

'Password' in the next two

TBT RepoRT

Popular actor Zahid Hasan and actress

Shirin Shila have reunited in a new short

film 'Chan Miar Aknti Bodol'. It is directed

25 years of

DDLJ: Bronze

statue of Shah

Rukh and

Kajol

A bronze statue of actor Shah Rukh Khan

and Kajol will be unveiled on Dilwale

Dulhania Le Jayenge's 25th anniversary in

London's Leicester Square. The statue will

depict a part of the scene that was shot in

Leicester Square.

The statue of SRK's Raj and Kajol's

Simran will be in the company of nine other

equally iconic cinema giants like Harry

Potter, Laurel and Hardy, Bugs Bunny,

Mary Poppins, Mr Bean, Paddington,

Fridays. First the movie Bir will

be released and the password

next week.

Iqbal thinks that if he gets

Shakib's movie is screened

again in theaters after Corona,

the audience will come back

again which is very urgent at the

moment.

Shakib and Bubli have acted

in it along with Misha Saudagar,

Nadeem, Jadu Azad and others.

The movie 'Password' directed

by Malek Afsari was released in

2019 on the occasion of Eid.

Shakib Khan, Shabnam

Bhubali, Emon, Misha

Saudagar, Amit Hasan, Don and

others have acted in different

roles in it.

The cinema hall was closed for

about seven months due to

Corona. Eventually it was

allowed to open. The cinema

hall has been open since

October 16 with the permission

of the government. However,

by Sheikh Selim. Zahid and Shirin Shila

have recently taken part in its shooting.

Zahid Hasan said, work of quite a different

story is going on. It feels good to act here. I

hope the audience will like it too.

Wonder Woman, Batman and Gene Kelly in

Singin' in the Rain. "It's fantastic to be

adding such titans of international cinema

as Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol to our trail.

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge is one of the

most successful and important Bollywood

films of all time, and it's exciting to be able

to bring to the trail the first film that actually

features Leicester Square as a location. This

statue is a fitting tribute to the global

the condition is that the hall

must be run in accordance with

the hygiene rules. The number

of seats will also be limited.

However, the launch of the

controversial Hero Alam's

movie has drawn a lot of

criticism from the film industry.

Two films of Shakib Khan are

being re-released this time to

cut that criticism.

Zahid-Shila

reunites in

short film

‘Chan Miar

Aknti Bodol’

Shirin Shila said, this is a short film of a

very funny story. I am working with Zahid

Hasan here. So working together with

him feels better. I believe the audience will

enjoy it. It is learned that 'Chan Miar

Aknti Bodol' will be aired on RTV as a

special short film.

popularity of Bollywood and the cultural

bridges that cinema can help build, and

we're in no doubt it will attract fans from all

around the world," said Mark Williams,

Director of Destination Marketing at Heart

of London Business Alliance. Directed by

Aditya Chopra, Shah Rukh Khan and Kajolstarrer

Diwale Dulhania Le Jayenge

released on October 20, 1995.

Source: indianexpress.com

H o R o S C o p e

ARIeS

(March 21 - April 20) : There should be

no doubt in your mind about which

way to proceed, Aries. Don't let selfdoubt

sneak into the picture. Your

mind is sensitive and alert, so trust it. Take the lead

when you feel confident about a situation. Make

sure to eat plenty of protein-rich foods. They'll help

stabilize and bring you another step closer to the

realization of your dreams.

TAURUS

(April 21 - May 21): Your rock-star

attitude may be getting a bit old now,

Taurus. People aren't going to

continue to listen to your demands for

attention. Every person in the world is special, so

try not to act as if you're the only one who is. Help

a child assemble a new toy today or help a friend

pick out a new shirt. Do something for others

instead of always expecting things for yourself.

GeMINI

(May 22 - June 21): Your ship is finally

coming into port after being out in

rough seas for so long, Gemini. It's

time to dock the boat for a while.

Relax and explore the area. There is nothing

wrong with getting off your vessel for a while. You

may not even realize how much you've missed

solid ground until now. Remember what it's like

to be stable again.

CANCeR

(June 22 - July 23): You may still be on

something of a high from the last

couple weeks. You will definitely be

tempted to let the good times

continue to roll, Cancer. Think about ways you

can keep them rolling while still maintaining

good judgment. Don't let things get too out of

control today. It's important that you maintain a

bit of stability at all times.

Leo

(July 24 - Aug. 23): Communicate

from a centered space today, Leo.

Fortunately, the nature of the day caters

to your needs and desires. You shouldn't

have to work too hard to get what you want. Things

should come to you naturally. You may wonder why

you got stressed out before over what now seem to be

small issues. Consciously release the worry and

concern that are still stored in your body.

VIRGo

(Aug. 24 - Sept. 23): Work toward

achieving a better unity between you and

the people around you, Virgo. It could be

that certain people in your circle of friends

somehow feel alienated in one way or another. Perhaps

they don't feel like they fit in with the rest of the group.

Remind yourself and others that everyone is unique

and that all should be equally accepted despite

individual differences.

LIBRA

(Sept. 24 - Oct. 23): You will feel much

better about yourself if you get

things done today, Libra. Like a meal

that tastes good but isn't necessarily

good for you, you might enjoy this day by being

lazy, but you won't feel so good when night

comes and you realize that you haven't

accomplished anything. Use the day productively

so you have a sense of fulfillment by tonight.

SCoRpIo

(Oct. 24 - Nov. 22): You might

consider taking a rest today, Scorpio.

Like a sailboat on the ocean, you've

been taxed lately by all the turbulence.

The pressure on you has been tremendous. Think

about pulling your sails to half-mast in order to take

a break. You may not be going as quickly as before,

but you will find that this is exactly the rest you need

in order to complete the voyage.

SAGITTARIUS

(Nov. 23 - Dec. 21): Your thinking is apt

to be quite clear and rational today,

Sagittarius. This is especially important

since others will be looking for your

thoughts and opinions on a certain matter. People will

know that they can get a straight and honest answer from

you, so don't disappoint them. Think through each

situation clearly before you offer your advice. You will

find that it's worth the effort.

CApRICoRN

(Dec. 22 - Jan. 20): By being around

negative and flip people, you might

inadvertently pick up these habits. Be

careful about your associates,

Capricorn, because you will find that others judge

you according to the company you keep, especially if

you start talking like them. Make sure to maintain a

respectful attitude and proper manners no matter

who your company is.

AQUARIUS

(Jan. 21 - Feb. 19): You may feel like the

world is caving in on you in many

ways today, Aquarius. It could be

that you've recently dug your own

little cave to crawl into and be safe from the

outside world. Realize that the deeper you dig in

unstable terrain, the more unsteady the walls. If

you aren't careful, it's likely to come crashing

down on top of you.

pISCeS

(Feb. 20 - Mar. 20) : Remember that you

can only remain in charge as long as

the others around you support your

personality and leadership abilities,

Pisces. Avoid mutiny by taking care of the people in

your world instead of simply trying to run their

lives. Gain respect with kind words and a sensitive

attitude rather than by enforcing harsh rules and

regulations that restrict and aggravate.

TuESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2020

9

Lanzini stunner seals remarkable

Hammers comeback

As a part of Tamim XI in the ongoing BCB President's Cup, Shoriful's performance has been

superb and impressed many.

Photo: BCB

Shoriful elated to learn so

many things from seniors

SportS DeSk:

Manuel Lanzini's last-gasp stunner

sealed a remarkable comeback from

West Ham to earn a 3-3 draw against

tottenham in a thrilling London derby

on Sunday, reports Ap.

Jose Mourinho's men were in complete

control from the moment Son Heungmin

opened the scoring inside a minute,

with Harry kane's quickfire double

seemingly confirming the victory after

only 16 minutes.

However, Fabian Balbuena's header

and a Davinson Sanchez own goal set up

a nervy finish, and Lanzini's incredible

strike secured a point for the visitors at

the death, putting a huge dampener on

Gareth Bale's Spurs return.

Back in the dugout for the first time

since testing positive for coronavirus in

late September, West Ham boss David

Moyes would have hoped to see his team

build on the two convincing premier

League wins earned in his absence.

Instead, the Hammers lasted just 45

seconds before conceding, kane

dropping into midfield before clipping

the ball over the top for Son, who cut

inside Balbuena with ease to dispatch a

low shot into the far corner.

things went from bad to worse shortly

after, as kane nutmegged Declan rice at

the edge of the box before sending a shot

through the legs of Angelo ogbonna and

beyond a helpless Lukasz Fabianski.

And, while the visitors had a couple of

promising moments in the aftermath of

that second goal through the industrious

Michail Antonio, they simply could not

keep Spurs at bay at the other end.

Consequently, they were 3-0 down

after 16 minutes, kane grabbing his

second with a powerful header from

Sergio reguilon's cross to the back post.

to their credit, West Ham attempted

to produce a positive response to an

opening quarter of an hour that had all

but ended their hopes of taking anything

from the game, but any potential

openings they worked were often wasted,

while tottenham continued to look

dangerous on the counter.

even when the visitors did manage to

finally create, they were wasteful, not

least when pablo Fornals somehow

contrived to head a deflected Antonio

cross over from close range shortly after

the restart.

For their part, Spurs looked

understandably happy to simply sit on

their lead and attempt to manage the

opposition threat, with counter-attacks

their main source of chances in the

second period.

And it was one such quick break that

almost led to kane grabbing his hat-trick,

the england striker clattering the post 10

minutes from time with a fine left-footed

effort from distance.

Spurs brought on Bale but his second

debut did not end how he would have

hoped, as there proved to be a sting in the

tail for the hosts.

their grip on the game seemed to

loosen when Balbuena headed in from a

dangerous free-kick delivery from the left

wing and that was quickly followed by

Sanchez's own goal, the defender

inadvertently heading Vladimir Coufal's

cross beyond Hugo Lloris in the Spurs

net.

And, after Bale has missed a glorious

opening, Lanzini completed the

comeback in the fourth minute of injury

time as he smashed a marvellous longrange

effort beyond a despairing Lloris to

make it 3-3.

SportS DeSk:

Shoriful Islam, the member of the

World Champion Under-19 team,

expressed his contentment to share

the dressing room with senior

players, stating that he has been

learning so many things from them,

which enriches him in many ways,

reports BSS.

"Sharing the dressing room with

senior players is a learning curve. I

have been learning so many things

from them which enriched my

experience," he said here on

Sunday.

As a part of tamim XI in the

ongoing BCB president's Cup,

Shoriful's performance has been

superb and impressed many. He

has already been dubbed as the

future prospect of Bangladesh

cricket after grabbing 4-37 against

Nazmul XI in the previous match.

His performance earned him the

man of the match award, which was

a special recognition given the

tamim XI was bolstered with the

bowlers like Mustafizur rahman,

Saifuddin and others.

Mustafizur rahman also snapped

up 3-15 in a measly bowling show

but Shoriful gave breakthroughs in

vital moments to help the side win

the game.

Shoriful, however, credited the

senior players for his superb

performance, saying that they are

always ready to help him.

"the senior players have been

very nice to me. I have always come

up with many questions and they

answered with great patience. My

questions don't irritate them, rather

they are ready to help me always,"

he added.

"tamim bhai has been helping me

always. He is talking to me and

always charges me up. During

bowling, he gave me many tips and

helped me understand the

psychology of the batsmen. off the

field, he is taking care of me. I'm

very grateful to those people," he

remarked.

At the same time, Shoriful said

senior bowlers like Mustafizur

rahman, Saifuddin had already

given him various tips to hone his

bowling skill.

"to share a dressing room with

Mustafizur and Saifuddin also is

very helpful for me since I am a

pacer. Mustafizur bhai and

Saifuddin bhai have been giving me

many tips of bowling. they are

inspiring me as well," he concluded.

Liverpool rocked as Van Dijk faces

months out with serious knee injury

SportS DeSk:

Liverpool will be without Virgil van

Dijk for a number of months after

confirming that the defender suffered

serious knee ligament damage in

Saturday's Merseyside derby, reports

Ap.

Van Dijk was forced off just 11

minutes into the reds' 2-2 draw at

everton on Saturday following a

reckless challenge from Blues

goalkeeper Jordan pickford.

He was sent for a hospital scan

immediately after the game, and visited

a specialist on Sunday to ascertain the

full extent of the issue.

the news which came back was

devastating for the premier League

champions. Van Dijk has suffered

damage to his anterior cruciate

ligament, which will require surgery

and will keep him out of action for an

extended period.

Liverpool have refused to give an

exact timeframe for his recovery, with

club sources refusing to rule out the

possibility of the 29-year-old returning

to action before the end of the season.

the club's medical staff believe his

exceptional attitude and mentality will

give him every chance of reducing the

lay-off time.

What is certain, though, is that Van

Dijk will miss the majority of

Liverpool's premier League title

defence, as well as the bulk of their

Champions League campaign. It is

shattering news for Jurgen klopp, who

was left distinctly unamused by

pickford's challenge - as well as the fact

the everton man was not shown a red

card for such a reckless lunge.

reds captain Jordan Henderson

revealed that the england number one

had sought him out at the final whistle,

asking him to pass on an apology to

Van Dijk, but Liverpool have contacted

the premier League asking it to review

the application of VAr during the

game, having been further incensed at

seeing a winning goal, scored by

Henderson, ruled out for a

questionable offside against Sadio

Mane.

the two points dropped, though, pale

into insignificance when compared to

Van Dijk's injury. the Dutchman has

become a totemic figure at Anfield

since arriving from Southampton for

£75 million ($97m) in January 2018, a

player klopp knows will be impossible

to replace at the heart of his defence.

Van Dijk had, prior to this weekend,

played every minute of Liverpool's last

74 league matches, helping them

record the best defensive record in the

division in each of the last two seasons.

In 2019, he was the pFA player of the

Year, and finished second in the Ballon

d'or voting to Lionel Messi.

Now, Liverpool must hope that Joe

Gomez and Joel Matip, who made his

own return from injury against

everton, can remain fit and healthy.

Both have had issues throughout their

reds career, but both will now need to

step up if Liverpool are to maintain the

standards shown across the past two

campaigns. the pair, remarkably, have

never started a game together at centreback

in their time at the club.

The Dutchman damaged his anterior cruciate ligament against Everton on Saturday and will now undergo

surgery, leaving the Reds devastated.

Photo: AP

Tottenham raced into a 3-0 lead after 16 minutes but were pegged back by West Ham in a

remarkable finish capped by an injury-time stunner.

Photo: AP

Cricketers

give samples

for corona

test again

SportS DeSk:

the cricketers and other

stakeholders who are

involved with the BCB

president's Cup underwent

for Covid-19 test once again

on Sunday, reports BSS.

the result of the test will

be available tomorrow

(Monday). the players and

other staff have now been in

a bio-secure bubble at Hotel

Sonargaon.

BCB officials said samples

for the corona test were

taken from a total of 126

people including the players,

coaching staff, team bus

driver, helper, staff of Hotel

Sonargaon. earlier, all those

people underwent the

corona test on october 9,

just two days before the start

of the tournament. then two

people who are not under

jurisdiction of BCB returned

positive and they were sent

to isolation.

Meanwhile, the BCB has

sent 10 cricketers and two

supporting staff of the under-

19 team to isolation. they

have been kept in isolation at

the BCB academy after

showing corona symptoms.

the rest are in BkSp. the

BCB has decided to suspend

the camp of the Under-19 due

to the postponement of the

Asia Cup. So far, the BCB has

not had to face anything big

on the corona issue.

Concerned authorities said

that the BCB is benefiting

after splitting the stadium

area into red and green zones.

Ferguson caps super start

with super finish

SportS DeSk:

Lockie Ferguson made an

immediate impact in IpL 2020

as his sensational bowling in

the Super over, and the match

figures of 3 for 15 before that,

helped kolkata knight riders

bounce back from two big

defeats. kkr posted 163 and a

half-fit Andre russell failed to

defend 18 in the final over to

take the content into a oneover

shootout, reports

Cricbuzz.

Ferguson knocked out SrH

in just three balls. David

Warner, who made unbeaten

47, was bowled on the first

delivery and Abdul Samad was

bowled on the third. rashid

khan had to defend two but

kkr polished things off in four

balls.

When SrH ended the

powerplay at 58 for no loss,

needing 106 off 96, it seemed

the openers had ensured an

easy passage for the middleorder

to ace the chase. Instead,

the introduction of Lockie

Ferguson in the seventh over

turned the game on its head.

the pacer, after his first three

overs, had figures of 3-0-8-3.

Ferguson, playing his first

IpL 2020 game, struck with his

first ball as kane Williamson

cut one straight to third man.

priyam Garg failed to read a

slower ball and was knocked

over while Manish pandey was

nipped out with a perfect

yorker. From 58 for no loss to

82 for 4 in the 12th over, SrH

were gasping for air.

As IpL teams continued to

read too much into match-ups,

SrH decided to rejig the

batting order. Williamson

underwent a fitness test before

the game and was struggling

on the field throughout

because of a hamstring strain.

With his constraint, he was

pushed up to open and take

advantage of the powerplay.

His 19-ball 29 did help the

team get to a brisk start but

SrH were guilty of protecting

Warner given his record

against Ferguson.

Garg failed and that put

pressure on Jonny Bairstow to

accelerate, who fell trying to up

the ante. Warner walked out at

No. 4 - having last batted in the

middle order in 2014 - but

kkr used kuldeep Yadav to tie

him down.

pat Cummins picked a

wicket after 24.2 overs in this

IpL as he ended Vijay

Shankar's 7 off 10. Samad then

gave the innings some muchneeded

impetus with a six and

a boundary against Cummins

and Varun Chakravarthy

respectively. Ferguson's 18th

over went for just seven as SrH

were left needing 30 in the final

two. Mavi dismissed Samad

and Warner was able to hit his

straps only in the final over.

russell leaked boundaries on

the second, third and fourth

ball as the equation came down

to two off the final ball. Warner

missed a simple flick on the

final ball and was able to collect

just one leg-bye to tie the

contest.

At the end of the 14th over,

kkr were 96 for 3 and were in

danger of managing a belowpar

total. Dinesh karthik,

assigned a finishing role this

game, smashed 29 off 14 to

help the side finish big. kkr

scored 52 in the last four as

eoin Morgan and karthik

scored unbeaten 58 for the fifth

wicket. Morgan (34 off 23) too

played his part and ensured 16

in the final over against Basil

thampi.

Heading into the final over,

Morgan was scoring at a strike

rate of 105.88. karthik,

meanwhile, was smashing

them at 207.14. While the last

over assault did improve

Morgan's figures, the impact

innings came from the former

captain.

kkr need some addressing

at the top of the order. rahul

tripathi has looked out of sorts

after his match-winning

innings against Chennai Super

kings but a bigger concern is

Gill's conservative play. the

opener has scored at a strike

rate of 113.91 so far in nine

games and that's hurt kkr's

chances at the top. Nitish rana

made 29 off 20 but Gill's 36 off

37 nullified rana's impact.

After a three-day break, SrH

will take on rajasthan royals

on october 22 in Dubai. kkr

stay at the same venue and play

royal Challengers Bangalore a

day earlier.

Brief scores: kolkata knight

riders 163/5 in 20 overs

(Shubman Gill 36; t Natarajan

2-40) tied with Sunrisers

Hyderabad 163/6 in 20 overs

(David Warner 47*; Lockie

Ferguson 3-15). kkr won the

contest after the Super over.


10

Lagarde says 'crucial' EU virus

recovery plan succeeds

European Central Bank chief Christine

Lagarde said Monday it is "crucial" that

the EU's 750-billion-euro coronavirus

recovery plan succeeds and that the

promised funding is disbursed, reports

BSS.

"If (the money) is not targeted, if it

disappears into the administrative

machinery and does not reach down into

the real economy to drive our countries

toward the digital and green (economy),

then we will have missed a historic

opportunity to change direction,"

Lagarde said in an interview with Le

Monde published on the newspaper's

website. The plan, unprecedented in its

scope and commitments, was agreed by

European Union leaders in July but has

since been held up in the European

Parliament by disputes over whether

payments should be linked to strict

implementation of EU rights policies by

member states such as Poland and

Hungary.

Asked whether she was concerned that

the rescue funds might be delayed and

arrive too late, Lagarde said: "The

European Commission's objective is to

be able to disburse the money at the

beginning of 2021 and that absolutely

has to be kept to.

"It is now up to the member states, who

have to submit their recovery plans -

some are already done - and up to the

Commission, which must review them

quickly," said Lagarde, a former French

finance minister and head of the

International Monetary Fund before

taking over at the ECB. "Political leaders

also must move quickly," she said.

"It is crucial that this exceptional plan,

which broke important taboos (on the

EU's role) in several countries, should be

a success," Lagarde added.

The key breakthrough in the EU

package came from Germany and its

agreement to borrow money and spend it

collectively to help states whose weak

finances it had up to then deemed to be

an insuperable obstacle to such joint

action and responsibility.

Sylhet Zone of Islami Bank Bangladesh Ltd organized a webinar on 'Compliance of Shari`ah in

Banking Sector' recently. Professor Dr. Md. Sirajul Karim, Director of the bank addressed the program

as chief guest. Muhammad Qaisar Ali, Additional Managing Director of the bank addressed the

program as special guest. Dr. Muhammad Saifullah, member of IBBL Shari`ah Supervisory

Committee addressed the webinar as chief discussant. Sikder Md. Shehabuddin, Head of Sylhet Zone

presided over the program while Md. Shamsul Huda and Md. Shamsuddoha, Executive Vice

President of the bank addressed the program. Head of branches, executives and officials under

Sylhet Zone attended the webinar.

Photo: Courtesy

Audi Bangladesh launched new

Audi Q7. Quattro reloaded!

German Ambassador to

Bangladesh Peter

Fahrenholtz, Managing

Director of Audi

Bangladesh Saad Nusrat

Khan and Marketing

Manager Sheetal Taslim

were present on the virtual

launching program, a

press release said.

The Audi Q7 has been

the most popular Audi

model for Bangladesh and

it is also the best seller in

its segment. This large

SUV turns technology into

motion and features the

new design of the Q family.

Given the significance, the

design changes of the Q7

are all about making a

powerful statement. The

Audi Q7 got an all-round

update - both visually and

technically. It is bigger,

better and loaded with

numerous new technology

and features. While

redesigning the Q7, the

designers brought in cues

from the flagship model

A8 L and Q8. In addition

to its superior class leading

spaciousness, the new Q7

is more dynamics, cutting

edge while providing high

levels of comfort.

The newly designed

octagon-shaped Single

frame grill gives it a

powerful, robust, and very

progressive look. The new

Q7 comes with a 3.0 liters

V6 turbo charged engine

with MHEV (Mild hybrid

technology). It produces

340 hp and 500 Nm of

torque. The Audi Q7 is

coupled with an eightspeed

tiptronic and the

permanent all wheel drive

Quattro transmission.

Here are five highlights

of the Audi Q7.

1. The Audi Q7 has

two large touchscreens

that provide haptic and

acoustic feedback which

are fully customizable.

2. The available

matrix LED lights both

front and rear offer high

level of clarity, sharpness

increasing visibility and

road safety.

3. It has four-zone

automatic air conditioning

with rear touch screen

control.

4. The Audi Q7

comes standard with a

power door closer which is

ever so convenient and

comfortable.

5. The available

adaptive air suspension

has 6 configurable ride

preference including off

road mode for going

through various different

terrains in Bangladesh.

The standard features

also include contour

ambient lighting package,

Bose 3D Advanced Sound

System, 20" alloy, dark

tinted glass, panoramic

glass sun roof and comfort

key.

The Audi Q7 will be

available in Bangladesh at

BDT 1.58 CR from Audi

Bangladesh - Progress

Motors Imports Limited,

the

authorized

representative of the Audi

brand in Bangladesh. All

vehicles will come with an

unlimited mileage

warranty of 2 years,

available up to 5 years and

all after sales will be

provided by Audi Service

located also in Tejgaon.

Anisuzzaman Chowdhury Ronny, Chairman, Executive Committee of United Commercial Bank Ltd

(UCB) recently attended at a courtesy meeting with Professor Shibli Rubayat-Ul-Islam, Chairman,

Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC). Among others Director of UCB Professor

Dr. Md. Jonaid Shafiq, Managing Director of UCB Muhammed Shawkat Jamil and other senior officials

were also present at the meeting. Chairman, Executive Committee of UCB assured that as a

financial institution UCB is very much concerned about the sustainable growth of Capital Market.

Accordingly, UCB will always assist BSEC for the development of Capital Market. In the courtesy

meeting, they discussed on the scenario of Capital Market and expressed their eagerness to mutually

working on the development of the Capital Market.

Photo: Courtesy

Walton Hi-Tech Industries Limited Director Raisa Sigma Hima is presenting a flower bouquet to Greek

business partner Georgios Tziallas at the inauguration of television shipment to Greece at Walton

Corporate Office board room in the capital recently.

Photo: Courtesy

Walton expands LED TV

business in Balkan Region

A Trust Deed Registration Ceremony of the Open-end (Growth) Mutual Fund "ICB AMCL

Shotoborsho Unit Fund" was held recently, between 'Investment Corporation of Bangladesh (ICB),

Asset Management Company Limited (a subsidiary of ICB) and ICB Capital Management Ltd (a subsidiary

of ICB), at the Board Room of ICB, Head Office, BDBL Bhaban (Level-14), 8, RAJUK Avenue,

Dhaka- 1000. on behalf of the birth centenary of the greatest Bengali of all time, great architect of

independence, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.The initial size of the

Fund is Tk. 20.00 (twenty) crore and the face value is Tk. 10.00 (ten) per unit. The Honorable

Chairman of ICB Dr. Mojib Uddin Ahmed was virtually present in the ceremony. Md. Abul Hossain,

Managing Director of ICB, Md. Zakir Hossain and Md. Refat Hasan, Deputy Managing Directors of

ICB and General Managers of ICB, Chief Executive Officers of ICB Asset Management Company

Limited and ICB Capital Management Limited were present in the ceremony. Photo: Courtesy

Bangladesh's electronics giant

Walton is going to enter into the

Greece market through dispatching

the first consignment of its LED TV

export that would be another

milestone for Walton in expanding the

export markets of 'Made in

Bangladesh' labelled electronics in the

European markets, says a press

release.

After starting TV export to Western

and Central Europe, Walton recently

partnered up with one of the leading

Greek retailer to initiate its export

operation in Greece, which is the

largest economy of European Balkan

region.

This new market expansion will help

Walton to gradually penetrate into

other Eastern European countries too,

Walton officials made the remark at a

programme titled 'Expanding Export

Market To Greece' held at the Walton

Corporate Office's board room in the

capital recently. At the event, the first

shipment of LED TV export to Greece

was officially inaugurated.

The inaugural ceremony was

attended, among others, by Walton

Hi-Tech Industries Limited Director

Raisa Sigma Hima, Walton's Greek

business partner Mr. Georgios

Tziallas, Walton International

Business Unit (IBU) President Edward

Kim, Walton TV's Chief Executive

Officer (CEO) Engineer Mostafa

Nahid Hossain and Walton's

European business head Engineer

Tauseef Al Mahmud.

Speaking at the event, Walton's

Greek business partner Georgios

Tziallas said, "I am really very happy to

see all the state-of-the-art production

facilities of Walton Television and

really appreciate their efforts to

maintain a rigorous QC policy."

Walton's European business head

Mr. Tauseef Al Mahmud said, Greece

is an important business hub for the

Southeastern Europe, and being a high

potential electronic market, we

strongly believe our partnership will

yield some great results in the near

future. Moreover, targeting the

forthcoming Black Friday and

Christmas sale this November, the first

phase of television product shipment

from Bangladesh will start from next

week.

This year Walton is exporting

various 32" television models to

Greece, and this particular television

category contributes around 35

percent of the total TV market demand

of Greece. Customers will be

immensely benefited through high

quality made in Bangladesh products.

Walton TV CEO Mostafa Nahid

Hossain Ovi says, 'During this

Pandemic situation, Walton came up

with innovation marketing strategies,

adapted new sales channels to ensure

steady and sustainable growth of the

export market operation.

Furthermore, pricing strategies is also

being adjusted to create value and

satisfy international customers.

Walton's IBU President Edward Kim

said, Walton is committed to adjust to

local needs of individual international

market, both in terms of software and

hardware. Through Walton's

partnership with the leading European

electronics companies and retailers, it

aims to establish Bangladesh as one of

the top electronic product

manufacturers in global market.

Eventually market expansion into the

European region will not only help

grow Bangladeshi electronics business

globally but also help unlock new

channels to market other type of

electronic goods as well.


11

A protest rally and a human chain was held at the initiative of Bangladesh Postal ED Employees Union,

Noakhali branch demanding 10 points including triple increase of current allowance in the district on

Sunday. The hour-long protest and human chain was held in front of the main post office of the district.

During the time, Noakhali District Branch President Shah Newaz Chowdhury, General Secretary

Nurul Islam and other leaders of the organization addressed the program. Photo: Manik Bhiuan

Myanmar urged to stop crackdown against

peaceful anti-war protesters

Myanmar authorities should

immediately end an ongoing

crackdown against peaceful anti-war

protesters, said Fortify Rights on

Monday, reports UNB.

Since September 11, Myanmar

authorities arbitrarily detained 15

human rights defenders, including 14

members of the All Burma Federation

of Student Unions (ABFSU), for

protesting the government and the

ongoing war in Rakhine and Chin

states. Between October 2 to 9, courts

in Mandalay Region sentenced two

ABFSU members to five years in

prison, one to one year in prison, and

another to one month with hard labor,

all for their involvement in legitimate,

peaceful activities.

On October 20 and 21, courts in

Mandalay Region are scheduled to

consider additional charges against

Kyaw Thiha Ye Kyaw, 24, and Soe Hla

Naing, 23-the two aforementioned

ABFSU members already sentenced

to five-year prison terms.

At least nine of the other detained

protesters are scheduled to appear

before the Chan Aye Thar-Zan

'Ratnagarbha'

Maichara

Begum passes

away

S M Akash, Chattogram

C o r r e s p o n d e n t :

'Ratnagarbha' Maichara

Begum, wife of the late

writer-researcher Shafiqul

Quader Chowdhury,

daughter of the traditional

Manumiaji Bari of

Chattogram, and the owner

of the Manumiaji Zamindar

Bari, died in her home at 5

am on Sunday.

She was 75 years old at the

time of her death. She was

the mother of two

daughters and two sons.

Her eldest daughter Nishat

Kaderi is the principal of

Jaipur Hat Cadet College,

youngest daughter is Israt

Kaderi, eldest son is Sohail

Qaderi Saikot who is

working at an key position

at United Nations in

headquartered in Geneva

and youngest son, Rumel

Qaderi, is employed as a

marine engineer. Her

younger son-in-law Nurul

Amin MSc is the former

chairman of Patiya

Kusumpur Union and elder

son-in-law is Nazrul Islam .

She was buried at the

Dargah local cemetery after

Janazah at the Manumiyaji

Zamindar's house in

Banshkhali after Maghrib

prayers on Sunday.

It is to be noted that that

she is the grandmother-inlaw

of Mirza Imtiaz,

Executive Editor of Daily

Priyo Chattogram and

Editor-in-Chief of News

Chattogram. 'Priyo

Chattogram' and 'News

Chattogram' family are

deeply saddened by the

death of Maichara Begum

and extend their deepest

condolences to the bereaved

family.

Township Court in Mandalay on

October 22. "There is a coordinated

crackdown against peaceful protesters

unfolding right now," said Ismail

Wolff, Fortify Rights Regional

Director. "The crackdown is aimed at

incapacitating and silencing human

rights defenders and student activists.

The charges should be dropped, and

the Myanmar Government should

free all political prisoners

immediately."

The four convicted ABFSU

members and at least four of the other

detained protesters are currently

imprisoned in Obo Prison in

Mandalay Region.

According to ABFSU-a nationwide

student organization with a long

history of political activism-at least 16

of its members are currently in hiding.

The arrests appear to be in response

to an anti-war leaflets and poster

campaign launched by ABFSU in

Mandalay in early September.

For example, on September 11, the

day after protesters distributed antiwar

material in the Zay Cho Market,

Yadanabon University, around the

Mandalay moat, and elsewhere in

Mandalay, Chan Aye Thar-Zan

Township police in Mandalay briefly

detained and charged ABFSU

member Myo Chit Zaw, 21, and filed

charges against 12 others for failing to

notify the authorities in advance of the

September 10 protest.

Two days later, on September 13,

police briefly detained and charged

ABFSU Central Executive Committee

members Soe Hla Naing and Kyaw

Thiha Ye Kyaw on the same charges.

Despite the arrests, between

September 11 and October 9, ABFSU

members continued to conduct more

than 12 leafleting and poster

campaign activities in townships

throughout Mandalay and in other

regions.

ABFSU members distributed

material with slogans saying, "Oppose

murderous fascism" and

"Dictatorships must fail" and calling

for the government to lift mobile

internet restrictions in Rakhine and

Chin states, where the Myanmar

Army and Arakan Army are engaged

in an ongoing armed conflict.

U.S. House speaker sets 48-hour deadline

to approve relief package before election

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on

Sunday that White House and congressional

lawmakers must reach an agreement in 48

hours if they want to pass a new COVID-19

relief package before the presidential election

in November, reports UNB.

"The 48 only relates to if we want to get it

done before the election, which we do," Pelosi

said in an interview with ABC News.

"We're saying to them, we have to freeze the

design on some of these things. Are we going

with it or not and what is the language? I'm

optimistic because, again, we've been back

and forth on all of this," she said.

Asked about whether Americans are going

to get pandemic relief before Nov. 3 Election

Day, Pelosi said that depends on the Trump

administration. "The fact is that we cannot-the

heart of the matter is to stop the spread of the

virus," she said. Pelosi and Treasury Secretary

Steven Mnuchin have been negotiating a new

COVID-19 relief package for months, with the

most recent call on Saturday night resulting in

"some encouraging news on testing,"

according to Drew Hammill, spokesman and

deputy chief of staff for the House speaker.

"There remains an array of additional

differences as we go provision by provision

that must be addressed in a comprehensive

manner in the next 48 hours," Hammill

tweeted Saturday night. "Decisions must be

made by the White House in order to

demonstrate that the Administration is

serious about reaching a bipartisan

agreement that provides for Americans with

the greatest needs during the pandemic,"

Hammill said.

During a virtual conference hosted by the

Milken Institute on Wednesday, Mnuchin

said that it would be difficult for the White

House and Democrats to reach a deal on a

comprehensive COVID-19 relief package

before the presidential election, as the two

sides were still far apart on certain issues.

Gobindaganj police officer in charge AKM Mehedi Hasan has been awarded

as Gaibandha district's best officer in charge again. District

Superintendent of Police Md Touhidul Islam on Monday handed over the

award to him for his active role in curbing various crimes including violence

against women, theft, robbery, fraud and deception in the month of

September 2020 at monthly coordination meeting. During the time, officers

of the district police were also present at the time. His colleagues congratulated

him for getting the award.

Photo: Rafiqul Islam

Madrasah teacher held

in Joypurhat for

sexually assaulting 4

students

JOYPURHAT : Police on

Sunday night arrested a

madrasah teacher from

Muzahidpur village in

Joypurhat sadar upazila for

sexually assaulting four girl

students, reports UNB.

The arrestee is Abdur

Rashid, 46, a teacher of

Muzahidpur Noorani

Madrasah and son of

Noyamoddin of the village.

Police arrested Rashid

from his house at the village

at night, after the father of

one of the victims filed a case

with sadar police station,

said Md Shahriar Khan,

officer-in-charge of the

police station.

According to the case

statement, the teacher took

the girls in a room of the

madrasah in the morning

and assaulted them sexually.

As the girls started

screaming, locals rushed in.

Sensing d anger, the

madrasah teacher fled the

scene, said the OC adding

that police managed to

arrest him from his house.

Woman killed

in Netrakona

road crash

NETRAKONA : A woman

was killed as a truck hit her in

front of a school in Netrakona

district town on Monday

morning, reports UNB.

The deceased was

identified as Shirin Akhter,

55, wife of Siddikur Rahman.

Shirin fell down from a

rickshaw in front of Datta

High School as the truck hit

the vehicle around am ,

leaving her dead on the spot,

said Md Tajul Islam, officerin-charge

of Netrakona

Model Police Station. Police

seized the truck but the driver

managed to flee the scene.

Dhaka, Thimphu

hopeful of signing

PTA soon

DHAKA : Bangladesh and

Bhutan have planned to sign

aPreferential Trade

Agreement (PTA) soon to

deepen trade ties between the

two countries, reports UNB.

The issue was discussed

when newly-appointed

Bhutanese Ambassador

Rinchen Kuentsyl met State

Minister for Foreign Affairs

M Shahriar Alam on

Monday.

Both sides laid emphasis on

exploring ways to boost trade

between the two countries

and expressed the hope to

sign the PTA soon. They

discussed ways to enhance

cooperation in education,

health and ICT sectors.

The State Minister drew

attention to the Bhutanese

Ambassador for getting

technical support regarding

vegetables processing unit to

be set up in Bangladesh. The

Bhutanese Ambassador

showed interest in this

regard.

The two sides also

discussed plans to celebrate

50 years of Bangladesh's

Independence together

through joint programmes.

SC upholds HC bail

for former lawmaker

AKMA Awal, wife

DHAKA : The Appellate

Division of the Supreme

Court (SC) on Monday

upheld a High Court order

that granted bail to former

Pirojpur-1 lawmaker AKMA

Awal and his wife Laila

Pervin in two graft cases.

A four-member apex court

bench headed by Chief

Justice Syed Mahmud

Hossain passed the order,

dismissing two pleas filed by

A n t i - C o r r u p t i o n

Commission (ACC) against

the High Court order.

Morales aide claims victory

in Bolivia's election redo

Evo Morales' party claimed victory in

Bolivia's presidential election as official

results trickled in from Sunday's highstakes

redo of last year's annulled ballot that

saw the leftist leader resign and flee the

country, reports UNB.

More than nine hours after polls closed,

barely 6% of all ballot boxes had been

counted and they showed Morales'

handpicked successor, Luis Arce, trailing a

conservative rival.

But with a private quick count of sampled

polling stations favoring Arce by a wide

margin, even interim President Jeanine

Anez - an archrival of Morales - recognized

that the socialist movement looked set to

return to power in what looked to be a

major jolt to South America's beleaguered

left.

"I congratulate the winners and I ask

them to govern thinking in Bolivia and in

our democracy," Anez said on Twitter.

Bolivians have long been accustomed to

quick preliminary results in presidential

elections. But after allegations of fraud and

days of unrest marred last year's ballot,

newly installed electoral authorities had

been appealing for patience, reminding

voters that they have up to five days to

declare a winner.

While voting was peaceful, the long wait

Sunday night for results fueled speculation

that something was awry. Adding to

intrigue, publication of two exit polls was

also withheld after private pollsters said

they didn't trust their own survey results.

Morales broke the tense silence by

declaring Arce the winner. Later, two

pollsters said a quick count of official tally

sheets at select polling stations showed Arce

had garnered more than 50% of the votes,

compared to 31% for former President

Carlos Mesa, the top finisher of four rival

candidates.

"We've recovered our democracy,"

Morales said in brief remarks from exile in

Argentina. "Lucho will be our president."

Appearing a few minutes later, Arce took

a less strident tone and appealed for calm,

saying he would seek to form a government

of national unity.

"I think the Bolivian people want to retake

the path we were on," Arce declared around

midnight surrounded by a small group of

supporters, some of them in traditional

Andean dress in honor of the country's

Shibchar Upazila Parishad

by-election today

Rafiqul Islam, Shibchar Correspondent: Shibchar

Upazila Parishad by-election is set to be held today (October

20). All preparations have already been completed for free,

fair and neutral election. Meanwhile, election equipment is

being distributed in the Upazila Parishad on the occasion of

the election.

Ballot boxes, ballot papers and other election materials

have been sent to the polling centers since Monday morning.

According to sources, two candidates are contesting in the

by-election of Shibchar Upazila, among them Bangladesh

Awami League nominee Latif Mollah and Bangladesh

Nationalist Party (BNP) nominee Nadira Mithu Chowdhury.

According to Shibchar Upazila Election Office, the polling

will be held in 513 polling booths in 101 polling stations as per

the schedule announced on September 15. The total number

of voters in 19 unions and 1 municipality of the upazila are

264,500. Among them 137890 are male voters and 126605

are female voters.

Meanwhile, since Monday morning, additional magistrates

have been appointed to maintain law and order, law

enforcement including BGB is inspecting various areas,

police and Ansar forces are going to the center with ballot

baskets and necessary materials along with the officers in

charge of polling.

In this regard, District Election Officer and Returning

Officer Md. Moniruzzaman said, "We have already

completed all the work of Shibchar Upazila Parishad byelection.

All members of law enforcement including BGB,

RAB, police, Ansar and executive magistrate are ready for the

election."

It is to be noted that after the death of Shamsuddin Khan,

chairman of Shibchar Upazila on June 10, the post of

chairman of Shibchar Upazila Parishad became vacant.

Indigenous roots.

The early official results favored Mesa, a

former journalist and historian, with 49%

compared to 33% for Arce.

Prior to voting, polls showed Arce ahead

but lacking enough votes to avoid a

November runoff, where conservative

voters would've likely rallied behind Mesa.

To win in the first round, a candidate needs

more than 50% of the vote, or 40% with a

lead of at least 10 percentage points over the

second-place candidate.

Arce, who oversaw a surge in growth and

reduction in poverty as Morales' economy

minister for more than a decade, would face

an uphill battle trying to jumpstart growth

this time.

The coronavirus, which led authorities to

postpone Sunday's election twice, has hit

the impoverished, landlocked Bolivia

harder than almost any other country on a

per capita basis. Nearly 8,400 of its 11.6

million people have died of COVID-19.

Arce also faces the challenge of emerging

from the long shadow of his former boss,

who remains polarizing but whose support

enabled the low-key, UK-educated

economist to mount a strong campaign.

Morales was barred from running in

Sunday's election, even for a seat in

congress, and faces prosecution on what are

seen as trumped-up charges of terrorism if

he returns home. Few expect the

sometimes-irascible politician to sit by idly

in a future Arce government.

Bolivia, once one of the most politically

volatile countries in Latin America,

experienced a rare period of stability under

Morales, the country's first Indigenous

president.

A boyhood llama herder who became

prominent leading a coca grower's union,

Morales had been immensely popular while

overseeing an export-led economic surge.

But support was eroding due to his

reluctance to leave power, increasing

authoritarian impulses and a series of

corruption scandals.

He shrugged aside a public vote that had

set term limits, and competed in the

October 2019 presidential vote, which he

claimed to have narrowly won outright. But

a lengthy pause in reporting results fed

suspicions of fraud and nationwide protests

followed, leading to the deaths of at least 36

people.

Ballot boxes, ballot papers and other election materials have been sent to

the polling centers since Monday morning marking the Shibchar Upazila

Parishad by-election which is scheduled to take place on Tuesday.

Photo: Rafiqul Islam

India's COVID-19

tally surpasses

7.5 mln

India's COVID-19 tally

surpassed 7.5 million mark on

Monday, reaching 7,550,273,

as 55,722 new cases were

registered the past 24 hours,

said the data released by the

health ministry, reports UNB.

The total death toll rose to

114,610, as 579 deaths took

place across the country due to

the pandemic since Sunday

morning. This is the first time

in nearly three months when

the per day new cases fell

below 60,000, and per day

deaths below 600.

Still there are 772,055 active

COVID-19 cases in the

country, even as 6,663,608

people have been successfully

cured and discharged from

hospitals. Monday is the third

consecutive day when the

number of active COVID-19

cases has fallen below

800,000-mark. "India's active

cases have fallen below

800,000 after 6 weeks and

continue to slide further

down," tweeted the federal

health ministry.

Tuesday, Dhaka, October 20, 2020, Kartik 4, 1427 BS, Rabi-ul Awal 2, 1442 Hijri

COVID-19 hospital facilities

expanded for Rohingyas,

locals in Cox's Bazar

DHAKA : UNHCR, the UN Refugee

Agency, in collaboration with Sadar

Hospital and the government of

Bangladesh, inaugurated the expansion

of medical services for patients with

severe COVID-19 symptoms in the Cox's

Bazar district Sadar Hospital on

Monday, reports UNB.

The event was attended by the

President of the Hospital Management

Committee and MP Shaimum Sarwar

Kamal, Superintendent and Assistant

Director of Sadar Hospital Dr. Rafik-Us-

Saleheen, Principal of Cox's Bazar

Medical College, a Representative of the

Superintendent of the Police, the RRRC

Health Sector Coordinator, as well as

UNHCR Senior Operations Coordinator

Hinako Tokiamong others.

In June 2020, the first Intensive Care

Unit (ICU) and High Dependency Unit

(HDU) were opened in Cox's Bazar, with

UNHCR support.

The ICU currently has a capacity of 10

beds with 11 ventilators and 2 portable

ventilators, and 8 HDU beds available

for those with severe symptoms.

This expansion will significantly

expand the capacity to respond, with 20

additional beds for patients with severe

symptoms, said the UN refugee agency.

In addition to the 20 extra beds,

UNHCR has also provided support for

the refurbishment of the new ward, as

well human resources support, with 43

new staff who have been recruited,

including 10 medical doctors, 15 staff

nurses, a Senior Nurse, an Infection

Prevention and Control Supervisor, 8

cleaners and 8 ward staff. Medication

Covid-19

and specialized equipment including

beds, walled oxygen, oxygen pumps,

infusion and syringe pumps and specialized

medical Personal Protective

Equipment (PPE) have also been provided.

"We will always remember the support

provided by UNHCR and the UN

organisations for both refugees and for

our people. Nobody can progress without

support and the will to work together,"

said MP Shaimum Sarwar Kamal.

Since the ICU and HDU were opened on

June 20th, 124 patients in need of critical

care support have been admitted and

received care in the Sadar Hospital ICU.

This includes both refugees referred

from the camps, as well as local

Bangladeshi communities.

UNHCR and the entire humanitarian

community is continuing to work handin-hand

with the Government of

Bangladesh to both prevent and respond

to cases of COVID-19 in Cox's Bazar district.

So far, 14 Severe Acute Respiratory

Infection Isolation and Treatment

Centres (SARI ITCs) have also been

established for the treatment of those

with moderate to severe symptoms.

"The coronavirus pandemic has presented

a huge challenge globally. UNHCR

is grateful for the strong partnership with

the Government of Bangladesh in combating

the virus. We will continue to work

together to ensure the best care possible

for those who suffer from COVID-19 in

Cox's Bazar District, both refugees and

local communities" said Hinako Toki,

Senior Operations Coordinator for

UNHCR, Cox's Bazar.

Bangladesh reports 1637

new cases, 21 deaths

DHAKA : Bangladesh has recorded 21

more deaths from Covid-19 in 24

hours untilMonday morning , pushing

up the fatalities to 5681, reports UNB.

Health authorities also reported

1,637 new cases, taking the caseload to

390,206.

Currently, there are 84,607 active

cases in the country, said a handout of

the Directorate General of Health

Services (DGHS).

Bangladesh reported its first cases

on March 8 and the first death on

March 18. The cases reached the

300,000-mark on Aug 26 while the

death toll exceeded 5,000 on Sept 22.

The fatality rate is 1.46 percent.

So far, 21,78,714 samples have been

tested -- 15,146 in the last 24 hoursand

17.96 percent of them have turned

out to be positive. Bangladesh's recovery

rate is steadily increasing with

1,627 new recoveries. So far, 305,599

patients have recovered with a recovery

rate of 78.32 percent, the health

authorities said.

According to the latest tally of John

Hopkins University (JHU), the total

coronavirus cases reached 40,050,902

as of Monday afternoon.

Besides, the global death toll was

registered 1,113,750 while 27,418,921

recovered. The US saw its tally of

coronavirus cases surpass 8.1 million,

followed by India and Brazil, which

over 7.4 million and 5.2 million registered

coronavirus cases, respectively.

Of the total victims, 4,357 are men

and 1,303 are women. Among the latest

victims, 13 are above 50 years of

age and one other is aged between 31

and 40 years.

Deputy Director General of Bangladesh Coast Guard, Commodore M Anwar Hossain was present

during the 4th Regional/ Zonal Commander's Level Meeting between at BCG and ICG which was

held through a video conference at BCG Base Mongla on Monday.

Photo: Courtesy

'Commander Level

Meeting' between

BCG and ICG held

The 4th Regional/ Zonal

Commander's Level Meeting was

held between at Bangladesh Coast

Guard and Indian Coast Guard

through a video conference at BCG

Base Mongla on Monday. The meeting

was held based on an agreement

signed between the Bangladesh Coast

Guard and the Indian Coast Guard

aimed at enhancing regional cooperation,

developing mutual relations,

exchanging training and maintaining

friendly and fraternal relations

between the two countries, a press

release said.

During the time, Deputy Director

General of Bangladesh Coast Guard,

Commodore M Anwar Hossain,

(ND), NGP, PCGM, ndc, afwc, psc,

BN was present. Senior officials of

Bangladesh Coast Guard were also

present during the time.

Representatives of the Indian Coast

Guard Regional Headquarters,

Kolkata and the Indian Coast Guard

Headquarters participated on behalf

of the Indian Coast Guard.

At the occasion, the representatives

of the two countries discussed on various

important issues. The two forces

also discussed the role of the Coast

Guard in preventing human trafficking,

smuggling of drugs and illegal

fishing at international borders.

In addition, mutual cooperation on

training issues in the development of

professional skills of Coast Guard

members of both countries was discussed.

As a result of the meeting, the

Coast Guard of both countries is

expected to play a leading role in

curbing crime in the waters of the two

countries and developing bilateral

relations.

Dhaka-Vienna air connectivity

draft agreement gets Cabinet nod

DHAKA : The Cabinet on Monday

approved the draft of an air services

agreement to be signed with Austria for

direct flight operations between Dhaka

and Vienna, reports UNB.

The approval came from the weekly

Cabinet meeting held virtually with

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the

chair. The PM joined the meeting

through a videoconference from her

official residence Ganobhaban, while

other cabinet members joined from the

Secretariat.

"If the direct flight operation is introduced

between Dhaka to Vienna, the

trade, business and labour market as

well as cooperation in industrial, health

and defence sectors will be expanded

between the two countries. Besides, the

air communication with other

European countries will be easier,"

Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul

Islam said at a press briefing after the

meeting.

There are headquarters of some international

agencies in Vienna, Austria's

capital. So, this air connectivity is important

for Bangladesh, he said.

The agreement titled 'Air services

agreement between the Austrian

Federal Government and the government

of the People's Republic of

Bangladesh' has been framed following

the standards of International Civil

Aviation Organisation (ICAO), the secretary

said.

According to the proposed agreement,

the number of passenger and cargo

flights can be fixed through negotiation

between the countries and the air agencies

nominated by two countries can

operate seven passenger and cargo

flights a week under an MoU to be inked

on the signing date of the main agreement,

he added.

83pc cabinet decisions implemented

In the meeting, a report on the implementation

progress of the decisions of

the cabinet was placed, said the Cabinet

Secretary. The report shows that some

83 percent of the decisions taken by the

cabinet since January 2019 have already

been implemented.

The cabinet held 48 meetings and

took 427 decisions till September 2020

during the current government formed

through the 2018 general election. Of

the decisions, 354 (82.9pc) have already

been executed and the remaining decisions

are under implementation.

The implementation rate of the cabinet

decisions was 92.25 percent in 2019,

which is higher than 68.64 percent in

2020.

The cabinet took 258 decisions in 2019

and 238 were implemented, while it took

169 decisions in 2020 (till September 30

last) and 116 were executed.

Besides, 37 laws have been enacted

and 33 other laws are under the enactment

process getting clearance of the

Cabinet during the period starting from

January 2019.

Moreover, the Cabinet approved 17

policies, guidelines, strategies and action

plans as well as endorsed or ratified 19

bilateral and international agreements

or protocols in the time.

Is solar power

the solution to

Bangladesh's

growing energy

needs?

DHAKA : Solar power could well be a

solution to Bangladesh's energy

woes, reports UNB.

This inference can be drawn from a

new study suggesting that 40,000

MW of electricity in Bangladesh

could be easily generated from solar

energy by 2041, if an action plan is

prioritised. In such a scenario, solar

energy would constitute 50 percent

of the country's installed capacity.

However, the study says that at

least 8,000 MW of solar power could

be generated by 2041 in case of "as

usual business case scenario", and

25,000 MW in a "medium case scenario".

The study, titled 'National Solar

Energy Action Plan 2021-2041', was

conducted by the Sustainable and

Renewable Energy Development

Authority (Sreda) in collaboration

with the United Nations

Development Programme (UNDP).

The existing Power System Master

Plan stipulates for 35 percent power

generation from imported LNG (liquefied

natural gas), some 35 percent

from imported coal, 15 percent from

renewable energy, 10 percent from

nuclear energy and five percent from

petroleum oil by 2041, when the

country's generation will reach

60,000 MW.

Polls in over 200

local bodies today

DHAKA : Elections and by-elections

to more than 200 local bodies-Zila

Parishad, Upazila Parishad and

Union Parishad - will be held on

Tuesday, reports UNB.

The balloting will start at 9pm and

continue till 5pm without any break.

Among the local bodies, regular

elections will be held to one Upazila

Parishad (Daudkandi of Cumilla) and

15 Union Parishads in different districts,

said SM Asaduzzaman,

Director (Public Relations) of the

Election Commission on Monday.

Besides, by-polls will be held in

seven Zila Parishads, eight Upazila

Parishads and 177 union parishads,

he said.

The 15 union parishads where regular

elections will be held are three

unions each in Rangpur Sadar

Upazila and Lohagara Upazila of

Chattogram, two each in Bhangura of

Pabna and Madhukhali of Faridpur,

one each in Kalapara of Patuakhali,

Lalmohan of Bhola, Chuadanga

Sadar, Rupganj of Narayanganj and

Fatikchhari of Chattogram.

By-polls to chairman posts will be

held in 41 Union Parishads.

Rajshahi to get a river port

to boost trade with India

Police clashed with closed state jute mill workers in Khulna. At least 20 workers were injured in the clashes on

Monday morning.

Photo : Star Mail

RAJSHAHI : Ariver port is going to be

set up in Godagari upazila of Rajshahi

district within a month,aiming to easetransportation

of goods throughwaterways

with India, reports UNB.

Goods will be brought to Sultanganj of

the upazila from Maya Port of

Murshidabad in India via the Padma

River. Chairman of the Bangladesh

Inland Water Transport Authority

(BIWTA) Commodore Golam

Sadeqrecently visited Sultanganj, a possible

site in Godagari upazila, to start the

activities ofthe proposed river port.

He also visited the border area in the

Padma River in a speedboat and

exchanged views with officials of the

local administration and public representatives.

Speaking at the meeting, the BIWTA

chairman said both the countries would

be benefitted from the launch of the

waterway throughGodagari. "Today we

inspected everything, including the navigability

of the river," he said.

The BIWTA chairman went on saying,

"There're huge potentials...we want to

launch this waterway on an experimental

basis within a month."

Joint Secretary of the Ministry of

Shipping Muhidul Islam and Upazila

Chairman Jahangir Alam were present

at the meeting.

Meanwhile, upazila chairman

Jahangir Alam said oncegoods used to

be transported between the two countries

through Godagari which was closed

a long time ago.

He said jute products used to go to

India through this way at that time and

those products could be sent again once

the waterway is launched.

"Huge fish are produced in Rajshahi.

These fish can also be exported to India.

This will benefit Bangladesh economically,"

Jahangir Alam said.

Sources at BIWTA said India and

Bangladesh have agreed in principle to

resume trade through the waterway on

the Padma River. BIWTA officials are

now inspecting the infrastructures of the

waterway. BIWTA officials say the

launch of the waterway will boost the

country's trade with India as huge goods

can be transported through this waterway.

Though a 78-km waterway from

Rajshahi to Dhulian in Murshidabad in

West Bengal wasapproved earlier, there

has been no follow-up action.

Now, BIWTA has taken the initiative

to shorten the new route from

Sultanganj in Godagari upazila of

Rajshahi to the Maya River Port.

The distance of this route is only 18

kilometers. During the dry season, 200-

300 tons of goods can be transported in

each cargo.

During monsoon, transportation

ofgoods will be a bit difficult due to

strong current in the river.

BIWTA has already requested the

National Board of Revenue (NBR) to set

up a customs office at Godagari.

According to the sources,

Murshidabad's 'Pakur Pathar' is being

used in big projects like Rooppur

Nuclear Power Plant. It is a very good

quality stone.

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

20-10-2020

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