24-09-2021

friday
DHaka: September 24, 2021; ashwin 9, 1428 BS; Safar 16,1443 Hijri
www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www.bangladeshtoday.net
Regd.No.Da~2065, Vol.19; N o. 148; 12 Pages~Tk.8.00
international
Many migrants
staying in US even as
expulsion flights rise
>Page 7
SPortS
Simona Halep
splits with coach
Darren Cahill
>Page 9
Despite having an overbridge, students are crossing the road every day with risk. As a result, the over
bridge next door is not working. The picture is taken from rajshahi city yesterday. Photo : star mail
Covid testing at
Dhaka airport to
begin on Saturday:
Zahid Maleque
AsrAful IslAm AsrAf
From the next Saturday, at Hazrat
Shahjalal International Airport, people
going abroad will be able to get
Covid-19 testing facilities without
any hindrance from the installed RT
PCR labs.
Health and Family Welfare Minister
Zahid Maleque said this while
addressing a media briefing after
inspecting the RT PCR lab set-up at
Hazrat Shahjalal Int’l Airport on
Thursday afternoon.
He added, "I personally came here
the day before yesterday and fixed the
place to set up the RT PCR lab at
Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport
as soon as possible.
I hope it will be possible to complete
the infrastructure construction by
evening (September 23). A few
machines have also arrived and all the
concerned officials of the health sector
are working tirelessly.
Asked about the number of labs and
how many people can test in these labs
daily, the health minister said, "There
will be 12 machines installed in 7 labs.
At least three and a half to four thousand
people will be able to test in these
labs every day.
Both the Rapid PCR Lab for timely
testing and the RT PCR Lab for general
testing will work. "
The Minister was accompanied by
Secretary General of Bangladesh
Private Medical College Association
Anwar Hossain Khan MP, Director
General of the Department of Health
Prof ABM Khurshid Alam, Executive
Director of the Airport Authority and
Zumma
04:34 AM
01:30 PM
04:15 PM
06:00 PM
07:20 PM
5:47 5:54
Highway model filling
stations on card
DHAKA : The government has undertaken
an initiative to introduce international
standard petrol pumps having
modern facility across the country, said
an official familiar with the process.
"For this, the government wants to
implement the concept of 'Highway
Model Filling Station' all over the country
and reduce the number filling stations
having no modern facility as well as reputation,"
the official added. He said the
country's socio-economic development,
business viability and inter-country road
network facilities have encouraged the
govt to set up the model filling stations.
Talking to BSS, state minister for power,
energy and mineral resources Nasrul
Hamid said the government has decided
to implement an integrated initiative during
the birth centenary of Father of the
Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman and the golden jubilee of independence.
"Under visionary leader Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina, the size of our economy is
getting bigger since 2009 for tremendous
success in all sectors especially energy,
power, ICT, infrastructure, industrialization,
export, diplomacy and health," he
said, adding highways are being upgraded
from two lanes to four lanes and expressways
and elevated expressways are being
constructed in the country.
The ministry conducted a survey and
found the new concept of setting up model
filling stations on highways, said Joint
Secretary of the Ministry Dr Moh Sher Ali.
He said that the survey was conducted following
various criticisms and allegations
against petrol pumps across the country
and the government took the initiative to
introduce model filling stations on the
basis of the survey.
"The survey reveals serious and mysterious
information, which shows that 62% of
pumps cannot make profit by selling
diesel, octane and petrol and they (petrol
pumps) are facing loss," Dr Sher Ali said.
According to the survey, conventional
petrol pumps are selling adulterated oil and
manipulating weight, while model filing stations
like developed world will be able to
make profit by selling fuel and providing
other vehicles and customers related services.
Some one and a half to two acres of land
will be required for establishing a model
petrol pump beside the highway, which
will have all facilities and services including
office room, rest room for drivers, restaurant,
stationery shop, washing facility,
ATM booth, prayers room, owners' room,
facilities for physically challenged persons,
mobile phone charging point, water body
and self dealing system, it said.
US announces $180m addl
assistance for Rohingyas
DHAKA : The United States (US) has
announced nearly 180 million US dollar in
additional assistance for Rohingyas facing
humanitarian crisis in and outside
Myanmar and affected host communities
in Bangladesh.
"Of this funding, nearly $158 million is
for programs inside Bangladesh," said US
Representative to the United Nations
Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield on
Tuesday.
According to US embassy on Thursday,
She said Bangladesh and its people have
taken on an enormous responsibility in
hosting Rohingyas.
"We stand with the Government of
Bangladesh and with Rohingya in working
toward the ultimate goal of the safe, voluntary,
dignified, and sustainable return and
reintegration of Rohingya refugees and
internally displaced person," the ambassador
said.
For decades, she said Rohingya in
Myanmar have faced a campaign of cruelty
like torture, rape, arson, killings and massacres.
"While we relentlessly pressure
Burma's military regime to stop its violence
and return to the path to democracy, the
international community must examine
other durable solutions for Rohingya," she
said. Since the coup in Myanmar, she said
the heartbreaking humanitarian situation
has been even more dire.
"Nearly 900,000 Rohingya have been
forced to take refuge in Bangladesh. We
cannot ignore their plight," she added.
The ambassador said this assistance will
provide protection, shelter, food, safe
drinking water, health care, and psychosocial
support.
It will also assist disaster preparedness
and COVID-19 relief for Rohingya while
bolster access to education and skills training
for Rohingya in Bangladesh - key for
those who wish to pursue repatriation once
conditions are suitable, she continued. "If
you've already donated, we urge you to
increase your commitment. And if you have
not made a contribution, now is the time to
join us," she urged other countries.
DGHS driver
Malek's wife sent
to jail in graft case
DHAKA : A court on Thursday
sent
Directorate General of Health Services
(DGHS) driver Abdul Malek's wife Nargir
Begum to jail in a graft case filed by Anti-
Corruption Commission (ACC) against
the couple. Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions
Judge KM Imrul Qayesh passed the order
as Nargir surrendered before the court
and pleaded for bail in the case.
On September 21, ACC approved the
charge-sheet filed against Malek and his wife
Nargis. ACC filed two separate cases against
the couple on February 15, 2021, for amassing
illegal wealth of around Taka 3.5 cr.
In one case Malek was accused of concealing
information about the wealth of Taka
93.53 lakh and amassing illegal wealth of
Taka 1.50 crore. In another case, Nargis was
accused of amassing illegal wealth of Taka
1.10 crore. Malek was already convicted and
sentenced to 15-year imprisonment in an
arms case on Sept 20.
RAB members on September 20, 2020,
detained Malek for his involvement in businesses
of illegal arms, fake notes and other
illegal activities.
HC allows
conditional bail
to Jhumon Das
DHAKA : The High Court (HC) on
Thursday granted conditional bail to
Jhumon Das of Shalla, Sunamganj,
for one year in a case lodged under
Digital Security Act (DSA).
Jhumon Das
"A High Court Division bench of
Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam and
Justice KM Zahid Sarwar allowed the
bail on condition of not to go out of his
home district without permission from
the lower court concerned," Advocate
Nahid Sultana Juthi, who moved the
bail plea for Jhumon, told newsmen.
The court also issued a rule in this
regard. Senior Advocates Subroto
Chowdhury, ZI Khan Panna and
Advocate Nahid Sultana Juthi argued
for Jhumon's bail, while Assistant
Attorney General Mizanur Rahman
stood for the state at the hearing.
art & culture
Toronto Multicultural
Film Fest begins with
'Rupsha Nadir Banke'
>Page 10
SDGs performance
Hasina's leadership
earns huge appreciation
DHAKA : Director of the UN Sustainable
Development Solutions Network Jeffrey
Sachs has highly appreciated Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina for her leadership
in securing "tremendous" gains on
different development and human indicators
set out under SDGs, reports UNB.
"You've been in the leadership position
during this time of tremendous progress.
So, we wanted to give you personal congratulations
as well," said Jeffrey Sachs, a
world renowned economist.
Lessons from Bangladesh's progress in
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
are something that the whole world is interested
to know, Jeffrey mentioned.
A video of his remarks made recently at
a programme was shared on the Facebook
page of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Branding Bangladesh as the "top performing"
nation in attainment of SDGs,
Sachs urged Hasina to share her perspectives
for world leaders to help the
world achieve the path of "progress" and
"development".
The Prime Minister was awarded with
the 'SDG Progress Award' by the UN-sponsored
Sustainable Development Solutions
Network (SDSN) for Bangladesh's steady
progress in achieving the SDGs.
"One of the things that makes us so
excited and we want to hear from you is
the fact that when we analyze as the UN
Sustainable Development Solutions
Network does each year, the country's
progress towards sustainable goals
Bangladesh came first in the world in
most progress between 2015 and 2020,"
Sachs told an international seminar at
the UN, according to the video.
Highlighting Bangladesh's progress, the
former adviser to three United Nations
Secretaries-General, said, "I want to point
out for listeners as we welcome you
(Hasina). If you look at the facts of
Bangladesh's progress and development,
they really are wonderful and striking."
"For that achievement as well as wishing
Bangladesh a happy birthday as this is a
celebratory year, even though we're in the
midst of a big crisis globally and everywhere,
we still want to celebrate
Bangladesh's achievement," Sachs added.
Sachs tossed a few statistics to back his
contention. In 1981, he said, the literacy
rate was 29% of the adult population, in
2019 75% and in 1998, the completion at
the lower secondary school was 50%,
now it is 88%.
Electrification was only 14% of households
covered in 1991 while now electricity
access is 92%, he mentioned.
Mentioning a "seven-fold reduction"
under-five child mortality, Sachs said
one that is a particularly clear indicator
of the great strides of wellbeing, the mortality
rate for the children under 5 at
independence was 222 children dying
before their fifth birthdays of every 1000
births.
BB asks Union Bank to explain
Tk 19 crore missing from its
Gulshan branch
DHAKA : Bangladesh Bank has called
for an explanation from Islamic Shariahbased
Union Bank Limited on how an
amount of Tk 19 crore went missing
from the vault of its Gulshan branch.
"The central bank has asked the Union
Bank authorities to give explanation
about the incident within next 7 days",
Sirajul Islam, spokesman of the
Bangladesh Bank told reporters on
Thursday.
An inspection team of Bangladesh
Bank on Monday unearthed a mismatch
between the preserved cash in the
branch's vault and the actual amount
mentioned in the cash register.
It was found by the team that the vault
should have a preserved amount of Tk 31
crore while it had available cash of Tk 12
crore.
Following the incident, the central
bank moved to ask for an explanation
from the bank management.
Sirajul Islam said if the explanation is
not satisfactory, the central bank will
take action as per banking rules and regulation.
Meanwhile, the Union Bank authorities
also formed a 5-member committee
to investigate the incident of money disappearance
from the vault and withdrew
three of its officials responsible for maintaining
the vault-account.
Deputy managing director the Union
Bank Hasan Iqbal informed the media
about the steps taken by the management.
He, however, said there was no disappearance
of cash from the vault. Rather,
this happened because of the cash withdrawal
by a VIP client beyond the banking
hours.
But he refused to disclose the name of
the VIP client.
Police
charged baton
and
dispersed
aggrieved
E-orange
customers
who staged
demonstrations
in the capital
and tried to
block a road
near matsya
Bhaban.
Photo : TBT

FrIDAY, SePtemBer 24, 2021
2
Sadhan for building
society free from child
marriage, drug-addiction
RAJSHAHI : Food Minister
Sadhan Chandra Majumder
has urged the cultural
activists to play their due role
for building the society free
from child marriage and
drug-addiction.
He said the present
government is positive to the
cultural workers as its
cultural-friendly and urged
them to play effective role
against child marriage and
addiction of drugs.
The minister came up with
the observation while
addressing a meeting
marking the distribution of
incentives among
beneficiaries under different
development programmes at
Sapahar Upazila Parishad
Hall Room in Naogaon
district today as the chief
guest.
Food Minister Sadhan
Majumder said decent
cultural practice always plays
a vital role in establishing
discipline in the society. He
stressed the need for
engaging the new generation
towards decent cultural
practice side by side with the
academic curricula to protect
the native culture from the
negative culture.
He said the country doesn't
face any food crisis amid the
pandemic and Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasian
provided incentives to all the
affected sectors.
Minister Sadhan
Majumder urged upon the
public representatives,
marriage registrars and local
administration to become
active against child marriage.
He also called upon the
local administration for
adopting zero tolerance steps
in terms of the child
marriage and drug addiction.
Experts call for steps to
check early marriage
Expressing concerns that over 33 percent girls
in Bangladesh are getting married before 15
and 58 percent before 18, while 60 percent are
becoming mothers by the age of 19, speakers at
a meeting on Wednesday underscored the need
for effective steps for implementation of the law
to check early child marriage.
While the incidence of child marriage has
decreased worldwide, it has increased in
Bangladesh and the country stands the fourth
in child marriage prevalence after three of
backward African countries. Almost 85 percent
of the marriages took place due to the parents'
concern about their daughters' future, while 71
percent occurred due to the school closure.
Incidin Bangladesh in collaboration with
Save the Children organized the meeting with
Executive Director of Incidin Bangladesh A. K.
M. Masud Ali in the chair.
M Aminul Islam, former national convener of
SAIVAC and joint secretary spoke as the chief
guest. Advocate Salma Ali, Chairperson,
BNWCA, Shamsun Nahar, additional director,
DSW, Dr. Md. Mustafizur Rahman, joint
inspector general, DIFE, spoke as special
guests. Another Executive Director of Incidin
Bangladesh A.K.M.Mustaque Ali also
presented in the session.
In a keynote presentation, A. K. M. Masud
Ali said, despite enactment of Child Marriage
Restraint Act 2017, the rate of marriage of
under-aged girls is alarmingly high in
Bangladesh and also suggested for reiterating
the cognizable and non-compoundable nature
of the offense.
Besides, setting up Child Marriage
Prevention Committee, strengthening the
powers of government officials, and increasing
penalties for under aged are very important for
ensuring execution of the law for effectively
checking marriage of under-aged marriage, he
mentioned.
In order to stop early child marriage, he
suggested for regular awareness campaign for
educating and encouraging people on no
marriage before marriage age, initiating
poverty alleviation and social safety net for
alternative livelihood through skills
development.
Low income of the parents or guardians
unable to run their families is responsible for
61 percent of the marriages, while returnees
from abroad during the virus epidemic topped
the list of grooms preferred by 62 percent of the
families marrying their children off, he pointed
out referring to recent study.
"Some of the parents think that the lingering
coronavirus epidemic will increase economic
uncertainty, leaving them unable to feed their
children," he quoted a survey report.
As a move for way forward for effectively
checking child marriage, he suggested for
deepening understanding and expanding data
on urban context of child marriage across
marginalized communities and children.
He also emphasized on acknowledging
children without parental care as a common
reality in urban context of marginalization and
vulnerability by ensuring inclusion of these
children in urban safety-net program.
Besides, expanding Child Welfare Board's
coverage at urban centers and ensuring
portable social safety-net for migrating adults
and children as well as their families can play
effective role, he mentioned.
Govt distributes relief
among all corona
affected people :
Dr Enamur
SAVAR : State Minister for Disaster
Management and Relief Dr Enamur Rahman
yesterday said relief assistance has been
distributed to all people who have been
affected by the pandemic.
The State minister made this comment after
distributing relief among vulnerable people
affected by corona virus at uapzila parishad
yesterday afternoon.
Dr Enamur said : "None will remain hungry
during the regime of the present government.
The government is supporting all the people
who were affected by flood and corona virus."
After distributing relief, the state minister
joined general meeting of Savar upazila
parishad monthly law and order committee.
Savar Upazila Parishad Chairman Manjurul
Alam Rajib, Municipality Mayor Abdul Gani,
Upazila Nirbahi Officer Mazharul Islam and
other local elites awere present.
Incidin Bangladesh in collaboration with Save the Children organized a meeting at YWCA auditorium
on Wednesday.
Photo : Courtesy
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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2021
3
EfT becomes boon for retired
govt. employees
Secretary of Defence Ministry Abu Hena Mostafa Kamal ndc on Thursday addressing a seminar which was
organized on the occasion of announcing 'Survey Day' of Survey of Bangladesh.
Photo : ISPR
BSmmU's new specialized
hospital a symbol of close
ties with Korea: Envoy
DHAKA : South Korean Ambassador to
Bangladesh lee Jang-keun on Thursday
visited the construction site of the new
specialized hospital under Bangabandhu
Sheikh mujib medical University (BSmmU)
and said it will serve as a symbol of close
relationship between Bangladesh and Korea,
reports UNB.
"This Hospital will be the first specialized
hospital in Bangladesh for the treatment of
critical patients and serve as a symbol of our
close relationship and ever-strengthening
friendship," he said.
During his visit to the site, Ambassador
lee said it is the largest project in medical
area with Korea's support.
Vice-Chancellor of BSmmU Dr. md.
Sharfuddin Ahmed, Additional Secretary of
the ministry of Health md. Shahadat
Hossain, Chairman and Director of the
Project of BSmmU md. Zulfiqur Rahman
Khan and other staff of Hyundai
Development Corporation, Sunjin
Engineering and Samsung C and T were
present.
The project is funded by South Korea's
concessional loan, Economic Development
Cooperation fund (EDCf), with the total
cost of US$ 130,917,000.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the
construction was held in September 2018
with the presence of Prime minister Sheikh
Hasina.
The work is well in progress despite the
impact of COVID-19 and is expected to be
inaugurated soon, said the Ambassador.
South Korean companies, Hyundai
Development Company (HDC), Sunjin
Engineering and Samsung C and T are
involved in the implementation of the
project.
The hospital is designed to accommodate a
total of 700 beds and 5 specialized centers.
It will also be equipped with cutting-edge
medical devices and health information
system (HIS). The new hospital will feature
the largest medical service system in
Bangladesh.
The project goes beyond a mere
construction of the building.
Doctors and nurses of the BSmmU have
been invited to Korea for medical education
and training.
Hospital managers have also visited Korea
to participate in training in hospital
operation and management.
The health sector has long been one of the
priority areas of South Korea's ODA to
Bangladesh with an aim to help providing
quality healthcare services to Bangladesh
people, said the South Korean Embassy in
Dhaka.
South Korea established Bangladesh-
Korea friendship Hospital in 1998 in Savar
which added an Eye Care Unit to the hospital
recently.
The National Institute of Advanced
Nursing Education and Research (NIANER)
opened in 2016 with the support of KOICA, a
Korea's grant aid agency.
Korea invited so far more than 250
Bangladesh medical professionals to Korea
and provided education and training in
various areas of medical expertise.
Ambassador lee said, "South Korea
continues to commit to improving
healthcare service in Bangladesh through
various ODA projects so that Bangladesh
people can enjoy quality healthcare service
and health life."
BNP is more united now
than past: Rizvi
SHAfIqUl ISlAm (SHAfIq)
The senior joint secretary general of BNP
advocate Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has strongly
criticized the recent statements of Dr.
Jafrullah Chowdhury, the founding trustee of
Gonoshasthya kendra, about the BNP.
Besides, under the leadership of BNP
chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia and the
party's acting chairman Tarique Rahman,
there is a solid unity in the BNP now. Rizvi
remarked that BNP leaders are now more
united. He said this while talking to reporters
at his residence in the capital on Thursday
(September 23) morning.
Regarding Dr. Jafrullah Chowdhury, Rizvi
said, "We knew him as an accomplice of the
dictator Ershad." I knew the accomplice of
dictatorship. Now he is speaking of
democracy. People know what he has done
with Ershad regarding drug policy. Today has
become the conscience of the nation, who will
do or not? Who should do what? Beyond that
level, he is giving motivation for the purpose.
He said Dr. Jafrullah Chowdhury is a veteran.
He has contributed to the liberation war. But
it cannot be that you speak outside of all
norms. He sometimes spoke about the BNP
and the BNP leaders in a way that goes
beyond all civilization and elegance.
Rizvi said, Begum Khaleda Zia is out, or
free? He must know that. Khaleda Zia was
imprisoned, now under house arrest. She has
been kept in the residence with many
conditions. She can't go anywhere freely.
Now that she is free, it is up to her to decide
where and how to go. She has led the BNP for
a long time. The nation will never forget her
boundless courage in restoring democracy in
the country. The torture she is still enduring
is also part of a huge struggle to save
democracy. The whole nation knows that she
has been imprisoned on a false charge.
He also said Jafrullah Chowdhury should
know the condition of Begum Khaleda Zia
now. Even then, he sometimes made remarks
about Begum Khaleda Zia and acting
chairman Tareq Rahman that were not
tasteful. I think he said these things to please
any evil power.
3 held with 40,000
Yaba tablets in city
DHAKA : members of
mugda Police Station in a
drive on Thursday arrested
three people with 40,000
pieces of Yaba tablets and
seized a microbus used for
transporting the drugs from
mugda area in the city.
The arrestees were
identified as md Kamal,
mosammat Rahima Kamal
and md Rajib. Police
Inspector (operation) of the
mugda Police Station Ashish
Kumar Deb, who led the drive,
said acting on a tip off, a team
of police engaged in special
drives raided Uttar manda
area of the police station
around 6:10am on Thursday
and arrested the trio.
During the drive, police
recovered 40,000 Yaba pills
along with the microbus
used for transporting drugs
from their possession, he
said. The arrestees were
produced before the court
after filing a case with the
mugda Police Station in this
connection, Ashish added.
The drive was conducted
at the directive of Deputy
Police Commissioner of
motijheel Division of the
Dhaka metropolitan Police
md Abdul Ahad while ADC-
Sabujbag md Aktarul Islam
supervised it.
man held
with 25 gold
bars at Dhaka
airport
DHAKA : A man was
detained by Customs
officials at Hazrat Shahjalal
International Airport in
Dhaka on Wednesday night
for allegedly attempting to
smuggle in 25 gold bars
worth Tk 2 crore, reports
UNB.
The detainee has been
identified as md Ripon, a
resident of Cumilla district.
Deputy Commissioner of
the Dhaka Customs House
(preventive team) md
Sanoarul Kabir said that
based on a tip-off, officials
intercepted Ripon at the
airport around 11.15pm
upon his arrival from Riyadh
on a Saudi Airlines flight.
"Upon frisking, our
officials found the 25 gold
bars weighing 2.99kg
hidden in the sleeves of his
jacket. The estimated
market value of the seized
gold is Tk 2 crore," he said.
Ripon was later handed
over to the Airport Police
Station. A case will be filed
against him in this
connection, the official said.
LGRD Minister Tajul Islam addressing the concluding workshop of the EU Support to Health and
Nutrition to the Poor in Urban Bangladesh project at a city hotel yesterday. Photo : Courtesy
SHARIATPUR : The government's
Electronic fund Transfer (EfT)
endeavor as part of its 'digital
Bangladesh' campaign has been
godsend for retired public servants in
the district as elsewhere in the country
facilitating those senior citizens in
hassle-free pension withdrawal.
"Once, that was like a nightmare in
every month to withdraw my pension. I
used to need two to three days to get my
own money. But, now it's just a matter
of one time visit to bank to get the
money owing to digitization," said
Alauddin Ahmed, retired headmaster
of Pachukharkandi Government
Primary School of Naria Upazila in the
district.
Ahmed, who got retired from his
teaching profession in 2009, said,
before introducing the EfT system, the
retired employees had to visit the
Upazila accounts office first to submit
their accounts book for authorization
and wait till next day for getting the
authorization. "We could not withdraw
our pension money from the bank
without the authorization and we had
to take a long queue at the accounts
office at least two times every month to
get that," Ahmed said.
In case of sickness or ailment, he said,
the retired persons used to need
authorization to someone else to go
through the process on behalf of them.
"We had to spend a good share of our
pension money for transportation cost
for that manual bureaucratic tangles,"
Ahmed said conveying thanks to the
Prime minister Sheikh Hasina for
launching her one of the ten innovative
initiatives 'Digital Bangladesh'.
"Currently, I get notification in my
mobile through text message that my
pension money has been deposited to
my bank accounts. I can easily
withdraw money from the bank at my
convenient time," he said in a voice
with full of relief and satisfaction.
District Social Services Department
office sources said currently, a total of
3,065 retired officers and employees in
eight Upazilas of the district withdraw
their allowances through EfT system
managed by district and upazila
accounting offices.
Out of these 3065 senior citizens, 996
are residing in Sadar Upazila, 428 in
Jajira Upazila, 766 in Naria Upazila,
685 in Vedarganj Upazila, 350 in
Gosairhat Upazila, 460 in Damudya
Upazila while most of them are in their
70s.
The Bangladesh Electronic funds
Transfer Network (BEfTN) started its
'live Operation' in february 28 , 2011
aiming to lessening paper-based
payment methods and encourage
electronic payment methods for
secured, faster and cost-effective
transactions.
It is operated as a processing and
delivery center, providing service of
distribution and settlement of
electronic credit and debit instruments
among all participating banks.
Before the digitalization, the
beneficiaries used to face extreme
suffering to get their pension money
due to many constraints of the accounts
office mainly shortage of manpower.
Currently, EfT software now saves
both time and money of the elderly
retired persons through a hassle-free
automation service.
President of government employees'
welfare association of Bhedorganj
upazila veteran freedom fighter Hazi
Deen mohammad Sikdar said
government retired officials and staffs
in the district were forced to visit
upazila accounts office several times to
get their monthly allowances.
"Those days of hardship are over as
currently we are able to know that our
money has been deposited at our bank
accounts through our mobile phone,"
he said.
Retired military personnel veteran
freedom fighter Jane Alam munshi
echoed Sikdar, saying before
commencing the digital payment
system, withdrawing the pension
money was a name of extreme suffering
for any retired person like me. District
Accounts Office Auditor firoz Ahmed
said currently, district and upazila
accounts offices are disbursing all
allowances through EfT.
He said the pension and fund
management department update the
list of retired personnel and send it to
the district accounts office after every
five to six months.
"Before introducing the EfT system,
we had to work in three fronts to
disburse the allowance money to the
individuals. Now, the finance ministry
provides the fund to the respective
bank accounts of the beneficiaries
through Bangladesh Bank," Ahmed
said. Earlier, he said, the elderly people
had to visit his office at least twice in a
month for getting their allocated
money but now they don't need to visit
even once. "Digitization is a blessing for
these respected elderly citizens of our
society. Thanks to our Honorable
Prime minister," said the auditor.
After inception, the EfT is gaining
popularity among the corporate and
government bodies as salary of more
than 28 ministries and concerned
offices are now being paid through the
system.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr. Hasan Mahmud addressing the biennial general meeting
of Rajshahi Division Journalist Association-Dhaka.
Photo : TBT
Bangladesh reports 1,144 fresh
cases, 24 deaths from COVID-19
DHAKA : Bangladesh on Thursday reported
1,144 COVID-19 cases while the coronavirus
claimed overnight 24 lives.
"The country reported 4.61 percent
COVID-19 positive cases as 24,820 samples
were tested in the past 24 hours," Directorate
General of Health Services (DGHS) said in
its routine daily statement.
In the past 24 hours, combined figure of
coronavirus of Dhaka city and upazilas of
Dhaka district is 620 while seven COVID-19
deaths were reported during the same
period.
The official tally showed the virus killed
27,337 people and infected 15,48,320 so far,
it added.
The recovery count rose to 15,07,789 after
another 1,653 patients were discharged from
the hospitals during the past one day.
The DGHS statistics showed of the people
infected from the beginning 97.38 percent
recovered, while 1.77 percent died.
The DGHS said among the total 27,337
fatalities, 11,910 deaths occurred in Dhaka
division, 5,532 in Chattogram, 2017 in
Rajshahi, 3,542 in Khulna, 930 in Barishal,
1,238 in Sylhet, 1,343 in Rangpur and 825 in
mymensingh division.
Dengue: 254 more hospitalized,
no death reported
DHAKA : Another 254 new dengue patients
were hospitalized across the country in 24
hours till Thursday morning, reports UNB.
The number of fatalities from the
mosquito-borne disease remained static at
59 as no fresh death was reported during the
period, said the Directorate General of
Health Services (DGHS).
.Among the new patients, 197 were
undergoing treatment in Dhaka's hospitals
while the remaining 57 cases were reported
from outside the division.
Some 1,049 patients diagnosed with
dengue are receiving treatment in the
country, it said. Of them, 836 patients are
receiving treatment at different hospitals in
the capital while the remaining 213 were
listed outside Dhaka.
Among the deceased, 54 died in Dhaka city
alone, two each in Chattogram and Khulna
divisions and one in Rajshahi.
Some 16,705 patients have been admitted
to different hospitals with dengue since
January. So far, 15,597 dengue patients have
left hospitals after recovery, said DGHS.
The highest number of dengue patients
hospitalized in a single day so far this year
was 343 patients on September 7.
In 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.
Auction of broken down
vehicles kept inside Ctg
port recommended
DHAKA : Parliamentary
Standing Committee on the
ministry of Shipping on
Thursday recommended
taking necessary action for
auctioning vehicles left
nonfunctional inside
Chattogram Port area.
The recommendation
came from the 34th meeting
of the committee held at
Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban here
with Committee Chairman
major Rafiqul Islam in the
chair. The committee also
expressed satisfaction on
overall activities of the
Chattogram Port Authority.
During the meeting, the JS
committee discussed
'mongla Port Authority Bill,
2021' as the bill had been
placed in the Jatiya Sangsad.
Committee members -
State minister for Shipping
Khalid
mahmud
Chowdhury, Ranjit Kumar
Roy, mahfuzur Rahman, Dr
Samil Uddin Ahmed
Shimul, m Aslam Hossain
Sawdagar and Sm Shahjada,
among others, attended the
meeting.
The parliamentary
committee elaborately
discussed present activities,
existing problems and
solution of the Chattogram
Port Authority along with
financial expenditure of the
projects undertaken
between the periods of July
2016 and June 2020.

fRIDAy, SEpTEMBER 24, 2021
4
Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam
e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com
Friday, September 24, 2021
No letting down the
guard against Corona
Only two months ago the Corona virus
threat in Bangladesh appeared
dwindled down so low that people
probably started speculating that it would
ultimately be phased out fairly soon. From a
daily death figure from Corona near 100 some
months ago, the figure dipped to less than 10
or 5 or 7 and it continued like this. The rate of
new infection also fell to 200 or 300 when
previously it averaged near about 1,000 or
more.
This state of affairs bred optimism perhaps
in some official circles that Bangladesh
probably had turned a corner fully in
defeating Corona. The signs of relaxation were
much more prominent in social life. Media
reports highlighted howmobility of people
had reached pre pandemic level from people
sensing an ease in the corona situation.
However, later events proved that such
optimisms were premature to say the least.
From the daily death rate falling to 5, 6 or 7, it
gradually shot up well past the double digit
and continued to soar. Alarmingly, the rate of
new infection too, shot up.
Thus, there is still no scope to feel relaxed
that again we are turning the corner as in
recent weeks cases of corona deaths and
infections have dropped significantly again.
We must maintain all our enthusiasms in the
drive against corona shown so far . Specially,
there must not be any easing of regulations
against Covid-19 and taking of preventive
actions. Indeed, there is now every reason for
all in Bangladesh to gird up their loins and go
all out in every way to ensure that corona does
not get a chance to creep back in and finally
create afresh concern about a resurgent
corona threat once more.
The people need to be exhorted, advised and
discouraged not to give up on the new normal
habits they developed during the height of the
pandemic last year. It should be firmly
printed in the mass psyche that people must
continue with the habit of wearing masks,
remaining indoors as much as possible,
washing hands frequently and observing
social distancing even after taking the vaccine.
Government should also go for stricter
enforcement activities to these ends. It
appears that police and others have
beenlackadaisical about enforcement
activities after being seen relatively more
serous during certain times last year.
Our policy makers must become dead
serious 'immediately' to formulate short term,
mid term and longer term policies against the
Corona threat to be applied without a pause
and admitting no exceptions. It is imperative
to rethink opening of the vulnerable sectors
too abruptly or widely. The resorts, hotels and
motels of prime tourism venues of the country
reportedly are overflowing with people these
days after lockdown was withdrawn. Such
crowding can be a fertile source of social
transmission of the disease. We think it is high
time to restrict once again the visiting of
people in such great number to the tourist and
recreation spots. The tourism and recreation
related business need to be ordered not to
admit any more than half of their capacities
and to observe preventive measures
stringently. Law enforcement authorities
should be required to monitor compliance
with this order or not. Such restrictions need
to be imposed and monitored immediately
and unfailingly in all assemblages such as
mosques, religious events, fairs, etc. We
believe that the restriction must also be
imposed on similar places of public gathering.
Maintaining of social distancing and other
preventive activities rigorously must be made
mandatory.
China may have new leverage in wake of Afghan exit debacle
The Globe and Mail reported at the
end of last week that the US
Department of Justice (DOJ) has
resumed talks with Huawei Technologies
Co and Huawei chief financial officer
Meng Wanzhou on a possible deferred
prosecution agreement (DPA) that could
result in her release from house arrest in
Vancouver, where she is fighting
extradition to the US on bank-fraud
charges relating to alleged violations of US
sanctions against Iran.
In Canada, the news raised hopes that
this might open the door for China to
release Canadians Michael Kovrig, a
former diplomat, and Michael Spavor, a
businessman, who were arrested in China
only nine days after Meng's arrest in
Canada.
Since China denies that the "two
Michaels," as they are known, were held in
retaliation for Meng's arrest, such a swap
likely would need to be handled in a
manner that could provide all sides with
plausible deniability as to any linkage
between the cases. However, for US
President Joe Biden's administration, the
stakes may be much higher as it seeks
China's help with a range of crises. China,
sensing a potential weakening of the US
hand following the rout of the USsupported
Afghan government by Taliban
forces, has in each case taken a firm
stance, demanding that the US first deescalate
its relentless pressure campaign
against China across multiple fronts.
Near the top of China's list has been
Meng's release and the scrapping of
sanctions against Huawei. While it is not
necessarily the case that the resumption of
talks on a possible DPA for Meng was a
direct result of such diplomatic pushback
by China, the potential deal would fit
within the overall framework of the
broader trends in the bilateral
relationship. According to reports, while
the Afghan exit crisis was still unfolding,
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken
spoke with Chinese Foreign Minister
Wang Yi by phone on August 16 to ask for
help to manage tensions in the region.
Wang indicated that China was willing
to work with the US to help "promote the
soft landing of the Afghan issue and avoid
a new civil war or humanitarian disaster …
and not let it become a breeding ground
and shelter for terrorism once again."
However, Wang added an important
caveat and warning: "The US cannot, on
the one hand, deliberately curb and
suppress China to damage China's
legitimate rights and interests, and on the
other hand, count on China to offer
support and coordination."
When former US secretary of state John
Kerry, now US climate czar, met with
senior Chinese officials this month in
Tianjin to discuss coordination on actions
to address climate change, the same
message was communicated: The US
cannot expect cooperation from China
while also attacking it on all sides.
The Chinese side acknowledged that the
two countries have shared interests when
it comes to climate issues, which presents
a less contentious topic for dialogue in
what has otherwise been a highly
confrontational relationship, but again
underscored that the broader context
cannot be ignored. Foreign Minister
Wang presented the Chinese position in
diplomatic but unmistakable terms. "The
US side wants the climate-change
cooperation to be an 'oasis' of China-US
relations," he told Kerry. "However, if the
oasis is all surrounded by deserts, then
sooner or later, the oasis will be
desertified."
This was followed by a call directly
between Biden and Chinese President Xi
Jinping, in which the two leaders
tentatively agreed that there was scope for
cooperation on climate change and
restraining North Korea's apparently
ROBERT LEWIS
renewed nuclear ambitions, among other
initiatives. But once again, Xi pushed
back against the United States' continuing
broad-based attacks on China's interests,
which he said had created "serious
difficulties" for the bilateral relationship,
although some commentators noted that
Xi stopped short of expressly imposing
preconditions to cooperation. The current
tensions in the bilateral relationship have
been brewing for several years, with a
nadir reached in 2020 in the wake of the
Covid-19 pandemic. Many in China
placed the primary blame on the anti-
China hawks in the administration of
then-president Donald Trump, but while
the new Biden administration has
presented a more diplomatic veneer, it has
still maintained many of the same policies
which China finds objectionable.
US diplomats have privately noted that
the incoming Biden team made it
abundantly clear over the course of the
post-election transition that there would
be no softening in the US stance, which set
the stage for the fiery exchange of insults
in the first meeting of the chief diplomats
from the two sides in Anchorage, Alaska,
in March. The contentious tone was
reconfirmed in meetings held in Tianjin in
late July between US Deputy Secretary of
State Wendy Sherman and her Chinese
counterparts. The State Department
readout of that meeting reads like a
laundry list of complaints from the US
side.
Sherman raised US concerns about
"human rights, including Beijing's antidemocratic
crackdown in Hong Kong; the
ongoing genocide and crimes against
humanity in Xinjiang; abuses in Tibet;
and the curtailing of media access and
freedom of the press. She also spoke about
our concerns about Beijing's conduct in
cyberspace; across the Taiwan Strait; and
in the East and South China Seas."
That's just the short list of US qualms.
Other sources of tension include
questions of the origins of the virus that
causes Covid-19, technology disputes,
intellectual-property rights, market
access, and trade imbalances, to name a
few. Not to be outdone, the Chinese side
presented two lists of grievances: the "List
of US Wrongdoings that Must Stop" and
the "List of Key Individual Cases that
China Has Concerns With." The full lists
were not made available publicly, but
Xinhua provided a summary (emphasis
added): "In the List of US Wrongdoings
Moreover, the mention of acts "suppressing Chinese enterprises" is
unquestionably a reference to the blanket ban on sale of semiconductor
chips to Huawei, which is viewed by the Chinese government (and even
many outside of China) as an anti-competitive tactic designed to kneecap
Huawei in order to give Western competitors a chance to catch up
and overtake the company in the 5G (fifth generation) technology race.
that Must Stop, China urged the United
States to unconditionally revoke the visa
restrictions over Communist Party of
China (CPC) members and their families,
revoke sanctions on Chinese leaders,
officials and government agencies, and
remove visa restrictions on Chinese
students.
"China also urged the United States to
stop suppressing Chinese enterprises,
stop harassing Chinese students, stop
suppressing the Confucius Institutes,
revoke the registration of Chinese media
outlets as 'foreign agents' or 'foreign
missions,' and revoke the extradition
request for Meng Wanzhou."
This specific reference to the Meng case
demonstrates that it ranks at or near the
top of the list of grievances on the part of
the Chinese government.
Moreover, the mention of acts
"suppressing Chinese enterprises" is
unquestionably a reference to the blanket
ban on sale of semiconductor chips to
Huawei, which is viewed by the Chinese
government (and even many outside of
China) as an anti-competitive tactic
designed to knee-cap Huawei in order to
give Western competitors a chance to
catch up and overtake the company in the
5G (fifth generation) technology race.
Consequently, when the US seeks
China's cooperation on Afghanistan,
North Korean nuclear proliferation,
climate change or any other geopolitical
initiative of potential shared interest, and
the Chinese side expressly or tacitly
conditions its support on resolution of
DR. ABDEL AZIZ ALUWAISHEG
other issues plaguing the broader bilateral
relationship, the Meng and Huawei cases
are at the core, not merely on the
periphery. Viewed against the backdrop
of the overall lists of demands and
counter-demands raised by the two sides,
the Meng and Huawei cases occupy a
unique position as being issues of
consequence while still being capable of
resolution in the near term.
Claims of human-rights violations and
concerns about Hong Kong, Taiwan and
the South China Seas on the part of the US
are particularly thorny and sensitive and
thus not susceptible to quick resolution.
Conversely, easing restrictions on
student visas may be relatively easy to
achieve (although the Biden
administration has not yet revoked the
Trump era rule limiting visas for Chinese
students), but may not have the same
symbolic value to China as would a
resolution of the Meng and Huawei cases.
Moreover, based on evidence adduced
by Meng's legal counsel in the extradition
proceedings, the bank fraud charges no
longer appear to be as solid as originally
portrayed by the DOJ, presumably
making this case even more ripe for an
early disposition by US prosecutors.
Another consideration: Unlike Chinese
(and Canadian) media, which have
provided copious wall-to-wall coverage of
the Meng extradition proceedings, US
news outlets have paid only scant
attention to the case.
This also makes it easier to do a deal
with Meng - her release would be an
exchange of something of high value to
the Chinese side, which likely costs the US
side little in terms of domestic political
capital, but with potentially significant
positive implications for the broader
relationship between the two
superpowers.
The question now is whether the
Huawei chip ban would also be up for
negotiation in parallel. The Globe and
Mail report indicated that the discussions
with Meng's legal counsel do not involve
having Huawei, which was also indicted
together with Meng, accept corporate
responsibility for violation of Iran
sanctions.
But if China is seeking to exert its
apparent new-found leverage, it may well
insist that the criminal charges against
Huawei be dropped and, in addition, that
the chip ban be rescinded. This would be
challenging, but it would not be without
precedent. In the context of the broader
dysfunctional US-China relationship, the
Meng and Huawei cases appear to present
the lowest-hanging high-value fruit. The
US now looks to be ready to strike a deal
to release Meng. We will wait to see what
the US side is willing to do in respect of
Huawei. In an environment of
intensifying polarization, this may be the
best hope to ratchet down the tensions.
Source: Asia times
UN efforts stymied by discord among its members
For the second year in a row, the UN
General Assembly's high-level general
debate is being held under a thick
COVID-19 cloud. UN officials admit that the
pandemic has slowed down their work, with
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres saying
on Saturday: "We were not able to make any
real progress in relation to effective
coordination of global efforts."
Last year, the organization's plans to
celebrate its 75th birthday were derailed by
the pandemic and the high-level debate was
muted - conducted virtually for the first time
in its history. This year, while restrictions
have been eased, the pandemic has still
forced some changes in the way this annual
event is handled, including limiting the
number of delegates in the UN building and
assembly hall. Proof of vaccination is
required, although some leaders, such as
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, are
flouting such restrictions.
In preparatory meetings preceding this
week's main event, the UN identified dozens
of global issues it wanted its member states
to tackle. Guterres underlined three
particular major issues: COVID-19, climate
change, and the fallout from America's
hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan.
On the pandemic, Guterres said that the
world had failed to take unified action,
calling it "totally unacceptable" that 80
percent of the population in a country like
Portugal has been fully vaccinated, while in
many African countries the figure is less
than 2 percent. "It's completely stupid from
the point of view of defeating the virus, but if
the virus goes on spreading like wildfire in
the Global South, there will be more
mutations," he said.
On climate change, Guterres also
sounded disappointed. He said: "One year
ago, we were seeing a more clear movement
in the right direction, and that movement
has slowed down in the recent past. So we
need to re-accelerate again if we are not
going into disaster."
And on Afghanistan, Guterres dismissed
as "fantasy" any hope that UN involvement
would be "able all of a sudden to produce an
inclusive government, to guarantee that all
human rights are respected, to guarantee
that no terrorists will ever exist in
Afghanistan, that drug trafficking will stop."
If the US and its allies could not do it with
thousands of soldiers and trillions of dollars,
and even made the situation worse, how
could the UN succeed with far fewer
resources, he asked. In theory, the failure of
America's ill-considered adventure in
Afghanistan could strengthen the UN's role
and, with it, the international rules-based
system. Afghanistan and other intractable
problems can now be addressed under
those rules, instead of great powers trying to
solve them by themselves. However, the
prospect of the international community
working together any time soon is dimmed
by increasing discord among some of the
great powers.
In an interview with the Associated Press
this week, Guterres also warned of a
potential new cold war and called on China
and the US to repair their "completely
dysfunctional" relationship and "reestablish
a functional relationship" to
address pressing global issues.
"Unfortunately, today we only have
confrontation," he lamented.
In theory, the failure of America's illconsidered
adventure in Afghanistan could
strengthen the UN's role.
For the past two years, Guterres has been
warning of the risk of a global split, with the
US and China creating rival internets,
currency, trade, financial rules and "their
own zero-sum geopolitical and military
strategies." His new warnings are louder,
fearing that this rivalry threatens to divide
the world.
"We need to avoid at all cost a cold war
that would be different from the past one,
and probably more dangerous and more
difficult to manage," he said.
The US in particular has pushed back
against such warnings and in particular
does not believe in the notion of a new Cold
War but instead sees that its strong
And on Afghanistan, Guterres dismissed as "fantasy" any hope that UN
involvement would be "able all of a sudden to produce an inclusive
government, to guarantee that all human rights are respected, to
guarantee that no terrorists will ever exist in Afghanistan, that drug
trafficking will stop." If the US and its allies could not do it with thousands
of soldiers and trillions of dollars, and even made the situation worse.
competition with China should not turn into
conflict. However, the discord is too obvious
to ignore. The China-US rivalry is now
dividing the Western alliance, as can be seen
in the raging dispute over Australia's
canceling of a military deal with France, a
deal meant to bolster Australia's defenses
against China. Paris has blamed the US for
Canberra's change of heart. French Foreign
Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian angrily said
last Thursday: "President Biden's method
resembles that of President Trump without
the tweets." He also said that the US was
acting according to its own narrow "core
interests" and linked the matter with the
crisis in Afghanistan.
Usually, this high-level week has
hundreds of side events, but because of the
COVID-19 pandemic only a limited number
are being held, mainly virtually or outside
the UN headquarters. These include events
on vaccines, on children as the invisible
victims of the coronavirus and conflict, on
multilateralism and democracy, and on
global hotspots including Yemen, Somalia,
Afghanistan and Iraq.
There are also high-level meetings on
energy and the nuclear test ban treaty, and a
summit on the nexus between producing,
processing, distributing and consuming
food, which is responsible for a third of
greenhouse gas emissions, according to the
UN. On Wednesday, US President Joe
Biden is hosting a virtual summit on the
pandemic. He is expected to ask global
leaders to boost their commitments to
sharing vaccines and addressing oxygen
shortages around the world, among other
issues. This is Biden's first UN participation
as president - an occasion that usually helps
a new president to cultivate new
relationships with counterparts from
around the world and strengthen existing
ones. However, the chaos of last month's
withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan
has raised questions about US leadership
and reliability as a partner.
Close allies that had committed blood and
treasure to the mission in Afghanistan have
decried the lack of consultation, the hasty
withdrawal without a comprehensive peace
deal, and the disorganized evacuation.
While the UN secretary-general and
many other observers expressed low
expectations ahead of this year's UNGA, the
South Korean pop group BTS managed to
inject some optimism.
On Monday, they took part in an effort to
promote the UN's Sustainable
Development Goals, held at the renowned
General Assembly Hall, where they
performed an inspiring tune ("Permission
to Dance"), garnering tens of millions of
online views in less than a day,
demonstrating that young people around
the world still believe in the UN promise.
Source: Arab news

FRidAY, SEPtEMbER 24, 2021
5
Thomas Chan onAs the March 2022
presidential election approaches in
South Korea, the candidates of both
ruling and opposing parties are
competing over their platforms on
various hot-button issues and
promoting their prospects as the
country's next president.
One of the biggest questions that the
South Korean public has for these
candidates concerns the shape of their
foreign policy. South Korea's position in
Northeast Asia has experienced
turbulence in the past two years. For
example, North Korea destroyed the
Joint Liaison Office in Panmunjom in
June 2020 and terminated the inter-
Korean communication line. In
addition, South Korea's disputes with
Japan over economic sanctions and
historical narratives on the war crimes
committed during World War II have
complicated cooperation between Seoul
and Tokyo. The COVID-19 pandemic
has also created a stalemate in regional
diplomacy and inter-state economic
exchanges. Thus, the South Korean
public will want the next president to
develop a breakthrough that can resolve
the hardships and uncertainties
currently surrounding the Korean
Peninsula.
However, a recent poll highlighted a
major paradigm shift in the trend of
South Korean public perception toward
surrounding states, which may affect
the presidential candidates' foreign
policy pledges. According to the poll by
Hankook Research and South Korean
online newspaper SisaIn, the South
Korean public was least favorable
toward of China; even North Korea and
Japan were viewed more positively.
The participants were asked to give a
favorability score to four countries -
China, Japan, North Korea, and the
United States - on a scale between 0 and
100. South Koreans gave the most
negative rating to China with an average
of 26.4, lower than North Korea at 28.6
and Japan at 28.8. The United States
had the most favorable rating at 57.3.
Furthermore, to the question of whether
participants thought a particular
country is "good" or "evil," 58.1 percent
labeled China as evil, whereas only 4.5
percent said it was good.
Anti-China sentiment in South
Korea's presidential race
Protesters tear a Chinese national flag during a rally to oppose a planned visit by Chinese Foreign
Minister Wang Yi.
Photo: Ahn Young-joon
The increasing anti-China sentiment
in South Korea is a remarkable trend for
Seoul's foreign policy. Previously, South
Korean public opinion focused on North
Korea and Japan as the country's top
potential threats. The same poll in late
2019 showed that Japan was the least
favorably viewed country among South
Koreans, with 21.0 favorability, while
China rated 35.6. Although there were
issues such as historical disputes
centered on the former Korean
kingdom Goguryeo and illegal Chinese
fishing in South Korean waters, the
hatred for China was relatively weak
compared to concerns over the North
Korean nuclear program and the rise of
the far-right movement in Japan.
In the past, China was mainly
perceived as a trade partner because of
its significant position in South Korea's
economy: China receives about a
quarter of South Korea's total exports.
Thus, the Moon administration
implemented strategic ambiguity as a
major foreign policy amid accelerating
China-U.S. competition. While
maintaining security engagement with
the United States, President Moon Jaein
also attempted to reduce liability risk
by staying ambivalent and siding
neither with Washington nor Beijing
over critical issues that may be sensitive
to the economic and diplomatic
relations with China. These issues
include the democratic movement in
Hong Kong, questions over the Taiwan
Strait, and human rights issues in
Xinjiang. Through these obscure
hedging policies, South Korea was able
to sustain its economic interests, even if
the rise of China provoked security
concerns in the Asia-Pacific region.
But the recent anti-China sentiment
implies that South Korea is standing at a
crossroads in its foreign policy. The next
administration will either follow public
opinion and implement a hardline
policy against China or continue with its
strategic ambiguity, despite the risk of
public disapproval. The ruling
Democratic Party of Korea (DPK),
representing the liberal and
nationalistic camps, follows the Moon
administration's foreign policy, and
appreciates amicable relations with
North Korea and China. On the other
hand, the opposition People Power
Party (PPP), a conservative camp,
emphasizes South Korea's relationship
with the United States and aims to
strengthen security against the
increasing North Korean nuclear threat.
Thus, it is more likely that the
opposition party will promote anti-
China rhetoric as a major foreign policy
idea.
The differences between the two
parties were made obvious in the
statements from their most popular
candidates. Lee Jae-myung, governor of
Gyeonggi province and the leading
presidential candidate for the DPK, is
considered to be a pro-China figure. In
2017, Lee pledged to oust the Terminal
High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)
missile defense system during an
interview with CCTV, a Chinese staterun
television channel, claiming that its
deployment damages South Korea's
national interests. Lee also recently
promised to inherit Moon's foreign
policy of strategic ambiguity if he ever
becomes president.
"The United States is our sole ally, and
we also have strategic cooperation with
China. There is no reason why we must
lean on one side to limit the relations
with another," said Lee. "It is wiser
diplomacy to induce the U.S. and China
to compete to cooperate with us."
By contrast, Yoon Seok-youl, former
public prosecutor general and the
leading presidential candidate for the
PPP, has revealed his antipathy toward
China. Although Yoon spent most of his
career as a prosecutor and has less
experience in politics, he criticized the
Moon administration's preventive
measures during the COVID-19
pandemic, arguing that the government
should have restricted arrivals from
China upon the initial outbreak of the
disease. Yoon even referred to COVID-
19 as the "Wuhan virus," a term that is
often seen as a racist dog-whistle.
"Since January last year, the Korea
Medical Association and medical
experts have demanded strong control
over the arrivals from China. It is a
feasible request if we approach the virus
scientifically," said Yoon. "If they did
not follow the science, then there must
have been a political consideration."
The different stance between the two
candidates indicates that the South
Korean public's anti-China sentiment
may become a factor in determining the
next South Korean president. It is
therefore necessary to analyze how the
backlash against China suddenly started
to escalate in South Korea and the
potential scenarios that may emerge
between now and March 2022.
Anti-China sentiment in South Korea
has been reinforced by four major
events: the THAAD deployment in
2017, Beijing's response to the prodemocracy
movement in Hong Kong in
2019, the COVID-19 pandemic in early
2020, and China's attempts at "cultural
imperialism" in late 2020.
The THAAD deployment in South
Korea in February 2017 first sparked
friction between Seoul and Beijing. Due
to North Korea's increasing nuclear
provocations in 2016, including
Pyongyang's fourth and fifth nuclear
test, then-president Park Geun-hye
decided to deploy the U.S. missile
defense system to detect and destroy
any North Korean missile attacks
targeting the South. However, the
deployment aroused a harsh reaction
from Beijing, which sees THAAD as a
threat that undermines China's security
and missile weapons systems. Although
the South Korean government
explained the purpose of the
deployment as self-defense against
North Korean missile threats, China
took assertive action against South
Korea.
Qiu Guohong, then the Chinese
ambassador to South Korea, said the
THAAD deployment could "break up"
South Korea's relationship with China.
There were even statements that evoked
the tributary system of the premodern
era. "Can a small country resist against a
big country?" said Chen Hai, then-vice
minister of foreign affairs, during his
meeting with South Korean companies.
"If your government deploys THAAD,
we will torment you with severed ties."
Under Taliban rule calm
chaos prevails in Kabul
AGNiESzkA PikuliCkA-WilCzEWSkA
A bearded young man stares
at a foreign passport,
searching for a visa to the now
obsolete Islamic Republic of
Afghanistan. A white flag
bearing the shahada, the
Islamic oath, flutters over the
border crossing in Hairatan,
which from August 15 has
marked the northern frontier
of the new Islamic Emirate.
The man puts a stamp on
the first page of the passport,
the one that should remain
blank. He doesn't know how
to scan the traveler's bag so he
opens it and meticulously
goes through its contents. He
makes up for his lack of
experience with a smile and
wishes the travelers a good
trip in broken English.
Calm chaos are the best
words to describe the
situation in Afghanistan one
month after the Taliban
takeover.
The withdrawal of foreign
forces, a hasty evacuation of
foreigners and thousands of
Afghans fleeing to safety after
the fall of Kabul was followed
by procedural chaos and
nationwide confusion. No one
knows how harsh the new
rulers will be. But everyone
knows that the old days of
relatively relaxed social and
political relations are gone.
With the chaos, however
paradoxically, also came
order. For many years it was
impossible to cross the
country by land. Taliban
checkpoints in places outside
of the government's control
were potentially dangerous
and road crime was common.
Now, crossing the country has
become easier than ever.
The distance between
Hairatan and Kabul is 450
kilometers, but passing over
the old, poorly maintained
roads, the journey can take
more than 10 hours. Drivers
now make sure to switch off
the music before they
approach the few Taliban
checkpoints on the way. As
one Taliban commander said,
music does not have to be
officially banned. People
already know it's a sin.
Most checkpoints can be
passed with relative ease.
Although the Taliban are not
present on all the roads in the
country, traveling has become
much safer. People know that
despite the absence of clear
new rules, the punishment for
any wrongdoing will be
harsh.t
But as Alamamed Amiri, 26,
a traffic policeman in central
Kabul, tells me, the police are
no longer allowed to give
fines, which, he argues, the
Taliban deem haram,
forbidden by Islam. Unlike
many other policemen in the
country, he decided to
continue working under the
new government. The Taliban
promised not to take revenge
against the traffic police for
serving Kabul's former
government.
While the new government
has promised a national
renewal in the spirit of Islam,
it needs the institutional
memory, procedures, and
staff of the former republic to
run the country. Many
administrative employees
have decided to stay in their
positions and continue
serving under the new rulers.
Without them, the whole
state system would fall into
disarray. Watching city life
from the streets can provide
important insights into the
changes within Afghan
society. "The streets are less
crowded and nothing is
functioning properly," Amiri
says. "The elites are gone but
average people have stayed.
The streets are safer. People
are afraid of the Taliban.
There are much less women
outside too."
While official rules on
female garments are still
unclear, women know what
the return of the Taliban
A poster of now former President Ashraf Ghani, ripped.
Photo: Agnieszka Pikulicka-Wilczewska
means for them. Despite the
resistance by social media
activists who have been
posting pictures in traditional
Afghan dresses bearing the
hashtag
#donttouchmyclothes, street
fashion reflects fear rather
than rebellion. Faced with the
unknown, many women
choose to stay at home.
Others are hastily updating
their closets. Hamida Karimi,
a 28-year old dentist, walks
around one of the shopping
malls in central Kabul, her
beautiful, self-assured face
contrasted with the black,
shapeless abaya and
burgundy hijab she is
wearing. She looks for
conservative outfits that
would fit the new unwritten
rules, though she shops
without much enthusiasm.
"I've always worn shorter
clothes, not longer than above
the knee. It was comfortable
and I could walk in the streets
on my own, even in the
evening. Now I only travel by
taxi. I've heard that I could be
attacked or insulted so I have
to buy new clothes. It's never
happened to me but I've heard
such stories," Karimi says.
"I used to study German but
I have recently quit the course
because co-education is no
longer allowed. I could attend
a group with women only but
we're all scared. I now study
online."
Karimi decided to continue
working, however, as she did
not want to abandon her
patients. But work has
changed, too. She can no
longer run the clinic together
with her male business
partner and only accepts
female patients. She was not
forced to make this move - she
did that, she says, for her own
security.
"There have been no good
changes in the past month.
The banks are closed, local
administration and
ministries too. We don't
know who are the people in
the interim government.
Children are afraid to go to
school and are scared of the
men with weapons. I cannot
sleep at night because of
nightmares."
VAlERiE NiquEt1
Two weeks ago, France and
Australia inaugurated their
first 2+2 ministerial
dialogue. This strategic
partnership was based on a
common analysis of the
dangers weighing on the
Indo-Pacific with an
increasingly aggressive
China in the maritime
domain. This shared vision,
which reflects France's
commitment in Asia, had
been developed since 2016
around the supply of 12
French conventional
submarines to Australia - at
the time, the Australians
rejected any idea of nuclear
propulsion - but went far
beyond that sole industrial
interest.
In 2018, it was in Australia
that French President
Emmanuel Macron gave a
decisive impetus to the
French Indo-Pacific strategy
in a famous Garden Island
speech where he defined an
"Indo-Pacific axis" formed
by France, India, and
Australia to counterbalance
Chinese hegemonic
ambitions. This Indo-Pacific
vision was inclusive and
cooperative, seeking to bring
together middle powers
worried by the unilateralism
of the Trump administration
then in power in the United
States. At that time,
Canberra itself was reluctant
to get too deeply involved in
the Quad, the Quadrilateral
Security Dialogue, bringing
together Australia, India,
Japan, and the U.S.
As soon as it was signed,
the Franco-Australian
submarine contract came
under attack. Yet, for all
those parties - notably the
United States and Quad
members, but also
Southeast Asian countries -
who want to see the
European Union and France
assume
greater
responsibilities in the
regional security of an area
vital to all, this contract was
an assurance of French
Indo-Pacific commitment.
Defense Ministers Jean-
Yves Le Drian and Florence
Parly, who participated in all
Shangri-la strategic
dialogues since 2012, have
been at the forefront of those
who defend freedom of
navigation, respect for the
rule of law, and
multilateralism, values
constantly put forward by
French President Emmanuel Macron, right, and Australia's Prime
Minister Scott Morrison greet during a joint press conference.
Photo: Rafael Yaghobzadeh
AUKUS and submarines:
the fallout for France
Washington and its allies,
including Japan. France was
the driving force behind the
definition of a European
Union strategy for the Indo-
Pacific - the publication of
which, by an unfortunate
coincidence, came the day
after Australia announced
that it was abandoning the
French submarine contract.
Some see Canberra's
decision as a welcome reemergence
of an alliance
between the traditional
maritime powers of the
United States, Australia, and
the United Kingdom, in a
nostalgic return to the past.
Things have changed,
however. The Afghan fiasco
has shown the limits of U.S.
commitment and its
effectiveness, despite
considerable resources.
London, for its part, is
desperately trying to find a
new place on the
international stage after
Brexit by relying on the
concept of "Global Britain."
One may wonder, however,
about the reality of British
capacities to project forces
and capacities in the Indo-
Pacific while the country is
facing post-Brexit economic
cost and tensions in its own
territory. And contrary to
what Joe Biden may think,
today the U.K. is no longer
Europe.
By comparison, France
has permanent political and
military assets in the Indian
Ocean and the South Pacific.
In recent years, the level of
activity of its navy has been
important, supplemented by
regular naval deployments,
including the Charles de
Gaulle, and the organization
of exercises with the Quad
navies. These maritime
capabilities are far from
negligible in a region
marked by tensions over
maritime borders, piracy,
illegal fishing, and frequent
natural disasters.
As far as Australia is
concerned, it is
understandable that
Canberra wants to acquire
more powerful capacities to
confront China, but within
what timeframe and at what
cost? It is not certain that the
question of nuclear fuel for
the submarines promised by
the Americans can be easily
resolved, since Australia
itself does not produce it.
Moreover, this nuclear
dimension does not seem to
be appreciated by its close
neighbors, New Zealand,
Indonesia and the Pacific
island states, which are very
sensitive to these issues. The
U.S. Senate itself could
oppose the transfer of
technology.
What is more, the
announcement was
surprising in its brutality
and its apparent lack of
consultation. One wonders
about the meaning of the
message heedlessly sent to
France. Is it a warning to a
country that constantly
emphasizes the need for
Europe to think about its
own interests and defense?
Are Washington and its new
"favorite" allies aware of the
message sent to China,
which may be worried about
this coalition but will be
quick to point out and
exploit tensions and
differences between
Washington and its
partners? Without doubt, it
will become more difficult
for those who defend an
alliance of democracies
against China to collaborate
with a U.S. administration
whose methods are abrupt,
including with regard to its
own camp. These
maneuvers could also
nourish the debate about the
assurance of all U.S.
engagements.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2021
6
'Burn survivor disabled women
seek special assistance'
A bi-monthly meeting of Kaunia Upazila Nutrition Coordination Committee has been held in Rangpur.
The meeting was held at the Upazila Parishad meeting room on Wednesday with the technical assistance
of CARE and Plan International Bangladesh in collaboration with the European Union and Austrian
Development Co-operation. Upazila Nirbahi Officer Tahmina Tarin presided over the discussion while
Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer Dr Mir Hossain, Primary Education Officer Md Abdul Hamid
Sarkar and Upazila Family Planning Officer Sahidul Islam spoke.
Photo : TBT
700 urban migrant households
get improvement support
RAJSHAHI : Around 700 urban migrant
households were given requisite support aimed
at improving their level of confidence after the
best uses of local resources in Rajshahi city,
reports BSS.
Besides, they got scopes of eradicating their
poverty caused by the adverse impact of
climate change as the climate-induced poverty
has been escalating gradually in the urban
areas.
The views were revealed in the inception
workshop of a project titled "Community Social
Labs: An initiative to improve the living
conditions of vulnerable slum residents" held
at the City Bhaban conference hall yesterday
afternoon.
The 15-month project is being implemented
in some parts of the city under the Urban
Management of International Migration due to
Climate Change (UMIMCC) and Urban
Management of Migration and Livelihoods
Projects.
Deutsche Gesellshaft fur International
Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) has been
implementing the project in association with
Caritas Bangladesh being funded by the
German Federal Ministry for Economic
Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and cofunded
by the European Union (EU).
City Mayor AHM Khairuzzaman Liton
addressed the inception meeting as chief guest
expecting that the slum people will be aware
about identifying their problems through this
project.
As per priority, the community people, who
are migrated by the adverse impact of climate
change to the city, will find out ways of
solutions and ultimately they will be benefited.
When the second wave of corona epidemic started in the country, Jagarani
Chakra Foundation, a non-governmental development organization, stood by
the victims of Human Welfare and Covid-19. They are cooperating in different
parts of the country as much as they can. On behalf of the organization, emergency
medical equipment was provided to the 250-bed General Hospitals in
Jashore, Satkhira, Khulna, Chuadanga, Kushtia and Rajshahi district hospitals.
Photo : TBT
86,602 Covid-19
patients recover
in Chattogram
CHATTOGRAM : The
number of recovered Covid-
19 patients reached 86,602
with the healing of 58 more
people on Wednesday
raising the average recovery
rate to 85.23 percent in the
district.
Health officials said that
the recovery rate continues
to rise amid declining
number of casualties and
positivity rate during the last
few weeks in the district.
"Meanwhile, the number
of Covid-19 cases reached
101,490 with the diagnosis
of 54 fresh cases on
Wednesday in the district,"
Civil Surgeon Dr Sheikh
Fazle Rabbi said.
Fifty four fresh Covid-19
cases were diagnosed after
testing 1,650 samples. The
positivity rate was 3.27
percent in the district on
Wednesday.
"The number of casualties
rose to 1,286 as two new
deaths were reported in the
district during the last 24
hours ending at 8 am of
Thursday," he said.
"Common people should
sincerely abide by the health
directives to prevent further
spread of the deadly virus
despite an improving trend
of Covid-19 situation in the
district," he added.
A total of 2,545 infected
patients are now undergoing
treatment at designated
hospitals here.
Rangpur records no Covid-19 related
death in 24 hours
RANGPUR : No Covid-19 related death
was recorded during the last 24 hours
ending at 8 am on Thursday in
Rangpur division where the pandemic
situation continues improving during
the last more than one and a half
months.
"Earlier, the division witnessed
Covid-19 casualty-free day on May 16
last and again no deaths on September
12, 13, 14 and 20 last," Focal Person of
the Covid-19 and Assistant Director
(Health) for Rangpur division Dr ZA
Siddiqui said.
The number of Covid-19 casualties
remained steady at 1,226 in the division
where the positivity, recovery and
fatality rates are currently declining
consistently.
The district-wise break up of the
1,226 fatalities stands at 291 in
Rangpur, 80 in Panchagarh, 87 in
Nilphamari, 66 in Lalmonirhat, 67 in
Kurigram, 248 in Thakurgaon, 324 in
Dinajpur and 63 in Gaibandha of the
division.
"The average casualty rate currently
stands at 2.24 percent in the division,"
Dr Siddiqui said.
Meanwhile, the number of Covid-19
cases reached 54,755 as 59 new
patients were diagnosed after testing
925 samples of Rangpur division at the
daily positivity rate of 3.89 percent on
Wednesday.
Earlier, the daily positivity rates were
5.84 percent on Tuesday, 5.95 percent
on Monday, 7.06 percent on Sunday,
5.14 percent on Saturday, 7.39 percent
on Friday and 3.36 percent on
Thursday last in the division.
"The district-wise break up of total
54,755 patients include 12,358 of
Rangpur, 3,731 of Panchagarh, 4,395 of
Nilphamari, 2,726 of Lalmonirhat,
4,622 of Kurigram, 7,488 of
Thakurgaon, 14,596 of Dinajpur and
4,839 of Gaibandha in the division," he
added.
Talking to BSS, Divisional Director
(Health) Dr Md Motaharul Islam said a
total of 2,76,289 collected samples
were tested till Wednesday, and of
them, 54,755 were found Covid-19
positive with an average positivity rate
of 19.82 percent in the division.
Since the beginning of the pandemic,
the number of healed Covid-19 patients
reached 51,411 with recovery of 59
more infected patients on Wednesday
in the division where the average
recovery rate currently stands at 93.89
percent.
The 51,411 recovered patients include
10,677 of Rangpur, 3,437 Panchagarh,
4,289 Nilphamari, 2,595 Lalmonirhat,
4,481 Kurigram, 6,932 Thakurgaon,
14,235 in Dinajpur and 4,765
Gaibandha districts in the division.
Among the 54,411 patients, 131 are
undergoing treatments at isolation
units, including 13 critical patients at
ICU beds and seven at High
Dependency Unit beds, after recovery
of 51,411 patients and 1,226 deaths
while 1,987 are remaining in home
isolation.
"Meanwhile, the number of citizens
who got the first dose of the Covid-19
vaccine rose to 26,74,744, and among
them, 15,71,717 got the second dose of
the jab till Wednesday in the division,"
Dr Islam added.
Chief of Divisional Coronavirus
Service and Prevention Task Force and
Principal of Rangpur Medical College
Professor Dr AKM Nurunnobi Lyzu
called upon everyone to abide by the
health directives to prevent further
spread of the deadly virus.
RANGPUR : Burn survivor women
with disabilities have sought special
assistance and need-based care for
their treatments and development to
bring an end to their indescribable
miseries through mainstreaming in the
society.
They viewed this at the concluding
function of a two-day 'Gender
Awareness Training Course' arranged
with the theme of building leadership
involving disabled women during the
Covid-19 pandemic at community
levels on Wednesday.
Jagorn Protibondhi Nari O Shishu
Unnayan Sangstha (JPNSUS), a local
NGO working for welfare of disabled
women and children, organised the
event at its office in village Deuti under
Pirgachha upazila of the district.
Voice and Views, a national NGO
working for promoting human rights of
disabled women, especially burn
survivors, extended assistance in
arranging the event with the funding of
Women Fund Asia. Since the outbreak
of the Covid-19 pandemic, Voice and
Views also continues providing food
assistance and health safety materials
to burn survivor women with
disabilities in Rangpur, Narsingdi and
Kushtia districts.
Local people have rallied demanding the trial of Abdur Rauf, who was arrested on charges of indecent
assault on a schoolgirl from the Garo community, a small ethnic group in Madhupur. Photo : TBT
4000 farmers
getting
incentives in
Manikganj
MANIKGANJ : The
Department of Agriculture
Extension (D A E) is
distributing Mashkolai seeds
and fertilizers as special
incentives among 4,000
flood-affected marginal
farmers in the district, DAE
officials said. The distribution
of seeds and fertilizers has
already been started among
4000 farmers to cultivate
their lands in the district.
The DAE officials said each
of the famers getting seeds for
one bigha of land as incentive.
The marginal farmers are also
getting necessary fertilizers,
including Di-ammonium
Phosphate (DAP) and
Muriate of Potash (MoP).
Md. Shahjahan Ali Biswas,
Deputy Director of DAE, said
the list of small and marginal
farmers of the district was
prepared from union parishad
level by a committee
comprising with sub-assistant
agriculture officer and the
chairmen and members of the
respective unions, adding that
the distribution seeds and
fertilizers are being
distributed according to those
lists. He said that the char
areas of the two big rivers the
Padma and Jamuna are
popular for Mashkolai
cultivation.
Deputy Director also said
the present pro-farmer
government is distributing
special agriculture incentives
free of costs among small and
marginal farmers.
Adviser of JPNSUS Nur Alam
presided over the concluding function
participated by 22 burn survivor
women with disabilities of Parul union
in Pirgachha upazila.
President of JPNSUS Khadija
Parveen and Senior Reporter of
Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha Md
Mamun Islam conducted different
sessions of the training course as
resource persons.
After participating in group
discussions and different sessions of
the event for the first time in their life,
the burn survivor disabled women
discussed their sufferings saying that
they even forgot their legitimate rights
and meaning of life.
While expressing her painful life
story, Abeda Khatun, 32, of village
Aviram in Parul union said her body
was burnt and became physically
disabled long ago and could not avail
medical services due to poverty.
"I can not walk as bleeding continues
all the time from both of my infected
legs --- I have no ability to avail
treatments- I am suffering from other
diseases too," said a homeless Abeda,
who lives in her mother-in-law's tiny
house.
Like many others, Peyari Begum, 38,
KM Khalid inaugurates
construction work of 3
roads in Mymensingh
MYMENSINGH : State Minister for Cultural Affairs KM
Khalid formally inaugurated the construction work of three
rural roads in Muktagachha upazila of the district yesterday.
The roads are being constructed at a cost of Taka over 3.53
crore under the Rural Infrastructure Development Project.
The project includes construction of one kilometer long
Shampur to Khalifa Bazar rural road under Kumergata
union, construction of two kilometer long Raghunathpur to
Mankon union parishad road and one kilometer long
Jamalpur R&H to Binudbari Mankon road.
The state minister said during the tenure of Awami League
led government massive rural infrastructure developments
have been achieved throughout the country as it has become
possible for the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina.
Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Abdullah Al Mansur,
upazila chairman (in-charge) Arab Ali, upazila engineer
Oshit Baron Deb and vice-president of Mymensingh Press
Club AZM Imam Uddin Mukta, among others, were present
during the time.
of village Arazi Chalunia said she was a
minor girl when she was suddenly
burnt and her legs became the worst
affected.
She was later married at a premature
age. She has a son and her day-labourer
husband can not work due to illness for
many years.
An eighth grade student Khadija
Akhter Lucky, 14, of village Sharif
Sundor said most parts of her body
were burnt six years ago.
"Despite acute poverty in my family, I
am hardly continuing studies. I need
special assistance for my treatment and
education and reamaining safe from
child marriage," Lucky said.
Talking to BSS , Founder and
Executive Director of Voice and Views
Jannatul Ferdaus, a 60 percent burn
survivor, said the meaning of Voice and
Views is 'To raise our voice for creating
positive views of the society' on the way
to attain the SDGs by 2030.
"We are working since 2014 to raise
human rights issues of burn survivor
women and other women with
disabilities for their development and
empowerment to contribute to the
government's efforts of building a
developed Bangladesh by 2041," she
added.
Sewing
machines
distributed
in Joypurhat
JOYPURHAT : Sewing
machines were distributed
among the poor, helpless and
unemployed women living at
Panchbibi upazila on Thursday,
reports BSS
Zila Parishad Chairman and
District Awami League
President Arifur Rahman
Rocket distributed 17 sewing
machines at Zila Parishad
auditorium yesterday
afternoon with Chief Executive
Officer of Zila Parishad Abul
Hayat Rafique in the chair.
Zila Parishad members
Sumon Kumar Saha,
Mamunur Rashid, among
others, were present on the
occasion.
Seeds and fertilizers have been distributed among the exhibited farmers and
cultivators under the project of family nutrition gardens in uncultivated fallow
lands and courtyards of residential houses at Louhajang in Munshiganj. A distribution
ceremony was held in front of the Agriculture Office of the Upazila
Parishad on Thursday.
Photo : TBT

frIDAY, SEPTEMbEr 24, 2021
7
Three hours after being freed from a giant migrant camp under an international bridge, Mackenson
Veillard stood outside a gas station and took stock of his sudden good fortune as he and his pregnant
wife waited for a Greyhound bus to take them to a cousin in San Antonio.
Photo : AP
Many migrants staying in US
even as expulsion flights rise
DEL RIO : Three hours after being
freed from a giant migrant camp under
an international bridge, Mackenson
Veillard stood outside a gas station and
took stock of his sudden good fortune
as he and his pregnant wife waited for a
Greyhound bus to take them to a cousin
in San Antonio. The couple camped
with thousands for a week under the
bridge in Del Rio, Texas, sleeping on
concrete and getting by on bread and
bottled water.
"I felt so stressed," Veillard, 25, said
this week. "But now, I feel better. It's
like I'm starting a new life."
Many Haitian migrants in Del Rio are
being released in the United States,
according to two U.S. officials,
undercutting the Biden
administration's public statements that
the thousands in the camp faced
immediate expulsion to Haiti.
Haitians have been freed on a "very,
very large scale" in recent days, one
official said Tuesday. The official, who
was not authorized to discuss the
matter and thus spoke on condition of
anonymity, put the figure in the
thousands. Many have been released
with notices to appear at an
immigration office within 60 days, an
outcome that requires less processing
time from Border Patrol agents than
Vaccine inequity
comes into stark
focus during
UN gathering
UNITED NATION : The
inequity of COVID-19 vaccine
distribution will come into
sharper focus Thursday as
many of the African countries
whose populations have little
to no access to the life-saving
shots step to the podium to
speak at the U.N.'s annual
meeting of world leaders.
Already, the struggle to
contain the coronavirus
pandemic has featured
prominently in leaders'
speeches - many of them
delivered remotely exactly
because of the virus. Country
after country acknowledged
the wide disparity in accessing
the vaccine, painting a picture
so bleak that a solution has at
times seemed impossibly out
of reach.
"Some countries have
vaccinated their populations,
and are on the path to
recovery. For others, the lack
of vaccines and weak health
systems pose a serious
problem," Norway's Prime
Minister, Erna Solberg, said
in a prerecorded speech
Wednesday. "In Africa, fewer
than 1 in 20 people are fully
vaccinated. In Europe, one in
two are fully vaccinated. This
inequity is clearly unfair."
Countries slated to give
their signature annual
speeches on Thursday include
South Africa, Botswana,
Angola, Burkina Faso and
Libya.
Also among them will be
Zimbabwe, where the
economic ravages of the
pandemic have forced some
families to abandon the longheld
tradition of taking care of
their older people. And
Uganda, where a surge in
virus cases have made scarce
hospital beds even more
expensive, leading to
concerns over alleged
exploitation of patients by
private hospitals.
ordering an appearance in immigration
court and points to the speed at which
authorities are moving.
The releases come despite a massive
effort to expel Haitians on flights under
pandemic-related authority that denies
migrants a chance to seek asylum. A
third U.S. official not authorized to
discuss operations said there were
seven daily flights to Haiti planned
starting Wednesday.
Ten flights arrived in Haiti from
Sunday to Tuesday in planes designed
for 135 passengers, according to
Haitian officials, who didn't provide a
complete count but said six of those
flights carried 713 migrants combined.
The camp held more than 14,000
people over the weekend, according to
some estimates. Texas Gov. Greg
Abbott, during a visit Tuesday to Del
Rio, said the county's top official told
him the most recent tally was about
8,600 migrants. U.S. authorities have
declined to say how many have been
released in the U.S. in recent days.
The Homeland Security Department
has been busing Haitians from Del Rio,
a town of 35,000 people, to El Paso,
Laredo and the Rio Grande Valley
along the Texas border, and this week
added flights to Tucson, Arizona, the
official said. They are processed by the
UN: 16 million Yemenis are
'marching towards starvation.'
UNITED NATIONS : The head of the U.N.
food agency is warning that 16 million people
in Yemen "are marching towards starvation"
and says food rations for millions in the wartorn
nation will be cut in October unless new
funding arrives, reports UNB.
David Beasley said Wednesday at a highlevel
meeting on Yemen's humanitarian
crisis that the United States, Germany,
United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and
other donors stepped up when the World
Food Program was running out of money
earlier this year and "because of that we
averted famine and catastrophe."
WFP is running out of money again and
without new funding reductions will be
made in rations for 3.2 million people in
October and for 5 million by December, he
said. At a virtual pledging conference cohosted
by Sweden and Switzerland on March
1, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres
appealed for $3.85 billion for Yemen this
year. But donors pledged less than half the
amount -- $1.7 billion, which the U.N. chief
called "disappointing." In the last six
months, the total has grown to just over half
Border Patrol at those locations.
Criteria for deciding who is flown to
Haiti and who is released in the U.S. are
a mystery, but two officials said single
adults were a priority. If previous
handling of asylum-seekers is any
guide, the administration is more likely
to release those deemed vulnerable,
including pregnant women, families
with young children and those with
medical issues. The Biden
administration
exempts
unaccompanied children from
expulsion flights on humanitarian
grounds. The system is a "black box,"
said Wade McMullen, an attorney with
Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, who
was in Del Rio. "Right now, we have no
official access to understand what
processes are underway, what
protections are being provided for the
migrants."
On Wednesday, more than 300
migrants had been dropped off in
Border Patrol vans by early afternoon
at a welcome center staffed by the Val
Verde Border Humanitarian Coalition.
They waited for buses to Houston, a
springboard to final destinations in the
U.S. Many were required to wear ankle
monitors, used to ensure they obey
instructions to report to immigration
authorities.
the amount required.
The high-level meeting Wednesday on the
sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly's
annual meeting raised about $600 million,
according to the European Union, which cohosted
the session with Sweden and
Switzerland. That still leaves at least $1
billion unfunded.
In major pledges, U.S. Secretary of State
Antony Blinken announced an additional
$290 million in humanitarian assistance for
Yemen and the European Union said it was
allocating an additional 119 million euros
(about $139 million) in humanitarian and
development aid.
The Yemen director for the Oxfam charity,
Muhsin Siddiquey, commended the donors
who made pledges and expressed hope the
funds will be quickly made available to aid
organizations.
"However, once again a few international
donors have generously put their hands in
their pockets while the rest of the world looks
on as Yemen descends further into hunger,
poverty and an even bleaker future," he said.
Yemen has been convulsed by civil war
The head of the U.N. food agency is warning that 16 million people in
Yemen "are marching towards starvation" and says food rations for millions
in the war-torn nation will be cut in October unless new funding
arrives.
Photo : AP
Libya, UN refugee
agency discuss
illegal migration,
border control
TRIPOLI : Vice President of
the Presidency Council of
Libya, Musa al-Koni, met
with Jean-Paul Cavalieri,
chief of mission in Libya of
the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR) here on
Wednesday to discuss illegal
migration, border control,
among others.
"The Vice President of the
Presidency Council
confirmed that illegal
migration is mainly a
humanitarian issue. He
stressed the importance of
uniting international efforts
to come up with successful
solutions to it," said a
statement issued by the
Presidency Council.
Al-Koni also stressed the
importance of addressing
illegal migration in libya's
southern border rather than
at sea where illegal migrants
cross towards Europe,
according to the statement.
Cavalieri said that there are
problems facing the
evacuation of migrants from
Libya to other countries,
including failures to organize
flights.
Cavalieri also stressed the
need to cooperate with the
Presidency Council to address
illegal migration.
Washington Post questions
whether Biden is normalizing
Trump's foreign policy
BEIJING : The Washington
Post has questioned whether
President Joe Biden's foreign
policy is a faithful
continuation of Donald
Trump's and a repudiation of
Barack Obama's.
In an opinion piece in the
paper, columnist Fareed
Zakaria raised the question
after "almost eight months of
watching policies, rhetoric
and crises." "...Many foreign
observers have been
surprised - even shocked - to
discover that," wrote Zakaria,
reports UNB. "A senior
European diplomat noted
that, in dealings with
Washington on everything
from vaccines to travel
restrictions, the Biden policies
were 'America First' in logic,
whatever the rhetoric," the
article said. A Canadian
politician said that if followed,
Biden's "Buy America" plans
are actually more
protectionist than Trump's.
Despite having criticized
Trump's tariffs repeatedly,
Biden has kept nearly all of
them, wrote Zakaria.
Another striking example of
Biden's surprisingly
Trumpian foreign policy is the
Iran deal. Since he took office.
NEW YORK : An influential panel of
advisers to the Centers for the Disease
Control and Prevention grappled
Wednesday with the question of which
Americans should get COVID-19
booster shots, with some members
wondering if the decision should be put
off for a month in hopes of more
evidence. The doubts and uncertainties
suggested yet again that the matter of
whether to dispense extra doses to
shore up Americans' protection against
the coronavirus is more complicated
scientifically than the Biden
administration may have realized when
it outlined plans a month ago for an
across-the-board rollout of boosters.
The rollout was supposed to have
begun this week.
Much of the discussion at the
meeting of the CDC's Advisory
Committee on Immunization Practices
focused on the possibility of a scaledback
booster program targeted to older
people or perhaps health care workers.
But even then, some of the experts said
that the data on whether boosters are
actually needed, precisely who should
get them and when was not clear-cut.
"What would be the downside" of
simply waiting a month in hopes of
more information? asked Dr. Sarah
Long of Drexel University.
The two-day meeting had been
Tensions grow as US, allies
deepen Indo-Pacific involvement
BANGKOK : With increasingly strong talk in
support of Taiwan, a new deal to supply
Australia with nuclear submarines, and the
launch of a European strategy for greater
engagement in the Indo-Pacific, the U.S. and
its allies are becoming growingly assertive in
their approach toward a rising China.
China has bristled at the moves, and the
growing tensions between Beijing and
Washington prompted U.N. Secretary-
General Antonio Guterres on the weekend to
implore President Joe Biden and Chinese
leader Xi Jinping to repair their "completely
dysfunctional" relationship, warning they
risk dividing the world.
As the U.N. General Assembly opened
Tuesday, both leaders chose calming
language, with Biden insisting "we are not
seeking a new Cold War or a world divided
into rigid blocs," and Xi telling the forum
that "China has never, and will never invade
or bully others or seek hegemony."
But the underlying issues have not
changed, with China building up its military
outposts as it presses its maritime claims
With increasingly strong talk in support of Taiwan, a new deal to supply
Australia with nuclear submarines, and the launch of a European strategy for
greater engagement in the Indo-Pacific, the U.S. and its allies are becoming
growingly assertive in their approach toward a rising China. Photo : AP
'Grow up': UK's Johnson says
world must face climate change
UNITED NATION : British Prime Minister
Boris Johnson told world leaders at the
United Nations on Wednesday night that
humanity has to "grow up" and tackle
climate change, saying humans must stop
trashing the planet like a teenager on a
bender, reports UNB.
Johnson is due to host a major United
Nations climate summit in Glasgow,
Scotland in six weeks' time. He is using a trip
to the U.N. General Assembly in New York to
press governments for tougher emissionscutting
targets and more money to help poor
countries clean up their economies.
In a speech to the General Assembly on
Wednesday, he said it's now or never if the
world is to meet its goal of limiting the global
temperature rise to 1.5C above pre-industrial
levels. "If we keep on the current track then
the temperatures will go up by 2.7 degrees or
more by the end of the century. And never
CDC panel grapples with who
needs a COVID-19 booster shot
scheduled to resume on Thursday, but
it was not immediately clear whether
that would happen.
The meeting came days after a
different advisory group - this one
serving the Food and Drug
Administration - overwhelmingly
rejected a sweeping White House plan
to dispense third shots to nearly
everyone. Instead, that panel endorsed
booster doses of the Pfizer vaccine only
for senior citizens and those at high risk
from the virus.
While the COVID-19 vaccines
continue to offer strong protection
against severe illness, hospitalization
and death, immunity against milder
infection seems to be dropping months
after vaccination.
"I want to highlight that in September
of 2021 in the United States, deaths
from COVID-19 are largely vaccinepreventable
with the primary series of
any of the three vaccines available,"
said CDC advisory panel member Dr.
Matthew Daley, a researcher at Kaiser
Permanente Colorado.
And the public must understand that
no matter how good a COVID-19
vaccine is, when it comes to milder
infections, "it is unlikely that we will
prevent everything," said Dr. Helen
Keipp Talbot of Vanderbilt University.
Several panelists said another
over critical sea lanes, and the U.S. and its
allies growing louder in their support of
Taiwan, which China claims as part of its
territory, and deepening military
cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.
On Friday, Biden hosts the leaders of
Japan, India and Australia for an in-person
Quadrilateral Security Dialogue for broad
talks including the COVID-19 pandemic and
climate change, but also how to keep the
Indo-Pacific, a vast region spanning from
India to Australia, "free and open," according
to the White House.
It comes a week after the dramatic
announcement that Australia would be
dropping a contract for conventional French
submarines in favor of an Anglo-American
offer for nuclear-powered vessels, a
bombshell that overshadowed the unveiling
of the European Union's strategy to boost
political and defense ties in the Indo-Pacific.
"One thing is certain, that everyone is
pivoting toward the Indo-Pacific," said
Garima Mohan, an Asia program fellow with
the German Marshall Fund think tank.
mind what that will do to the ice floes,"
Johnson said. "We will see desertification,
drought, crop failure, andmass movements
of humanity on a scale not seen before. Not
because of some unforeseen natural event or
disaster, but because of us, because of what
we are doing now." In his speech, Johnson
compared humanity to an impetuous 16-
year-old - "just old enough to get ourselves
into serious trouble." "We have come to that
fateful age when we know roughly how to
drive and we know how to unlock the drinks
cabinet and to engage in all sorts of activity
that is not only potentially embarrassing but
also terminal," he said.
"We believe that someone else will clear up
the mess we make, because that is what
someone else has always done," he added.
"We trash our habitats again and again with
the inductive reasoning that we have got
away with it so far.
concern is the public confusion that
could result if they recommend a
booster only for certain recipients of the
Pfizer vaccine. That could leave people
vaccinated with Moderna or Johnson
and Johnson shots wondering what to
do. The meeting was devoted to Pfizer
booster shots only. Moderna's
application to dispense third doses is
not as far along in the process. And a
major U.S. study on whether mixingand-matching
booster doses is safe and
effective isn't finished.
Many experts are torn about the need
for boosters because they see the
COVID-19 vaccines working as
expected, even amid the spread of the
highly contagious delta variant. It is
normal for virus-blocking antibodies to
be highest right after vaccination and
then wane over the following months.
"We don't care if antibodies wane.
You care what is the minimum" needed
for protection, Long said.
Yet no one knows the antibody level
threshold below which someone's risk
for infection suddenly jumps. Even
then, the body has backup defenses.
Antibody production and even those
backup defenses don't form as robustly
in older people. But it's impossible to
pinpoint the age at which that becomes
a problem, CDC microbiologist Natalie
Thornburg told the committee.

FrIDAY, SEPTEMBEr 24, 2021
8
Agrani Bank has recently signed an agreement on Automated Challlan System(ACS) with Bangladesh
Bank. Ahmed Jamal, Deputy Governor Of Bangladesh Bank was present as a chief guest at the ceremony.
Mohammad Shams-Ul Islam, MD and CEO of Agrani Bank Limited and Md. Forkan Hossain, general
manager of Bangladesh Bank signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organizations . Among
others Nurun Nahar, executive director from Bangladesh Bank , Md Monower Hossain, General manager
and CFO; Enamul Mawla, head of IT and MIS division; Abu Hasan Talukder, Deputy general manager
of Agrani Bank Limited along with other officials from both organizations were also present at the ceremony.
Under this agreement Agrani Bank will be enabled to collect passport fees,vat,tax and other government
fees.
Photo: Courtesy
"BSCIC-OIKKO digital display and sales
centers" to be established in 493 upazilas
A Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) was
signed
between
Bangladesh Small and
Cottage Industries
Corporation (BSCIC) and
Oikko Foundation in the
capital recently. The MoU
was signed with the aim of
establishing "BSCIC-
OIKKO Digital Display and
Sales Center"s in 493
upazilas of Bangladesh, a
press release said.
Minister of the Ministry
of Industries of the
Government of the People's
Republic of Bangladesh
Nurul Majid Mahmud
Humayun, MP was present
virtually as the Chief Guest
on the occasion. President
of Oikko Foundation
(CMSME Entrepreneur
Development Wing) and
prominent personality
Shahin Akhtar Rainy was
also present on the
occasion digitally. Mayor of
Dhaka North City
Corporation and President
of Oikko Foundation
(CMSME Enterprise
Extension Wing) Md.
Atiqul Islam and Shykh
Seraj, Director and Head of
News, Impress Telefilm
Ltd., Channel I, sent their
warm regards to BSCIC
and Oikko Foundation on
the joint initiative. The
event was presided over by
the BSCIC Chairman Md
Mostaque Hasan, ndc. MD.
Mofidul Islam, Secretary,
BSCIC and Apu Mahfuz,
Chief Executive, Oikko
Foundation has signed the
agreement on behalf of
BSCIC and Oikko
Foundation respectively.
Speaking on the occasion,
Minister of Industries,
Nurul Majid Mahmud
Humayun, MP said,
"Entrepreneurs producing
and selling local products
directly and digitally in
every upazila will be
immensely beneficial for
both the economy and the
entrepreneurs themselves.
Besides, I am hopeful that
seeing these budding
entrepreneurs prosper will
inspire others to begin their
own ventures. So I thank
both the organizations and
all concerned for taking up
such a wonderful
initiative."
Shahin Akhtar Rainy,
President, Oikko
Foundation (CMSME
Entrepreneur
Development Wing) said,
"I am hopeful that we will
be able to contribute to the
implementation of the
Prime Minister's 'Vision
2041' through the smooth
operation of all our plans
and activities. I sincerely
thank BSCIC for being a
partner in our journey."
BSCIC and Oikko
Foundation have been
working tirelessly to
improve the quality of the
CMSME sector in
Bangladesh, to sell and
promote the products of
CMSME entrepreneurs
across the country directly
and digitally. In that
continuity, BSCIC and
Oikko Foundation have
taken the initiative to
implement this project.
Grameenphone partners with Global Technology Company
Wipro for advanced network management
Grameenphone (GP) has
signed a contract with Wipro
Limited, the global technology
service company, as part of its
continued efforts to acquire
advanced network
capabilities. Wipro will be part
of managing GP's present
mobile networks and building
an advanced future-fit
network, a press release said.
The new contract expands
the relationship between the
two companies, as GP has
relied on Wipro as a
technology partner to manage
application development,
infrastructure support and IT
security. With its technology
leadership and global
experience, Wipro has
emerged as a leading player in
Bangladesh.
Demand for advanced
mobile services and highquality
network experience is
rapidly increasing in
Bangladesh. Wipro's
advanced capabilities and
operating model will help
accelerate Grameenphone's
journey towards building a
future-fit network that will
meet customer's digital
experience requirements by
boosting the quality of service
with the jointly built
capabilities for bringing in
future technologies, i.e., 5G,
touch-free operations and
fault management. This
partnership with Wipro will
also widen the opportunity for
local talent to pursue global
opportunities and upskill with
a leading tech player.
On awarding the contract to
Wipro Limited, Rade
Kovacevic Chief Technology
Officer Grameenphone said,
"Our role as a tech service
leader and connectivity
partner has become crucial
over the last 24 years in
moving Bangladesh forward.
To deliver on the evergrowing
connectivity needs,
boost customer experience,
and bring in advanced future
technologies, this year we
have expanded 4G coverage
across the country, acquired
the maximum allowable
amount of spectrum,
partnered with Tower
Companies to roll out new
towers and gained access to
fibre network in partnership
with
Bangladesh
Telecommunications
Company Limited (BTCL)."
Marking this partnership
with Wipro, he also added,
"We are taking a significant
leap forward in our ability to
manage our network, and
excel further in meeting our
customers' expectations. In
addition, this partnership will
bring in global expertise and
future-fit capabilities and
create global career
opportunities for Bangladeshi
talent. I would also like to
thank the regulator and
Bangladesh Govt. for
continuous guidance and
support throughout this
journey."
Bhavya Kapoor, Managing
Director - Southeast Asia,
Wipro Limited said, "Wipro's
primary focus is to accelerate
Grameenphone's growth by
leveraging our global
strength, and providing
progressive and innovative
localized technology
solutions. With the growing
convergence of IT and core
telecom networks, and the
advent of software-defined
lined networks, cloud-first
architecture and 5G, we are
glad to partner with
Grameenphone to provide
advanced capabilities to
modernize their network;
coupled with IT applications
and infrastructure."
Wipro recently completed
its fourth year of operations in
Bangladesh, one of the focus
countries under its APMEA
(Asia Pacific-Middle East-
Africa) Strategic Market Unit.
Diplomatic Impact on Business: Millions
of dollars are going to foreigners
BUSINESS DESK
Bangladesh is moving
forward at an irresistible
pace with the aim of being
included in the list of
developed countries of the
world, numerous mega
projects are running all over
the country. As a result, both
the prestige and reputation
of Bangladesh in the court of
the world economy will
increase and its benefits will
be directly cherished by the
people at all levels of the
country. Bangladesh will be
able to achieve more and
more prosperity even if it
gets the recognition of a
developed country if it takes
advantage of new
opportunities and
implements far-reaching
development plans of the
government. In particular,
the government's goal of
ensuring fast and
uninterrupted
communication across the
country and building a
"digital Bangladesh" in
tandem with the times is
undoubtedly commendable.
But even when these public
welfare initiatives fall into
the clutches of some
unscrupulous businessmen
ADB cuts Asia
growth forecast
on slow Covid
vaccine rollout
MANILA : The Asian
Development Bank warned
of "lasting scars" from the
coronavirus pandemic as it
cut its 2021 growth forecast
for developing Asia on slow
vaccination rates, surging
infections and crippling
lockdowns, reports BSS.
A shortage of doses, which
has hampered efforts to
inoculate the vast region
stretching from the Cook
Islands in the Pacific to
Kazakhstan in Central Asia,
could worsen as evidence of
waning vaccine protection
increases demand for
booster shots, the lender
said Wednesday.
The Philippines-based
ADB forecast growth of 7.1
percent-compared with its
previous prediction in April
of 7.3 percent and a slight
contraction in 2020 -- but
said the recovery "remains
fragile".
Vaccination rates have
been uneven across the
region, where less than a
third of the population was
fully protected against
Covid-19 at the end of
August, the lender said in an
update of its flagship Asian
Development Outlook.
That compared with more
than 50 percent coverage in
the United States and nearly
60 percent in the European
Union.
The Faculty of Business Studies,
University of Dhaka (DU) is going to
organize the 5thInternational Conference
on Business and Economics on September
25-26, 2021. Faculty of Business Studies
has been organizing this conference
regularly for the last five years. This year,
the theme of the conference is - Business
and Economy in the New-normal
Landscape. The aim of the conference is to
bring together academics and
professionals to a common forum for
developing strategies to meet the
challenges of global business in the years to
come. The conference will create
opportunity to share experience, exchange
new ideas, foster innovation and establish
research relations among the participating
individuals and institutions, a press release
said.
The virtual opening ceremony of the
conference will be on September 25, 2021
at 10.00 am (Bangladesh Standard Time,
GMT +6:00). Professor Dr. Md.
Akhtaruzzaman, Vice Chancellor,
University of Dhaka will grace the occasion
as the Chief Guest; Professor Dr.
Muhammad Samad, Pro-Vice Chancellor
and capitalist syndicates, the
success of these initiatives is
unwittingly called into
question. One such
influential syndicate in
Bangladesh's infrastructure
and construction sector is
the Singapore-based
international construction
and consulting firm Surbana
Jurong Infrastructure (Pvt)
Ltd. and its affiliate Surbana
Jurong (Bangladesh)
Limited.
Surbana Jurong opened its
branch office in Bangladesh
in 2019 and the meantime
Surbana Jurong has built
more than 11,000 km of new
highways and rebuilt old
roads in Bangladesh; laying
railways above 2,100 km;
Samsung inaugurate authorized service center
in Banasree to enhance customers' convenience
Samsung Bangladesh has
inaugurated its new
Authorized Service Center at
Banasree in the capital
recently. The new service
center was inaugurated by
Hwansung Woo, Country
Manager, Samsung
Bangladesh and Arshad Huq,
Managing Director & CEO,
Transcom Electronics Ltd, a
press release said.
On this occasion,
Hwansung Woo, Country
Manager, Samsung
Bangladesh, said, "Samsung
has always been a step ahead
when it comes to ensuring
consumers' satisfaction. As a
global tech giant in mobile
construction of 105 bridges,
large and small; construction
of 40 residential,
commercial and hospital
buildings; establish more
than 1,250 km of gas, water
and electricity connections;
infrastructure development
and construction of EPZs
over an area of more than
1,024 acres and a water
treatment plant with a
treatment capacity of 315
million liters per day. There
are various rumors in the
business community about
how a foreign company,
which officially started its
branch office in Bangladesh
in 2019, is taking over the
work of many big
government projects in such
phone & consumer
electronics etc., Samsung has
always been seeking for
customers' satisfaction and
continuously trying to serve
valued customers who are
using & loving Samsung
products & services."
Ensuring consumers'
convenience has always been
Samsung's forte, and now
with this new initiative, the
company is expanding its
service network in populated
areas of the country. In this
Service Center, consumers in
Banasree and its vicinity can
enjoy safe and fast In Home
services according to their
convenience for all Samsung
(Administration), Professor Dr. A. S. M.
Maksud Kamal, Pro-Vice Chancellor
(Academic) and Professor Mamtaz Uddin
Ahmed, Treasurer, University of Dhaka
will be Special Guests of the ceremony.
Professor Shibli Rubayat-Ul-Islam,
Hon'ble Chairman, Bangladesh Securities
and Exchange Commission, will also be
present at the event as a Special Guest. The
keynote speech of the conference will be
delivered by Professor Bernadine Van
Gramberg, Hon'ble Pro-Vice Chancellor,
Swinburne University of Technology,
Australia.
After the opening ceremony there will
be four parallel paper presentation
sessions in the afternoon of September
25 and five sessions in the morning and
afternoon on the next day including a
Ph.D. Colloquium and a business case
presentation session. Thirty two
research papers and business cases will
be presented in this conferences by local
and international researchers.
The closing ceremony of the conference
will be held on September 26, 2021 at 7.00
pm at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon, Dhaka.
H.E. Dr. Dipu Moni MP, Minister of
a short period. However,
there is no mention of the
activities of their Bangladesh
chapter on the official
website of Surbana Jurong.
A closer look at the matter
revealed on condition of
anonymity from several
government officials and
various government and
non-government
construction consultants
that Surbana Jurong had
secretly exerted diplomatic
influence at various high
levels of government and
administration and had
undertaken numerous mega
projects in a short period.
Although there is a clear
government directive that no
firm or organization under a
ministry will get a job more
than once, the Surbana
Jurong is turning a blind eye
to this directive and
undertaking several
developmental works of the
same ministry.
As a result, the
government construction
process is being out of
balance, the monopoly
power of an organization is
losing millions of dollars to
foreigners on the one hand,
and domestic companies are
finding it difficult to sustain
Electronics and home
appliances, including
television, air conditioner,
refrigerator, washing
machine etc. In addition to
that, mobile phone and tab
consumers can avail of aftersales
services every day from
10 am to 7 pm.
As a global company,
Samsung has a unified
system and operation level
and Bangladesh is in the
forefront of it. And this
service center has skillful and
experienced technical
engineers who will ensure
global standard after sales
service for the valued
customers.
5th Int'l Confce on Business and Economics
to be held on Sept 25-26 at DU
Education, Government of the People's
Republic of Bangladesh, has given her kind
consent to grace the occasion as the Chief
Guest; Professor Dr. Md. Akhtaruzzaman,
Vice Chancellor, University of Dhaka and
H.E. Salman F. Rahman, Private Industry
and Investment Advisor to Hon'ble Prime
Minister, Government of the People's
Republic of Bangladesh, will remain
present as Guests of Honour; Dr. Benazir
Ahmed BPM (Bar), Inspector General of
Police, Bangladesh Police, Government of
the People's Republic of Bangladesh,
Professor Dr. A. S. M. Maksud Kamal,
Hon'ble Pro-Vice Chancellor (Academic)
and Professor Mamtaz Uddin Ahmed,
Hon'ble Treasurer, University of Dhaka
and Golam Murshed, MD & CEO, Walton
Hi-Tech Industries Ltd. will remain
present as Special Guests of the closing
ceremony.
Professor Dr. Muhammad Abdul
Moyeen, Dean, Faculty of Business
Studies, University of Dhaka and Professor
Dr. M. Sadiqul Islam, Department of
Finance, University of Dhaka are the
Conference Chair and Co-chair
respectively.

FRiDAY, SEPTEMbER 24, 2021
9
PSG's Neymar, left runs to pass Metz's Vincent Pajot during the French League One match
between FC Metz and Paris Saint-Germain at Saint Symphorien stadium, in Metz, eastern
France, Wednesday.
Photo: AP
French leader PSG relies on
another late winner:Deja vu
SPORTS DESK
French league leader Paris Saint-
Germain made it seven straight wins
but needed another injury-time winner
to beat last-place Metz 2-1 in an
unconvincing performance, reports
UNB. The referee was about to blow the
final whistle when right back
AchrafHakimi netted his second goal in
the fifth minute of injury time with a
curling shot past goalkeeper Alexandre
Oukidja. Moments earlier, Metz
captain Dylan Bronn and coach
Frederic Antonetti were sent off Bronn
for a second yellow card after kicking
the ball away and Antonetti for angrily
protesting to the referee.
As PSG players celebrated Hakimi's
goal, a furious Oukidja sprinted over to
them and starting shoving as he sought
out striker KylianMbappe. It was
unclear why, but it took several
minutes for players, and PSG coach
Mauricio Pochettino, to calm Oukidja
down. Images appeared to show
Mbappe saying something to Oukidja
when the goalkeeper was facedown on
the ground after conceding Hakimi's
second goal.
Oukidja then sprang to his feet and
chased down Mbappe, leading to PSG
players responding protectively and
Neymar pushing Oukidja over. Neymar
and Oukidja both were shown a yellow
card. Lionel Messi sat out after taking a
knock to the knee in Sunday's last-gasp
2-1 home win over Lyon. Striker Mauro
Icardi, who headed a 93rd-minute
Derby County hit with
12-point deduction after
entering administration
SPORTS DESK
Second-division English
soccer club Derby, which is
managed by England great
Wayne Rooney, was taken
over by administrators on
Wednesday after falling into
financial problems during the
pandemic and will be hit with
a 12-point deduction.
The club from central
England will slip to last place
in the Championship with
minus-2 points after eight
games. The team played in
the Premier League as
recently as 2008 and Rooney,
the record scorer for England
and Manchester United, has
been its permanent manager
since January.
Derby is up for sale, with
two takeover bids collapsing
this year. It has entered
administration - a form of
bankruptcy protection - with
the aim of completing all of its
matches this season.
"We are in the early stages
of assessing the options
available to the club and
would invite any interested
parties to come forward," said
Andrew Hosking, one of the
three administrators
appointed from business
advisory firm Quantuma.
Derby is a two-time English
champion and one of 12
founding members of the
Football League in 1888.
SPORTS DESK
winner against Lyon, latched on to a
smart pass from Neymar in the fourth
minute.
He expertly clipped the ball over the
goalkeeper only for a defender to clear
it off the line. But Hakimi finished
neatly with a volley.
PSG missed chances and this allowed
Metz to get into the game. Central
defender BoubakarKouyate equalized
with a superb header from a corner in
the 39th that goalkeeper KeylorNavas
could not keep out.
Navas rescued PSG with a fine onehanded
save moments before the
break, when right winger LamineGueye
broke through on goal and tried to chip
him. PSG is seven points ahead of
second-place Marseille, which remains
unbeaten after a 0-0 draw at thirdplace
Angers. Tensions were high at the
final whistle as some Marseille fans left
their enclosure and confronted Angers
fans, before security officials intervened
quickly. There have been two highprofile
incidents of fan disorder this
season, in matches between Nice and
Marseille, and between northern rivals
Lens and Lille.
Fourth-place Lens lost its unbeaten
home record as it slipped to a 1-0 defeat
against Strasbourg.
Meanwhile, Lyon moved above Nice
and into sixth place after a 3-1 win
against lowly Troyes.
Lyon fell behind just before the break
when midfielder Xavier Chavalerin
volleyed in from the edge of the penalty
area. XherdanShaqiri curled in an
Former world number one Simona Halep
and coach Darren Cahill have parted ways
after working together for six years, the
Romanian player said on Wednesday,
reports UNB.
The 29-year-old won her first Grand Slam
- the 2018 French Open - under the guidance
of Cahill before the Australian left her team
at the end of that season to spend more time
with family. The two reunited ahead of the
2019 WTA Finals. In the first three years
with Cahill, Halep finished two seasons as
Simona Halep is a two-time Grand Slam winner.
equalizer minutes into the second half
for his first goal since joining from
Liverpool. Another former Premier
League player made it 2-1 as former
Chelsea left back Emerson pounced in
the 71st.
Midfielder Lucas Paqueta, who
scored last Sunday against PSG,
wrapped it up late.
Nice's first defeat saw it lose 1-0 at
fifth-place Lorient.
Earlier, defending champion Lille got
back to winning ways by beating Reims
2-1, taking pressure off coach Jocelyn
Gourvennec.
It was only Gourvennec's second
league win after replacing title-winning
coach Christophe Galtier, who left in
the offseason to join Nice.
Canada forward Jonathan David and
midfielder Benjamin Andre put Lille 2-
0 up by halftime. Alexis Flips gave Lille
a scare by converting a 73rd-minute
penalty.
OTHER MATCHES
Struggling Monaco won 3-1 at home
against Saint-Etienne for just its second
victory.
After German forward Kevin Volland
put Monaco ahead in the 27th minute,
Saint-Etienne goalkeeper Etienne
Green was sent off moments later for a
clumsy foul.
The visitors equalized through striker
Denis Bouanga in the 41st. France
striker Wissam Ben Yedder scored with
a penalty for the second straight game
to make it 2-1 in the 61st and then
added a late goal.
'Thank you for everything':
Simona Halep splits with
coach Darren Cahill
world number one and also reached the final
of the 2018 Australian Open.
"After six wonderful years working
together, @darren_cahill and I have decided
that it's time to end our working relationship.
Thank you D for everything, for making me a
better tennis player and a better person," the
two-times major champion wrote on
Twitter.
Halep, who was knocked out in the
fourth round of the U.S. Open by Elina
Svitolina earlier this month, got married
to Macedonian businessman Toni Iuruc
last week.
Photo: AP
Mbappe needs to
learn how to be
humble: Metz coach
SPORTS DESK
French World Cup winner
KylianMbappe was told
Wednesday that he needs to
add a dose of humility to his
undoubted talents in front of
goal "if he wants to be
loved", reports UNB.
The advice came from
Metz coach Frederic
Antonetti after the megarich
Ligue 1 team needed a
stoppage time winner to
beat the bottom side 2-1 and
preserve their 100% start to
the domestic season.
"Mbappe needs to behave
better if he wants to be
loved," said Antonetti.
"I love this player, he is
very, very strong but he'd
benefit from having a more
humble side."
Antonetti was responding
to a question on the yellow
card handed to his
goalkeeper Alexandre
Oukidja who confronted
Mbappe over his celebration
when the winning goal was
scored. "In the game,
Mbappe was non-existent,"
said Antonetti.
Bangladesh go
down 5-0 to Iran
SPORTS DESK
As presumed earlier,
Bangladesh women's
football team suffered a big
margin of defeat to strong
Iran as the Iranians cantered
to a 5-0 win in their second
and last Group G match of
the AFC Asian Cup India
2022 qualifiers Wednesday
at Bunyodkor Stadium in
Uzbekistan, reports BSS.
Iran began to dominate
Bangladesh in the beginning
of the match and took a 3-0
lead at the breather.
After resumption, the
Iranians continued their
onslaught on Bangladesh's
fort by adding the remaining
two more goals in the second
half to ensure their emphatic
victory in the one-sided
affair.
Bangladesh were hardly
able to offer any resistance
against Iran in the whole
proceedings and had to
leave the field conceding the
day's result.
Earlier, Bangladesh
suffered a loss by identical
margin against higher
ranked Jordan in their
opening match.
Bangladesh squad: Rupna
Chakma, Sheuli Azim,
MasuraParvin, Monika
Chakma, Mishrat Jahan
Mousumi, Srimoti Krishna
Rani
Sarkar,
MosammatSiratShopna,
Sabina
Khatun,
NilufaYesmin, Nila, Maria
Manda and TohuraKhatun.
Cristiano Ronaldo
leapfrogs Lionel
Messi in Forbes' list
of top-earning players
SPORTS DESK
Manchester United forward
Cristiano Ronaldo has
reclaimed top spot in the list of
the world's highest-paid soccer
players from Lionel Messi,
according to Forbes, reports
UNB.
Ronaldo, 36, rejoined United
from Juventus in August after
12 years away, while Messi has
swapped boyhood club
Barcelona to join Paris St
Germain.
Forbes said Ronaldo, among
the world's most popular
athletes with over 500 million
followers across Facebook,
Instagram and Twitter, is set to
make US$125 million before
taxes in the 2021-22 season,
with US$70 million coming
from salary and bonuses at
United.
The rest will come from
endorsements and partnerships
with brands including Nike,
Herbalife, Clear and his CR7
brand.
Messi, who topped last year's
list, will be paid a salary of
US$75 million with an
additional US$35 million from
endorsements for total expected
earnings of US$110 million.
Rookies bring impressive
resumes to Ryder Cup
SPORTS DESK
The United States are counting on six Ryder
Cup rookies with impressive golf resumes as
they try to wrest the coveted trophy from
Europe at Whistling Straits, reports BSS.
The youth movement-against a veteran
European side-is less risky than it might
appear with the Americans counting the
newcomers as RINOs- Rookies in Name Onlythanks
to their accomplishments elsewhere. "I
have all the faith in the world in all the
rookies," said Justin
Thomas, who made his own Ryder Cup
debut in the loss to Europe in France in 2018.
"Your rookies are a two-time major champion
in Collin Morikawa or a FedExCup Champion
in Patrick Cantlay, and a (Tokyo Olympics)
gold medallist in XanderSchauffele," Thomas
said. "When you're looking at guys like that
that are your rookies, that says a lot about your
team."
The other newcomers are Harris English,
ranked 11th in the world, four-time US PGA
Tour winner Daniel Berger and 25-year-old
Scottie Scheffler.
Scheffler may be the lowest-ranked player
on the US team at 21 in the world, but only four
of Europe's players are higher in the rankings.
Cantlay's late-season surge earned him Player
of the Year honors on the US PGA Tour, where
he stared down Bryson DeChambeau in a sixhole
playoff to win the BMW Championship
then edged world number one Jon Rahm to
win the Tour Championship and the $15
million FedEx Cup playoff crown. Cantlay said
he's expecting the Ryder Cup to be a "more
amped up version" of his playoff duel with
DeChambeau, and he's revved at the prospect.
"Playing in that environment, the idea of that,
is really exciting so I'm looking forward to
getting out there and experiencing it," he said.
Cantlay, 29, and 27-year-old Schauffele,
have already proved their match-play chops.
At the 2019 Presidents Cup, they played
together in all four team sessions, winning two
foursomes matches and dropping two fourballs.
Each won his singles match as they
finished the week with 3-2 records.
The two prepped for the Ryder Cup with a
joint holiday in Napa, California, and it's oddson
that US captain Steve Stricker will put them
together come Friday.
Cantlay said playing with a well-known
partner is particularly helpful in the alternate
shot format of foursomes.
"When you are playing and you hit a bad
shot, you don't want any sense of, 'Oh, I
wonder what my playing partner is thinking
about the terrible shot I just hit,'" he said."
That kind of insight into the format will be
useful, especially against an experienced
European side that features just three rookies
in Viktor Hovland, Shane Lowry and Bernd
Wiesberger.
And US veterans like Jordan Spieth along
with Stricker and vice captain Phil Mickelson,
have been advising the newcomers on
managing emotions that always seem to be
magnified in the Ryder Cup.
Prized recruits: Olympic gold medallistXanderSchauffele and two-time
major winner Collin Morikawa are among six rookies on the US Ryder Cup
team at Whistling Straits.
Photo: AP
Tamim set to fly for Nepal
to take part in EPL
SPORTS DESK
Bangladesh star opener Tamim Iqbal is all
set to fly for Nepal on Thursday night to take
part in Everest Premier League (EPL) T20.
Tamim will represent Bhairahawa
Gladiators in this event, reports UNB.
Tamim was suffering from a knee injury
which forced him to sit out of action for a
while. He missed both the home series
against Australia and New Zealand recently.
He last played a competitive cricket match in
Zimbabwe early this year.
Debashis Chowdhury, the chief physician
of BCB, confirmed that Tamim would fly for
Neplan on Thursday night. He also said
Tamim is close to getting fully fit.
"Tamim was advised to go through a
rehabilitation process after the Zimbabwe
series. He has been working so hard to get fit.
He was working under the guidance of the
physio of the national team. He started to bat
for the last three days, and he has no
complaints. We believe he will be able to play
EPL well," Debashis told the reporters on
Thursday in Mirpur. The decision of Tamim
to take part in EPL is part of his
rehabilitation process. If he can play well in
EPL, it would be determined that the batter
is fully fit to play with his full effort."Tamim
is confident after completing half his
rehabilitation process. He has been doing all
the skill training without any problem. But
playing in a real cricket match is something
different. He needs to play competitive
cricket to see if he is really fit. In that sense,
playing in the EPL is very important for
Tamim," Debashis added.
Tamim sustained the blow on his knee in
the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League
in early this year. Due to the blow, he missed
the super league stage. He, however, took
part in the ODI series in Zimbabwe despite
not being fully fit. Weeks ago, Tamim
withdrew himself from the T20 World Cup
citing lack of match times. At the same time,
he confirmed that he is not retiring from the
shorter format of the game of cricket.
The EPL will kick off on September 25 at
Tribhuvan University International Cricket
Ground. Along with the Gladiators, Biratnagar
Warriors, Chitwan Tigers, Kathmandu Kings
XI, Lalitpur Patriots and Pokhara Rhinos are
also taking part in the EPL.
Fans fight at French league
game in latest stadium violence
SPORTS DESK
There was more fan disorder in the French
league as Marseille supporters ran onto the
field and clashed with Angers counterparts
at the final whistle, reports UNB.
Moments after the 0-0 draw, about 50
Marseille fans left their away enclosure and
rushed along one side of the field to the
stands where Angers fans were. Clashes
broke out and combatants used sticks and
threw objects before stewards intervened.
"Please, please. What image are we
giving? Please, lads, calm down," the
stadium announcer said, as other fans
whistled and jeered those fighting.
It was the latest incident of soccer
violence in France this season, after serious
disorder at the Nice-Marseille match last
month.
Last Saturday, fans threw ripped-up seats
and tried to fight each other at halftime
during the northern derby between Lens
and Lille.
Lens played its home game without fans
on Wednesday as punishment, losing 1-0 to
Strasbourg, and Marseille could now face
sanctions from the league.

FRIDAY, sEPTEMBER 24, 2021
10
Toronto Multicultural Film Fest
begins with 'Rupsha Nadir Banke'
'Mission Extreme' set to release
worldwide on Dec 3rd
After being delayed by two years due to the deadly
Covid-19 pandemic, the first episode of the muchanticipated
police action thriller movie 'Mission
Extreme' is set to have its worldwide release on
December 3, reports UNB.
This was confirmed by Sunny Sanwar, writerproducer
and one-half of the directors of the film,
also a superintendent at Anti Terrorism Unit of
Bangladesh Police. Joyed over the upcoming release
of the big-budget cop-thriller, starring Dhallywood
superstar Arifin Shuvoo and inspired by some of the
breathtaking operations of the Counter-Terrorism
Unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, Sanwar said that
the decision has been made considering the
improving situation of Covid-19 in the country.
"The initial victory against the pandemic has been
achieved in the country by opening educational
institutions, and we are getting back to our
normalcies with the rapid vaccination. Altogether,
we felt that this is the time to welcome our movieloving
audiences to the theatres with new big-budget
movies. Thus, we are releasing our film on
December 3rd and we hope everyone will be by our
side," Sanwar told media on Thursday.
He also informed that the trailer will be releasing
soon, as well as a massive publicity campaign to
promote the film ahead of its big release.
The story and screenplay were written by Sunny
Sanwar himself. The film is produced by Cop
Creation, in association with Mime Multimedia and
Dhaka Detective Club. The film initially was
scheduled to release in 2020 on the occasion of Eid
al-Fitr but was postponed due to the Covid-19
situation in the country. It was rescheduled for a
2021 Eid release, but again pandemic prevented it.
Co-directed by Faisal Ahmed, the movie features
an ensemble cast of Arifin Shuvoo, the debutant
'Miss World Bangladesh 2018' Jannatul Ferdous
Oishee, Taskeen Rahman, Sadia Nabila, Sumit
Sengupta, Raisul Islam Asad, Fazlur Rahman Babu,
Shatabdi Wadud, Majnun Mizan, Iresh Jaker,
Manoj Pramanik, Aref Syed, Sudip Biswas Deep,
Rashed Mamun Apu, Ehsanul Rahman, Dipu, Syed
Nazmus Sakib and others.
For this particular project, actor Arifin Shuvoo has
done rigorous body transformation after nine
months of hard work. Sharing his excitement, the
National Award-winning superstar said, "The hard
work I've put in to get myself fit for 'Mission
Extreme' is never to be forgotten. I have had to suffer
major injuries while training for the body
transformation, which includes painful leg injuries
from which I am still suffering. The movie is finally
going to be released and I will forget all of my pain if
we can satisfy our audiences who have been waiting
for the film for such a long time."
My presence is remarkable
in one word : Bobby
TBT REPORT
Eamin Haque Bobby, better known as Bobby, is a Bangladeshi film
actress and film producer. She made her acting debut in Khoj: The
Search, released on 16 April 2010. Dehorokkhi (2013) helped
establish her as a star in the Dhallywood film industry.Bobby
started her career as a model.
Bobby is the face of the big screen. It goes without saying
that she doesn't appear on the small screen. She has
worked in a few commercials in her career but was last
seen in an advertisement about a year and a half ago.
However, the heroine has worked in a new
promotional shoot as she preferred.
The shooting of the advertisement, made by
Rehman Khalil, started last Tuesday at a shooting
house in Birulia and ended on Wednesday.
Bobby said 'Glamour' is being given importance in
this advertisement. Because it is an advertisement
for a beauty soap. Bobby commented, "There are
some things that can be done to make good or bad
results! The idea of arranging the shooting of the ad
and my presence are all remarkable in one word.
After the ad, the audience will understand."
Bobby was away from work for a long time due
to the Corona pandemic. She has returned to work
on a large scale through this advertisement. However,
the heroine wants to take more time to return in film.
She will start shooting only when the situation is completely
normal. Bobby said she will start shooting a web film soon
named 'Mayurpangkhi'. The announcement of the web
film will come in a few days.
Earlier, she has been seen in advertisements of
Power, Elite Mehedi, Warid Telecom, alton etc.
TBT REPORT
Rupsha Nadir Banke', a fulllength
film directed by
E k u s h e y P a d a k - w i n n i n g
filmmaker Tanvir Mokammel,
wasscreened at the fourth
Toronto Multicultural Film
Festival 2021 in Canada.
Toronto Film Forum (TFF) is
organising the festival from
September 23 to 28. A total of
300 films are participating at
the festival.
'Rupsha Nadir Banke' was
screened at the first day of the
festival. Tanvir Mokammel
shared the news on his
Facebbok page.
'Rupsha Nadir Banke' is a
historical film. The story of the
film revolves around a leftist
politician named Manob
Indian singer-songwriter Ananya Birla announced her debut album
'Bombay Basement'.
Ahead of the full release of the album, Ananya released the music
video of the lead track 'When I'm Alone' on Tuesday night. The video
also marks her maiden innings as a music video director.
Recently Ananya teamed up with AR Rahman for the official
Cheer4India song of the Indian contingent for the Tokyo Olympics,
'Hindustani Way'.
Including the lead track, there are six songs in the album - 'Give
Me Up', 'Deny Me', 'Do It Anyway', 'Tu Hi Mera Ghar' and 'Old Me'.
The entire album which was conjured up during the pandemic,
hints at themes such as self-love, racial discrimination and toxic
relationships in a nonconformist manner.
More than 60 years after the erstwhile
Soviet Union beat the United States into
orbit with the launch of its Sputnik satellite,
a new space race is heating up between the
two rivals. The Russians plan to produce
the first feature film 'The Challenge' to be
shot in outer space, ahead of Tom Cruise's
upcoming $200-million space epic.
'The Challenge' is the story of a Russian
doctor who is sent to the International
Space Station to save the life of a
cosmonaut. If all goes according to plan,
the production team will lift off next month
on a 12-day mission to pull off the historic
first.
Last year NASA announced that it was
collaborating with Elon Musk's 'SpaceX'
and Tom Cruise to shoot a movie that
would be partly filmed aboard the
International Space Station. Directed by
Doug Liman, the untitled film was
rumoured to have a budget of $200
million.
Russian space agency Roscosmos then
announced its own plans to shoot an outof-this-world
(literally!) feature, hoping to
achieve liftoff before its Hollywood
counterpart.
A collaboration between Roscosmos,
public broadcaster Channel One, and
leading studio Yellow, Black and White,
'The Challenge' will be directed by
KlimShipenko, whose blockbuster comedy
'Son of a Rich' is Russia's highest-grossing
Mukherjee, who was abducted
and killed by Razakars during
the liberation war in 1971.
Besides liberation war, the film
portrays different historical
movements like Swadeshi
Ananya Birla announces
her debut album
'Bombay asement'
movement, Tebhaga movement
and other progressive
movements.
The cast of the governmentgranted
film includes Tousif
Sadman Turja, Zahid Hasan
Russian film 'The
Challenge' beats
Tom Cruise's 'Space'
Shovon and Khairul Alam
Sabuj, Ramendu Majumdar,
Chitralekha Guha, Jhuna
Chowdhury, Afzal Kabir, Rajib
Salehin, Abdullah Rana, Masum
Bashar, Mili Basher and British
actor Andrew Jones.
Tousif Sadman Turja, Zahid
Hasan Shovon and Khairul
Alam Sabuj have portrayed the
different stages of Manob
Mukherjee's life in the two-hour
film while Naziba Bashar plays
the female lead in the film.
The film has been shot by tentime
national film awardwinning
cinematographer
Mahfuzur Rahman Khan and
Mohadeb Shi edited the footage
of the film. Rana Masud, Syed
Shabab Ali Arzoo and Sagir
Mostafa are the assistant
directors of the film.
Her songs, 'Let There Be Love' and its remix version, 'Day Goes By'
with Jamaican-American Sean Kingston, was well-received around
the world.
The other hit songs to her credit are 'Hold On', 'Meant To Be',
'Circles', 'Livin' the Life' (remixed by Afrojack), 'Better'.
'Bombay Basement', will be released on her YouTube channel and
across all major streaming platforms every week throughout
October 2021.
Source: Indian Express
film of all time.
The space movie stars YuliaPeresild, a
veteran screen and stage actor, who was
cast after a countrywide talent search last
spring. The production team underwent a
crash course in space travel earlier this year
at the Yuri Gagarin Centre for Cosmonaut
Training. On Thursday, a commission of
medical and safety experts from the center
gave the project approval to go ahead.
Shipenko and Peresild are scheduled to
blast into orbit on October 5 in a Soyuz
spaceship piloted by Anton Shkaplerov, a
veteran cosmonaut, with a backup crew on
standby in the event of any last-minute
medical problems.
At a news conference in Moscow on
Thursday, Peresild said it was "too late" to
be afraid of the cosmic task ahead. "If
you're afraid of wolves, you shouldn't go
into the forest," she said, adding: "There is
just no time left for fear." Variety
Konstantin Ernst, CEO of Russia's
Channel 1, which has commissioned the
movie, played down the notion of a new
space race heating up the cosmos, noting,
"Cinema isn't sports".
"We certainly would have preferred
arriving at the International Space Station
at the same time with Tom Cruise. We
would have enjoyed shooting the film
together much better," Ernst told.
Source: Deccan Chronicle
H O R O s c O P E
ARIEs
(March 21 - April 20) : Your inspiration
and imagination are soaring today, Aries.
You may want to try an artistic project of
some kind. You could be pleasantly
surprised at the results. Your intuition is also high, and
your understanding of those around you is greatly
increased. Don't be afraid to act from instinct. This is
one of those days when it should win out over
rationality and logic!
TAURUs
(April 21 - May 21) : You look gorgeous
and feel especially sociable today,
Taurus. Don't be surprised if you either
host a social event or decide to attend
one to which you've been invited. You're always a
congenial companion, Taurus, but today more than
ever your enthusiasm is high. People will want to
enjoy your company. You may also have some
interesting information everyone will want to hear.
GEMINI
(May 22 - June 21) : Some
misunderstandings could cause
confusion in the home, Gemini. Your
intuition and insight should defuse the
situation, especially since you're more diplomatic than
usual. You could also have an artistic inspiration,
perhaps a new project that could be very important to
you. It could be important to your career or it could
open up new opportunities for you.
cANcER
(June 22 - July 23) : Social events you
attend today could put you in touch with
some fascinating people. A new
acquaintance could become a close friend.
These individuals may be highly educated in a field that
interests you or from other states or countries.
Conversation should be stimulating. Any information
gleaned could serve you well for a long time. Writing,
teaching, and publishing matters come to the forefront.
LEO
(July 24 - Aug. 23): You generally like
to think of yourself as a practical and
down-to-Earth person, Leo. Today you
might depend on intuition more than
usual. People around you might seem to be acting
peculiarly, and your insight could give you hints as
to their true motivations and how to deal with them.
Relations with colleagues could especially benefit
from this. Follow your heart!
VIRGO
(Aug. 24 - Sept. 23): Emotions
could run high among those close to
you, Virgo. It might seem like
everyone is in a bad mood! In your
own relations with them, your friendly nature
and social skills will calm them down and keep
them on an even keel, at least when you're
around! Social events may keep you busy. You
could make some valuable contacts.
LIBRA
(Sept. 24 - Oct. 23): Your warmth,
sensitivity, and understanding in your
relations with those you care about are
heightened, Libra. You should feel
especially well, as your health is good. You want to
get out and be social with friends and family. If there
are no outings planned, don't hesitate to be the
instigator. Everyone will have a wonderful time, and
your company will be greatly enjoyed.
scORPIO
(Oct. 24 - Nov. 22) : Matters of
romance, love, and marriage should go
very well for you today, Scorpio. You
should feel especially warm and
supportive. Intimate conversations come easily to you.
Make certain before you speak that you're expressing
your thoughts in the right way. There's a danger your
partner might misinterpret your words. You don't want
any upset, however temporary, to mar your day!
sAGITTARIUs
(Nov. 23 - Dec. 21): Communication
between you and a family member could
be difficult today. Your warmth and
understanding might give this person the
courage to tell you what's on his or her mind. You
might feel adventurous, Sagittarius, so you and a
romantic partner could decide to go out on the town
and kick up your heels tonight. You're both looking and
feeling good. Have a great time!
cAPRIcORN
(Dec. 22 - Jan. 20): A welcome letter,
phone call, or perhaps visit could come
from a lover or close friend bringing
interesting news. Your creative
energies are bubbling over, Capricorn, so you might
want to try writing, music, drawing, or painting. You
might send some letters, place a lot of phone calls, or
make a lot of short trips in your neighborhood,
maybe to libraries or bookstores.
AQUARIUs
(Jan. 21 - Feb. 19) : Good news
regarding money could have you
thinking in terms of freshening up
your home. You might want to do
some painting or add some small decorative
touches like art or houseplants. You might even
want to shop for some new furniture. This
promises to be a lot of fun, Aquarius, so get family
members to do it with you.
PIscEs
(Feb. 20 - Mar. 20) : A visit from a
relative or neighbor early in the day
could put you in a fantastic mood.
Perhaps this person has some
interesting news, encouraging words, or maybe a
gift. Listen and enjoy, Pisces, but beware of idle
gossip. Some of what you hear is unlikely to be
true, so it's best to keep it all to yourself. In the
evening, go out on the town!

FrIDAY, SEPTEMBEr 24, 2021
11
Assistant Commissioner (Land) and Executive Magistrate of Katiadi Upazila Md Ibrahim conducted a mobile
court at Masua Bazar on Thursday afternoon and fined two traders of Masua Bazar. Photo : Shah Md. Sarwar
Info minister
disburses monetary
aid among Khulna
journalists tomorrow
KHULNA : Information and
Broadcasting Minister Dr
Hasan Mahmud is likely to
hand out cheques among
journalists in Khulna
tomorrow as support from
Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina.
Seventy five journalists,
who are facing misery due to
Covid-19, will receive a total
of Taka 750,000, said
Khulna
deputy
c o m m i s s i o n e r
Moniruzzaman Talukder.
Dr Hasan will also visit
Khulna regional Betar center
tomorrow morning for
paying homage to the mural
of Father of the Nation
Bangabandhu Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman situated
on the Betar premises.
GD-1392/21 (5x3)
Rangpur division records 4.05pc
Covid-19 positivity rate
RANGPUR : Rangpur division recorded 4.05
percent Covid-19 positivity rate as 15 fresh
cases were reported today after testing 370
new samples at two laboratories in the
division.
"The overall Covid-19 situation, including
daily positivity rate, continues improving in
the last more than one and a half months in
the division," Focal Person of Covid-19 and
Assistant Director (Health) for Rangpur
division Dr ZA Siddiqui said.
Earlier, the daily positivity rates were 3.89
percent on Wednesday, 5.84 percent on
Tuesday, 5.95 percent on Monday, 7.06
percent on Sunday, 5.14 percent on Saturday
and 7.39 percent on Friday last in the
division.
Among the 15 new patients, nine were
reported positive after diagnosing 182 new
samples at the Covid-19 Laboratory at
Rangpur Medical College (RpMC) in
Rangpur city at the highest ever daily
positivity rate of 4.94 percent today.
"The nine new Covid-19 patients include
seven from Rangpur and one each from
Gaibandha and Lalmonirhat districts,"
Principal of RpMC Professor Dr AKM
Nurunnobi Lyzu told BSS at 5:45 pm.
On the other hand, six new patients were
reported after diagnosing 188 samples at the
Covid-19 Laboratory at M Abdur Rahim
Medical College (MARMC) in Dinajpur at
the daily positivity rate of 3.19 percent today.
"The six new Covid-19 infected patients
include one each from Dinajpur and
Panchagarh and four from Thakurgaon
districts," Principal of MARMC Professor Dr
Syed Nazir Hossain said.
Talking to BSS, Divisional Director
(Health) Dr Md Motaharul Islam said the
number of Covid-19 patients rose to 54,770
as 15 new positive cases were reported today
from across the division.
"The district-wise break up of total 54,770
patients include 12,365 of Rangpur, 3,732 of
Panchagarh, 4,395 of Nilphamari, 2,727 of
Lalmonirhat, 4,622 of Kurigram, 7,492 of
Thakurgaon, 14,597 of Dinajpur and 4,840
US soldier wins long
fight to get Afghan
translator asylum
NEW YORK : Army combat
veteran Spencer Sullivan
has never felt more
victorious.
Sullivan spent years
fighting to get his Afghan
translator asylum after his
former platoon's other
interpreter was denied a
U.S. visa before being killed
by the Taliban in 2017.
On Wednesday, Abdulhaq
Sodais was finally granted
asylum by a court in
Germany, where he was
forced to flee after being
denied a U.S. visa
repeatedly despite facing
death threats for aiding U.S.
troops during its 20-year
war in Afghanistan, reports
BSS.
Sullivan, who now lives in
Virginia, said he dropped
his phone when he saw the
text message from Sodais.
"I just started crying,"
Sullivan said.
The decision marked the
end of an eight-year journey
between the two men who
risked their lives together
trying to eliminate the
Taliban, bonding in a way
that can only be forged in
war.
Sullivan dedicated himself
to helping Sodais after
losing another translator,
Sayed Masoud, who was
killed by the Taliban in 2017
while waiting for a U.S. visa.
The former soldier is among
scores of U.S. combat
veterans who have been
working on their own to
rescue the Afghans who
served alongside them.
Is the delta variant of the
coronavirus worse for kids?
NEW YORK : Is the delta variant of the coronavirus worse for
kids? No, experts say there's no strong evidence yet that it
makes children and teens sicker than earlier versions of the
virus, although delta has led to a surge in infections among
kids because it's more contagious.
Delta's ability to spread more easily makes it more of a risk
to children and underscores the need for masks in schools
and vaccinations for those who are old enough, said Dr. Juan
Dumois, a pediatric infectious disease physician at Johns
Hopkins All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Weekly infection rates among U.S. children earlier this
month topped 250,000, surpassing the wintertime peak,
according to data from the American Academy of Pediatrics
and Children's Hospital Association. Since the pandemic
began, more than 5 million children in the U.S. have tested
positive for COVID-19.
The delta variant has been identified in at least 180
countries, according to the World Health Organization. In
many of them, the spike in infections has also meant an
increase in hospitalizations in young children and teens.
Top Pakistan diplomat
details Taliban plan
UNITED NATIONS : Be realistic. Show patience. Engage.
And above all, don't isolate. Those are the pillars of an
approach emerging in Pakistan to deal with the fledgling
government that is suddenly running the country next door
once again - Afghanistan's resurgent, often-volatile
Taliban.
Pakistan's government is proposing that the international
community develop a road map that leads to diplomatic
recognition of the Taliban - with incentives if they fulfill its
requirements - and then sit down face to face and talk it out
with the militia's leaders, reports UNB.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi
outlined the idea Wednesday in an interview with The
Associated Press on the sidelines of the U.N. General
Assembly's meeting of world leaders.
"If they live up to those expectations, they would make it
easier for themselves, they will get acceptability, which is
required for recognition," Qureshi told the AP. "At the same
time, the international community has to realize: What's
the alternative? What are the options? This is the reality,
and can they turn away from this reality?"
Formation of Leather Industry
Authority proposed
DHAKA : Speakers at a meeting today
proposed to set up a 'Leather Industry
Authority' under the Industries Ministry in
order to develop the leather industry and
solve the existing problems in the sector.
The proposal was come at the 4th meeting
of the 'Task Force on Recommendation for
Development of Leather Industry and
Formulation of Action Plan' at the Industries
Ministry conference room in the city, said a
press release.
Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud
Humayun presided over the meeting while
Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi,
Environment, Forest and Climate Change
Minister Md Shahab Uddin, State Minister
for Industries Kamal Ahmed Mojumder,
Industries Secretary Zakia Sultana, among
others, were present. Mentioning that leather
industry is a big industry and Bangladesh
should find new markets abroad, he urged
the leather traders to enhance their efforts to
expand their business.
GD-1397/21 (5x3)
He informed that the government will
provide necesary supports in this regard.
Although the tannery factories have been
shifted from Hazaribagh to the unfinished
leather industrial city, he said, work of the
Central Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP)
and other components are not yet
completed.
In this situation, environmental clearance
has been issued in favor of some tanneries,
but now it is being delayed to renew the
environmental clearance, he added.
Due to delay in obtaining renewal of
environmental clearance, he said, it is
becoming difficult to get Export Registration
Certificate (ERC) as an exporter, Import
Registration Certificate (IRC) as an importer
and clearance of duty free bond facility.
In this context, the Industries Minister
said, "We are not in favor of closing the
tannery industrial city. We have the raw
materials, we have the manpower, we have
the experience.
Security Council condemns
attempted coup in Sudan
UNITED NATIONS : The Security Council on
Wednesday condemned in the strongest
terms Tuesday's attempt to disrupt Sudan's
transition by force.
In a press statement, the members of the
Security Council reiterated their full support
to Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok in his
endeavors to see Sudan through a successful
transition in a manner that achieves the hopes
and aspirations of the Sudanese people for an
inclusive, peaceful, stable, democratic and
prosperous future, reports UNB.
The council members urged all stakeholders
to engage constructively with the national
initiative known as "The National Crisis and
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Issues of the Transition-The Way Forward,"
and further encouraged Sudan's civilian and
military actors to remain committed and
continue working in the spirit of cooperation
and collaboration to achieve the goal of
Sudan's inclusive transition as outlined in the
Constitutional Document and the Juba Peace
Agreement, said the statement.
The council members expressed their
solidarity with the people of Sudan and
affirmed their readiness to support Sudan
during the transition period, and reaffirmed
their strong commitment to the sovereignty,
independence, territorial integrity and
national unity of Sudan, it said.
we`ÿ r/Rb-155(2)/23/09/21
GD-1395/21 (6x3)
GD-1393/21 (6x3)
a

Friday, Dhaka: September 24, 2021; Ashwin 9, 1428 BS; Safar 16, 1443 Hijri
Urgent action needed to end
catastrophe in Myanmar: UN
At Kachpur in Narayanganj, garment workers staged a protest by blocking the Dhaka-Chittagong
highway on Thursday morning demanding three months' arrears. They set fire to tires and also
vandalized several vehicles.
Photo : Star Mail
Munia murder case
Bashundhara
MD seeks
anticipatory bail
DHAKA : Bashundhara Group
Managing Director Sayem Sobhan Anvir
submitted a petition to the High Court
on Thursday seeking anticipatory bail in
a case over the rape and murder of college
student Mosarat Jahan Munia in
April this year, reports UNB.
HC bench of Justice Msotafa Zaman
Islam and KM Zahid Sarwar will hear
the bail petition on September 29.
On April 26, police recovered the hanging
body of Munia from her flat in Gulshan.
Munia's elder sister Nusrat Jahan Tania
filed a case against Anvir that night accusing
him of incitement to suicide.
According to Tania, her sister Munia
was in a relationship with Anvir who
regularly visited her at the Gulshan
apartment.
On July 19, the investigating officer of
the case, Gulshan Police Station officerin-charge
Abul Hasan, submitted a final
report to the court giving a clean chit to
Anvir.
On September 6, Munia's sister
Nusrat Jahan Tania filed a rape and
murder case against Bashundhara
Group MD and seven others with
Dhaka's 8th Tribunal for Prevention of
Women and Children's Repression.
The court after recording the complaint,
directed the Police Bureau of Investigation
(PBI) to submit a report on it.
Everyone under 18
is a child: Kamal
DHAKA : Home Minister Asaduzzaman
Khan Kamal yesterday said everyone
under the age of 18 is a child in the country,
urging all to considering it.
He made the remarks while addressing
a function at the auditorium of Bir
Muktijoddha Asaduzzaman Khan
Complex at Madhubagh in the city as the
chief guest. Rapid Action Battalion
(RAB) organized the event on the occasion
of inauguration of a TVC titled
'Everyone has one commitment, juvenile
crimes to be controlled' under public
awareness activities.
"I was 15 years old when I passed SSC.
At present, those who study regularly
enter into university at the age of 18. We
think it's time to think about this 18-year
deadline," Kamal said.
He said, "This has been done by an
agreement with an international law. As
a result, law enforcement agencies are
struggling to curb juvenile crimes. So it's
time to rethink the issue."
The minister said the country has been
moving forward at indomitable pace
under the leadership of Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina and security is the first
condition to hold on it.
"But our teenagers are getting
involved in various crimes. Our fear was
that schools and colleges would remain
closed during the COVID period and
everyone would be passing leisure time.
Our country is better than many countries,"
he added.
Kamal urged all guardians to ensure
proper education to their children in
time and pay attention to establish rule
of law in the society.
Journalists working as
a supportive force for
development: Hasan
DHAKA : Information and Broadcasting
Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud yesterday said
journalists are a supportive force for the
country's development and progress.
"Journalists have been working as an allying
force for the development and progress
being conducted in the country under the
leadership of Prime Minister and
Bangabandhu's daughter Sheikh Hasina,"
he told a discussion here.
Rajshahi Division Journalists Association,
Dhaka, arranged its biannual general meeting
and a discussion on Barindra development
thoughts at the Jatiya Press Club.
Chaired by president of Rajshahi Division
Journalists Association in Dhaka
Khairuzzaman Kamal, the meeting was
addressed, among others, by general secretary
of Workers Party of Bangladesh Fazle
Hossain Badsha, organising secretary of
Awami League SM Kamal Hossain, general
secretary of Dhaka Union of Journalists
(DUJ) Sajjad Alam Khan Tapu, former secretary
general of Bangladesh Federal Union
of Journalists (BFUJ) Omar Farooq and
BFUJ treasurer Deep Azad.
Speaking as the chief guest, Hasan
Mahmud said that he thinks the country is
moving forward because of the government's
close relations with journalists.
He said that journalists run the mass
media and media is the mirror of a society.
"My request to journalists is that if there is
any wrong, it should be published. At the
DHAKA : Aggrieved E-orange customers
staged demonstrations in the capital and
tried to block a road near Matsya Bhaban,
prompting the police to charge baton on
them, reports UNB.
The customers staged the protests
seeking their money back and the repatriation
of the mastermind of fraudulent
police inspector Sohel Rana.
Witnesses said the cheated customers
of E-orange, an e-commerce platform,
formed a human chain in front of the
Jatiya Press Club at noon.
When they tried to put barricades on
the road near Matsya Bhaban around
1:30 pm, police charged baton and dispersed
them.
Police detained three people from the
spot for interrogation, Sazzadur Rahman,
DMP Ramna Division deputy commissioner,
told UNB.
"Thursday is the last working day of the
week and there was huge pressure of
vehicles on roads, so we didn't let them
block road," he said.
During demonstrations, the protesters
said as E-orange is a sister concern of
Orange Bangladesh then it must bear its
responsibility.
same time, the issues of success and development
should also be published," the minister
said.
He said that if the success stories are not
published, the image of the society and the
state will not flourish properly and it cannot
be said that the mirror is working properly.
Hasan, also the Awami League joint general
secretary, said that proper development
of media is related to flourishing of a state.
As Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina believes
in it, media flourished significantly in the
country in the last 12 years, he said.
He said that it is the reality that some
frauds are involved in flourishing media.
Hasan said that some people are using
media as shield for their self-protection and
business purposes and some are becoming
the owners of media with power of money -
they themselves are the owners, journalists
and reporters.
They collect advertisements roaming one
office to another and publish those in their
newspapers, he said, adding that they publish
100 copies of newspapers and send
those to 100 offices. Due to this, the mainstream
media have been facing challenges
and struggling to survive, he said.
The information and broadcasting minister
said that the government has taken steps to
stop publication of irregular newspapers and it
has already started a process to send letters to
the deputy commissioners asking them to cancel
declaration of 10 newspapers.
E-orange customers stage
protests, police charge baton
They also demanded the trial of all the
cases related to E-orange in speedy trial
tribunal and rejection of bail pleas of all
the accused until the issue is settled.
A Dhaka court on September 2 sent the
owner of virtual outlet e-orange Sonia
Mehzabin, her husband Masukur
Rahman and Aman Ullah, Chief
Operating Officer of E-orange, to jail in a
fraud case filed over the embezzlement of
Tk 1,100 crore from consumers.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Baki
Billah passed the order rejecting their bail
petition when they were produced before
it on completion of their 5-day remand.
Earlier on August 23, Dhaka
Metropolitan Magistrate Morshed Al
Mamun Bhuiyan placed the accused on a
5-day remand in the fraud case.
On August 17, the court sent them to
jail rejecting their bail prayers when they
surrendered to Dhaka Additional Chief
Metropolitan Magistrate Abubakar
Siddique's court.
On August 16, an aggrieved customer of
E-Orange Md Taherul Islam filed a fraud
case with Gulshan police station in presence
of 37 other customers who testified
against the accused.
Mia Seppo lauds
Bangladesh's
Covid control
DHAKA : UN Resident Coordinator in
Bangladesh Mia Seppo has appreciated
the joint efforts in testing, tracing and
treating patients, and thus keeping the
pandemic under control in Bangladesh,
reports UNB.
"I've been delighted to see how the
support provided by the United Nations
and our partners has enabled the government
to employ innovative methods of
testing, tracing and treating patients, and
thus keeping the pandemic under control
in Bangladesh," she said.
When Covid-19 arrived in
Bangladesh in March 2020, Mia said,
there were serious concerns over how
the country's health system would be
able to cope with the overwhelming
challenges posed by the pandemic.
She made the remarks after a delegation
from the Government, United
Nations, and NGO partners observed
efforts to combat COVID-19 transmission
in Dhaka. Senior Secretary of the
Health Services Division Lokman
Hossain Miah and Additional Director
General of DGHS, Prof Dr Nasima
Sultana also joined the field mission.
The Senior Secretary praised the
Government's partners for their support
in containing the pandemic in
Bangladesh. With funding provided by
the World Bank Pandemic Emergency
Funding Facility, USAID and the Foreign,
Commonwealth and Development Office
of the United Kingdom (FCDO), the government
of Bangladesh, several United
Nations agencies (FAO, UNFPA,
UNICEF, WFP and WHO), non-governmental
and civil society organizations are
conducting an innovative initiative to
reduce the transmission of Covid-19 in
communities across Bangladesh.
The programme - called the
Community Support Team (CST) initiative
- deploys teams of volunteers into
low-income urban slum communities to
help identify symptomatic Covid-19
cases and supports them and their families
with home-based case management,
hospital referral, telemedicine support,
and screens for vulnerable individuals
with pre-existing conditions such as diabetes
and hypertension.
DHAKA : UN High Commissioner for
Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on
Thursday said urgent action is needed to prevent
the situation in Myanmar from spiraling
into a full-blown conflict, reports UNB.
Her warning came in a new report from
the UN Human Rights Office detailing
widespread violations by the military
against Myanmar's people, some of which
may constitute crimes against humanity
or war crimes. "The national consequences
are terrible and tragic - the
regional consequences could also be profound,"
Bachelet said. "The international
community must redouble its efforts to
restore democracy and prevent wider conflict
before it is too late."
Released for the 48th regular session of
the UN Human Rights Council, the report
describes the situation in Myanmar, which
is also facing an economy in freefall and
the devastating impact of the COVID-19
pandemic - as "a human rights catastrophe
that shows no signs of abating."
Relying heavily on the use of lethal force
and mass arrests, military authorities have
perpetrated the vast majority of human
rights violations documented since the 1
February coup.
Serious violations have been committed -
of the rights to life, liberty and security of person,
the prohibition against torture, the right
to a fair trial, as well as the rights to freedom
of expression and freedom of peaceful
assembly. In recent weeks, there has been
further intensification of military activity, as
well as resistance by armed groups.
"There is no sign of any efforts by the
military authorities to neither stop these
violations nor implement previous recommendations
to tackle impunity and security
sector reform," High Commissioner
Michelle Bachelet said.
"This underscores the urgent need for
strong accountability measures. It also
runs in the face of commitments made to
BNP wants to halt country's
progress:Obaidul Quader
DHAKA : Awami League General
Secretary Obaidul Quader on Thursday
said when the country is moving forward,
a reactionary section, led by BNP, is trying
to halt the pace of the country's progress.
"They (the reactionary section) want
to destroy the people's properties by
destabilizing the country in the name of
movement," he told a press conference
on contemporary issues at his official
residence here.
Quader, also the road transport and
bridges minister, said coping with the
adverse impacts of the coronavirus pandemic,
the country's people have started
returning to normal life.
"In this context, it is urgent to ensure our
political stability and development-friendly
environment," he added.
Responding to an allegation of BNP that
the government has flattened the expectation
of people, the AL general secretary
ASEAN leaders to cease the violence and
begin a constructive dialogue among all
parties," she added, referring to the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
The report, which covers the period
ranging from the coup until mid-July, is
based on interviews with over 70 victims
and witnesses to human rights violations,
as well as remote monitoring, credible
open sources, and meetings with a range
of stakeholders.
When peaceful protests began nationwide
in February, military authorities initially
used less-lethal weapons in an
unnecessary and disproportionate manner
and conducted neighbourhood raids,
creating an atmosphere of terror, it said.
But the tactics swiftly evolved into systematic,
targeted killings and relying on
lethal force - including semi-automatic
rifles and snipers against protesters. More
than 1,120 people have been killed since
the coup.
said in fact the BNP itself does not value
the people's expectation.
Mentioning that Bangladesh is moving
forward at an indomitable pace in every
socioeconomic index, Quader said the
Sheikh Hasina government has awakened
hope in the minds of the country's young
generation.
About the conviction of BNP chairperson
Begum Khaleda Zia, he said by suspending
her punishment, the government
has given her the opportunity to take treatment
staying at her home.
"The BNP has no gratefulness. If the
BNP leaders had it, they would have been
grateful to the generosity of Sheikh
Hasina," the road transport minister said.
He said the BNP leaders are stating
that the government made BNP senior
vice-chairman Tareq Rahman to be in
exile but their allegation is one of their
falsehoods.
Conduct study to understand
vaccine performances, suitability
in Bangladesh : Experts
DHAKA : As Bangladesh is now administering
four types of Covid vaccines
without joining the trial of anyone,
health experts suggest conducting a
comprehensive study to know their
comparative performances and the
longevity of antibodies they produce,
reports UNB.
They said some small studies have
been conducted by different organisations
in the country with insignificant
sample size, mainly on the efficacy of
AstraZeneca vaccine, but there is no
study on other vaccines-Pfizer, Moderna
and Sinopharm.
The analysts think an inclusive study will
help understand which vaccine is most
suitable and effective in Bangladesh as the
efficacy of vaccines varies from country to
country and race to race.
Besides, the analysts also said a
nationwide serosurveillance also should
be conducted to know how much people
gained natural antibody through Covid
infection and its durability as they
believe a good portion of the population
has already been infected with the virus.
According to the Directorate General
of Health Services (DGHS), a total of
23,167,924, people received the first
dose of vaccines while 15,262,693 both
doses as of September 21.
Of the dispensed 23,167,924 first shot,
7,042,743 are of AstraZeneca jabs, while
55,852 of Pfizer, 2,578,567 of Moderna
and 13,490,762 of Sinopharm ones.
Another
5-foot-long
dead dolphin
found on
Kuakata
beach.
Locals saw it
floating at
Tetrishkani
Point on the
beach on
Thursday.
Photo: PBA