16-06-2021

WeDneSDay

DhAkA: June 16, 2021; Ashar 2, 1428 BS; Zilqd 4,1442 hijri

www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www.bangladeshtoday.net

Regd.No.DA~2065, Vol.19; N o. 70; 12 Pages~Tk.8.00

international

NATO leaders declare

China a global

security challenge

>Page 7

SPortS

Lionel Messi free kick

not enough as Argentina

held to draw by Chile

>Page 9

art & culture

Mithila with office

work during

shooting

>Page 10

Plant more trees for

greener future:Hasina

Bangladeshi lyft

driver killed in

NYC crash

NEW YORK : A Bangladeshi-American

Lyft driver died after a 'drunken driver'

struck his vehicle in Queens, New York

City on Sunday, reports UNB.

The accident took place at the intersection

of Fresh Pond Road and Elliott

Avenue in Maspeth.

Authorities identified the victim as

Mohammed Hossain, 47, a father of

three in Brooklyn, according to local

dailies. Hehad migrated from

Bangladesh 12 years ago.

Hossain's devastated friends and relatives

visited the scene of the crash

Sunday morning, trying to wrap their

head around the sudden loss of the

beloved family man.

Hossain supported his wife and their

three children in Borough Park,

Brooklyn, by driving for Uber and Lyft.

"It's only when the person you just

talked to a few days ago is joking and

you're not there. It doesn't make sense,"

his brother-in-law Rezaul Rahman

said. Rahman says his sister, Hossain's

wife, was contacted after 8 am.

"I went in and saw her on the phone.

She saw me and started crying. At that

point you don't know how to feel,"

Rahman said.

The alleged drunk driver, 22-year-old

Erik Chimborazo of Brooklyn, fled the

scene but returned a short time later,

according to police.

BGMEA seeks 10-yr

extension of GSP

in Swiss market

DHAKA : Bangladesh Garment

Manufacturers and Exporters

Association has requested Switzerland

to consider an extension of the EBA

(Everything but Arms) scheme under

its GSP programme for 10 years to help

Bangladesh's smoother transition to

developing economy, reports UNB.

Ambassador of Switzerland to

Bangladesh Nathalie Chuard, accompanied

by Thomas Baumgartner, Head

of Political, Economic and Cultural

Affairs met the President of BGMEA

Faruque Hassan at the latter's office in

the city on Tuesday and discussed the

trade issues.

BGMEA first Vice President Syed

Nazrul Islam, and Vice President Md.

Shahidullah Azim attended the meeting.

The discussions covered issues pertinent

to the readymade garment

industry in Bangladesh, and its

progress in the area of social and environmental

sustainability.

The BGMEA chief applauded the

Swiss envoy for the transformation the

industry has made over the past years.

Zohr

03:44 AM

12:05 PM

04:39 PM

06:52 PM

08:18 PM

5:10 6:48

DHAKA : Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina on Tuesday called upon all,

including the leaders and workers of

Awami League and its associate bodies,

to plant at least three saplings to

make Bangladesh a much greener

country, reports UNB.

The Prime Minister made the call

while inaugurating the three-month

long tree plantation campaign of

Bangladesh Krishok League at her

official residence Ganobhaban.

The government wants to ensure

overall economic development of the

country keeping its environment

and surroundings protected, Hasina

said.

Hoping to see a livelier and much

better environment in the country,

she mentioned that the government

is implementing various programmes

to this end.

The Prime Minister said the

forestation in Bangladesh now has

gone up to 22 percent from mere 7

percent due to massive afforestation

across the country during her governments.

Besides, gardening programmes

are also on in every house of people

alongside social afforestation to further

advance the initiative of the

government, she added.

Hasina said such steps will help

improve the country's environment

alongside expanding afforestation,

and this is how Bangladesh will be

able to set an example in the world.

About the plantation campaign,

the Prime Minister said Bangladesh

Awami League took such a decision

in 1983 to observe countrywide tree

plantation campaigns on the 1st day

of Asharh every year to take forward

afforestation programmes.

She requested the leaders, workers

and well-wishers of Awami League

and its associate bodies as well as

those who believe in Bangabandhu's

ideology to plant at least one fruit,

one wood and one medicinal

saplings.

Bangladesh to host V20

Climate Vulnerables

Finance Summit in July

DHAKA : The government of

Bangladesh has announced it will host

the first ever virtual V20 Climate

Vulnerables Finance Summit on July 8,

reports UNB.

The Summit will feature Prime

Minister Sheikh Hasina, heads of state

from Climate Vulnerable Forum member

countries, and V20 or the twenty

most vulnerable countries' finance ministers,

to mobilize significantly more

robust economic and finance responses

to the spiraling dual crisis that increasingly

affects the world's most vulnerable

economies.

In close cooperation with the United

Nations, the IMF and key development

partners, the high-level dialogue will

shape globally cooperative responses to

ensure fast-tracked resilience building

efforts to overcome the new realities of

tandem climate and COVID pressures

through bold new actions and partnerships.

The Summit will be chaired by A H M

Mustafa Kamal, Finance Minister of

Bangladesh, and co-hosted with the

Global Center on Adaptation, said an

announcement made on Monday.

The government of Bangladesh is

currently chair of the Climate

Vulnerable Forum and the V20 Group

of Finance Ministers.

After the Summit, the V20 will issue a

Communique highlighting expectations

on the upcoming UNFCCC

COP26 and global climate finance.

Formed in 2015, the V20 Group of

Finance Ministers is a dedicated cooperation

initiative of economies systematically

vulnerable to climate change. It

is currently chaired by the People's

Republic of Bangladesh.

The V20 membership stands at 48

economies including Afghanistan,

Bangladesh, Barbados, Bhutan,

Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Colombia,

Comoros, Costa Rica, Democratic

Republic of the Congo, Dominican

Republic, Ethiopia, Fiji, The Gambia,

Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Haiti,

Honduras, Kenya, Kiribati, Lebanon,

Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives,

Marshall Islands, Mongolia, Morocco,

Nepal, Niger, Palau, Palestine, Papua

New Guinea, Philippines, Rwanda,

Saint Lucia, Samoa, Senegal, South

Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tanzania,

Timor-Leste, Tunisia, Tuvalu, Vanuatu,

Viet Nam and Yemen.

Police on Tuesday pressed drug-possession charges against realtor Nasiruddin Mahmud

and four others.

Photo : TBT

Hajj Management

Bill passed to deal

with irregularities

SANGSAD BHABAN : Parliament on

Tuesday passed the Hajj and Umrah

Management Bill, 2021 seeking to deal

with irregularities and mismanagement

in the sector, reports UNB.

State Minister for Religious Affairs

Ministry Md Faridul Haque Khan

moved the Bill and it was passed by

voice vote.

It is seen whenever the government

makes a move against any hajj agency,

it brings a stay order from the High

Court challenging the action.

So, a legal structure is needed to deal

with hajj management. Without having

registration under the proposed law, no

one will be able to deal with Hajj pilgrims.

And the registration authorities

can take action against irregularities.

According to the bill, the registration

of any Hajj and Umrah agency can be

cancelled for anomalies.

Also, a Hajj agency can be slapped

with a fine of maximum Tk 50 lakh,

while an Umrah agency with Tk 15 lakh

for irregularities.

If any agency gets warnings for two

years in a row, its registration will automatically

be suspended for the same

period. Also, lawsuits can be filed

against criminal offences committed in

the Hajj and Umrah management.

After the enactment of the new law, if

a Bangladeshi gets involved in Hajjrelated

irregularities even in Saudi

Arabia, it can be treated that it happened

in Bangladesh and legal steps,

including criminal and administrative

action, can be taken.

Solar

powered

big screen

televisions

are being set

up on Bailey

Road in the

capital.

Photo: PBA

Pori Moni case

Police press drug-related

charges against Nasiruddin

DHAKA : Police on Tuesday pressed

drug-possession charges against realtor

Nasiruddin Mahmud and four others, a

day after they were arrested over their

alleged attempt to rape and murder

actress Pori Moni.

An FIR was filed against the five

under the Narcotics Control Act at the

Airport police station in the small hours

of Tuesday on a complaint by Manik

Kumar, sub-inspector of DB Gulshan

zonal team, said duty officer Mashiul

Alam.

Drug-related charges have been

brought against the five in the wake of

the seizure of some 1,000 pieces of Yaba

tablets from their possession at the time

of their arrest.

The other accused in the case are

Tuhin Siddique Omi, 33, Nazma Amin

Brishti, 24, Lipi Akter, 18, and Sumi

Akter, 19. All of

them will be produced in a court later

in the day and police will seek their

remand for custodial interrogation,

sources told UNB.

On Monday, police arrested

Nasiruddin, the former president of

Uttara Club Limited, from a flat in the

Uttara area in the wake of a case filed

over the alleged attempt to rape and kill

actress Pori Moni. The case was filed on

a complaint by the actress.

No genuine Aleem, Bujurg

arrested : Faridul Haque

SANGSAD BHABAN : The government

did not arrest any genuine Aleem

(Islamic scholars) and Bujurg (seniors)

over Hefajat-e-Islam issue, said State

Minister for Religious Affairs Ministry

Md Faridul Haque Khan on Tuesday,

reports UNB

"Those in the disguise of Aleem seeking

power and involved in anti-state and antisociety,

and conspiracies have been put

under the purview of the law," he said

while speaking on the passage of Hajj and

Umrah Management Bill, 2021 in

Parliament. Speaking on the Bill, BNP

MP Harunur Rashid and Rumeen

Farhana earlier came down heavily on the

government for arresting Aleem recently.

In reply, the religious minister said

only those involved in criminal offences

have been arrested. "If anyone is arrested

in an unjustified way, the Prime

Minister told us to release him or her

immediately, and many Aleem have

Apart from the drugs, police also

seized foreign liquor and beer from the

apartment.

Nasir's Facebook profile shows he is

currently the chairman of Kunj

Developers, former president of Uttara

Club, former district chairman of Lions

Clubs International, a former footballer

and former elected general secretary of

SM Hall of Dhaka University.

Besides, Dhaka Boat Club expelled

Nasir from its executive committee on

Monday, hours after his arrest.

The club took the unanimous decision

at an EC meeting presided over by

its President Dr Benazir Ahmed. It was

attended by eight other EC committee

members as well as club's adviser Rubel

Aziz.

The meeting also suspended the club

membership of Nasir and three others,

Tuhin Siddique Omi and Shah S Alam,

said a statement from the club.

On Monday, Dhallywood star Pori

Moni filed a sexual assault complaint

against six people, including

Nasiruddin Mahmud, at Savar Model

Police Station.

Pori Moni, in her verified Facebook

page, uploaded a status seeking justice

from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina,

claiming that the six had attempted to

rape and kill her.

been released. Lawful action has been

taken against the real culprits."

The state minister said law is equal for

all. The government under the leadership

of Sheikh Hasina is respectful to all,

including Aleem and Bujurg.

Earlier, BNP's Harunur Rashid said

those who are called Aleem-Ulema are

subjected to serious oppression. "Please

release them. Or else, it will hit the country's

balance." He added that the Anti-

Corruption Commission has served

notices to top 56 scholars to submit their

wealth statements.

"I think it would have been appreciated

had the ACC served notices to 350

MPs before serving notices to the

Islamic scholars," Rashid said.

Rumeen Farhana mentioned the

recent disappearance of an Islamic

scholar Mohammad Adnan. "Adnan

along with three others people have

been missing since last Thursday."

WEDnESDAY, jUnE 16, 2021

2

¯§viK bs-3717(9)/B

Zvs: 15/06/21wLª.

State Minister for Water Resources Zahid Faruq MP inaugurated a medical center for corona infected

patients Pani Bhaban premies, Dhaka. Deputy Minister for Water Resources AKM Enamul Haque

Shamim MP, Senior Secretary for Water Resources Ministry Kabir Bin Anwar, Director General of

Water Development Board AKM Wahed Uddin Chowdhury and senior officials of Water

Development Board were present at the inaugural function.

Photo : Courtesy

Ulama Mashayekh urges govt.

to reopen Qawmi madrasas

DHAKA : National Ulama

Mashayekh Aimma

Parishad on Tuesday

demanded an immediate

reopening of all Qawmi

madrasas on humanitarian

ground, reports UNB.

At a press conference

here, Allama Nurul Huda

Fayezi, Central President of

the National Ulama

Mashayekh Aimma

Parishad, explained why it

wants the madrasas to

reopen even during the

Covid-19 pandemic.

He said "Qawmi Madrasa

provides education as well

as accommodation and food

to the students. As a result,

Qawmi

Madrasa

contributes to the creation

of educational institutions

as well as social security

belts.

Referring to the coronainduced

sufferings of the

students Allama Nurul

Huda said "It is inhumane

to shut down the food and

accommodation of lakhs of

students at such a

moment."

"Considering all these

humanitarian and social

conditions, I am strongly

demanding to ensure

accommodation and food

for millions of students,

orphans and helpless

people by opening all

Qaumi Madrasas in the

country" he added.

"We urge the government

to immediately open all

Qawmi madrasas,

respecting the education of

unadulterated teachers and

considering their

humanitarian aspect," he

added.

The organization called

for reopening of all

educational institutions

including schools, colleges

and universities in phases.

The platform urged the

government to appoint

religious teachers in all

primary schools for

teaching Holy Quran.

It also demanded fair

price of sacrificial animal's

hides and also to fix the

employment rules and

salary structure of one

million imams, muezzins

and Khadems of about 3

lakh mosques in the

country.

Held at Sagar-Runi Hall

of Dhaka Reporters' Unity

the press conference was

attended by

Shaykhul Hadith

Maulana Hemayetullah

Qasemi, Maulana Yunus

Dhali, Maulana Kamal

Uddin Siraj, Mufti Ashraf

Ali Noori, Mufti Wali Ullah,

Maulana Mortuza Qasemi,

Mufti Akhtaruzzaman,

Maulana Lokman Hossain

Jafri, Maulana Rafiqunnabi

Haqqani, Maulana

Shahjahan Habibi and

Maulana Basir Mahmud

snd Central General

Secretary Maulana Gazi

Ataur Rahman.

GD-1023/21 (9x4)

GD-1022/21 (18x4)

@

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 2021

3

A 5-day long international training program on `Hands on Training on Fundamental Web and

Application Security Issues for NREN Professionals' begins on Tuesday under the auspices of the

Institute of Information Technology (IIT), Dhaka University. DU Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Md.

Akhtaruzzaman inaugurated the training program virtually as chief guest at Professor Abdul Matin

Chowdhury Virtual Classroom of DU.

Photo : Courtesy

Int'l training program begins at DU

A 5-day long international training

program on 'Hands on Training on

fundamental Web and Application

Security Issues for NREN

Professionals' begins on Tuesday under

the auspices of the Institute of

Information Technology (IIT), Dhaka

University in collaboration with EU

Asia Connect Project. DU Vice-

Chancellor Prof. Dr. Md.

Akhtaruzzaman inaugurated the

training program virtually as chief

guest at Professor Abdul Matin

Chowdhury Virtual Classroom of DU.

Director of IIT Dr. Mohammed Shafiul

BAPEX cautiously

optimistic as it

tests new well at

Zakiganj

SYLHET : Bangladesh

Petroleum Exploration

and Production Company

(Bapex) is increasingly

optimistic about the

prospects of viably

recovering gas from a well

in Ananadapur village of

Zakiganj upazila in Sylhet,

reports UNB.

They hope it can be the

28thgas field of the

country, "if all goes well".

Adrill stem test,a

procedure for isolating

andtestingthe pressure,

permeability and

productive capacity of a

geological formation

during the drilling of a

well,at around 10am on

Tuesday was successful.

According to the state

owned company, the gas

pressure inside the well

was recorded 6,000 PSI

(pounds per square inch)

while the floating pressure

was more than 13,000 PSI.

There is a possibility of

finding gas in 4 layers in

the well but Bapex is

primarily examining only

the first layer for now.

The well has been dug

some 32 kilometres from

Beanibazar upazila and

46km from Gopalganj

upazila, home to

Bangladesh's active gas

fields.

Managing director of

Bapex, Mohammad Ali,

tried to play down the

expectations however,

saying "We are hopeful,

but to be sure it needs to

be observed for few

hours."

Officially, the 27 gas

fields of Bangladesh had

21.4 trillion cubic feet (tcf)

of proven gas reserves and

an additional 6 tcf that is

estimated.

Of this 18.5 tcf gas has

already been used, leaving

less than 3 tcf gas that is

unused from the proven

reserves.

Annually 1 Tcf gas is

being lifted from 113 wells

of the country while 2,500

million cubic feet is being

lifted on a daily basis.

The country has recently

resorted to importing LNG

gas to meet its energy

needs.

Alam Khan presided over the inaugural

function of the program while Md.

Khairul Amin, Director General of

Digital Security Agency of ICT Division,

GoB and Prof. Dr. Md. Shariful Islam of

DU IIT attendent it as special guests, a

press release said.

DU Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Md.

Akhtaruzzaman said, Bangladesh has

achieved tremendous success in

digitalization of the country under the

dynamic leadership of Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina. DU Institute of

Information Technology (IIT) has been

playing a significant role to develop

skill human resources in ICT sector

since its inception, he pointed out. Prof.

Dr. Md. Akhtaruzzaman stressed the

need for disseminating the information

security knowledge and technologies

among concerned IT engineers,

technicians, young academicians and

security professionals to curb

cybercrimes. He thanked DU IIT for

organizing this international training

program. IT professionals from

Bangladesh, Afganistan, Nepal, Bhutan

and Myanmar have been participating

at this 5-day long international training

program.

Bangladesh to host V20 Climate

Vulnerables finance Summit in July

DHAKA : The government of Bangladesh

has announced it will host the first ever

virtual V20 Climate Vulnerables finance

Summit on July 8, reports UNB.

The Summit will feature Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina, heads of state from Climate

Vulnerable forum member countries, and

V20 or the twenty most vulnerable countries'

finance ministers, to mobilize significantly

more robust economic and finance

responses to the spiraling dual crisis that

increasingly affects the world's most

vulnerable economies.

In close cooperation with the United

Nations, the IMf and key development

partners, the high-level dialogue will shape

globally cooperative responses to ensure

fast-tracked resilience building efforts to

overcome the new realities of tandem

climate and COVID pressures through bold

new actions and partnerships.

The Summit will be chaired by A H M

Mustafa Kamal, finance Minister of

Bangladesh, and co-hosted with the Global

Center on Adaptation, said an

announcement made on Monday.

The government of Bangladesh is currently

chair of the Climate Vulnerable forum and

the V20 Group of finance Ministers.

After the Summit, the V20 will issue a

Communique highlighting expectations on

the upcoming UNfCCC COP26 and global

climate finance.

formed in 2015, the V20 Group of finance

Ministers is a dedicated cooperation

initiative of economies systematically

vulnerable to climate change. It is currently

chaired by the People's Republic of

Bangladesh.

The V20 membership stands at 48

economies including Afghanistan,

Bangladesh, Barbados, Bhutan, Burkina

faso, Cambodia, Colombia, Comoros, Costa

Rica, Democratic Republic of the Congo,

Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, fiji, The

Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Haiti,

Honduras, Kenya, Kiribati, Lebanon,

Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Marshall

Islands, Mongolia, Morocco, Nepal, Niger,

Palau, Palestine, Papua New Guinea,

Philippines, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Samoa,

Senegal, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan,

Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Tunisia, Tuvalu,

Vanuatu, Viet Nam and Yemen.

Violence, neglect increase for older

persons during lockdown: UN expert

DHAKA : Lockdown measures resulted in

increases in gender-based violence and

higher risks of violence, abuse and neglect of

older persons confined with family members

and caregivers globally, said a UN expert on

Monday, reports UNB.

Violence, abuse and neglect of older

persons have been brought into sharp focus

during the COVID-19 pandemic.

To mark World Elder Abuse

Awareness Day, Claudia Mahler, the

Independent Expert on the enjoyment of

all human rights of older persons, said

distressing reports from care homes in

different parts of the world showed

neglect, isolation and lack of adequate

services, including healthcare, social and

legal services.

"Older persons must not be left behind

when seeking redress and remedies," she

said in a statement.

The UN expert urged States to adopt a

binding international human rights

instrument, as well as national legislation

and measures, to ensure access to justice for

older persons with full respect of their

autonomy.

"This should include the provision of legal

aid, dedicated counselling and support

services, diverse and age-appropriate

formats to share information about rights

and legal complaints mechanisms, reduction

or exemption of litigation fees, and improved

accessibility."

On Tuesday, Dhaka Ahsania Mission distributed materials among the

beggars to rehabilitate them.

Photo : Courtesy

Nur exempted

from rape case

DHAKA : Police submitted

its chargesheet Monday

against two leaders of the

Chhatra Odhikar

Sangrakkhan Parishad, that

led the movement against

quotas in government jobs,

in cases filed over the alleged

rape of a Dhaka University

student, and under the

Digital Security Act.

Based on their

investigation, the police

have left out four of the

accused in the victim's

complaint, including the

movement's tallest leader,

Nurul Haque Nur, who went

on to be elected as Vice

president of Dhaka

University Central Students'

Union (Ducsu) and is now in

the stages of a nascent

political career.

Police found no proof of

Nur's involvement in the

alleged incident.

Detective Branch

Inspector

Md

Wahiduzzaman, the

Investigative Officer of the

case, submitted the

chargesheet with the chief

metropolitan magistrate's

court in Dhaka.

Police have charged

Najmul Hasan Shohag, joint

convener of the COSP, with

rape; and Hasan Al Mamun,

a former convener of COSP,

under DSA.

Also exempted were a joint

convener of COSP, Md

Saiful Islam, vice-president

of the organization Md

Najmul Huda and DU

student Abdullah-Hil-Baki.

On September 21, 2020, a

female DU student filed a

case with city's Kotwali

police station accusing VP

Nur and five others of rape

and abetting rape.

According to the

complaint, the plaintiff had a

good friendship with

Mamun but at some point

he started hinting his

interest in an intimate

relationship.

On January 3, 2020,

Mamun had allegedly raped

the plaintiff in his residence

in Lalbagh after luring her

with promises of marriage.

Later Najmul Hasan

Shohag allegedly raped her

on februry 9 the same year,

in a Chandpur-bound

launch after promising to

take her to meet Mamun,

who went into hiding over

the rape charges.

Special allocation should be

made in the nat'l budget for

the dev of the coasts

In the online seminar, the representatives of

the civic organizations and development

organizations including the

parliamentarians said that coastal region is

being hit one after another because of

climate change. The area is in great risk now.

Therefore, all development of the

government will be threatened if urgent

measures including construction of

sustainable embankments are not taken. for

this special allocation should be made in the

national budget, a press release said.

Nikhil Chandra Bhadra, coordinator of the

Sundarbans and Coastal Protection

Movement, conducted the seminar on

Tuesday, organized by the international

organization KNH Germany and the nongovernmental

development organization

faith in Action. Khulna-5 MP and former

minister Narayan Chandra Chandra,

Satkhira-2 MP Mir Mostaq Ahmed Robi

took part in the discussion. KNH Germany

Representative Matilda Tina Vaidya,

Bangladesh Environmental Movement Joint

Secretary Mihir Biswas, Parliament News

Editor Sakila Parveen, Scan General

Secretary Moniruzzaman Mukul, SCAS

Chairman Jasmine Prema and Leaders

Executive Director Mohan Kumar Mandal

also delivered speech. The keynote address

was delivered by Nripen Vaidya, Executive

Director of faith in Action.

Taking part in the discussion, Narayan

Chandra Chandra said that Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina is working tirelessly to fullfil

the dream of father of the Nation

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

building a happy and prosperous country.

That wave of development has reached the

coastal areas as well. But that development is

under threat due to geographical location.

This is because of the coastal embankment

built in the sixties. Due to various reasons,

this old embankment is not able to protect

the coast at present. Now it has become

urgent to build a planned new dam. In this

case, sustainable dredging system should be

maintained to keep the flow of the river

smooth, sustainable dams should be

constructed by allocating funds in phases.

He also mentioned that a separate board or

body needs to be formed to deal with all

kinds of problems on the coast.

Member of Parliament Mir Mostaq Ahmed

Robi said that just as Bangladesh's

independence became inevitable in 1971, the

construction of sustainable embankments in

the coastal areas of the country has now

become inevitable. He said that every year

this region is affected by some natural

calamity. Although this year's cyclone 'YAS'

did not hit directly, the coastal dams broke

and caused extensive damage by tidal water.

Countless people are being forced to leave

the area. He called for spending a portion of

the revenue collected from the coastal areas

on the protection of coastal settlements.

Calling for urgent action to address coastal

risks, Matilda Tina Vaidya said the coastal

region is now facing a dire crisis due to lack of

dam management and rising salinity. We need

to work together to address this crisis. He also

called for the formation of a separate board for

the development of the coastal region. The

embankments at risk need to be repaired

quickly. Permanent and strong embankments

have to be built keeping in mind the climate

change and disasters. Local government and

people should be involved in the maintenance

of the dam. Adequate cyclone centers and

preventive measures should be established.

Effective steps need to be taken for sustainable

and sustainable solution of safe drinking water

of coastal people. for this, it is necessary to

adopt a specific action plan and keep a special

allocation in the national budget.

International organization KNH Germany and the non-governmental

development organization Faith in Action organized a seminar on

Tuesday.

Photo : Courtesy

Khaleda Zia not getting proper

treatment: N I Khan

SHAfIqUL ISLAM

BNP standing committee member

Nazrul Islam (NI) Khan has warned

that the government will have to take

responsibility if anything happens to

BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia,

who is undergoing treatment at Ever

Care Hospital in the capital. He issued

the warning at a rally on Tuesday at

noon on the ground floor of the party's

central office in the capital's Naya

Paltan.

The protest meeting was organized

by the Bangladesh Women and Child

Rights forum demanding the release of

Nipun Roy Chowdhury, the

organisation's member secretary. The

meeting was presided over by Mir

Sarafat Ali Sapu, a member of the

organization and conducted by Abu

Naser Muhammad Rahmatullah. BNP

standing committee member Mirza

Abbas, joint secretary general Syed

Moazzem Hossain Alal, Habib Un Nabi

Khan Sohel, BNP leader Shirin Sultana,

Azizul Bari Helal, Afroza Abbas, Abdus

Salam Azad and others also spoke in

the meeting.

Nazrul Islam Khan said, our

country's leader Begum Khaleda Zia is

a three-time prime minister. No one

made her prime minister. Soaked in the

love of millions of people in this

country, she was elected Prime

Minister by a margin of crores of votes.

Today that Prime Minister is dying in a

dark cell. She is not getting proper

treatment.

He said that, we talked about her

treatment, we talked about taking her

abroad. We have requested about this

matter. But the thief are not listening

the story of religion. They will not allow

Begum Khaleda Zia to abroad for

treatment. We want to say from this

meeting even today, release Khaleda

Zia, give our acting chairman Tareq

Rahman a chance to come to the

country and release Nipun Roy

Chowdhury. Nazrul said, we want

revenge for the injustice they

(government) have done to Nipun Roy.

I want her released immediately. The

government has committed crimes

either in its political interest or not. We

would hope, the court is a holy place. At

least she will get justice there. She has a

little girl. Isolating her mother from

that girl for so long is a huge inhumane

politics.

Mirza Abbas said, I think one thing

over and over again, this country is

probably not run by the Awami

League. A puppet government is

sitting in this country. They are

driving. No group, no institution, no

organization or everyone has kept

this puppet called Awami League in

order to save their lives. He further

said that there is no such

organization, institution, person who

has not committed theft-robberylooting.

They have smuggled

thousands of crores of TK abroad.

Advanced Covid clinical management

course launched for doctors

DHAKA : A web-based

advanced Covid-19 clinical

management course has been

launched for Bangladeshi

doctors considering the Covid-

19 situation, reports UNB.

Health Minister Zahid

Maleque on Monday night

launched the course,

developed by Brown

University, USA, based on

their internationally

renowned course curricula.

The course is aligned with

Bangladesh's national case

management and critical care

guidelines, and was reviewed

and endorsed by a working

group of national experts

under the leadership of the

Directorate General of Health

Services (DGHS).

This free self-learning, prerecorded

course with videos

and interactive modules is

meant for doctors in

Bangladesh who are involved

in Covid-19 clinical case

management.

It is developed with support

from the United States

Agency for International

Development (USAID), the

US government's leading

development agency.

Zahid Maleque thanked

everyone involved in the

development of this online

course. "In recent days,

we'rewitnessing an

escalation of Covid-19 cases.

To address this, and as part

of our preparedness, this

collaborative training course

will help all government and

private physicians working

at the sub-district, district,

and tertiary level hospitals to

have the best evidencebased

clinical knowledge on

Covid-19 in Bangladesh," he

said.

WEdNESdAY, JUNE 16, 2021

4

Revisionist powers will keep US engaged in Mideast

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam

e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com

Wednesday, June 16, 2021

Strengthening capacities

for more export

Bangladesh was granted during the last

two years duty free access for some of

its goods in the markets of some

developed and semi-developed countries. In

other cases, significant reductions in tariff

were declared . Some more concessions are

likely to come the way of Bangladesh very

notably from the pivotal US market and in

relation to its main export item, ready-made

garments.

Undoubtedly, these preferential treatments

for Bangladeshi products have already met or

are going to meet considerably the needs of

competitiveness of a host of export products

from this country or enhance the potential of

exporting products that have not yet been

exported. However, to retain the

competitiveness or further improve on such

competitiveness to create and sustain market

shares of export products of Bangladesh

origin to those countries, there is a pressing

need for the government of Bangladesh to

take a series of measures itself to consolidate

the competitiveness acquired or to increase

capacities to be able to export more on a

sustainable basis.

The government with the help of donors has

completed a capacity development

programme for exporters which has had

some positive impact . Another such export

development programme, as was reported

earlier in this paper sometime ago, has fallen

into some uncertainty over who should be its

beneficiaries. Government wants the

programme to benefit its Export Promotion

Bureau (EPB) while the donor organisation

want it to directly help private sector export

activities. The point of discord needs to be

settled immediately so that a gap does not

occur by default in running such

programmes. Capacity building for exports,

be it in areas of the government or among

targeted ones in the private sector, must go

ahead apace to pave the ground for greater

exports.

Meanwhile, there is so much that the

government can do and must do directly to

energise export activities. It can take special

measures to provide uninterrupted supply of

power to export oriented industries. Some

export items are getting export subsidies ;

similar subsidies in varying degrees can be

extended to a range of export products to

boost overall export volumes although very

scrupulous administration must be ensured

in the dispensation of the extended subsidies.

Government can also reduce , as far as

possible, the electricity bills of exportoriented

enterprises. The nationalised banks

can reduce their interest rates on loans going

to exporters. Necessary infrastructures can be

built in the public sector which would be

counted as useful and supportive by the

exporters.

The modernisation and expansion of the

Chittagong port can be particularly helpful.

This port is central to export activities but

remains handicapped now from various

inefficiencies that make its handling time still

lagging somewhat behind regional standards

when very fast handling of export cargoes at

least possible costs are the keys to success in

the export trade.

Thus, government can provide a major input

to increasing exports by further upgrading

the Chittagong port . Then, there other

activities, too, that should indirectly aid

increased export activities such as further

improvement of the law and order situation,

more attractive fiscal and monetary policies

in respect of export oriented enterprises and

also improving the legal environment for

exporters or those seeking to establish

export-oriented industries in Bangladesh on

Arocket launches from an S-400

missile system at the Ashuluk

military base in southern Russia

during military drills last September. The

United States on December 14 imposed

sanctions on Turkey's military

procurement agency after the NATO ally

defiantly bought the Russian S-400

system. Photo: AFP / Dimitar Dilkoff

US President Joe Biden has yet to

express his policy preferences regarding

the Middle East, but considerable

discussions already have arisen about his

perceived effort to focus more intensively

on the Pacific region and on China in

particular.

There is no question that East Asia and

China have become a priority for the Biden

administration, as evidenced by the

persistent citing of the challenges awaiting

the US and by the formulation of new

policies.

The Middle East, where the US has

expended trillions of dollars over decades,

however, is not about to go away. The

Israel-Hamas conflict may have reminded

all of the volatility of the region, but this is

not all. There are important structural

reasons - some old, many new - that will

keep Washington fully engaged in this part

of the world.

First, over the years of US engagement,

numerous commitments were made to a

variety of states. The US has always had a

hard time distancing itself from its

promises as long as the other party has not

gravely breached its part of a bargain.

Above all, of course, are the security

commitments Washington has made.

The Cold War may be long over, but the

hazards have not disappeared. There are a

number of old and new revisionist powers

prowling the region willing to challenge the

US, which they perceive is tired and

perhaps even weakened, and attempt to

achieve their hegemonic ambitions. These

notable powers are Russia, Iran, Turkey

and, increasingly, China.

The Russians are not new to the region,

of course. What is different about Russia is

that while the Soviets always perceived - or

at least rationalized - their behavior

HAVING spent 19 years editing

stories in this newspaper or that, I

have to confess that the budget

'days' are my least favourite. Come to think

of it, reading the paper, during this period,

is a close second. Of course, this is mainly

due to my illiteracy, or innumeracy, where

numbers of any kind are concerned, a fatal

flaw if there was one for a sub-editor to

have. Our written-for-experts-coverage

doesn't help. The receivables, slippages,

surcharges and SROs have been my

Waterloo since the day I slipped into a chair

in front of the Apple computer in the offices

of The News, almost two decades ago.

But I have a feeling I wasn't the only one.

Most ordinary readers, aside from the

finance ministry bureaucrats, consultants

and economics graduates, were just as

confused - they just had the luxury to ignore

these stories, unlike me.

Over the years, our papers have added a

few graphics - just a few - to add a bit of

pizzazz to our news pages, though the oldstyle

stories are still there. Television has

brought some change to this coverage with

its focus on ordinary citizens and the

budgeting woes of the ordinary housewife

or the single earner with a large family but

for the large part it continues to be a jumble

of arabs and kharabs being spouted by

anchors such as Shahzeb Khanzada (if I

ever get reincarnated, I can only hope I

return with his grey cells and comfort with

numbers) and finance whiz politicos, with

nary a pause. But on a more serious note,

there has been considerable change too in

the recent past. In some ways, the debate on

our economy has become more meaningful

as we discuss the budget.

The debate on our economy has become

more meaningful as we discuss the budget.

Indeed, Pakistan is no stranger to IMF

programmes and boom-and-bust cycles but

through an ideological prism, the new

Russia is very much a Putin assembly and

as such reflects its leader's preferences and

ambitions.

President Vladimir Putin fancies himself

running a superpower - yes, Russia does

have a huge military and nuclear weapons

- and therefore should be taken seriously.

The reality is very different: Putin runs an

economy that relies on oil and gas

production and arms exports. It has little to

contribute to global welfare.

Russia's 2020 gross domestic product

was US$1.5 trillion - just over five times

Apple's 2020 sales of $275 billion (Apple's

market capitalization is about $2.1 trillion).

Putin's Russia engages in two types of

activity: defending its allies, such as Bashar

al-Assad's Syria, or expending efforts at

undermining American influence - its way

of saying, "I am important, pay attention to

me."

From cyberattacks to supporting

regimes Washington has either targeted or

deemed adversarial, to backing groups

likely to undermine US interests, there

does not seem to be a coherent Russian

strategy other than maximizing its arms

sales.

Moscow does claim to support the status

quo against Washington's machinations -

it may have a point here in view of

America's recent militarization of its

foreign policy, especially in the Middle East

- but the order it supports almost always

portends an alliance with odious entities.

Iran is the quintessential revisionist

power; its regime is still the byproduct of

the 1979 Revolution, and its goals have not

changed much since. It seeks to impose its

HENrI J BArKEY

vision on the region writ large.

Iran's actions are both defensive and

offensive in nature. In Iraq, Lebanon,

Gaza, Yemen and Syria, to name just a few,

Tehran has founded, nurtured and funded

violent militias. Not only are its actions

unlikely to change, but they will force the

US to remain continuously on its toes.

This is likely to be the case regardless of

the outcome of the nuclear negotiations

Turkey is a brand-new revisionist power. Traditionally

a US NATO ally, Ankara has historically, despite its

occasional differences with Washington, supported the

status quo in the region or at least refrained from

actions deleterious to America's interests. This has radically

changed under President recep Tayyip Erdogan,

who views himself the leader of the region.

and the future of the Joint Comprehensive

Plan of Action (JCPOA). Were Washington

to abandon its Iraqi allies, for instance, the

likelihood of regime change in Baghdad

would become a real possibility.

Turkey is a brand-new revisionist power.

Traditionally a US NATO ally, Ankara has

historically, despite its occasional

differences with Washington, supported

the status quo in the region or at least

refrained from actions deleterious to

America's interests. This has radically

changed under President Recep Tayyip

Erdogan, who views himself the leader of

the region.

Erdogan, almost from the beginning of

his rule 19 years ago, intends to make

Turkey - and by default himself - a

consequential global power.

Initially through diplomacy and the

smart use of Turkey's cultural advantages,

he accomplished much. However, in part

because of his impatience that resulted in

increasingly aggressive measures ranging

from the Eastern Mediterranean to Libya

to Syria to supporting groups like the

Muslim Brotherhood against established

regimes, he has alienated many in the

region. The turn to unabashed

authoritarianism at home has not helped

COrNELIA MEYEr

matters either.

Turkey's alliance commitments

notwithstanding, Erdogan now sees

himself as a challenger to the US in the

Middle East. Anti-Americanism in Turkey

encouraged by him, his party and the

mostly regime-dominated press, has

reached deafening levels.

He has also shocked both the US and the

North Atlantic Treaty Organization by

purchasing Russian-made S-400 antiaircraft

missiles that threaten the alliance's

fifth-generation F-35 fighter jet. His

foreign policy increasingly is militarized

and he has not refrained from deploying

Turkey's prowess to gain support and a

foothold not just in the Middle East, but

also in Africa.

Apprehension about Erdogan's

intentions is one reason Arab Gulf

countries and Israel have established

relations with each other, and new

political-economic organizations linking

Greece, Cyprus, Israel and Egypt have

come into existence. Regional states

increasingly will be expecting that the US

contains Turkey, its nominal ally -

representing an unusual, if not an

extraordinary, change of role for

Washington.

All of these factors potentially point to a

region that can quickly be destabilized.

The worries about climate change and

efforts at intensified use of renewables

have created the perception that the days

of oil are over. Those predictions may be

correct, but they will not be realized any

time soon. For the foreseeable future,

Middle East oil will continue its pivotal role

in fueling global economic activity.

Therefore, any threats aimed at the

production and distribution of this

commodity risk jeopardizing global

economic well-being.

Hence, whether it likes it or not, the US

will remain the pre-eminent power in the

region. Some in Europe, such as France,

have been willing to take on the region's

revisionist powers, but they lack America's

resources and relationships.

Source: Asia times

Why the G7 still matters to the global economy

When the leaders of the G7 countries

first met in 1973, their combined

economies represented around 65

percent of global gross domestic product

(GDP). With the rise of China and other

emerging nations, they now account for

around 40 percent of global GDP and

around 10 percent of the world's population.

As of 2018, the group accounted for 60

percent of global wealth. Compare that to

the G20 - which includes China, India,

South Africa and Saudi Arabia - which

accounts for 90 percent of global GDP,

between 75 and 80 percent of global trade

and two-thirds of the world population.

Debating the budget

rarely before did we discuss this in such

great detail and dissected it in such depth.

Consider the 2008 election: in the time

leading up to this key election, the then

government, helmed by Shaukat Aziz, had

artificially propped up the dollar, frozen

utility prices and focused on growth

through borrowing. Despite Pakistan's

relatively warm relations with the US, the

incoming PPP-led government had to put in

place an adjustment programme similar to

the one implemented by the PTI, which too

led to high inflation and considerable pain

for the people, but somehow the discussion

then rarely focused on our toxic policies,

and few asked why we begin negotiating

with the IMF with nearly each election

cycle. The blame was simply put on the bad,

bad, non-democratic government run by a

dictator and the rest went to the PPP, whose

governance skills, as perceived, are second

only to the PTI's. Indeed, for many, the

inflation back then was mostly seen as a

failure of the PPP.

The PML-N came to power and also went

to the IMF, quietly and without much fuss.

Perhaps, the only issue seriously

highlighted in public debate during these

five years was the NFC award passed in

2010 that increased transfers to the

provinces, and how debt and borrowing was

becoming a serious challenge. This was

because of the PML-N which raised this

Why then does the G7 still matter? Firstly,

its members are democracies that share a

multitude of values. Secondly, the group is a

good way to gauge the state of the world.

Thirdly, the member countries propose

important initiatives which can then be

further developed by the G20. The

communique, if nothing else, highlights a

consensus by an important and very wealthy

group of nations. Last weekend's summit at

St. Ives showed all of the above. It was the

first face-to-face meeting of global leaders

since the outbreak of the coronavirus

disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

The meeting dealt with the biggest issues

ArIFA NOOr

issue, highlighting the need to address it in

the long run.

By the time, the PTI took over, politics

had become extremely polarised. This

coupled with its confusion over going to the

IMF led to a heated political debate and

perhaps for the first time, there was a wider

questioning (and understanding?) of our

unsustainable growth and constant

dependence on the IMF.

Thanks to prime-time news shows where

equally vocal government and opposition

The PTI was forced to acknowledge that it was easier to talk about

reform than to implement it and how it dumped its earlier 'idealism'

to bow at the IFI altar. On the other hand, the PMLN also -

quietly - distanced itself from its policy on keeping the dollar stable.

Parties, too, have grown, it seems, and are being compelled to

think about their problematic economic policies.

figures were compelled to blame each other

for the economic mess, a range of technical

issues turned into drawing room

discussions - the exchange rate,

government spending, current account

deficit. Indeed, the major contradictions in

our state policies (pursued by government

after government) became a topic for

widespread discussion. For once, even our

long-held policy of asking 'friends' to

deposit foreign exchange in our bank

became headline news, something which

earlier was rarely noticed.

The PTI was forced to acknowledge that it

was easier to talk about reform than to

implement it and how it dumped its earlier

'idealism' to bow at the IFI altar. On the

other hand, the PMLN also - quietly -

distanced itself from its policy on keeping

the dollar stable. Parties, too, have grown, it

seems, and are being compelled to think

of our time: The COVID-19 pandemic,

building back the global economy after its

worst recession since the Second World

War, climate change and a myriad of other

social and economic issues like global

taxation for the world's largest companies

and equal access to education.

The summit was all about building back

better, more sustainably, more fairly and

more equitably as its host, UK Prime

Minister Boris Johnson, never tired of

pointing out. The leaders emphasized that

they would continue to support their

economies for as long as it took, beyond the

$12 trillion in stimulus that they had already

about their problematic economic policies.

Hence, on Friday, when the budget was

presented, relatively new questions were

being asked - about sustainability, about

how we would pay for this 'growth' and how

this was different from what the previous

government had done. Questions were

asked about exports and why the

government had projected higher numbers

but was falling short, all reflecting the larger

awareness about our need to grow exports.

Perhaps, it wasn't just the polarisation or

the channels which led to this awareness

but also the dire straits we were in and the

reluctance of the IMF to write us a cheque

without expecting much in return (now that

our relations with the US are not as warm as

they were in the first decade after 9/11).

Perhaps, it was a combination of all. But

despite its shortcomings, the debate on the

economy and the budget has moved far

beyond simply discussing income tax slabs,

pensions, subsidies and the inevitable side

story on the allocations for the Prime

Minister and President House.

But there is more to this growing debate

for the polarisation was also there when

Musharraf was ruling. It is about three

elections, three changes of governments

and space for the supporters and critics of

all colours to ask questions of the political

parties, who are here to stay.

If the 2002 government made wrong

policies which created problems in the long

run, it is no longer around to be questioned,

and no one is being forced to confront its

mistakes. But the PML-N is, perhaps the

PTI will be also (if it makes it to the

opposition benches as a unified force). Do

we need further proof that democracy and

elections, however flawed, can and do make

a difference?

Source: Dawn

shelled out, which stands in stark contrast to

the calls for austerity after the financial crisis

of 2008/2009.

As always, when you have several parties

to a dialogue, not everybody gets everything

they want. While the communique sets out

that the G7 would provide 1 billion doses of

COVID-19 vaccines to the developing world,

what was actually pledged during the

gathering fell short by more than 300

million doses. It also is much less than the 11

billion doses the World Health Organization

estimates it will take to vaccinate the world

Source: Arab news

WedneSdaY, June 16, 2021

5

Plastic raft

floating on the

ocean

RuSSell thoMaS

Japan's 2011 tsunami was catastrophic, killing nearly 16,000

people, destroying homes and infrastructure, and sweeping an

estimated 5m tons of debris out to sea. That debris did not

disappear, however. Some of it drifted all the way across the Pacific,

reaching the shores of Hawaii, Alaska and California - and with it

came hitchhikers.

Nearly 300 different non-native species caught a lift across the

ocean in what can be thought of as a "mass rafting" event. The

Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in 2017 counted 289

Japanese marine species that were carried to distant shores after

the tsunami, including sea snails, sea anemones and isopods, a type

of crustacean.

Plastic rafting poses a huge and mostly unknown danger.

Invasive species that ride plastic litter to new shores can reduce

habitats for native species, carry disease (micro-algae is a particular

threat), and put further strain on ecosystems already pressured by

overfishing and pollution. According to David Barnes, marine

benthic ecologist at the British Antarctic Survey and visiting

lecturer at Cambridge University, rafting increases "extinction risk

[while] reducing biodiversity, ecosystem function and resilience".

The tsunami also showed something new: many of the animals

survived more than six years adrift, longer than previously thought

possible.

Rafting - or oceanic dispersal - is a natural phenomenon. Marine

organisms attach themselves to marine litter and travel hundreds

of kilometres. Free-floating clumps of seaweed such as sargassum,

sometimes 3 metres thick, provides a home for certain "rafting

species" in the Atlantic, such as reef fish, or pipefishes and

seahorses, which are both poor swimmers.

Prof Bella Galil, curator at Steinhardt Museum of Natural

History, Tel Aviv University, said: "Transoceanic rafting is a

fundamental feature of marine evolutionary biogeography and

ecology, often invoked to explain the origins of global patterns of

species distributions."

But while it is relatively rare for a non-native species to

successfully survive in a new environment, she says, the huge

ocean debris floating off hawaii has become home to many fish and invertebrates. Photo: Bryce Groark

increase in waste being dumped at sea, as well as abandoned

fishing gear, enables biofouling: aquatic organisms attaching

themselves where they are not wanted.

This turns "a rare, sporadic evolutionary process into a quotidian

one", she says. Invasive species can threaten biological diversity,

food security and human wellbeing. Sea grapes from Australia

arriving in the Mediterranean in 1990, for example, displaced other

marine algae - setting off a domino effect that ultimately led to a

reduction in native gastropods and crustaceans.

One of the most potent corridors for marine invasions is from the

Red Sea, via the Suez canal, into the Mediterranean. Galil notes that

of 455 marine alien species currently listed in the eastern

Mediterranean, most are thought to have come through the canal,

thanks to the prevailing northward current or via ballast water,

hitching a ride mostly on plastics.

These invasive species do not just hang around. Many have

spread into the central and western Mediterranean, again often

colonising floating litter. As well as adversely affecting critical

habitats, Galil says, some are "noxious, poisonous, or venomous

and pose clear threats to human health". Long-spined sea urchins

and nomad jellyfish, both venomous and both native to the Indian

Ocean, are just two examples now causing damage in the

Mediterranean.

The route is likely to become even more popular after the

widening of the canal, Egypt's response to the grounding of the

container ship Ever Given earlier this year. "Larger canal, larger

vessels [will mean] likely larger volume of Red Sea species arriving

in the Mediterranean," Galil says. Plastic rafting is far from limited

to the Mediterranean. There has been a hundredfold increase in

marine plastics in the past two decades, which Barnes calls an

"ecosystem changer".

"Plastic, particularly, has massively increased the transport

possibilities in terms of how much flotsam there is, its variety (in

size and structure), where it goes and how long it floats for," he says.

"Furthermore, plastic can increase local spread of invader species

when they do arrive and establish." One compilation from 2015

listed 387 species, from micro-organisms to seaweeds and

invertebrates, found to have rafted on marine litter, in "all major

oceanic regions".

Barnes has even found plastic raft invaders in the Southern

Ocean, disproving the idea that Antarctica's freezing temperatures

would keep them at bay. The Antarctic may be particularly sensitive

to such invasions, with its endemic species having evolved in near

isolation, and within a very narrow range of environmental

conditions. "Any species lost here is a loss of global biodiversity:

they only live around Antarctica, and the blue carbon [CO2 held in

oceans] they store provides some powerful fightbacks against

climate change," he says - blue carbon referring to the carbon held

by ocean life, such as kelp and coral polyps.

One of the key interchanges on this marine expressway network

is the North Pacific Gyre, home to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch,

the largest concentration of plastic in our oceans. Here, currents

and marine debris converge, and the currents then disperse the

litter to the remotest corners of the planet. Similarly, the South

Pacific Gyre is thought to be responsible for the (mainly plastic)

litter on beaches on Rapa Nui (Easter Island).

According to a 2018 study in Marine Pollution Bulletin by

researchers at Spain's University of Oviedo, 34% of debris

examined on Easter Island carried organisms from elsewhere.

These included water striders, a stony coral called Pocillopora and

Planes major, a species of crab. Another study by the same authors

found plastic rafting along about 120 miles (200km) of coastline on

the Bay of Biscay, with plastic fishing, leisure and household goods

carrying non-native invasive species such as the giant Pacific oyster

and the Australian barnacle.

Some of the world's most precious environments could be

threatened, including the Galápagos Islands. With a plastic crisis so

bad that 400 plastic particles have been found per square metre on

the islands' worst-affected beaches, and some of that plastic already

known to host non-native species, it is not hard to imagine an

invasive species soon threatening the islands' famously unique

wildlife. Other remote islands such as Saint Helena, Ascension and

Tristan da Cunha are also "highly vulnerable to invasion", Barnes

has reported, due to "little marine traffic and intact endemic

species".

In 2018, Barnes went a step further, describing marine plastic as

an ecosystem in itself, in which the only winners are the colonising

fauna, what he referred to as the "plastisphere".

So what can be done about the plastisphere and who is

responsible? In the context of the Suez canal, Galil says: "If we

adhere to the 'polluter pays' principle, Europe is complicit - the

canal mainly serves Europe." But she also argues for an immediate

reduction in the amount of plastics in the environment - and "until

then, a strictly enforced prohibition of ocean dumping".

Tracking technology may also help, such as the Integrated

Marine Debris Observing System (IMDOS), a proposed - though

not yet implemented - system that would combine satellite

imagery, trawl surveys, observations from ships, and data

submitted to various organisations to keep track of marine litter.

Another effort to standardise the monitoring of marine plastic is

Floating Ocean Ecosystems (FloatEco), a multidisciplinary project,

partly funded by Nasa, to "better understand dynamics of floating

plastics in open ocean environments". And there are organisations

such as Ospar, which brings together 15 governments and the

European Union to cooperate in the environmental protection of

the north-east Atlantic Ocean.

World’s fishing ground facing a threat

Young mangrove trees on the outskirts of Ziguinchor, the main town in the casamance region

of Senegal.

Photo: John Wessels

Climate change response is

missing something big

catRin einhoRn

Some environmental solutions are winwin,

helping to rein in global warming

and protecting biodiversity, too. But

others address one crisis at the expense

of the other. Growing trees on

grasslands, for example, can destroy the

plant and animal life of a rich ecosystem,

even if the new trees ultimately suck up

carbon.

What to do? Unless the world stops

treating climate change and biodiversity

collapse as separate issues, neither

problem can be addressed effectively,

according to a report issued Thursday

by researchers from two leading

international scientific panels.

"These two topics are more deeply

intertwined than originally thought,"

said Hans-Otto Pörtner, co-chairman of

the scientific steering committee that

produced the report. They are also

inextricably tied to human well being.

But global policies usually target one or

the other, leading to unintended

consequences. "If you look at just one

single angle, you miss a lot of things,"

said Yunne-Jai Shin, a marine biologist

with the French National Research

Institute for Sustainable Development

and a co-author of the report. "Every

action counts."

For years, one set of scientists and

policymakers has studied and tried to

tackle the climate crisis, warning the

world of the dangers from greenhouse

gases that have been building up in the

atmosphere since the Industrial

Revolution. The lead culprit: burning

fossil fuels. Another group has studied

and tried to tackle the biodiversity crisis,

raising alarms about extinctions and

ecosystem collapse. The lead culprits:

habitat loss because of agriculture, and,

at sea, overfishing. The two groups have

operated largely in their own silos. But

their subjects are connected by

something elemental, literally: carbon

itself. The same element that makes up

heat-trapping carbon dioxide, methane

and soot is also a fundamental building

block of the natural world. It helps form

the very tissue of plants and animals on

earth. It's stored in forests, wetlands,

grasslands and on the ocean floor. In

fact, land and water ecosystems are

already stashing away half of humangenerated

emissions.

Another connection between climate

and biodiversity: People have created

emergencies on both fronts by using the

planet's resources in unsustainable

ways. For the last couple of decades, the

climate crisis has largely overshadowed

the biodiversity crisis, perhaps because

its threat seemed more dire. But the

balance may be shifting. Scientists warn

that declines in biodiversity can lead to

ecosystem collapse, threatening

humanity's food and water supply.

"Climate change of four or five degrees

is just such an existential threat to

people, it's hard to imagine," said Paul

Leadley, one of the authors and an

ecologist at Paris-Saclay University.

And, he continued, "if we lose a really

large fraction of species on earth, that's

an existential threat."

Businesses and countries have

increasingly looked to nature as a way

to offset their emissions, for example,

by planting trees to absorb carbon. But

the science is clear: Nature can't store

enough carbon to let us keep on

spewing greenhouse gases at our

current rates.

"A clear first priority is emissions

reductions, emissions reductions and

emissions reductions," Dr. Pörtner said.

Just last month, the world's leading

energy agency declared that if the world

wants to avoid the worst impacts of

global warming, nations would need to

stop approving new coal, oil and gas

projects immediately. To make matters

worse, some measures being used or

proposed to address climate change

could devastate biodiversity. "Some

people are out there selling this message

that if we cover the whole planet with

trees, that will solve the climate

problem," Dr. Leadley said. "That's a

mistaken message on many levels."

In Brazil, parts of the Cerrado, a

biodiverse savanna that stores large

amounts of carbon, have been planted

with monocultures of eucalyptus and

pine in an attempt to meet a global

reforestation goal.

Michael Field

Since long before the steel-hulled fishing

boats from foreign countries arrived in

the South Pacific its people have had

their own systems for sharing the

ocean's catches. In the New Zealand

territory of Tokelau, in the middle of the

region, the 1,400 people living on its

three atolls practise a system called inati,

which ensures every household gets fish.

Several times a month all atoll men are

given time to prepare and bait lines and

the "grey hairs" - as leaders are called -

decide on the targeted fish, including

tuna and trevally, using traditional

knowledge of the best grounds, along

with tides and the phases of the moon.

They set off late at night and return 12

hours later, well after the sun has risen.

Their catch is then sorted into different

species and sizes. Bigger families get

bigger shares.

Across the Pacific, traditional fishing

practices like this take place alongside

huge commercial fishing operations,

where the catches are not always shared

so fairly, nor disclosed so transparently.

The Pacific region exported 530,000

metric tonnes of seafood products in

2019, netting US$1.2bn. The biggest

exporters were Papua New Guinea

($470m), Fiji ($182m), the Federated

States of Micronesia ($130m), Vanuatu

($108m) and Solomon Islands ($101m).

The biggest importers of Pacific fish in

2019 were Thailand, with seafood

imports from the Pacific worth $300m,

the Philippines ($195m), Japan

($130m), China ($100m) and the US

($100m). In some ways the fishing

industry is a success story for the Pacific

region. In a landmark moment of

regional cooperation in 1982, eight

countries signed the Parties to the Nauru

Agreement, which allowed the tiny

countries to collectively negotiate the

access to their waters by foreign fishing

a chinese fishing boat in the Pacific.

vessels, a move that has generated an

additional $500m a year in revenue.

But the Pacific - the world's most

fertile fishing ground, which supplies

well over half of the world's tuna - also

falls victim to illegal fishing, with up to

one in every five wild-caught fish illegally

caught.

The small Pacific countries in whose

waters these illegal fishing operations

take place lose out on the profit, suffer

depletion of stocks and, without the

capacity to fully police their waters, are

often also penalised by fishing importers

for not being able to guarantee the

sustainable provenance of the catch.

The 17 nations and territories of the

region directly control their own

territorial waters. Fishing outside the

territorial waters, in the nations' larger

exclusive economic zones (EEZ), is

monitored and coordinated by the

intergovernmental Forum Fisheries

Agency. Pacific EEZs produce around

US$26bn worth of tuna for consumers

but the islands earn only about 10% of

that value. Only a handful of Pacific

countries process any of the catches in

their waters - this usually takes place in

Bangkok and other Asian cities. Pacific

countries seldom even crew fishing

boats and make money only on the

licensing.

The high seas beyond the EEZs,

claimed by no one, come under the

multinational Western and Central

Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC).

In 2019, WCPFC's total tuna catch was a

record-setting 2,961,059 tonnes, 81% of

the total Pacific Ocean tuna catch and

55% of the global tuna catch. It is

dominated by boats from deep-water

fishing nations including China, Japan,

South Korea and the US.

Industrial-scale fishing began in the

South Pacific after the second world war.

It was dominated by the US and Japan

but in the past two decades China has

dispatched wave after wave of fishing

boats, mainly longliners and purse

seiners. Careful skippers avoid killing

sharks, billfish such as marlin and

swordfish, sea turtles and seabirds in the

process. Others do not care. Few

longlining tuna boats in the Pacific have

independent observers on board; as they

are small and often dangerous, few want

to sail on them.

Purse seiners are bigger and more

comfortable - attracting observers - and

use onboard helicopters and floating

aggregation devices to attract tuna. A

seiner will use boats to encircle an entire

school with nets (the "purse") which is

then closed, capturing all the fish - and

often dolphins and sharks.

Having grossly overfished its own

regional waters, notably the China seas,

China's fleets are now taking huge

quantities of tuna from the world's most

fertile fishing ground. Since 2012 the

Chinese Pacific fishing fleet has grown

by more than 500%.

A survey of boats operating in the

Pacific in 2016 found that Chineseflagged

vessels far outstripped those of

any other country. China had 290

industrial vessels licensed to operate in

the region at the time, more than a

quarter of the total, and more than the

240 from all the Pacific nations

combined. Their longline fleets,

targeting albacore and yellow fin,

dominate EEZs in places such as

Vanuatu and the high seas. Silky and

whitetip sharks are a favourite "bycatch",

their fins kept and the rest dumped.

In the past 10 years China and

Hong Kong have sought to close

down the shark fin trade, partly by

banning the consumption of shark fin

soup at government functions, and

through public efforts to publicly

stigmatise it. The continuing decline

in oceanic shark numbers points to

limited success so far.

Photograph: Reuters

WeDNeSDAY, JUNe 16, 2021

6

Narsingdi Shilpakala Academy has honored Gunijan (meritorious persons), especially to regional

educationist, creative culture researchers, vocalists, fine arts and regional creative organizers. On

this occasion, a discussion meeting was held in the conference room of Narsingdi District Shilpakala

Academy on Tuesday morning. Narsingdi Deputy Commissioner Syeda Farhana Kaunain was

present as the chief guest at the meeting and handed over the honors to the meritorious persons.

Additional Deputy Commissioner Mushfiqur Rahman presided over the function while Civil Surgeon

Dr. Md. Nurul Islam, President of Narsingdi School College Teachers Association and Principal of

Independent College Dr. Mashiur Rahman Mridha and District Cultural Officer Shahela Khatun.

At the end of the discussion, the chief guest handed over certificates, medals and scarves to the

meritorious persons.

Photo : Md Salim Mia

2 cases of

Delta variant

of Coronavirus

detected in

Laxmipur

LAXMIPUR : Two mango

traders of Laxmipur district

have been infected with the

Delta strain of Coronavirus,

which was first found in

India, said Civil Surgeon Dr

Abdul Gaffar on Tuesday.

Dr Abdul Gaffar said the

two people, who tested

Covid-19 positive, returned

from Chapainawabganj with

mangoes few days ago,

reports UNB.

Both the traders fell sick

after returning home from

Chapainawabganj and then

they tested positive for

Covid-19, he said.

Both of them were

referred to Dhaka Medical

College and Hospital as their

condition started worsening,

said Dr Abdu Gaffar.

However, the samples of

the two infected people were

also sent to the Institute of

Epidemiology Disease

Control and Research

(IEDCR).

Besides, the health

authorities urged people to

maintain health safety

protocols to prevent rapid

spread of the virus.

In the past 24 hours, nine

people were found infected

with Covid-19 in the district,

raising the total number to

3073. So far, 54people have

died of Covid while 80 more

people died after showing

Covid-19 symptoms in the

district.

The infection rate in the

district is 17 percent.

Farmer beaten to

death in Kushtia

KUSHTIA : A 35-year-old

farmer was beaten to death

allegedly by a local village

chairman and his men over

suspicion of fish theft in

Kushtia's Khoksa union in

the early hours of Tuesday,

reports UNB.

The deceased was

identified as Jashim Sheikh,

son of Raushan Ali Sheikh of

Ratanpur village under

Khoksa union of the upazila.

Asiya Khatun, the wife of

the deceased, alleged that

the village chairman's men

called her husband over the

mobile phone around 4am

and asked him to meet the

chairman without any delay.

After reaching the

chairman's house, the latter

accused Jashim of stealing

fish from his pond. When

Jasim denied the

allegations, the chairman

and his men thrashed him

badly.

Later, locals rushed Jasim

to Khoksa Upazila Health

Centre in a critical condition,

where he succumbed to his

injuries.

An inception meeting of Caritas IFS-ICT project of Caritas Dhaka

region has been held at Sirajdikhan in Munshiganj. The meeting was

held on Tuesday in the Upazila Hallroom with the funding of Caritas

Luxembourg.

Photo : Nazmul Mollah

Lockdown in two Natore municipal

areas extended by a week

NATORE : Authorities have extended the

ongoing lockdown in the Natore and Singra

municipal areas of Natore district by one

more week to stem the spread of Covid-19,

reports UNB.

A sudden surge in the infection rate, from

20 per cent to a whopping 60 per cent, in

recent days, forced the district

administration to extend the lockdown in the

two municipal areas.

The lockdown will remain in force till June

22, said deputy commissioner Mohammad

Shahriaz. Earlier, on June 8, the authorities

decided to enforce a week-long lockdown in

the two municipal areas from June 9 to

contain the spread of Covid-19.

During the lockdown, all modes of public

transport will stay off the roads. However,

the movement restrictions won't apply on

vehicles providing emergency services.

Moreover, all shops, markets and

restaurants will remain closed, except for

grocery stores and pharmacies. This is to

allow people to buy their daily essentials and

medicines from their local grocers and

chemists, respectively.

Amid a desperate bid to procure vaccines

for all, Bangladesh on Monday reported 54

fresh coronavirus-related deaths and 3,050

new cases in 24 hours-both record figures in

a month. The country last recorded 56

deaths on May 9 and a record 3,031 cases on

April 27.

With the new numbers, the country's total

caseload and deaths have now reached

8,29,972 and 13,172, respectively, according

to the Directorate General of Health

Services.

RMCH sees 12 more

Covid deaths in 24 hrs

RAJSHAHI : Rajshahi Medical College

Hospital (RMCH) recorded 12 more deaths

from Coronavirus infection in 24 hours until

6 am on Tuesday, reports UNB.

Among them, eight were Covid-19 patients

while the rest four died after showing Covid-

19 symptoms at the hospital, said director of

the hospital Brigadier General Shamim

Yeazdani.

Of the deceased, three were from Rajshahi,

seven from Chapainawabganj, one each

from Natoreand Naogaon districts.

A total of 148 people have died of Covid-19

in Rajshahi division in the last 15 days till

Tuesday morning as situation is worsening

in different border districts.

Mymensing district lawyers association formed a human chain at

Jaudge court premises to start the court activities in full-fledge

maintain hygiene.

Photo : Star Mail

Farmer killed in

lightning strike

in Rajshahi

RAJSHAHI : A farmer was

killed by a lightning strike

in Godagari upazila of

Rajshahi Sunday evening.

The deceased was

identified as Tofiqul Islam

(55), son of Abdur Rashid

Premtali Dumuria village of

the same upazila, reports

UNB.

Godagari Police officerin-charge

Khalilur

Rahman Patwari said

farmer Tofiqul was

working on his land near

Khetur village when he

was struck by thunderbolt

and died on the spot.

Acase of unnatural death

wasfiled.

Woman gives birth to

quadruplets in Feni

FENI : A woman gave

birth to four children in

Feni's Haider Clinic on

Monday afternoon.

The newborns' mother

Salma Akter, is the wife of

Alam Patwari of GMhat

Union under Fulgazi

Upazila who is an

expatriate, reports UNB.

They alreadyt have a

four-year-old boy.

Salma's brother-in-law

Anwar Hossain Patwari

said the doctor had asked

the asrerival children

earlier

through

ultrasonography but she

eventually gave birth to

four.

Dr. Tahmina Sultana

Nilu, who operated

caesarean sections

confirmed that the mother

and four newborns were

all healthy and sound.

She said they were kept

under observation.

Nurul Afsar Forkan, the

manager of the hospital,

said that they were shifted

to a cabin to avoid people

from different places

gathering to see them.

14-day lockdown

in Damurhuda

to contain Covid

spread

CHUADANGA : Authorities

on Tuesday imposed a 14-

day lockdown in

Damurhuda upazila of

Chuadanga district to

contain the spread of

Covid-19, reports UNB.

The lockdown will

remain in force till June

28 midnight.

The decision to enforce

the lockdown was taken at

an emergency meeting on

Monday, presided over by

the Deputy Commissioner

of Chuadanga, Nazrul

Islam.

During the lockdown, all

business establishments,

shops and eateries in the

upazila will remain closed.

However, local grocery

stores shops will be

allowed to operate only for

limited hours.

There will be strict

restrictions on public

movement in the upazila.

No one will be allowed to

step out without any valid

reason, according to the

Deputy Commissioner.

Moreover, no social or

religious gatherings can

take place during the

period.

Earlier, the local

administration had

imposed strict restrictions

in sixteen villages under

three unions of the

upazila.

Besides, the health

authorities have registered

as many as 57 new corona

infections in Chuadanga

upazila in the past 24

hours till Monday

morning, raising the total

caseload to 2,279.

So far, 71 people have

died of Covid-19 in the

district.

'Jagroto Blood Donors

Club' to supply 1 lakh

boold bags annually

'Jagroto Blood Donor's Club' has announced

to supply one lakh bags of blood annually.

On the occasion of World Blood Donor

Day, a special discussion and reception was

organized this evening on Monday at Jagroto

Central Office at the initiative of Jagroto

Blood Donor's Club. Press release said.

Jagroto Chairman Shihab Rifat Alam was

the chief guest of the function chaired by

Mohammad Ullah Shamim, Secretary of

Jagroto Blood Donor's Club Central

Committee. At the occasion, Jagroto

Chairman said that Jagroto Blood Donor's

Club was formed for the welfare of the people

of the country and Jagroto Blood Donor's

Club will supply at least one lakh bags of

blood annually. To this end, more than 40

committees across the country will work to

provide safe blood in times of need.

The Nawabpur Committee of Jagroto

Blood Donor's Club was announced on the

occasion. Prominent businessman and social

worker Deen Mohammad Shahnewaz was

elected President.

At the occasion , Jagroto businessmen and

activists were also present.

On the occasion of World Blood Donor Day, a special discussion and reception

was organized on Monday at Jagroto Central Office. Photo : Courtesy

Capacity dev training of Uz Nutrition

Coordination Committee held

District and Upazila Nutrition Coordinating

Committee of Taraganj, Rangpur organized

a two-day training (14-15 June 2021) on the

capacity development of UNCC members at

Parjatan Motel, Rangpur in collaboration

with the Joint Action for Nutrition Outcome

(JANO) project. The JANO project is funded

by the European Union, co-funded by the

Austrian Development Cooperation. The

training was inaugurated by Dr. Hirambo

Kumar Roy, Civil Surgeon, Rangpur and

Member Secretary, District Nutrition

Coordinating Committee, Rangpur, a press

release said.

In the training the government's Second

National Plan of Action for Nutrition 2016-

2025, District and Upazila Nutrition

Coordination Committee operational

guideline, multi-sectoral nutrition action

plan process at District and Upazila level,

safe food, food adulteration, activities of

various departments to fulfill the Second

National Plan of Action for Nutrition and

involvement of JANO issues were discussed.

Honorable Member of District Nutrition

Coordinating Committee Rangpur Dr.

Hirambo Kumar Roy, Civil Surgeon,

Rangpur, Ashok Kumar Roy, Additional

Deputy Director, Department of Agricultural

Extension, Rangpur, Most. Raksana Begum,

District Education Officer, Directorate of

Secondary and Higher Education, Rangpur

and Dr. Shaikh Md. Saidul Islam, Deputy

Director, Department of Family Planning,

Rangpur were present as resource person.

Besides, Honorable Member Secretary of

Taraganj Upazila Nutrition Coordination

Committee, Dr. Shamsunnahar and Upazila

Health and Family Planning Officer,

Taraganj, Rangpur was also present.

Golam Rabbani, Manager, Multisectoral

Governance, and Rajab Ali, Manager,

Capacity Building, JANO Project, CARE

Bangladesh was present and facilitate

respective session as well as overall

coordination and support. The training was

moderated by Maruf Ahmed, Project

Manager and Md. Rezwanur Rahman,

Assistant Project Manager, JANO Project,

ESDO.

District and Upazila Nutrition Coordinating Committee of Taraganj, Rangpur

organized a two-day training (14-15 June 2021) on the capacity development of

UNCC members at Parjatan Motel, Rangpur in collaboration with the Joint

Action for Nutrition Outcome (JANO) project.

Photo : Courtesy

Covid surge: Strict restrictions imposed

in Dinajpur Hili area for a week

DINAJPUR : The local administration on Tuesday imposed strict restrictions in the Hili land

port area of Dinajpur's Hakimpur upazila for a week to break the chain of Covid-19

transmission, reports UNB.

The restrictions came into force at 6am, and will continue till 4 pm on June 21. At an

emergency meeting of the Corona Preventive Committee on Monday, Hakimpur Upazila

Nirbahi Officer Mohammad Nur-e-Alam took the decision to impose strict restrictions in the

area in view of a sudden surge in Covid cases. However, the week-long restrictions won't

hamper export-import activities between Bangladesh and India, which will continue on a

limited scale following all Covid-safety protocols. During the week-long lockdown, kitchen

markets and local grocery stores shops will be allowed to operate only from 6am to 4pm.

However, anyone found violating health protocols will be penalised.

wEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 2021

7

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks with U.S. President Joe Biden during a bilateral meeting

on the sidelines of a NATO summit at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Monday, June 14, 2021. U.S.

President Joe Biden is taking part in his first NATO summit, where the 30-nation alliance hopes to reaffirm

its unity and discuss increasingly tense relations with China and Russia, as the organization pulls its

troops out after 18 years in Afghanistan.

Photo: AP

NATO leaders declare China a

global security challenge

BRUSSELS: NATO leaders on Monday

declared China a constant security challenge

and said the Chinese are working to

undermine global order, a message in sync

with President Joe Biden's efforts to get allies

to speak out with a more unified voice against

China's trade, military and human rights

practices, reports UNB.

In a summit statement, the leaders said that

China's goals and "assertive behavior present

systemic challenges to the rules-based

international order and to areas relevant to

alliance security."

While the 30 heads of state and government

avoided calling China a rival, they expressed

concern about what they said were its

"coercive policies," the opaque ways it is

modernizing its armed forces and its use of

disinformation.

They called on Beijing to uphold its

international commitments and to act

responsibly in the international system.

Biden, who arrived at the summit after

three days of consulting with Group of Seven

JERUSALEM: Israel's parliament on

Sunday narrowly approved a new

coalition government, ending the historic

12-year rule of Prime Minister Benjamin

Netanyahu and sending the polarizing

leader into the opposition, reports UNB.

Naftali Bennett, a former ally of

Netanyahu turned rival, became prime

minister after the 60-59 vote. Promising to

try to heal a divided nation, Bennett will

preside over a diverse and fragile coalition

comprised of eight parties with deep

ideological differences.

But the 71-year-old Netanyahu made

clear he has no intention of exiting the

political stage. "If it is destined for us to be

in the opposition, we will do it with our

backs straight until we topple this

dangerous government and return to lead

the country," he said.

The vote, capping a stormy

parliamentary session, ended a two-year

cycle of political paralysis in which the

country held four deadlocked elections.

Those votes focused largely on

Netanyahu's divisive rule and his fitness to

remain in office while on trial for

corruption charges.

allies in England, pushed for the G-7

communique there that called out what it said

were forced labor practices and other human

rights violations impacting Uyghur Muslims

and other ethnic minorities in the western

Xinjiang province. The president said he was

satisfied with the communique, although

differences remain among the allies about

how forcefully to criticize Beijing.

Biden has also used his eight-day trip to

Europe to urge allies to work more closely in

pressing Russian President Vladimir Putin

over his government's treatment of political

dissidents and to do more to stem cyber

attacks originating from Russia that have

targeted private companies and governments

around the globe.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is

an alliance of European and North American

countries formed after World War II as a

bulwark against Russian aggression.

The new Brussels communique states

plainly that the NATO nations "will engage

China with a view to defending the security

Israel swears in new coalition,

ending Netanyahu's long rule

To his supporters, Netanyahu is a global

statesman uniquely capable of leading the

country through its many security

challenges.

But to his critics, he has become a

polarizing and autocratic leader who used

divide-and-rule tactics to aggravate the

many rifts in Israeli society. Those include

tensions between Jews and Arabs, and

within the Jewish majority between his

religious and nationalist base and his more

secular and dovish opponents.

Outside the Knesset, hundreds of

protesters watching the vote on a large

screen erupted into applause when the

new government was approved.

Thousands of people, many waving Israeli

flags, celebrated in central Tel Aviv's Rabin

Square.

President Joe Biden quickly

congratulated the new government.

"I look forward to working with Prime

Minister Bennett to strengthen all aspects

of the close and enduring relationship

between our two nations," he said in a

statement. He said his administration is

fully committed to working with the new

government "to advance security, stability,

interests of the alliance."

But as Biden faced with the G-7

communique, some allies bristled at the

NATO effort to speak out on China.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said

NATO's decision to name China as a threat

"shouldn't be overstated" because Beijing, like

Russia, is also a partner in some areas. China

is Germany's top trading partner and is

heavily dependent on Russia in fulfilling the

country's energy needs.

Merkel noted that "when you look at the

cyber threats, the hybrid threats, when you

look at the cooperation between Russia and

China, you can't just ignore China."

But she added that it was important to "find

the right balance" as China is also a partner on

many issues. "I think it's very important, just

like we do in Russia, to always make the offer

of political discussions, political discourse, in

order to come up with solutions," Merkel said.

"But where there are threats, and I said they're

in the hybrid field too, then as NATO you have

to be prepared."

and peace for Israelis, Palestinians, and

people throughout the broader region."

Bennett's office said he later spoke by

phone with Biden, thanking him for his

warm wishes and longstanding

commitment to Israel's security.

The leaders agreed to consult closely on

all matters related to regional security,

including Iran, the White House said,

adding that Biden said his administration

intends to work closely with the Israeli

government on advancing peace, security

and prosperity for Israelis and

Palestinians.

Much of the Israeli opposition to

Netanyahu was personal. Three of the

eight parties in the new government,

including Bennett's Yamina, are headed

by former Netanyahu allies who share his

hard-line ideology but had deep personal

disputes with him.

Bennett, 49, is a former chief of staff to

Netanyahu whose small party is popular

with religious Jews and West Bank

settlers. As he addressed the raucous

debate, he was repeatedly heckled and

shouted down by Netanyahu's supporters.

Some were removed from the chamber.

Israel's new prime minister Naftali Bennett raises his hand during a Knesset session in

Jerusalem Sunday, June 13, 2021. Israel's parliament has voted in favor of a new coalition government,

formally ending Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's historic 12-year rule. Naftali

Bennett, a former ally of Netanyahu became the new prime minister .

Photo: AP

'Freedom Day' for England

pushed back 4 weeks to July

LONDON : British Prime Minister Boris

Johnson confirmed Monday that the next

planned relaxation of coronavirus

restrictions in England will be delayed by

four weeks, until July 19, a decision he said

will save thousands of lives as the

government speeds up its vaccination

drive, reports UNB.

In a press briefing, Johnson voiced his

confidence that the new date for the lifting

of restrictions on social contact will be the

final one as the vaccination drive is

accelerated to counter the delta variant

that scientists reckon is between 40% and

80% more transmissible than the previous

dominant strain in the U.K.

"I think it is sensible to wait just a little

longer," he said. "Now is the time to ease

off the accelerator, because by being

cautious now we have the chance in the

next four weeks to save many thousands of

lives by vaccinating millions more people."

He said that by July 19, two-thirds of the

adult population will have been doublevaccinated,

including everyone over the

age of 50, and that everyone over the age of

18 will have been offered a jab, earlier than

the previous target of the month's end. The

gap between the two doses for over 40s is

also being reduced to eight weeks from 12

to provide the maximum protection

against the variant sooner.

New analysis Monday from Public

Health England showed that two doses of

the main vaccines in the U.K.'s rollout are

Vaccinated

Hawaiian positive

for delta variant

HONOLULU : Hawaii says

a vaccinated Oahu resident

who traveled to Nevada last

month has tested positive

for the delta variant of

COVID-19, reports UNB.

The delta variant was first

detected in India and is a

more transmissible version

of the disease. The variant

currently makes up 6% of all

cases in the U.S.

Hawaii Health Director

Dr. Libby Char says this is a

"very rare breakthrough"

case in which a COVID-19

vaccine didn't prevent

infection.

New analysis from

researchers in the U.K.

shows the Pfizer vaccine is

96% effective against

hospitalization from the

delta variant.

Number of COVID-19

cases worldwide

surpasses 175 mln: WHO

GENEVA : The number of

confirmed cases of the novel

coronavirus infection

worldwide has surpassed 175

mln, increasing by more than

387,000 over the past 24

hours.

According to the data of the

World Health Organization

(WHO) published on Sunday,

the number of fatalities has

increased by more than

10,100 over 24 hours,

surpassing 3.79 mln.

As of 16:01 Moscow time on

June 13, the WHO received

reports of 175,306,598

infections and 3,792,777

fatalities. The number of

infections over 24 hours has

increased by 387,209 while

the fatalities rose by 10,158.

The WHO statistics takes

into account only officially

confirmed data on incidence

and fatalities submitted by the

states. The mark of 150 mln

infections worldwide was

surpassed on April 30. Thus,

over less than a month and a

half over 25 mln people were

infected.

Over 48% of the infections

reported to the WHO during

the past 24 hours were in

North and South America

(187,256), followed by

Southeast Asia (97,990), with

Europe (42,288) in the third

place.

According to the WHO, the

majority of the infections

were recorded in the US -

33,120,623, followed by India

(29,439,989), Brazil

(17,296,118), France

(5,632,993), Turkey

(5,325,435), Russia

(5,208,687), the UK

(4,558,498), Italy

(4,243,482), Argentina

(4,093,090), Spain

(3,729,458), Germany

(3,714,969) and Colombia

(2,694,707).

highly effective against hospitalization

from the delta variant, which was first

identified in India. It said the Pfizer vaccine

is 96% effective against hospitalization

after 2 doses while the AstraZeneca jab is

92% effective.

"It's unmistakably clear the vaccines are

working and the sheer scale of the vaccine

rollout has made our position

incomparably better than in previous

waves," Johnson said.

Under the government's plan for

coming out of lockdown, all restrictions on

social contact were set to be lifted next

Monday. Many businesses, particularly

those in hospitality and entertainment,

voiced their disappointment about the

delay to what had been dubbed by the

British media as "Freedom Day."

Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber has

been particularly upset at the prospect of a

delay and has said he will reopen his

theaters regardless, a move that would risk

him being arrested.

A delay is particularly bitter pill for

nightclubs, as they have not been allowed

to reopen since March 2020.

It will also likely impact how many fans

are allowed into the Wimbledon tennis

tournament and the European

Championship soccer matches at

Wembley Stadium, which will host the

tournament's semi-finals and final.

However, actual numbers may be higher

at certain events as Johnson said the

government will carry on with its test

program to allow more fans into stadiums.

The Confederation of British Industry

said the delay is "regrettable" but

"understandable" and urged the

government to provide more support to

those businesses affected.

"But we must acknowledge the pain felt

by businesses in hospitality, leisure and

live events," said the CBI's director-general

Tony Danker. "At best they're operating

with reduced capacity hitting revenues,

and at worst, some aren't open at all."

When Johnson first outlined the

government's four-stage plan for lifting the

lockdown in England in February, he set

June 21 as the earliest date by which

restrictions on people gathering would be

lifted. However, he stressed at the time

that the timetable was not carved in stone

and that all the steps would be driven by

"data not dates" and would seek to be

"irreversible."

Though daily infections have increased

threefold over the past few weeks they are

still way down from the nearly 70,000

daily cases recorded in January. On

Monday, the British government reported

7,742 new confirmed cases, one of the

highest daily numbers since the end of

February. The delta variant accounts for

around 90% of all new infections. The

number of peopled being hospitalized

with the virus has edged up over recent

days.

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson attends a media briefing in

Downing Street, London, Monday, June 14, 2021. Johnson has confirmed

that the next planned relaxation of coronavirus restrictions in England will

be delayed by four weeks until July 19 as a result of the spread of the delta

variant. In a press briefing Monday, Johnson said he is "confident that we

won't need more than four weeks" as millions more people get fully vaccinated

against the virus, which could save thousands of lives. Photo : AP

Syria's last aid crossing

in balance as Biden to

meet Putin

GENEVA : President Joe Biden will seek to

stave off another surge of civilian suffering

in the devastating war in Syria when he

meets President Vladimir Putin this week,

appealing to Putin to drop a threat to close

the last aid crossing into that country,

reports UNB.

Russian forces have helped Syrian

President Bashar Assad's regime survive the

more than 10-year conflict and Putin hopes

to be a broker for Assad in any international

reconstruction effort for that country.

Russia holds the key veto on July 10 when

the U.N. Security Council decides whether

to extend authorization for the aid crossing

from Turkey.

Putin meets with the American president

in Geneva on Wednesday in their first faceto-face

since Biden took office. The Russian

leader already has pressed successfully for

shutting down all other international

humanitarian crossings into Syria, and

argues that Assad should handle the

distribution of any aid.

The aid crossing from Turkey into rebelheld

northwest Syria serves up to 4 million

people in Syria's last remaining rebel

stronghold. A decade of civil war in the

Middle East country has killed a halfmillion

people, displaced half of the

population, drawn in foreign armies and

extremist groups and left the economy in

ruins.

Shutting down the international aid

corridor and putting Assad's government in

charge of any humanitarian distribution

would help position Assad as the winner in

the war and Syria's rightful ruler in the

aftermath, and deepen the regional

influence of Assad's ally, Russia, in any

rebuilding of Syria.

"Assistance should be given through the

central government," Putin told NBC News

in an interview ahead of his meeting with

Biden.

If there are fears that the assistance

would be stolen, aid groups can post

observers, the Russian leader said.

Opponents say Assad's regime has not

hesitated to use civilian starvation and siege

as a weapon in the war, and fear a

destabilizing surge of refugees into

neighboring Turkey if the crossing shuts

down.

The U.S. ambassador to the United

Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, visited

the threatened Bab al-Hawa border

crossing between Turkey and rebel-held

northwest Syria earlier this month to warn

that closing it would bring "senseless

cruelty."

Turkey, which already holds close to 4

million Syrian refugees, joins the U.S. in

opposing closure of the crossing.

Mona Yacoubian, a senior adviser for the

U.S. Institute of Peace think tank, said

closing the Bab al Hawa aid crossing could

"precipitate this humanitarian catastrophe"

and a destabilizing surge of refugees.

Biden's possible points of leverage with

Putin, Yacoubian said, could include

stressing the harm that a new round of

civilian suffering in Syria could do to

Russia's image as it positions itself to

oversee hoped-for Arab and other

international aid to rebuild Syria.

There also could be consideration of

granting humanitarian waivers on sanctions

that the United States and others have

levied on the Assad regime, Yacoubian said.

Russia argues that U.S. support for what

started out as a peaceful uprising in Syria,

and condemnation of Assad's and other

repressive governments during the Arab

Spring, fostered instability and violence and

boosted Islamic extremist groups.

Many in Biden's administration were also

in the Obama administration when it

considered, but held back from, military

intervention to stop Assad's chemical

attacks on civilians. They have since

expressed regret that the United States'

overall handling of the conflict failed to stop

the bloodshed.

WednesdAY, June 16, 2021

8

BEPZA Signs MoU with DoE to

expedite One Stop Service

Bangladesh Export

Processing Zones Authority

(BEPZA) and Department of

Environment (DoE) signed a

Memorandum

of

Understanding (MoU) at

BEPZA Complex, Dhaka in

order to ease the services for

the existing enterprises as

Walton launches new gaming

laptop of Waxjambu series

Bangladeshi technology

products manufacturer

Walton Digi-Tech Industries

Limited has launched a new

model of high configured

gaming laptop in the market.

Named as Waxjambu

GL710H, the device is priced

only Tk.189,950. In addition

to the cash price, this laptop

can be bought in installments

facilities as well, a press

release said.

Besides, students are

getting guaranteed

scholarship ranging from Tk

2,000 to a maximum of Tk 1

lakh on purchasing any

model of Walton brand

IPDC Finance has launched

a special campaign to honor

fathers on Father's Day. On

the occasion of Father's Day,

customers will get a gift

coupon of Tk. 2,500 from

Aarong / Fiona if they

deposit a minimum of Tk.

well as for setting up new

industries in EPZ recently.

From now, the EPZ investors

will get other facilities

including issuance & renewal

of environment clearance

services easily through

online. BEPZA signed the

MoU with DoE as a part of

laptop, desktop PC, tablet PC

or all-in-one computer under

its 'Crore Taka Scholarship'

project.

Engineer Liakat Ali,

Deputy Managing Director of

Walton Digi-Tech Industries

Ltd. and CEO of Walton

computer products said, the

new Walton gaming laptop

features a 15.6-inch full HD

Matte IPS LED Backlit

Display with 144Hz refresh

rate and 72% NTSC while the

screen resolution is

1920x1080 pixels. As a result,

users will have great

experience on playing games,

working or watching movies.

500,000 for 12 months. The

campaign is applicable for

all types of term deposits

(FDR-General, APS, QPS,

CPS, MPS), a press release

said.

IPDC will provide gift

coupons to the customer

making the One Stop Service

more effective for the EPZ

investors, a press release said.

The Executive Chairman of

BEPZA Major General Md

Nazrul Islam, SPP, ndu, afwc,

psc, G said, "This MoU will

help to maintain the

environmental balance as

The high speed of this

laptop is ensured by Intel's

10th generation 2.20 GHz

Core i7 10870H processor. It

has a 16 GB DDR4 3200

MHz RAM which can be

expanded up to 32 GB. There

is an 1 terabyte M.2 228 solid

state drive with NVMe PCle

Gen 3.0X4 interface for

storing necessary games,

software, documents, movies

etc.

This device sports a

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 3060

model 6GB GDDR6 video

RAM as graphics to run

powerful and heavy games

effortlessly. There is also a

within ten days of opening

the account. To avail the

coupon, the account must be

opened in the father's name

or keeping the father as the

nominee. The coupon usage

period will be specified in

the coupon itself.

well as to accelerate the

investment flow of EPZs.

BEPZA moved another step

forward in establishing an

effective One Stop Service by

this signing." Mentionable,

Member (Investment

Promotion) of BEPZA Md.

Mahmudul Hossain Khan

and Director General of DoE

Md. Ashraf Uddin signed the

MoU on behalf of their

respective organizations.

Among others, Member

(Engineering) Mohammad

Faruque Alam, Member

(Finance) Nafisa Banu,

Secretary Md. Zakir Hossain

Chowdhury, General

Manager (Public Relations)

Nazma Binte Alamgir and

General

Manager

(Investment Promotion) Md.

Tanvir Hossain of BEPZA

including Director of the

Department of Environment

Masud Iqbal Md. Shameem

and Director (IT) Farid

Ahmed were present at the

program.

built-in Intel HD Graphics

630. This laptop has high

definition audio to create an

attractive gaming

atmosphere with 2x2W

speakers, sound blaster atlas

and built in array

microphone.

A powerful 3-cell polymer

battery has been used in the

laptop to ensure more than 8

hours power backup. It has a

1.0 mega pixel HD camera for

clear video calls. Connectivity

features of the device include

3 USB 3.2 Type A, 1 X

powered USB port, 1

thunderbolt port, 1 mini

display port, HDMI,

MicroSD push-push card

reader dual band WiFi,

bluetooth 5.1, Ethernet LAN

etc.

It features per-key RGB

backlight keyboard with

numeric pad and built in

gamma secure touch pad

with Microsoft PTP multigesture

and scrolling

function.

The laptop can be easily

carried out anywhere as its

total weight only 1.99 kg with

357.5mm width, 238mm

depth and 19.8mm height.

Customers will get two years

after sales service for the

laptop from Walton service

center.

IPDC Finance Launches Special Deposit

Campaign on Father's Day

For a deposit of minimum

BDT 500,000 and above,

customers will get only one

coupon. Also, the deposit

must be kept in the account

for a minimum of one year.

The interest rate for one year

term deposit will be 5.75%.

A customer can send the

money via online transfer or

by issuing a cheque. The

IPDC representative will

collect the cheque at the

customer's convenience in

compliance with Covid-19

safety regulations. The

relationship manager of

IPDC can also collect the

required documents online.

Regarding the campaign,

SavrinaArifin, the Head of

Retail Business of IPDC

Finance Limited said,"IPDC

is glad to announce such an

offer to honour the hard

work and sacrifice of the

fathers. The dedication and

life-long struggle of the

fathers build the future

generations. It is an

opportunity for the sons and

daughters as well to bring

smile to the face of their

beloved father."

This special Father's Day

campaign will continue until

June 30, 2021.

Tax or no tax, UAE aims to remain

magnet for investors

DUBAI: Tax advantages paired with a

life of luxury have long drawn foreigners

and multinationals to the UAE, which is

aiming to remain attractive whether or

not it signs up to a global tax initiative,

reports BSS.

The Group of Seven wealthy powers

this month endorsed an

"unprecedented" agreement on a global

minimum corporate tax targeting major

companies seen as not paying enough,

especially tech giants.

The objective is a minimum tax of at

least 15 percent.

While the agreement is the first step in

a long process before it can become a

reality, caught in the crosshairs are tax

havens that attract firms such as

Amazon, Apple, Google and Facebook.

The United Arab Emirates entered the

world's top 10 tax havens for the first

time in March, according to the Tax

Justice Network.

Modestly called "jurisdictions with no

or insignificant taxes" by the

Organisation for Economic Cooperation

and Development (OECD),

the havens include the Bahamas, the

British Virgin Islands, Guernsey, Jersey,

the UAE and many others.

Both the UAE capital Abu Dhabi and

The bond market is a

potential sector for collecting

long term finance for

entrepreneurs and the

alternative source of finance

for private sector. The success

of PRAN Agro Ltd for

collecting money through

bond is a milestone for bond

market and more corporate

will be eager to come here to

meet its huge financing

requirement following

PRAN, said the speakers at a

program, a press release said.

PRAN organized the

program on Monday

afternoon through virtual

platform to celebrate the

successful issuance of first

BDT Bond with international

guarantee in Bangladesh for

PRAN.

Recently PRAN Agro, a

sister concern of PRAN-RFL

Group, has successfully

achieved financial close of a

landmark BDT 2,100 million

(circa. US$ 25 million) nonconvertible,

redeemable

bond. It is the first such bond

guaranteed by Guarant Co or

other international DFIs, the

first to be subscribed by an

international insurance

company and the country's

first directly issued digitized

bond under Private

Placement of Debt Securities

Rules. The bond will be used

to develop critical

infrastructure in the

agricultural supply chain and

support PRAN Agro's

expansion plans in the local

and export markets.

itel, a global leading brand

committed to providing

budget-friendly, high quality

consumer electronic

products boasting excellent

user experience, has

announced its first two Brand

Outlets open in Bangladesh

recently, a press release said.

By opening these two

outlets, itel has started its

new milestone in

Bangladesh. The first one is

located in Gazipur at 2nd

floor (Mobile floor) of

Anupam Super Market and

freewheeling Dubai, the biggest draw for

investors out of the UAE's seven

emirates, are home to thousands of

companies that have set up regional

offices there.

UAE officials have yet to issue a

statement on the G7 agreement and did

not respond to an AFP request for

comment. But this week Dubai

announced plans to reduce in the

coming months government procedures

as "part of efforts to reduce the cost of

doing business and further boost

economic growth in the emirate".

Hard-hit by the coronavirus

pandemic, the UAE has already

launched a series of reforms, including

to allow foreigners full ownership of

businesses, whereas before it was

capped at 49 percent unless based in

certain free trade zones.

Economy Minister Abdulla bin Touq

Al Marri said the changes were a bid to

boost the "competitive edge" of the

country, currently 16th in the World

Bank's ease of doing business rankings.

The UAE, which relies on its image as

an international hub, "will be keen to be

seen as part of the global system rather

than a tax haven," said Scott Livermore

of Oxford Economics Middle East.

Addressing the program,

Salman F Rahman, Private

Industry and Investment

Advisor to Prime Minister

said that bond market is a

vibrant sector and alternative

source for collecting long

term finance for

entrepreneurs along with

Bank. If more international

guarantors come in the

market, it will be strong and

others company will willing

to come. Thanks to PRAN

because it's bring new era of

alternative source of finance.

Robert Chatterton Dickson,

British High Commissioner

to Bangladesh said, "UK is

the long term development

partner for Bangladesh. The

development of capital

market is very important for

economic development. Our

investors will come to invest

the second one in Mirpur-10

at New Star Telecom-2, Shop

# 60, 2nd Floor of Shah Ali

Plaza, both has officially

opened on 14th of June.

These are one of itel's many

efforts to keep the

commitment in providing the

best brand experience to the

consumers. As they upgraded

their smartphone offerings,

itel is also expanding and

enhancing their store

operations in order to

provide better consumer

experience wherever you are

here if the market become

grow."

Md. Sirazul Islam,

Executive Chairman at

Bangladesh Investment

Development Authority

(BIDA) said, that the

initiative of PRAN Agrois an

inspiration for others

company. It will motivate

other business for collecting

long term finance. BIDA is

working to ease the doing

business in the country.

Professor Shibli Rubayat-

Ul-Islam, Chairman at

Bangladesh Securities and

Exchange Commission

(BSEC) said, "I am happy to

give the approval of the bond.

I hope, others company will

follow PRAN. We have

introduced various bond and

trying to promote it. He urge

to Gurant co to engage more

in Bangladesh.

Additionally, consumers

can also expect upgraded

services and product

experience with a more

professional support team,

the product immersion area

is also available for display

and trial. To make the brand

outlet opening more

memorable and enriching on

14th of June, itel had brand

outlet opening ceremonies at

the both of the outlets in the

presence of CEO of itel

Bangladesh, Rezwanul

"The upsides of remaining on the

outside of the agreement is limited,

especially if approved by the G20 and

OECD countries," the Dubai-based

economist told AFP.

According to Livermore, even if

businesses in the country see an increase

in tax burden, the government was likely

to "consolidate and simplify fees", as is

the case in Luxembourg and Malta,

where multiple exemptions lower the

final bill considerably.

"Already the authorities have realised

the importance of broader business and

social environment for attracting and

retaining foreign investment and talent,"

he said.

"This has been demonstrated by the

raft of visa and business reforms

announced over the past year."

Many foreign executives are attracted

to the lifestyle in Abu Dhabi and

especially Dubai. The two emirates are

air hubs and offer a variety of luxury

services that depend on a migrant labour

force largely from South Asian countries.

The UAE's low tax regime has been a

"major carrot to dangle" before investors

from abroad, said Robert Mogielnicki,

senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf

States Institute in Washington.

PRAN’s success a milestone for Bond market

in the country's bond

market."

Ahsan Khan Chowdhury,

Chairman and CEO at

PRAN-RFL Group said,

"Bond market is yet to

develop completely in

Bangladesh. But BSEC is

doing best for it. We hope, it

will develop and

entrepreneurs will come to

meet its huge financing

requirement."

Ahmed Jamal, Deputy

Governor at Bangladesh

Bank, Emily Bushby, Interim

CEO at Guarant Co, Nishant

Kumar, MD of Asia,

AlaUddin Ahmed, General

Manager at Metlife

Bangladesh were also present

at the program.Uzma

Chowdhury, Director

(Corporate Finance)

moderated the program.

itel Mobile Launches Two Brand

Outlets in Bangladesh

Haque, itel, Head of Business

Unit MD. Shafiur Alam and

Head of Marketing MD.

Asaduzzaman.

Rezwanul Haque, CEO of

itel Bangladesh said, "We are

delighted to announce the

launch our two itel brand

outlets at Anupam Super

Market at Gazipur and Shah

Ali Plaza at Mirpur-10. We

have always placed the

customer at the core of all our

business operations and

continue to endeavor to

provide them with

technologically advanced yet

affordable products

considering their needs. This

new Brand Outlets is the

extension of this promise

wherein we would be offering

our range of itel products

under one roof."

With the expansion, itel is

currently plaining to open

more outlets that aim to

bring more convenient and

professional service to the

consumers as itel believes.

With these newly opened

exclusive stores, consumers

can experience these smart

phones first hand before

purchase.

WeDNeSDAY, JuNe 16, 2021

9

Argentina's Lionel Messi in action with Chile's Tomas Alarcon during their Copa America match

on Monday.

Photo: AP

Lionel Messi free kick not enough

as Argentina held to draw by Chile

SPORTS DESK

Argentina's Lionel Messi scored one of

his trademark free kicks in the first half

but Eduardo Vargas equalised for Chile

in the second to leave honours even at

1-1 in their Copa America opener in Rio

de Janeiro on Monday, reports UNB.

When the two sides met in a World

Cup qualifier earlier this month,

Chilean goalkeeper Claudio Bravo

acrobatically saved one Messi free kick

and another hit the woodwork but this

time the Barcelona player went one

better, curling a superb set piece into

the corner of the net from 25 meters out

after 33 minutes.

Although they overcame Argentina

on penalties in the Copa America finals

of 2015 and 2016, Chile had never

beaten their neighbours over 90

Serbia's Novak Djokovic in action.

minutes in this tournament and their

task got even harder after Messi opened

the scoring.

Missing Alexis Sanchez through

injury, the Chileans nevertheless

battled back to equalise 13 minutes into

the second half in rather fortunate

circumstances after a VAR consultation

led to them being awarded a penalty

kick.

Arturo Vidal's powerful shot was

superbly tipped on to the bar by

Emiliano Martinez but Vargas followed

up to head home the rebound.

The game was played in a deserted

Nilton Santos stadium, the site of the

track and field events at the 2016

Olympic Games, with both sides getting

bogged down on a poor pitch.

Chile will be happier with a point

than Argentina, who have now drawn

four of their last five games.

The Argentines, with Messi always

dangerous but Stuttgart winger Nicolas

Gonzalez profligate in front of goal, had

more chances to win all three points.

"We had six or seven clear chances

and we missed them and Chile got a

good draw," said keeper Martinez. "The

chances we made today were enough to

win by four- or five-one."

Chile, though, are nothing if not

resilient and they defended stoutly

throughout and particularly during the

final moments when their opponents

threw balls into the box looking for a

winner.

Paraguay take on Bolivia in the

second Group A game later on Monday,

with Uruguay, the fifth team in the

section, debuting on Friday.

Why reducing speed on his first serve

helped Novak Djokovic in French Open

SPORTS DESK

When Novak Djokovic stepped up to

serve at 4-3 in the deciding set against

Stefanos Tsitsipas, he decided to

change a tactic on his serve. It was a

gutsy decision to drastically reduce the

pace on his first serve at that point in

the French Open final, but it could be

rewarding if he had gritty

groundstrokes to back it up - and he

did, reports UNB.

The 19-time Grand Slam champion

is not the biggest server, but can still

pack a punch on his first serve with the

ability to send the ball at nearly 200

kmph. But at that point in the match,

he dropped the pace down to the 140s,

not focusing too much on angles, but

instead making sure the point was

activated.

It was a tactic to not give his

opponent a look at the second serve,

opined 12-time men's doubles Grand

Slam champion Mark Woodforde on

commentary. "He's trusting his

groundstrokes."

A slower first serve meant a muchreduced

chance of an ace or service

winner, and Tsitsipas could easily get

the ball back in play. But that worked

well for Djokovic, who had started to

anticipate everything the Greek threw

at him by then.

"(I) felt physically, anticipation

maybe, just movement on the court,

everything felt much more fresh and

much better than before (from

Djokovic). I kind of felt like he could

read my game a bit better suddenly,"

Tsitsipas said about his opponent after

the match. How drastically had the

speed dropped?

In his semifinal against Rafael Nadal,

Djokovic's average service speed was

clocked at 185 kmph. It dropped down

to 175 kmph against Tsitsipas. And the

serves in his final two service games

had an effect on the mark.

Djokovic started to serve with less

pace and more kick (ball jumps up

after the bounce) on it. The speed had

dropped to the 140s (the slowest

measured at 133 kmph), instead of the

170s and 180s he had been serving in

the previous games (his fourth set

average was 180 kmph).

In the last 12 points of the match on

Djokovic's serve, seven were below the

150 mark, and he won five of them.

Why was Djokovic trying to protect

his second serve?

The Djokovic second serve is what an

opponent can target, especially when

desperately looking to win back a

break. And the Serb did not have a

stellar record on second serve

throughout the tournament.

In the six matches before the final,

Djokovic served 206 second serves,

winning 114 of them at 55 per cent.

Against Tsitsipas his win percentage

was 53, and the Greek had significantly

attacked Djokovic's second serve in the

first set (winning nine of 12 points).

Therefore, in the final stages of the

match, when Djokovic needed to

simply hold his two remaining service

games, he decided to reduce the pace to

ensure the ball landed inside the box

and Tsitsipas would have no looks at a

second serve.

Was there a risk in the tactic?

There is always a possibility that the

opponent may thump the ball back for

a return winner, but that's an unlikely

scenario - especially considering

Djokovic's defensive and anticipatory

skills.

"It's not that Djokovic had a shoulder

problem and was serving slowly. If that

was the case, you'd change your returnof-serve

stance, you'd come closer to

the baseline because you know the

opponent cannot serve over 150,"

explains India Davis Cup coach

Zeeshan Ali.

"Here it was a tactical decision by

Djokovic to reduce the speed. That

didn't mean that at 40-30, he'd serve at

150, he could easily go up to 180 or 190.

So Tsitsipas cannot change his stance,

you can only react."

Djokovic sent a 142 kmph serve on

the first point while serving for the title.

He sent a strong 190 kmph wide on

match point, which got a weak sliced

return.

More than the stance though, there's

psychology that comes into play.

"Even though the serve is coming at

145-150, psychologically hitting a

winner off a first serve is never easy.

First of all, you don't know whether it's

coming at 150 or 180. Psychologically,

hitting a winner off a second serve is

easier because you're invariably

looking at putting pressure on that

serve. On the first serve, you're looking

at getting a good return back to get into

the rally," Ali adds.

Photo: AP

Mushfiq named

ICC Player of the

Month for May

SPORTS DESK

The International Cricket

Council (ICC) on Monday

announced the winners of

the ICC Player of the Month

Awards for May which

recognise and celebrate the

best performances from

both male and female

cricketers across all forms of

international cricket

throughout the year, reports

UNB.

Wicket-keeper batsman

Mushfiqur Rahim has been

voted as the ICC Player of

the Month for May 2021.

The International Cricket

Council (ICC) today

announced the winners of

the ICC Player of the Month

Awards for May which

recognise and celebrate the

best performances from

both male and female

cricketers across all forms of

international cricket

throughout the year.

Mushfiqur Rahim played

one Test and three ODIs

against Sri Lanka during

this time period.

He helped Bangladesh

win their first ODI series

against Sri Lanka where he

was the best player of the

series. He scored 237 runs

in three ODIs at an average

of 79. The veteran cricketer

also scored 40 in both the

innings in the Test against

Sri Lanka at Pallekelle

earlier in the month.

Kane Williamson available to lead

New Zealand in WTC final

against India: Head coach Stead

SPORTS DESK

Kane Williamson will be

available to lead New

Zealand against India in the

World Test Championship

final, head coach Gary Stead

announced on Tuesday as he

unveiled a 15-man squad for

the marquee clash starting

June 18, reports UNB.

Williamson was forced to

miss the second Test against

England due to an elbow

injury and Tom Latham had

led New Zealand to a

comfortable eight-wicket

win, which had sealed a

series triumph for the

visitors.

Wicket-keeper BJ

Watling, who too had

missed the second Test due

to a back injury, has also

been named in the squad.

"Kane and BJ have

certainly benefitted from

their week of rest and

rehabilitation and we expect

them to be fit and available

for the final," Stead said at a

press conference after the

team's arrival here for the

WTC final starting June 18.

"Playing in a World Cup

Final is a really special

occasion and I know the

guys are looking forward to

getting into their work here

in Southampton," he added.

Stead said their victory

over

England

notwithstanding, it is going

to be a tough challenge

facing India.

"India are a world class

outfit who possess match

winners all through their

line-up, so we're under no

illusion about how tough

they will be to beat," he said.

New Zealand will go into

the clash with one specialist

spinner in 32-year-old leftarm

spinner Ajaz Patel and

all-rounder Colin de

Grandhomme.

Will Young is their

specialist batting cover,

while Tom Blundell is the

back-up wicket-keeper.

"We've gone with Ajaz as

our specialist spinner after

an impressive outing at

Edgbaston and we believe he

could be a factor at the Ageas

Bowl," Stead said.

"Colin's been an integral

member of our Test set-up

for many years and it was

great to see him return at

Lord's after a long injury layoff.

"He's a proven performer

at the top level and we back

him to do a job with the bat

or the ball if called upon."

New Zealand have left out

Kane Williamson will lead the Kiwi side in the WTC final against India.

Zimbabwe are

confident of

hosting

Bangladesh series

SPORTS DESK

The Bangladesh Cricket

Board (BCB) is confident

about the national team's

next month's tour in

Zimbabwe despite the rise

of Covid-19 cases there,

which forced the

Zimbabwean government to

impose a strict lockdown,

reports UNB.

BCB CEO Nizam Uddin

Chowdhury said he spoke to

the CEO of the Zimbabwe

Cricket Board on morning

(Monday) and understood

that they are quite

optimistic and confident

about the upcoming series.

"Zimbabwe government

has stopped all kinds of

sports as a result of the rise

of Covid-19 cases. The

Zimbabwe Cricket Board

has informed us that they

are in talks with the

government to continue

cricket," Chowdhury told

the reporters here.

"I spoke to their CEO this

morning. He said they were

in talks with the government

to keep the series on and

were optimistic. We have

been in touch with them

regarding this."

Team Bangladesh will

leave the country on June

29 to play a full series

against Zimbabwe. The

Tigers are scheduled to play

one Test, three ODIs and an

equal number of T20s in the

series.

five players from their 20-

man squad, including Doug

Bracewell, Jacob Duffy,

Daryl Mitchell, Rachin

Ravindra and Mitchell

Santner.

"It's not easy to say

goodbye to guys who have

given so much to the group.

Doug, Jacob and Rachin

have been selfless in their

attitude to helping the team

and supporting those in the

playing XI.

"With our squad being

reduced, Heinrich and our

second physio Vijay Vallabh

will return home to New

Zealand on June 16, along

with Jacob, Rachin and

Mitchell. We wish them well

and thank them for their

efforts," said Stead.

"There's had to be some

tough calls with Mitchell and

Daryl victims of the fierce

competition we currently

have for places in the Test

side," he added.

New Zealand Squad:

Kane Williamson ©, Tom

Blundell, Trent Boult, Devon

Conway, Colin de

Grandhomme, Matt Henry,

Kyle Jamieson, Tom

Latham, Henry Nicholls,

Ajaz Patel, Tim Southee,

Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner BJ

Watling and Will Young.

(File Photo)

Tokyo organizers roll

out final editions of

COVID rule books

SPORTS DESK

IOC Vice President John Coates arrived in

Tokyo on Tuesday, the same day that

organizers and the International Olympic

Committee were set to roll out the third

and final edition of their so-called

Playbooks, reports UNB.

Coates is the International Olympic

Committee's official in charge of

overseeing the Tokyo Games. He has been

a controversial figure in Japan, saying the

postponed Olympics would go ahead even

if the country were under a state of

emergency.

Organizers confirmed Coates' arrival

from Australia. Officials last week said he

would be quarantined for three days,

followed by 11 days of restricted activities

during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Coates arrives with Tokyo and other

parts of Japan under a state of emergency

until June 20, but with reported new cases

falling and a slow vaccine rollout finally

speeding up. Less than 5% of Japanese

have been fully vaccinated.

The IOC says more that 80% of those

staying in the Olympic Village will be fully

vaccinated, although it did not provide

details how it reached that conclusion.

The Japanese medical community has

largely opposed holding these Olympics in

Tokyo, arguing the risks are too great. The

government's main medical adviser Dr.

Shigeru Omi has said it's abnormal to hold

the Olympics during a pandemic.

The Playbooks are COVID-19 rule books

for athletes and all others entering Japan to

participate in the Olympics.

The second version, published in April,

was criticized last month in an editorial by

The New England Journal of Medicine that

said, among other things, that the

Playbooks are not built on scientifically

rigorous risk assessment."

The final version is not expected to

deliver major changes, but likely more

small details for everyone from athletes to

media, broadcasters, and tens of thousands

of support staff. The April version

specified: All participants will have to pass

two COVID-19 tests before leaving their

home country. And they will be tested upon

arrival in Japan.

Athletes will be tested daily, as will those

in close proximity to athletes. Other games

participants will be tested daily for the first

three days, and then as required.

All games participants must use

dedicated vehicles and avoid public

transportation for the first 14 days.

Games participants will avoid a 14-day

quarantine rule for entering Japan, but to

do so they must fill out a schedule listing

their plans for that period, and also

download a tracking app. Since the second

edition was published, organizers have said

participants' movement will be monitored

by GPS, and that they must sign a pledge to

follow the rules. In addition, athletes must

sign a waiver in regard to any harm

suffered by COVID-19.

Fans from abroad have been banned, and

organizers say a decision on having any

local fans at Olympic venues will be

announced by the end of the month.

The IOC is pushing ahead, partly because

it gets almost 75% of its revenue from

selling broadcast rights. That income flow

has been stalled during the postponement

of the Tokyo Games. In addition, Japan has

officially spent $15.4 billion or organize the

Olympics, although government audits say

the figure is much larger.

WEDNEssDAY, JUNE 16, 2021

10

Mithila with office work

during shooting

TBT REPORT

Rafiath Rashid Mithila is a

Bangladeshi actress, singer,

model and development worker.

Mithila has been working in

BRAC International for a long

time. Since the inception of

Corona, she has been a regular

office worker under Work from

Home. That is why she is now

able to act in dramas, telefilms

and movies more freely than

before. Because during the

shooting, Mithila was able to get

involved with the official work by

taking the laptop with the

permission of the director. She

can also attend the meeting.

Those who are working with

Mithila are accepting her busy

schedule and making dramas,

telefilms and even movies about

her.

Mithila has also acted in four /

five plays on last Eid. This Eid

seems to be a little more than

that, said Mithila. Mithila said

that she has already completed

the work of the play 'Ami Mithila

Na' directed by GautamKairi.

The play is based on the story of

two people who look alike.

Mithila got a lot of fun by acting

in this play. The short film 'Tia

Pakhi' written by ManzrulShibli,

directed by Abu Hayat Mahmud,

'Ibrahim Darsadhah' directed by

Hasan Rezaul, 'Together'

directed by PreetiDutt and a play

on Father's Day have been

completed.

She has also completed the

work of the play 'AntarjaliJatra'

written and directed by Rakesh

Basu. Mithila has also started

work on a telefilm titled

'Sahasika' directed by Tanim

Rahman Anshu from yesterday.

Her co-stars in this telefilm are

Ashish Khandaker, Manoj and

many more. Speaking about

working this Eid, Mithila said,

"Honestly, I always miss acting.

Now I can work a lot

independently. Because I still

work from home - that's how I

work. In between shootings, with

the permission of the director, I

do not sit on the laptop office or

attend emergency meetings. I

have done some very good script

work. There are some better

scripts at hand.

However, due to the

lockdown in Corona, the work

of my first movie (Amanush

directed by AnanyaMamun) is

stuck. Within a few days

Mithila will be working in three

dramas of Abu Hayat Mahmud,

GautamKairi, AhnafArif.

Mithila, meanwhile, is pursuing

a PhD in Early Childhood

Education.

The creator of love songs: KG Mostafa

TBT REPORT

The two most timeless and most popular

love songs in Bangladeshi cinema are

'TomareLegecheEtoJehBhalo Chand Bujhi

Ta Jaane' and 'Ainaate Oi MukhDekhbe

Jahan'. The first of the two songs is from the

movie 'Rajdhanir Buke' starring Rahman

and Shabnam directed by Ehtesham and

the second song is from the movie

'NacherPutul' starring Razzak-Shabnam

directed by Ashok Ghosh. Robin Ghosh is

the composer of both the songs. Talat

Mahmood sang the song

'TomareLegecheEtoJehBhalo' and the

audience enjoyed it on the lips of hero

Rahman.

On the other hand, Mahmudunnabi sang

the song 'Ainaate Oi

MukhDekhbeJahan'and the audience on

the screen enjoyed the lip of the hero Raj

Razzak. The lyricist of these two popular

songs in Bangladeshi cinema is the living

legend lyricist KG Mostafa. The renowned

poet, lyricist, journalist and columnist is

living in a kind of quiet seclusion in

Azimpur of the capital. It cannot be that

those who are music lovers have not heard

these two songs written by KG Mostafa.

After two songs, KG Mostafa wrote many

more songs. But if he hadn't written any more

songs after that, one KG Mostafa would have

been immortalized through these two songs.

KG Mostafa is still writing songs. The song

titled 'Bose AciJanalayOpekkhaNiye' is the

latest song written by him. The song is sung by

Mamun Zahid. The opportunity to listen to

the songs of this generation of artists has been

very low.

However, when the time comes, he

listens to the songs of the new generation of

artists. KG Mostafa, the creator of

thousands of songs in the movie, said,

'Many artists of this generation have had

the opportunity to listen to songs.

However, the melody of their songs does

not stay in the mind for a long time,

similarly the lyrics of their songs lack a lot

of poetry. There are many melodious

voices in this generation. Those voices have

to be used. Let the melody of their voices

remain in our minds for a long time.

Heard going to be highest paid actresses in Hollywood

One has to really grow the

thickest skin if they want to

step in the shoes of Amber

Heard, who is the most hated

actor on the Internet right.

What movement began with

Johnny Depp's Libel Trial

refuses to subside, and many

have been asking for her exit

from 'AquamanAnd The Lost

Kingdom'.

But while all that hate

remains, that is not stopping

her from conquering what she

aims for.

For the unversed, Amber's

presence in 'AquamanAnd The

Lost Kingdom' in itself is

questioned for a year now.

Fans of Johnny Depp and the

ones who feel the world has

been partial towards him want

Heard to be thrown out from

the DC saga. However, while

that continues to be spoken

about, the latest reports claims

that the sequel to the Atlantis

drama is making her one of

the highest-paid actors in

Hollywood. Read on to know

everything you should about

the trending update of the day.

It isn't a hidden fact that the

success of Aquaman did turn

out to be profitable for

everyone involved in the team.

This also means, that there

had to be a potential hike in

the remuneration Jason

Momoa and Amber Heard

took home.

But now if the reports go by

Amber has taken a heftier

amount than enough to make

her sit on the throne of the

highest-paid actress in

Hollywood.

Daniel Richtman, the Intel,

says that 'AquamanAnd The

Lost Kingdom' will put her on

the list. The Intel does not give

any figures to his speculations.

However, as per the report,

the first film gave Amber

Heard at least $5 million

upfront, and the numbers in

the sequel must have doubled

up to $10 Million.

Source: Indian Express

Rohit Shetty's cop drama

'Sooryavanshi' starring Akshay

Kumar and Katrina Kaif is one of

the much-anticipated films. The

film has been postponed multiple

times due to the coronavirus

pandemic. A latest report claims

that the film is getting ready to

release on August 15 and the

CEO of Reliance Entertainment

Shibasish Sarkar talks about the

update.

'Sooryavanshi' was earlier

slated to release on April 30 this

year. However, the makers

postponed the film's release

indefinitely owing to the surge in

coronavirus cases in

Maharashtra. The decision came

a day later Maharashtra

government announced a night

curfew and a weekend lockdown

to curb the rising COVID-19

cases in the state.

Since then the rumour mills

have been suggesting that

Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif

starrer be released on August 15.

However, now CEO of Reliance

Entertainment Shibasish Sarkar

has debunked these rumours.

Talking to SpotboyE, Sarkar said,

"In the last 18 months I am

supposed to have released

'Sooryavanshi' at least ten times.

Rohit Shetty is shooting 'Khatron

KeKhiladi' outside India. Once

he's back in India we will sit down

together and discuss the release."

Going by his statement, Rohit

Shetty's cop drama

Sooryavanshi's release date is

undecided. It is also worth

pointing out that there is no

clarity on the government's

stance regarding the re-opening

of movie theatres. Even if the

theatres were to open in July

getting audiences to return to

movie theatres won't be an easy

task.

So several filmmakers,

including Rohit Shetty, have

adopted the wait-and-watch

policy for now.

Produced by Reliance

Entertainment, 'Sooryavanshi'

stars Akshay Kumar and Katrina

Kaif in lead roles. Ajay Devgn and

Ranveer Singh will play pivotal

roles, as Rohit Shetty aimed to

complete its cop universe that

began with 'Singham' in 2011,

followed by 'Singham Returns'

(2014) and 'Simmba' (2018).

Source: Times Of India

9th Liberation DocFest concludes,

'3 Logical Exits' wins top prize

TBT REPORT

The 9th edition of Liberation

DocFest Bangladesh concluded

on Saturday, crowning Mahdi

Fleifel (Denmark/Lebanon)

directed "3 Logical Exits" as the

best film of the International

Competition section.

The five-day festival also

awarded the film "Why Not" in

the National Competition

section, directed by Shekh Al

Mamun.

The 9th edition of the fest drew

a tremendous response and

participation from film

enthusiasts around the world by

providing a breathing space for

all amid the coronavirus

pandemic for the second year in a

row, Organized annually by the

Liberation War Museum

(LWM), the edition wrapped up

with a concluding and awardgiving

ceremony on Saturday

night via Zoom. The closing

ceremony was joined by

legendary actor and former

'Sooryavanshi' to release

on August 15

Cultural Affairs Minister

Asaduzzaman Noor MP,

Liberation War Museum Trustee

MofidulHoque, award-winning

filmmaker, educator and also late

filmmaker TarequeMasud's wife

and Chairperson of

TarequeMasud Memorial Trust

(TMMT) Catherine Masud, one

of the National Competition

jurors AlamKhorshed, festival

director Tareq Ahmed and

participating filmmakers from

the different regions of the world.

Lauding the success of the

festival, Asaduzzaman Noor

said: "I express my heartfelt

gratitude on behalf of our

Liberation War Museum, to

everyone concerned with the

9th Liberation DocFest

Bangladesh, supported by the

Dhaka DocLab.

These young filmmakers are

working with various limitations.

Still, they managed to tell and are

continuously telling great stories

about liberation, freedom and

independence." "Viewers and

makers couldn't come to the

LWM and enjoy the festival live

due to the pandemic, yet

everyone successfully

contributed to organizing the

DocFest this year in this new

virtual medium. We will see each

other, shake hands and have tea

or coffee together in a better

future, celebrating the untold

stories," Noor said at the event.

Catherine Masud lauded the

organizers and participating

filmmakers from home and

abroad, saying: "In our time,

TarequeMasud and I tried to

portray the truth against all

threats and censorship. To the

young filmmakers, I urge you to

never feel afraid of telling your

stories through documentaries

like these. We will never rise if we

rise alone. We must rise

together."

H O ROscOPE

ARIEs

(March 21 - April 20) : You may feel

nostalgic as you look through photo

albums, rearrange furniture, and

remember past times, Aries. Your mind will touch on

emotional events that you may not have fully dealt

with at the time they happened. Old feelings that you

thought were gone could well up and bring tears to

your eyes. Honestly face these feelings now instead of

stuffing them back down for another decade.

TAURUs

(April 21 - May 21) : You could

be operating based on an

assumption that's only a partial

representation of the truth. In your effort to

think about only the good side of the situation,

Taurus, you may not see the entire truth.

There's a downside to everything. Feelings of

anger, frustration, and even loneliness may go

along with it.

GEMINI

(May 22 - June 21) : If you're

experiencing emotional upheaval,

Gemini, you may take heart in

knowing that other people are going through

their own emotional turmoil as well. You will

know that you aren't alone in your quest for

emotional stability. Share your feelings with

others instead of shutting them up inside. It will

help you feel better.

cANcER

(June 22 - July 23) : You may

feel like someone's giving you

the third degree, Cancer. You

sense that you're being accused of something

and that you need to defend your feelings and

actions. Try not to fall into this trap. Don't let

self-doubt sneak into the situation just

because someone else questions your way of

life. No one but you fully understands your

situation.

LEO

(July 24 - Aug. 23): Today may

be filled with "I told you so!" You

could find fault with others who

haven't dealt with the truth of a situation. Be

careful about accusing someone of the very

thing that you're guilty of, Leo. Penetrating

emotions will cut to the heart of the matter, and

there will be no way to escape the hole you dig

for yourself. Don't criticize others when until you

take an honest look at yourself.

VIRGO

(Aug. 24 - Sept. 23): Most of the time

you deal with the facts, Virgo. Facts

are things you can grasp, categorize,

and make rational sense of. Unfortunately, today

some of your facts may be challenged by one of the

things you fear most - intense emotions. The

ensuing friction is like dealing with apples and

oranges.

LIBRA

(Sept. 24 - Oct. 23): It will be

hard to deal with emotional

issues that arise. A strong misleading force

is feeding the illusion that things are fine

when they really aren't. Stop pretending

that everything is going well, Libra. The

sooner you face the truth, the sooner it will

stop plaguing you. Confront the deception

directly.

scORPIO

(Oct. 24 - Nov. 22): Don't automatically

assume that people are going to

understand your needs, Scorpio. Your emotions may

be powerful today, and you could end up scaring

people away instead of drawing them closer simply

because you act irrationally and emotionally instead of

reasonably and civilly. Be careful about targeting your

frustration at the people who can help you the most.

sAGITTARIUs

(Nov. 23 - Dec. 21): You're in a

difficult position. Things aren't

exactly what they seem,

Sagittarius. Your emotions run the show today,

and you may jump from one extreme to the other.

There's a good chance that much of what you

experience is based on misinformation. Don't get

so caught up in the drama that you fail to

recognize the truth of the situation.

cAPRIcORN

(Dec. 22 - Jan. 20): When faced

with an emotionally intense

situation, you're likely to flee,

Capricorn. You'd rather change the subject to

something more lighthearted. This form of

escapism is doing nothing to solve the

problem. In fact, by avoiding the emotional

topic, you're only creating more friction than if

you just approached the problem directly.

AQUARIUs

(Jan. 21 - Feb. 19) : With your

psychic abilities, you're liable to

shed some light on issues in

which the truth has been unclear

for quite a while, Aquarius. You can use your

sensitivity to cut to the heart of the matter and

expose the truth. This kind of behavior probably

won't come without friction from others. You

can almost guarantee that it will. Don't let it faze

you. It's important to reveal the truth.

PIscEs

(Feb. 20 - Mar. 20) : Control issues in

your home are apt to be of concern today,

Pisces. Be careful about feeding into

others' misconceptions of the situation.

You're dealing with powerful, opinionated forces that

aren't going to want to budge. Someone may have a

warped view of the true issue at hand. Lay all the facts on

the table before you start drawing any conclusions.

Judge dismisses vaccine lawsuit

from Texas hospital workers

HOUSTON : A US judge has thrown out a

lawsuit by more than 100 employees of

one of Texas's largest hospitals, who sued

after being required to get vaccinated

against Covid-19.

They argued Houston Methodist

Hospital's demand was illegal so long as

the available shots have received only

emergency use authorization from US

health authorities - though that

authorization has cleared the way for

millions of Americans to be vaccinated.

The hospital set a June 7 deadline for

workers to prove they had received at

least one dose or face termination.

Federal court Judge Lynn Hughes ruled

against Jennifer Bridges and 116 other

workers on Saturday, saying the vaccines'

safety was not at issue and Texas law only

protects employees from refusing to

commit a crime.

"Receiving a Covid-19 vaccination is not

an illegal act, and it carries no criminal

Novavax: Large study finds COVID-19

shot about 90% effective

NEW YORK : Vaccine maker Novavax said

Monday its COVID-19 shot was highly effective

against the disease and also protected against

variants in a large study in the U.S. and Mexico,

potentially offering the world yet another

weapon against the virus at a time when

developing countries are desperate for doses,

reports UNB.

The two-shot vaccine was about 90%

effective overall, and preliminary data showed

it was safe, the American company said. That

would put the vaccine about on par with Pfizer's

and Moderna's.

While demand for COVID-19 shots in the

U.S. has dropped off dramatically and the

country has more than enough doses to go

around, the need for more vaccines around the

world remains critical. The Novavax vaccine,

which is easy to store and transport, is expected

to play an important role in boosting supplies in

poor parts of the world.

That help is still months away, however. The

company, which has been plagued by rawmaterial

shortages that have hampered

production, said it plans to seek authorization

for the shots in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere

by the end of September and will be able to

produce up to 100 million doses a month by

then.

"Many of our first doses will go to ... low- and

middle-income countries, and that was the goal

to begin with," Novavax CEO Stanley Erck said.

While more than half of the U.S. population

has had at least one vaccine dose, less than 1%

of people in the developing world have had one

shot, according to adata collection effortrun in

part by the University of Oxford.

The Novavax shot stands to become the fifth

Western-developed COVID-19 vaccine to win

clearance. The Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson

and Johnson vaccines are already authorized

for use in the U.S. and Europe. Europe also uses

AstraZeneca's formula. Novavax's study

involved nearly 30,000 people ages 18 and up.

Two-thirds received two doses of the vaccine,

three weeks apart, and the rest got dummy

shots. Nearly half the volunteers were Black,

Hispanic, Asian American or Native American,

and 6% of participants were in Mexico.

penalties," Hughes wrote. She also

reprimanded Bridges for the analogy that

the threat of being fired for not getting

vaccinated was like "forced medical

experimentation during the Holocaust."

"Equating the injection requirement to

medical experimentation in

concentration camps is reprehensible,"

Hughes wrote.

Houston houses the largest medical

complex in the world, the Texas Medical

Center, a sprawling district that includes

hospitals and research universities. The

center employs more than 106,000

healthcare workers in all, and sees some

10 million patients a year.

Across the United States, more than 173

million people - over 50 percent of the

population - have received at least one

dose of a Covid-19 vaccine so far.

And yet, surveys show that healthcare

workers have been among the greatest

vaccine skeptics.

Altogether, 37% had health problems that

made them high risk, and 13% were 65 or older.

There were 77 cases of COVID-19 - 14 in the

group that got the vaccine, the rest in

volunteers who received the dummy shots.

None in the vaccine group had moderate or

severe disease, compared with 14 in the placebo

group. One person in that group died.

The vaccine was similarly effective against

several variants, including the one first detected

in Britain that is now dominant in the U.S., and

in high-risk populations, including the elderly,

people with other health problems and frontline

workers in hospitals and meatpacking

plants.

"These consistent results provide much

confidence in the use of this vaccine for the

global population," said Dr. Paul Heath,

director of the Vaccine Institute at the

University of London and St. George's Hospital.

Side effects were mostly mild - tenderness

and pain at the injection site. There were no

reports of unusual blood clots or heart

problems, Erck said.

A study underway in Britain is testing which

of several vaccines, including Novavax's, works

best as a booster shot for people who received

the Pfizer or AstraZeneca formula. Industry

analyst Kelechi Chikere said the Novavax shot

could become a "universal booster" because of

its high effectiveness and mild side effects.

Novavax reported the results in a news

release and plans to publish them in a medical

journal, where they will be vetted by

independent experts. The Gaithersburg,

Maryland-based company previously released

findings from smaller studies in Britain and

South Africa.

COVID-19 vaccines train the body to

recognize the coronavirus, especially the spike

protein that coats it, and get ready to fight the

virus off. The Novavax vaccine is made with

lab-grown copies of that protein. That's

different from some of the other vaccines now

widely used, which include genetic instructions

for the body to make its own spike protein.

The Novavax vaccine can be stored in

standard refrigerators, making it easier to

distribute.

French nuclear firm seeks

to resolve 'performance

issue' at China plant

PARIS : A French nuclear

firm said Monday it was

working to resolve a

"performance issue" at a

plant it part-owns in China's

southern Guangdong

province, but the facility is

operating "within the safety

parameters".

"Our team is working with

relevant experts to assess the

situation and propose

solutions to address any

potential issue," Framatome

said in a statement.

3 dead in iron

mine accident in

China's Shanxi

TAIYUAN : Bodies of three

miners had been retrieved as

of 8:09 a.m. Monday after

an iron mine flooding

trapped 13 workers in

Daixian County, north

China's Shanxi Province, on

June 10.

Rescue workers are

making every effort to

search for the other miners

and sets of drainage

equipment are operating in

full capacity, according to

the headquarters in charge

of the rescue operation.

An emergency passage

was cleared on Saturday and

a new power-supply line has

been connected to allow the

use of high-power pumps.

Biden govt seeks to

defend Trump in

rape denial lawsuit

NEW YORK : President Joe

Biden's Justice Department

wants to defend Donald

Trump against a defamation

lawsuit by an American

columnist who says the expresident

raped her.

The bizarre twist in the case

brought by E. Jean Carroll

was revealed in a document

filed by Justice Department

lawyers to an appeals court in

New York on Monday.

The government's lawyers

said Trump's June 2019

denial of Carroll's allegation,

in which he said he'd never

met her and that she was "not

my type," was "crude and

disrespectful."

But they added that New

York Judge Lewis Kaplan had

been "erroneous" to rule in

October 2020 that Trump's

alleged defamatory

statements did not fall within

his official business as

president.

The department, now

headed by Merrick Garland,

stressed that Trump's

comments, made in an

interview, were within the

scope of his duties.

GD-1024/21 (5x4)

wEdNESdAY, jUNE 16, 2021

11

US Ambassador to Bangladesh Robert Miller visited the fire-damaged Mohakhali seven-storey slum

area on Tuesday.

Photo: PBA

Geneva summit stirs memories of

1985 Reagan-Gorbachev meet

GENEVA : Wednesday's talks

between US President Joe Biden and

Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin

evoke vivid memories of the 1985

Geneva summit, when Cold War rivals

Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev

met for the first time.

Despite the chilly November weather

in the Swiss city, relations began to

thaw between Washington and

Moscow as the US president and the

Soviet leader came face to face on

neutral territory.

Now some 36 years on, Biden and

Putin are set for decidedly less hopeful

talks on the placid shores of Lake

Geneva, with the echo of history

surrounding them.

Back in 1985, "the atmosphere was

relaxed… They had both lined

something up to seduce the other

camp," said former AFP correspondent

Didier Lapeyronie, who covered the

Reagan-Gorbachev talks.

"At the same time, we were all aware

that it was a historic moment."

Things got off to a bad start. Just

before US president Reagan arrived at

one of the summit locations, a Swiss

soldier waiting in the ceremonial

honour guard fainted, overcome by the

bitter cold.

Six years before the eventual collapse

of the Soviet Union, the 1985 Geneva

summit focused on de-escalating the

nuclear arms race between the two

superpowers, and came with hopes of

fostering better East-West relations.

The three-day summit was covered

by 3,500 journalists.

Nicolas Burgy, who was at Geneva

Airport for AFP to report on the

A medical team of Bangladesh Army distributing relief materials among the cholera infected persons

at Kurukpata union of Alikadam upazila under Bandarban district.

Photo : ISPR

S.Africa pulls millions of

doses of J&J vaccine

JOHANNESBURG: South Africa, which is struggling to roll out

its inoculation programme as it enters a third wave of the

coronavirus pandemic, said Sunday it will pull millions of doses

of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine following contamination

concerns at one of the US drugmaker's sites, reports BSS.

On Friday, the US Food and Drug Administration told J&J

that millions of doses produced at the group's Emergent

BioSolutions facility in the city of Baltimore were not suitable for

use. Following a review of the FDA decision, the South African

Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) said in a

statement that it had decided "not to release vaccine produced

using the drug substance batches that were not suitable".

GD-1025/21 (7 x4)

Wednesday, Dhaka, June 16, 2021, Ashar 2, 1428 BS, Zilqad 4, 1442 Hijri

Muhtasim receives Indian

Book of Records award

On the occasion of the 35th founding anniversary of SSF, a painting was presented to

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at Ganobhaban by SSF Director General Major General

Md. Mojibur Rahman.

Photo : Star Mail

SSF to be modernised

further:PM

DHAKA : Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina on Tuesday said the Special

Security Force (SSF) will be developed

as a modern force amid the changing

patterns of crimes with the advent of

advanced technologies.

"We can develop our lifestyle using

modern technologies. But the criminals

engaged in terrorism and militancy also

can commit crimes of new patterns

using the technologies at the same

time," Hasina said.

She was addressing a special darbar

(gathering) arranged, marking the 35th

founding anniversary of the Special

Security Force (SSF).

The Prime Minister virtually joined

the function at the Prime Minister's

Office through a videoconference from

her official residence Ganobhaban.

Noting that the science and technology

create risks alongside creating scopes

for people, she said, "This is why, we

always try to equip this special force

with modern training and enhance

their efficiency regularly keeping pace

with the modern age."

Hasina said the government has

already created a scope for the members

of this force to have training both

at home and abroad. "We're also creating

greater scopes for this force."

Mentioning that the geopolitics and

crime world constantly change, she said

modern technologies are making life

more dynamic and expanding the

spheres of work (of the security forces)

as the criminals and militants are also

taking advantage of the advanced technologies.

She said the terrorists and militants

frequently change their strategies and

resort to new types of crimes with the

help of new technology.

Private operators demand

fixing LPG price on

‘practical assessment’ basis

DHAKA : Private operators of LPG have

demanded the Bangladesh Energy

Regulatory Commission (BERC) to set

the price of their products on the basis

of "practical assessment" operating cost,

reports UNB.

"We want BERC to fix the LPG price

on the basis of practical assessment, not

on assumption", said Azam J

Chowdhury, president of LPG Operators

Association of Bangladesh (LOAB), at a

press conference at a hotel in the city on

Tuesday.

He claimed that the LPG operators

have been incurring huge losses following

the price fixed by the energy regulator

as the operating cost was not properly

calculated. He also alleged that local

administrations have been arresting

many local distributors for which they

are suspending their business.

The function was also addressed by

Tanzeem Chowdhury of Omera LPG,

Zakaria Jalal of Bashundhara LPG.

It may be mentioned that the BERC

has been announcing a fixed price of

LPG for every month in compliance with

a High Court order since April this year

for which the LPG now stands at Tk 842

instead of previous price of over Tk

1000.

Recently, the BERC again decided to

DHAKA : The International

Organization for Migration (IOM) has

said it is working closely with the

Government and the humanitarian

community to ramp up the delivery of a

wide range of support services for

Rohingyas and host communities in

Cox's Bazar district to fight Covid-19,

reports UNB.

"It is imperative to strengthen our

assistance and not let the situation deteriorate

any further before it becomes

impossible for the existing healthcare

services to cope," said Manuel Marques

hold a public hearing on July 7 next to

re-set its pricing formula in response to

a demand of the LPG operators and

against this backdrop, the press conference

was convened by the LOAB.

Explaining the current formula of LPG

pricing Azam Chowdhury said the BERC

fixes the price on the basis of a fixed-cost

and some variable operating costs.

"We don't have any difference of opinion

with BERC on fixed cast as it is

related with the Saudi CP (contract

price), he said adding if the regulator

fails to fix the LPG price on a practical

basis an uncertainty will create in business

and the regulator will fully be

responsible for it.

"Because, the BERC's behavior will

force many operators to stop their business

to avert losses", he added.

In a presentation, Zakaria Jalal

claimed that there is a gap of Tk 150

between their calculation of operating

cost and the calculation of BERC.

He said BERC did not consider an

administrative cost of Tk 50 per 12 kg

LPG while distribution cost was calculated

at Tk 20 against actual cost of Tk

40, retailer's cost was calculated at Tk

27 again actual cost of Tk 80 cylinder

cost was estimated at Tk 28 against a

cost of Tk 56.

Pereira, IOM Deputy Chief of Mission in

Bangladesh.

A second wave of COVID-19 is ravaging

South Asia, including Bangladesh,

said IOM on Tuesday.

Following an upsurge in COVID-19

cases in May, local authorities imposed a

strict lockdown in five Rohingya refugee

camps in the Teknaf and Ukhiya subdistricts

in Cox's Bazar.

Preparations for the vaccination campaign

for the over 900,000 Rohingyas

living in the camps are ongoing, but a

launch date has yet to be confirmed,

PM's intervention

sought over female

officials in FF

guard of honour

SANGSAD BHABAN : Jatiya

Samajtantrik Dal MP Shirin Akhter on

Tuesday demanded intervention of

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to prevent

the implementation of the recommendation

of a parliamentary committee

to exclude women officers during

'Guard of Honour' given to the freedom

fighters after their death, reports UNB.

"I am surprised, shocked and upset,

my colleagues have made such recommendations,"

she said while speaking

on a point of order in parliament.

She said that as per the Constitution

of the country there can be no discrimination

between men and women.

"We are stunned when this happens

in that country," Shirin Akhter, also

general secretary of Jasod said.

Leader of the House and Prime

Minister Sheikh Hasina was present in

Parliament at the time.

The parliamentary standing committee

on Liberation War Affairs ministry

on June 13 recommended taking necessary

measures to find alternatives to a

female upazila nirbahi officer's presence

during the guard of honour given

to valiant freedom fighters after their

deaths. Speaking on this issue, Shirin

Akhter said that the parliamentary

committee has argued that since

women cannot take part in the namaze-janaza,

they cannot give guard of

honor to the valiant freedom fighters.

Shirin argued that janaza and guard

of honor are not the same thing.

"Such recommendation has come from

the pro-liberation forces at a time when

radicalism is growing across the country.

I seek the intervention of the Prime

Minister so that such an unwanted decision

is not implemented," she added.

Bangladesh continues

to report alarming

Covid deaths

DHAKA : The Covid-19 situation in

Bangladesh keeps worsening as 50 new

deaths and 3,319 infections were recorded

in 24 hours till 8 am Tuesday, reports

UNB.

The positivity rate fell slightly to

14.27% on Tuesday from Monday's

14.80%, said a handout issued by the

Directorate General of Health Services

(DGHS). With the new figures, the

country's death toll now stands at

13,222 while the caseload at 833,291.

During the period, the fatality rate

remained static at 1.59%, shows the

DGHS handout. The fresh cases were

detected after testing 23,265 samples

during the period, while the country so

far tested 6,218,979 samples. As of now,

771,073 people have recovered from

Covid infections, putting the country's

recovery rate at 92.53%.

IOM ramps up health response as 2nd

wave of COVID-19 hits Cox's Bazar

IOM said. To enhance surveillance and

early detection, since early 2020, IOM

has been running two severe acute respiratory

infections treatment centres

inside the refugee camps.

Following the Government and

Health Sector's recommendations this

May, IOM quickly scaled up their capacity

from 120 beds to 173.

The two health centres, along with 10

other health facilities, collect samples

from suspected COVID-19 patients and

provide counselling on prevention and

treatment.

M KHORSHeD AlAM

Muhtasim Abshad Jisan was given

the 'Indian Humanitarian Award' by

the Indian Book of Records for his

bravery in coping and facing the

Covid-19 pandemic. The award was

presented to him through a virtual

conference on June 6.

He is the only person from

Bangladesh to receive this award in

the Indian Book of Records. The

award is presented through a virtual

ceremony due to the global epidemic.

On December 8, 2018, some visionary

youth started the social organization

"Cholo Sapna Chui". However, at

other times, from the beginning of the

Covid-19, the founders and associates

of "Cholo Shopno Chui" started working

in the front line.

Although they started with relief

activities, they distributed disinfectant

sprays all over the city to raise public

awareness about the situation, drawing

safety charts at safe distances in front of

various organizations shops, posting

graffiti etc. as well as regular masks,

sanitizers, hand washes etc. among

pedestrians to raise public health

awareness.

They distributed about 27,000

masks in the COVID situation with

the help of "Karuponno". The organization

also distributed free sanitary

napkins, placing sanitary napkin

boxes in restaurant washrooms as

well as ran medical campaign to

ensure people's health care.

Muhtasim Abshad Jisan's family

hailed from Natabari village of

DHAKA : The United Nations has welcomed

the proposal of Foreign Minister

Dr AK Abdul Momen to invest in strategic

communications showcasing

women in peacekeeping in an effort to

increase their participation in peacekeeping,

reports UNB.

Dr Momen met UN Under Secretary

General (Department of Operational

Support)Atul Khare in New York on

Monday and discussed the issue.

During the meeting, the Foreign

Minister reiterated Bangladesh's commitment

to peacekeeping and thanked

the Under Secretary General for their

support to Bangladesh, especially for

including Bangladesh Biman to transport

the peacekeepers to the field.

USG Khare expressed his deep appreciation

to Bangladesh for their contribution

to peacekeeping.

He appreciated Bangladesh for its

leadership in implementing the UN's

environmental strategy in the field.

Khare also praised Bangladesh's

UN appreciates Dhaka's

proposal for showcasing

women in peacekeeping

readiness to deploy peacekeepers with

enabling assets.

The foreign minister invited Khare to

visit Bangladesh at an opportune

moment and share his insights on

peacekeeping with the audience in

Bangladesh.

Foreign Minister Momen arrived in

New York on June 13 to attend important

meetings at the United Nations.

Among others, he will attend the

joint thematic event on LDCs at the

United Nations General Assembly,

and two important events "The current

Situation in Myanmar: implication

for the Rohingya Minority" and

"Building Resilience for Sustainable

and Irreversible Graduation of the

LDCs" organised by Bangladesh,

along with other UN Member States

and UN Secretariat.

He is scheduled to meet the UN

Secretary-General, President of the

General Assembly, and other high-level

UN dignitaries during his week-long visit.

Tambulpur union in Pirgacha,

Rangpur. He is currently studying in

the first year of Environmental

Science Discipline at Khulna

University. Till date he has received

numerous awards including National

Corona Warrior Award, Human

Rights Nobel Award-2021, WAC Icon

Award-2021, WAC Star Award-2021,

and Youth Icon Award. He is also

actively involved with Leo Club of

Durbar Bangladesh, Dhrubatara

Youth Development Foundation,

Youth for Climate Action Project,

Access to Human Rights Int’l,

Volunteers for Bangladesh, Youth

Club of Bangladesh.

Muhtasim Abshad Jisan said, "I

study in a public university. We study

with the tax money paid by the general

people. Socially we have a responsibility,

even if it is from that responsibility,

we should all come forward in

these social activities, and we should

stand by the side of helpless people. I

am able to highlight Bangladesh

through my work in the international

arena. I am representing the country

in various projects in the world. In my

9 years of volunteer experience, I have

received a lot of respect, prayers and

love from many people.

God willing, this new acquisition will

also increase the desire for work. The

goal of our work is to fulfill the dreams

of the disadvantaged sections of the

society. We are working to fulfill the

dreams of helpless people. Numerous

people of the society have benefited

from our initiative. Everyone will pray

for me in the future so that I can stand

by people like this."

It's hand to mouth

budget, rather to recover

the economy : Inu

SANGSAD BHABAN : Jatiya

Samajtantrik Dal President Hasanul

Huq Inu on Tuesday said that although

the finance minister identified the priority

sectors correctly, but the budget allocation

to these sectors are not correct,

reports UNB.

"This budget is not for recovering the

economy, rather it is the budget to just

live the year from hand to mouth. There

will be growth but not the inauguration

of a well-balanced economy," he said

while taking part in the general discussion

on the budget proposals for 2021-

22 fiscal.

He claimed that there was a scope to

step outside the box accommodating the

experiences from home and abroad,

and formulate clear farsighted plan to

prepare to fight the coronavirus and

revive the economy.

"But that does not happen," he added.

Talking about lack of good governance

in the health sector, he said that

everybody knows that what is happening

in public purchasing in all sectors

including the health. He mentioned that

there is only news of corruption in the

health sector, they got less allocation,

but they could not utilise their previous

allocation properly.

Authorities on Tuesday imposed a 14-day lockdown in Damurhuda upazila of Chuadanga district

to contain the spread of Covid-19.

Photo : PBA

16-06-2021

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?