29-12-2020

Tuesday, Dhaka, December 29, 2020, Poush 14, 1427 BS, Jamadi-ul Awal 13 , 1442 Hijri
Awareness about the use of masks is growing. The picture was taken from Mugda area of Dhaka on
Monday.
Photo : Star Mail
27 more Covid-19
deaths in BD
DHAKA : Bangladesh saw the deaths of
23 more men and four women from
Covid-19 in the last 24 hours until early
Monday, reports UNB.
The fatality number rose to 7,479
since the first cases were reported in the
country on March 8. Also, 932 new
cases were reported during the same
period, taking the country's total caseload
to 510,080, said the Directorate
General of Health Services.
So far, 3,184,527 tests have been carried
out. The overall infection rate stood
at 16.02% and the death rate at 1.47
However, 453,318 patients - 88.87% -
have recovered up to now.
Bangladesh is seeing 2,995.07 infections,
2,661.78 recoveries and 43.91
deaths per million. The country's infection
number reached the 5,00000-mark
on December 20. The first death was
reported on March 18 and the death toll
exceeded 7,000 on December 12.
The government has been warning of
a second wave of Covid-19 in winter
and urging people to follow health safety
measures. It has also adopted a "no
mask, no service" policy.
Bangladesh will get Covid-19 vaccines
for around 4.5 crore people by May-
June next year, Cabinet Secretary
Khandker Anwarul Islam said recently.
"We will get 3 crore doses of vaccine
for 1.5 crore people at the end of
January or early February next year
and 6 crore doses for 3 crore people by
May-June."
Force Myanmar
to take back
Rohingyas : Quader
DHAKA : Awami League General
Secretary Obaidul Quader on Monday
urged the international community to
mount pressure on Myanmar to take
back Rohingyas, reports UNB.
He made the call at a regular briefing
at his official residence.
Since the outbreak of the Rohingya
crisis, the Sheikh Hasina government
has been seeking supportedof the international
community for a peaceful solution
to the crisis and continuing its
diplomatic efforts, he said.
Quader, also Road Transport and
Bridges Minister, said about 1.2 million
Rohingyas have taken shelter in Teknaf-
Ukhia, putting a great pressure on the
economy of Bangladesh and harming
the environment.
Both the social environment and the
biodiversity are now at stake as huge
people have been living in a place
beyond its capacity, Quader said.
The government has taken steps to relocate
the Rohingyas to Bhasanchar with
more facilities due to the delay in their
repatriation to Myanmar, Quader said.
The minister said only those who volunteer
to go to Bhashanchar are being
shifted and no pressure has been created
on them. The minister said the government
has already taken initiatives to
collect Covid-19 vaccine as and when it
is available.
He is hopeful that the vaccine will
arrive in the country either in the last
week of January or in February.
Mentioning that preparations are
underway to collect and store the vaccine
smoothly, the minister said the
health ministry is working on it and
informing people in this regard.
11 crore people connected to
internet in the country:Palak
Zunaid Ahmed Palak, state minister for
ICT, referring to Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina's Digital Bangladesh, said 11
crore people in the country are now connected
to the Internet. 10 lakh young
people are involved
in the IT sector,
including freelancing,
software development,
and outsourcing.
This
would not have
been possible if
Digital Bangladesh
had not been successfully
implemented,
a press release said. He said the
ICT sector has created employment for
10 lakh youths in the last 12 years. He
also said that in the epidemic of Covid-
19, education, health, agriculture, court
and supply system and even judicial
work have been kept active.
The state minister said this while
addressing a function virtually as the
chief guest at the "Witsa Award
Celebration 2020" organized by
Bangladesh Computer Society on
Monday.
Bangladesh Computer Association
President Md. Shahid-ul-Munir presided
over the function while among others,
NM Ziaul Alam, Senior Secretary, ICT
Department, Witsar Chairman Yasin
Siros and Witsar Secretary General, Dr.
James H. Poisantwere among others also
present at the occasion.
The state minister further said Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina had withdrawn
import duty on computers in 1996 to
make computers easily available to the
common people.
As a result, the children
of ordinary
people of all classes
in Bangladesh have
got the opportunity
to use computers.
Through the
implementation of
the Prime
Minister's vision,
we have been able to stand on our own
two feet in the field of technology for the
last 12 years. Mentioning that mobile
financial wallets like our cash have been
created, he said that no foreign inventor
was needed here. Our local entrepreneurs
have solved many such problems.
He said the WCIT award will inspire
new entrepreneurs in the days to come.
It is to be noted that Bangladesh has
won six projects in different categories
out of 9 categories of 'Witsa ICT
Excellence Award' at the World
Congress of IT, WCIT 2020, which is
famous for its information technology
Olympics. The projects are: Bijoy Digital,
Innovation Design and Entrepreneurship
Academy (Idea) Project, My Help,
Cash, Prism ERP, jointly with Synesis IT
and A2I.
Saudi court hands prison sentence
to women's rights activist
A Saudi court on Monday sentenced
prominent women's rights activist
Loujain al-Hathloul to five years and
eight months in prison, her family and
local media said, in a trial that has drawn
international condemnation as Riyadh
faces renewed US scrutiny, reports
Reuters.
Hathloul, 31, has been held since 2018
following her arrest along with at least a
dozen other women's rights activist.
The verdict poses an early challenge to
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's
relationship with US President-elect Joe
Biden, who has criticised Riyadh's
human rights record.
Hathloul was charged with seeking to
change the Saudi political system and
harming national security, Sabq and al-
Shark al-Awsat newspapers said.
The court suspended two years and 10
months of her sentence-or most of the
time already served since her arrest on
May 15, 2018 -- with a conditional
release to follow, the newspapers and
Hathloul's sister said. She could therefore
be released around end of February
2021, with a return to prison possible if
she commits any crime, the newspapers.
Hathloul was also given a five-year
travel ban, her sister Lina tweeted,
adding that both the public prosecutor
and Hathloul could appeal the judge's
verdict. United Nations human rights
experts have called the charges "spurious",
and along with leading rights
groups and lawmakers in the United
States and Europe have called for her
release.
Rights groups and her family say
Hathloul, who had championed
women's right to drive and for ending
the kingdom's male guardian system,
was subjected to abuse, including electric
shocks, waterboarding, flogging and
sexual assault. Saudi authorities have
denied the charges.
The criminal court last week cleared
the prosecution of torturing Hathloul in
detention, saying there was no evidence
to support the allegations.
Hathloul's sentencing came nearly
three weeks after a Riyadh court jailed
US-Saudi physician Walid al-Fitaihi for
six years, despite US pressure to release
him, in a case rights groups have called
politically motivated.
Foreign diplomats said the two trials
aimed to send a message at home and
abroad that Saudi Arabia would not
yield to pressure on human rights
issues. Riyadh could also use the sentences
as leverage in future negotiations
with the Biden administration, one
diplomat said. Biden has said he will
take a firmer line with the kingdom, an
oil titan and a major buyer of American
arms, than President Donald Trump,
who was a strong supporter of Prince
Mohammed.
Mild cold wave
continues to sweep
over the country
DHAKA : A mild cold wave continues
to sweep over the country's north and
northeastern regions with the mercury
falling below 9 degree Celsius in some
parts of the country.
The mild cold wave has already
gripped the regions of Dinajpur,
Panchagarh, Kurigram, Rajshahi,
Pabna, Noagaon, Jashore, Kushtia,
Chuadanga, Barishal, Gopalgonj and
Srimangal and it may continue, according
to Met office weather bulletin.
Light to moderate fog may occur over
the country during late night to morning.
Night and day temperature may
remain nearly unchanged over the
country. Weather may remain dry over
the country.
The lowest temperature of the country
was recorded at 7.7 degree Celsius at
Chuadanga while the maximum temperature
was 27.5 degree Celsius in Shitakunda.
Another GP bomb
found at HSIA
DHAKA : Another General Purpose
(GP) bomb weighing nearly 250 kg was
found yesterday during the ongoing piling
at the construction site of the third
terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal
International Airport (HSIA).
A bomb disposal unit of the
Bangladesh Air Force Base
Bangabandhu rushed to the spot and
defused the bomb, said a press release
issued here. The bomb was then taken
to a safe place with the necessary precautions
for disposal.
According to the release, bomb
experts have opined that the bomb was
dropped on the ground during the War
of Liberation in 1971 like the previous
bombs found at Hazrat Shahjalal
International Airport.
DHAKA : Bangladesh hopes to achieve a
15% growth in export earnings this fiscal,
with the economy showing
resilience to come out of the economic
downturn caused by the pandemic and
the government hinting at another stimulus
package in view of a second wave of
Covid that has already hit Europe.
In the last financial year, the country's
export earnings suffered a whopping
17% negative growth, despite the
government lowering the target than
that of the previous fiscal for the first
time since 1971. According to an official
document in possession with
UNB, the government has set an
export growth target of 10.8% and 11%
in 2021-22 and 2022-23 fiscals,
respectively.The export growth in
2018-19 was 10.5%, while it was estimated
at 12% in the lastfiscal,but
Covid and its aftermath forced the
government to revise it to anegative
growth of10%. According to Export
Promotion Bureau (EPB) data, the
Conspirators active
to destroy CHT
peace: Hasan
CHATTOGRAM : Information
Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud yesterday
said conspirators are still active to
destroy the prevailing peace in
Chattogram Hill Tracts (CHT) region
along with destroying the peace of the
country as well.
"Those, who are not happy with the
development and peace of the country,
are also not happy with the development,
progress and peace of the hill
tracks region," he said and urged all to
remain alert against the conspirators.
The minister stated these while
inaugurating 'Bangabandhu Tour the
CHT Mountain Bike' competition at
Sajek Valley in Baghaichhari upazila of
Rangamati marking the birth centenary
of Father of the Nation
Bangabandhu.
President of Parliamentary
Standing Committee on Food
Dipankar Talukder, MP, Chairman
of CHT Taskforce Refugee Affairs
Kujendra Lal Tripura, MP, Basanti
Chakma, MP, Brigadier Commander
Faizur Rahman and Dighinala
upazila Chairman Abul Kashem,
among others, addressed the function
as special guests with CHT
affairs ministry secretary Shafiqul
Ahmed in the chair.
Hasan said the previous governments
especially BNP and Ershad didn't
take any initiative for the peace
agreement when they were in power.
"But Bangabandhu's daughter
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina signed
the peace accord and implementing it.
Many refugees, who fled the country
export earnings in 2019-20 was USD
33,674.09 million, which was USD
40,535.04 million in the previous fiscal.
This means the export earnings in the
last fiscal saw a 16.93% negative growth.
If compared with the actual target of
USD 45,500 million, export earnings
registered a negative growth of 25.99%.
According to the official data, the
export earnings started to slow down in
the first half of the 2019-20 fiscal, while
it took a serious turn due to the pandemic.
In fact, in July-April, exports
decreased a whopping 13.09% as compared
to the corresponding period of the
previous fiscal. In the same period,
exports in the US and the EU slipped to
the negative zone, at 3.4% and 6.3%,
respectively.
For revamping the export sector as
well as the economy as a whole, as per
the document, the Bangladesh government
had announced stimulus packages
worth Tk 121,000 crore-equivalent to
4.3% of the country's GDP. The aim was
due to unrest, have also been repatriated.
Those who went astray have
returned to normal life. This was possible
due to the earnest efforts of the
premier," he added.
The information minister said the
scenario of whole CHT region has
been changed and the government is
very much earnest for overall development
of the region, said Hasan, also
Awami League joint general secretary.
He said there is huge potentiality for
tourism in the hill tracts region and
the potentiality of tourism of the area
will be highlighted before the globe
through this cycling tour.
The country will move forward if the
potentiality of tourism can be utilized
in a well-planned and environmentfriendly
management, he added.
Thanking the CHT Ministry for
organizing the mountain biking to
commemorate the birth centenary of
Father of the Nation Bangabandhu
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the minister
said none but cyclists can express the
satisfaction of cycling in the beautifully
decorated Sajek Valley.
Recalling his student's life, Hasan
said, "When I was a student, I used to
ride my bicycle to and from university.
I am a cycling fan myself and I regularly
participate in various bicycle rallies
in Dhaka city with various demands
and environmental protection."
He said that there is no alternative
to practicing cultural and sports
activities including cycling to keep
away the youths from drugs and
other violent acts.
Another General Purpose (GP) bomb weighing nearly 250 kg was found yesterday during the ongoing piling at the
construction site of the third terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
Photo : ISPR
Bangladesh sets export earnings
target at 15% this fiscal
to minimise the impact of Covid on businesses,
employment and productivity.
A total of 18 economic sectors, including
export-oriented industries, small,
medium and cottage industries, agriculture,
fish farming, poultry and livestock,
have been brought under the ambit of
these incentive packages.
For the export-oriented industries,
thestimulus packages are special funds
worth Tk 5,000 crore,expanding the
facilities of the Export Development
Fund (EDF) of Bangladesh Bank with
Tk 12,750 crore, giving an extra 2%
interest as subsidy, andPre-Shipment
Credit Refinance Scheme worth Tk
5,000 crore.
Besides, the government has chalked
out various strategies like diversification
of export items, new market searching,
new Free Trade Agreement and
enhancement of productivity of the
export sector. Thegovernment has also
taken several otherinitiatives to help the
economy tide over the Covid crisis.
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