26-07-2021

Monday

DhAKA: July 26, 2021; Srabon 11, 1428 BS; Zilhaj 15,1442 hijri www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www.bangladeshtoday.net

Regd.No.DA~2065, Vol.19; N o. 96; 12 Pages~Tk.8.00

international

Residents say flood-hit

German towns got

little warning

>Page 7

SPortS

DeChambeau out of

Olympics golf after positive

virus test : PGA Tour

>Page 9

art & culture

Kona, Protic's duet

song 'Adore Adore'

>Page 10

One crore people to

be vaccinated each

month: Maleque

AsrAful IslAm AsrAf

Health Minister Zahid Maleque on

Sunday said the government has

planned to bring some 1 crore people

under its vaccination programme

each month using 21 crore vaccine

doses to be collected from different

sources.

The minister said this while talking

to reporters after visiting a field hospital

at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib

Medical University (BSMMU).

"There's no alternative to vaccination

to prevent the Covid-19 transmission,"

he said, reminding all of a

looming crisis of hospital beds as

Covid cases keep rising.

Seventy-five percent of the very

recent patients admitted to different

hospitals in Dhaka are holidaymakers

who have returned from villages

after Eid, said the minister.

"The number of Covid cases has

increased by five to six times more

following the Eid travelling," he said.

The minister said the BSMMU field

hospital opened for treating Covid

patients with 1,000 beds, including

200 ICU and HDU ones, will start

operation on Saturday next.

The increasing number of Dengue

patients at hospitals is creating a new

kind of crisis amid the risk of Covid

transmission, said Zahid Maleque.

He said the government is planning

to designate hospitals for Dengue

treatment considering the sensitivity

of the situation.

Covid-19 in Bangladesh

228 deaths,

11,291 new cases

recorded

TBT reporT

After seeing below 200 deaths for

four consecutive days, Bangladesh

again reported 228 deaths in 24 hours

as of Sunday morning.

Besides, 11,291 more people came

out Covid positive in 37,587 sample

tests during the period, said a handout

issued by the Directorate General

of Health Services (DGHS).

The new numbers took the country's

death tally to 19,274 today while

the caseload to 1,164,635.

With Covid's Delta variant spreading

fast, the country's fatalities had

been hovering at nearly 200 for the

last two weeks. It reported the highest

daily Covid-19 fatality number - 231 -

on July 19 and 13,768 infections on

the 12th of the month.

Meanwhile, the daily test positivity

rate decreased to 30. 04% from

Saturday's 32.55 %, while the World

Health Organization (WHO) recommends

a 5% or below rate.

However, the case fatality rate

remained static at 1.65% during the

period, said the DGHS.

The recovery rate rose to 85.77%

with 10,524 patients recovering during

the 24- hour period.

Zohr

04:03 AM

12:10 PM

04:43 PM

06:48 PM

08:12 PM

5:25 6:45

Eid holidays saw lower tests,

higher infections: DGHS

DHAKA : Although the number of

Covid tests marked a sharp fall during

the eid holidays, the rate of infection

of the virus did not fall in the country,

said the Directorate General of Health

Services (DGHS) on Sunday, reports

UNB.

"The number of tests was low as a little

number of samples was collected

during the last seven days due to the eid

holidays.

As a result, the total number of

patients has declined. But in terms of

percentage, the infection rate did not

fall below 30 percent. Instead, the

infection rate was 32.55 percent on

July 24 (Saturday)," said DGHS

spokesman Prof Nazmul Islam.

Speaking at a virtual press briefing

on the country's Covid situation, he

said the number of sample collection

and Covid tests will increase significantly

within a few days.

Nazmul said Dhaka is the worst-hit

district in terms of Covid infection

with more than four lakh identified

DHAKA : Japan eyes three special economic

zones (SEZs), including the one

at Araihajar, Narayanjanj, to give a big

boost to Japanese investment in

Bangladesh but things depend on the

success of the first one, says Japanese

Ambassador to Bangladesh Naoki Ito,

reports UNB.

"This (Araihajar EZ) should provide

the best possible environment and the

best possible incentives for the investors,"

he said, adding that a special economic

zone is a very important key to invite an

increasing number of Japanese companies

to invest in Bangladesh.

Ambassador Ito said he has been

advocating that Araihajar should be

the best possible economic zone in

Asia, beating its rivals in countries

like Vietnam, Myanmar and the

Philippines.

The envoy said they will look into

opportunities at Mirsarai under

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Shilpa

Nagar, being developed on a contiguous

land of 30,000 acres, and a possible

economic zone in Maheshkhali-

Matarbari area if Araihajar becomes

successful.

He shared the plans on the three

potential economic zones for the

Japanese investors in Bangladesh while

virus cases.

He said the other badly affected districts

are Chittagong Cumilla Sylhet,

Bogra, Narayanganj, Khulna and

Faridpur. Nazmul said Rajshahi is the

least affected district with only 16,416

patients.

In terms of divisional death rate, the

DGHS official said Dhaka is now on

top followed by Khulna.

Dr Nazmul said lockdown is an

effective way to slow down virus

transmission. "We'll be able to contain

the uptrend of the virus transmission

by making the ongoing lockdown a

success with active support from all."

He urged those eligible for vaccination

to complete the registration

through the government-approved

'Surokkha' app to receive the vaccine

doses quickly.

Replying to a question, Nazmul said

experts are examining the mobile ventilators

that came from the United States.

"These ventilators will be set up at different

places based on necessity."

With eye on 3 SEZs, Japan wants

to boost its investment in BD

responding to questions at a virtual dialogue

titled "Bangladesh-Japan

Relations: Prognosis for the Future"

where he delivered the keynote speech.

Cosmos Foundation, the philanthropic

arm of the Cosmos Group, hosted

the dialogue as part of its ongoing

Ambassador's Lecture Series.

The opening remarks were delivered

by the Cosmos Foundation Chairman

Enayetullah Khan. The session was

chaired by Dr Iftekhar Ahmed

Chowdhury, renowned scholar-diplomat

and former Advisor on Foreign

Affairs of Bangladesh Caretaker Govt.

Md Abul Kalam Azad, Special Envoy,

Climate Vulnerable Forum; Hayakawa

Yuho, Chief Representative, JICA

Bangladesh Office; Dr Salehuddin

Ahmed, former Governor, Bangladesh

Bank; Prof Masaaki Ohashi, Professor,

University of the Sacred Heart, Tokyo;

Manzurul Huq, Columnist, writer and

academic; Prof Takahara Akio, Dean,

Graduate School of Public Policy, the

University of Tokyo and Ambassador

(Retd) Tariq A Karim, Honorary

Advisor Emeritus, Cosmos Foundation

comprised the panel of discussants.

Ambassador Ito said the Economic

Zone at Araihajar will be ready for its

operation by the end of the next year.

Two buses and several private cars caught fire in a motor workshop and garage behind

madhumita Hall in the capital's motijheel on sunday. After the fire broke out, the fire service

members brought it under control.

photo : TBT

Bangladesh snatch a five-wicket victory and thereby won the three-match T20 International

series by 2-1 at Harare sports Club on sunday.

photo : Zimbabwe Cricket Twitter

Indian Railways'

Oxygen Express

arrives

BENAPOLE (JASHORE) : India on

Sunday supplied 200 tonnes liquid

oxygen to Bangladesh by a train

'Oxygen Express' to assist Dhaka during

the current worsening coronavirus

situation while the oxygen consignment

appeared as the first delivery by New

Delhi to any neighbouring country.

'Oxygen Express', an emergency

railway service carrying liquid oxygen

introduced by the Indian railway

services on April 24 last' reached

Sirajganj with a total of ten container

filled with liquid medical oxygen

(LMO) through Benapole land port

yesterday morning.

So far, 480 such Oxygen Expresses

were operationalized within India, said

an Indian Press Information Bureau's

press release that was disseminated by

the Indian High Commission in Dhaka.

Azizur Rahman, commissioner of

Benapole Customs House, said,

"Oxygen is being imported by the railway

for the first time through the land

port...customs related works of the

imported oxygen has been finished giving

maximum priorities on corona

treatment."

Indian 200 tonnes oxygen will be

transported to Dhaka through lorry

after unloading it at the country's

western railway station Sirajganj,

Department of Health Services

sources said.

Bangladesh seal T20

series to end Zimbabwe

tour successfully

sporTs Desk

Soumya Sarkar came up with scintillating

allround performance as Bangladesh

chased down a

mammoth 194-run

target with incredibly

ease to snatch a

five-wicket victory

and thereby won

the three-match

T20 International

series by 2-1 at

Harare Sports Club

on Sunday, reports

BSS.

By winning the

last match of the

tour, the Tigers

completed a hattrick

of series win

against Zimbabwe. The visitors won the

one-off Test and whitewashed

Zimbabwe in three-match ODI series

before sealing 2-1 win in T20 series. The

only defeat came in the second T20,

which gave Zimbabwe a chance to win

the series.

Soumya Sarkar led the charge with 2-

19 in bowling before hammering a terrific

49-ball 68.

Bangladesh though lost opener Naim

Sheikh (3) cheaply, Soumya stood tall

sHAfIqul IslAm (sHAfIq)

Sunday was the third day of the ongoing

lockdown after Eid al-Adha to curb the

pandemic corona infections. This time

the lockdown was supposed to be

stricter than the previous lockdown, but

at various check posts at the entrance of

the capital, there was a feeling of looseness.

People who came from outside by

hitting the check post in the lockdown

were also seen entering Dhaka in various

ways yesterday. People are going to

their working destination by rickshawvan

and easy bike after walking some

distance avoiding the check post. They

can't be stopped.

On Sunday, people were seen entering

the capital's Aminbazar, Babubazar

Bridge. Law enforcement has set up check

posts at the entrance of the capital but

there is not much surveillance. People are

entering through loose check posts.

An official in charge of the police, who

against the adversities and kept the side

in a position of dominance. Soumya

Sarkar's sublime 49-ball 68 included

nine fours and one six. It was his second

half-century in the series.

Shakib struck two fours and one six in

his 13-ball 25 while Mahmudullah hit

34 off 28 with two fours and one six

before being out in the 19th over.

Mahmudullah's dismissal gave

Bangladesh a shock but youngster

Shamim Patwari, playing only his second

match, sailed the side home with

an unbeaten 31 off 15, cracking six

boundaries. Afif Hossain was the other

notable scorer with 14 off just 5, clobbering

two sixes.

People still entering Dhaka

in lockdown

did not want to be named, said, we have

been enforcing strict restrictions since

morning. Those who are suspected are

being interrogated. Mostly of their talking

about urgent or important works.

So we let them cross the check posts.

Asaduzzaman, a man from Madaripur,

said that I work for a pharmaceutical

company. I was in the village till

Saturday as it was Eid holiday. The office

is open from Sunday so I came to Dhaka

from home early in the morning.

He had to come to Dhaka after changing

many shorts distance vehicle as he

could not get public transport. Asked if

he had faced any kind of interrogation

at the check post, he said no. I did not

have to face any interrogation. Like

Asaduzzaman, Abdur Rahim came to

Dhaka yesterday from Sirajdikhan of

Munshiganj. He told that he works in a

furniture shop in Mohammadpur. I am

going to work after Eid holidays.

MonDAY, JulY 26, 2021

2

19 more die of Covid at

Kushtia General Hospital

KUSHTIA : Nineteen more Covid-related

deaths were reported in 24 hours at Kushtia

General Hospital amid a devastating virus

situation across the country, reports UNB.

Of the deceased, 15 were confirmed Covid

patients while the remaining four showed

symptoms of the virus, said Statistics Officer of

Kushtia General Hospital Md Mejbaul Alam.

Besides, 260 people have tested positive for

the virus in the district in the past 24 hours and

841 samples were tested during the period, he

said.

The positivity rate currently stands at

30.91%.

Meanwhile, the number of Covid-19 patients

in the hospital has slightly decreased. A total of

208 people with Covid symptoms are currently

undergoing treatment at the leading medical

facility.

So far, 13,199 people have been infected with

the virus in the district, while the death toll

from Covid topped 504. On the other hand,

9,065 people have recovered from Covid to

date.

Canal re-excavation turns 6,100

hectares of land cultivable

RANGPUR : Re-excavation of 30-kilometre

portions of five extinct canals has freed 6,100

hectares of land from water-logging after three

decades turning those cultivable benefiting

19,575 farmers of 75 villages in greater

Rangpur district.

Barind Multipurpose Development

Authority (BMDA) has conducted the reexcavation

work for conserving surface water

creating an opportunity to provide irrigation to

the 6,100 hectares of land and supplementary

irrigation to more 2,800 hectares of land.

"The canal re-excavation will enable farmers

to produce an additional 30,500 tonnes of

crops worth Taka 60 crore annually and

improve livelihoods of rural people alongside

improving environment, ecology and

biodiversity," a BMDA official said.

BMDA is re-excavating 230 kilometres of

extinct canals and rivers under its five-year

(2019-2024) term 'Expansion of irrigation in

greater Rangpur district through best uses of

surface water and conservation of rainwater

(EIR)' project spending Taka 250.56 crore.

Re-excavation of 4.50-km portion of the

Mora Teesta canal, 3.50-km of the Ghirnoi

canal, 8-km each of the Chatra canal and

Shalmara canal in Rangpur and six-km

portion of the Boalerdara canal in Kurigram

already completed during the last one year.

Talking to BSS, beneficiary farmers, villagers

and local public representatives said partial reexcavation

of the five extinct canals has created

opportunities to use surface water for

irrigation, forestation, rearing ducks and fish

farming and household activities.

Youth killed over

football match in

Jashore

JASHORE : A speechimpaired

youth was killed in

over a football match in

Jhikargachha upazila of

Jashore on Saturday, reports

UNB.

The deceased was identified

as Nayan Hossain, 24, son of

Shahidul Islam of Taura

village in Jhikargachha

upazila.

Police and witnesses said a

football match was held at a

local playground on Saturday

afternoon.

There was a dispute

between the two teams over

scoring a goal in the game.

At one stage, 12/15 people

led by Sarwar,a member of

Ward No 6 of Panisara UP,

beat up and stabbed the

players of the opponent team,

leaving four people injured.

Later, locals rescued them

and admitted them to

Jhikargachha Upazila Health

Complex. Nayan and Zahurul

were transferred to Jashore

General Hospital where

doctors declared Nayan dead.

Abdur Razzak, Officer-in-

Charge (OC) of Jhikargachha

Police Station said police have

not yet arrested anyone

involved in the incident.

The body has been sent to

Jashore General Hospital

Morgue for an autopsy, the

OC added.

The camera will be on all the time in the body of the police officer on duty. Md. Abdul Warish, Deputy

Commissioner, Chittagong Metropolitan Police (West), inaugurated the program on Saturday. Photo : SM Akash

Global Covid cases near 194 million

DHAKA : The global Covid-19 caseload is inching closer to

the 194-million mark, as the second wave of the pandemic

continues to devastate countries across the world even amid

themass inoculations efforts, reports UNB.

The total caseload and fatalities stand at 193,639,328 and

4,151,435, respectively, as of Sunday morning, according to

Johns Hopkins University (JHU).

So far, 3,815,101,425 vaccine doses have been

administered across the globe.

The US, which is the world's worst-hit country in terms of

both cases and deaths, has so far logged 34,427,939 cases.

Besides, 610,834 people have lost their lives in the US to

date, as per the JHU data. Brazil registered 1,108 more

Covid-19 deaths in the past 24 hours, raising its national

death toll to 549,448, the Ministry of Health reported on

Saturday.

Additionally, another 38,091 new cases were reported in

the same 24 hours, bringing the total caseload to

19,670,534.

Brazil currently has the world's second-highest pandemic

death toll after the United States and the third-largest

caseload after the United States and India.

The third worst-hit country, India's COVID-19 tally rose to

31,332,159 on Saturday as 39,097 new cases were registered

during the past 24 hours across the country, showed the

federal health ministry's latest data.

Besides, 546 deaths due to the pandemic since Friday

morning took the death toll to 420,016.

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MoNDAY, JULY 26, 2021

3

JnU is the second best branch

of the year in BTCLF

The body of Fakir Alamgir, a heroic freedom fighter and singer, was brought to the central

Shaheed Minar on Saturday to pay homage of the people of all walks of life. Vice Chancellor of

Dhaka University Prof. Dr. Mohammad Akhtaruzzaman laid a wreath at the coffin of the late

and paid deep homage.

Photo : Courtesy

NAKIBUL AHSAN NISHAD; JNU

Jagannath University branch has won

the 2nd place as the year 2020-21 of

'Bangladesh Torun Colum Lekhok

Forum'. Also Imran Hossain of

Jagannath University branch is the 2nd

best writer of the year 2020-21. Is an

organizing secretary of Jagannath

University branch of this organization.

Islamic University (IU) has become

the first as the best branch of the year

2020-21. Jagannath University (JnU)

came second and Dhaka College came

third.

And first best writer of the year is Md.

Billal Hossain, a member of Islamic

University branch and Sayem Ahmad,

the president of Dhaka College branch.

On Friday at 7:30 pm on the occasion

of the third founding anniversary of the

organization, the invited guests

announced the best branch and best

writer of the year in a conference and

cultural evening.

And Faria Yasmin of Jagannath

University branch became the first in

her essay reading competition

organized on the occasion of the

founding anniversary. After

announcing the winners, the names of

the President and General Secretary for

the year 2021-22 were announced.

Anisul Haque, a writer, journalist and

associate editor of the daily

ProthomAlo, was the speaker in the

meeting chaired by Jahanur Islam, the

central president of the organization.

Second place winner Imran Hossain

said, "I'm grateful to the BTCLF. I am

really happy that cannot be explained.

"I want to move forward with the

prayers and love of all.

In this regard, Jagannath University

branch president JoynulHoq said, "It is

a great achievement for us. It is a

matter of joy that we have become the

second among so many branches. But

this achievement is for all our

members. I hope that Jagannath

University will go further in their

writing in the future.

It is to be mentioned that 'Bangladesh

Torun Colum Lekhok Forum' started

it's journey with 5 members on 23 July

2016 at Dhaka University. In addition

to the 18 public universities in the

country, the organization is working to

motivate students from different

educational institutions to write.

Bangladesh keeps investment doors

open despite pandemic: BEZA chief

DHAKA : Bangladesh Economic Zones

Authority (BEZA) Executive Chairman

Shaikh Yusuf Harun has said the

Bangladesh government continues

investment services despite pandemic

to allure investors to come with their

new ventures here.

"Investors from home and abroad are

being able to invest easily in Bangladesh

despite pandemic. Bangladesh is

keeping open all sorts of services

through ports, Bangladesh Investment

Development Authority (BIDA), BEZA

and Bangladesh Export Processing

Zones Authority (BEPZA)," he said.

In an interview with BSS recently, the

BEZA chief said they are approving any

kind of investment related application

within a short time through e-nothi.

"Our One Stop Service (OSS) center is

always ready to provide all necessary

services to the investors at a single

window," he added.

Despite slow investment flow across

the world, Shaikh Yusuf Harun said,

Bangladesh is becoming a centre of

global business community which will

help the country achieve Vision-2041.

He said that very low labour cost,

skilled manpower, favourable

government policies, uninterrupted

electricity supply, high productivity and

political stability are turning

Bangladesh into a global investment

hub despite the Covid-19 pandemic.

He informed that many worldrenowned

foreign companies are

coming with big investment offers.

The works for establishing 97

economic zones across the country are

going on for ensuring planned

industrialization, he mentioned.

Due to the pandemic, the BEZA chief

said, investment in different countries is

becoming difficult, but Bangladesh has

kept its investment doors open.

Responding to a question, Shaikh

Yusuf Harun said, he wants to make

BEZA a more attractive place for

investment by applying his long

experience in the civil service.

"I have been working in the civil

service for more than 32 years. I have

got the opportunity to gather skills from

various sectors. So, I want to use my

skills to build BEZA," he added.

He said Bangladesh will become a

developed country in 2041 and for this,

orgranisations like BEZA will have to

work as per their targets.

Shaikh Yusuf Harun said BEZA has

set a target to create jobs for around one

crore people by establishing 100

economic zones across the country.

It has also set a target to earn an

additional $40 billion by exporting

goods from the economic zones, he

added.

He informed that the BEZA

governing board has already approved

the location and amount of land in 97

economic zones, of which 68 are public

economic zones and 29 are private

economic zones.

Out of the economic zones, he said,

nine zones have already gone to

production while the development of 28

zones is progressing fast.

He said that 27 industries have gone

to production while construction works

of 39 industries are ongoing, adding

that the economic zones have already

created around 41 thousand

employment opportunities.

At the initiative of Rangpur District Juba League, the meat of the sacrificial animals in the name of

Bangabandhu was distributed among more than 200 distressed and helpless families in front of

Bangabandhu Mural on Sunday noon.

Photo: PBA

Bangladesh joins Import Goods

Fair-2021 in Seoul

DHAKA : The Embassy of

Bangladesh in Seoul has

participated in the 18th

Import Goods Fair (IGF)

held at the Convention and

Exhibition Center (COEX)

in Seoul, reports UNB.

Korea Importers

Association (KOIMA)

organizes the fair annually

to showcase the new

products imported from the

partner countries.

This year, Embassies

from 40 countries joined

the fair along with 22

companies from different

countries. The fair ended on

July 24.

Chairman of KOIMA Mr

Hong Kwang-hee, and

Director General of

Ministry of Trade, Industry

and Energy (MOTIE)

Young-tae

Choi

inaugurated the IGF 2021

on 22 July in presence of

the Ambassadors and

representatives from the

Embassies of the

participating countries.

After the inauguration,

Ambassador Abida Islam

invited the Chairman of

KOIMA, Director General

of MOTIE, and other

Ambassadors to the

Bangladesh stall and

presented them with

traditional handicrafts.

During the fair, export

items from Bangladesh,

received with the

complements of the Export

Promotion Bureau, were

displayed which includes

RMG products, jute and

leather products, ceramic

items, and handicrafts like

brass items and traditional

dolls.

Korean businessmen

showed their keen interest

in the leather items and

ceramic products of

Bangladesh.

Organic food items from

Fargo like mixed nuts,

honey, moringa tea, and

ghee (clarified butter) also

attracted the dignitaries

and visitors. Due to social

distancing, the audience

was comparatively less this

year but around 100 visitors

visited the Bangladesh stall

during this three-day event.

The Bangladesh Embassy

continues to play a positive

role in attracting Korean

traders and buyers to

Bangladeshi products by

participating in this Fair

which is playing a positive

role in further

strengthening bilateral

trade and commercial

relations between the two

countries.

However,

the

participation of small and

medium-size enterprises of

Bangladesh in this fair in

the future is expected to

play a more effective role in

furthering the bilateral

trade relations between

Bangladesh and Korea.

In the operation of RAB-3, 5 members of Kishore Gang "Bichchu Bahini / Nibir Group" were arrested

from Motijheel area of the capital with domestic weapons.

Photo : Courtesy

Fakir Alamgir

will survive by

his work: Khalid

DHAKA : State Minister for

Shipping Khalid Mahmud

Chowdhury on Saturday

said that the Ekushey Padak

winner renowned singer

Fakir Alamgir will survive by

his works.

"The death of talented

artiste Fakir Alamgir is an

irreparable loss to us as he

raised the issue of human

rights in songs and always

spoke about causes of the

masses," he said.

He told reporters after

paying floral tributes to the

body of folk singer Fakir

Alamgir at the central

Shaheed Minar premises

here, said a press release.

"His contribution to the

great liberation war and

freedom struggle will be

remembered for long as he

has worked to build a noncommunal

Bangladesh and

to implement the spirit of

the liberation war," he

added.

Fakir Alamgir passed

away around 10.56 pm on

Friday night while

undergoing treatment at

Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of

the United Hospital in the

city at the age of 71.

Momen mourns loss of

lives in Maharashtra

landslides

DHAKA : Foreign Minister Dr

AK Abdul Momen has

expressed deep shock over the

loss of lives in landslides

triggered by monsoon rain

floods in Indian State of

Maharashtra, reports UNB.

In a message sent to

External Affairs Minister of

India Dr. S. Jaishankar,

Foreign Minister Momen said

Bangladesh stands ready at

this difficult time to extend

support in every possible way

as and when required.

He said, in light of increased

scourges of climate change,

Bangladesh and India need to

work together to manage and

cope with the post disaster

impacts.

Guinness world record of

national flag will be pride

for nation: Murad

DHAKA : State Minister for Information and

Broadcasting Dr Md Murad Hassan on

Saturday said Guinness Book of World

Records' reorganization for exhibiting the

largest national flag will be a pride for and

glorify the nation.

"The reorganization of the Guinness Book

of World Records for exhibiting largest

national flag will keep our head high as a

nation and uphold the dignity," he said.

The state minister made the remarks while

addressing a function on the occasion of

exhibiting the largest national flag with the

size of 240 square meters at the Hotel

InterContinental in the city, said a press

release.

Craft artist Saimon Imran Hayder made

Linde Bangladesh to

continue medical oxygen

import from India

DHAKA : Linde Bangladesh has said it will

continue the import of medical oxygen by train

to supplement its local supply with active

assistance from Linde India, the governments

of India and Bangladesh, reports UNB.

This is one of several initiatives that Linde

Bangladesh has embarked on to help support

the fight against the current Covid-19 crisis,

including the Medical Oxygen Booths

inaugurated at Khulna Medical College

Hospital earlier this week, it said.

A spokesperson from Linde Bangladesh said

the Oxygen Express was an initiative that

Linde India worked on with the government of

India, and "we're glad to be able to adopt it for

the growing crisis in Bangladesh as well.

The medical oxygen supply was sourced

from Linde India plants in India and will be

distributed to the Covid-19 dedicated hospitals

nationwide." To meet the growing demand of

medical oxygen in Bangladesh due to the rising

Covid-19 cases, Linde Bangladesh on Saturday

imported 200 MT of medical oxygen by train

from India.

This first-of-its-kind initiative saw 10 ISO

tankers being transported on the Oxygen

Express from Jamshedpur, India and arrived

at Bangabandhu West railway station via

Benapole. Linde Bangladesh Limited is a

the flag with 16,000 envelops marking the

country's golden jubilee.

Murad said the flag of red and green colors

is the best achievement for the nation, which

was achieved through the great Liberation

War. This flag energizes and inspires the

nation to move forward, he said, adding that

the indomitable spirit of the youths will

uphold the flag across the globe.

Lawmaker Raji Mohammad Fakhrul and

historian Muntasir Mamun addressed the

function, among others.

According to the organizers, necessary

steps have been taken for the official

recognition of the 20-meter-long and 12-

meter-wide flag from the Guinness Book of

World Records.

member of The Linde PLc that has been

present in Bangladesh since the 1950s.

Environment Minister

to highlight Bangladesh

priorities at 'COP26

July Ministerial'

DHAKA : Environment, Forest and Climate

Change Minister Md. Shahab Uddin MP is

leading the Bangladesh delegation at the twoday

"COP26 July Ministerial" that began on

Sunday in the United Kingdom (UK), reports

UNB.

Shahab Uddin is expected to highlight Prime

Minister Sheikh Hasina's priorities at the

COP26 as a state party to the UNFCCC and

also as the President of the Climate Vulnerable

Forum (CVF). The UK-hosted July Ministerial

is aimed to give an opportunity for the

Environment Ministers of the state parties to

the United Nations Framework Convention on

Climate Change (UNFCCC) to come together

in person to discuss their expectations for a

successful COP26 scheduled in Glasgow this

year from 1-12 November.

MondAy, JUly 26, 2021

4

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam

e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com

Monday, July 26, 2021

Strategies to cope

with Covid-19

It is predictable that during a pandemic, a humanitarian crisis may

arise in a developing country like Bangladesh. In most incidents, it

will be the combined effects of a variety of shortages. This can lead

to a shortage of basic needs including foods, goods, and services such

as job loss, economic and financial loss, food insecurity, famine, social

conflicts, and deaths. Besides, the psychosocial and socio-economic

and health and well-being of the citizens may be affected . While

predicting all the subsequent impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is

challenging, early strategic planning and groundwork for the evolving

and established challenges will be crucial to assemble resources and

react in an appropriate timely manner.

This write-up, therefore, focuses on the public perception of

comparative lockdown scenario analysis and the strategic

management regime of COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh. As there

is no such prediction on how long the situation prevails, the

absence/lack of management strategy for an epidemiological and

socio-economic emergency response might be a tool to assess the

forthcoming situation under a set of specific scenarios. Therefore, the

objective ought to be analyzing long-term strategic management of the

pandemic in different lengths of scenarios in a resource-limited setting

of the so-called lockdown of the country. The outcome can play a

crucial role to formulate emergency response strategies to tackle the

COVID-19 pandemic both epidemiologically and socio-economically

in Bangladesh.

For management strategies, deep analysis of the situation should be

carried out and go for full lockdown with relief support to the poor and

most vulnerable urgently needed due to the rapid community

transmission of COVID-19 . First of all, the government should come

up with a comprehensive strategic plan accompanied by nongovernmental

and social organizations and law enforcement to analyse

the spread of the virus, identifying the most vulnerable hosts, properly

track the movement of general people, precise estimation of economic

losses from different financial and industrial sectors, educational

diminutions and professional and informal employment disruption to

picture an integrated scenario of the current situation and future

predictions by which negative aspects of the situation can be managed.

There must be two types of the strategic plan under the category

of the emergency response plan (short-term) by ensuring basic

supplies to all citizens who are in real needs, motivate and/or force the

people to abide by the COVID-19 guidelines by the GoB and WHO,

prepare a complete but accurate list of vulnerable population in terms

of COVID-19 spreading, co-morbidities, and economic stress, activate

all the local wings of the GoB such as local government representatives

at the village level, and construct a COVID-19 response task force to

monitor and handle the country situation through application of

information and communication technologies (ICT). The government

should implement those plans with proper timing, transparency, and

resources.

The GoB has already been taking a lot of initiatives to tackle COVID-

19 pandemic, but there seems lacking proper risk assessment and weak

coordination among stakeholders from medical to social welfare.

However, deep research complied with massive surveillance could help

in making decisions whether the lockdown must be further carried on

or not and this must have to be based on evidence. Miscommunication

and miscalculation of the strategy may worsen the situation.

Communicating the disease risk in the local language is also necessary

to increase awareness about the disease. "Lockdown" is an unfamiliar

word or term to the people of Bangladesh. According to scenario one,

a partial lockdown is a hoax. People recommended to use a more

familiar term "curfew" (legal section 144) to maintain strict control and

there is no alternative to reduce COVID-19 transmission. In

Bangladesh, section 144 of The Penal code 1860 prohibits assembly of

five or more people, holding of public meetings, and carrying of

firearms and this law can be invoked for up to two months . It could

have been a much more effective strategy to contain the infection.

78.6% of the participants in a survey agreed that community

transmission of COVID-19 will increase due to the people's movement

and mass gathering, 57.9% agreed to continue the partial lockdown,

whereas approximately 73% of respondents agreed that deep analysis

of the situation is required and go for full lockdown with the relief

support to the poor and the most vulnerable. Overall, the participants

had a positive view about lockdown to stop/slow down the spreading

out of COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh.

Around 34 million people, or 20.5% of the population, live below the

poverty line and based on the current rate of poverty reduction,

Bangladesh was projected to eliminate extreme poverty by 2022 . Yet,

as COVID-19 pandemic hit the country poverty rate in Bangladesh rose

to 40.9% as 25% of family incomes fell . So, it was the choice between

life versus livelihood . The public is not confident somehow with the

administrative decisions, policies, and their implementation related to

COVID-19 emergency response such as lockdown on their livelihoods.

There was also a lack of coordination among the different government

stakeholders to tackle emergency healthcare and crisis management in

the field. For instance, people usually made different excuses to go

outside and a regular crowd was common in the kitchen market,

streets, and small bazaars. Only the government, semi-government,

autonomous institutes/organizations, and educational institutions

were maintaining the rules/guidelines.

This situation was well visualized in different mass media that people

were in movement for relief, road blockage, corruption by the

government representatives, mismanagement in relief distribution,

biases to party supporters, bureaucratic administrators to look after the

response activities, and so on. Likewise, the potential danger of

COVID-19 pandemic from the very beginning has been overlooked by

the people due to the presence of misinformation in the social and

mass media that it was general flue, and that the virus cannot infect too

seriously in a humid country like Bangladesh.

So, the government should try to implement a stringent policy of

risk communication and media communication during this emergency

for the most vulnerable communities. The vulnerable groups such as

disabled and disadvantaged persons, young children and orphans, and

aged citizens should be taken under protection for their well-being.

Although the extension of partial lockdown was not a solution in

Bangladesh, it could have been an effective option continued to slower

the infection rate. The lockdown should have been partially continued

with necessary financial support for the vulnerable. It would have been

a crisis for a short time, but it would be a saviour for the future.

However, to run the economy, the hotspots of the infection and the

cluster areas could remain under lockdown, while economic activities

could have been maintained by strongly abiding public health

guidelines and social distancing. Moreover, for the next couple of years,

it will be extremely hard for the country especially as far as the financial

issues are concerned to achieve the current development as well as

SDG targets.

Staring into India's dark night from Hong Kong's twilight

The world of "Asia's world city" is in a

whirl. Hong Kong's streets are

crawling with cops. Stop and search

operations are commonplace.

From roadside billboards to its iconic

ding dings (trams), government ads

warning of terrorists are everywhere. A

fresh round of political purge is on the

horizon, with opposition figures stepping

down from public offices in anticipation of

a government move to weed out

"unpatriotic" office-holders, in line with a

sweeping sedition law.

A year after its introduction, the

National Security Law is changing Hong

Kong fundamentally as Beijing tightens its

grip on city. No one knows where the

heavy hand of the state will land next.

For the first time, police this year

banned the annual July 1 democracy

march marking the day of the city's return

to Chinese sovereignty in 1997. The

popular pro-democracy newspaper Apple

Daily was forced to shut down after its

bank accounts were frozen, owner and

several journalists arrested, and the

newsroom raided under the new law.

US President Joe Biden called the

paper's closure "a sad day for media

freedom in Hong Kong and around the

world." A joint front-page editorial in the

four largest Nordic newspapers declared:

"The world can no longer stand idly by as

China gradually sucks the air out of

freedom of the press in Hong Kong." The

European Parliament warns that the city

faces a "human rights emergency."

That's because the new law allows the

authorities to mete out punishment for

secession, subversion, terrorism and

collusion with foreign forces. All of these

seditious offenses can be defined at the

discretion of the authorities, allowing

them unprecedented power in curtailing

protest and freedom of speech.

The unceremonious end of Apple Daily

has added to fears that if used arbitrarily,

the law will be turned into a tool to gag

free speech, stifle peaceful dissent, punish

thought crimes, curb personal liberty and

subvert the rule of law.

Welcome to the world of the "world's

largest democracy," where those fears are

now a daily reality.

An 84-year-old Jesuit priest and lifelong

social activist died this month in

custody in India after his Parkinson'sravaged

body contracted Covid-19 in jail.

Father Stan Swamy was arrested last

October on trumped-up charges under a

draconian anti-terror law, and had

petitioned the authorities repeatedly to be

allowed to die in his home, in the presence

of his family. Instead, they chained him to

his hospital bed.

This wasn't the first time for such

ruthless abuse of the law. India has long

lived with oppressive security laws - with

all their attendant distortions - without a

fraction of the noise the world now makes

for Hong Kong.

As an Indian journalist based in Hong

Kong, I once tracked with fascination the

struggle for democracy in my adopted city

even as my country of birth was growing

disenchanted with the outcome of that

system of governance.

Before Prime Minister Narendra Modi's

rise to national power in 2014, World

Bank surveys consistently showed public

trust in politicians in China and Hong

EBASiSh Roy ChowdhURy

Kong far exceeded that in India. The

corruption and directionless of the then

Congress-party-led coalition government

bred popular anger, paving the way for

Modi.

After seven years of Modi, I now watch

democracy die quietly in India from

faraway Hong Kong, where democracy

was never born but it never felt that way,

and its supposed passing is widely

mourned.

That's because even though Hong Kong

never had representative democracy, it

instituted rights, freedoms and standards

of governance that were so enviable that

their fraying evokes lament. Much more,

say, than for the current institutional

capture and attacks on civil rights in India,

whose geopolitical alignment with the

Western world and chronically poor

governing standards temper global

expectations of it.

Otherwise, there would be a lot to

lament about.

Modi's government has been

conducting widespread surveillance on

journalists, businesspeople, judges,

politicians, and even virologists, reveals

the unfolding Pegasus snooping scandal.

Forty Indian journalists have been found

to be on the Pegasus hacking list so far.

More insidious than snooping is the

ability of software like Pegasus to plant

false evidence that can be used against

surveillance targets. Draconian security

laws help the authorities stuff jails with

social activists, writers, poets, and just

regular people going about their lives -

sometimes with the help of planted

"evidence," as may have been done in the

case of Father Stan Swamy.

Actually, there's no need for evidence

even. Recently, 124 Muslim men were

acquitted after 19 years in jail. They were

released as police could not present any

evidence against them that could stick.

They rarely can, and it doesn't matter.

For when it comes to "sedition" and

"terror" trials, the process itself is the

punishment. Non-violent citizens are

thrown into jail for charges as ridiculous

as "critical" or "derogatory" remarks

against an elected executive, or even for

spreading "disaffection toward the

government."

Bails are difficult as national security is

privileged over fundamental rights, and

by the time India's excruciatingly slow

judiciary gets around to delivering

"justice" by disproving baseless charges,

punishment has already been served. This

makes security laws handy for India's

rulers.

Even as I am writing this, a journalist is

languishing in jail, booked under the

National Security Act for Facebook posts

warning people that cow dung and cow

urine do not cure Covid-19.

A journalist in Kashmir has now spent

more than 1,000 days in jail under the

dreaded Unlawful Activities (Prevention)

Act, or UAPA, after writing a news feature

profiling a young terrorist.

Another journalist has spent 10 months

in jail for the seditious act of trying to

report on the gang rape and murder of a

minor girl.

I am quite sure I haven't heard

President Biden or Nordic papers

fulminate about press freedom in India

over any of this.

The Modi government makes frequent

use of the UAPA (also used against Father

Stan Swamy) to neutralize the regime's

discontents. Opposition Congress

grandee Mani Shankar Aiyar calculates

there were nearly 4,000 UAPA arrests

and 3,005 cases in two years (compared

with about 100 arrests and 61 cases filed

under Hong Kong's National Security Law

in the one year of its existence).

But Modi did not invent the practice of

wanton terror charges. Aiyar's party holds

the patent on that one. UAPA has been

around since 1967. Modi just scaled it up

with new amendments that make

detentions under terror charges even

But Modi did not invent the practice of wanton terror

charges. Aiyar's party holds the patent on that one. UAPA

has been around since 1967. Modi just scaled it up with

new amendments that make detentions under terror

charges even easier. Cases under sedition laws, which

have been around even longer, from the colonial times,

have similarly jumped, by 28%, since Modi took power.

easier. Cases under sedition laws, which

have been around even longer, from the

colonial times, have similarly jumped, by

28%, since Modi took power.

UAPA comes in a long line of abusive

national-security laws, some of which are

now defunct but remembered by their

menacing abbreviations.

Take TADA, the Terrorism and Anti-

Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act; in

its decade-long existence until it was

repealed in the mid-1990s, only 1% of the

more than 75,000 arrested under the Act,

mostly Muslims and Sikhs, were

convicted.

It was succeeded by POTA, the

Prevention of Terrorism Act, which

gained even more notoriety with an even

poorer conviction rate, before it was

repealed in 2004.

Hong Kong's security law is considered

the end of the city's freedoms, the twilight

of its days as a center of uninhibited

capital and information flows. But

curiously, throughout the decades that

India has lived with its myriad security

laws, none of these instruments of legal

torture ever seemed to raise any alarm

worldwide for the state of its free-market

democracy, or dent its ever-growing

attraction for global capital.

It still doesn't, as the US happily

overlooks all of Modi's rights abuses.

For the first time, the Biden

administration last week issued an

advisory to American businesses warning

of the dangers of operating in Hong Kong.

The National Security Law, it warns,

"could adversely affect businesses and

SPEnGlER

individuals operating in Hong Kong."

The "2021 Investment Statement" for

India, however, makes no reference to the

flagrant abuse of its security laws. Instead,

it praises India for "ambitious structural

economic reforms" and sees no concerns

regarding doing business in India beyond

"protectionist measures."

Next week, US Secretary of State Antony

Blinken is heading to New Delhi to

prepare the ground for the next summit of

the Quad group of "democracies"

comprising India, Japan, Australia and

the US. India is simply too important a

partner in America's strategy of

containing China to allow for trifles such

as tyrannical laws to get in the way.

Or media freedom, for that matter.

India has seen egregious media controls

in recent years, thanks to a mix of

intimidation and inducements by Modi's

headline-obsessed government.

On Thursday, taxmen raided the offices

of media houses that have been

painstakingly recording the true extent of

deaths in the Covid second wave, exposing

the government's lies and data fudge.

Just as the government punishes those

who refuse to gramophone its narrative of

Modi's relentless successes, it showers

government advertisements on those who

do. It spends nearly US$100 million a

year on media outreach.

And it shows. Most national-level

television channels are unabashedly pro-

Modi and take the lead in framing his

critics as "anti-nationals." Media trials

have their verdicts ready long before the

courts get to try the so-called sedition and

terror cases.

Unsurprisingly, from 80th in 2002,

India's rank on the World Press Freedom

Index has plunged to 142nd out of 180

territories - behind Myanmar and

Afghanistan. Reporters Without Borders

counts Modi among 37 "predators of press

freedom" such as Kim Jong Un, Bashar al-

Assad and Ali Khamenei.

Having tamed many of the legacy

media, the government is now trying to

"regulate" digital news media and

streaming platforms through intrusive

new IT rules that the United Nations sees

as infringements on human rights. But I

can't remember any parliamentary

motion in the European Union on India's

endangered media freedom.

India's application of security laws and

its media landscape offer snapshots of

how a despotic state corrodes civil

liberties and slowly captures governing

and oversight institutions even as it

maintains the facade of democracy.

Unlike the conspicuous show of control

in Hong Kong, the despots in India

operate in stealth. They disguise media

crackdowns in tax probes. They don't raid

newsrooms, they weaponize them against

the regime's enemies. They keep

newspapers going even as they shut down

free flow of information. They hack

democracy by breaking into journalists'

phones, but they never cease to feign their

allegiance to democracy.

That's all it takes to keep moralizing

Western politicians at bay.

Debasish Roy Chowdhury has coauthored

To Kill a Democracy: India's

Passage to Despotism with John Keane.

Read Asia Times' book review here.

Wake up, America: The world just isn't that into you

Republicans, including many old

friends, are outraged that the

Biden administration gave up on

sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 gas

pipeline that will pump Russian gas to

Germany.

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX)-on whose

foreign policy team I served during the

2016 campaign-declared that he would

block Senate confirmation of all of Biden's

ambassadorial appointments until the

sanctions are reinstated. Daniel Kochis of

the Heritage Foundation titled his piece

today, "The US will regret this shameful

appeasement of Russia."

Calm down, everyone. After Donald

Trump imposed sanctions on firms laying

the Nord Stream 2 pipe across the Baltic

Sea, the Russians sent their own ship, and

the work is finished. The Germans will go

ahead regardless, so the least humiliating

thing that Biden could do was to

acknowledge reality and stand down.

No one in Europe really cares what

Washington thinks about Nord Steam 2

(and a lot of other issues). Once upon a

time, about five years ago, America was

going to be the new Saudi Arabia,

providing Europe with liquefied natural

gas to replace Vladimir Putin's product-at

a higher price, to be sure, but wrapped in

the blessings of liberty. Trump demanded

that Europe eschew Russian gas and buy

American LNG instead.

When Trump took office, the energy

companies in the S&P 500 were devoting

US$70 to $80 billion a year in capital

expenditures. This year it will be about

$20 billion, barely a quarter as much as

the last peak, and analysts polled by

Bloomberg put next year's total at less

than $30 billion, despite the strong

recovery in energy prices. Natural gas

production is down by about 10% from

the 2019 peak, and oil production is down

by 20%.

The people with big jobs in Washington

came of age in the 1980s and 1990s, when

America was the technological marvel of

the world, and American inventions

created the digital age. We haven't done a

lot lately except code some complicated

software.

China has installed about 80% of the

world's 5G mobile broadband capacity,

the carrier for the Fourth Industrial

Revolution as much as railroads were for

the First Industrial Revolution, and is

moving much faster towards smart cities,

automated ports, autonomous vehicles,

self-programming robots and a wealth of

other 5G applications.

American supply chains can't keep up

with the $5 trillion in demand that the US

Treasury dumped onto consumers, so

America is running a $1 trillion a year

balance of payments deficit. The pull of

demand has spiked the inflation rate

above 5%.

The Federal Reserve and the White

House say this is transitory, but US

industries aren't investing in new

equipment. In fact, capital expenditures

for US industrial companies this year will

be 35% lower than in 2019, and not much

better next year.

The US isn't investing in energy, or

much else. It doesn't boast a single

company to compete with Huawei,

Europeans view with distaste the American version of Mao's

Cultural Revolution, where the "woke" equivalent of Red Guards

hold self-criticism sessions at corporations and universities to

extract confessions of racism, homophobia, transphobia and so

forth. The last thing that German Chancellor Angela Merkel or

French President Emmanuel Macron want is to tangle with Russia.

Ericsson, or Nokia in 5G broadband.

China, with its robust supply chains and

abundance and diversity of skilled

workers and engineers, is likely to get a

jump on the United States in the new

technologies that will transform economic

life.

That includes hydrogen fuel cells:

China's chemical industry produces 30%

of the world's hydrogen as a by-product.

At the same time, America's allies don't

have a lot of confidence in Washington's

will to defend them-surely not after the

humiliating spectacle of another Vietnamstyle

run from a country where American

forces fought a 20-year war, namely in

Afghanistan. Europeans view with

distaste the American version of Mao's

Cultural Revolution, where the "woke"

equivalent of Red Guards hold selfcriticism

sessions at corporations and

universities to extract confessions of

racism, homophobia, transphobia and so

forth. The last thing that German

Chancellor Angela Merkel or French

President Emmanuel Macron want is to

tangle with Russia.

According to the German business daily

Handelsblatt, Germans support the

completion of Nord Stream 2 by a margin

of 75 to 17. Even members of the

opposition Green Party who abhor

anything to do with fossil fuels back the

pipeline by a margin of 69 to 21.

It's pointless to complain when

America's allies ask in so many words,

"What have you done for us lately?" To the

rest of the world, America looks like a

declining power, because it is a declining

power.

If America wants to get the world's

attention, it should try doing the things

that captured the world's imagination a

few decades ago. America needs the moral

equivalent of a moonshot, a rededication

to manufacturing leadership, a revived

meritocracy that produces business and

scientific leadership.

Instead of complaining about how the

Germans jilted them, American

politicians should take a hard look at

where America is going, and do

something about it.

Source : Asia Times

MoNDaY, jUlY 26, 2021

5

Covid-19 boosted excess sale

of antibiotics in India

an inmate at the Central Prison in Freetown, Sierra leone. Photo: anne-Sophie Faivre le Cadre

Sierra Leone abolishes

capital punishment

SaeeD KaMalI DehGhaN

Sierra Leone has become the latest

African state to abolish the death

penalty after MPs voted unanimously to

abandon the punishment. On Friday

the west African state became the 23rd

country on the continent to end capital

punishment, which is largely a legacy of

colonial legal codes. In April, Malawi

ruled that the death penalty was

unconstitutional, while Chad abolished

it in 2020. In 2019, the African human

rights court ruled that mandatory

imposition of the death penalty by

Tanzania was "patently unfair".

Of those countries that retain the

death penalty on their statute books, 17

are abolitionist in practice, according to

Amnesty International. A de facto

moratorium on the use of the death

penalty has existed in Sierra Leone

since 1998, after the country

controversially executed 24 soldiers for

their alleged involvement in a coup

attempt the year before.

Under Sierra Leone's 1991

constitution, the death penalty could be

prescribed for murder, aggravated

robbery, mutiny and treason. Last year,

Sierra Leone handed down 39 death

sentences, compared with 21 in 2019,

according to Amnesty, and 94 people

were on death row in the country at the

end of last year.

Rhiannon Davis, director of the

women's rights group AdvocAid, said:

"It's a huge step forward for this

fundamental human right in Sierra

Leone. "This government, and previous

governments, haven't chosen to [put

convicts to death since 1998], but the

next government might have taken a

different view," she said.

"They [prisoners] spend their life on

death row, which in effect is a form of

torture as you have been given a death

sentence that will not be carried out

because of the moratorium, but you

constantly have this threat over you as

there's nothing in law to stop that

sentence being carried out."

Davis said the abolition would be

particularly beneficial to women and

girls accused of murdering an abuser.

"Previously, the death penalty was

mandatory in Sierra Leone, meaning a

judge could not take into account any

mitigating circumstances, such as

gender-based violence," she said.

Umaru Napoleon Koroma, deputy

minister of justice, who has been

involved in the abolition efforts, said

sentencing people on death row to "life

imprisonment with the possibility of

them reforming is the way to go".

Across sub-Saharan Africa last year

Amnesty researchers recorded a 36%

drop in executions compared with 2019

- from 25 to 16. Executions were carried

out in Botswana, Somalia and South

Sudan.

SaNjeet BaGCChI

The first wave of COVID-19 in 2020 in

India saw a substantial increase in the

sale of antibiotic formulations used in

adults and adolescents, especially

azithromycin, says a study. COVID-19

likely contributed to about 216 million

excess doses of non-paediatric

formulations of antibiotics in total and

38 million excess doses of azithromycin

between June and September 2020,

says the study published this month in

PLOS Medicine, which looked at the

private health care sector in India.

Antibiotics are often used in viral

infections, such as viral pneumonia, to

combat possible bacterial co-infections.

This is despite antibiotics being

ineffective against viral infections,

according to the US Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention.

Overall, 16.29 million doses of

antibiotics were sold in India, the

world's largest antibiotic user. The

proportion of non-paediatric

formulations of antibiotics increased

from 72.5 per cent in 2019 to 76.8 per

cent in December 2020, with children

less likely to suffer from symptomatic

and severe COVID-19 infection,

researchers noted.

Sumanth Gandra, study author and

associate professor of the Division of

Infectious Diseases, Washington

University School of Medicine, US, tells

SciDev.Net that the results suggest that

nearly every person diagnosed with

COVID-19 received an antibiotic - most

especially azithromycin - during the

first wave in India.

"Our results indicate that at least 12

million azithromycin treatment

courses were unnecessarily prescribed

between June and December of 2020,"

says Gandra. "This massive use of

azithromycin, a vital drug for treating

typhoid fever and diarrhoea, is highly

concerning as it will lead to resistance

in bacteria that cause these illnesses."

According to Brian Godman, a

visiting professor at the Strathclyde

Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical

Sciences, UK, it is important to curb

inappropriate use of antibiotics for viral

infections which will increase

resistance rates and result in greater

loss of life in the future.

"This is particularly important in the

community since inappropriate

prescribing and dispensing of

antimicrobials for essentially viral

infections constitutes their greatest

overuse," Godman tells SciDev.Net.

"Trained pharmacists are important as

they can direct patients to more

appropriate treatments that are more

effective in symptomatic relief and

often cheaper. This should be a priority

in India given the rising antimicrobial

resistance rates."

Similar trends are likely to have

occurred in other low- and middleincome

countries where antibiotics are

often overused, the study said. The

medium- and long-term consequences

for bacterial resistance patterns are

"highly concerning", it added,

highlighting the need for urgent

antibiotic stewardship measures such

as avoiding the use of antibiotics if

there is no suspicion of bacterial

infection, and limiting the duration of

antibiotic treatment for co-infections.

India's approach to antibiotic use

during the pandemic was more of a

knee-jerk reaction than a well thoughtout

plan, says Diptendra Sarkar, a

COVID-19 strategist, public health

analyst and professor at the Institute of

Post Graduate Medical Education and

Research, Kolkata, India.

"While evolving evidence did not

favour the use of antibiotics, there was

little governance on the community use

of antibiotics," Sarkar tells SciDev.Net.

"Self-medication also played a major

role in upscaling antibiotic use that are

not evidence-based."

Customers line up in front of a pharmacy in Kolkata.

Photo: Indrajit Das

Violence against Africa's children is rising

experts say that hIV digital toolkits have to be simple, affordable and adaptable, while ensuring

absolute confidentiality.

Photo: Keila trejo

Digital toolkit to fight HIV disease

eStheR NaKKazI

Digital tools widening access to HIV

prevention, treatment and care

services will be a vital weapon in the

fight against the disease during

COVID-19 and beyond - but they

must be affordable and highly

confidential.

So said health experts at the 2021

International AIDS Society

conference held remotely from Berlin

this week. The event looked at the

potential of digital technology in

eradicating HIV and AIDS, which

currently affects around 38 million

people worldwide.

The Industry Liaison Forum (ILF)

of the International AIDS Society

(IAS) identified and prioritised a set

of digital technological innovations,

based on advances made during the

COVID-19 pandemic, which they say

should be adopted for HIV

prevention and care and to shape

digital health more broadly.

Pradeep Kakkattil, director of the

office of innovations at UNAIDS,

said: "The AIDS movement has been

very much about being the

conscience of access to health and

equity. We need to continue to play

that role when it comes to this

transition from where we are in the

shift to digital, as we digitise health

and access to healthcare."

The digital toolkit includes mobile

applications like SMS that simplify

the return of medical results,

telemedicine which enables online

drug ordering for home delivery, and

public data repositories.

The IAS says it will also look beyond

HIV to how emerging health

technologies have the potential to

improve global health equity and

drive progress towards the

Sustainable Development Goals.

In the session led Wednesday by

the IAS-ILF and UNAIDS, which

oversees the Health Innovation

Exchange (HIEx), panellists agreed

that digital tools must be simple,

adaptable, and affordable, and

designed with local engagement to

ensure absolute confidentiality.

"What we have seen with the

COVID-19 response is that it has been

very much top-down, with no

engagement of communities," said

Helen McDowell, head of

government affairs and global public

health in the UK and a recently

elected ILF industry representative.

"We have also seen the exploitation in

terms of when it comes to profit -

profit versus lives.

"We really need to have this

bottom-up approach which is

community-led … to ensure that we

have equity in terms of access and

trust which is a basic foundation in

the digitisation process." Rahab

Mwaniki, a public health specialist

based in Kenya, said: "In order for

communities not to be left behind we

need to ensure affordability and

confidentiality because some people

have not disclosed their status. We

also need tools that are cost effective."

For McDowell, the solution is

"partnership and collaboration".

"These have to exist between the

industry, public private partnerships,

government and the community,"

she said.

Meg Davis, a senior researcher on

the digital health and rights project at

the Graduate Institute in Geneva,

said: "We need to know which

platforms people are using, how are

they engaging with them … who

really is pushing these platforms to

ensure that people are accessing

information safely and securely."

People with HIV must be engaged

in the design process from the

beginning, says Mwanika, and

remunerated for their participation.

"There is a tendency to look at

communities as people who can just

give their services for free," she

added. "I think if a product is forprofit,

they also need to facilitate the

process for the community."

Nick Hellmann, managing director

and strategy and science advisor at

the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS

Foundation, said: "It really does take

a village to implement all these

things. If the community is engaged

very early on in the development

process, you can start to address not

only the issues of scalability, but also

some of the confidentiality and

privacy issues because then everyone

comes out on the same page."

GRaça MaChel

Of all the unspeakable injustices

suffered by Africa's children - and I've

witnessed many - violence is surely the

worst because it is almost entirely

preventable. Africa's children suffer

many hardships, including poverty,

hunger and disease. Violence against

children is avoidable, yet young people

in Africa, especially girls, continue to

live with sexual violence, child

marriage, female genital mutilation,

forced labour, corporal punishment and

countless other forms of abuse.

After decades spent trying to improve

young people's life chances, I had hoped

to see at the very least a significant

reduction in violence that threatens

children. It is now 31 years since the

adoption of the African Charter on the

Rights and Welfare of the Child and we

have seen some governments putting

into place laws and policies aimed at

ending violence against children. There

have also been efforts, though

insufficient, towards eradicating female

genital mutilation and child marriage,

which cause untold lifelong suffering.

Progress is uneven, fragmented and

slow. Violence against children is once

more on the rise driven partly by online

sexual exploitation and child sexual

abuse tourism and recently by

lockdowns and school closures. These

have pushed violence behind closed

doors where it goes unseen and

unreported. Armed conflicts by groups

such as Boko Haram in Nigeria, al-

Shabaab in Somalia and Amba

separatists in Cameroon, frequently

target children, making them the most

common victims of abductions, rape,

forced marriages and murder.

Regrettably, many African

governments lack the political will to

tackle these gross violations. This week,

in an attempt to galvanise action, the

African Partnership to End Violence

against Children (Apevac) convened a

high-level virtual conference to present

its new research findings confirming

worrying levels of violence and slow

government responses. Thankfully,

there are also some good, African

solutions that can be successfully

applied across the continent.

I have witnessed the worst, as well as

the best, of humanity. Yet the brutality

revealed in these findings plumb new

depths. Children still face unacceptable

levels and forms of physical,

psychological and sexual violence. In

some parts of Africa, four in 10 girls

suffer sexual violence before the age of

15. Even worse is that children in most

need - those in residential care or used

as child labour, with disabilities, living

on the streets, or in armed conflict and

refugee situations - are not protected.

Violence against children is not a

uniquely African phenomenon. The

World Health Organization estimated

last year that globally up to a billion

children aged 2-17 had experienced

physical, sexual or emotional violence

or neglect. Many African children enjoy

peaceful lives, but it is clear the

continent faces an urgent problem,

fuelled by complex social and economic

drivers. Increasing urbanisation, armed

conflict, forced displacement,

humanitarian and climate-related

disasters all play a part.

Children surround a UN soldier patrolling a camp for internally displaced people in Goma, in the

Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Photo: Pascal Guyot

MONDAY, jULY 26, 2021

6

UP member Amar Sajib organized an Eid-ul-Fitr reunion with poor and helpless people and

distributed masks in Manda upazila of Naogaon on Sunday. Photo: Shahzada Tuhin

Tk 1.48cr allotted

to help poor in

Jamalpur

JAMALPUR: With a view to

help the poor people during

lockdown announced to

prevent covid-19 spreading,

Taka one crore 48 lakh was

allotted for distribution in the

district, reports BSS.

Relief and Rehabilitation

Office sources said poor

people who suffers during the

lockdown in all the seven

upazilas of the district will get

the government assistance

staying home.

Relief and Rehabilitation

Officer Md Nayeb Ali said

poor families who are staying

home will get the assistance.

He said upazila and district

administrations will arrange

to reach the aid to their homes

after getting phone call at the

number 333 for assistance.

He said 847 poor families

received the assistance till

yesterday.

TK 60,200 fined for

flouting lockdown

rules in Gaibandha

GAIBANDHA: An amount of

TK 60,200 was fined for

violating lockdown rules as

the district administration

yesterday conducted 10

mobile courts in all seven

upazilas to ensure strict

enforcement of governmentannounced

curb, reports BSS.

The courts led by executive

magistrates filed 73 cases and

fined TK 60,200.

executive magistrates also

distributed masks to the poor

people during the drives, said

SM Foyez Uddin, executive

magistrate of the district

administration.

The law enforcement

agencies assisted the courts.

Deputy Commissioner

(DC), also district magistrate,

Abdul Matin urged the people

to abide by the rules of the

restrictions to protect

themselves from covid-19.

Special OMS of rice, flour

begins in Rangpur

RANGPUR : Special open market sale (OMS) of rice and flour

began yesterday in Rangpur to assist the poor and lowincome

group people in tackling the Covid-19 pandemic

situation.

Rangpur Divisional Commissioner Abdul Wahhab Bhuiyan

inaugurated the special OMS program in a function held at

Robertsonganj School Ground in the metropolis as the chief

guest.

The Department of Food organised the function strictly

abiding by the health directives in the wake of the Covid-19

pandemic with District Controller of Food Md Abdul Quader

in the chair.

Mayor of Rangpur Mostafizar Rahman Mostafa, Rangpur

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mohammad Abdul Alim

Mahmud, Rangpur Regional Controller of Food Md Abdus

Salam, Deputy Commissioner Md Asib Ahsan and Chief

Executive Officer of Rangpur City Corporation Md Ruhul

Amin Miah were present.

In his brief welcome speech, District Controller of Food Md

Abdul Quader said each of the 1,500 consumers would be able

to buy five kg of rice at Taka 30 per kg and five kg of flour at

Taka 18 per kg daily.

The government has launched this special OMS program

for the poor, jobless, helpless, destitute and low-income

group people in Rangpur as elsewhere across the country to

address the crisis during the Covid-19 pandemic period.

A total of 7,500 kgs of rice and 1,500 kgs of flour loaded in

three roving trucks will be sold every day in Rangpur city

corporation area till August 7 next," Abdul Quader added.

On the occasion, the Divisional Commissioner said the

government has engaged all-out comprehensive efforts to

stand beside the helpless people to assist them in various

ways to face the Coronavirus pandemic situation.

"To address the current crisis, the special program has been

launched to sell rice and flour also to contain price hikes in the

open markets so that people who work hard can buy this riceflour

under the OMS program at lower prices," he said.

"Allegations of any kind of irregularity and corruption in

this special OMS activity of the government will not be

tolerated. If some quarters try to corrupt the dealers with this

rice and flour, stringent actions will be taken against them,"

he said.

CHATTOGRAM : Former

office assistant of state run

news agency Bangladesh

Sangbad Sangstha (BSS)

Abdul Gafour passed away

at his residence in

Laksham upazila of

Cumilla district on

Saturday evening.

He was 68.

Gafour, former office

assistant of BSS,

Chattogram bureau,

Ex-office

assistant of BSS

Abdul Gafour

dies

breathed his last at Uttor

Pachaimgaon village under

Lacksham upazila around

5.15 pm yesterday, family

UP Member

Amar Sajib holds

Eid reunion with

poor in Manda

SHAHzADA TUHIN, MANDA

CORRESPONDENT

UP member Amar Sajib has

organized an Eid-ul-Fitr

reunion with poor and

helpless people in Manda

upazila of Naogaon.Member

of Ward No. 3 of Paranpur

UP of the upazila organized a

lunch with the poor and

helpless people of his own

ward. At his own initiative,

he organized a program and

distributed masks among

more than 300 men and

women.

On Sunday afternoon, the

UP member organized the

meal with the helpless poor

people at his residence. At

the end of the event, more

than a hundred men and

women handed over their

saris and lungis. During the

time, UP member Amar

Sajib said that during the

Corona period, Prime

Minister Sheikh Hasina has

asked the government as well

as the rich and social workers

to come forward alongside

the poor. As a result I am

also trying to stand by the

helpless people.

During the time, Social

worker Fattah Sardar, retired

teacher Masir Uddin Sardar,

Madrasa Superintendent

Khwaja Uddin and lecturer

Mujib Sardar were present

during the distribution.

sources said.

He had been suffering

from fever for last few days,

they said. He left behind

wife, two sons, three

daughters and a host of

relatives and well-wishers

to mourn his death.

His namaz-e-janaza was

held around 10 pm at his

village. Later, he was

buried at his family

graveyard.

Sale of rice-flour

begins in open market

in Ishwardi

Gopal Odhikari, Ishwardi

Correspondent

To ensure food security, the

government has started selling rice

and flour in the open market

(OMS) in Ishwardi municipal area.

Simultaneous OMS activities were

inaugurated at four points in the

municipal area on Sunday (July

25) morning.

During the time, Municipal

Mayor Ishaq Ali Malitha, Upazila

Nirbahi Officer P.M Imrul Kayes,

Upazila Food Officer AKM

Shahidul Haque and General

Secretary of Bangladesh Teachers

Association Ishwardi Branch

Mostafizur Rahman Robi were

present.

The food department has started

selling rice in the open market in

the post office junction, Akbar

junction, Piarpur and SM School

and College areas of the municipal

area. Anyone can buy five kg of

rice or flour per person from OMS

shop.

According to the Upazila Food

Officer, each dealer has been

allotted 1,500 kg of rice and 1,000

kg of flour per day for the OMS

program. This activity will

continue till 7th August. Rice is

being sold at Tk 30 per kg and flour

at Tk 18 per kg.

11 die, 801 more

tested positive for

Covid-19 in Ctg

CHATTOGRAM: A total of 801 more

people have tested positive for Covid-19

in the district in the last 24-hour, reports

BSS.

The number of corona cases in

Chattogram district is on the rise

gradully. New records are being rebuilt

every day.

The infection rate is 38.54 percent. This

is the highiest infection rate in a single

day in Chattogram district till inception

corona.

Health officials said the number of

COVID-19 cases speedily raised to 75,363

as 801 more persons were reported

Covid-19 positive after testing 2078

samples on Saturday in the district.

"The infection rate is showing a quick

enhancing trend again and recovery rate

is also gradually reducing continuously in

the district in recent weeks," Focal Person

of COVID-19 Dr Sheikh Fazle Rabbi, civil

surgeon of Chattogram, told BSS

yesterday.

The health experts of Chattogram urged

city dwellers again and again to strictly

follow health rules and use masks.

Among the newly detected patients,

469 are from Chattogram city and 332

from different upazilas of the district,

hospital sources said.

With the 11 deaths on Saturday, the

number of coronavirus (COVID-19)

deaths in Chattogram reached 885, Dr

Sheikh Fazle Rabbi, said.

Among the reported fatalities, 543 were

the residents of the port city and the rest

343 were from different upazilas of the

district, he said.

Civil surgeon told BSS that among the

total infected persons, 56,909 are the

residents of the port city and the rest

18,454 are residents of different upazilas

of the district.

"The number of cured patients from the

lethal virus infection has reached 54,161 in

the Chattogram district with the recovery

of 263 more patients on Saturday," Dr

Rabbi said, adding that the percentage of

recovery rate stands at 71.61.

A total of 3515 infected patients are now

undergoing treatment at designated

hospitals here, the health official

mentioned.

Government has started selling rice and flour in the open market (OMS) in Ishwardi municipal area on

Sunday.

Photo: Gopal Odhikari

2 drug peddlers

held with liquor

in Rajshahi

RAJSHAHI: Rapid Action

Battalion (RAB), in an anticrime

drive, arrested two

alleged drug peddlers with

500 bottles of liquor here on

Saturday night, reports BSS.

According to the RAB

sources on Sunday, the

arrested were identified as

Hannan Ali, 45, son of Yeasin

Ali and Khairul Islam, 43, son

of late Abu Bakkar. A team

of the elite force, being

informed, conducted a raid in

Machipukur area under

Godagari Upazila in the

district and arrested them

with 500 liters of countrymade

liquor around 8.30 pm

red-handed, they said.

A case was recorded with

Godagari Police Station in this

connection and the arrested

persons along with the seized

goods were handed over to

police.

College Principal harassed

by spreading rumors

in Morrelganj

M PALASH SHARIF, MORRELGANJ CORRESPONDENT

Various rumors have been brought up against

Matribhasha College Principal (Current

Responsibilities) Md. Kamrul Islam Malla. The

palace is spreading the net of the fictional story

of 21 years ago.

A written statement was read out a press

conference on Sunday morning in Morrelganj

Press Club.It is alleged that after the

establishment of Matrihasha Degree College in

1999, the then principal Nazrul Islam Talukder

was in charge till 2007. Oliur Rahman, the

acting principal, later served for 13 long years.

Former Principal Nazrul Islam returned to his

post in 2020 under the direction of the High

Court. He retired on 15 January 2021. On

January 9, 2021, Chadan Kumar Kabulashik,

the acting principal of the Board of Directors of

the College, proposed that he be incapable of

fulfilling his responsibilities due to various

family problems. According to the rules of the

National University, the proposal to appoint

one of the top seniors was taken at the meeting

of the teachers' council.

Instantly according to oral instruction rules

assistant professor Md. Kamrul Islam Malla

was instructed to perform the duties of the

current principal. After Kamrul Islam got the

responsibility of the principal, a group

including office assistant Rezaul Islam brought

up deep conspiracy against him.

Rezaul Islam is the head office assistant but

does not hold regular office. There are various

allegations against him, including irregularities

and misappropriation of money from students.

The conspiratorial group is trying to catch

fish in the form of imaginary news. Principal

Kamrul Islam Malla has demanded the

concerned higher administration to take legal

action accordingly.

Due to the full moon and low pressure, the tidal waters of Payra and Srimanta rivers in Mirzaganj of

Patuakhali have increased and the lowlands have been inundated.

Photo: Uttam Folder

UTTAM GOLDER, MIRzAGANJ CORRESPONDENT

Due to the full moon and low

pressure, the tidal waters of Payra and

Srimanta rivers in Mirzaganj of

Patuakhali have increased and the

lowlands have been inundated.

Hundreds of families were stranded in

the river at three points near Sikdar

Bari in Doklakhali village of Deuli

Subidkhali union on Sunday morning

when the water level of Payra and

Srimanta rivers rose by 5 to 6 feet

above normal.

The pond and fish enclosure have

been washed away and the aman

seed flelds and aush fields have been

Hundreds of

families stranded

in Mirzaganj as

river protection

dam breaks

submerged. The Subidkhali-Jalisha

road has been submerged in water.

This maked it difficult to drive.

Locals said that the road is flooded as

it has not been repaired. After the

incident , Upazila Parishad Chairman

Khan Md Abu Bakr Siddiqui visited

the spot.

Upazila Chairman Khan Md Abu

Bakr Siddiqui said, there is low

pressure in the sea. As a result, when

the water level of Payra and Srimanta

rivers increased, the dam broke and

more than a hundred houses in

Doklakhali village were flooded. I

visited the spot and talked to the

locals. In order to speed up the

construction of embankments in the

area, the construction of dams will be

expedited in consultation with the

Water Development Board and the

locals.

A written statement was read out a press conference on Sunday morning in Morrelganj Press Club for

bringing up various rumors have been brought up against Matribhasha College Principal (Current

Responsibilities) Md. Kamrul Islam Malla on Sunday.

Photo: M Palash Sharif

MOnDAY, JULY 26, 2021

7

Out-of-state crews headed to Montana Saturday to battle a blaze that injured five firefighters as the U.S.

West struggled with a series of fires that have ravaged rural lands and destroyed homes. Photo : AP

Wildfires blasting through West

draw states to lend support

BLY, Ore : Out-of-state crews headed to

Montana Saturday to battle a blaze that

injured five firefighters as the U.S. West

struggled with a series of fires that have

ravaged rural lands and destroyed

homes.

Progress was being made on the

nation's largest blaze, the Bootleg Fire

in Oregon, but less than half of it was

contained, fire officials said.

The growth of the sprawling fire had

slowed, but increased fire activity was

expected Saturday, and thousands of

homes remained threatened on its

eastern side, authorities said, reports

UNB.

"This fire is resistant to stopping at

dozer lines," Jim Hanson, fire behavior

analyst, said Saturday in a news release

from the Oregon Department of

Forestry. "With the critically dry

weather and fuels we are experiencing,

firefighters are having to constantly

reevaluate their control lines and look

for contingency options."

In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom on

Friday declared a state of emergency

for four northern counties because of

wildfires that he said were causing

"conditions of extreme peril to the

safety of persons and property." The

proclamation opens the way for more

state support.

On Saturday, fire crews from

Israeli carrier

launches

direct flight

to Morocco

JERUSALEM : Israeli carrier

Israir launched the first direct

commercial flight between

the Jewish state and Morocco

on Sunday since the countries

normalised diplomatic

relations in a US-brokered

deal last year.

About 100 passengers were

on the flight that departed

from Tel Aviv to Marrakesh,

Israir spokeswoman Tali

Leibovitz told AFP, adding

that two to three flights per

week were planned on the

route.

Israeli Foreign Minister

Yair Lapid said last week that

he would visit Morocco

shortly after the Israir service

was launched.

Morocco was one of four

regional states to normalise

ties with Israel in 2020, along

with Bahrain, Sudan and the

United Arab Emirates.

The move came as the

administration of former US

president Donald Trump

recognised Morocco's

sovereignty over Western

Sahara, a disputed and

divided former Spanish

colony.

Morocco is home to North

Africa's largest Jewish

community, which numbers

around 3,000. Some 700,000

Jews of Moroccan origin live

in Israel.

Rabat had a liaison office in

Tel Aviv but relations came to

a halt during the 2000-2005

second Palestinian intifada,

or uprising.

The normalisation deals

between Arab states and

Israel have been deemed a

"betrayal" by the Palestinians,

who believe the process

should only follow a

resolution of the Israeli-

Palestinian conflict.

California and Utah were headed to

Montana, Gov. Greg Gianforte

announced. Five firefighters were

injured Thursday when swirling winds

blew flames back on them as they

worked on the Devil's Creek fire

burning in rough, steep terrain near the

rural town of Jordan.

They remained hospitalized Friday.

Bureau of Land Management

spokesperson Mark Jacobsen declined

to release the extent of their injuries,

and attempts to learn their conditions

Saturday were unsuccessful. Three of

the firefighters are U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service crew members from

North Dakota, and the other two are

U.S. Forest Service firefighters from

New Mexico.

In California, the Tamarack Fire

south of Lake Tahoe continued to burn

through timber and chaparral and

threatened communities on both sides

of the California-Nevada state line. The

fire, sparked by lightning July 4 in

Alpine County, has destroyed at least 10

buildings.

In Butte County, California, the Dixie

Fire continued to burn in rugged and

remote terrain, hampering firefighters'

efforts to contain the blaze as it grows

eastward, becoming the state's largest

wildfire so far this year.

Heavy smoke from both huge fires

lowered visibility and may at times

ground aircraft providing support for

fire crews. The air quality south of Lake

Tahoe and across the state line into

Nevada deteriorated to very unhealthy

levels.

In north-central Washington,

firefighters battled two blazes in

Okanogan County that threatened

hundreds of homes and again caused

hazardous air quality conditions

Saturday. And in northern Idaho, east

of Spokane, Washington, a small fire

near the Silverwood Theme Park

prompted evacuations Friday evening

at the park and in the surrounding area.

The theme park was back open on

Saturday with the fire half contained.

Although hot weather with afternoon

winds posed a continued threat of

spreading blazes, weekend forecasts

also called for a chance of scattered

thunderstorms in California, Utah,

Nevada, Arizona and other states.

However, forecasters said some could

be dry thunderstorms that produce

little rain but a lot of lightning, which

can spark new blazes.

More than 85 large wildfires were

burning around the country, most of

them in Western states, and they had

burned over 1.4 million acres (2,135

square miles, or more than 553,000

hectares).

Typhoon In-fa hits China's

east coast, canceling flights

SHANGHAI : Typhoon In-fa hit China's east

coast south of Shanghai on Sunday, after

airline flights and trains were canceled and

the public was ordered to stay indoors,

reports BSS.

The typhoon made landfall in Zhoushan in

Zhejiang province, state TV reported, citing

the national weather agency. It forecast

rainfall of 250-350 millimeters (10-14

inches).

"People should not willingly go outdoors,"

the bureau said.

The typhoon was packing winds of 155

kilometers (95 miles) per hour and gusts up

to 191 kph (120 mph) when it dumped rain

on Taiwan. It knocked down tree branches

but no deaths or injuries were reported.

Hundreds of flights at Shanghai Pudong

and Shanghai Hongqiao airports were

canceled and more were expected to be

canceled on Monday, state TV reported.

Shanghai closed parks and the riverfront

Bund district, a popular tourist area.

The international airport in Hangzhou,

southwest of Shanghai, also canceled flights.

Train service to Ningbo, a port city south of

Shanghai, was suspended, according to state

TV. The Zhoushan Bridge that connects

islands near Ningbo was closed, as were

schools, markets and businesses in Zhejiang

province.

On Saturday, large container ships were

moved from Yangshan Port in Shanghai, one

of the world's busiest shipping centers. State

TV said a ship lock in Nantong, which abuts

Shanghai to the north, stopped releasing

vessels into the Yangtze River.

Meanwhile in central China, the death toll

rose to 58 after record rains hit the major city

of Zhengzhou on Tuesday, state TV reported.

The rains flooded a Zhengzhou subway

tunnel where at least 12 people died,

knocked out power to a hospital and other

buildings and left streets filled with mud.

Rescuers used bulldozers and rubber boats

to evacuate residents of areas that still were

underwater, according to the Shanghai news

outlet The Paper.

Typhoon In-fa hit China's east coast south of Shanghai on Sunday,

after airline flights and trains were canceled and the public was

ordered to stay indoors.

Photo : AP

Afghan forces

capture four

Taliban for Eid

rocket attack

KABUL : Afghan forces have

captured four Taliban

fighters including a militant

commander for carrying out

this week's rocket attack

targeting the presidential

palace in Kabul during the

Muslim Eid al-Adha

prayers, officials said

Sunday, reports BSS.

At least three rockets

landed near the palace on

Tuesday as President Ashraf

Ghani and his top officials

performed outdoor prayers

to mark the start of the

Muslim holiday.

The interior ministry said

police had arrested four

Taliban fighters in an

operation in Kabul who were

behind the attack, which was

claimed by the jihadist

Islamic State group.

"A Taliban commander,

Momin, along with his three

other men, have been

arrested. They all belong to

the Taliban group," ministry

spokesman Mirwais

Stanikzai told reporters in a

video message.

Residents say flood-hit German

towns got little warning

AHRWEILER, GERMANY : Like other

residents of his town in Germany, Wolfgang

Huste knew a flood was coming. What

nobody told him, he says, was how bad it

would be, reports UNB.

The 66-year-old antiquarian bookseller

from Ahrweiler said the first serious warning

to evacuate or move to higher floors of

buildings close to the Ahr River came

through loudspeaker announcements

around 8 p.m. on July 14. Huste then heard

a short emergency siren blast and church

bells ringing, followed by silence.

"It was spooky, like in a horror film," he

said. Huste rushed to rescue his car from an

underground garage. By the time he parked

it on the street, the water stood knee height.

Five minutes later, safely indoors, he saw his

vehicle floating down the street. He

estimates the losses in his store, where books

dating back to the early 1500s were

destroyed, at more than 200,000 euros

($235,000).

"The warning time was far too short,"

Huste said.

With the confirmed death toll from last

week's floods in Germany and neighboring

countries passing 210, almost 150 people still

missing and the economic cost expected to

run into the billions, many have asked why

the emergency systems designed to warn

people of impending disaster didn't work.

Sirens in some towns failed when the

electricity was cut. In other locations, there

were no sirens at all; volunteer firefighters

had to knock on people's doors to tell them

what to do. The German weekly Der Spiegel

reported that in one suburb of Wuppertal,

north of Cologne, people were warned by a

monk ringing a bell.

Huste acknowledged that few could have

predicted the speed with which the water

would rise and rip through towns. But he

pointed across the valley to a building that

houses Germany's Federal Office for Civil

Protection, where first responders from

across the country train for possible

disasters.

"In practice, as we just saw, it didn't work,

let's say, as well as it should," Huste said.

"What the state should have done, it didn't

do. At least not until much later."

German authorities did receive early

warnings from the European Flood

Awareness System. These made their way

through official channels, putting firefighters

on heightened alert as well as smartphone

users who had installed disaster warning

apps, but such apps aren't widely used.

Local officials responsible for triggering

disaster alarms in the Ahr valley on the first

night of flooding have kept a low profile since

the deluge. At least 132 people were killed in

the Ahr valley alone.

Like other residents of his town in Germany, Wolfgang Huste knew a flood was coming. What

nobody told him, he says, was how bad it would be.

Photo : AP

India logs 39,742

new cases, 535

fresh fatalities

NEWDELHI : India added

39,742 new cases of

coronavirus infection taking

the total tally of COVID-19

cases to 3,13,71,901, while

the death toll rose to

4,20,551 with 535 fresh

fatalities, according to the

Union Health Ministry data

updated on Sunday.

The active cases have

declined to 4,08,212 and

comprise 1.30 per cent of the

total infections and the

national COVID-19 recovery

rate has been recorded at

97.36 per cent, the data

updated at 8 am showed.

A decline of 765 cases has

been recorded in the active

COVID-19 caseload in a

span of 24 hours.

India's COVID-19 tally had

crossed the 20-lakh mark on

August 7, 30 lakh on August

23, 40 lakh on September 5

and 50 lakh on September

16.It went past 60 lakh on

September 28, 70 lakh on

October 11, crossed 80 lakh

on October 29, 90 lakh on

November 20 and surpassed

the one-crore mark on

December 19. India crossed

the grim milestone of two

crore on May 4 and three

crore on June 23.

As many as 17,18,756 tests

were conducted on Saturday

taking the total cumulative

tests conducted so far for

detection of COVID-19 in

the country to 45,62,89,567.

The daily positivity rate

was recorded at 2.31 per cent

. It has been less than three

per cent for 34 consecutive

days, the ministry said,

adding the weekly positivity

rate was recorded at 2.24

per cent.

The number of people who

have recuperated from the

disease surged to

3,05,43,138, while the case

fatality rate stands at 1.34

per cent, the data stated.

India monsoon death toll

climbs to 124 as rescuers

search for missing

MUMBAI : The death toll from flooding and

landslides triggered by heav monsoon rains

in India climbed to 124 Sunday, officials said,

with rescuers searching for dozens more

missing.

The country's western coast has been

inundated by torrential rains since

Thursday, with the India Meteorological

Department warning of further downpours

over the next few days.

In Maharasthra state, 114 people have

been killed, including more than 40 in a large

landslide that hit the hillside village of Taliye,

south of Mumbai, on Thursday, reports BSS.

Villager Jayram Mahaske, whose relatives

remained trapped, told AFP that "many

people were washed away as they were trying

to run away" when the landslide hit.

It flattened dozens of homes in a matter of

minutes, leaving just two concrete structures

standing and cutting off power supply, local

residents told AFP.

Rescuers were scouring the mud and

debris for 99 others still missing.

"My entire team is engaged in rescue

operations now," National Disaster

Response Force Inspector Rajesh Yawale,

who was coordinating rescue operations in

the village, told AFP Saturday.

He said many bodies were washed away,

with some found stuck among trees

downstream.

A dozen others were killed in two separate

landslides, also south of Mumbai.

In parts of Chiplun, water levels rose to

nearly 20 feet (six metres) on Thursday after

24 hours of uninterrupted rain submerged

roads and homes.

Eight patients at a local Covid-19 hospital

also reportedly died after power supply to

ventilators was cut off by the floods.

In neighbouring Goa, a woman drowned,

the state government told the Press Trust of

India, in what Chief Minister Pramod

Sawant said were the "worst floods since

1982".

In the coastal plains spanning

Maharashtra and Goa, floodwater levels

remained elevated after rivers burst their

banks.

Terrified residents climbed onto rooftops

and upper floors to escape swelling waters.

Further south in Karnataka state, the

death toll rose from three to nine overnight,

with four others missing, officials said.

Power supply was disrupted in the 11

affected districts and officials added that

there were crop losses across vast swathes of

land.

Flooding and landslides are common

during India's treacherous monsoon season,

which also often sees poorly constructed

buildings buckle after days of non-stop rain.

Four people died before dawn on Friday

when a building collapsed in a Mumbai

slum, authorities said.

The incident came less than a week after at

least 34 people lost their lives when several

homes were crushed by a collapsed wall and

a landslide in the city.

Six soldiers killed in

Boko Haram attack in

Cameroon: governor

YAOUNDE : At least six Cameroon soldiers

were killed Saturday in an attack by Boko

Haram in the far north of the country, the

governor of the region said on state television.

Heavily armed Boko Haram fighters "arrived at

around four o'clock in the morning on six

vehicles", the governor of the Far North Region,

Bakari Midjiyawa, told CRTV television.

"We deplore the deaths of our six soldiers,

who died in action, and four more were

injured."The attack took place in Sagme, a few

dozen kilometres from the border with Nigeria,

from where Boko Haram originates.

According to a police report, confirmed by

several local sources, eight soldiers were killed.

Boko Haram and its breakaway faction

Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP)

have increased their deadly attacks against

security forces and civilians in the far north of

Cameroon in recent years, as well as in the

border regions with three neighbouring

countries, Nigeria, Niger and Chad.

They have also frequently kidnapped

civilians, particularly women and children.

Fighting with Boko Haram and ISWAP

jihadists has killed more than 36,000

people since 2009 and driven almost two

million people from their homes in

northeastern Nigeria.

MONDAY, JULY 26, 2021

8

Sylhet Zone of Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited organized Business Development Conference at virtual

platform recently. Mohammed Monirul Moula, Managing Director and CEO of the bank addressed the

program as chief guest. Md. Omar Faruk Khan, Additional Managing Director of the bank addressed the

conference as special guest. Taher Ahmed Chowdhury, Deputy Managing Director, Mohammad Ali, Chief

Risk Officer, Md. Siddiqur Rahman, Mohammed Shabbir & Md. Mahboob Alam, Senior Executive Vice

Presidents and A M Shahidul Amran, Assistant Vice President of the bank addressed the conference.

Sikder Md. Shehabuddin, Head of Sylhet Zone presided over the conference. Head of Branches and officials

under Sylhet Zone attended the conference.

Photo : Courtesy

Mexico disputes

US application

of USMCA rules

on autos

WASHINGTON : Mexico is

at odds with the United

States over how it is applying

content rules for the regional

auto trade, Mexican

Economy Minister Tatiana

Clouthier said Friday.

The dispute centers on

content requirements

known as rules of origin that

allow cars manufactured in

North America to receive

duty free treatment under

the regional trade pact that

took effect just over a year

ago.

"We believe that the rules

of origin have not been

interpreted the way it was

agreed at the moment we

signed the agreement,"

Clouthier told reporters.

The US-Mexico-Canada

Agreement (USCMA) signed

by former US president

Donald Trump raised the

regional

content

requirement for vehicles to

75 percent from the 62.5

percent threshold under the

North American Free Trade

Agreement (NAFTA), which

it replaced.

Clouthier met on

Thursday with US Trade

Representative (USTR)

Katherine Tai to discuss the

issue just after the

anniversary of the deal's

implementation, but

indicated the sides had not

resolved their disagreement.

Huawei wants to empower

ASEAN's green development

DHAKA : Chinese

telecom giant Huawei will

leverage its digital power

innovations to enable the

Association of Southeast

Asian Nations' (ASEAN)

cooperation on climate

change and green

development, reports

UNB.

Jeffery Liu, president of

Huawei Asia Pacific, said

this at the online ASEAN-

China Digital Economy

Development and

Cooperation Forum 2021

Friday.

Climate change and

environmental issues are

becoming global

challenges. Though

carbon emissions

declined over the past

year due to the economic

slowdown and worldwide

lockdowns, emissions are

rapidly rebounding as

economies reopen.

Shifting to a circular

economy and achieving

sustainable development

is now a common goal for

all countries.

Potential climate

change has a significant

regional impact, with six

of the 20 most vulnerable

countries in the world

being ASEAN members.

ASEAN has taken

actions to address climate

change through various

environmental, economic,

and social activities over

the years. Thailand, for

example, has set a target

of reaching peak carbon

emissions in 2030 and

then achieving net-zero

emissions in 2065.

ICT technologies are

important enablers of

energy conservation and

emissions reduction in

other industries. It is

estimated that the

reduction in carbon

emissions in other

industries enabled by ICT

technologies will be 10

times the amount of

carbon emitted by the ICT

industry itself.

"Huawei has been

leveraging its extensive

experience in power

electronics and energy

storage as well as

technical expertise in 5G,

cloud, and other

innovative technologies,

to develop its digital

power business and

provide digital power

solutions for different

industries," said Jeffery.

To promote renewable

energy, Huawei has

deployed its digital power

solutions in more than

170 countries and regions,

serving one-third of the

world's population.

"As of December 2020,

these solutions have

generated 325 billion

kWh of electricity from

renewable sources and

saved 10 billion kWh of

electricity. These efforts

have resulted in a

reduction of 160 million

tons in CO2 emissions,"

the company said.

Bangladesh has been a

member of the ASEAN

Regional Forum since

2006. The country's

largest solar power plant,

situated in Mymensingh,

is fully installed with the

Huawei

Smart

photovoltaic (PV) solution

with 173K solar panels

and 332 inverters through

which it has been

connected to the national

grid.

Mymensingh power

plant has chosen Huawei

Smart PV string inverters,

SUN2000-185KTL with

IP66 high-level

protection, and anti-PID

technologies to safeguard

the smooth running of the

plant with the highest

yields possible.

Easy mobile recharge

through Nagad

Gatewell Limited, a sister concern of country's leading business conglomerate PRAN-RFL Group,

has organized awareness campaign to prevent coronavirus and distributed surgical face mask in different

parts of Dhaka. Getwell branded face masks were distributed among the common people at

Mohakhali Bus Stand and Gulshan recently with the help of Gulshan Traffic Division of Dhaka

Metropolitan Police which was organized by Dhaka Round Table. Speaking at a function at the

Mohakhali Bus Terminal, Ashfaq Ahmed, Assistant Commissioner of Gulshan Traffic Division of

Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said this type of activities would play a vital role in keeping people away

from the deadly coronavirus and raise awareness among the common people. Rofiqul Islam, Brand

Manager at Getwell, said, "Getwell Limited manufactures a wide range of medical equipment. From

the beginning, Getewell isinvolved with various social and cultural activities. This campaign is the

continuation of it. This type of activities will continue in the future as well. Photo : Courtesy

Nagad, the mobile financial

service of Bangladesh Post

Office, is offering its users to

cost effective mobile

recharge in an effortless

manner without leaving the

house during the strict ban

on movement enforced to

tame Covid-19, a press

release said.

As a result, one can easily

stay in touch with their loved

ones through mobile phones.

This is ensuring physical

distance and playing a role in

preventing the spread of the

deadly virus.

Moreover, there is an

opportunity to receive

attractive discounts,

including cash-back, by

doing mobile recharge using

Nagad.

The country's secondlargest

MFS operator has

recently launched a

campaign called "Deshi

Nagad e Beshi Lav", which

places more emphasis on

making mobile recharge easy

and affordable.

At the same time,

customers are getting any

digital service from the

convenience of their homes

with the best offer through

Nagad. During the strict

restriction on movement,

Nagad is helping customers

securing all essential

services, starting from

opening Nagad accounts

digitally and easily

transferring money from

bank to Nagad account, send

money without extra cost,

paying bills for online

shopping, and for all

services, including

electricity, gas, water, and

broadband.

Customers also can easily

donate money to charities

and pay school and college

tuitios, online registration

fees and the Covid-19 test

fees. The availability of the

wide range of services

provided by Nagad is helping

stop the spread of infections

to some extent.

Tanvir A Mishuk,

managing director of Nagad,

said, "Nagad has been

working to make people's

lives easier with the touch of

digital services since its

inception. In continuation of

allowing people to access all

the services from their

homes, mobile recharge

through Nagad has been

made the easiest and most

economical. I think our

efforts will play an important

role in keeping people

connected even if they are

physically away from each

other. Nagad has made it

easy for customers to carry

out day-to-day financial

transactions and access

many services."

ONE Bank Limited recently distributed relief materials as a part of its special Corporate Social

Responsibility (CSR) program for the Corona pandemic affected underprivileged families in

Noakhali Zone by maintaining health rules and social distancing. A total of 2,090 underprivileged

families were given the humanitarian aid. On the total coordination of Sk. M.M. Rabiul Islam FAVP

& Manager Maijdee Court Branch in association with Local Upazila Administration, Noakhali Rural

Development Society (NRDS) NGO, Sagorika Samaj Unnayan Songshtha, Resource Integration

Centre (RIC) NGO and BRAC NGO participated the program; in Dagonbhuiyan (360 families), in

Amishapara (265 families), in Subarnachar (325 families), in Sonapur Sub-Branch (330 families), in

Chaterpaiya (265 families), in Chaprashirhat (270 families) and in Chatkhil (275 families) received

the support. Each of them were given 15 kilograms of rice, 2 kilograms of flour, 5 kilograms of potato,

1 kg lentil, salt, edible oil, onions , 100 grams of chili powder and 1 soap. Photo : Courtesy

PARIS : As electric car sales take off and

petrol engines face being phased out by

2035, Europe is looking to develop its

own battery production base.

Far from being autonomous, Europe

needs to accelerate domestic battery

output as a national security issue as

well as a boost for businesses and jobs.

Batteries that power electric cars and

which weigh up to 600 kilograms

(1,300 pounds), represent a

considerable part of the vehicle's value.

At the moment, they are mostly

produced in Asia, with China, South

Korea and Japan the leading

Europe to boost battery

production as electric

shift accelerates

manufacturers.

With a mid-July announcement that

it intends to ban the sale of new petrol

and diesel vehicles by 2035, the

European Commission has set a

timetable for the bloc's shift to electric

cars.

Many carmakers, having sensed

which way the wind is blowing with

governments, have now announced

plans to shift towards electric vehicles.

Germany's Daimler was the latest,

announcing last week that from 2025 it

will launch only electric vehicle

platforms as it gears up for a full shift to

electric cars from 2030.

It is not only governments pushing

the change, as the latest European data

shows that electric cars doubled their

market share in the second quarter of

2021, reports BSS.

If Europe is going to shift to electric

cars, it will need lots of batteries.

ABM MokammelHoque Chowdhury, Managing Director of Union Bank Limited inaugurated the

College Bazar Sub-Branch, Karnafuli and Khan Hat Sub-Branch, Chandanaish in Chattogramas the

chief guest through video conference from Head Office, Dhakawith the maintain health rules.

Additional Managing Director ofthe Bank Md. Habibur Rahman,Deputy Managing DirectorsHasan

Iqbal, Md. Nazrul Islam, Mayorof Chandanaish MunicipalityMd. Mahabubul Alam Khokhaand

Principal of KarnafuliA J Chowdhury College Mohammad Jasim Uddinwere present as special

guests. Besides, high officials of head office of the bank, local elite of Chattogram were present at the

ceremony. A Doa-Mahfil was also organized on the occasion.

Photo : Courtesy

MONDAY, JUlY 26, 2021

9

USA's Alex Morgan scores during their match against New Zealand in the women's football of the

Tokyo Olympics Saturday.

Photo: AP

US rebound with 6-1 win over NZ

SPORTS DESK

The United States women's football

team returned to winning ways with a

clinical 6-1 victory over New Zealand at

Saitama Stadium Saturday, while

Britain and Sweden maintained perfect

starts to book their places in the

Olympic tournament's knockout stage,

reports UNB.

After suffering a first defeat in 30

months to Sweden in their Group G

opener, the Americans, who are world

champions, made a much-improved

start against New Zealand, breaking the

deadlock inside 10 minutes with a Rose

Lavelle strike.

With US first lady Jill Biden watching

from the stands, the four-times

Olympic gold medallists turned on the

style with waves of attacks and went on

to double their lead just before halftime

through a Lindsey Horan header.

South Africa clean sweeps

three-match T20I series

against Ireland

SPORTS DESK

South Africa swept the

Twenty20 series against

Ireland after winning the

third match by 49 runs,

reports UNB.

The one-day international

honors were shared, but

South Africa dominated the

shorter format with previous

wins by 33 and 42 runs.

For the finale, South Africa

produced its best T20 total

of the tour at 189-2 after an

opening stand of 127

between captain Temba

Bavuma (72) and Reeza

Hendricks (69). They played

the first 10 overs cautiously

then opened up.

Ireland was well short in

reply at 140-9. George

Linde, Lizaad Williams and

Wiaan Mulder took two

wickets each. Captain Andy

Balbirnie top scored with 27.

Bavuma won the toss,

batted first and hit his

maiden T20 fifty, 72 from 51

balls, including six

boundaries and two sixes.

Hendricks played his first

match of the Ireland tour

and his 69 came from 48

balls. Seven went for four,

plus there was one six over

long on.

Two second-half own goals

compounded New Zealand's problems

and US substitutes Alex Morgan and

Christen Press also got on the

scoresheet as the pre-tournament

favorites moved back into contention

for a final-eight spot.

Sweden continued their dominant

run with a 4-2 comeback win over

Australia.Captain Sam Kerr scored a

double to hand the Matildas a 2-1 lead,

only for Sweden to score three quickfire

goals courtesy of Lina Hurtig,

StinaBlackstenius and FridolinaRolfo's

second.

In Group E, Manchester City forward

Ellen White nodded in her third goal of

the tournament as Britain guaranteed

their progress to the knockout stages

with a 1-0 victory over hosts Japan,

who stay winless after two games.

A Dominique Janssen free kick in the

79th minute rescued a point for the

Netherlands in a 3-3 draw with Brazil,

with the Oranje retaining the top spot

in Group F on goal difference.

After scoring a treble for Zambia in

their 10-3 drubbing by the Netherlands

on Wednesday, striker Babra Banda

enhanced her status as the

competition's breakout player with

another hat-trick in a 4-4 draw with

China in Group F.

China had a goal machine of their

own in Wang Shuang, who scored four

times including a late penalty to earn

her side a deserved point at Rifu's

Miyagi Stadium.

Wang became only the third player to

score four goals in a match at the

Games and the second in the

tournament after Dutchwoman

VivianneMiedema.

Earlier, forward Janine Beckie scored

in each half as Canada beat Chile 2-1 at

the Sapporo Dome.

Hosszu dethroned as Australia

shatter relay world record

SPORTS DESK

Japan's YuiOhashi dethroned Hungarian

400m medley queen KatinkaHosszu Sunday

as Tunisia won a rare swimming gold medal

and Australia's all-conquering women's

4x100m relay team smashed their own

world record, reports BSS.

Veteran Hosszu won three golds and a

silver at Rio in 2016, shattering the 400m

medley world mark to cement her place as

one of the world's top swimmers.

But she qualified only seventh fastest for

the final at the Tokyo Aquatic Center and,

racing in lane one, was no match for an

electric Ohashi who stunned the field to

clinch the title.

The 25-year-old, who was only sixth fastest

in the world this year coming into the event,

turned in a sizzling breaststroke leg to take

charge, touching in 4mins 32.08 secs.

US pair Emma Weyant (4:32.76) and Hali

Flickinger (4:34.90) took silver and bronze

with Hosszu, in her fifth Olympics, fading to

fifth."I swam believing in myself. I really did

not think of winning the gold," said a

disbelieving Ohashi. "A lot of people

supported me so that I could exert all my

strength. I really appreciate it. I had an

enjoyable race. It is still like a dream."

Nicknamed the "Iron Lady", Hosszu can

still get herself on the Olympic podium

again, having a gruelling Tokyo schedule that

also includes the 200m medley, 200m

backstroke and 200m butterfly.

Tunisian teenager Ahmed Hafnaoui also

pulled off a major upset to win the men's 400

metre freestyle.

In the absence of defending champion

Mack Horton, who failed to qualify, and

China's Sun Yang, the 2012 London

champion who is serving a doping ban, the

18-year-old capitalised.

He raced a storming final 50m to touch in

3:43.36 and overhaul Australian Jack

McLoughlin (3:43.52) and US swimmer

Kieran Smith (3:43.94).

It was a major breakthrough for the young

gun, who has little pedigree on the world

stage. "I just can't believe that, it's amazing. I

felt better in the water this morning than

yesterday and that's it. I'm the Olympic

champion now," he said. "I just put my head

in the water and that's it. I just can't believe

it. It's a dream come true."

It was Tunisia's first ever Olympic medal in

the event and just their third gold in

swimming after OusMellouli made podiums

in 2008 and 2012. Dominant - Gold medal

glory for the Australian relay squad was

never in doubt after they qualified for the

final nearly two seconds clear of The

Netherlands.

Since taking nearly a full second off a

super-suited world record in 2014, they have

been dominant, winning the two previous

Olympic golds, the 2019 world

championships while setting two more world

records in 2016 and 2018. And they added to

their glorious haul Sunday.

Emma McKeon swum the fifth fastest

relay split in history over leg three to pull

them clear after Bronte Campbell and Meg

Harris gave them a decent start.

Japan's YuiOhashi dethroned Hungarian 400m medley queen KatinkaHosszu Sunday.

Photo: AP

Australia captain

Finch to miss

Bangladesh tour

due to knee injury

SPORTS DESK

Captain Aaron Finch will

return to Australia to try to

be fit for the Twenty20

World Cup after a knee

injury ended his

involvement in the current

tour of the West Indies and

the up-coming series in

Bangladesh, reports UNB.

Finch missed the first two

meetings with the West

Indies in the three-match

one-day international series

and is likely to undergo

surgery after completing 14

days of quarantine upon his

arrival in Australia.

"I'm extremely

disappointed to be heading

home," Finch said in a

statement released by

Cricket Australia.

"This was considered the

best course of action rather

than travelling to

Bangladesh, not being able

to play and losing that

recovery time.

"I will have the surgery if

required and start the

recovery process ahead of

the World Cup."

The T20 World Cup will be

played in the United Arab

Emirates and Oman, and is

scheduled to begin in mid-

October.

Kalisz snares

America's first gold

of Tokyo Games

SPORTS DESK

An emotional Chase Kalisz

claimed the United States'

first gold medal of the Tokyo

Olympics with victory in the

men's 400m individual

medley on Sunday, slaying

his demons from the 2016

Rio Games in the process,

reports BSS.

Kalisz led by a body-length

after 300 metres and

stormed home in 4mins

09.42secs ahead of secondplaced

compatriot Jay

Litherland (4:10.28) and

Australia's Brendon Smith

in third (4:10.38).

He said the win made up

for the disappointment of

finishing runner-up in Rio,

when he felt his silver

tarnished the legacy of US

greats such as Michael

Phelps in the event.

"I really do feel I kind of let

the US down in 2016, even

though I swam a lot faster

than I did here-this was my

redemption story, it

certainly wasn't an easy

path," he said.

DeChambeau out of Olympics golf

after positive virus test: PGA Tour

SPORTS DESK

Former US Open winner Bryson

DeChambeau is out of the Olympics after

testing positive for coronavirus, the PGA

Tour announced on Sunday, saying Patrick

Reed would take his place at the Tokyo

Games, reports BSS.

"Bryson DeChambeau tested positive for

Covid-19 as part of the final testing protocol

before he left the United States for the

Olympics 2020 in Japan," the PGA said in a

statement on behalf of USA Golf.

"He will be unable to compete for Team

USA.

"Patrick Reed will replace DeChambeau

and is undergoing the requisite testing

protocol today, Sunday and Monday before

departing for Japan."

Dechambeau could not hide his bitter

disappointment.

"I am deeply disappointed not to be able to

compete in the Olympics for Team USA,"

said DeChambeau, who won the 2020 US

Open.

"Representing my country means the

world to me and it is was a tremendous

honor to make this team."

Reed, who won the Masters in 2018, will

join Justin Thomas, recently crowned British

Open champion Collin Morikawa and

XanderSchauffele in the men's competition.

"I am so excited to have the opportunity to

represent our country and be a part of Team

USA in Tokyo," said Reed.

"I wish Bryson nothing but the best, and I

know how disappointed he is to not be able

to compete, and I will do my best to play my

best and represent our country."

Former US Open winner Bryson DeChambeau is out of the Olympics after

testing positive for coronavirus, the PGA Tour announced. Photo: AP

Pooran, Holder lead West

Indies to win over Australia

SPORTS DESK

The West Indies cruised to a four-wicket win

with 12 overs remaining against Australia in

Bridgetown on Saturday to claim the second

one-day international (ODI) between the

nations and level up the series, reports UNB.

Nicholas Pooran and Jason Holder shared

a 93-run partnership for the sixth wicket to

effectively seal the win for the West Indies

after the top of the order had struggled in the

early chase of Australia's 187 total.

"It's pleasing to win," said West Indies

captain Keiron Pollard. "Obviously, when

you start a cricket match you want to win,

but to say I'm overall pleased with our

performance throughout the entire game, I

think we have some work to do."

The game started 48 hours later than

originally scheduled after it was postponed

on Thursday following a COVID-19 case

within the West Indies camp.

Australia won the first ODI by 133 runs but

Biles launches history bid as surfing,

skateboarding make Olympic bow

SPORTS DESK

US gymnastics star Simone Biles launches

her bid for Olympic immortality at the Tokyo

Games on Sunday as surfing and

skateboarding make their debuts as part of a

drive to attract young audiences, reports

BSS. American swimmer Chase Kalisz won

the first of 18 gold medals up for grabs on day

two of the Games as Japanese tennis star

Naomi Osaka prepared to return to the court

after her self-imposed exile.

The Ariake Gymnastics Centre will be the

setting as Biles, 24, starts her bid to become

the first woman in more than half a century

to retain the all-around title.

The American could leave Tokyo with a

career haul of nine Olympic gold medals,

equalling the record set by Soviet gymnast

Larisa Latynina in Tokyo in 1964.

Bileshas not lost an all-around competition

since 2013, an eight-year spell that has

encompassed 19 world championship titles

and four Olympic golds.

In acknowledgement of her domination,

Biles has been awarded her own emoji on

Twitter-a goat in a leotard symbolising her

status as the GOAT, or greatest of all time.

Surfing and skateboarding are part of four

new sports in Tokyo, along with karate and

sport climbing.

The inaugural men's surfing competition

got under way in bright sunshine at

Tsurigasaki Beach, 100 kilometres (60

miles) east of Tokyo.

Brazil's Italo Ferreira, who learned to surf

standing on the foam boxes his father sold

fish from, will start as one of the favourites,

with Japan's Kanoa Igarashi another big

name.

"I'm so stoked. It's a special event," said

Ferreira, who finished first in his opening

heat. "I've been training a lot in the last

couple of months. I'm glad to be here and I

think that was a good heat."

The first Olympic skateboarding champion

will be crowned, with America's Nyjah

Huston and Japan's YutoHorigome fierce

rivals in the men's street competition.

In the pool, Kalisz claimed gold in the

men's 400m individual medley for the

United States while Japan's YuiOhashi won

the women's race.

Tunisian teenager Ahmed Hafnaoui upset

the field to win the men's 400m freestyle.

Osaka launches Olympic bid -

Australian Open champion Osaka has not

played since May, when she walked out of

Roland Garros saying that media

commitments were harming her mental

health. But she appeared buoyant after

lighting the Olympic cauldron on Friday, and

will expect a warm welcome in Tokyo even if

fans are barred because of coronavirus

restrictions.

Firing up the cauldron was "undoubtedly

the greatest athletic achievement and honor

I will ever have in my life", tweeted Osaka,

who plays China's Zheng Saisai in the first

round.

World number one Ashleigh Barty, who

won Wimbledon earlier this month,

launches her campaign against Spain's Sara

SorribesTormo.

A formidable USA team led by Kevin

Durant take on France in basketball, and

Dutch two-time world champion Anna van

der Breggen will target back-to-back golds in

the women's cycling road race.

set the West Indies a total of 188 to win after

Australia's lower order batsman launched a

salvage mission when the openers slumped.

Ben McDermott fell to the fourth ball of the

day with one run on the scorecard and when

Ashton Turner was bowled by AkealHosein

the Australians had lost their sixth wicket for

only 45 runs.

The lower order launched a comeback,

however, with Matthew Wade and Adam

Zampa hitting 36 runs each and No. 10 Wes

Agar top scoring for the Australians with 41

from 36 balls. The hosts struggled in the

opening stages of their innings with Evin

Lewis and Darren Bravo both falling early

before Pooran and Holder came together to

push the West Indies towards the win.

Holder eventually fell to Mitchell Starc 23

runs short of victory to leave AlzarriJospeh

to thump Ashton Turner for four to earn the

West Indies a four-wicket win with 12 overs

to spare. The teams meet again in the third

and final match in the series on Monday.

Australia smash

world record to win

women's 4x100m

relay Olympic gold

SPORTS DESK

Australia shattered the

women's 4x100m freestyle

world record to win gold at

the Tokyo Olympics on

Sunday, clocking 3mins 29.69

secs to better their own mark

set three years ago, reports

BSS.

The team of Cate Campbell,

Emma McKeon, Meg Harris

and Bronte Campbell lowered

the 3:30.05 Australia set at

the 2018 Commonwealth

Games to reinforce their

dominance of the event.

Canada came second and

the United States third.

Cate Campbell brought

home the new record with a

flying final leg of 52.24sec, but

it was set up by McKeon, who

swam her 100m in an

incredible 51.35, sending a

clear signal that she is gold

medal favourite in the

individual event.

"It's very special to be part

of this relay," said Bronte

Campbell. "It always is and

the competition in Australia is

fierce for this relay and that's

what makes us so competitive

on the international stage.

"It's more than us

competing against each other

for the spots on the relay.

MoNDAY, JuLY 26, 2021

10

Chanchal, Shaon's 'Nisha

Lagilo Re' crosses 1M!

TBT RepoRT

Chanchal Chowdhury and

Meher Afroz Shaon's latest

musical drop breaks record in

no time as their rendition of

Hason Raja's "Nisha Lagilo

Re" crossed one million views

on YouTube within 72 hours

of release.

Since the debut

performance of the duo,

"Shorboto Mongolo Radhe",

social media comments

flooded with requests for an

appearance together, said a

press release.

Two days before Eid, IPDC

Amader Gaan surprised the

fans with another

masterpiece, making the

nation binge-listen the song.

CREATO, an advertising

agency, is engaged in the

overall management and

supervision of this musical

platform.

The song has successfully

fueled the fame of IPDC

Amader Gaan. Directed by

Partha Barua, the platform

was created to promote

Bangladeshi folk music

globally, featuring diverse

musical influences and

offering studio-recorded

performances by promising

singers of the country.

Sabbir Nasir's 'Adha' released

Kona, Protic's duet

song 'Adore Adore'

TBT RepoRT

Popular singers of present

generation Dilshad Nahar

Kona and Protic Hasan

rendered a duet song titled

Adore Adore composed by

journalist Ovi Moinuddin.

Recording of the song was

done at Sound Hacker Studio

in the capital's Kakrail area

on July 15. Yousuf Ahmed

Khan gave music direction of

the song. After Eid, music

video of the song will be

released on a new YouTube

channel, Megh. While

talking about the song Kona

said, "If I like lyrics and tunes

then I agree to render the

song. Ovi is known to me for

two decades. He is known to

me as a journalist. For this

reason, when he sent me the

song I was confused. After

recording, I felt it has become

a nice song.

I enjoyed a lot rendering

the song. I give thanks to

Yousuf, Ovi and my co-singer

Protic." Protic Hasan shared

his feelings by this way,

"From the beginning of

introducing with Ovi

Moinuddin

I called him uncle. I did

not know my uncle can

compose such a nice song.

Lyrics and tunes of the song

touched my heart. I give

thanks to all who are related

with this song."

TBT RepoRT

Sabbir Nasir, who has earned huge acclamation for the songs

'Horsho', 'Fagun Ashche', 'Jol Jochhona', 'Amare Diya Dilam

Tomare', 'Mrito Jonaki' and 'Poka', has released a new Eid song

titled 'Adha'.

The track has been released on YouTube channel of Sabbir Nasir

through a programme held at a restaurant in the capital's

Hatijheel area on Sunday.

A musical film on the same title has also been released to

entertain music lovers during the Eid-ul-Azha festival, said a press

release.

The song has been written and tuned by Omar FarukBishal.

Masud Hasan Ujjal is the director and Sajid Sarker is the music

director of the musical film.

About the song Sabbir Nasir said, "The lyrics, composition and

tune of the track are amazing. It has been written and tuned by

Omar Faruk Bishal. Previously, two songs recorded by me, written

by Bishal, namely 'Amare Dia Dilam Toamre' and 'Tumi Dome

Dom', received huge response from the audience. I hope music

lovers will also enjoy my new song as well as musical film."

The musical film was shot at different locations in Sylhet,

including Bholaganj and Ratargul. Sabbir Nasir and Neel

Hurerzahan will be seen as models in the musical film.

"`Erotica` is not `Porn`, my

husband innocent": Shilpa Shetty

Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty has said she

was unaware of the exact nature of content

on 'Hotshots' - the mobile app via which her

husband, Raj Kundra, is accused of

streaming pornographic content - Mumbai

Police sources have told news agency.

Police sources told that Ms Shetty said it

was another accused - London-based

Pradeep Bakshi, Mr Kundra's brother-inlaw

- who was involved with the app. She

also stressed the difference between 'erotica'

and 'pornography', and said Mr Kundra was

not involved in producing pornographic

content. Police recorded Ms Shetty's

statement yesterday evening as they

questioned her. They were checking if she

knew about her husband's alleged link to the

pornographic films, sources said.

Also yesterday Mr Kundra, who was

arrested this week, was sent to police

custody till July 27. Police said they had

seized 48 TB worth of images and videos,

most of which is adult content.

Police also said they had a record of

transactions - from an account in Yes Bank

registered to Mr Kundra to one in the United

Bank of Africa. They suspect money from

sale of pornographic content was used for

Meghan creates

TV project aimed

at girls for Netflix

online betting. Rs 7.5 crore has been seized

so far. During yesterday's hearing his lawyer,

Abad Ponda, had objected to classifying the

seized content as 'pornography'. Mr Ponda

said the content could not come under

Section 67 of the IT Act - for which bail is not

allowed - as similar material is available on

OTT platforms like Netflix.

It can be covered only under Section 292 of

the Indian Penal Code - which deals with

"lascivious" material, he said, adding "no

further custody is needed".

Mr Kundra has denied any wrongdoing

and has also named Pradeep Bakshi as the

key figure. However, police have said Mr

Kundra was kept updated on the finances of

the app, and allegedly also set up a

WhatsApp group to discuss the production,

distribution and selling of content.

Mr Kundra has approached the Bombay

High Court to challenge his arrest and

dismiss the lower court's order on extending

police custody on that distinction. His

petition also claims he was arrested after

being summoned to the police station

"under the garb of recording his statement".

The police say Raj Kundra, 45, is a "key

conspirator" in the case, and that they had

Britain's Duchess Meghan has

created an animated family

series for streaming platform

Netflix that she will also

executive produce, her

production company said on

Wednesday.

Archewell Productions, the

company formed by Meghan

and her husband, Prince

Harry, said in a statement the

series would be centered on

the adventures of a 12-yearold

girl, who is inspired by a

variety of influential women

from history.

The series, called "Pearl," is

one of the first to be announced

by Netflix and the British

couple, formally known as the

Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

They struck the deal last year

after they quit their royal duties

and moved to California.

"Like many girls her age, our

heroine Pearl is on a journey of

self-discovery as she tries to

overcome life's daily

challenges," Meghan said in a

statement.

"I'm thrilled that Archewell

Productions, partnered with the

powerhouse platform of Netflix,

sufficient evidence against him; this

includes pornographic clips and emails

found in his office.

Source : Times Of India

and these incredible producers,

will together bring you this new

animated series, which

celebrates extraordinary

women throughout history."

No date was given for the

launch of the series.

Meghan will executive

produce the series along with

David Furnish, the husband of

British singer Elton John, the

statement said. John is a close

friend of Harry and Meghan

and performed at their wedding

reception in 2018.

The animated series follows

the announcement last year of a

Netflix project that is close to

Harry's heart - a documentary

series about the Invictus Games

for wounded servicemen and

women.

It follows the publication last

month of Meghan's first book -

"The Bench" - a children's story

about fatherhood that she said

was inspired by Harry's

relationship with the couple's

first child, Archie. Meghan gave

birth to a daughter, Lilibet "Lili"

Diana, in June.

Source: Indian Express

H o Roscope

Aries

Success on all levels is filling your

life and making you feel

absolutely wonderful, Aries. The

downside of this is that you

might be a little too conscientious. Are you

putting in a lot of extra hours? Be

discriminating about this and don't work

harder than necessary. You could get stressed

to the point of taxing your strength too much,

and that won't help you. Pace yourself.

Taurus

Hard work, enthusiasm, and dedication

are now paying off financially, Taurus.

New opportunities are opening up to

profitably make use of your artistic side.

The downside is that you might be working so hard that

you're too drained to be creative even though the

inspiration is there. Take a moment to rework your

schedule to accomplish the most in the least amount of

time. You can do it.

Gemini

People close to you might be a bit

worried about you, Gemini. Too

much work and socializing might

have you feeling less than your usual

self, and perhaps even a little feverish and headachy.

If so, this is a good day to take time out, stay home,

and rest. Don't worry about sabotaging your success.

It will continue. Take a break and your body will

reward you with greater clarity and concentration.

cancer

All continues to go well

professionally, Cancer. You're

feeling physically strong and

vigorous. Mentally, however, you

might be a bit vague. You may be easily distracted

and not as sharp as usual. This isn't a good day to

start a new project. Try to concentrate on finishing

old tasks and tying up loose ends. You should be

ready to go again in a couple of days.

Leo

The high from your recent

successes could make you want to

purchase luxury items that you used

to think were impractical, Leo. This

is fine as long as you're discriminating and don't

give in to impulse buying. This also isn't a good

time to overindulge in food or drink. You should let

yourself enjoy your success while still using

common sense.

Virgo

You could be on a real emotional high

today because of your success and

that of other household members,

Virgo. Your mind may be buzzing

with ideas for future expansion, some of which may

not be all that workable. However, you should allow

yourself a few flights of fancy. Tomorrow your feet

will be back on the ground and you will see things in

a more practical light.

Libra

Today may prove to be one of

your busiest in a long time, Libra.

The promise of continuing

success in your personal and

professional goals could find you spending a lot

of time on the phone, writing emails, or making

a few short trips around the community. You

might not be able to reach everyone you need to

see. Don't worry. Be persistent and you will

reach them eventually.

scorpio

Business and financial success makes

you happy and satisfied, Scorpio. You

also look forward to moving on. The

downside of this flush period is that

people who aren't particularly trustworthy might

decide to latch onto your coattails for their own

purposes. Some might even ask for loans. Be careful

about the ones you assist. They might not be honest

with you. Don't fall for any sob stories.

sagittarius

As your professional dreams

unfold, Sagittarius, you may worry

about the downside. First, there are

new responsibilities that you might

doubt your ability to fulfill. Second, you might be

catapulted into an uncomfortable new realm of

office politics. Don't let these matters put a damper

on your enthusiasm. You have what it takes to

fulfill the first concern and the wisdom to avoid the

second. Onward and upward.

capricorn

Recent spiritual breakthroughs

might have you feeling both

exhilarated and downcast,

Capricorn. Your sensitive side

tells you that this is a definite step forward on

your spiritual path, but the logical side might

cause you to doubt its reality. Take comfort in

the fact that reality is relative and that what

you're sensing is at least valid for you. Then keep

moving ahead.

Aquarius

Many of your personal goals have either

been met or are in progress, Aquarius,

and you're feeling exhilarated.

However, people around you might

have their hands out. You may be asked to contribute to

charities or make personal loans to people you don't

know well. You want to help whenever you can, but be

discriminating about whom you help now. Some may be

less than trustworthy.

pisces

Confirmation of professional success could

come your way, Pisces, and you're probably

feeling excited and motivated to keep

pushing. But you may find that increased

responsibilities interfere with your social life. You wonder if

friends have forgotten you. They haven't, but it will make you

feel better if you squeeze in a few hours for your friends each

week. Remember what they say about all work and no play.

MoNDAY, JUlY 26, 2021

11

Without caring about the coronavirus situation, people have broken the hygiene and social distance

in different places of Tangail. Especially on the second day of Eid-ul-Azha, crowds of visitors were

seen in various parks, bridge areas and open water recreation centers. Photo : Nasir Uddin

Two Turkish

soldiers killed

in northern

Syria: ministry

ISTANBUL : Two Turkish

soldiers were killed and two

others wounded in areas of

northern Syria under

Ankara's control to keep out

jihadists and Kurdish rebels,

the defence ministry tweeted

Sunday.

The ministry said

"terrorists" targeted a

Turkish military vehicle on

Saturday in the Euphrates

Shield region south of the

border, but did not specify

which group they

represented.

Turkey launched

Operation Euphrates Shield

in 2016 in order to drive

away from its border region

Islamic State militants and

Syrian Kurdish militia forces

deemed "terrorists" by

Ankara.

The Euphrates Shield

region includes the towns of

Jarablus and al-Bab near the

Turkish border.

After the attack, "the terror

targets were hit" in

retaliation, the ministry said.

Ankara views Syrian

Kurdish People's Protection

Units (YPG) as an offshoot

of outlawed militants who

have been waging a deadly

insurgency against the

Turkish state.

GD-1136/21 (5x3)

Europe's summer tourism

outlook dimmed by

variants, rules

LONDON : Chaos and

confusion over travel rules

and measures to contain

new virus outbreaks are

contributing to another

cruel summer for Europe's

battered tourism industry,

reports UNB.

Popular destination

countries are grappling with

surging COVID-19 variants,

but the patchwork and lastminute

nature of the efforts

as the peak season gets

underway threatens to derail

another summer.

In France, the world's

most visited country, visitors

to cultural and tourist sites

were confronted this week

with a new requirement for a

special COVID-19 pass.

To get the pass, which

comes in paper or digital

form, people must prove

they're either fully

vaccinated or recently

recovered from an infection,

or produce a negative virus

test. Use of the pass could

extend next month to

restaurants and cafes.

Italy said Thursday that

people will need a similar

pass to access museums and

movie theaters, dine inside

restaurants and cafes, and

get into pools, casinos and a

range of other venues.

At the Eiffel Tower,

unprepared tourists lined up

for quick virus tests so they

could get the pass to visit the

Paris landmark. Johnny

Nielsen, visiting from

Denmark with his wife and

two children, questioned the

usefulness of the French

rules.

"If I get tested now, I can

go but then I (could) get

corona in the queue right

here," Nielsen said, though

he added they wouldn't

change their plans because

of it.

Juan Truque, a tourist

from Miami, said he wasn't

vaccinated but took a test so

he could travel to France via

Spain with his mother.

"Now they are forcing you

to wear masks and to do

similar kind of things that

are impositions to you. To

me, they are violations to

your freedom." he said.

Europe's vital travel and

tourism industry is

desperate to make up after a

disastrous 2020.

International tourist arrivals

to Europe last year plunged

by nearly 70%, and for the

first five months of this year,

they're down 85%,

according to U.N. World

Tourism Organization

figures.

American, Japanese and

Chinese travelers aren't

confident it will be possible

to visit and move freely

within Europe, the

European Travel

Commission said.

International arrivals are

forecast to remain at nearly

half their 2019 level this

year, though domestic

demand will help make up

the shortfall. The U.K.'s

statistics office suspended its

monthly international

passenger data, because it

said there aren't enough

people arriving "to provide

robust estimates."

The United States this

week upgraded its travel

warning for Britain to the

highest level. The Centers

for Disease Control and

Prevention advised

Americans to avoid traveling

to the country because of the

risk of contracting COVID-

19 variants, while the U.S.

State Department raised its

alert level to "do not travel"

from the previous less severe

"reconsider travel" advisory.

The recommendations are

constantly under review and

not binding, although they

may affect group tours and

insurance rates. Britain's

warning has fluctuated

several times this year

already.

Some countries are

showing signs of a rebound,

however.

Spain, the world's secondmost

visited country,

received 3.2 million tourists

from January to May - a

tenth of the amount in the

same period of 2019. But

visits surged in June with 2.3

million arrivals, the best

monthly figure since the

start of the pandemic,

although still only 75% of the

figure from two years ago.

Spain's secretary of state

for tourism, Fernando

Valdes, credited the

European Union's

deployment in June of its

digital COVID-19 vaccine

passport for having a "a

positive impact" on foreign

arrivals. That, and the U.K.

move to allow nonessential

travel, "allowed us to start

the 2021 summer season in

the best conditions," he

said.

Ten people

killed in Croatia

bus crash: police

ZAGREB : At least ten

people were killed and

dozens of others were

injured on Sunday when a

bus slipped off the highway

in eastern Croatia, police

said, reports BSS.

The passengers were

travelling on a regular bus

line between the German

city of Frankfurt and the

Kosovo capital Pristina, a

police official told reporters.

The injured were

hospitalised in the eastern

town of Slavonski Brod close

to where the crash occurred,

a police statement said.

A total of 45 people were

admitted to a Slavonski brod

hospital including eight who

sustained serious injuries,

its head Josip Samardzic

said.

There were no immediate

details on the ages or

nationalities of the

passengers or the possible

cause of the accident. The bus

had Kosovo license plates.

Boeing set to face investor scrutiny

as problems plague jets

NEW YORK : The aviation industry

appears to finally be past the worst of

the coronavirus downturn, but Boeing's

to-do list remains extensive following a

messy start to 2021.

The problems this year include

electrical issues with the 737 MAX jet,

fuselage troubles on the 787 and yet

another delay in the timeframe for the

777X.

The myriad challenges reflect the

changed regulatory climate facing

Boeing in the wake of a pair of 737 MAX

crashes in 2018 and 2019 that claimed

346 lives and led to a 20-month

grounding of the aircraft.

"Unfortunately for Boeing right now,

the added scrutiny is justified," said

Ken Herbert, an aviation analyst at

Canaccord Genuity.

Chief Executive Dave Calhoun on

Wednesday will update investors on its

latest set of challenges when the

company reports second-quarter

Shibbir Mahmud

elected Vice

Chairman of IFIL

Shibbir Mahmud has been

elected Vice Chairman of

Islamic Finance and

Investment Limited (IFIL).

The decision came at the

285th meeting of the Board

of Directors held at IFIL

Head Office at Tejgaon

recently. He is a Sponsor

Director of IFIL.

He started 100% Export

Oriented Garments business

and subsequently started

Garments Accessories in

Bangladesh. Within a short

span of time he has become

a very prominent figure in

Garment Accessories subsector.

He is the Chairman

of Swiss Tex Group. He is

associated with Swis Tex

Ltd., Euro Label Ltd., Swis

Tex Packaging & Accessories

Ltd. and Swis Tex Printers

Ltd. Janab Shibbir Mahmud

is also involved in various

social activities. He is a

member of Syndicate and

Board of Trustee of

Ahsanaullah University of

Science & Technology. He is

a founder of Janata Degree

College, Laxmipur and

President of the Governing

Body of the college in the

session 2020-2021 and

2021-2022.

GD-1139/21 (6x4)

results. He will likely discuss the

prospects for the 787 Dreamliner

following Boeing's move earlier this

month to cut production after

identifying another issue with the

aircraft.

In May, the Federal Aviation

Administration (FAA) formally notified

Boeing that the 777X would need more

than two years of additional testing and

analysis before it could be certified,

saying the jet was "not yet ready" to

advance to the next stage of evaluation.

In April, Boeing notified 16 airlines

flying its 737 MAX planes of an

electrical issue, leading to the

immediate grounding of more than 100

jets. Carriers resumed service on the

jets in May after regulators approved

Boeing's proposed fix.

Boeing has also pushed back the

timeframe for new deliveries of

presidential plane Air Force Once and

experienced numerous setbacks on

the KC46 Air Force tanker. "

More scrutiny - Boeing's efforts to get

back on track have been complicated

by disruptions to supply chains and

personnel during the pandemic that

have weighed on the broader

economy.

The company's decision to

consolidate 787 production to South

Carolina and shift operations from

Washington state has also led to

disruption.

But experts say a good portion of the

problems stem from the aftermath of

the MAX crashes, including a

withering September 2020

congressional report that blasted

Boeing as overly focused on profit to

the detriment of engineering.

The report said Boeing suffered

from a "culture of concealment" from

regulators at the FAA, who themselves

practiced "grossly insufficient

oversight" of the company.

Another presidential

hopeful arrested in

Nicaragua

MANAGUA : Another presidential

candidate was arrested in Nicaragua on

Saturday, police said-the seventh

detained by Daniel Ortega's government

in the lead-up to elections on November

7.

Noel Vidaurre was put under house

arrest, accused of "undermining the

sovereignty" of the country, in the latest

of a series of arrests condemned by the

United States and European Union.

Long-term Nicaraguan leader Ortega is

expected to seek a fourth consecutive

presidential term in the elections.

Ortega, 75, will be the ruling

Sandinista National Liberation Front's

candidate for the presidential vote,

Gustavo Porras, the speaker of

Nicaragua's assembly, confirmed last

week.

Seven opposition presidential hopefuls

have been among 28 people detained by

Ortega's government.

In a clampdown that began on June 2,

Ortega's government has rounded up

political rivals in a series of house raids

and night-time arrests on charges of

threatening Nicaragua's "sovereignty."

On Saturday, political commentator

Jaime Arellano was also put under

custody at his home.

Julie Chung, the top US diplomat for

Latin America, said on Twitter the two

were "just the latest victims of a

despicable campaign to criminalize

peaceful opposition."

The charges are rooted in a law

initiated by Ortega and approved by

lawmakers in December that has been

widely criticized as a means of freezing

out challengers and silencing opponents

ahead of the election.

The law bars "those who ask for,

celebrate and applaud the imposition of

sanctions against the Nicaraguan state"

from seeking public office.

Vidaurre, 66, was one potential

candidate for the Alianza Ciudadanos

por la Libertad group standing against

Ortega.

Presidential candidates will be able to

register from July 28 to August 2.

Ortega says the people rounded up by

his forces are "criminals" seeking to

overthrow him with US backing.

But the clampdown has drawn

international condemnation and fresh

sanctions, with the United States

branding the long-term leader a

"dictator."

The European Union has said it was

"inconceivable" the November elections

"will be anything remotely approaching

a democratic competition."A firebrand

Marxist in his younger days, Ortega and

his Sandinistas toppled a corrupt

autocratic regime to popular applause

and seized control of the country in

1979.

He was elected president in 1984 and

ruled until 1990 when he was beaten by

Violeta Barrios de Chamorro, then

returned to power in 2007. He has won

two successive re-elections.

Cristiana Chamorro, ex-president

Chamorro's daughter and widely seen as

the favorite to beat Ortega this year, was

the first to be targeted and is now under

house arrest on government claims of

money laundering.

Ortega has been accused of increasing

authoritarianism, especially following

the brutal repression of anti-government

demonstrations in 2018, which left more

than 300 dead and thousands in exile,

according to rights bodies.

His vice president since 2017 is his

wife, Rosario Murillo.

Monday, Dhaka : July 26, 2021; Srabon 11, 1428 BS; Zilhaj 15, 1442 Hijri

Relatives are now rushing to hospitals in the capital in the hope of curing the corona affected members.

Somewhere there are seats, somewhere there is no ICU. The picture was taken from Dhaka Medical

College Hospital on Sunday.

Photo : Star Mail

Dengue crisis

105 more cases reported

DHAKA : Amid a rise in the number of

dengue patients, authorities reported

105 more new cases in 24 hours until

Sunday morning, reports UNB.

Across Bangladesh, some 460 patients

diagnosed with dengue arereceiving

treatment for the disease as of Sunday

morning, according to the Directorate

General of Health Services (DGHS). The

vast majority of them are in the capital.

DGHS reports 454 patients are receiving

treatment at different hospitals in the

capital, while just six patients were listed

outside Dhaka.

Some 1,679 patients have been admitted

to different hospitals with dengue

since January - 1216 of them have been

released after recovery.

The recent spike in dengue cases has

added to the burden on healthcare

providers as the country continues to

grapple with the devastating second

wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

DGHS spokesman and line director

Dr. Nazmul Islam suggested testing for

dengue as well as corona if someone has

high temperature. He also asked to take

medicine on the advice of a registered

doctor only in case of treatment. If necessary,

one could take treatment by contacting

the hotline number of DGHS.

The DGHS reported 1,193 dengue

cases and three confirmed dengue-related

deaths in 2020. It marked a dramatic

and largely unexplained drop from the

previous year, which was the worst year

on record for dengue in the country.

Official figures state101,354 dengue

cases and 179 deaths were recorded in

Bangladesh in 2019.

Dengue fever was first reported in

Bangladesh in 2000, claiming 93 lives

that year. In the years that followed, the

country learned to deal with the disease

much better, but it did become endemic.

Fatalities almost fell to zero at one stage,

before spiking again in 2018, leading to

the horrific crisis the following year.

No scope to engage suddenly

sprouted up organizations

with AL : Quader

DHAKA : Awami League General

Secretary Obaidul Quader yesterday

said there is no scope to engage suddenly

sprouted up organizations with the AL

as the party has recognized associate

bodies and sub-committees as per its

constitution.

"As per the constitutional provision of

Awami League, it has associate bodies

and sub-committees. Apart from recognized

bodies, there is no scope for any

organization to get engaged with the

party by adding words like 'League' or

'Awami' with its name," he said.

Quader, also Road Transport and

Bridges Minister, said this at a press

conference at his official residence here.

He said when a party stays in power,

different groups of opportunists and

'cuckoos of spring' make such evil

DHAKA : Industries Minister Nurul

Majid Mahmud Humayun on Sunday

said the government is working relentlessly

for the overall development of the

leather industry as it is one of the most

export-oriented sectors of the country.

"Most of the raw materials

(rawhides) in the leather industry are

collected at the time of sacrifice. Our

government is working relentlessly for

the overall development of this sector.

Due to the pre-preparation and overall

supervision of the Ministry of

Industries and other concerned ministries

and departments or agencies, no

attempts to engage with the party and

different parasites also get engaged.

As per the party president's

announcement, if anyone inside the

party is found directly or indirectly

involved with such acts, immediate

organizational actions will be taken

against him or her, he said.

The AL general secretary said administrative

steps will also be taken against

those who will make evil attempts to

serve interests of individuals by using

party identity or using the name of the

party.

If any controversial person entered

the party or if questions arise over activities

of anyone, written complaint can be

lodged to election tribunal at the party

president's political office as per the

party constitution, he said.

mismanagement was created with the

rawhide of the sacrificial animal this

time," he added.

The minister was speaking as the

chief guest (virtually) at an exchange of

greetings after Eid-ul-Azha with officials

of the Ministry of Industries and

its affiliated agencies, said a press

release.

State Minister for Industries Kamal

Ahmed Mojumder was present as the

special guest at the function while

Industries Secretary Zakia Sultana

presided over it.

Humayun said the rawhide has been

TCB to sell

essentials on

streets from today

DHAKA : Amid the ongoing strict

lockdown the Trading Corporation

of Bangladesh (TCB) will continue

selling daily essentials at subsidised

price. The daily essentials would be

available on dealer trucks from July

26 to Aug. 26 across the country,

said a TCB press release Sunday.

However, the trucks won't be

available on public holidays.

People could purchase edible soybean

oil at Tk 100 per liter, lentils

Tk 55 per kg and sugar Tk 55 per kg,

the release also said.

Ansar al-Islam

spiritual leader

Gunbi sent to jail

DHAKA : A Dhaka court on Sunday

sent to jail banned militant outfit

Ansar al-Islam's spiritual leader

Mahmudul Hasan Gunbi in an antiterror

act case.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate

Atiqul Islam passed the order as police

produced him before the court after

end of his three-day remand in the

case filed with capital's Shah Ali Police

Station.

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB)

arrested Gunbi from Shah Ali

Beribadh area on July 16 and handed

him over to police. He was placed on

three-day remand on July 17.

Helena Jahangir

debarred from AL's

subcommittee

DHAKA : Businesswoman Helena

Jahangir has been excluded from

Awami League's subcommittee on

Women's Affairs over her activities

in social media, reports BSS.

"She has been relieved from her

membership of the Awami

League's subcommittee on

women's affairs as her recent

activities in social media are the

violations of organization's policy,"

a press release said here today

signed by the ruling party's

women affairs secretary Meher

Afroz Chumki.

Govt working to develop leather industry : Humayun

preserved with salt in a timely and proper

manner. There was an adequate supply

of salt to preserve the rawhide and

no rawhide was damaged, he added.

Due to the monitoring and teamwork

at the field level by the districts, divisions

and ministries, he said, the management

of rawhide collection, transportation

and storage has come to

fruition.

This year, he said publicity and

awareness activities have been carried

out extensively, which has resulted in

the benefits of sacrificial rawhide management.

From a cowshed to a dairy farm

Story of a homemaker

becoming an entrepreneur

CHATTOGRAM : Monwara Begum's

five-year journey from being a homemaker

to a successful entrepreneur

began with three cows, reports UNB.

Her dream journey began in 2016

when she convinced her husband to buy

the cows to get milk to meet the family's

requirements.

A small cowshed was made for the cattle

at her Sreepur village in Boalkhali

upazila of the district.

Five years down the line, that cowshed

has been replaced by a bigger "Pure

Dairy Farm" of 31 cows.

"Five years ago we bought the three

milch cows just to meet the milk

requirement of our family," said

Monwara. "Then I started selling the

surplus milk to neighbours."

Inspired by this extra income

Monwara started dreaming big and

expand her business.

She put hard work in her determination

to fulfill her dream. And thanks to

her family's support she is now a proud

owner of a dairy farm, where she added

a side business of rearing sacrificial animals

to sell before Eid-ul-Azha.

Today, Monwara gets 120-130 litres of

milk from the farm a day, which she sells

at Tk 60-65 per litre. Besides, she reared

six cows to sell in Eid cattle markets.

Her farm covers an area 34,484

square feet, where she has taken up a

smart farming method of vegetables,

fish, duck, chicken and goat of local

breed alongside the dairy. Monwara is

also now an employer of five workers

who assist her in taking care of the farm.

Modern technologies have been incorporated

in Monwara's farm to attend to

the cows while the whole farm area was

brought under CCTV surveillance.

German grass is grown in the farmland

to feed cows and cow dung is being used

as fertilizer for growing vegetables in

this ideal farm. Monowara said she is

planning to set up a Biogas plant in the

farm too.

Veterinary doctor of Boalkhali Upazila

livestock office Abdullah Al Mamun

lauded Monwara for her enterprising

spirit.

"Entrepreneurs like Monwara are

major sources for meeting the country's

need for milk and meat. It is for them we

don't have to look to other countries, "he

said.

However, during the Covid-19 pandemic

Monwara suffered a setback like

many others as the price for cattle fodder

spiked. But a government stimulus

of Tk 20,000 helped her to overcome

the losses.

Monwara is now also a mentor of

many young entrepreneurs in Boalkhali

who want to start farming like her.

Despite her transformation Monwara

still considers her a dedicated homemaker

and credits her supporting family

for the success.

"At the end of the day I'm still a housewife,"

she said, "I'm glad that many feel

motivated by my work."

On Sunday, the third day of the lockdown, members of the law enforcement agencies were active

in enforcing restrictions on Mirpur Road in the Shahbagh area of the capital. Photo : TBT

Bhasani's party is always vocal

against ill politics: Hasan

DHAKA : Paying rich tribute to the

late leader, Information and

Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan

Mahmud on Sunday said National

Awami Party (NAP) founded by

Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhasani

is always vocal against all ill politics.

"He (Maulana Bhashani) didn't do

politics for power . . . He did politics

for the welfare of people. We, the

politicians, would have to learn much

from the leader," he said, addressing

the 64th founding anniversary of the

Pragotishil NAP through online from

his official residence at the Mintu

Road area in the capital.

Pragotishil NAP central convenor

and Maulana Bhashani's grandson

Parosh Bhashani presided over the

meeting.

Praising the political and pro-people

activities of the party, Hasan said

the Pragotishil NAP is one of the parties

which was vocal against the violence,

patrol bombs attacks and

killing of people in 2013, 2014 and

2015.

He said the main goal of the Awami

League government is to take the

nation to the destination dreamt by

Father of the Nation, the freedom

fighters, Maulana Bhashani and the

four national leaders.

For this, every political party should

come ahead, said Hasan, also Awami

League joint general secretary.

Replying to a query, the minister

extended thanks to the Indian government

for sending oxygen and for

gifting vaccines during the COVID 19

pandemic. It is an example of a real

friend, he said.

He also hoped that the rest of the

promised vaccines would come soon.

Replying to another query over

lockdown, Hasan said there will be

no benefited in increasing beds of

hospitals, if the infection of COVID 19

is not checked.

The minister urged all to maintain

the health code and said, "My and my

family's protection is in my own

hands."

Co-convenor of the party Md Ilias,

joint convenors Md Babul Ahmed,

Md Manirul Hasan Manir and

Mowsumi Dewan Minu, among others,

addressed the meeting while

member secretary Mohammad Ali

Kismat conducted it.

Housemaid held

with stolen gold

jewellery, money

DHAKA : Detectives from Dhaka

have held a housemaid in Cumilla

with gold jewellery and money

allegedly stolen from the house she

worked in the city's Rampura, reports

UNB.

The arrestee was identified as Mst

Nupur Akter.

On July 23, residents at an apartment

at Rampura High School Goli

found that gold jewellery and some

cash were stolen, said Joint

Commissioner of Detective Police Md

Mahbub Alam in a press briefing.

Next day the owner of the house

filed a case with Rampura police station

over the theft. Detective branch

of the Ramna branch started investigating

the case and arrested Nupur

from Baurtala area of Laksam police

station on Sunday, he said.

During the arrest police have recovered

the jewellery and Tk 5000 stolen

from that house.

He said recently a syndicate has

been active in the capital that gets into

houses disguised as house help and

later steals valuable goods, money,

jewellery and escape.

The drive to detain members of this

syndicate is on, said DMP police.

The DMP official requested the city

dwellers to collect NID and permanent

address details before appointing

anyone as house help.

He said if necessary people can seek

help from police and submit their

housemaid's information to CIMS

system of police to keep themselves

safe.

Sonamasjid land

port operation resumes

after a 5-day

Eid vacation

RAJSHAHI : The export-import

activities in Sonamasjid Land Port

(SLP) resumed on Sunday after a

five-day vacation on Eid-Ul-Adha,

the largest religious festival for the

Muslims.

Toufiqur Rahman Babu, general

secretary of export-import association

of the land port, said trade

activities remained suspended since

July 20 to July 24 and goods-laden

trucks from India started to enter

into the port from 11am of Sunday.

On the opening day, 150 trucks

loaded with various imported goods

entered into SLP and the labourers

joined their work for unloading

goods yesterday morning. Mominul

Islam, Assistant Commissioner of

Customs at SLP, said the importexport

activities at the land port

remained closed for five-day Eidholiday.

The decision to close the land port

activities has been taken unanimously

by both business leaders of

the two countries, he added.

He, however, said Sonamasjid

immigration activities remained

open for the passport-holding passengers.

26-07-2021

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