15-09-2021

WedneSday

DHaka: September 15, 2021; Bhadra 31, 1428 BS; Safar 7,1443 Hijri

www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www.bangladeshtoday.net

Regd.No.Da~2065, Vol.19; N o. 140; 12 Pages~Tk.8.00

international

Japan's main opposition

seeks discrimination-free

society if gains power

>Page 7

Shut down

unregistered

online news portals

within a week:HC

DHAKA : The High Court on Tuesday

ordered the closure of all unregistered

online news portals and asked the

Bangladesh Telecommunication

Regulatory Commission (BTRC) and

Bangladesh Press Council to take action

in this regard within a week, reports UNB.

A HC bench of Justice Md Mozibur

Rahman Miah and Justice Md Kamrul

Hossain Mollah passed the order after

hearing a supplementary petition that

originated from the recent death of a

21-year-old woman by suicide followed

by a wave of unacceptable news coverage

in the media, especially in online

news portals.

Advocate Rashida Chowdhury Nilu

and Zarin Rahman stood for the petitioner

while deputy attorney general

Nauroz Mohammad RusselChowdhury

represented the state.

After Tuesday's order Advocate

Rashida told reporters a legal notice

was served to the authorities concerned

on May 5 seeking steps to enact a code

of ethics for the news media.

The notice was served to the secretary

to the information and broadcasting

ministry, BTRC chairman and

Bangladesh Press Council chairman but

no response was received as yet. Later

Advocate Zarin Rahman and Rashida

Chowdhury Nilu filed writ petition.

According to the writ a case has

recently been filed under section 306

over instigation to suicide following the

recovery of the body of a 21-year old

woman.

Indictment hearing

in Khaleda's

Niko graft case

adjourned till Oct 5

DHAKA : A court on Tuesday adjourned

the hearing on charge framing in Niko

graft case against BNP chairperson

Begum Khaleda Zia and others till

October 5.

Judge Sheikh Hafizur Rahman of

Dhaka 9th special judge court passed the

order as the defence started their part of

hearing but failed to conclude it on

Tuesday.

The Anti-Corruption Commission filed

the case against five including Begum

Khaleda Zia with Tejgaon Police Station on

December 9, 2007, for abusing power in

signing a deal with Canadian company

Niko for exploring and extracting gas.

The ACC on May 5, 2008, submitted

the charge-sheet against 11 people

including Khaleda Zia. The ACC accused

them of incurring a loss of more than

Taka 13 thousand crore of state exchequer

by that deal.

The other accused in the case are-

Barrister Moudud Ahmed, AKM

Mosharraf Hossain, Kamal Uddin

Siddiqui, Khandaker Shahidul Islam,

CM Eusuf Hossain, Mir Moinul

Haque, Md Shafiur Rahman, Gias

Uddin Al Mamun, MAH Selim and

Kashem Sharif.

Zohr

04:30 AM

12:00 PM

04:20 PM

06:07 PM

07:30 PM

5:44 6:03

Entering govt jobs

SPortS

Not the Hollywood

script New York

was craving

>Page 9

Farhad says no chance

to relax age limit

DHAKA : State Minister for Public

Administration Farhad Hossain on

Tuesday told Parliament that the government

has no plan to raise the maximum

age limit for taking up government

jobs.

Defending the government's stance,

he said if the age limit is raised, the competition

will intensify creating a frustration

among the jobseekers aged below

30 amid the low vacant posts.

"Right now the government has no plan

to raise the age limit for entering the government

services," said the state minister

replying to a tabled question from BNP

MP Mosharof Hosen (Bogura-4).

Farhad said now there is no serious

session jams in different educational

institutes, including universities, as in

the past when a student normally completed

SSC at the age of 16 years, HSC at

18 years and graduation at 23-24 years.

The students get some 6-7 years in hand

to apply for government jobs, he said.

If a candidate applies for a job within

30, the time of recruitment process is

not counted in that case, he said adding

that it takes one-two years to complete

the recruitment process.

The state minister said the number of

DHAKA : Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul

Momen has said Bangladesh and Oman

could explore the possibility to sign bilateral

Preferential Trade Agreement

(PTA) or Free Trade Agreement (FTA) to

maximize the available synergies in

trade for mutual benefit of the two

nations.

"Over the last decade, bilateral trade

between Bangladesh and Oman has

grown but at a low space. We have much

more scope to expand and diversify the

bilateral trade items," he said.

The foreign minister was addressing a

webinar on "Bangladesh-Oman Bilateral

Trade & Investment: Challenges and

Opportunities" to celebrate "Mujib Year"

and "Golden Jubilee" of the Independence

of Bangladesh on Sunday, a foreign ministry

press release said.

Undersecretary for Diplomatic Affairs

of Oman foreign ministry Sheikh Khalifa

Alharthy also spoke on the occasion.

Dr Momen said Bangladesh made

world class products like Ready Made

Garments, ceramics, pharmaceuticals,

leather products, frozen fish, jute, and

jute products, processed food are being

exported to Europe, the USA, and other

destinations around the world.

"Our businessmen are confident they

vacant posts has recently declined normally

as the retirement age limit was

increased to 59 years from 57 years.

If the age limit for entering government

services is raised, the number of

candidates against different posts will

significantly go up and thus it will create

huge competition, he said.

"If those who are above 30 get the

scope to apply for government jobs, it

may frustrate the candidates aged below

30," Farhad added.

He, however, said all the ministries or

divisions and their subordinate departments

and agencies, as well as statutory,

autonomous and nationalised bodies

that could not publish job circulars to

make direct recruitment to government

services against different categories

(except BCS) due to the Covid-19 situation,

have been requested to allow the

applicants who crossed 30 on and after

March 25, 2020 in their job circulars to

be published by December 31, 2021.

He said the agencies and bodies were

requested to fix March 25, 2020 as the

last date to count the 30-year age limit

of the applicants in their job circulars

(except BCS) to be published by

December 31 next.

Momen for PTA or FTA with Oman

can supply most of the products to Oman

at much more competitive prices," he said

and sought Oman cooperation for facilitating

access of Bangladeshi products into

the Omani market.

He said the current COVID 19 pandemic

has taught that all must venture into new

areas to explore markets and supply

sources to keep economies running.

"We must work jointly to find out the

means and ways to increase cooperation

in different areas such as bilateral trade

and investment, energy, renewable

energy, technological, food security,

health," he said.

The foreign minister said engagement

of private sectors and business

community from both sides is essential

for expansion of bilateral trade and

investment.

"We need to facilitate B2B interaction

and exchange of visits among business

community from both ends," he said,

Dr Momen considered forming a

'Bangladesh-Oman Business Forum' to

explore and strengthen business cooperation

between the two countries.

Both Bangladesh and Oman can participate

in trade fairs held in each other's

capitals on a regular basis to familiarize

and popularize products, he added.

Boatmen

observing

strike

protesting

extortion

at Karnphuli

river area of

Chattogram.

Photo :

Star Mail

art & culture

Nawshaba busy

with web film

'Dolachol'

>Page 10

Vegetable cultivation on road divider. The picture was taken from Hatirpul area of the capital city.

Photo : Star Mail

Rab exposes

Bangladesh's stunning

bad billionaire

DHAKA : Nurul Islam, in his early 40s,

got a contractual job as a computer operator

at Teknaf land port with a daily

wage of Tk 130 in 2001 but he amassed

huge wealth raising the eyebrows of

many, reports UNB.

Members of Rapid Action Battalion

(Rab) revealed the stunning information

at a press briefing here on Tuesday.

Rab members in a drive arrested

Nurul Islam, son of Abdul Motaleb of

Bhola district, from Dhaka city's

Mohammadpur area on Tuesday for

amassing the wealth of Tk 460 crore

illegally. Tipped off, a Rab team conducted

a drive in the area and arrested

the 41-year-old man along with fake

currency of Tk 3,46,500, Myaman currency

3,80,00, 4,400 Yaba pills and Tk

2,01,160.

After primary interrogation, Rab came

to know that Nurul got the contractual

computer operator job at the Teknaf

land port with a daily wage of Tk 130 in

2001. He also got involved in smuggling,

tax evasion, and unloading goods illegally

as a broker.

In 2009, Nurul Islam, having 19 bank

accounts, quit the job and recommended

the appointment of another person in

his place, and that guy ultimately helped

him amass the illegal wealth.

Nurul Islam left no stone unturned to

increase his wealth and invested in a

shipbreaking industry and amusement

park near Dhaka.

Follow health guidelines,

reiterates Hasina

DHAKA : Some 84 per cent of the country's

garment workers had worries about

Covid-19 pandemic during the first week

of last month when they were called

back to work amid a strict nationwide

lockdown with the virus still surging,

reports UNB.

This was revealed in a recent survey

jointly conducted by South Asian

Network on Economic Modelling

(SANEM) and Microfinance

Opportunities (MFO) under a project

titled "Garment Worker Diaries" to collect

data on the working conditions,

income, expenditure, food security,

wage digitization, and health of garment

workers of Bangladesh.

The report mentioned that during the

first week of August, garment workers

were recalled to work amid the unexpected

easing of the national lockdown.

On August 6, garment workers were asked

about how they felt about being recalled to

work with the lockdown still in place.

Some 84 per cent of the participants

responded that they were concerned

about the state of Covid-19 in

Bangladesh.

SANGSAD BHABAN : Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday urged all to

follow the health guidelines to protect

themselves from coronavirus and wear

masks even after getting vaccinated,

reports UNB.

"We should follow health protocols to

keep ourselves safe from Coronavirus.

All, including those vaccinated, should

mask up to prevent the spread of the

virus," she said.

The Prime Minister came up with her

renewed call while speaking at

Parliament on a condolence motion.

Parliament unanimously adopted a

condolence motion expressing profound

grief at the demise of Jatiya Party

MP for reserved women seat and a presidium

member of Jatiya Party Prof

Masuda M Rashid Chowdhury.

Speaking on the condolence motion,

leader of the House and Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina said the demise of Prof

Masuda caused a huge loss to society.

"She was a very learned person...these

days such a knowledgeable person is

rarely seen," she said.

Hasina said she was a teacher, politician,

social worker, women entrepreneur,

and engaged in children and

women sports with versatile qualities.

The Prime Minister said had Prof

Masuda been lived longer she could

have contributed more to society.

Hasina expressed her profound shock

as the 11th Parliament is taking condolence

motion one after another due to

the deaths of its members.

Jatiya Party chairman and deputy

leader of the opposition GM Quader,

opposition chief whip Masiur Rahman

Ranga, Anisul Islam Mahmud, BNP MP

Harun Ur Rashid, Jatiya Party MP

Nazma Akther, AL MP Moslem Uddin

Ahmed, Jatiya Party MP Lazi Firoz

Rashid, AL MP Abdus Sobhan Miah,

Jatiya Party MP Shamim Haider

Patwary, AL MPs Syeda Johra

Alauddin, Simin Hossain Rimi and

Washiqua Ayesha Khan also spoke on

the condolence motion.

Prof Masuda M Rashid Chowdhury

passed away on Monday at the age of

70. She was elected MP for the first time

in 2019 from reserved seats for women

in parliament.

RMG workers are concerned about

their safety during Covid-19

During the first week after being

recalled to work, the number of workers

present was slightly lower than they usually

are, according to the survey.

On August 6, 83 per cent of the

respondents replied that they had gone

to work the previous week.

A slightly smaller share of women

worked than men, 81 per cent compared

to 89 per cent respectively.

The main objective of this project is to

aid informed policy-making and brand

initiatives, with regular and credible

data collection and analysis, which can

have a positive impact on the lives of the

country's garment workers.

As part of the project, SANEM and

MFO have been collecting monthly data

since April 2020 of garment workers

employed in factories across the five

main industrial areas of Bangladesh

(Chittagong, Dhaka City, Gazipur,

Narayanganj, and Savar).

The data used for the analysis presented

in the recent survey come from interviews

conducted over the phone on

August 6, 2021, with a pool of 1,278

workers.

wEdnESdAY, SEPTEMBEr 15, 2021

2

Man to die for hacking 4 of

a family to death in Satkhira

SATKHIRA : A court in Satkhira on

Tuesday sentenced a man to death for

killing four members of his brother's

family over a feud in Kalaroa upazila of

the district.

Satkhira Senior District and Sessions

Judge Sheikh Mofizur Rahman

announced the verdict in the morning.

The convict Raihanur Rahman was

present in court to hear the verdict.

After the verdict, PP Advocate Abdul

Latif said this is the "first time" in the

history of the judiciary that a verdict has

been announced 11 months after the

murder in a murder case in Satkhira.

Raihanur Rahman, younger son of

Shahjahan Doctor of Khalisha village in

Helatola union of Kalaroa upazila.

The deceased were - Raihanur's elder

brother Md. Shahinur Rahman,40, sisterin-law

Sabina Khatun,30, their son Siam

Hossain Mahi, 10, and daughter Tasnim

Sultana,8.

According to the case details,

unemployed Raihanur used to live with

his brother's family. Raihanur's wife

divorced him on January 10 last year for

his unemployment due to physical illness.

Shahinur's wife Sabina used to scold her

brother-in-law from time to time for not

being able to pay the family.

Due to this, on the night of October 14

last year, Raihanur hacked Shahinur,

Sabina, Siam and Tasnim to death,

however, did not kill their four-monthold

baby Maria and left her beside the

bodies.

Shahinur's mother-in-law Moyna

Khatun, wife of Rashed Gazi of Ufapur

village in Kalaroa upazila, filed a murder

case on October 15 last year.

The CID arrested Shahinur's brother

Raihanur Rahman, Razzak Dalal of the

same village, Abdul Malek and Asadul

Sardar of Dhanghara village.

On October 21 in 2020, Raihanur

pleaded guilty in the court of Senior

Judicial Magistrate Bilas Mandal.

On November 24, CID inspector

Shafiqul Islam filed a charge sheet,

naming Raihanur Rahman the only

accused in the case.

The trial began on January 14 with the

formation of charges in the case.

Gifts of Prime Minister-educational materials were distributed among the

110 students of Kalapara of Patuakhali on Tuesday. Photo : Star Mail

23,120 more get 1st

dose of Covid-19

vaccine in Rangpur

RANGPUR : A total of 23,120

more citizens were inoculated

with the first dose of the Covid-

19 vaccine today in Rangpur

division where the coronavirus

vaccination campaign

continues smoothly.

"Among the 23,120 citizens,

13,066 were inoculated with the

Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine

and 10,054 citizens with the

AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine

today," Divisional Director

(Health) Dr Md Motaharul

Islam told BSS at 6:55 pm.

"With the inoculation of

23,120 citizens with the first

dose of the Covid-19 vaccine

today, the total number of the

first dose recipients rose to

23,36,806 in all eight districts

of the division.

Among the first dose

recipient 23,36,806 citizens,

8,87,563 people were

vaccinated with the

AstraZeneca Covid-19 jab,

13,18,333 people with the

Sinopharm Covid-19 jab and

1,30,910 others with the

Moderna Covid-19 vaccine in

the division.

Meanwhile, the number of

the second dose of the Covid-19

vaccine recipient citizens rose to

13,89,175 with inoculation of

more 11,676 people with the

second dose of the jab today in

the division.

Among the 11,676 new

second dose recipient citizens,

1,092 were inoculated with the

Moderna Covid-19 vaccine, 400

citizens with AstraZeneca

Covid-19 vaccine and 10,184

others with Sinopharm Covid-

19 vaccine today," Dr Islam said.

Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Md. Shahab Uddin addressing a meeting as the

chief guest at the auditorium of Bangladesh Climate Change Trust.

Photo: PBA

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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2021

3

Govt approves proposal

for setting up 200-bed

COVID Field Hospital

DHAKA : The government on Tuesday

approved a proposal in principle for

implementing the public works for setting up

a 200-bed COVID Field Hospital at the

Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib

Convention Center, reports BSS

The approval came from the 25th meeting

of the Cabinet Committee on Economic

Affairs (CCEA) in this year held on Tuesday

virtually with Finance Minister AHM

Mustafa Kamal in the chair.

Briefing reporters after the meeting

virtually, the finance minister said that the

government has already taken decision to set

up a 1000-bed Bangamata Sheikh

Fazilatunnesa Mujib Convention Center at

the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical

University (BSMMU).

In continuation of this, the CCEA meeting

on Tuesday gave approval to the proposal for

following the Direct Procurement Method

(DPM) for implementing the public works

for setting up 200-bed COVID Field Hospital

in the first phase at the earliest possible time

following the section 68(1) of the PPA 2006

and section 76(2) of the PPR, 2008.

Kamal said that the construction of the

COVID Field Hospital would cost around

Taka 10.22 crore adding that the proposed

hospital would help to a big extent in

rendering health services if the COVID-19

infection rate is increased again.

Answering to a question, he said that the

government hopes that there would be no

requirement for such field hospital in future.

"But, the government is very much

committed in this regard and it also hopes

that the pandemic will come to an end."

Replying to another question, the finance

minister said that the Bangladesh Bank and

the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange

Commission (BSEC) would work

accordingly regarding stock, cash and bonus

dividend.

He said both the entities would also work

as per the concerned laws and also as per the

commitment of the government in the

national budget.

Prior to the CCEA meeting, the 31st

meeting of the Cabinet Committee on

Government Purchase (CCGP) was held on

Tuesday with Finance Minister AHM

Mustafa Kamal in the chair.

The meeting approved a proposal for

printing, binding and supplying of some

1,88,75,735 textbooks of both Bangla and

English (class 1, class 2) in 72 lots from some

25 lowest responsive bidders with around

Taka 33,95,75,775.

The finance minister said the government

hopes to continue free distribution of

textbooks to students in the next year also.

Jatiya Swadhinata Party-JSP formed a human chain protesting all conspiracies

against state organizations.

Photo : TBT

Gates Foundation's annual Goalkeepers report

Finds stark disparities in COVID-19 impacts

DHAKA : The Bill and Melinda Gates

Foundation on Tuesday launched its fifth

annual Goalkeepers Report, featuring an

updated global dataset illustrating the

pandemic's adverse impact on progress

toward the United Nations Sustainable

Development Goals (Global Goals).

This year's report, co-authored by Bill

Gates and Melinda French Gates, co-chairs

of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation,

shows that disparities caused by COVID-19

remain stark, and those who have been

hardest hit by the pandemic will be the

slowest to recover. Because of COVID-19, an

additional 31 million people were pushed

into extreme poverty in 2020 compared to

2019. And while 90% of advanced

economies will regain pre-pandemic per

capita income levels by next year, only a third

of low- and middle-income economies are

expected to do so. Amidst this devastation,

the world stepped up to avert some of the

worst-case scenarios.

In last year's Goalkeepers Report, the

Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation

(IHME) predicted a drop of 14 percentage

points in global vaccine coverage-effectively

erasing 25 years of progress in 25 weeks.

New analysis from IHME demonstrates

that the decline, while still unacceptable, was

only half of what was anticipated.

In the report, the co-chairs highlight the

"breathtaking innovation" that was only

possible because of global collaboration,

commitment, and investments over decades.

They acknowledge that averting the worstcase

scenarios is commendable, yet they note

it's not enough. To ensure a truly equitable

recovery from the pandemic, they call for

long-term investments in health and

economies-like the ones that led to the rapid

development of the COVID-19 vaccine-to

propel recovery efforts and get the world

back on track to meet the Global Goals.

NBR gave special honor to Dutch-Bangla Bank as one of the top Tax

Payers for the year 2020-2021 in the category of Banking, securing top

position among the conventional Banks. Fazle Kabir, Governor of

Bangladesh Bank handed over the Certificate of Honor as the Chief

Guest to Abul Kashem Md. Shirin, Managing Director& CEO of Dutch-

Bangla Bank on Tuesday. Large Taxpayer Unit (LTU) of National Board

of Revenue (NBR) organized the program. Abu Hena Md. Rahmatul

Munim, Senior Secretary, Internal Resources Division and Chairman,

National Board of Revenue (NBR), Alamgir Hossain, Member (Tax

Policy) (Grade-1) and Mohammad GolamNabi, Member (Tax

Administration &Human Resource Management)(Grade-1) of National

Board of Revenue (NBR) were present as special guests on the occasion.

Md. Iqbal Hossain, Tax Commissioner, Large Taxpayer Unit

(LTU), NBR presided over the program.

Photo : Courtesy

50 held for selling,

consuming drugs

in city

DHAKA : Members of plain

cloth and intelligence

agencies of Dhaka

Metropolitan Police (DMP)

arrested 50 people on

charges of selling and

consuming drugs in the city.

According to a DMP

statement issued on

Tuesday, in separate antidrug

operations of the

DMP's police arrested drug

paddlers and abusers and

seized banned and illegal

drugs from the city's various

areas.

As part of the anti-drug

campaign, the police raided

different areas under

various police stations and

detained 50 drug abusers

and recovered drugs from

their possession from 6 am

on September 13, 2021 to 6

am on Tuesday, it said.

Police seized 239 grams

and 1,221 puria (Small

packet) of heroin, 10.250

kilograms of cannabis

(ganja), 15 phensidyle and

2,096 pieces of yaba, from

them, according to the

statement.

Police filed 36 cases

against the arrestees in this

connection with police

stations concerned under

the Narcotics Control Act.

Abdur Razzaq's 7th

death anniversary

Wednesday

DHAKA : The 7th death

anniversary of Miah

Mohammad Abdur Razzaq,

the father of Prime

Minister's deputy press

secretary Hasan Jahid

Tusher, will be observed on

Wednesday, reports UNB.

A doa-mahfil and Quran

khatam will be arranged at

his home in Sreerampur

village of Magura Sadar

upazila on Wednesday.

Former agriculture officer

Abdur Razzaq passed away

on this day in 2015, leaving

behind four sons, two

daughters and a host of

relatives.

ACC approves

corruption charges

against 7 doctors

and 4 others

DHAKA : The Anti-

Corruption Commission

(ACC) on Tuesday approved

charge-sheets against 11

people, including seven

doctors and three contractors

for irregularities in

procurement of drugs for

Maternal and Child Health

Training Institute, reports

UNB.

Investigation Officer

Deputy Director Mohammad

Abu Bakr filed the case with

Dhaka Coordinated Office -1

in 2019. According to the

case statement, the ACC

investigated allegations of

corruption in various

purchases for the institute in

Azimpur from 2014-15 to

2016-17.

However, the maximum

price of the same drug is

TK16 lakh 45 thousand 298

according to the retail price

and the price of the

Department of Drug

Administration. The rest of

the money has been paid

extra. Thus, money has been

embezzled in the same

process in four financial

years, according to the

charges. The charge-sheeted

people are - Proprietor of

Monarch Establishment

Fatenur Islam, Owner of

Nafisa Business Corner

Sheikh Idris Uddin

(Chanchal), Proprietor of

Santana Traders Nizamur

Rahman Chowdhury, former

Supervisor of Maternal and

Child Health Training

Institute of Azimpur, Dhaka

and President of Tender

Evaluation Committee Dr.

Israt Jahan,former Principal

of Family Welfare Inspector

Training Institute and

Member of Tender

Evaluation Committee Dr.

Parveen Haque Chowdhury,

former Junior Consultant .

State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Fazilatun Nessa Indira visited the construction site of the complex

building of the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs at the divisional level in Chittagong. Photo: PBA

Govt will provide houses

for all climate change

affected people: Shahab

DHAKA : Environment, Forest and Climate

Change Minister Md Shahab Uddin on

Tuesday said the government is sincerely

working to accommodate all the people

affected by the climate change by providing

required number of houses for them.

"The present government under the

leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

is sincerely working to address various risks

related to climate change. So far, 800

projects have been undertaken at a cost of

Taka 3,800 crore with the funding of the

Climate Change Trust Fund to this end," he

said.

The environment minister made the

remarks while exchanging views with

officials of the Bangladesh Climate Change

Trust at the Old Forest Building at

Mohakhali in the city, said a press release.

About 30 million people only in the coastal

areas have been benefited from these

projects, Shahab Uddin said, adding the

government would take further steps to

build more houses in future for those who

became homeless due to the climate change.

He said all necessary steps would be taken

to amend the law, set up field offices and

recruit adequate manpower so that the

Climate Change Trust could function

independently.

The minister directed the concerned

officials to construct the Cyclone Shelter

Cum Primary School on a four-storey

foundation and to set up lightning forecast

system across the country.

Chaired by Managing Director of the

Climate Change Trust Masud Ahmed, its

Secretary Nasir-ud-Daulah and Director Md

Khairuzzaman, Conservator of the Forest

Department SM Munirul Islam and

Assistant Director of the Trust Shakila

Yasmin spoke at the meeting, among others.

Before the view exchange meeting, the

minister visited a photo exhibition

displaying various activities implemented

with the funding of the Climate Change Trust

Fund and gave instructions to the concerned

officials on various issues.

JSC emphasizes on further

cooperation in power sector

DHAKA : Bangladesh-Nepal Joint Steering

Committee (JSC) on Tuesday emphasized

on further cooperation in power sector

between the two countries.

The third meeting of the committee was

held on Tuesday through video conferencing

underscoring the need for greater

cooperation between the two countries in the

power sector, according to a statement.

It said Bangladesh Power Secretary Md

Habibur Rahman and Nepalese Power,

Water Resources and Irrigation Secretary

Devendra Karki led the JSC on behalf of their

respective sides.

The JSC meeting had a fruitful discussion

on the huge potential for setting up

hydropower plants in Nepal and the need for

electricity in both countries, the statement

added.

According to variation of seasons the

demand for electricity in the two countries

and the issue of mutual electricity trade were

considered at the meeting.

The JSC discussed possibility of investing

in hydropower plants in Nepal and the

investment of Bangladesh's private sector for

power generation in Nepal.

The Nepalese government identified five

potential hydropower projects there and a

decision will be taken after the ongoing

survey of those projects and then

Bangladeshi investors will have the

opportunity for investment, the meeting was

told. Two separate joint technical teams

(Generation) and joint technical team

(Transmission) comprising representatives

of both the countries were working to

identify potential projects for financing and

joint implementation of power plants in

Nepal.

The teams have been verifying feasibility of

power transmission through inter-country

power connections and import-export of

electricity between the two countries.

However, the transmission line will be

constructed exclusively in Indian territory,

the issue will be decided through a

Bangladesh-India-Nepal tripartite

agreement. During the meeting Nepal

proposed to export 200 MW of electricity

from Nepal to Bangladesh through India

using the existing transmission line.

Declarations of

8 newspapers

cancelled in

Rangpur

RANGPUR : The declarations

of eight newspapers,

including four dailies and four

weeklies, published from

Rangpur have been

cancelled as those have not

been published for three

months or a longer time.

Officials of Rangpur district

administration said

declarations of the

newspapers have been

cancelled and publication

prohibited for the reason

under the Printing Presses

and Publications

(Declaration and

Registration) Act of 1973,

reports BSS.

The newspapers are: The

Dainik Gana Alo, Dainik

Natun Sapna, Dainik Baher

Sangbad, Dainik Rangpur

Chitra and Weekly Uttarer

Halchal, Weekly Tufan,

Weekly Kawnia and Weekly

Samarthan.

The editors and publishers

of those newspapers have

failed to show valid reasons

for not continuing

publication.

For this reason, in

accordance with the

provisions of sub-section 3-

ka of section 9 of the Act,

declarations of the eight

newspapers have been

cancelled and subsequent

printing, distribution and

publication banned.

According to two separate

office orders signed by

District Magistrate and

Deputy Commissioner of

Rangpur Md Asib Ahsan,

the eight newspapers were

not published regularly and

notices were served to the

owners and publishers

concerned to show cause.

The response of the

owners and publishers of

two dailies and four weeklies

was not satisfactory while

there was no response from

the owners and publishers of

two dailies.

"For this reason, the

publication of eight

newspapers has been

banned by the law of the

land," the District

Magistrate said.

In the operation of RAB-3, a drug dealer along with 200 bottles of phensidyl was arrested from Khilgaon police station

area of Dhaka metropolitan.

Photo : TBT

WeDneSDAY, SePTeMBeR 15, 2021

4

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam

e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com

Wednesday, September 15, 2021

Increase support to

the poor and elderly

It is stated in history books that when conqueror

Alexander the Great faced the Ganges river in his

quest for conquering the world, he exclaimed to

one of his generals, Selucus : " Oh Selucus, how

strange is this land." Without going into the reasons

for his exclamation for that is another issue, let us draw

attention to another contemporary issue, focused in a

vernacular daily.

It states that four women in a remote village in

Bangladesh who would deserve to be considered as

among the poorest of the poor, they received notices

for not paying income taxes. The women are

reportedly at the lowest level of existence in respect of

earnings, assets and family income. They barely eke

out a subsistence living and their paying income tax

must be an absurd or preposterous idea.

But our taxmen have done the incredible. They have

sent these helpless vulnerable women notices to pay

taxes and even fined one of them five thousand Taka

for failing to file tax return. Needless to say these

simple and uneducated women are passing their days

in great fear and anxiety. But who will relieve them

from their torments ?

Indeed, how strange is this country, we can claim

likewise centuries after Alkexander. Although great

changes have occurred and overall development

attained, in some areas have we moved even one bit ?

Perhaps not as this exemplary case of the four nearly

destituted women shows. The report further states that

for getting the national identity card (NID) one has to

obtain a TIN certificate which in turn requires filing a

tax return. Now, this could be the reason for the

miseries of these women. If this was the case, then

could not our taxmen (often praised officially for their

efficiency) spare the ordeals of these poor women so

that they would be spared the worries and rent seeking

? While on the subject let us highlight one other

burning issue. Government runs a financial support

programme for very poor elderly poor. The current

monthly payment of this financial support for the poor

and elderly is very meagre. The government of

Bangladesh (GOB) certainly can spare resources to

increase the allowance which would be realistic to

provide some sustenance to these poor and old people.

It is inconceivable that GOB does not have money to

pay this higher amount progressively to the growing

number of poor and utterly dependent old people in

the country.

In Bangladesh, a meagre proportion of the old age

persons are protected by old age security or pensions

(those who were in government, semi-government,

autonomous body, and large-scale private sector/ nongovernmental

formal institutions). They are the

privileged ones.

Most of the rest of the old people are forced to

continue doing physically demanding heavy and hard

work well beyond the age of 60. It is therefore, in

Bangladesh, people in old age, in general, are insecure,

and those in poverty are more insecure and excluded -

economically, socially and physically.

The absolute (physical number of older people in the

country was 7.6 million in 2001 (6.2% of total

population) up from 5.6million in 1991 (5.3% of the

total population). It is projected that by 2025, the same

will rise to about 14.6 million persons (around 9% of

the total population).

There are about 12,000 NGOs working in

Bangladesh. A very few of them have programmers

directed towards old age population. Access to microcredit

and low interest loans from NGOs and

government programmes along with other economic

opportunities are almost universally denied to older

people in Bangladesh because of explicit age barriers,

lack of training, skills or confidence.

Old women seem never to retire from their works.

Unpaid domestic work goes on. Being the 'poorest of

poor' an old poor woman becomes the most

'unfortunate burden' of the family and society.

Recently, the elderly support or BoishkaBhata as it is

called has climbed up to taka 300 per month which is

still a pittance . Consider how a non working or unable

to work poor and elderly person can meet his or her

basic subsistence needs with such a small amount of

money.

The government of Bangladesh (GOB) certainly can

spare resources to increase the allowance to say, at

least Taka 2,000 or Taka 1,500 a month which would

be realistic to provide some sustenance to these poor

and old people. It is inconceivable that GOB does not

have money to pay this higher amount progressively to

about 4 or 5 million poor and utterly dependent old

people in the country. Notwithstanding that

Bangladesh is described as a non affluent country,

there are enough resources to provide a better deal

nowadays to the growing number of its poor and old

people left without a care or too little care.

AS per the Pakistan government, the

GDP growth rate for FY2021 stood

at about four per cent. Many find

this hard to believe and have done their

own calculations to show that the actual

figure is much lower. Although the GDP is

an important metric and calculating it

correctly is indeed an important exercise,

it is not an end in itself. Rather, we must

consider what the GDP helps the economy

achieve.

The GDP, which is the average income

in the economy, is an instrument for

accomplishing a higher quality of life. One

of the ways it allows citizens to do so, is

through employment generation. This in

turn enables people to afford both their

needs and wants. However, the dividends

of growth are not always equally

distributed. Development literature

highlights that the rich tend to gain

disproportionately during periods of

economic growth while the poor get left

behind.

Similarly, gendered analyses show that

growth may not always result in equitable

access to employment but may well see

one gender gain at the expense of the

other. So, what does GDP growth mean

for employment for women versus men in

the Pakistani context? And, how do we

square this with the Covid experience?

In a recently published study The

Effects of Growth on Women's

Employment in Pakistan, we examine

employment responses to growth for men

and women from 1985 to 2018. Dividing

The first to be laid off

HADIA MAjID & KARIn ASTRID SIeGMAnn

our analysis across agriculture, industry

and services, we find that not only does

women's employment respond more

strongly to growth impulses but that,

often, women find it much easier to enter

some sectors, like agriculture, during

periods of positive growth. Is that good

news for women? Not necessarily. During

boom periods, men often leave agriculture

to seize better opportunities in the cities.

The jobs women farmworkers are left

behind with are precarious, poorly paid or

not paid at all.

Women's stronger responses to growth

may also imply job losses. We find

evidence that periods of lower growth see

negative responses for women, but not for

men. This means that women are the first

to be laid off when conditions get tough.

This suggests a 'survival' nature of

women's jobs: supplementing household

income rather than 'careers' in their own

right.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the

informal sector and SMEs have been hit

especially hard, with women-owned

RAMZY BAROUD

businesses being among the hardest hit.

Women's non-agricultural work tends to

be concentrated in these sectors because

of the lower capital requirements, the

more flexible work arrangements, and

crucially, the ability to work from within

the home allowing women to balance

their productive and reproductive

responsibilities.

A recent study conducted across

Pakistan found that women-headed

businesses were eight times more likely to

completely shut down when compared to

those headed by men. Moreover,

lockdowns and prolonged school closures

have increased women's burden vis-à-vis

household tasks resulting in less time

available for paid employment, education

or training. Thus, we will likely see not just

detrimental effects on women's

employment in the short and medium

term, but possibly long-run effects on

their ability to effectively participate in the

labour market.

One of the key indicators that has been

lauded as exhibiting improved

performance is the export sector. In our

work, we find that women's industrial

employment reacts positively to growth

induced by trade liberalisation. What does

this preference for women workers in

export-oriented employment imply? A

closer look reveals that increased

employment for women in export

industries has largely been driven by their

lower average wages of around 70pc of

men's. This way, a gender wage gap that

has widened over time has made cost

reductions possible, enabling

exp o rters of, for instance, textiles and

garm e nts to weather downward

pressure on export prices. So, what is the

way forward? Our analysis provides two

crucial takeaways. One is the role of

literacy and the other is of Pakistan's

patriarchal gender order. Specifically, we

find that as society puts mechanisms in

place that bring women at par with men,

whether that is in education or health,

their ability to take advantage of growthinduced

employment opportunities

improves. While Pakistan has been

increasingly focusing on reducing gender

gaps in health and education access and

outcomes, the pandemic has highlighted

the fact that we need to think carefully

about the care economy too. It is only once

we start valuing reproductive labour and

ensure gender equality in care

responsibilities that we will see more

equitable gender representation in

productive work too.

Next generation of super apps to focus on gold trading

Customers buy and sell gold at a shop

in Hanoi on August 19, 2011.

Allocated gold, which is owned

outright by an investor and is stored,

under a safekeeping or custody

arrangement, in a professional bullion

vault, is a popular investment option.

Photo: AFP / Hoang Dinh Nam

The dominance of the super app is

already unfolding in Asia, which is leading

the way for the rest of the world. These

super apps represent the next frontier in

consumer technology, becoming so

deeply integrated into the consumer's life

that they become indispensable operating

systems.

It is clear that their success primarily

originates from a native mobile payments

system. Fintech integration has been a

core accelerating factor, and for the next

generation of super apps, offering gold

trading matters more than ever.

Super apps need no introduction in

Asia. WeChat hosts more than a billion

users, and there have been multiple super

apps established throughout emerging

markets, including Grab, Go-Jek, Kakao

and AliPay.

Users can talk with friends, order food,

or book a flight - all within one app and

without having to switch to any others.

The app becomes a multifaceted

marketplace rather than a single service

offering. A native mobile payments

system has been a crucial ingredient to

rapid scalability, allowing once singlepurpose

applications to partner with

various businesses and offer hundreds of

products and services within a single app.

By comparison, financial technology is a

late-blooming industry. App-based

Palestinians demolish Israel's security myths

Aquarter of a century before Israel

was established on the ruins of

historic Palestine, Russian Jewish

Zionist leader Ze'ev Jabotinsky argued

that a Jewish state in Palestine could only

survive if it existed "behind an iron wall" of

defense. Jabotinsky was speaking

figuratively. However, future Zionist

leaders who embraced Jabotinsky's

teachings eventually turned the principle

of the iron wall into a tangible reality.

Consequently, Israel and Palestine are

now disfigured by countless miles of walls,

made of concrete and iron, which zigzag

around a land that was meant to represent

inclusion, spiritual harmony and

coexistence.

Gradually, new ideas regarding Israel's

security emerged, such as "fortress Israel"

and "villa in the jungle" - an obviously

racist metaphor used repeatedly by former

Prime Minister Ehud Barak that falsely

depicts Israel as an oasis of harmony and

democracy amid Middle Eastern chaos

and violence. For the Israeli "villa" to

remain prosperous and peaceful,

according to Barak, Israel needed to do

more than merely maintain its military

edge; it had to ensure that "chaos" does

not breach the perimeters of Israel's

perfect existence.

Security for Israel is not simply defined

Similarly, gendered analyses show that growth may not

always result in equitable access to employment but

may well see one gender gain at the expense of the

other. So, what does GDP growth mean for employment

for women versus men in the Pakistani context? And,

how do we square this with the Covid experience?

finance was a relative latecomer to

digitization, with a significant level of

mistrust for digital banking and an

ingrained loyalty to long-established

traditional banks, with face-to-face

appointments preferred.

However, there are signs that the Covid-

19 pandemic has accelerated the shift

toward digitization. A report by Baker &

McKenzie showed that within the Asia-

Pacific region, the pace of digital

transformation has been increasing

because of the impact of Covid-19, with

92% of business leaders re-evaluating

their digital strategies and optimizing

digital infrastructure to remain

competitive in response to the pandemic.

This recent shift has primed the fintech

landscape to offer an expansion of their

services, and startups are now competing

to build out their product suites to meet

increasing demand.

The new generation of app users want

everything ideally in one place, with

minimal friction - and at the same time,

are more focused on their personal

finance than ever before.

The behavior and habits of Asia-Pacific

finance consumers are rapidly evolving,

through military, political and strategic

means. If it were, the shooting of an Israeli

sniper, Barel Hadaria Shmueli, by a

Palestinian at the fence separating

besieged Israel from Gaza on Aug. 21

should have been understood as the

predictable and rational cost of perpetual

war and military occupation.

Moreover, one dead sniper for more

than 300 dead unarmed Palestinians

should, from a crude military calculation,

appear to be a minimal loss. But the

language used by Israeli officials and

media following the death of Shmueli -

whose job included the killing of Gazan

youngsters - indicates that Israel's sense of

dejection is not linked to the supposed

tragedy of a life lost, but rather by the

unrealistic expectations that military

occupation and "security" can coexist.

Israelis want to be able to kill without

SYLVIA CARRASCO

with the new generation wanting to use a

new suite of digital banking options,

including challenger banks and fintech

firms that are willing to meet their

banking needs.

McKinsey reports that digital natives

(those born between 1980 and 2012,

including Generation Z and millennials)

are likely to drive Asia's consumption over

the coming decade, as they make up more

than one-third of Asia's consumer

population.

A recent report found that 20-30% of

However, there are signs that the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated

the shift toward digitization. A report by Baker & McKenzie showed that

within the Asia-Pacific region, the pace of digital transformation has

been increasing because of the impact of Covid-19, with 92% of business

leaders re-evaluating their digital strategies and optimizing digital

infrastructure to remain competitive in response to the pandemic.

this generation spend more than six hours

a day on their mobile phones, and more

than 70% of them are very confident of

meeting their financial goals.

This is where the developers of the next

generation of super apps need to think

about the financial products they are

offering.

As fintechs look to expand their global

reach and product depth, sooner or later,

they will need to offer alternative wealth

and investment products, so it's only a

matter of time until they look to allocated

gold. Global investment demand for gold

has increased at an average of 18% each

year since 2000, and a World Gold

being killed in return; to subdue and

militarily occupy Palestinians without the

least degree of resistance, armed or

otherwise; and to imprison thousands of

Palestinians without the slightest protest

or even the mere questioning of its military

judicial system. These fantasies, which

have guided the thinking of successive

This controversy was compounded by last week's news of six

Palestinian prisoners escaping from Israel's most secure prison,

Gilboa. While Palestinians celebrated the daring escape, Israel was

plunged into yet another major security crisis. This act by Palestinian

freedom fighters seeking freedom from the Israeli gulag system,

which lacks the minimum requirements of justice or the rule of law.

Zionist and Israeli leaders since the times

of Jabotinsky, work only in theory.

Time after time, resisting Palestinians

have made a mockery of Israel's security

myths. The capabilities of the resistance in

Gaza has exponentially grown, whether in

terms of preventing the Israeli army from

entering and holding positions in the Gaza

Strip or its ability to strike back at Israeli

towns and cities. Israel's effectiveness in

winning wars and keeping its gains has

been greatly hampered in Gaza, just as its

efforts have also been repeatedly thwarted

Council study found that 61% of

respondents trust gold more than fiat

currencies.

Investors are more tuned in than ever to

innovative ways of managing their

portfolios through turbulence. The recent

implementation of Basel III pushes the

industry toward physical gold over paper,

and demand for the precious metal

increased by 40% from 2019 to 2020.

Business-to-consumer fintechs are

racing to build their product suites; it's a

game of survival of the fittest. Companies

are looking for geographical domination

and expansion of their product offering.

Lose the game, and their users will flip

over to the next platform. B2B (businessto-business)

integrations enable super

app providers to capitalize on the huge

demand for allocated gold from fintech

and operators of embedded finance.

The firm I represent, Goldex, is already

directly working with 20 fintech

companies to provide a convenient option

for allocated gold, creating a product that

so far has no direct competition. Apps can

offer their users allocated gold within six

weeks. As the world increasingly moves

toward the super-app model, more

companies will likely consider how they

can integrate several services rather than

focusing on the specialization of one

product.

To tap into the full potential of global

growth, services that offer B2B integration

products that can deliver investment

options like gold could shape the future of

the fintech industry and the next

generation of super apps.

Source: Asia times

in Lebanon over the last two decades.

Even the Iron Dome air defense system -

an iron wall of a different kind - has proved

to be a failure in terms of its ability to

intercept crude Palestinian rockets. Prof.

Theodore Postol of the Massachusetts

Institute of Technology argued in 2013

that the success rate of the Iron Dome was

"drastically lower" than what the Israeli

government and army reported.

And the Israeli villa concept has been

compromised from the inside, as the

popular uprising of May 2021

demonstrated that the Palestinian citizens

of Israel remain an organic part of the

Palestinian whole. The violence that many

Palestinians inside Israel endured at the

hands of the police and right-wing

militants for taking a moral stance in

support of their brethren in the Occupied

Territories indicates that the supposed

harmony within Barak's villa was

shattered in the space of a few days.

Yet still Israel refuses to accept what

should be obvious: That when a country's

existence is sustained through walls and

military force, it will never be able to find

true peace and will continue to suffer the

consequences of the violence it inflicts on

others.

Source: Arab news

WeDnesDay, sePTeMber 15, 2021

5

How to adopt a work uniform

JuLie KenDricK

One more alarm clock going off and

one more day of work ahead. With all

the decisions you're about to make,

wouldn't it be great if you already knew

what you were going to wear? And,

even better, if you knew it was

something that'd be completely

comfortable and flattering?

Of course, many jobs require a

uniform, but there are lots of other

workplaces that allow employees to

wear whatever they want (or whatever

aligns with the corporate dress code).

Whether you spend your days in a

classroom, a kitchen, an office, a coworking

space or just your local coffee

shop, this might be the perfect time to

create a work uniform.

First, banish all thoughts of the bleak

uniforms adopted by Steve Jobs or

Elizabeth Holmes. You don't need to

wear a black Issey Miyake turtleneck

every day of the year. But you do need

to think about what basic elements you

like to wear and feel good in. If there's a

blouse you adore and always get

compliments on, why not buy one in

every color? If you've finally found a

pair of pants you don't want to pull off

the minute you get home, buy a few

pairs and start wearing them every day.

The uniform doesn't need to be

restrictive, but it does need to suit you

perfectly.

"I'm always pro-uniform because it's

like branding oneself to make your life

easier," said Amanda Sanders, a

fashion consultant and personal

shopper. "Personally, I'm a wrap dress

kind of girl, and it's the go-to item that

makes me feel pulled together and

fashionable when I need to get out of

the door while dealing with kids and

We can all do better than a black turtleneck, but elizabeth Holmes and steve Jobs nailed the utility

of a work uniform.

Photo: Getty

chaos. Investing in classic items that

won't go out of style and can be worn

for multiple occasions, both in and out

of the house, can add versatility to any

wardrobe."

Stylist Rima Vaidila said "creating a

capsule wardrobe is a mustdo.""Having

a strong collection of

essential, high-quality pieces as the

'base' for your closet is the smartest

thing busy people can do," she said.

"Most people already do this

subconsciously, so you may as well lean

into it."

There's a modern phenomenon

scientists call choice overload, and it

makes us very unhappy. Although we

think we want lots and lots of options, it

turns out that when we get what we say

we want - hello, jam-packed closet and

overflowing shoe collection - we have a

harder time making any decision at all,

and we're more likely to feel like we've

made the wrong one.

If you're looking for ways to reduce

stress in your life, eliminating the "what

should I wear?" question might be a

good place to start.

You can decide to wear only clothing

that makes you feel good and look

good."Before the pandemic, most of us

viewed workwear as its own category -

something you changed out of the

moment you get home," said Karen

Lee, co-founder of Lezé The Label, a

line of sustainable workwear made

from recycled materials. "We felt we

needed to be stiff and uncomfortable to

look professional. Because of the

pandemic, people realized they can get

things done in sweatpants. Now we're

looking for comfort and versatility in

garments that can be worn in and out of

the office. So honestly, I feel that the

concept of workwear has changed, and

I'm not mad about it."

Sanders suggested buying some

"super-chic yet deceptively comfortable

pieces, such as button-ups or

cardigans.""There's no need to jump

straight into stiff pencil skirts and thick,

sweat-inducing button-downs," she

said.

Imagine a life free of all those outfits

you "might" wear someday. In his book

"Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese

Minimalism," Fumio Sasaki writes,

"We don't need to have a lot of clothes

to live a clean, comfortable life.

While others may like to vary their

looks, there's a stylishness to wearing

the same clothes that are perfect for us

and using them as a kind of personal

uniform. Though some people might

judge you if you're always wearing the

same style, I think that will eventually

become a thing of the past."

Forget fast fashion and the way

supposedly "cheap" clothes end up

wreaking havoc on your budget. When

you stick with classic items you can

wear again and again, you can save

yourself a tidy sum.

And when you eliminate the try-on,

take-off, try-again cycle of shopping

and dressing, you'll have loads more

time to focus on what matters most to

you: your great new work idea, some

cuddles with the kids or even just

another round on the snooze button.

"You need to consider the basics,"

said stylist Nikki Steele. "

Consider having a clean pair of

straight denim, a straight pair of black,

navy or brown trouser pants, a straight

knee-length skirt in black or navy, a

white button-down blouse, one blazer

or cardigan in black or navy and one in

your favorite bright color, and pairs of

loafers, slides and heels."

But, of course, if your idea of comfort

doesn't jive with those particular items,

replace them with whatever is most

appropriate for you.

Wardrobe stylist Ann Marshik noted

that people have been dressing more

casually since the start of the pandemic,

so a smart work uniform might consist

of "denim and a shirt or T-shirt with an

oversize blazer or shorts. After work,

you can toss that blazer and be ready

for a walk or bike ride."

"Once you find that uniform and keep

to it, it really does make things easier,"

she said."My North Star is always how

an item of clothing makes you feel,

because if you feel good, you can do

good work," Lee said.

She suggested asking yourself a few

questions before deciding if an item is

uniform-worthy: "First, ask if you can

go to an all-you-can-eat meal in it? If

the answer is yes, then you can

probably sit at your desk all day without

discomfort or restrictions."

Next, she advised, think about how

functional the garment is and how easy

it'll be to keep it in good condition.

"Can you move in it? Sweat in it? Roll

around in it?" Lee asked, noting that

you should consider the specifics of

your day-to-day, like whether your job

requires you to travel, give

presentations or chase after kids.

"Make sure your garments are highperforming

to match your lifestyle.

Look for fabric that's stretchy for

flexibility, but also somewhat

structured, so you can look polished.

Here are some ways you can sneak in some exercise when you're tired.

Photo: Getty

What exercises to do in the

morning if tired to work out

DoMinique asTorino

So many of us dream of living up to that

aspirational goal of keeping to a morning

workout routine. Wouldn't it be nice to

to be up with the sun, riding our luxury

stationary bikes (in front of a floor-toceiling

window overlooking the ocean, of

course)? Or running blissfully through

the park before grabbing a cup of coffee

and preparing for the rest of the day?

The reality is that (perhaps aside from

the lack of panoramic, unobstructed

views from our in-home supergym)

we're sometimes just too tired. Whether

you're not really a morning person, or

you missed a few hours of shuteye, a

morning workout can feel dreadful when

you're short on energy at the crack of

dawn. And while "there are many

benefits to starting your morning with a

workout, it's essential to consider your

natural biological clock when planning

your training schedule," said Amina

Barnes, a certified personal trainer based

in Kansas City. Although you may be

awake, your mental sharpness isn't quite

at its peak, Barnes said. That can make it

difficult to perform a task like exercise.

If you're feeling especially groggy,

listen to your body and take it easy -

you'll be protecting yourself from getting

hurt, added Liz Letchford, a personal

trainer and injury rehabilitation

specialist in Los Angeles. "Fatigue,

whether physical or mental, is a risk

factor for injury."

But what if you want to move your

body a bit? Or what if the morning is the

only time you have to yourself? When

you're so sleepy you can't fathom a

workout, but still want to get in some

exercise, here's what experts suggest.

Gentle stretching allows your mind

and body to wake up by giving you gentle

stimuli, according to Letchford.Try

doing an open-book stretch or a figurefour

stretch when you first wake up.

Even stretching your arms above your

head can help you first thing in the

morning, Kelly Roberts Lane, owner of

Fix It Physical Therapy in Minnesota,

previously told HuffPost.

"Reach your arms all the way over your

head and look up. Then, roll your spine

down one vertebra at a time until you are

touching your toes or are as close to

them as you can get," Roberts Lane said.

"Let your head hang. Straighten one

knee and then the other to get a deeper

hamstring stretch."

After stretching, you can progress to a

warm up (more on that in a second) or

other moves.A warmup can be as simple

as some steadily-paced, low-impact

bodyweight exercises (think: squats).

"Squats - on controlled tempo - warm

up your hips, glutes and core, and [help

you to] connect to your foundation first

thing in the morning," said Anthony

Crouchelli, a New York-based trainer

and founder of the .1 Method.

You can leave it there, or move into

something more involved if you're

feeling more awake."Prior to intense

movement, especially if it involves heavy

lifting ... I always recommend a warmup

that addresses the brain-body

connection," Letchford said, noting that

your reaction time also slows when

you're tired (and sore). "My favorite way

to prime the nervous system for an

intense workout is to move quickly - fast

feet or quick hops. Both improve

reaction time."

You should do this whenever you

exercise early, even if you got good sleep.

"After a long night of sleep, it is best to

start slow and ease into movement," she

said."I'd recommend doing simple

mobility exercises to warm up your body

... easy movements, like hip-openers,

glute bridges or lateral lunges can help

you improve your flexibility and

function," Crouchelli said.

Additionally,

Crouchelli

recommended practicing some mobility

patterns known as CARs: controlled

articular rotations. These help expand

your range of motion in your joints ?

there are moves for your wrists,

shoulders, hips and more. In addition to

helping prevent injuries, CARs could

lead to progress in your other workouts.

Here's a great instructional example on

how to perform them:

Yoga is a universal trainer favorite for

so many reasons - it's low impact, can be

adapted to different levels, helps you

focus on your breath, and in this case,

can help you wake up.Letchford is a fan

of yoga for both herself and her clients,

and Crouchelli said yoga is one of his top

two morning workouts (the other being

the aforementioned CARs).

"Simple downward dog to updog

movements" are excellent for groggy

mornings, Crouchelli explained. "Yoga

has been a great balance in my

programming as it has filled a great

weekly low-impact workout to allow

myself to connect my mental and

physical wellness in one flow."

What not to say to someone who

has suicidal ideations

LinDsay HoLMes

When it comes to suicide, we

often operate from crisis

mode. A lion's share of the

education around suicide

prevention assumes that

someone is actively harming

themselves or on the verge

of making a deadly decision.

The reality is that

suicidality exists on a

spectrum. There's an underdiscussed

gray area where

people are struggling with

their mental health to the

point where they just don't

want to deal with it

anymore; they don't have a

plan in place, but they don't

feel very invested in living,

either. And more people live

in that gray area than you

might think.

This is called passive

suicidal ideation. According

to the Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention, the

number of people who

experienced suicidal

ideation in a given month

during the pandemic more

than doubled since 2018. In

2019, data showed that an

estimated 12 million people

seriously thought about

suicide.

However ? given that

many people don't openly

own up to these thoughts or

don't believe their

detachment from being alive

falls into the "suicidal"

category ? it's likely the

number of people with

suicidal ideations could be

higher.

"It is not a good thing

when someone is having

suicidal thoughts, but it does

not have to mean that there

will be a bad outcome

because of it," said Dan

Reidenberg, executive

director of the Suicide

Awareness Voices of

Education. "With the proper

care and support from many

people, someone who has

these thoughts can get

through them and move on

to living a healthy and

productive life."

Demonstrating that care

and support lies in what you

say. If someone you know

just opened up about not

wanting to be alive ?

whether to you personally or

on social media ? there's a

right and wrong way to

handle it. Some comments

that come from a good place

can still perpetuate stigma

and shame. As

uncomfortable as it may be,

it's important for your loved

one to feel their feelings, said

Sherry Davis Molock, an

associate professor of

clinical psychology at The

George Washington

University. Ignoring them

only buries them deeper ? it

doesn't address the problem.

"Don't talk the person out

of how they're feeling,

because how they're feeling

is legitimate," Molock

said.Tone matters more

when it comes to this phrase.

If you ask with genuine

concern to assess your loved

one's state, that's fine. But if

you're asking incredulously,

it can be harmful.

"It doesn't sound like

saying this would be

dismissive, but it is," Molock

said. Saying this subtly

sends the message, "I'm not

ready to have this

conversation with you, so I

want you to confirm for me

that's not what you're

thinking," she explained.

Telling someone that

they're overreacting or being

dramatic is dismissive and

minimizing."You are, even if

you don't mean to, telling

them, their experience and

their feelings don't matter or

are wrong in some way,"

said Jessica Gold, an

assistant professor in the

department of psychiatry at

Washington University in St.

Louis. "For someone that is

struggling ? and may have

really struggled to even tell

anyone how they feel ? this

can really make them retreat

and not want to talk to

anyone," she continued. "It

can also make them judge

themselves even more for

how they are feeling and the

fact that they can't seem to

get better."

"Whatever beliefs you may

have about suicide, they are

just that ? your beliefs," Gold

said. "This is about your

loved one and where the

conversation takes them.

Your job is to listen and be

there for them. Your job is to

help them. You should not

be putting your beliefs,

especially ones that could

add further judgment and

pain, onto them."

It doesn't matter if

someone has experienced

these types of thoughts

before. Suicidal ideations

can happen one time or a

thousand times ? and each

one is serious and likely

debilitating for your loved

one. "No matter how many

times this has happened for

the person, each time is

different, so it is always real

to them and should be for

you, too," Reidenberg said.

"Suicide is much more

complicated than any one

thing, and even people who

have all of the on the surface

'great' things in life can still

feel like their life isn't worth

living ? see someone like

Robin Williams or Anthony

Bourdain," Gold said.

"Reminding them of an

arbitrary list of reasons is

not going to make them all

of the sudden feel better and

more likely will feel

minimizing of their actual

experience and they might

feel worse ... listen,

empathize and validate their

experience instead," she

added.Make no mistake:

Thoughts of suicide ? even if

someone isn't in crisis ?

shouldn't be ignored.

"When someone tells you

that they have suicidal

thoughts, it is important to

take them seriously, but it is

also important to

understand the nature of

their thoughts in context,"

Gold said. "There is a

difference in how imminent

their risk of harm to

themselves is based on the

thoughts ? just having

thoughts is not an imminent

risk." The first step you

should take is to try to

determine where they're at

in their thinking. Gold said

to ask them if they have a

plan to hurt themselves and

if they've taken any steps

toward that plan. Also, ask

how frequently they have

There are certain phrases you should avoid when offering your support to

someone who is having suicidal ideations.

Photo: Martin-Dm

these thoughts and if they're

getting worse.

If someone isn't happy

being alive or struggling with

thoughts like "why am I even

here?" ? but isn't in

immediate crisis ? "you need

to be present, calm and

supportive," Reidenberg

said. "This is not a time to

tell someone you'll call them

later and see how they are

feeling or if they are over it."

Next, affirm their feelings

and listen to them. Listening

? without judgment ?


6

With the financial support of Joypurhat Zila Samity (Dhaka resident), sewing machines were

distributed among the poor and helpless women in the conference room of the Superintendent

of Police in Joypurhat on Saturday. Joypurhat Police Super Masum Ahmed Bhuiyan PPM was

the chief guest at the distribution program. Additional Superintendent of Police

(Administration) Tariqul Islam, Acting President of the Samity and also owner of Hafisons

Laboratory Dr. Mahbub Hafiz, General Secretary Iftekhar Arefin Rupam, President of SAARC

Human Rights Foundation Joypurhat Nur-e-Alam, General Secretary Rafiqul Islam, Treasurer

of Joypurhat Press Club Masrakul Alom and others were present at that time. These sewing

machines were distributed at the event to create self-employment among the helpless destitute

women of different backward districts.

Photo : Masrakul Alom

Manikganj

records 6.36pc

Covid-19

positivity rate

MANIKGANJ : The district

recorded 6.36 percent

Covid-19 positivity rate as

seven fresh cases were

reported after testing 110

new samples at the Colonel

Maleque Medical College

PCR Lab during the last 24

hours till yesterday

morning, reports BSS.

With the new infection,

the number of coronavirus

(COVID-19) cases reached

8,120 after testing 43,820

samples in the district, said

Medical Officer of

Manikganj Civil Surgeon

Office Dr. Rafiqun Nahar

Banna.

Besides, the number of

cured patients from the

lethal virus stood at 7,450 in

the district, the medical

officer said. The death toll

from the virus reaches 125 in

the district.

RU gains a

vast campus

with green

canopy

RAJSHAHI The Rajshahi

University (RU) campus has

gained one of the greenest

campuses in the country

with over 10,000 trees of

about 600 species and

unique land topography.

The youthful and fresh

atmosphere on the campus

filled with hope and dreams

surrounds its students and

visitors years after years.

RU Vice-chancellor Prof

Golam Sabbir Sattar

revealed this while

transplanting a tree sapling

at the campus on Tuesday.

RU Science Club initiated

the tree plantation

programme.

Among others, Pro-vicechancellors

Prof Chowdhury

Jakaria and Prof Sultan-ul-

Islam and Students Adviser

Prof Tereque Nur were

present on the occasion. VC

Prof Golam Sattar also said a

massive tree plantation can

help reduce carbon emission

to a substantial level and

that is very important to face

the adverse impact of

climate change in the region

including its vast Barind

tract.

There is no alternative to

create more forest area

which needs adequate

financial support from both

national and international

donor agencies. An

optimum afforestation could

help stop degradation of

environment and

biodiversity making the

country a safe habitat for all.

No Covid death recorded in

Rangpur for 2nd consecutive day

RANGPUR : No fresh Covid-19 death was

reported in Rangpur division during the last

24 hours for the second consecutive day on

Monday, keeping the number of casualties

steady at 1,218.

Health officials said the Covid-19 situation

has improved consistently during the last

five consecutive weeks in the division.

"Earlier Rangpur division witnessed the

last Covid-19 casualty free day on May 16 last

and again no deaths were reported on

Sunday and Monday (yesterday)," Focal

Person of the Covid-19 and Assistant

Director (Health) for Rangpur division Dr

ZA Siddiqui said.

The district-wise breakup of the 1,218

fatalities stands at 290 in Rangpur, 79 in

Panchagarh, 87 in Nilphamari, 65 in

Lalmonirhat, 66 in Kurigram, 246 in

Thakurgaon, 322 in Dinajpur and 63 in

Gaibandha districts of the division.

The average casualty rate currently stands

at 2.25 percent in the division.

Meanwhile, the number of Covid-19 cases

reached 54,251 in Rangpur division as 45

new patients were diagnosed after testing

874 samples at the daily positivity rate of

5.50 percent on Monday.

Earlier, the daily positivity rates were 5.43

percent on Sunday, 8.59 percent on

Saturday, 8.18 percent on Friday, 10.37

percent on Thursday, 7.07 percent on

Wednesday and 8.46 percent on Tuesday

last in the division.

"The district-wise break up of total 54,251

patients include 12,272 from Rangpur, 3,661

from Panchagarh, 4,358 from Nilphamari,

2,715 from Lalmonirhat, 4,589 from

Kurigram, 7,380 from Thakurgaon, 14,457

from Dinajpur and 4,819 from Gaibandha in

the division," he added.

Talking to BSS, Divisional Director

(Health) Dr Md Motaharul Islam said a total

of 2,67,845 collected samples were tested till

Monday, and of them, 54,251 were found

Covid-19 positive with an average positivity

rate of 20.254 percent in the division.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the

total number of people who have

recuperated from the disease surged to

50,491 with recovery of 227 more infected

patients on Monday in the division where the

average recovery rate currently stands at

93.07 percent.

Producing, preserving quality seed

in farmers' level underscored

GAIBANDHA : Speakers at a function on

Tuesday underscored the need for producing

and preserving quality seed of valuable agri

crops in farmers' level to get desired output.

They said these while addressing a daylong

farmers' training on 'Seed Production

and Preservation' at the hall room of

Bhatgram Federation of Sadullapur upazila

in the district, reports BSS.

RDRS Bangladesh, a non-government

organization, arranged the training under

Accelerated Genetics Gains in RICE

(AGGRI) Project in cooperation with

International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).

District seed certification officer of

Seed Certification Agency agriculturist

Showkat Osman addressed the function

as the chief guest and sub assistant

agriculture officer M Nazmul Hossain

was present as the special guest while

chairman of Bhatgram Federation Md.

Reza Miah presided over it.

RDRS Bangladesh briefed the farmers

about the importance and significance of

seed production and preservation in farmers'

level elaborately.

Agriculturist Showkat Osman narrated

the positive impacts and technologies of

seed production and preservation at

farmers' level.

Sirajdikhan Press Club Press Club formed a human chain protesting false

and fabricated case against the former president of the club journalist

Shamsuzzaman Ponir. Photo : Nazmul Molla

Covid-19 cases

reach 97,340 with

97 afresh in

Rajshahi division

RAJSHAHI : Ninety-seven

more people were tested for

Covid-19 positive in seven

districts of the division on

Monday, taking the number

of detection to 97,340 since

the pandemic began in

March last year.

However, the new daily

infection figure is one of the

lowest in the last couple of

weeks since the second wave

hit the country around six

months back. The previous

day's positive cases were 96

here.

Meanwhile, a total of 155

more people were cured

from Covid-19 in the

division on the same day,

taking the recovery cases to

92,847 so far.

The death toll reached

1,641, including 677 in

Bogura, 306 in Rajshahi

with 182 in its city, and 171 in

Natore, as four fresh cases of

fatality were reported during

the period, Dr Talukder

added.

Besides, all the positive

cases for Covid-19 have, so

far, been brought under

treatment while 22,327 were

kept in isolation units of

different dedicated hospitals

for institutional supervision.

Of them, 18,634 have by

now been released.

Meanwhile, 160 more

people have been sent to

home and institutional

quarantine afresh while 151

others were released from

isolation during the same

time. Of the total new

positive cases, the highest 33

were detected in Bogura,

followed by 27 in Pabna, 21

in Rajshahi, including 16 in

its city, six in Joypurhat, four

in Natore and three each in

Naogaon and Sirajganj

districts.

With the newly detected

patients, the district-wise

break-up of the total cases

now stands at 27,609 in

Rajshahi, including 22,250

in city, 5,559 in

Chapainawabganj, 6,340 in

Naogaon, 8,242 in Natore,

4,562 in Joypurhat, 21,315 in

Bogura, 11,180 in Sirajganj

and 12,533 in Pabna.

Saudi date

being cultivated

commercially

in Narsingdi

NARSINGDI : Farmers

specially unemployed

youths are now

commercially farming the

date of Saudi Arabia due to

its economic prospect in

Belabo upazila of the district,

reports BSS

Tajul Islam, of Char

Kasim Nagar village at

Binnabaid union of Belabo

upazila, first started

cultivating date trees in his

homestead garden

collecting saplings and

seeds from Saudi Arabia in

2014.

He said when he used to

work in a date tree garden in

Saudi Arabia, he thought to

set up a same garden in his

homestead in Narsingdi.

In 2014, Tajul returned

home with three saplings

and huge seeds of date trees.

He planted the three

saplings in his homestead

garden. Of those, one tree

bears fruits and he began

harvesting since August this

year. Tajul has so far plucked

10kg date from one tree and

hope to get more 20kg this

season.

He, by this time, grows

more date saplings by

sowing seeds brought from

Saudi and changed his lot by

selling the saplings at Tk

1000 to 1200 each.

He also planted over 200

saplings on his homestead

garden and other lands.

Deputy Director at

Department of Agricultural

Extension (DAE) Narsingdi,

Shovan Kumar Dhar told

BSS that the cultivation of

date tree in Narsingdi is

expected to be profitable.

On the inauguration day of UCB Bank in Khagrachhari, loans Tk 2 crores

were distributed among 71 farmers.

Photo : Muhammad Sazu

RMCH counts six more

deaths in its Covid-19 unit

RAJSHAHI : Rajshahi Medical College

Hospital (RMCH) counted six more fatalities

at the Covid-19 unit in the last 24 hours till

6am on Tuesday, taking the death toll to 92

so far this month.

The previous day's death figure was also six

while on Wednesday; it was just two, which

was the ever-lowest since the second

coronavirus wave hit the region around six

months back. Earlier, the number of

casualties was 340 in August, 566 in July and

405 in June, health officials said.

RMCH Director Brigadier General Dr

Shamim Yazdani told newsmen that three of

the deceased were the residents of Rajshahi,

while one each from Chapainawabganj,

Pabna and Kustia districts.

"Of the fresh fatalities, three tested positive

for Covid-19 and three had covid-19

symptoms," he said. Twenty-two more

Manoranjan Sheel Gopal MP inaugurated the tree plantation and

sapling distribution program organized by Kaharole Upazila

Administration and World Vision Bangladesh AP at the Upazila

Parishad premises.

Photo : Roshidul Islam

GD-1330/21 (4x3)

patients were admitted to the designated

Covid-19 wards of the hospital in the last 24

hours, raising the total number of admitted

patients to 133, including 43 positive cases.

Fifteen patients returned home from the

RMCH Covid-19 unit after being cured

during the time. Yazdani said the infection

rate has decreased by 0.62 percent in

Rajshahi compared to the previous day.

A total of 10 people were diagnosed with

Covid-19 after testing 187 samples in

Rajshahi's laboratory on Monday, showing

7.47 percent positivity rate against 8.09

percent on Sunday, while Friday's positivity

rate was the ever-lowest in the last six

months. Yazdani said the number of

admitted patients has declined during the

last couple of weeks. So, the number of

designated wards and beds in the hospital

was reduced, he added.

Modern street lighting system

launched in Rangpur city

RANGPUR : Mayor of Rangpur Mostafizar

Rahman Mostafa launched modern street

lighting programme replacing the older

bulbs with energy saving light emitting diode

(LED) bulbs in Satmatha area in the city on

Monday night.

Rangpur City Corporation (RpCC) has

been replacing all old street lighting systems

with modern ones through implementing

the Modern Streets Lighting Project in all 33

wards across the metropolis spending Taka

49 crore.

Under the project, the main street from

Satmatha to Parker Mour came under the

modern street lighting system as Mayor

Mostafa switched on the button in a function

held at Satmatha as the chief guest.

Manager of the project implementing

organisation Adex Group Engineer

Taufikuzzman, Panel mayor of RpCC

Mahmudur Rahman Titu, City Councilors

Mahbubur Rahman Manju, Malek Niaz

Arzoo, Moktar Hossain, among others,

attended the function.

Speaking on the occasion, Mayor Mostafa

said that massive infrastructural

development programmes are being

implemented to turn Rangpur into an ecofriendly

modern city with all civic amenities

including modern streets, lighting systems.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 , 2021

7

Protestors arrive for President Biden's Boise visit.

Photo: AP

Crowds gather to protest President

Joe Biden's Idaho visit

IDAHO : More than 1,000 protesters

gathered in Boise, Idaho, on Monday

morning ahead of a visit by President

Joe Biden to express their displeasure

about his coronavirus plan, the election

and other issues, reports UNB.

Biden was headed to Boise as part of a

swing through three Western states to

promote his administration's use of a

wartime law to aid in wildfire

preparedness, survey wildfire damage

and push his economic agenda. He was

expected to arrive at the National

Interagency Fire Center in Boise late

Monday morning to meet with fire

officials. Lisa Mitchell, 65, of Middleton,

Idaho, said she was protesting because

she doesn't believe the 2020 election

was valid.

"I'm here to support Trump and stand

for freedom," said Mitchell, who was

wearing a "Trump Women 2020"

sticker. "He is in there illegally."

Though some of former President

Donald Trump's most fervent

supporters believe his continued claims

that the presidential election was stolen,

there is no evidence of widespread fraud

and Republican and Democratic

election officials certified the election as

valid. Courts have also repeatedly

rejected lawsuits claiming the election

was tainted.

Putin to self-isolate

due to COVID cases

among inner circle

MOSCOW : Russian

President Vladimir Putin is

going into self-isolation

because of coronavirus cases

in his inner circle, the Kremlin

said Tuesday, adding that he

tested negative for COVID-19,

reports UNB.

The announcement came

in the Kremlin's readout of

Putin's phone call with

Tajikistan's president. Putin

has been fully vaccinated with

the Russian coronavirus

vaccine Sputnik V, receiving

his second shot in April.

Kremlin spokesman

Dmitry Peskov told reporters

that Putin is "absolutely

healthy," but will self-isolate

after coming in contact with

someone who contracted the

virus. He didn't clarify for how

long Putin would remain in

self-isolation, but assured that

the president will continue

working as usual.

Asked if Putin tested

negative for the virus, Peskov

said "definitely, yes."

Peskov didn't say who

among Putin's contacts were

infected, saying only that

there were several cases.

On Monday, the Russian

president attended several

public events. He greeted

Russian Paralympians,

attended military exercises

conducted in coordination

with Belarus, and met with

Syrian President Bashar

Assad.

During the meeting with

the Paralympians, Putin

mentioned that he "may have

to quarantine soon."

"Even in my circle problems

occur with this COVID," the

Russian leader was quoted by

the state RIA Novosti news

agency as saying. "We need to

look into what's really

happening there. I think I

may have to quarantine soon

myself. A lot of people around

(me) are sick."

About a half-dozen Boise police

officers were stationed at the entrance to

the National Interagency Fire Center,

with other law enforcement officers

patrolling the area on motorcycle. The

National Interagency Fire Center is

generally closed to the public and the

protesters were gathered outside the

NIFC complex entrance.

Many of the protesters carried

expletive-laden signs or waved U.S. flags

hung upside down as a signal of distress.

Biden also planned stops in

Sacramento, California, and Denver

during the two-day trip.

The administration activated the

Defense Production Act last month to

boost supplies from a U.S. Forest

Service firefighting equipment supplier.

Wildfire activity has been growing

increasingly extreme across the West.

Scientists say climate change has made

the region much warmer and drier in

recent decades and that it will continue

to make wildfires and weather more

extreme and destructive.

Chris Burns, a 62-year-old from Boise,

said he attended the protest because,

"I'm against everything Biden is for."

Burns was especially displeased with the

president's sweeping new vaccine

mandates for 100 million Americans

announced on Thursday. The vaccine

requirement says that all employers

with more than 100 workers must

require them to be vaccinated or test for

the virus weekly. Workers at health

facilities that receive federal Medicare or

Medicaid will also have to be fully

vaccinated, as well as employees of the

executive branch and contractors who

do business with the federal

government. "He's acting like a

dictator," Burns said.

Idaho has one of the lowest

vaccination rates in the United States

and the state's health care system is in

danger of buckling as the delta variant

sends COVID-19 case numbers

skyrocketing. One in every 210 Idaho

residents tested positive for COVID-19

within the past week, and the average

number of daily new cases has increased

by nearly 70% in the past two weeks.

Idaho reached a record high with 613

patients hospitalized with COVID-19 on

Wednesday, the most recent numbers

available from the Idaho Department of

Health and Welfare. Last week the state

gave hospitals in northern Idaho

permission to operate under "crisis

standards of care," a health care

rationing measure intended to ensure

that scarce resources such as hospital

beds are first given to those most likely

to benefit or survive.

Japan's main opposition

seeks discrimination-free

society if gains power

TOKYO : Yukio Edano, leader of the

Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan

(CDPJ), said the party sought to realize a

discrimination-free society that respects

diversity, local media reported Monday,

reports UNB.

He announced at a press conference the

polices that the party would implement if it

wins the general election, including offering

married couples the option of keeping their

surnames separate.

According to the Justice Ministry, Japan is

the only country in the world that has a law

forcing married couples to share a surname,

though the United Nations Committee on

the Elimination of Discrimination against

Women has recommended that Japan

change the system.

The party also aimed to introduce a law to

protect the rights of sexual minorities, help

women subjected to domestic violence, and

issue a ban on discrimination based on

gender, nationality, and disability. In

addition, it planned to review Japan's

immigration system. The announcement of

the policies comes as the leadership race of

the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)

on Sept. 29 for picking Japanese Prime

Minister Yoshihide Suga's successor takes

center stage. "The LDP is dominated by

adamant opposition (to such changes).

Whoever becomes its president can not

realize them. We must accomplish the

change of power," Edano said.

The CDPJ released last week its first set of

pledges including working on a

supplementary budget for assisting people

hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, lowering the

consumption tax rate, achieving a zerocarbon

society without nuclear energy,

raising the minimum wage, and opposing an

amendment of the Constitution.

Since the House of Representatives

members' terms expire on Oct. 21, the

general election in Japan will be held in the

coming months.

Yukio Edano, head of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic

Party of Japan, attends a press conference at the Diet building in Tokyo on

Monday, pledging to do his best to realize a discrimination-free society

that respects diversity.

Photo: KYODO

Pakistan reports drop

in COVID-19 cases with

2,580 new infections

ISLAMABAD : Pakistan

reported a drop in the

number of COVID-19 cases

with 2,580 new infections

over the last 24 hours, the

National Command and

Operation Center (NCOC)

said on Tuesday, reports

UNB.

Pakistan reported less

than 3,000 new infections in

a single day on Monday for

the first time in more than a

month time period. Before

this, the daily count have

mostly been hovering

between the 3,000-4,000

range for a month.

The NCOC, a department

leading Pakistan's campaign

against the pandemic, said

the country's total cases rose

to 1,210,082, including

1,097,416 recoveries, adding

that the number of active

cases rose to 85,801,

including 5,304 critical

patients.

The national coronavirus

positivity rate in the last 24

hours was recorded at 5.44

percent, said the NCOC.

The NCOC statistics

showed that 78 patients died

from the virus during the

last 24 hours, pushing the

overall death toll to 26,865.

Pakistan's southern Sindh

province is the worstaffected

region of the

country with 446,045

infections followed by the

eastern Punjab province

which has reported 415,654

cases.

Meanwhile, Pakistan has

opened vaccination for the

15 to 18 years old age group

in a bid to inoculate

maximum people in the

south Asian country.

FDA experts among

group opposing US

booster shot plan

New York : The average

person doesn't need a

COVID-19 booster yet, an

international group of

scientists - including two top

U.S. regulators - wrote

Monday in a scientific

journal, reports UNB.

The experts reviewed

studies of the vaccines'

performance and concluded

the shots are working well

despite the extra-contagious

delta variant, especially

against severe disease.

"Even in populations with

fairly high vaccination rates,

the unvaccinated are still the

major drivers of

transmission" at this stage of

the pandemic, they

concluded. The opinion

piece, published in The

Lancet, illustrates the

intense scientific debate

about who needs booster

doses and when, a decision

the U.S. and other countries

are grappling with.

NEW DELHI : Indian Prime Minister

Narendra Modi will attend the first inperson

Quad Summit to be hosted by

President Joe Biden in the US on

September 24 amid the growing

humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan

after the return of the Taliban, reports

UNB. The Quad, acronym for the

Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, is an

informal strategic group of four

nations-the US, Australia, Japan and

India. The Quad was formed in 2007 as

a counterbalance to China in Asia.

In a statement, the Indian External

Affairs Ministry Tuesday said that the

Quad leaders will review the progress

made since their first virtual Summit

held on March 12 and "discuss regional

issues of shared interest".

"They will also exchange views on

contemporary global issues such as

critical and emerging technologies,

connectivity and infrastructure, cyber

security, maritime security,

humanitarian assistance/disaster

relief, climate change and education."

The leaders of Australia, India, Japan

and the United States will also review

the Quad Vaccine initiative which was

announced in March this year, the

Ministry said.

"The Summit would provide a

valuable opportunity for dialogue and

U.S. remains prepared

to engage with DPRK

after missiles tests

WASHINGTON : The White House said on

Monday that the United States remains

prepared to engage with the Democratic

People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), after

Pyongyang tested a new type of long-range

cruise missiles over the weekend, reports

UNB.

"Our position has not changed when it

comes to North Korea," White House

Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine

Jean-Pierre told reporters aboard Air Force

One. "We remain prepared to engage in

diplomacy with the DPRK toward our

objective of a complete denuclearization of

the Korean Peninsula."

She reaffirmed the Joe Biden

administration's "calibrated, practical

approach" in dealing with Pyongyang, which

is open to exploring diplomacy to make

practical progress that increases the security

of the United States and its allies.

"Our offer remains to meet anywhere,

anytime without preconditions," Jean-Pierre

added.

The DPRK successfully test-fired a new type

Egyptian president, Israeli

PM discuss bilateral ties,

Palestinian issue

CAIRO : Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah

al-Sisi and Israeli Prime Minister Naftali

Bennett discussed on Monday the

developments of bilateral relations in various

fields, as well as the Palestinian issue,

according to Egyptian Presidency, reports

UNB.

During their meeting in Egypt's Red Sea

resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh, Sisi and

Bennett also discussed the recent

developments on the regional and

international arenas, said Bassam Rady,

spokesperson of the Egyptian presidency.

Meanwhile, Sisi affirmed Egypt's support

for all efforts to achieve comprehensive

peace in the Middle East, based on the twostate

solution and the international

legitimacy resolutions.

He as well stressed the importance of the

international community's support for

Egypt's efforts to rebuild the Palestinian

territories, in addition to the need to

maintain calm between the Palestinian and

Israeli sides amid Egypt's continuous moves

to ease tension in the West Bank and Gaza

Strip.

Bennett was invited by Sisi on Aug. 21

during the visit of Chief of Egypt's General

Intelligence Service Abbas Kamel to

Palestine and Israel to discuss the ceasefire

deal between Israel and Hamas, the Islamic

Resistance Movement.

A handout picture released by the Egyptian Presidency on Sept 13, 2021,

shows Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (R) meeting with Israeli

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in the Egyptian Red Sea resort town of

Sharm El-Sheikh.

Photo: AP

Modi to attend first in-person

Quad Summit in US next week

interactions among the Leaders,

anchored in their shared vision of

ensuring a free, open and inclusive

Indo-Pacific region," it added.

The Indian Prime Minister is also

scheduled to address the General

Debate of the United Nations General

Assembly (UNGA) on September 25 in

New York, according to the Foreign

Ministry. The Indian Foreign

Ministry's statement comes after White

House press secretary Jen Psaki

confirmed the date of the Quad Leaders

Summit late on Monday night.

"US President Joseph R Biden, Jr will

host the first-ever Quad Leaders

Summit at the White House on

September 24. President Biden is

looking forward to welcoming to the

White House Prime Minister Scott

Morrison of Australia, Prime Minister

Narendra Modi of India, and Prime

Minister Yoshihide Suga of Japan,"

Psaki said.

"Hosting the leaders of the Quad

demonstrates the Biden-Harris

Administration's priority of engaging in

the Indo-Pacific, including through

new multilateral configurations to meet

the challenges of the 21st century."

India was among several countries

that evacuated their diplomatic staff

from Kabul when the Taliban took over

of long-range cruise missiles on Saturday and

Sunday, the Korean Central News Agency

(KCNA) reported on Monday.

The launched long-range cruise missiles

traveled for 7,580 seconds along oval and

pattern-8 flight orbits in the air above the

territorial land and waters of the DPRK and

hit targets 1,500 km away, the report said.

"We're aware of these reports of these cruise

missile launches," Pentagon Press Secretary

John Kirby said in a Monday briefing. He said

the United States is consulting with regional

allies and monitoring the situation, adding

U.S. security commitments to Japan and

South Korea are ironclad.

The missile tests came after a joint military

exercise between South Korea and the United

States in August. It also came before the U.S.

envoy for the DPRK Sung Kim's meeting with

his South Korean and Japanese counterparts

in Tokyo this week.

The Biden administration said it would

engage with Pyongyang over the

denuclearization issue but showed no

willingness to ease sanctions.

the Afghan capital on August 15.

However, two weeks later, India

began direct communication with the

Taliban, with the country's envoy in

Qatar Deepak Mittal holding talks with

Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai, the

head of the Taliban's Political Office in

the Gulf state.

At the meeting, Ambassador Mittal

had raised India's concern that

Afghanistan's soil should not be used

for anti-Indian activities and terrorism

in any manner, to which Stanekzai

assured him that these issues would be

positively addressed, according to the

Ministry of External Affairs.

"Discussions focused on safety,

security and early return of Indian

nationals stranded in Afghanistan. The

travel of Afghan nationals, especially

minorities, who wish to visit India also

came up." The Taliban returned to

power in Afghanistan on August 15,

with the US troops ending their 20-year

military presence in the South Asian

country. India is particularly worried

about the implications of the US

withdrawal from Afghanistan, given it

has already infused over three billion

USD worth development aid into that

country and the horrific memories of

the Taliban's role in the hijacking of an

Indian airliner in 1999.


8

Recently managing director & CEO (C.C) of Social Islami Bank Md. Tajul Islam inaugurated eight Agent

Banking Outlets as chief guest through virtual platform respectively in Gazirhat Bazar and Peroli

Bazar (Narail), Tonki Bazar (Cumilla), Tarerghat Bazar (Kishoregonj), Mathbaria Bazar (Pirojpur),

Tantar Bazar (Brahmanbaria), Pather Bazar (Khulna) and Mirikpur Bazar (Laxmipur). Abu Naser

Chowdhury and Md. Sirajul Hoque, Deputy Managing Directors, Abdul Hannan Khan, Company

Secretary, Md. Moniruzzaman, Head of Marketing & Brand Communication Division, Md. Mashiur

Rahman, Head of Agent Banking Division were also present in the program. Agent of the outlets and

local dignitaries also attended the program.

Photo: courtesy

Most Asian markets

drop as record US

inflation fans taper talk

HONG KONG : Asian markets mostly fell on

Monday following another retreat on Wall

Street as a surge in US inflation to a record

high ramped up concerns the Federal

Reserve will be forced to tighten monetary

policy sooner than later, reports BSS.

Reports that President Joe Biden was

considering a fresh trade probe into China

added to the downbeat mood and nullified

the optimism sparked by news that he had

held talks on Friday with Xi Jinping in a bid

to smooth relations between the

superpowers.

After driving a healthy run-up in Asia so far

this month, investor sentiment was once

again roiled by data on Friday showing US

factory gate inflation had soared in August to

an all-time high of 8.3 percent owing to a

jump in demand as well as supply and labour

shortages.

The reading ramped up speculation about

the Fed's plans for monetary policy.

Its boss Jerome Powell has already

indicated that the central bank will likely

start tapering its vast bond-buying

programme-which has been a key driver of

the economic and equity markets recoveryby

the end of the year. But the latest figures

could cause officials to bring forward their

timeline.

The release Tuesday of consumer inflation

has now taken on more significance.

All three US indexes ended in the red on

Friday, with reports of Biden's probe adding

TOKYO : Tokyo stocks

opened higher on Tuesday

as investors remained

upbeat about a new

government in Japan

ahead of a ruling party

leadership vote this month,

reports BSS.

The benchmark Nikkei

225 index was up 0.42

percent, or 127.18 points, at

30,574.55 in early trade,

while the broader Topix

index advanced 0.39

percent, or 8.08 points, to

2,105.79.

"Japanese shares are

supported by (expectations

linked to) a change in

politics," Okasan Online

Securities said in a

commentary.

Tokyo stocks

open higher on

hopes for new

government

So far three candidates

have announced they will

run for leadership of the

ruling Liberal Democratic

Party, including Taro Kono,

a former foreign and

defence minister currently

leading

Japan's

coronavirus vaccine

rollout.

A report that another

popular politician Shigeru

Ishiba will support Kono,

to the selling pressure.

The president was said to be looking at

Beijing's subsidies and their effect on the US

economy, the reports said, with discussions

also being held on last year's trade deal

agreed by Donald Trump.

"While initially markets traded positively

on the hopes that a restart in high-level

dialogue might eventually lead to a reduction

in Chinese tariffs," news about the

investigation "delivered the opposite

outcome", said National Australia Bank's

Rodrigo Catril. "That said, it is unclear when

the White House will announce the outcome

of its review and as we know from the Trump

era, any action against China is likely to come

with retaliations."

Hong Kong led the losses, with tech firms

again taking much of the heat on lingering

concerns about China's crackdown on the

sector, while Tokyo, Singapore, Seoul,

Taipei, Manila and Jakarta were also down.

However, there were small gains in

Sydney, Shanghai and Wellington.

"Risk assets will continue to struggle in the

near term with weak hard data due to the

Delta (coronavirus) outbreak and supply

disruptions over the summer," Barclays

strategists including Shinichiro Kadota said.

Traders are also keeping tabs on the

Korean peninsula after the North test-fired a

new "long-range cruise missile" over the

weekend, calling it a "strategic weapon of

great significance".

the frontrunner in public

support, is boosting market

sentiment, Okasan said.

"A combination of these

two popular figures could

lead to a landslide for the

LDP in the general

election" due later this year,

the brokerage added.

The dollar fetched 109.98

yen in early Asian trade,

against 110.01 yen in New

York late Monday.

Phone carrier KDDI was

up 2.93 percent at 3,834

yen after the firm said it will

use SpaceX's Starlink

satellite network to provide

better mobile internet

access in remote areas, and

as a brokerage firm revised

up its evaluation.

Global oil demand

to rebound next

month: IEA

PARIS : Global oil demand

has dropped for three

straight months as Covid

cases have risen in Asia but it

is expected to bounce back

next month, the

International Energy Agency

said Tuesday, reports BSS.

Demand fell from July

after rebounding the

previous month, with major

crude consumer China

leading the decline, the IEA

said in a monthly report.

"Global oil demand

remains under pressure

from the virulent Covid-19

Delta variant in key

consuming regions,

especially in parts of Asia,"

the report said.

Demand fell by 310,000

barrels per day on average

over the three months to

September.

But it is expected to

recover in October with an

increase of 1.6 million

barrels per day (mbd) and

continue to rise until the end

of the year, said the IEA,

which advises developed

countries on energy policy.

"The latest news on the

Covid front is more

optimistic, with global cases

falling in recent weeks,

continued progress in

vaccine manufacturing and

inoculations, and less

restrictive social distancing

measures in many

countries," it said.

Global oil demand is

expected to rise by 5.2 mbd

this year, slightly lower than

previously forecast, but 2022

growth will be slightly higher

at 3.2 mbd, according to the

report.

The IEA said Hurricane

Ida "wreaked havoc on the

key US Gulf Coast oil

producing region" in late

August and is "still causing

problems for US and global

markets."

Offshore installations and

refineries have been slow to

restart, forcing massive

draws of stocks of both crude

and products in key markets,

it said.

Recently ONE Bank Ltd signed an Agreement with Labaid Cancer Hospital & Super Speciality Center.

Amitavo Bhattacharyaa, Head of Marketing of Labaid Cancer Hospital & Super Speciality Center and Md.

Kamruzzaman, Head of Retail Banking of ONE Bank Limited, signed the Agreement on behalf of their respective

organizations. Under this Agreement, OBL Debit, Credit & Prepaid card holders with dependents will

enjoy 15% discount on all Pathological & Bio-chemistry investigations, up to 10% discount on X-ray, CT Scan,

MRI, Ultra-Sonogram, Endoscopy, ECG, Echo and ETT as OPD Services and 10% discount on bed charges of

admitted patients & bed charges of admitted Chemo day care patients as IPD Services round the year. High

officials of both the organizations were also present in this occasion.

Photo: Courtesy

Seeking to change deadbeat image,

Zimbabwe pays debt

HARARE : After 20 years of not paying

its debts, Zimbabwe is taking steps to

clean up its balance sheet and its image

by making payments to major creditors,

reports BSS.

Even if admittedly token amounts, the

government hopes they will build

goodwill towards Zimbabwe.

Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube

announced during a video conference

this month that Zimbabwe had made its

first payments in two decades to a group

of rich countries known as the Paris Club.

"We have started paying them because,

as a country, we ought to be known as

good debtors and not bad debtors,"

Ncube said.

In addition to the first payments in two

decades to the 17 nations that are part of

the Paris Club, he said Zimbabwe was

also settling its debts to multilateral

lenders.

"We have taken the step of beginning

to pay token payments to the World

Bank, the African Development Bank

and the European Investment Bank,"

Ncube said.Clearing Zimbabwe's debts,

or simply catching up on payments, is a

mammoth task.

The $11 billion that Zimbabwe owes to

foreign lenders amounts to about 71

percent of the country's GDP. Some $6.5

billion of the total is payments that are in

arrears.

Ncube said the government would

need a "sponsor" to bring its debt

Bangladeshi digital device

manufacturer Walton has

launched another new tablet

PC in the tech market.

Modeled as 'Walpad 10S',

the Tab has a 10.5-inch full

HD+ AMOLED display,

Qualcomm's snapdragon

Octa-core processor, built-in

keypad along with many

other advanced features.

The attractively designed

silver colored Tab is now

available at all sales outlets

of Walton. With one year

warranty, it is priced at BDT

26,990 only, a press release

said.

Liakat Ali, Deputy

Managing Director of

Walton Digi-Tech Industries

Limited, said: We are

constantly working to deliver

state-of-the-art technology

products to customers at

affordable prices. There is a

huge demand for high

quality tablet computers

among the tech-lovers.

That's why Walton comes up

with the new model of Tab.

This device will add new

dimensions to the modern

life of users. Students and

employees will be benefited

the most.

Walton sources said, the

eye-catching Tab has 2560

by 1600 pixel resolution

with 350Nits display

brightness on-cell

touchscreen which will let

users having unique

experience. The main

attraction of the Tab is its

built-in keypad through

which users can get great

European stocks

open mixed before

US inflation data

LONDON : European stock

markets diverged at the

open Tuesday, with all eyes

on the latest US inflation

data as recent surges of

global prices risk derailing

the economic recovery,

reports BSS.

London's benchmark

FTSE 100 index dropped 0.3

percent to 7,050.99 points,

as investors reacted also to

the release of mixed UK

unemployment figures.

In the eurozone,

Frankfurt's DAX 30 index

gained 0.1 percent to

15,716.11 points and the

Paris CAC 40 lost 0.3

percent to 6,658.59.

Markets were waiting to

see whether Tuesday's

update on US consumer

prices would amplify or

mitigate worries about

soaring inflation.

payments under control.

It was unclear what exactly he meant

by that, but he said the goal was "really to

tackle those arrears with the World Bank

and the African Development Bank, the

preferred creditors."

"We are working hard on that," he said.

Zimbabwe defaulted on its debts when

the economy fell into a tailspin 20 years

ago under then-president Robert

Mugabe.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa,

who took power after a coup in 2017,

wants to renew ties with Europe and the

United States, which had largely cut

them over Mugabe's undermining of

elections and human rights abuses.

"The country seeks to re-engage with

the international community in Europe

and the US," economist Persistence

Gwanyanya told AFP. The debt

payments "are positive actions that will

convince the rest of the world that we

mean what we say."

The West may take a lot of convincing.

Mnangagwa, once a top deputy to

Mugabe, is among the senior

government officials banned from

travelling or banking in the United States

and Europe.

Western countries froze his assets in

protest of human rights violations, and

so far have shown little inclination to

ease them.

In July, Britain added new sanctions to

a Zimbabwean official for fraudulently

convenience in typing. This

allows the Tab to be easily

used on a table or any flat

surface like a laptop. This

Tab is ideal for official work

and entertainment including

internet browsing, online

classes, reading books,

playing games, watching

movies.

Runs on Android 9

operating system, the Tab

sports a Qualcomm

snapdragon 660 Octa-core

processor at up to 2.2 and

1.6 GHz clock speed with 4

GB RAM and Adreno 512

graphics. Its internal storage

is 64 GB which can be

expandable up to 512 GB.

This will allow users to store

more documents, videos,

photos, music and various

types of apps, making it

more enjoyable.

The Tab has an 8

megapixel autofocus camera

on the back while there is a 5

megapixel camera on the

front for selfies and video

calls which will allow video

recording facility with 1080p

high definition video mode,

making the picture or video

clear and perfect. The Tab

with 18 watt Type-C first

charging facility has a 7700

mAh Li-polymer battery,

allowing to work for long

hours or watching videos

can be done comfortably.

For 4G internet usage and

calling, the Tab has dual

hybrid SIM slots. It features

HD quality videos playback

and FM radio with

recordings as multimedia

facilities.

As connectivity, the Tab

has 2.4 and 5 GHz dual band

Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5, OTG,

GPS navigation, G-sensor

and light sensor etc. The

thickness of the tab is only

redeeming treasury bills at 10 times their

official value.

But Gwanyanya said making even

small payments on its debts shows the

world that Mnangagwa wants to do

business differently from his

predecessor.

"That Zimbabwe has started to do so at

a time where our debt is very in excess

would unlock some capital from the

external world," he said.

Zimbabwe's economy has swung

dramatically since 2000, shrinking at a

breathtaking rate during years of

hyperinflation, before clawing its way

back to growth in 2009.

Covid-19 and a drought pushed the

economy back into recession, with

inflation returning to triple digits.

Inflation has settled back down into

double digits-sitting at 56 percent in

July, down from 106 the previous

month-and Ncube has ambitious plans

to bring the country into the global

middle class by 2030.

To do that, Zimbabwe will need capital

and investors. Paying down its debts is

one way to make the country more

attractive.

"Essentially it's a gesture," Gwanyanya

said. "It does not mean we are able to pay

the complete debt but it will send a signal

to the rest of the world about our

willingness to service debts and therefore

change perceptions of how others view

the country."

Walton launches new Tab with

snapdragon processor

7.2mm and 175.4 mm wide

when it weighs only 491

grams including the battery.

As a result it can be easily

carried out anywhere at any

time.

There are also two more

models of Walton Android

Tab and one model of

Windows Tab in the market.

Walton is producing and

marketing various models

and features of desktop,

laptop, all-in-one PC,

monitor, keyboard, mouse,

pen drive, earphone, Wi-Fi

router, UPS, USB hub, card

reader, speaker, SSD,

external SSD, RAM, PCBA,

memory card, power bank,

projector, digital writing

pad, USB Type C cable etc.

Walton will soon launch

products such as access

control devices, printers,

networking switches and

webcams etc.

Inflation concerns harden as

aluminium hits 13-year high

LONDON : Aluminium reached $3,000 a

tonne for the first time in 13 years Monday,

ratcheting up soaring inflation concerns that in

turn are boosting the dollar as traders eye

higher interest rates to tame runaway prices,

reports BSS.

Equities traded mixed as investors weighed

hopes for better US-China trade relations

against further regulatory clampdown from

Beijing on the Chinese tech sector.

Sentiment has been lifted by news that US

President Joe Biden held talks on Friday with

Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in a bid to

smooth relations between the superpowers.

At the same time, market caution persisted

after data showed inflation of goods leaving US

factories had soared in August to an all-time

high of 8.3 percent.

The reading was fuelled partly by a sharp rise

in commodity prices, a concern highlighted by

news that aluminium has hit $3,000 a tonne

for the first time in 13 years on global supply

issues. "Soaring commodity prices show little

sign of letting up," noted Joshua Mahony,

senior market analyst at IG trading group, as

oil prices won another one percent Monday.

After hitting the $3,000 mark, aluminium

fell back to $2,952 around midday on the

London Metal Exchange.

Surging inflation concerns ramped up

speculation about the Federal Reserve's plans

for monetary policy.

Its boss Jerome Powell has already indicated

that the US central bank would likely start

tapering its vast bond-buying programmewhich

has been a key driver of the economic

and equity markets recovery-by the end of the

year.

But the latest US inflation figures could cause

officials to bring forward their timeline and

raise interest rates.

The release Tuesday of US consumer

inflation has now taken on more significance,

according to analysts.

In trading Monday, Hong Kong led the

losers, with tech firms again taking much of the

heat on lingering concerns about China's

crackdown on the sector.


9

Novak Djokovic (L) and Daniil Medvedev (R) pose with their trophies after the US Open men's singles

final.

Photo: AP

Not the Hollywood script

New York was craving

SPORTS DESK

Brad Pitt was galvanising Novak

Djokovic when everyone in the Serb's

box was sitting shell-shocked. Leonardo

DiCaprio was miming a forehand,

explaining to a companion after a

straightforward miss from Djokovic.

But the two stars couldn't script a win for

the World No. 1. This wasn't Once Upon

a Time in Hollywood, there was no

revisionist, happy ending. Rewriting all

scripts was a 25-year-old from Russia,

reports UNB.

In the Australian Open final at the start

of the year, Daniil Medvedev was

dismantled by Djokovic, who then

consoled: "It's a matter of time when

you're going to hold a Grand Slam… if

you don't mind waiting a few more

years." The wait lasted seven months.

Medvedev won his maiden Grand Slam

title, thwarting Djokovic's bid to clinch all

four Majors in the calendar year. But it

was his under-the-radar run to the final

that projected Medvedev as a non-entity.

The fortnight saw storylines aplenty.

Djokovic himself was the subject of a

narrative other than the calendar Grand

Slam. He had lost five opening sets in the

tournament. So when he lost the sixth on

Sunday, the odds actually leaned even

more in his favour.

But who knew that when Djokovic said

Al Hilal ease into

Asian Champions

League last eight

SPORTS DESK

Saudi giants Al Hilal booked

their spot in the quarter-finals

of the Asian Champions

League with a comfortable 2-

0 victory over Iran's Esteghlal

on Monday, reports BSS.

The 2019 champions struck

through Bafetimbi Gomis and

Salem al-Dawsari either side

of the break in Dubai to

become the first team to make

the last eight phase of the

Covid-19 impacted

tournament.

The Asian Football

Confederation trimmed the

knockout stage to just one leg

to make up for lost time with

the last-16 matches to be

completed over three days

ending on Wednesday.

Al Hilal won the title two

years ago but were

dramatically kicked out of the

tournament last year after

several players tested positive

for coronavirus. They have

now qualified for the last eight

five times in eight years.

But on Monday they were

clearly a cut above Esteghlal

who fielded several new

players after 12 of the squad

that played in the earlier

rounds left the club ahead of

the new Iran Pro League

season.

The revamped side tested

the accomplished Saudis.

Siavash Yazdani headed

wide in the 16th minute and

later Al Hilal goalkeeper

Abdullah al-Mayouf had to be

at his best to stop a

thundering volley from Amir

Arsalan Motahari.

Al Hilal broke the

deadlock in the 39th

minute with Gomis living

up to his reputation as one

of the most feared

forwards in Asian football.

he was going to treat Sunday's final as the

"last match of his career", he would

actually play like that. Overwrought and

outplayed. The ultimate baseliner was

beaten at his own game. Early on in the

contest, he pummelled his quads - "my

legs were not there" - desperately trying

to locate the 'On' button.

The emotions weren't in check either.

He almost launched a ball into the

stands, a ball girl nearly caught in the

crossfire, left cowering, perhaps

replaying the moment from last year

when a wayward ball off Djokovic's

racquet hit an umpire in the throat. The

Serb stopped just in time. Moments later,

he destroyed his racquet hammering the

floor. Cool customer Still under the

radar, watching tennis' marathon man

crumble and combust across the net, was

Medvedev, whose life has been about

revelling in Dostoevsky-esque ironies.

The first Russian man to win a Grand

Slam title would have been born in

France as planned, if not for preterm

birth. The minor health complications

meant he is deemed unsuitable for

compulsory military service, even though

the 6'6 lanky player is one of the fitter,

faster men on tour.

He swore off video games at

tournaments after one 8 pm-to-7am

romp led to a heavy defeat. Yet, his first

celebration on Sunday saw him flop to

the blue concrete, an ode to the 'dead fish

celebration' from the FIFA video game

series. "Only legends will understand…

L2 + left," he said.

"I talked to the guys in the locker

(room)… They were like, 'That's

legendary'", Medvedev said.

The biggest irony is that his coronation

came at the US Open. It was his breakout

run to the final two years ago that made

him public enemy No. 1. Booed

vociferously for his antics, Medvedev

soaked it in, taunted and showed the

middle finger, playing the perfect villain.

New York - the longest-reigning

champion of embarrassing tennis crowds

- took an active part in the match on

Sunday. And with Medvedev finally

misfiring in the third set, the crowd

began cheering for double faults, jeering,

whistling and booing during his service.

He squandered a championship point

and conceded a break while trying to

hustle through his serves as spectators

refused to pipe down.

Shaken and under the spotlight,

Medvedev could have let loose again.

Unlike 2019, he carried on unwavering.

The Russian was standing between

Djokovic and the Grand Slam. Between

the audience and several thousand 'Iwas-there'

moments. For a moment,

Djokovic spurred into life. He flashed his

first genuine smile of the match.

Indian team has improved

massively since T20 WC

defeat to Australia

SPORTS DESK

Indian women's cricket team

opener Smriti Mandhana

says her side has improved

"massively" since the World

T20 final defeat to Australia

last year and will be "extra

competitive" during the

upcoming series here which

also features its first daynight

Test outing, reports

UNB. India and Australia are

set to lock horns in a multiformat

series comprising

three ODIs, the day-night

Test and three T20s, starting

on September 21. The Test

will be played from

September 30 to October 3 in

Canberra.

The last time the two sides

met was at the women's T20

World Cup final at the MCG

last year where the hosts had

hammered India by 85 runs

to lift the trophy.

"The team has grown

massively (since the T20

World Cup)," Mandhana told

'The Scoop podcast'.

The Indian squad finished

its 14-day hard hotel

quarantine on Monday.

"COVID was a big break

after the T20 World Cup and

a lot of girls had a chance to

The stylish southpaw said that after the

COVID-19 enforced break, the Indian team is

slowly getting back into the rhythm of playing

cricket.

Photo: File

go back and understand

more about their games,

where they lack as an

individual and come back

stronger."

The stylish southpaw said

that after the COVID-19

enforced break, the Indian

team is slowly getting back

into the rhythm of playing

cricket. "The whole team has

worked on their fitness and

skills…we are still getting into

a rhythm of playing matches

continuously but the last five,

six months we have been

playing cricket and now we

are getting back into the

match mindset. Hopefully

the series goes well for the

whole team"

India have reached

Australia after a multi-format

series against England in

June and July, while a few

players like white-ball

skipper Harmanpreet Kaur,

teen batting sensation Shafali

Verma and Mandhana also

featured in The Hundred

tournament.

The swashbuckling opener

said playing against Meg

Lanning and Co. is always

competitive and the team

tends to enjoy batting on the

bouncy tracks Down Under.

"We all love playing against

Australia, because they are

one of the best teams in the

world and quite competitive,"

Mandhana said. When it

comes to Australia, you're a

bit more pumped because the

level of competitiveness the

Australian team, it just rubs

off on us and we also start

being extra competitive."

Mandhana is the only

Indian woman to score a

century in Australia, a 102 at

Blundstone Arena aged 19 in

2016. She also holds the

record for the highest T20I

score in the country by an

Indian woman.

"Australian wickets have a

true bounce and I think

everyone loves batting in

Australia.

Ireland draw

Zimbabwe series with

rain-disrupted win

SPORTS DESK

Ireland secured a 1-1 series

draw after beating

Zimbabwe by seven wickets

in a rain-disrupted third

one-day international in

Belfast, reports BSS. Having

won the toss and elected to

field, Ireland bowled their

opponents out for 131 in 34

overs. Captain Craig Ervine

top-scored for the tourists

with 57, but there was

disappointment for Brendan

Taylor, playing his 284th

and final international

match, as he was bowled for

just seven.

Ervine paid tribute to

Taylor and admitted he will

leave a huge void to fill.

"Brendan Taylor has been a

huge ambassador for the

country, a huge loss for us,"

said Ervine. "He will leave a

hole someone will need to fill

in Zimbabwe cricket."

Rain then left Ireland to

chase a revised target of 118

from 32 overs and they

eased home with nearly 10

overs to spare with Paul

Stirling hitting 43 from just

40 balls.

"It was a complete

performance from the

team," said Ireland captain

Andy Balbirnie.

Pele to leave

intensive care

this week,

says daughter

SPORTS DESK

Brazilian football legend

Pele is ready to leave the

intensive care unit of a Sao

Paulo hospital after

undergoing surgery for a

suspected colon tumor, one

of his daughters said

Monday, reports BSS.

Kely Nascimento wrote a

message giving an update on

her father's health in

Portuguese and in English

on her Instagram account,

accompanied by a close-up

photo of the smiling 80-

year-old football mega-star.

"He is doing well post

surgery, he is not in pain and

is in a good mood (annoyed

that he can only eat jello but

will persevere!),"

Nascimento wrote.

"He will move into a

regular room in the next day

or two and then go home."

Her father "is strong and

stubborn and with the

support and care of the

brilliant team at (Albert)

Einstein (Hospital) and all of

the love, energy and light

that the world is sending, he

will get through this!" she

wrote.

"I wanted to say thank

you... from the bottom of my

heart for all of the loving,

concerned and supportive

texts, DMs and emails you

guys have sent me,"

Nascimento added.

"I have not had the chance

to respond to many but I do

read them and I feel

hugged."

The most recent hospital

bulletin, from Friday, stated

that Edson Arantes do

Nascimento-better known

as Pele-was recovering in a

"satisfactory" manner and

"actively conversing and

displaying vital signs within

normal range."

The suspected tumor was

detected during routine

tests, according to the

hospital, where Pele has

been undergoing treatment

since August 31.

Considered by many to be

the greatest footballer of all

time, Pele has been in poor

health in recent years, and

has had various stints in the

hospital.

The only player in history

to win three World Cups

(1958, 1962 and 1970), Pele

burst onto the global stage at

just 17 with dazzling goals,

including two in the final

against hosts Sweden, as

Brazil won the World Cup

for the first time in 1958.

"O Rei" (The King) went

on to have one of the most

storied careers in sport,

scoring more than 1,000

goals before retiring in 1977.

Premier League: Everton hit

back in style to beat Burnley

SPORTS DESK

Everton struck three times in seven minutes

in the second half as they came from a goal

down to beat Burnley 3-1 and move level on

points with Premier League leaders

Manchester United at Goodison Park on

Monday, reports UNB.

Ben Mee's header on his 200th Premier

League appearance handed Burnley the lead

in the 53rd minute but Everton's response

was emphatic as the hosts came alive to

claim their third league victory of the season.

Michael Keane headed Everton's equaliser

in the 59th minute before Andros Townsend

curled in a sensational left-footed finish to

give Everton the lead - his first league goal

since joining on a free transfer from Crystal

Palace.

Seconds later Demarai Gray went through

all alone to slot home Everton's third goal to

the delight of the home fans who had not

liked what they had seen earlier. Everton

moved into fourth spot with 10 points from

four games - level on points with Liverpool,

Chelsea and United.

Burnley had been the better side in the first

half but they are still awaiting their first

league win of the season and remain on one

point in 18th place.

Former Liverpool manager Rafa

Benitez's arrival at Goodison was not

universally popular amongst Everton's

fans but they have started the season in

style, scoring 10 goals in four games.

They were dealt a blow before kickoff with

striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin ruled out

with a broken toe and for much of the first

half they were second-best against a fired-up

Burnley. Chris Wood should have put the

visitors in front early on but failed to make

proper contact with his header after a superb

ball into the area by Dwight McNeil.

Everton's only real chance before the break

was when Townsend picked out the run of

Abdoulaye Doucoure whose first-time

angled effort was well saved by Nick Pope.

It was only after Mee headed Burnley in

front that Everton came alive and Townsend

was the catalyst. He showed great feet to

engineer some space on the right wing before

whipping in a perfect cross for Keane to

glance in his header.

Townsend had gone almost a year without

a Premier League goal but his effort was

worth the wait. Picking up the ball in a

central area he jinked his way forward before

sending a curling, dipping left-footer into the

top corner of the net.

"My mum is always sending me

compilations of all my goals, she told me to

watch it when I can and maybe I reminded

myself I can do it and pulled it out,"

Townsend said of his effort. Doucoure then

split the Burnley defence to send Gray clear

and he calmly beat Pope before Doucoure

himself had a goal disallowed for offside as

Everton ran riot.

Everton's Andros Townsend celebrates scoring their side's second goal of

the game during their English Premier League match against Burnley at

Goodison Park.

Photo: AP

Shakib leaves country for IPL,

Mustafizur's journey delayed

SPORTS DESK

Ace all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan left the

country for the United Arab Emirates (UAE)

to join his Indian Premier League (IPL)

franchise Kolkata Knight Riders Sunday

night, reports BSS.

While Shakib was able to fly, his

Bangladesh teammate fast bowler

Mustafizur Rahman who is the member of

Rajasthan Royals had to delay his journey

due to visa complicacy. Both of the players

were scheduled to fly together.

Mustafizur, however, is yet to be sure when

he would fly."I still don't know when I can fly.

Nothing is yet to be finalized," Mustafizur

told the reporters o Monday.

The IPL was stopped midway through the

tournament due to the deadly surge of the

Covid-19 in India. The tournament authority

then decided to hold the remaining part of

the IPL in the UAE and it is scheduled to

begin on September 19.

Mustafizur's performance was eye

catching in the first part of the tournament as

he scalped eight wickets with a measly

bowling in seven matches.

Shakib meanwhile was disappointing,

scoring just 38 runs and taking two wickets

in three matches.

South Africa interested in hosting

FIFA's Club World Cup

SPORTS DESK

South Africa is interested in hosting FIFA's

Club World Cup in December after Japan

withdrew because of COVID-19, South

African Football Association president

Danny Jordaan, reports UNB.

Jordaan told The Associated Press he

would meet with FIFA secretary general

Fatma Samoura in Lagos, Nigeria this week

to get more details on what kind of bid South

Africa must present to the world body to host

the seven-team men's tournament.

The Club World Cup will feature European

champion Chelsea and the other five

continental club competition winners. The

league champion from the host country also

gets a place.

Japan withdrew last week amid fears the

tournament would cause a rise in infections

in a country that has just staged the Summer

Olympics and Paralympics.

FIFA has yet to comment on the alternative

host, with Saudi Arabia also keen to step in.

An extended 24-team Club World Cup was

due to debut this year in China but it was

shelved because the pandemic required the

rescheduling of national team competitions

in June and FIFA was unable to raise the

necessary funding for the planned

quadrennial event. So the seven-team format

was extended for another year.

The South African Football Association

must get government approval to hold the

tournament and meetings with the sports

minister were also planned, Jordaan said.

"We'll know our position by the end of the

week," he said.

South Africa has numerous high-quality

stadiums that were built or refurbished for

the 2010 World Cup but any ambition to host

the Club World Cup would depend on its own

coronavirus situation.

South Africa went through a mid-year

surge in cases and there has been a decrease

in virus infections over the last two weeks.

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced an

easing of restrictions countrywide on

Sunday. The government is also formulating

plans to allow spectators back into sports

stadiums, most likely using vaccine

passports, Ramaphosa said.

That would be a boost for plans to host the

Club World Cup as no fans have been allowed

at any major sports events in South Africa

since the start of the pandemic. FIFA would

likely not want its tournament to be played in

empty stadiums.

Jordaan said the South African Football

Association noted the government's

indication that it was ready to consider

allowing sports fans back into stadiums.

WEDNEsDAY, sEPTEMBER 15, 2021

10

FS Nayeem's new

web series 'Aura'

Kona, Imran lent voices for

a playback song in Golui

TBT REPORT

Two popular singers Dilshad Nahar Kona and

Imran Mahmudul have paired up for a playback.

The duo has lent their voices to a song for the

upcoming film 'Golui' directed by SA Haque Alik.

The title of the song is 'Ay Ayre Deoa'. Jewel

Mahmud has written the lyrics of the song while

seven-time National Film Award-winning

musician Emon Shaha has composed and

directed the track.

The recording of the song has already been done.

About the song, Emon Shaha said, 'The lyrics of

the song are amazing. Imran and Kona have lent

their voice to the song wonderfully. I'm very hopeful

about the song."

Kona said, "Emon Shaha is a noted musician of

the country. He always composed song with utmost

care. Imran also a popular singer of the country.

We have tried our level best to lend our voices

perfectly to the song."

Imran said, "The lyrics and tune of the song are

wonderful. It is a subject-based song. I hope the

audience will enjoy the song."

Popular singer Kona's debut album is 'Jamitik

Bhalobasha', which was released in 2006. Her

famous songs are 'ShunnoTheke', 'Jodi Swapnei

Thaki Magno' 'Badla Dine Mone Pore', 'Dheem ta

na', 'Reshmi Chri', and others.

On the other hand, music composer and playback

singer Imran started his singing career through the

reality show 'Channel i Sera Kontho' in 2008. Since

then, he has presented many hit songs to his

audience. Imran started his playback career

through the movie 'Bhalobashar Lal Golap' with

Sabina Yasmin in 2008.

Nawshaba

busy with web

film 'Dolachol'

TBT REPORT

Popular actress Quazi Nawshaba Ahmed got her

attention by modeling and acting in TV dramas,

now she is regularly acting in movies and web

films.

She will be seen in a web film titled

'Dolachol' directed by Arif Khan and

'Dom' by Rashed Raha.

Nawshaba has 6 movies,

outside of OTT. These are -

'Chayaabrikkho directed by

Bondan Biswas, 'Poster' by

Saif Chandan, 'Dom' by

Rashed Raha, 'Dolachol' by

Arif Khan, 'Omanush' by

Anonno Mamun , 'Jolkiron' by

Habibur Rahman. Besides, a

new movie directed by Rana

Ibrahim will also start this month.

Regarding the context, Nawshaba

said, "Acting is acting no matter whether

it is movies, dramas or whatever. I feel

comfortable acting in drama movies. Getting a

chance to act in a good story movie, which is a

positive thing for my career.

Hopefully this continuity of acting will be

maintained. I am also working on the web

series and I will also act in dramas. These are

my activities for the audience. If they like my

acting, I will go further.'

The actress was highly acclaimed by the

audience through her film 'Dhaka Attack'.

TBT REPORT

Popular model-actor FS Nayeem

will be seen playing a lead

character in an upcoming web

series titled 'Aura'. He has

recently completed the shooting

of the web series, the actor

confirmed.

The story of 'Aura' is jointly

from Maruf Rehman and Tanim

Parvej. Scripted by Imtiaz Hasan

Shahriar, the web series is

directed by Tanim Parvej.

"Though most of the web

contents in the recent times are

based on thriller stories, but

'Aura' is a horror web series,"

Nayeem said about the genre of

his web series.

"In this series, I will play the

character of an educated man

who doesn't believe in ghosts.

Another lead cast Partha Barua

will play the character of an

exorcist who tries to make me

believe in ghosts. When my wife

gets pregnant, he tells me that my

child is possessed and it is

harmful for my child. Though the

series will not be like a typical

horror series where the audience

watches horror elements. But

many interesting and

unbelievable things will be

brought to the series.

Particularly, that's why I was

interested in this web series,"

Nayeem told The Bangladesh

Today regarding the story of web

series.

"I recently completed the

shooting of the series. I think the

audience will see me in a new

avatar here. So, there will be

some surprises as well," he

Over the last couple of months, several reports have been doing the

rounds regarding Kartik Aaryan being signed on and walking out of

several films. One of these reports states that Pooja Entertainment

has signed the 'SonuKe Titu Ki Sweety' actor for a three-film deal.

Now, the production house has categorically stated that no such

offer is on the table by them for Kartik. Read on to know what they

Actually, the title says it all. The

world of 'Gunpowder Milkshake'

is pretty much ridiculous and

calls for a huge suspension of

disbelief. It's a totally women

fronted actioner headlined by a

strong cast and fits into a 'chic

action drama' slot that divines it's

energy from post-production

mastered heroics rather than

performance capture.

The attempt by Israeli director

Navot Papushado to set up

totems that never quite achieve

their full glory is a little

disappointing to say the least.

Gun toting librarians may be cool

but John Wick like female

assassins here are not- especially

when they keep on fighting another fight even after being mortally

wounded. And that wouldn't have been so bad if the tone was

consistent. You've certainly got to suspend your disbelief for the

entire run of play and that's asking for way too much.

added. Apart from Nayeem,

'Aura' has an ensemble cast of

Sharmili Ahmed, Partha Barua,

Tasnuva Tisha, Shatabdi Wadud,

Diptimoy Dipti, Nisha

Chowdhury, Jannat Suchi, Biral,

Ashok Byapari and others.

"It was a wonderful shooting

experience for me. When you

have such talented actors in the

team, the work becomes

automatically enjoyable and

good. I have worked with Tanim

Parvej before. I am a huge fan of

his work. He always tries to work

in details when it comes to

portraying any story," Nayeem

said about the experience of his

shooting on 'Aura'.

"I hope the audience will like

the web series. It is a very

different story," he added.

Kartik, Pooja

Entertainment's 'three-film

deal' not happening

said. It was alleged in many news portals that veteran producer

Vashu Bhagnani had offered a three-film deal to actor Kartik

Aaryan. The production house took to their official Twitter handle to

refute this claim and has added now that there is no truth in this

spurious story.

An insider said and added that these rumours of the production

house signing Kartik Aaryan are based on flimsy speculations and

should be verified before being published the source also mentioned

the Production house's focus is on developing and finishing existing

and forthcoming projects.

The Heritage Production House Pooja Entertainment recently

released their spy thriller 'Bellbottom' in theatres to support the

exhibition community and is already in the throes of starting the

much-discussed dystopian thriller 'Ganapath' that has Tiger Shroff

and Kritisanon in the lead. Their mega budget Production no 41

with Akshaykumar is on floors already and is said to be releasing late

next year. Kartik Aaryan on the other hand will soon be seen in

'Dhamaka' and 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2'.

Source: Flip Board

'Gunpowder Milkshake': Silly but

fairly entertaining

Professional assassin, Scarlet

(Lena Headey) is forced to

abandon her daughter Sam (Karen

Gillan) - left in the care of Nathan

(Paul Giamatti) at the Firm, and

go on the run. 15 Years later, we

see a grown up Sam playing the

same tune her mother did, as a

cold blooded assassin. After her

high-stakes mission puts an

innocent 8-year-old girl Emily's

(Chloe Coleman) life on the line

she is compelled to go rogue and

turns to assassins masquerading

as librarians-Florence (Michelle

Yeoh), Anna May (Angela

Bassett), and Madeleine (Carla

Gugino)-all colleagues of her

mother, in order to root out those

who took everything from them. The cinematography by Michael

Serensin and production design lend the narrative a striking

panorama of colors and style.

Source: Times Of India

H O R O s c O P E

ARIEs

(March 21 - April 20) : You may be the

party-pooper today unless you do

something to remedy your serious

tone, Aries. This is a day for light, social

activities and fun-loving times with friends. Don't

worry if things don't seem rational. Sometimes it's

the unlikeliest route that ends up being the best.

Don't discount the fanciful and bizarre. Take a walk

on the wild side.

TAURUs

(April 21 - May 21) : You're the missing

piece of the puzzle today, Taurus. As

a result, people will look to you for

answers. The good news is that you'll

have them at the ready. Trust yourself.

Information and new ideas may be flying around,

and you may be called upon to make sense of it

all. Don't be afraid to err on the side of the

fanciful. This may be exactly the answer needed.

GEMINI

(May 22 - June 21) : You may run into

trouble if you penetrate too deeply

today, Gemini. Keep things light and

energetic if you can. Ironically, the

harder you push to get something done, the more

roadblocks you're apt to encounter. Things will

flow easily if you're willing to let them. Give up

some control and let a more whimsical energy

lead the way.

cANcER

(June 22 - July 23) : Give your

adventuresome, world-traveling spirit

room to soar, Cancer. This is a good time

to embrace and express your dreams.

Write them down, talk to others, and say them out

load. Communication and information are key

elements today. Things may move quickly, so stay alert

and tuned into the energy that's buzzing all around

you. The best things in life may come on a whim.

LEO

(July 24 - Aug. 23): Stop planning and

start doing. There may be pressure to

leave your normal routine and do

something on a whim, Leo. Although

this may not be your usual way to do things, it

certainly isn't a reason not to. Let your mind explore

new realms. Feel free to pick up loose pieces of an

old dream that you left hanging in midair. Rekindle

your passion for life.

VIRGO

(Aug. 24 - Sept. 23): The answer

for you today is "yes." Explore, reach

out, and expand your mind to the far

corners of your world and beyond,

Virgo. There's no need to be tied down to reality.

Don't restrict yourself to linear thinking. Take

time out and enjoy the clouds. Information you

receive should be extremely helpful in the

pursuit of your wildest dreams.

LIBRA

(Sept. 24 - Oct. 23): Today you should

take action in areas where you usually

keep quiet, Libra. The more you

explore your mind, the safer you'll feel

in your external reality. Be confident of your

dreams. This is a day to connect with others about

the things that feel most pleasurable. Indulge and

enjoy. Take action. You have everything you need to

make it all start working for you.

scORPIO

(Oct. 24 - Nov. 22) : There's a light,

uplifting flavor to the day, Scorpio,

which you should latch onto and take

charge of. You'll find that there's a

rather dreamy yet expansive quality to this energy

that encourages you to soar higher and achieve

more. Jump on opportunities, but be careful that

you don't act based on misguided information.

Pipedreams will get you nowhere.

sAGITTARIUs

(Nov. 23 - Dec. 21): Try not to take

things too seriously today, Sagittarius.

Realize that the best plans are

sometimes the ones that were never

made in the first place. Keep the lines of

communication open and don't discount things that

sound off the wall at first. Dream big and don't

restrict yourself by thinking that your radical ideas

have no basis in reality.

cAPRIcORN

(Dec. 22 - Jan. 20): This is a

tremendous day for you, Capricorn.

You may find that dreams really can

come true. Make sure you stay abreast

of communication and periodicals. Let your fingers

dip into many different pies and keep a notepad

handy. Your brilliant strokes of inspiration may

come on a whim, so be ready to receive them. The

genius within you yearns to spring forth.

AQUARIUs

(Jan. 21 - Feb. 19) : Don't get

discouraged if it seems like everyone

but you is getting a piece of the pie,

Aquarius. Your time will come, but it

probably won't be today. While you may want to

sink into tender feelings and sensitivity, others may

want to float on the surface and dabble in fantasy

worlds. Feel free to escape in your own world for a

while, but don't be surprised if others don't follow.

PIscEs

(Feb. 20 - Mar. 20) : Make some room

for long communications with good

friends, Pisces. This is an important day

to get the word out to people you love.

Keep things light and energetic, which you do well

anyway. Express your showmanship and make sure

your bright presence lights up every room you enter.

The world is your stage, so act the role you enjoy the

most - your true self.

wEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2021

11

Youth drowns

in Karnaphuli

River

RANGAMATI : A youth

drowned in the Karnaphuli

River in Kaptai upazila of

Rangamati district on Tuesday

morning, reports UNB.

The deceased was identified

as Sourov Mallik, 30, son of

Dayal Mallik of Chandraghona

union of the upazila.

Family members said

Sourov went for a bath in the

Karnaphuli River at 11 am and

drowned.

Later, he was rescued by

locals and taken to Kaptai

Upazila Health Complex

where doctors declared him

dead.

cvwb-152/2021-2022

GD-1331/21 (5x3)

GD-1335/21 (10x3)

KOICA helps Bangladesh strengthen road

maintenance, management system

DHAKA : Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA),

Road Transport and Highways Division (RTHD) and Roads

and Highways Department (RHD) on Tuesday shared

knowledge on strengthening road maintenance and

management system in Bangladesh, reports UNB.

Kim Taehyun, Deputy Country Director, KOICA Bangladesh

Office, A.K.M. Manir Hossain Pathan, Additional Chief

Engineer, Roads and Highways Department and Farjana

Jesmin, Deputy Secretary, Road Transport and Highways

Division, among other officials of the government of

Bangladesh joined the discussion virtually. At present,

Bangladesh is undertaking various major projects to develop its

infrastructure, namely, SASEC Road Connectivity Project,

SASEC Dhaka-Sylhet Corridor Improvement Project, Sylhet-

Tamabil Project, Padma Bridge Project, MRT Project, BRT

Project, Cross-Border Infrastructure Project, Western

Bangladesh Bridge Improvement Project, etc.

However, KOICA said, challenges such as, establishing road

connectivity with major development points, lack of data on

structural bridge health monitoring, integrated traffic

management, protecting network from natural disasters and

the like still exist that calls for attention.

Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited has been honoured by National Board of Revenue (NBR) as one of

the highest taxpayers in banking sector for 2020-21 fiscal year. Mohammed Monirul Moula,

Managing Director and CEO of IBBL received the Letter of Recognition from Fazle Kabir, Governor

of Bangladesh Bank at a program held in a city Hotel on 14 September 2021, Tuesday. Abu Hena Md.

Rahmatul Muneem, Chairman, NBR, J Q M Habibullah, FCS, Deputy Managing Director, IBBL, Md.

Alamgir Hossain, Member (Tax Policy) & Mohammad Golam Nabi, Member (Tax Administration

and Human Resource Management) of the NBR & Md. Iqbal Hossain, Commissioner (Tax), Large

Taxpayers Unit along with high officials of Finance Ministry, NBR & different institutions were present

on the occasion.

Photo : Courtesy

German Ambassador cannot ignore

Dhaka's delicious "Mishti Doi"

DHAKA : German Ambassador to Bangladesh Achim

Troster has fallen in love with Bangladeshi sweet-curd and

described it "absolutely delicious."

"No chance to avoid getting fat in Dhaka: Was just offered

Mishti Doi for the first time in my life - absolutely

delicious!!," he tweeted with a photo of curd, reports UNB.

The Ambassador shared another photo of empty curd plate

with a brief caption that reads "Ten seconds later."

He referred that the curd was so delicious that he had

finished it fully within 10 seconds.

On September 4, the German Ambassador shared a photo

with his wife which demonstrates he loves fun so much.

"Tough times ahead: 4 September and no money left for

the rest of the month - unfortunately, my wife has discovered

Aarong...," he tweeted.

The new German Ambassador presented his credentials to

President Md. Abdul Hamid at a ceremony on August 12.

Ambassador Troster looks forward to strengthening the

mutual cooperation during his tenure in Bangladesh, as the

two countries embark on their 50th anniversary of

diplomatic relations next year.

Blinken pushes back on GOP

criticism of Afghan withdrawal

WASHINGTON : Secretary of

State Antony Blinken pushed

back Monday against harsh

Republican criticism of the

handling of the military

withdrawal from Afghanistan,

saying the Biden

administration inherited a deal

with the Taliban to end the war,

but no plan for carrying it out,

reports UNB.

In a sometimes contentious

hearing Monday before the

House Foreign Affairs

Committee, Blinken sought to

blunt complaints from angry

GOP lawmakers about the

administration's response to

the quick collapse of the Afghan

government and, more

specifically, the State

Department's actions to

evacuate Americans and others.

Blinken echoed White House

talking points blaming the

Trump administration for the

situation that President Joe

Biden inherited in Afghanistan.

"We inherited a deadline. We

did not inherit a plan," he said,

Nicholas strengthens

to hurricane ahead

of Texas landfall

HOUSTON : Nicholas

strengthened into a Category 1

hurricane Monday as it headed

toward landfall along the Texas

Gulf Coast and it was expected

to bring heavy rain and floods

to coastal areas from Mexico to

storm-battered Louisiana,

reports UNB.

Forecasters at the National

Hurricane Center in Miami

said top sustained winds

reached 75 mph (120 kph) a

few hours before expected

landfall. Although the system

was expected to generate only a

fraction as much rain as

Harvey, a hurricane warning

was issued for Port O'Connor to

Freeport, as well as a hurricane

watch from Freeport to the

western tip of Galveston Island.

maintaining that the

administration had done the

right thing in ending 20 years of

war. "We made the right

decision in ending America's

longest-running war," said

Blinken, who will testify on

Tuesday before the Senate

Foreign Relations Committee.

Republicans savaged the

withdrawal process as "a

disaster" and "a disgrace." And

while some Democrats allowed

that the operation could have

been handled better, many used

their questions to heap criticism

on former President Donald

Trump.

The State Department has

come under heavy criticism

from both sides for not doing

enough and not acting quickly

enough to get American

citizens, legal residents and atrisk

Afghans out of the country

after the Taliban took control of

Kabul on Aug. 15. Some seeking

to leave remain stranded there,

although Blinken could not

provide an exact number.

GD-1334/21(4x4)

GD-1332/21 (9x3)

Trader dies as gas

cylinder fell on

him at Sitakundu

shipyard

CHATTOGRAM : A trader

died as a gas cylinder fell on

him while being unloaded

from a truck at a ship

breaking yard on Tuesday,

reports UNB.

The deceased was

identified as Md Ali Nizam,

43.

The accident occurred

around 10 at the ship

breaking yard named

'Mother Steel' when he

went there for buying

scraps.

Sub-Inspector of

Sitakundu police station

Faruque Hossain said some

workers were unloading gas

cylinders from a truck when

Ali went there.

At one stage, the cap of a

gas cylinder got loose and it

started to roll and hit Ali's

face who was standing 150

feet off the truck, said the

SI.

Severely injured Ali was

rushed to Chattogram

Medical College Hospital

where doctors announced

him dead.

†kL nvwmbvi g~jbxwZ

MÖvg kn‡ii DbœwZ

Wednesday, Dhaka: September 15, 2021; Bhadra 31, 1428 BS; Safar 7, 1443 Hijri

New police recruitment

policy focuses on merit

and physique:IGP

DHAKA : Bangladesh police force will hire

only qualified people with merit and good

physique as constables under a new

recruitment policy, the country's police

chief said on Tuesday, reports UNB.

The new policy has been formulated after

reviewing the policies in the neighbouring

countries and also of many developed

nations, said Inspector General of Police

Benazir Ahmed wrapping up a three-day

crime review meeting at the Hall of Integrity

at the Police Headquarters here.

Police constables are being appointed

under the new policy, he said adding subinspectors

and sergeants will soon be

recruited under its provision, the IGP said.

He said that "Under the clear direction

of the Hon'ble Prime Minister, we are

committed to building a corruption-free

police force for the welfare of the country

and the people."

Sounding a warning against use of drugs

Benazir said that strict action will be taken

against any police member if found

involved in drug consumption, drug

traders or drug trading.

DHAKA : Three more dengue patients

died and 288 others were hospitalised in

24 hours till Tuesday morning, said the

Directorate General of Health Services

(DGHS), reports UNB.

With the latest figure, the number of

fatalities from the mosquito-borne disease

rose to 57. Among the new patients, 232

were undergoing hospital treatment in

Dhaka while the remaining 56 cases were

reported from outside the division,

according to DGHS.

Some 1,256 patients diagnosed with

dengue fever are receiving treatment in

the country as of Tuesday morning.

Of them, 1,067 patients are receiving

treatment at different hospitals in the capital

while the remaining 189 were listed

outside Dhaka. Among the deceased, 53

"As a member of the police, nothing can

be done that harms the police force, harms

the country, harms the people of the country,"

he said.

He asked the senior police officials not to

compromise on maintaining the discipline

of the forces. "If any police member breaks

the discipline, exemplary strict action has

to be taken against him/her. We are also

trying our best to ensure their (police

members) welfare. He called for a change

in the police behaviour with ordinary people

and asked police members to refrain

from inhumane treatment of people.

Mentioning the main responsibility of

the police to investigate the case, the IGP

said that the quality of case investigation

has to be further enhanced. He directed

the field level officials to be very attentive

to the investigation and increase supervision.

The IGP asked the police officers to

bring pride in their service.

"For this we have to bring about mentality

and psychological change. We have to

have love for the job and then we will be

able to move forward," he said.

288 more dengue patients

detected in a day; 3 more die

died in Dhaka city alone, two in

Chattogram division, one in Khulna and

one in Rajshahi.

Some 14,509 patients have been admitted

to different hospitals with dengue

since January. So far, 13,196 dengue

patients have left hospitals after recovery,

said the DGHS.

The number of dengue patients hospitalized

in a single day was the highest with

343 patients on September 7.

In the month of August the country

recorded the highest number of 7,698

dengue cases of the current year. In July,

2,286 people were diagnosed with dengue

and 12 died while in June 272 cases were

recorded with no deaths. Health authorities

have been recording over 200 dengue

cases per day since August 1.

Foreign currencies worth Tk 12.51

crore seized at Dhaka airport

DHAKA : Members of Aviation

Security Force of Hazrat Shahjalal

International Airport on Monday

seized huge amount of foreign currencies

including 54.75 lakh Saudi riyals

and 20,200 Singapore dollars worth

Tk 12.51 crore from a carton at the

airport, reports UNB.

Group Captain AHM Touhid-ul-

Ahsan, executive director of the airport,

said the carton of a courier service

named 'Star Express Line' was

scheduled to go to Singapore from

Export cargo village of the airport.

Suspecting something wrong, a

member of the Aviation Security

Force checked the carton and found

the foreign currencies.

However, no one was arrested in

this connection.

CJ Sinha case

Judgment

on Oct 5

DHAKA : A Dhaka court on Tuesday

fixed October 5 for delivering its judgment

in a graft case filed against former

chief justice Surendra Kumar

Sinha and 10 others over laundering

Tk 4 crore, reports UNB.

Dhaka Special Judge Court-4 Sheikh

Nazmul Alam fixed the date after concluding

law point arguments from both

the state and the defence counsel.

Earlier, on August 29, seven of the

11 accused in the case defended themselves

as innocent, and hoped they

will get justice.

They are Mahbubul Haque Chisty,

former audit committee chairman of

Farmers Bank, former managing director

of the bank AKM Shamim, first vice

president Swapan Kumar Rat, VP Md

Lutful Haque, former SEVP Gazi

Salahudiin, Md Shahjahan and

Niranjan Chandra Saha.

On August 24, the defence lawyers

questioned the investigation officer of

the case Benazir Ahmed, director of the

Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

So far, the court has recorded the

statements of 21 witnesses in this case.

On July 10, 2019, the ACC filed the

case accusing former chief justice SK

Sinha and 10 others of accumulating

illegal wealth and laundering Tk 4 crore.

On September 25, 2019, the antigraft

body summoned five officials of

the Farmers Bank Ltd for interrogation

over the deposit of Tk 4 crore in

SK Sinha's account with the Supreme

Court branch of Sonali Bank Ltd.

Bangladesh reports

35 Covid deaths,

lowest in 3 months

TBT RepoRT

As the Covid-19 pandemic continues

to ease, Bangladesh logged 35 more

deaths in 24 hours till Tuesday morning,

which is the lowest in around

three months. The country last saw 36

Covid deaths on June 9 this year.

Besides, the virus infected 2,074

more people during the 24-hour period,

detected after testing 31,724 samples,

said the Directorate General of

Health Services (DGHS).

The fresh numbers pushed the

country's Covid death tally to 27,007

while the caseload mounted to

1,534,440. The daily case positivity

rate dropped to 6.54% from Monday's

7.69%, said the DGHS.

Meanwhile, the case fatality rate

remained unchanged at 1.76 per cent

compared to the corresponding period.

The recovery rate slightly increased to

96.89% with the recovery of 3.735 more

patients, during the period.

The country has been seeing 49

deaths and 2,172 cases on average for

the last seven days. This indicates that

the pandemic in Bangladesh is easing

after the highest-ever 264 coronavirusrelated

deaths in August and 16,230

single-day cases in July this year.

BNP always looks for

back door:Hasan

DHAKA : Information and Broadcasting

Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud on Tuesday

said BNP's aim is not to join elections, in

fact their (BNP) intentions are to do

something from back door by creating

instability in the country.

"BNP was born through back door. And

for this, they always search for back door,"

he told newsmen at Awami League president

political office in city's Dhanmondi.

The minister said BNP had tried to foil

the 2014's elections. Even, they torched

about 500 voting centers and killed people

including polling officers, he added.

Hasan said they (BNP), at first, boycotted

the elections of 2018. But, later,

they joined the polls (2018), he added.

Replying to a query on investigations

into bank accounts of 11 journalists'

leaders, the minister said, "I saw the

news in the media. The government can

seek it. But, I will look into the matter

why it was done."

Replying to another query about the

cancellation of the declaration of 10 daily

newspapers, he said about 400 newspapers

are not published regularly. Many of

those (newspapers) were not submitted

to the Department of Films and

Publications (DFP) during the last two

years, said Hasan, also Awami League

joint general secretary.

He said many newspapers were published

when they got ads. The concerned

authorities have published only a few

copies and they distributed those at the

information ministry and some other

important ministries, he added.

Earlier, the minister virtually joined a

discussion organised by the Indian High

Commission to Dhaka in the memory of

Master Da Surya Sen and Pritilata

Waddedar.

Paying rich tribute to Master Da Surya

Sen, Pritilata Waddedar and others associates,

Hasan said their patriotism

encouraged him from his childhood.

Asaduzzaman Noor, MP, eminent

writer Selina Hossain, Chattogram

University Vice Chancellor Professor Dr

Shirin Akther, film producer Pradip

Ghose and Youth Opportunity co-founder

Dr Osama Bin Nur, among others, took

part in the discussion with Indian High

Commissioner to Bangladesh Vikram

Doraiswami in the chair.

BNP's unabated falsehood

reflects its fascist

mentality: Quader

DHAKA : Awami League General

Secretary and Road Transport and

Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader yesterday

said BNP's unabated falsehood is

part of their fascist mentality, reports

BSS.

"During BNP's government tenure,

they had practiced fascism," he told a

press briefing at his official residence

here. Quader called upon BNP to see

their own faces in the looking glass

before calling the Awami League government

a fascist one.

"If you see your own face in the mirror,

you can find you are inheriting fascism

and fascist mentalist lies in you," he said.

About BNP leaders' comment that the

government is lunching repression and

torture to hide its failure, the minister

said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's

government doesn't believe in repression

and torture rather it always welcomes

constructive criticism.

BNP is such a political party which

didn't see a single success or achievement

of the government in the last 13

years and saw only so-called failures, he

said. The AL general secretary said BNP

doesn't witness different development

works across the country including

Padma bridge, metro-rail, elevated

expressway, Karnaphuli tunnel, Bus

Rapid Transit (BRT), 22 flyovers and

around 20 underpasses.

Actually BNP feels increasing jealousy

by witnessing these development works,

he said. Quader said today the country

has been brought under cent percent

electricity coverage which is also one of

reasons of BNP's jealousy.

He said BNP cannot tolerate the country's

unprecedented progress as

Bangladesh's per capita income now

reached $2227.

Autumn

means the fair

of white clouds

in the blue sky.

The photo was

taken from

Raghunathpur

in Ballamjhar

union of

Gaibandha

Sadar upazila

on Tuesday.

photo: pBA

BB freezes journo

Sohel’s bank

account, passport

blocked

TBT RepoRT

Bangladesh Bank (BB) has frozen the

bank accounts of journalist Mizanur

Rahman Sohel over-involvement with

an online air ticketing platform. The special

branch of police also blocked his

passport at immigration.

Earlier on August 12, Bangladesh

Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU)

directed all commercial banks to freeze

the transaction aligned with the national

identity of Mizanur Rahman Sohel;

sources confirmed the matter. It is

learnt, Sohel owns 20 percent share of

an online air ticketing platform 24 TKT,

which stopped operations amid dues to

customers recently. Earlier in last year,

the 24 TKT chief executive officer

Pradyut Baran Chowdhury left the country,

resigning from the post.

In May this year, there was an allegation

of embezzling money against the

chairperson Nasrin Sultana, managing

director Abdur Razzak and finance

director Asadul Islam who belong to the

same family.

However, Sohel further claimed that

he was not involved in any decisionmaking

of the company. After pilling up

the allegations, Sohel tried to reach the

company directors over the phone and

email but failed to get any response.

Sohel filed a general diary with Kafrul

police station in the capital on May 19

and forwarded the case to court on June

1 after serving legal notice on May 24.

The case is now under Police Bureau

of Investigation. During this time, an

agent filed a case against five directors.

Meanwhile, Sohel, the fifth accused of

the case, is now on bail.

However, Sohel surprised at the freezing

of his bank account and passport. In

reply to a query on Sunday, journalist

Mizanur Rahman Sohel said there is no

reason behind the freezing of bank

account and passport.

"Since mid of last month (August), I

experienced that the debit and credit

cards didn't work with transaction

machine. I tried to communicate with

banks a couple of times; however, they

didn't give any information. My passport

was also frozen so far, I know," he added.

Regarding the issue, requesting not to

be named, an official of criminal investigation

department said that there was

run primary investigation and the

authorities will take action after the

investigative report. "To keep the accused

inside the country, the authorities con-

In the capital's Jatrabari Kajla area on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway, indifference of Dhaka City

Corporation (South) has created a garbage dump. This is disrupting the movement of vehicles and

polluting the local environment.

photo: pBA

Survey vessel finds 457 sea creatures

in Bay of Bengal: Minister

DHAKA : The research and survey vessel,

'RV Meen Sandhani', has so far

detected 457 species of marine fish and

animals in the Bay of Bengal since

2016, said Fisheries and Livestock

Minister SM Rezaul Karim in

Parliament on Tuesday, reports UNB.

The survey ship is cruising since

2016-2017 to assess the stock of marine

resources and conduct researches and

surveys. It has so far conducted 31 surveying

cruises, he said replying to a

tabled question from Awami League

MP M Abdul Latif (Chattogram-11).

"A total of 457 species of fish and animals

were detected through the surveys,"

said the Minister.

Of these, 373 marine species are of

fishes, 24 shrimps, 21 sharks and rays,

21 crabs, 5 cuttlefishes, 5 squids, 4 octopuses,

3 lobsters and 1 squilla.

The survey vessel, equipped with the

latest technology of fisheries and other

oceanographic research, was procured

from Malaysia in 2016 after

Bangladesh got a vast sea area through

the disposal of longstanding disputes

with the two neighbouring countries -

India and Myanmar.

Besides, the Food and Agriculture

Organization (FAO) and Institute of

Marine Research (IMR) conducted a

15-day acoustic survey cruise in the Bay

of Bengal by the latest marine research

vessel 'RV Dr Fridtjof Nansen' in

August 2018. Per capita fish consumption

is 62.58 gram a day:

In reply to another question from ruling

party lawmaker Shahiduzzaman

Sarker (Naogaon-2), the minister said

per capita fish consumption in

Bangladesh is 62.58 gram a day.

15-09-2021

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