03-10-2021

Sunday

Dhaka: October 3, 2021; ashwin 18, 1428 BS; Safar 25,1443 hijri

www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www.bangladeshtoday.net

Regd.No.Da~2065, Vol.19; N o. 155; 12 Pages~Tk.8.00

international

Dubai Expo 2020 says

5 workers died on site

>Page 7

No foreign TV channel

shut in Bangladesh,

says Info Minister

DHAKA : The government did not

shut any foreign TV channel as

Bangladesh's sky is open, said

Information Minister Hasan Mahmud

on Saturday, reports UNB.

"The agents of foreign channels and

operators have stopped broadcast as they

failed to air advertisement-free programmes

or clean feed. There's no restriction

on broadcasting foreign channels that

are giving clean feed," he said.

The minister said this while talking to

reporters at Chattogram Shilpakala

Academy after attending a symposium on

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's birthday.

"Foreign TV channels have been airing

progammes in Bangladesh over the

years ignoring our law. Every year the

country is losing around Tk 2,000 crore

worth investment because of the broadcast

of foreign channels with advertisements,"

he said.

Both the foreign channels and the local

operators must abide by the country's law

to broadcast clean feed, said the minister.

Association of Television Channel

Owners (ATCO) and others concerned

have welcomed the government's initiative

and hopefully the foreign TV channels

will soon start providing clean feed

to Bangladesh, said Hasan Mahmud.

It was decided that the law would be

enforced from October 1 after a meeting

with the agents of foreign channels,

cable operators and owners of local TV

channels; and mobile courts are being

conducted accordingly, he said.

Momen vows to

bring Mohib's

killers to justice

DHAKA : Foreign Minister Dr AK

Abdul Momen on Saturday vowed to

bring the killers of Mohib Ullah to justice

soon, in his first remarks since the

Rohingya leader's murder sparked

global condemnation.

Dr Momen said that a vested quarter

killed Mohib as he wanted to return to

Myanmar, his home country. "The government

will take stern action against

those who were involved in the killing.

Nobody will be spared," he said.

On Thursday night, police registered

a murder case in connection with the

killing of Mohib Ullah at Ukhiya camp

in Cox's Bazar on Wednesday night,

reports UNB.

The FIR for murder was filed against

unknown persons at the Ukhiya police

station on a complaint from Mohib

Ullah's brother Habib Ullah, officer-incharge

Sanjur Morshed had said.

Unknown assailants gunned down the

44-year-old on Wednesday night. He

was first rushed to a local medical facility

and later shifted to Cox's Bazar Sadar

Hospital, where doctors declared him

dead on arrival.

He was buried in Lambashia camp-1

in Ukhiya upazila on Thursday afternoon

after his namaz-e-janaza, which

was attended by a large number of

Rohingya refugees from camps in

Ukhiya and Teknaf upazilas.

Zohr

04:37 AM

12:00 PM

04:05 PM

05:50 PM

07:05 PM

5:49 5:44

SPortS

Stoke end West Brom's

unbeaten start to

Championship

>Page 9

20 pc people to be vaccinated

by December under COVAX

facilities:Maleque

DHAK Health and Family Welfare Minister

Zahid Maleque has said 20 percent people

will be vaccinated by December this year

under COVAX facilities.

"As per total population of Bangladesh,

we will get COVID-19 vaccines for 40 percent

population of the country under

COVAX facilities...WHO Chief Dr Tedros

Adhanom Ghebreyesus agreed to send

coronavirus jabs to Bangladesh for our 40

percent people in phases," he said.

The comments came when the health minister

met with Director General (DG) of the

World Health Organization (WHO) Dr Tedros

Adhanom Ghebreyesus in Geneva, Switzerland

on October 1, an official release said.

During the meeting, the WHO DG lauded

Bangladesh's success to contain the

spread of COVID-19 and he assured that

WHO will extend all possible supports to

Bangladesh to fight the disease, Maleque

added.

"The WHO will provide technical support

to Bangladesh for manufacturing

COVID-19 vaccines," he said.

DHAKA : Bangladesh has expressed

concern over the increased crimes,

human and drug trafficking and unrest

in the Rohingya camps in Cox's Bazar as

their stay in Bangladesh is prolonging,

reports UNB.

Bangladesh urged Myanmar as well as

the international community to take

effective steps to sustainably repatriate

the Rohingyas to Myanmar at the earliest,

said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

on Saturday. Bangladesh is now hosting

over 1.1 million Rohingyas in Cox's Bazar

and Bhasan Char.

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul

Momen condemned the murder of

Mohib Ullah, who was a widely recognized

leader of the Rohingyas staying in

Bangladesh. Mohib Uullah was an

avowed supporter of the repatriation of

the Rohingyas to Myanmar, according to

a message shared by the MoFA on its

verified Facebook page.

The government of Bangladesh is

committed to investigating the heinous

crime and bringing the killers to justice,

the message reads.

Earlier in the morning, the Foreign

Minister vowed to bring the killers of

Mohib Ullah to justice soon, in his first

remarks since the Rohingya leader's

murder sparked global condemnation.

Dr Momen said a vested quarter killed

Referring to the success of Bangladesh to

inoculate eligible population, the health

minister said, "Bangladesh held a massive

vaccination campaign on September 28 to

bring more people under inoculation coverage.

On that day (September 28), over 80

lakh people were vaccinated across the

country."

According to the health ministry, the government

has decided to purchase 16.5 crore

more COVID-19 vaccines from China and

other countries to expedite the countrywide

vaccination campaign.

Bangladesh set a target to vaccinate the

country's 80 percent population by 2022

under an accelerated inoculation campaign,

expecting receipt of required

COVID-19 jabs within estimated timeline,

it added. Bangladesh has so far approved

eight COVID-19 vaccines to control the

deadly disease.

The approved COVID-19 vaccines are

from Moderna, Johnson & Johnson,

CoronaVac, Pfizer, Covishield, Sputnik V,

AstraZeneca and Sinopharm.

Bangladesh concerned over growing

crimes, unrest in Rohingya camps

Mohib as he wanted to return to

Myanmar, his homeland.

"The government will take stern action

against those who were involved in the

killing. Nobody will be spared," he said.

On Thursday night, police registered a

murder case in connection with the

killing of Mohib Ullah at Ukhiya camp in

Cox's Bazar on Wednesday night.

The FIR for murder was filed against

unknown persons at the Ukhiya police

station on a complaint from Mohib

Ullah's brother Habib Ullah, officer-incharge

Sanjur Morshed had said.

Unknown assailants gunned down the

44-year-old on Wednesday night. He

was first rushed to a local medical facility

and later shifted to Cox's Bazar Sadar

Hospital, where doctors declared him

dead on arrival.

He was buried in Lambashia camp-1

in Ukhiya upazila on Thursday afternoon

after his namaz-e-janaza, which

was attended by a large number of

Rohingya refugees from camps in

Ukhiya and Teknaf upazilas.

Formerly a teacher in Myanmar, the

slain human rights activist was popularly

known as Master Mohib Ullah among

the Rohingya refugees.

He was the head of Arakan Rohingya

Society for Peace and Human Rights

(ARSPH) at Kutupalong camp.

Dengue

188 more

hospitalised

Traditional

trap

(Khalshani)

to catch mola

fishes are

being sold at

villages. The

picture was

taken from

Naldanga

area of

Natore

district.

Photo :

Star Mail

art & culture

Task of direction

is very difficult,

says Babita

>Page 10

Of the 21 candidates contesting the October 7 by-election in Chattogram City Corporation's

Chawkbazar ward, 20 are associated with the Awami League. Posters of various candidates

pasted on local roads around the election.

Photo : Star Mail

DHAKA : As many as 188 new dengue

patients were hospitalized across the

country in 24 hours till Saturday morning,

reports UNB.

The death toll from the mosquitoborne

disease remained static at 68 this

year as no new death was reported during

the period, according to the

Directorate General of Health Services.

Among them, 63 people died in Dhaka

city alone, two each in Chattogram and

Khulna divisions and one in Rajshahi.

Among the new patients, 158 were

undergoing hospital treatment in

Dhaka while the remaining 30 cases

were reported from outside the division,

according to DGHS.

Some 1,004 patients diagnosed with

dengue fever are receiving treatment in

the country as of Saturday morning.

Of them, 974 patients are receiving

treatment at different hospitals in the

capital while the remaining 210 were

listed outside Dhaka.

Some 18,550 patients have been

admitted to different hospitals with

dengue since January. So far 17,478

dengue patients have left hospitals

after recovery, said DGHS.

The number of dengue patients hospitalized

in a single day was the highest

with 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.

26 ultra-low temp freezers

'boost Bangladesh's vax

storage capacity'

DHAKA : Twenty-six ultra-low temperature

freezers delivered by UNICEF through

COVAX are enabling Bangladesh to receive,

store and distribute large quantities of

COVID-19 vaccines that require ultra-cold

storage, according to the UN agency.

Each of the 26 freezers can hold over

300,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccines, supporting

administration of these jabs into

districts beyond Dhaka.

In fact, the recent COVAX shipment of

some 2.5 million US-donated doses of the

Pfizer vaccine is made possible, thanks to

this additional ultra-cold chain capacity.

"As more countries come forward

through COVAX to ensure equitable

access to the vaccines, increasing the ultracold

chain capacity in receiving countries

is of crucial importance," said Tomoo

Hozumi, UNICEF representative in

Bangladesh.

"UNICEF, as an implementing partner

of COVAX, will continue to support

Bangladesh until the end of the pandemic.

No one is safe until everyone is safe," he

added.

The delivery of 26 ultra-low temperature

freezers to Bangladesh is part of

DHAKA : Awami League General

Secretary and Road Transport and

Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader on

Saturday said BNP's weapon of movement

got rusted and their so-called

surge in movement has turned into ebbtide,

reports BSS.

He said this at a press conference at

his official residence here.

About BNP Secretary General Mirza

Fakhrul Islam Alamgir's comment that

the government fears surge of public

support in favor of BNP, Quader said

Mirza Fakhrul every day presents newer

information and sometimes his comments

even supersede imagination.

"Mirza Fakhrul Saheb can feel self-satisfaction

by making such comments.

They can make such comments to save

themselves from the wrath of their own

workers but the people know it very well

that their comments are contrary to the

reality," he said.

He said BNP feels "heart-quake" in

apprehension of their massive loss in the

UNICEF's global target of delivering 350

ultra-low temperature freezers to more

than 45 countries on behalf of COVAX.

This is an immense and unprecedented

undertaking to develop national coldchain

capacities in order to accelerate the

number of fully vaccinated people in the

shortest possible time.

As of Saturday, only 9 percent of the

population in Bangladesh has been fully

vaccinated, according to UNICEF.

COVAX aims to ensure equitable access

to vaccines and supplies, particularly to

low and middle-income countries.

"WHO highly appreciates COVAX for

extending its support to the Government

of Bangladesh," said Dr Bardan Jung

Rana, WHO Country Representative.

"Ensuring global access to Covid-19 vaccines

offers the best hope to slow down the

pandemic, save lives and secure the world

economic recovery.

Each of these freezers will play a key role

in improving the country's ultra-low cold

chain vaccine storage capacity. Ensuring

that vaccines reach everybody, everywhere

is the top priority and a critical step

towards health for all.

BNP's so-called surge in movement

turns into ebb-tide : Quader

next general elections.

"Awami League is never afraid of anything.

Bangabandhu's politics was to

march forward overcoming all obstacles

and challenges on the way of cherished

goals. Following his footprints, Awami

League is doing that politics under the

leadership of Bangabandhu's daughter

Sheikh Hasina," he said.

Quader said the people and streets of

this soil know the bravery of AL's struggle

and movements and the party's glorified

history.

On the other hand, the people also

know about BNP's reckless politics,

killing of democracy, looting and opportunist

politics, he added.

The AL general secretary said BNP's

so-called surge of public support was not

seen in any elections in the last 13 years.

They are now unwilling to take part in

polls and that is why they kept their politics

limited to mass media and social

media avoiding the political field as well

as streets, he said.

SUNDAy, OCTOBeR 3, 2021

2

Dhaka University's

'Kha' unit admission

test held

DHAKA : The admission test

of Dhaka University's 'Kha'

unit for 2020-21 academic

session was held on Saturday

in all eight divisions of the

country, reports UNB.

The total number of seats in

this unit is 2,378. However, a

total of 47,639 applicants

participated in the test.

This year, the DU entry

tests are being held outside

Dhaka as well as at the

university for the first time

considering the pandemic

situation.

. Strict hygiene rules were

maintained at all the venues

of the divisional cities.

"The exam was held are in a

peaceful environment,"

Dhaka University Proctor

AKM Golam Rabbani told

UNB.

DU Vice Chancellor

Professor Akhtaruzzaman,

pro VC (administration) prof

Dr Samad, pro VC

(administration) Prof Dr

ASM Maksud Kamal visited

the different exam centers in

Dhaka.

The entry test of Dhaka

University's 'Ka' unit was held

on Friday peacefully in all

eight divisions.

3 girlfriends go

missing from Pallabi

with cash, gold

DHAKA : Three 12th-grade

girls left their homes in the

capital's Pallabi Thursday

taking cash and gold, and have

gone missing, reports UNB.

The missing students belong

to different institutions and

are good friends.

One of their guardians said

each of the three girls left

home at around the same time

yesterday, and their phones

were switched off. Her

daughter took Tk6 lakh with

her, she said, when she left the

house her two friends

Tk75,000 and gold

ornaments.

The same guardian filed a

complaint at Pallabi Police

Station Friday accusing three

persons-Tariqul, Rakibul and

Zinia. It is alleged that they

lured the students with

promises of sending them

abroad.

Inspector (Investigation) of

Pallabi Police Station Abu

Sayed Al Mamun said there is

an investigation going on, and

interrogating a person of

interest in the case.

ARSA 'saddened'

by Mohib's death

DHAKA : Arakan Rohingya

Salvation Army (ARSA) said

it was shocked and saddened

by the killing of civil leader

Mohib Ullah by assailants in a

refugee camp in Bangladesh,

reports UNB.

Also, the group demanded

accountability for the killing

of Mohib.

"It is time for bringing the

criminals to account instead

of finger-pointing with

baseless and hearsay

accusations," ARSA said

Friday in a statement,

blaming the shooting on

"transnational border-based

criminals."

The admission test of Dhaka University's 'Kha' unit for 2020-21 academic session was held on

Saturday in all eight divisions of the country.

Photo : Courtesy

'Extortion': 2 policemen

withdrawn in Chuadanga

Two policemen were withdrawn in

Chuadanga over charges of extortion on

Friday.

Sub Inspector Rocky Mandal, in-charge of

the Hasadah police outpost in Jibannagar

upazila, and assistant sub-inspector, or ASI

Sahajul Islam, were withdrawn to Chuadanga

police lines on the instructions of the

Superintendent of Police, reports UNB.

According to sources, Rocky and Sahajul

detained four local youths Wednesday night

on narcotics charges and later let them go

after taking Tk 20,000 each from their

families. Shariful Islam, Sajal, Shafi and Rana

claimed that they were framed by the police.

Shakhari Bazaar Spending

busy hour for Puja shopping

Nakibul Ahsan Nishad; JnU

Durga Puja, the biggest festival of the

traditional Hindu community, is going to start

from October 10. Traditional devotees are

busy shopping to decorate mother Durga

before the puja.

Hindu devotees are shopping for various

types of worship items including branches,

conch shells, cloth, kittan garland, kadam

garland, bell, ghat, lamp, agardani, tagore

garland, jaber garland, crown, dhoti, Punjabi.

There are a lot of shopping going on in the

shops. Vendors around Dhaka are buying

wholesale items on the occasion of Puja.

Besides, Hindus are shopping with their

entire families from different parts of Dhaka.

However, at this time, health rules have been

ignored among buyers and sellers.

The traders said, 'This time the trade is going

well. However, after the commencement of

Shubh Mahalaya from the 8th, the sales will

increase further.

Liton Sen, owner of Ma Tara Bhandar told,

"The situation has worsened last year due to

When the information created a buzz on

Thursday, Rocky and Mandal returned the

money to the families that night.

However, they were withdrawn to

Chuadanga police line from their position at

Hasdah police outpost after senior police

officers came to know about the allegations.

Although Jibannagar police station officer

in charge (OC) Abdul Khaleq confirmed the

withdrawal, he said," Why they were

withdrawn is still not known."

Chuadanga Superintendent of Police

Jahidul Islam said the two policemen had

been withdrawn because they were being

'unprofessional'.

Specially-abled to get 5% of grants

for indigent artists: KM Khalid

DHAKA : State Minister for

Cultural Affairs KM Khalid

has said that 5 percent of the

grants for indigent artists

from the welfare grants fund

of the Ministry of Culture

would be reserved for

mentally- and physicallychallenged

people from now,

reports UNB.

KM Khalid said this at a

workshop co-organised by

Dhaka Theatre and the British

Council for the mentally- and

physically-challenged artists.

The state minister said, "I am

really impressed and

overwhelmed to see the

performances in this

workshop organised with the

participation of speciallyabled

artists. The

performances prove that they

are really talented and

creative."

The government has taken

various steps for the welfare

and proper development of

specially-abled people, he

said.

Nasir Uddin Yusuf Bachchu,

President of Dhaka Theatre

and Nahin Idris, head of arts

of British Council, Dhaka

addressed the function.

Samiun Jahan Dola, Creative

Director of Dhaka Theatre,

was present at the workshop

too.

the epidemic. This time it is a good sale and

buyers are coming from far and wide.

However, after the start of the mahalaya sales

will increase.

Bishwajit Roy, a shopkeeper at Shankha

Smriti Bhandar, said, "We sell different types

of branches, bells, pots, lamps, agardani,

tagore garlands, jaber garlands at affordable

prices. But because of corona people have less

money. But this time getting better customers

than last time.

Nipun saha, a resident of Shakhari Bazar,

has come to do puja shopping. He said he

could not shop well last time. This time Aslam

has fought for the children for himself. I

received the letter at a relatively low price.

At the last moment, busy modeller are

decorating Goddess Durga with sweetness of

mind. Paltan Pal, an idol artist from Shakhari

Bazar, said, "I have received four orders this

time." So busy time is going on. The customer

has to explain their idol within nine days. He

takes a maximum of Rs 45,000-50,000 for

making Durga Puja idols.

2 die in Magura

road accidents

MAGURA : Two people

were killed in separate road

accidents on the Magura-

Jhenaidah road on Friday.

The deceased were

identified as Amaresh Basu,

62, and Rasul Sikder, 48,

reports UNB.

Magura Sadar Police

Station Officer-in-Charge

(OC) Manjurul Alam said

Rasul died after being hit by

a moving truck while out for

a walk for along the

Magura-Jhenaidah road.

Meanwhile, Amaresh, a

fertilizer trader of

Alamkhali Bazar, was

seriously injured in the

morning when he was hit by

a Nasimon(vehicle

developed by Bangladeshi

village mechanics) on a

different stretch of the

Magura-Jhenaidah

near Rautara.

road,

RMCH counts

four more deaths

at Covid-19 unit

RAJSHAHI: Rajshahi

Medical College Hospital

(RMCH) recorded four more

fatalities at its Covid-19 unit

in the last 24 hours till 6am

yesterday, taking the death

toll to six in the last two days

of this month, reports BSS.

However, the previous

day's fatality figure was two,

while on September 23 the

death figure was just one

which was the lowest-ever in

the hospital since the second

wave of the pandemic hit the

country around six months

back.

Panel discussion on "Restoring

Tourism" held at IUBAT

Likewise, in other years, The College of

Tourism and Hospitality Management of

IUBAT-International University of Business

Agriculture and Technology is celebrating

World Tourism Day in a buffeting manner and

held a panel discussion on "Restoring Tourism"

on the occasion of World Tourism Day 2021.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a massive

social and economic impact. Both developed

and developing economies have been hit. It

marginalized groups and the most vulnerable

have been hit hardest of all. The restart of

tourism will help kickstart recovery and

growth. It is essential that the benefits this will

bring are enjoyed widely and fairly. Therefore,

the United Nations World Tourism

Organization (UNWTO) has designated World

Tourism Day 2021 as a day to focus on Tourism

for Inclusive Growth. World Tourism Day,

celebrated each year on 27 September, is the

global observance day fostering awareness of

tourism's social, cultural, political, and

economic value and the contribution the sector

can make towards reaching the Sustainable

Development Goals.

This panel discussion emphasized the

current situation of the tourism industry and

the possibilities of restoring tourism.

Government officials, WTTC Regional

Director, Academician, Researcher, Hotel

Entrepreneur delivered their thoughts on the

discussion. Dr. Mallick Anwar Hossain (Joint

Secretary of Ministry of Civil Aviation and

TourismGeorge Tziallas (Regional Director of

World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC),

International University of Business Agriculture

and Technology held a panel discussion on

"Restoring Tourism" on the occasion of World

Tourism Day 2021.

Photo : Courtesy

Monga will never return:

Agriculture Minister

DHAKA : Monga will never return to Bangladesh thanks to

various steps taken by the current regime, Agriculture Minister

Dr Muhammad Abdur Razzaque stated Friday, reports UNB.

"If we can distribute early-ripening varieties of Aman paddy

which were invented by our scientists in our northern region,

monga will not come back in future," noted the minister.

Abdur Razzaque came up with this remark while virtually

addressing a function organized by the Bangladesh Institute of

Nuclear Agriculture (BINA) in Taragonj of Rangpur to mark the

harvesting of specimens of BINA-16 and BINA-17 varieties of

paddy.

Monga refers to seasonal bouts of poverty and hunger caused

by a confluence of natural and social factors unique to

Bangladesh. Once an annual or even biannual occurrence

affecting mainly northern districts, it has been a number of

years since the last recognised monga.

Prominent academician Prof. Dr. Abdur Rab

(Vice-Chancellor of IUBAT), Mr. Md. Najmul

Huda (Director General (ITIT & ICT) of

Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Dr. Manuela

Guerreiro (Assistant Professor and Co-

Coordinator of the Research Centre for

Tourism, Sustainability and Well-Being

(CinTurs), University of Algarve) and Major

Shawkat Hossain (Retd), (CEO of Keystone

Hospitality and Property Management;

Authorized development partner of Best

Western® Hotels and Resorts) were on the

panel discussion.

The panel discussion came to an end with

some recommendations for reviving tourism.

The panelists mentioned that enhanced

coordination between the public and private

sectors is needed, people should conduct

individual risk assessments not only for travel

but also for their own safety, international

coordination framework allowing safe

movement should be imposed, the protocol

should be enhanced (protection, mask, and

vaccination) to continue supporting the

tourism sector after the outbreak of this

pandemic, special assistance should be

provided to employees, and an extensive effort

should be made to improve tourism education

and training (especially tourism research).

The panel discussion was live broadcasted

from IUBAT and CTHM's official Facebook

page and viewed by thousands of students and

audiences. CTHM Dean, Chair, Coordinator,

Faculty members were also joined at the

discussion.

Covid-19 cases climb

to 98,311 with 22

afresh in Rajshahi

RAJSHAHI: Twenty-two

more people have tested

positive for Covid-19 in five

districts of the division on

Friday, taking the caseload

to 98,311 since the

pandemic began in March

last year, reports BSS.

However, the new

fatality figure was lowestever

since the second wave

of the pandemic hit the

country around six months

back. Earlier the fatality

figure was 30 on September

29, Dr Habibul Ahsan

Talukder, divisional

director of Health, said.

Meanwhile, the

recovery count rose to

94,193 in the division after

another 23 patients were

discharged from the

hospitals on the same day.

The death toll reached

1,663, including 685 in

Bogura, 313 in Rajshahi

with 189 in its city, and 172

in Natore, as no fresh case

of fatality was reported

during the period, Dr

Talukder added.

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Traditional devotees are busy shopping to decorate mother Durga before the puja.

Photo : TBT

GD-1444/21 (7x4)

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2021

3

18th annual general meeting of LGED Kalyan Samabai Samity (LKSS) was held at LGED headquarters

on Saturday. President of LKSS Chief Engineer of Md Abdur Rashid Khan presided over the

meeting.

Photo : Courtesy

Two injured

in Dhaka

building fire

DHAKA : Two persons

suffered burn injuries in a

fire that broke out at a sixstorey

building in Dhaka's

East Tejturi Bazar area on

Friday night, following an

explosion-like sound,

police said on Saturday.

Shah Alam, inspector at

Tejgaon Police Station,

said the "explosion"

occurred at the second

floor of the six-story

building around 9.30 pm,

leaving the two injured.

One of the injured has

been identified as Yeasin

Talukdar, 31, of Chandpur.

Police are yet to confirm

the identity of another

victim, aged about 27.

Both are undergoing

treatment in the ICU of

Dhaka Medical College and

Hospital's burn unit.

Dewan Azad, duty officer

of Fire Service and Civil

Defense, said that "it is still

not clear what had caused

the explosion". "However,

a probe is on," he said.

Ex-DU prof

dies as train

rams car in

Gazipur

GAZIPUR : A retired

Dhaka University

professor was killed while

his wife and driver were

injured when a train hit

their car at an unmanned

level crossing in Kaliganj

upazila of Gazipur on

Friday.

The deceased was

identified as Abdur

Rahim Khan, 72, a

resident of NAM Garden

Officers Quarters in

Mirpur.

The accident occurred

around 6pm when the car

in which the three were

travelling fell into a

roadside ditch after being

hit by the Chattogrambound

Subarna Express

in the Nalchata area.

The impact of the

collision was such that

Abdur died on the spot,

reports UNB.

His wife Diljuara

Khanam (63) and their

driver Soleman Mia, 32,

of Barishal district,

sustained injuries and

were rushed to Kaliganj

Upazila Health Complex,

from where they were

shifted to Dhaka for

better treatment, said

Pradeep Kumar Saha,

sub-inspector at Kaliganj

Police Station.

The former DU

professor and his wife

were heading towards

Dhaka's Mirpur in their

private car from Tangail

district when the accident

occurred.

His body has been sent

to Narsingdi General

Hospital morgue for an

autopsy, the police officer

said.

RU’s 3-day admission

test from Monday

RAJSHAHI : A three-day admission test for

first year honours courses under 2020-2021

academic session at Rajshahi University (RU)

will start on Monday.

A total of 1,27,647 students are going to

appear in their admission tests against 4191

seats in 59 departments under 12 faculties and

two institutes meaning that 31 students will vie

for each seat this year, RU sources said.

Of those, 44,194 students will appear in the

test for 'C' Unit comprising the faculties of

Science and Agriculture to be held on October

4, while 43,558 students for the 'A' unit

comprising the faculties of Arts, Law, Social

Sciences and Fine Arts and Institute of

Education and Research on October 5.

Another 39,895 students will take part in

admission test under 'B' Unit consisting of

Business Studies Faculty and Institute of

Business Administration to be held on October

6.

The tests will be held in three shifts - from

9.30 am to 10.30 am, 12 noon to 1 pm and 3 pm

to 4 pm - every day.

Detailed admission related information will

be available in the admission menu of

www.ru.ac.bd - website besides its official

facebook page- University of Rajshahi.

According to the RU sources, the admission

seekers have been asked to take their respective

seats in the selected rooms before 30 minutes

of the test's start.

They were also asked to bring only the admit

card and test related documents and

instruments in the examination hall. None will

be allowed to bring any electronic devices, the

release added.

The university authorities will arrange

accommodation in common spaces, including

TV room, waiting room, hall room and prayer

room in female dormitories, for the female

students.

It has also arranged seating facilities for the

guardians in some selected places of the

campus.

Sources also said drastic action will be taken

against those who will be found involved in any

offense in the admission test.

Meanwhile, Rajshahi Metropolitan Police

(RMP) has adopted a four-tier security

measure centering the admission test.

Railway authority has cancelled the weekly

holidays of its two intercity trains on October 3

and 6 for the greater interest of smooth

movement of the admission seekers.

They will also add an extra boggy to all the

intercity trains running between Rajshahi and

Dhaka from October 2.

Learning Sharing workshop held

The Learning Sharing Workshop of the

project "Improved Weather and Flood

Information System for Community Based

Risk and Resource Management" was held

on Friday at Pan pacific Sonargaon Hotel,

Dhaka with participation of national and

international delegates from different

organizations. The project was implemented

by Regional Integrated Multi-hazard Early

Warning System (RIMES) as an initiative

under SHOUHARDO-III program of CARE

Bangladesh with financial support from

USAID and complimentary support from the

Government of Bangladesh.

The project initiated community oriented

weather and flood forecast information

services for enhanced resilience by providing

forecast based advisories for Agriculture,

Livestock and Disaster Management sectors.

It made an effort to shift the paradigm of

what weather will be" to "what the weather

will do". The project collaborated with the

Flood Forecasting and Warning

Center(FFWC) of Bangladesh Water

Development Board (BWDB) on improving

flood forecast lead time. Through this

project, a 15-day probabilistic extended

range flood forecasting system for Ganges-

Brahmaputra-Meghna basin has been

developed and incorporated with Flood

Forecasting and Warning Center (FFWC)

since 2020. The project also collaborated

with Bangladesh Meteorological

Department in implementing upazila

specific weather forecasts which was

previously available at district level. The

upazila specific forecasting system is now

operational and incorporated within the

BMD's website. Through several capacity

development training the newly developed

systems were handed over to FFWC and

BMD.

As a dissemination mechanism, the project

adopted a push based mechanism, voice

message broadcasting system for

disseminating weather & flood forecast and

forecast based advisories directly to

communities, local Disaster Management

Committees (DMC), local service providers,

union digital centers etc. A unified webbased

voice message broadcasting system

has been developed for DAE, DLS, DDM

which will enable low cost dissemination.

The system has already been handed over to

the Department of Agricultural Extension

(DAE) on 21st September, 2021. Through

interventions, the Department of

Agricultural Extension (DAE), Department

of Livestock (DLS), Department of Disaster

Management (DDM) will be able to provide

advisory based on improved weather and

flood forecasting.

The chief guest, Dr. Md. Abu Hena

Mostofa Kamal, ndc, Senior Secretary,

Ministry of Defence expressed his optimism

and enthusiasm that the learning and

experiences of the project will help in

sustainable and long lasting effect in

reducing risk and improve disaster

management capacity of communities at

risk. He emphasized that in a changing

climate more weather ready and climate

smart technologies are necessary in taking

benefit of favourable weather and reducing

risk of adverse weather conditions, to

achieve the sustainable development goals

weather and climate informed decision will

play an important role. Among others, Md.

Atiqul Huq, Director General, Department of

Disaster Management, Engr. Fazlur Rashid,

Director General, Bangladesh Water

Development Board, were also present as

special guests.

The Learning Sharing workshop was

chaired by Shamsuddin Ahmed, Director,

Bangladesh Meteorological Department.

And from Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard

Early Warning System (RIMES), Raihanul

Haque Khan, country program lead-

Bangladesh and Nazmul Ahasan Shawn,

Country IT Lead were also present. The

event was started by the opening remarks

from Director RIMES program unit, A.R.

Subbiah from RIMES headquarter Thailand.

A learning sharing workshop of the project "Improved Weather and Flood

Information System for Community Based Risk and Resource Management"

was held on Friday at Pan pacific Sonargaon Hotel.

Photo : Courtesy

JaPa secretary

general Ziauddin

Bablu passes away

DHAKA : Jatiya Party

(JaPa) Secretary General

and former lawmaker

Ziauddin Ahmed Bablu

passed away on Saturday at

a city hospital at the age of

66.

Bablu, former minister for

Civil Aviation and Tourism

and general secretary (GS)

of DUCSU, breathed his last

due to Covid-19 while

undergoing treatment at

Bangladesh Specialized

Hospital at 9:12am, JaPa

presidium member SM

Faisal Chisti told BSS.

Bablu was shifted to


Hospital in Shyamoli as his

condition deteriorated after

diagnosing him as Covid-19

positive on September 6 at a

private hospital here, he

added.

The JaPa leader is

survived by wife, a son and a

host of relatives and well

wishers to mourn his death.

His body will be taken to

the party's central office at

Kakrail at 1 pm to let Jatiya

Party leaders and activists to

pay their last respects to

him.

His Namaz-e-Janaza was

held at a mosque in capital's

Gulsan area after Isha

prayer.

Later, he will be buried at

Martyrs Intellectuals

Graveyard at Mirpur in city.

DMP arrests 79

for consuming,

selling drugs

DHAKA : Detective Branch

(DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan

Police (DMP) in an antidrug

drive have arrested 79

persons for consuming and

selling drugs in the capital.

According to a DMP

statement issued, as part of

the campaign, the police

raided different areas under

various police stations and

detained 55 drug abusers

and recovered drugs from

their possession from 6 am

on October 1, 2021 to 6 am

on Saturday.

During the anti-drug

campaign, police seized 109

grams and 223 puria (small

packet) of heroin, 15.860

kilograms of cannabis, two

bottle of phensidyl, 2.5 litre

local liquor, 12 injections,

1.200 grams ice (a new drug)

and 31,045 pieces of

contraband yaba tablets

from them, it said.

Police filed 53 cases

against the arrestees in this

connection with police

stations concerned under

the Narcotics Control Act.

SC goes into

vacation

today

DHAKA : The Supreme

Court (SC) is going into a 16-

day long vacation from

today to October 18, leaving

10 vacation benches of high

court division to deal with

the urgent matters at the

High Court.

According to the Chief

Justice's order posted on the

Supreme Court's website,

the Chief Justice has

constituted 10 benches

including 6 dual benches

and 4 single benches in the

High Court Division to

conduct judicial work in the

Supreme Court during the

vacation period from

October 3 to October 18.

These benches have been

constituted with specific

judicial jurisdiction, it

added. The Supreme Court

is expected to resume its

regular operation on

October 19.

Workshop held at DIU

A day long workshop on

'Learning Gap Mitigation

and Psychosocial Support

for Students in Post COVID-

19 Education System'

organized by Daffodil

International University's

Student Affairs was held at

the Daffodil International

University (DIU) campus in

Daffodil Smart City, Ashulia

on Saturday. More than

hundred principals and vice

principals from around the

country participated in this

workshop. The day-long

program included

workshops, open

discussions and cultural

events.

Professor Nehal Ahmed,

Chairman, Board of

Secondary and Higher

Education, Dhaka, was

present as the chief guest at

the workshop. Prof. SM

Amirul Islam, Controller of

Examinations, Prof. Abu

Taleb Md. Moazzem

Hossain, College Inspector,

Prof. Mohammad Abul

Mansur Bhunya, School

Inspector of Secondary and

Higher Secondary Dhaka

were present as the special

guests. Professor Dr. SM

Mahbub Ul Islam

Majumder, Pro Vice

Chancellor, DIU, Professor

Dr. Mostafa Kamal, Dean,

Academic Affairs also spoke

at the inaugural session of

the workshop. Syed Mizanur

Rahman Director of Student

Affairs of DIU conducted the

workshop.

While addressing as the

chief guest, Professor Nehal

Ahmed said that there is a

deficit in everything in

human life. None of us are

100% perfect. Now there is a

deficit in our education

sector. Because for the last

year and a half, our

educational institutions

were closed due to the

Corona pandemic. However,

Professor Nehal Ahmed

thinks that there is nothing

to worry about this teaching

deficit. "We will be able to

overcome the teaching

deficit in any way we can,"

he said. But the social deficit

that has been created among

the students is difficult to

overcome. He called upon

the teachers to focus on

filling this social gap.

Professor Nehal Ahmed also

said that due to extra online

bKash's internship

bNext launched

Dhaka: bKash has launched its new and flagship

internship programme "bNext" for undergraduates,

reports UNB.

Through this programme, they will get the opportunity

to make an impact by contributing to meaningful and

impactful projects.

Upon successful completion of the internship, the

interns will have a higher chance to land a job at bKash.

The programme is designed to scout out the most

talented candidates and develop their talent further

through a comprehensive learning journey.

Interested candidates will have to apply for this

internship programme by October 3.

The candidates will go through a rigorous selection

process comprising of a primary aptitude test, FGD, case

cracking and interview.

The interns will go through a comprehensive

development programme - starting from a comprehensive

induction programme to customised learning modules,

mentorship, and monthly catch-up by HRBP and project

managers.

bKash offers internship opportunities in three semesters

- spring, fall, and summer. Both local and foreign students

can apply for the internship programme.

reliance we observed social

loneliness among the

students. They are now

going to outside for meeting

with friends, but they did not

talks with each other.

Everyone is stuck on their

mobile phones. He

commented that students

need to be brought out of

this social loneliness. In the

meantime he thanked

Daffodil University for

organizing such a timely

workshop.

Pro Vice-Chancellor

Professor of DIU Dr. SM

Mahbub-ul-Haq Majumder

said, teachers are the

artisans of the nation and

leader of nation building. He

urged the teachers to come

forward to fill the gap that

has been created in the field

of education during corona

Pandemic for the last one

and half years. He stressed

on using technology to take

forward education. He

added that Daffodil

International University is a

leading university in the use

of technology. The

university has been running

online classes for more than

ten years now.

Professor Nehal Ahmed, Chairman, Board of Secondary and Higher Education,

Dhaka, Professor Dr. Mostafa Kamal, Dean, Academic Affairs of Daffodil

International University, Prof. SM Amirul Islam, Controller of Examinations, Prof.

Abu Taleb Md. Moazzem Hossain, College Inspector, Prof. Mohammad Abul

Mansur Bhunya, School Inspector of Secondary and Higher Secondary Dhaka

along with the participants of workshop on 'Learning Gap Mitigation and

Psychosocial Support for Students in Post COVID-19 Education System' organized

by Daffodil International University.

Photo : Courtesy

ULAB celebrates 17th

Foundation Day

DHAKA : University of Liberal Arts

Bangladesh (ULAB) celebrated its 17th

Foundation Day on October 1, with a special

online event, reports UNB.

British Deputy High Commissioner Javed

Patel joined the virtual event as the chief

guest, while ULAB's trustee MP Kazi Nabil

Ahmed was the guest of honour.

Prof Imran Rahman, the special advisor to

the university's board of trustees, reflected

on the journey of the varsity through which it

has positioned itself among the best in

Bangladesh, mentioning ULAB graduates

are making their mark in the jobs market.

Deputy High Commissioner Patel

congratulated ULAB for its 17 years of

successful journey. Referring to the 50 years

of partnership between Bangladesh and the

UK, he emphasised the significant links

between the two countries, particularly in

the areas of education, economic growth and

social development.

Patel also expressed his satisfaction over

the way ULAB was offering quality education

and adopted to the pandemic. Referring to

the liberal arts ethos of the university, he

emphasised the need for free thinking for

lifelong learning.

Kazi Nabil, on his part, highlighted the

contributions of the institution's founder

Kazi Shahid Ahmed, who established the

university as a place that would make a

difference and develop young minds to their

fullest potential.

In his concluding remarks, ULAB's acting

Vice-Chancellor Prof Shamsad Mortuza said,

"The university has now come of age and

wants to benchmark itself against

international standards. Our next priorities

will be internationalisation, and we are

looking for meaningful partnerships with

our international partners."

The University's new website was

launched to celebrate the occasion.

Anchored by Nadia Rahman, the virtual

event was also joined by ULAB's treasurer

Professor Dr Milan Kumar Bhattacharjee

and Registrar Lt Col Md Foyzul Islam (retd).

Kamal condoles death

of JaPa secy general

Ziauddin Bablu

DHAKA: Finance Minister

AHM Mustafa Kamal

yesterday expressed deep

shock and sorrow at the death

of Jatiya Party (JaPa) Secretary

General and former lawmaker

Ziauddin Ahmed Bablu.

In a condolence message, the

finance minister prayed for the

eternal peace

of the departed soul and

conveyed deep sympathy to the

bereaved family members.

Bablu passed away at


Hospital at 9:12am yesterday at

the age of 66 while

undergoing treatment after

being tested positive for

COVID-19.

He left behind his wife, a son

and a host of relatives and well

wishers to mourn his death.


4

Probe all war crimes in Afghanistan, no exceptions

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam

e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com

Sunday, October 3, 2021

Get rid of laws that

discriminate against males

Laws that discriminate against some while

favoring excessively others, indeed call for

rectification, reforms. restructuring, additions

or alteration or the gamut of these processes fully,

partly or any justified form. This is indispensable for

preventing sheer miscarriage of justice. The providing

of equity and justice ideally ought to be the main goal

of a legal system worth the name.

In Bangladesh, we see some laws that are to be

considered as highly discriminatory or injurious to

males. The imperative of reforming or removing such

laws have been manifest or pending for a long time.

There havebeen a spate of abuses on the rights and

liberties of the male part of the population of the

country recently.That is why it is so very important

for the judiciary of the country and the lawmakers

to give focused attention to this need with a sense

of high priority.

We, in the media, are increasingly coming across

cases where the female complainants are exploiting

the advantages that prevailing laws bestow on them at

the expense of their helpless male victims. For

example, let us take the example of the misuse or

abuse of the Women and Children Repression Act.

Undoubtedly, the Act was inspired by noble thinking.

But the idealism behind is getting misused or abused

increasingly by greedy or opportunistic women in

many cases against male targets.

In many cases the women lodge complaints in

police stations that they have been regularly raped

sexually by false promises of marriage which is a

penalty under the Act. But normally and as per

common sense, no one should have any difficulty

understanding what is willful engaging in sexual

intercourse and what not. In the cases of regular

willful engaging in intercourse by women how to

determine and by whom whether these women

submitted to intercourse for the joys of it or other

temptations or for achieving undisclosed objectives.

Normally, medical tests need to be carried out

immediately after the event to detect that rape has

actually occurred. The longer such tests are delayed,

the more difficult it becomes to determine medically

that rape has actually occurred. Thus, in many of

these cases, medical tests are ignored and only the

statements of the women are accepted in courts and

police stations about the occurrence of rapes. Thus, it

is sufficient in our setting to be able to establish that

rape has actually occurred on the basis of so called

circumstantial evidence and heresy. Needless to say

both circumstantial evidence and what some persons

may perceive or say, can be misleading and

inaccurate doing great harm and injustice to the

accused. Therefore, reforms in the law are urgently

needed to guard against false and motivated

accusations of rape.

The century old British laws that govern adultery

cases in Bangladesh are also too discriminatory

against men. The adultery laws here are interpreted to

mean that only men commit punishable offences by

engaging in adulterous acts. Thus, judges here can

rebuke an adulterous woman by writing a few

rebuking words against an adulterous woman in the

judgement but cannot order her physical

punishment like fines and jail terms. But the archaic

laws can both order penal sentences on the

adulterous man for committing adultery. Typically, a

man facing an adultery case in Bangladesh can face

jail and fine or both whereas the woman involved

fear nothing about actual punishment . She is likely

to go scot free with some moral admonition at most

probably. Needless to say, nothing can be more

unfair and discriminatory than this because

adultery is committed by two adult persons of the

opposite sexes and on grounds of fairness both

would deserve equal punishment.

Besides, the greater part of the world has moved on

and practically most of the advanced nations of the

world no more cling to the notion that there should

be anything like adultery. Thus, in the greater part of

Europe and North America today sexual relationship

between two willing persons of the opposite sexdespite

both being married or one being married to

other person/s - cannot be legally an offence

under the notion of adultery.

Religious authorities in those countries or parts of

the world may look upon such relationships with

disfavor under grounds of breaching religious

morality. But they have no power to stop the same or

punish anybody for the same. Bangladesh should do

well to be at par with the rest of the advanced world

by at least initiating immediately the moves to

sufficiently upgradeits laws dealing with so called

notions of adultery or make the same fairer.

After the messy withdrawal of the US

forces from Afghanistan last month,

which marked the end of a 20-year

foreign occupation, many unanswered

questions and unaddressed issues remain.

With the Taliban now in power and claiming

that their rule will differ from what we saw

before 2001, one would be well advised to

remain hopeful yet cautious by taking their

word with a pinch of salt. However, what is

needed to break with the past and start this

new chapter in the history of Afghanistan with

a clean slate is to hold those responsible for the

Afghan people's misery and suffering

accountable. The International Criminal

Court (ICC) has already opened an

investigation into alleged war crimes and

crimes against humanity in Afghanistan,

initiated on November 20, 2017, by then-ICC

prosecutor Fatou Bensoud and later

authorized by the Appeals Chamber of the

court, in March 2020. "The prosecutor is

authorized to commence investigation in

relation to events dating back to 2003 as well

as other alleged crimes [related to]

Afghanistan," said Piotr Hofma?ski, the

chairman of the appeals tribunal, when he was

reading out the decision on reversing an

earlier ruling by the Pretrial Chamber that

dismissed the prosecutor's motion to launch

an investigation into the Afghanistan situation

on the basis that it would not serve "the

interests of justice."

In a unanimous judgment, the five appellate

judges - from Canada, Peru, Poland, Uganda

and the United Kingdom - ruled that there was

a reasonable factual basis to proceed with

investigating alleged crimes committed in

Afghanistan since May 2003 and on the

ALFRED DE ZAYAS AND ADRIEL KASONTA

territory of other state parties to the Rome

Statute since July 2002 by the Taliban, Afghan

National Security Forces, and US military and

Central Intelligence Agency personnel.

Furthermore, the Appeals Chamber

widened the prosecutor's scope of the

investigation to include criminal acts Bensoud

might find while further probing the Afghan

case.

As far the Taliban are concerned, the

prosecutor has focused on crimes against

humanity including murder, imprisonment or

other severe depravation of physical liberty,

and persecution against identifiable groups of

civilians, including on political and gender

grounds.

According to the 2017 report issued by the

Office of the Prosecutor, the investigation

included tentative estimations that the Taliban

and its affiliated groups were responsible for

17,000 civilian deaths, 7,000 of which were

the result of deliberate and targeted civilian

attacks, including attacks on schools, shrines,

mosques, and humanitarian organizations'

offices.

The Afghan security forces were

investigated for several war crimes against

hundreds of civilians: torture and cruel

treatment; outrages upon personal dignity,

such as humiliating and dehumanizing

abuses; and sexual violence. When it comes

to the US, the prosecution at that time said,

"There is reasonable basis to believe that, since

May 2003, members of the US armed forces

and the CIA have committed the war crimes of

torture and cruel treatment, outrages upon

personal dignity, and rape and other forms of

sexual violence pursuant to a policy approved

by US authorities."

Although the US is not a party to the Rome

Statute and has not consented to its

jurisdiction, the statute provides for the ICC's

jurisdiction over nationals of non-state parties

for conduct occurring in the territory of state

parties.

In this particular case, drawing upon a 2014

report published by the US Senate Select

Committee on Intelligence, US military and

intelligence personnel committed torture on

Afghan territory and the territory of other

parties to the Rome Statute, namely Lithuania,

Poland and Romania.

The ICC report published in 2016 confirmed

there was a reasonable basis to believe the US

military had committed torture at secret

detentions, known as "black sites," created by

NANCY A. RUHLING

the George W Bush administration and

operated by the CIA. As British human-rights

lawyer Karim Khan is the new ICC prosecutor,

the authors of this article appreciate the fact

that he has recently decided to file an

application to resume his office's investigation

into alleged atrocities committed in

Afghanistan since July 1, 2002. Nevertheless,

we are disappointed with its inexplicably

selective nature, and agree with Patricia

Gossman, the associate director for Asia at

Human Rights Watch, who told The

Associated Press that it was a "really

disturbing statement by the prosecutor to say

the investigation will only prioritize some of

the parties to the conflict - and in particular

seemingly to ignore entirely the very serious

allegations against US forces and CIA."

The ICC has been part of the global justice

system since 2002, and it is designed to

prosecute those responsible for genocide,

crimes against humanity, and war crimes as

the court of last resort.

To the detriment of its reputation,

historically, it has predominantly prosecuted

individuals from Africa, with some legal

scholars even arguing that it has turned to be a

tool in the hands of the Global North to single

out crimes exclusively committed in the

Global South.

By focusing on all the suspects to the Afghan

conflict, the ICC would not only restore its

credibility as an independent international

court and hope that everyone is equal before

the law but, most important, clear the way for

a truly new beginning for the Afghan people -

something they desperately need and deserve.

Source: Asia times

Banana Island in Lagos is a Billionaire's Paradise

Banana Island, which is Nigeria's

answer to Paris's Seventh

Arrondissement, San Diego's La

Jolla, New York City's Tribeca and Tokyo's

Shibuya and Roppongi, is a small manmade

island in the Ikoyi neighborhood of

Lagos. Completed in 2000, it's a

billionaires' paradise populated by the

country's richest and most well-known

families, who savor its quiet, peaceful

atmosphere far from the clamor and

crowds of Lagos, the country's largest city

and financial center.

Its name comes from its distinct shape.

The 1.63-million-square-meter sandfilled

island in Lagos Lagoon is a little

more than 5 miles east of Tafawa Balewa

Square, the commercial and ceremonial

heart of Lagos. A dedicated road connects

it to a network of roads near Parkview

Estate. First Avenue in the north and

Second Avenue in the sound merge and

run around its perimeter.

As in the rest of the country, real estate

prices on Banana Island are based on the

value of the land, which according to

Roberta Nouboue, managing director of

Madingwa Real Estate, is NGN400,000

(US$1,101 per square meter).

Ms. Nouboue said prices for detached

houses, which rarely come on the market

because there are not many on the island,

start at NGN1 billion (US$2.75 million).

The most expensive listing now on the

market, NGN5 billion, is for a sixbedroom

detached house on 2,600 square

meters of land, she said.

She added that four-bedroom, singlefamily

terrace/townhouses that are on

average 400 square meters and are on

1,000 square meters of land generally

range from NGN350 million to NGN500

million. One current listing, she said, is for

NGN750 million. That's the price for each

of the twin townhouses on 600 square

meters of land. The island also has three

prominent condo developments: Ocean

Parade Towers, Bella Vista Towers and

Lakepoint Apartments. "There are more

apartments and terrace houses than

detached single-family homes because

land is so scarce and land prices are so

high," Ms. Nouboue said. "Most of them

are owned by individuals and rented out

to tenants who pay NGN25 million to

NGN30 million annually."

She said it's possible to buy a unit for

about NGN363 million "because value has

dropped significantly in the last three

years with the devaluation of the naira. It's

illegal to market real estate in anything

but naira." Of the three condo

developments, Ocean Parade is

considered the most top-notch, she said,

because of its many amenities, which

include tennis courts, an Olympic-size

pool, two gyms and children's areas.

A six-bedroom detached mansion that

recently sold for NGN5 billion

(US$13,774,100).

Madingwa Real Estate Housing Stock

As originally planned, Banana Island

was to be an uber-exclusive enclave of

single-family detached estates divided

into 535 property plots that ranged from

1,000 to 4,000 square meters. House

heights were to be capped at three stories.

In a unanimous judgment, the five appellate judges - from Canada,

Peru, Poland, Uganda and the United Kingdom - ruled that there was

a reasonable factual basis to proceed with investigating alleged crimes

committed in Afghanistan since May 2003 and on the territory of

other state parties to the Rome Statute since July 2002 by the Taliban.

The first homes were built on the south

side of the island, but as land prices

skyrocketed through the years, high-rise

condo developments were built on the

north side, which also houses the area's

commercial corridor. There are three

mixed-use high-rises-the Adunola, the

oldest, and Lakepoint Towers and

Desiderata, which were built in the last

two years.

"The first houses that were built are in

British and Dubai traditional styles," Ms.

Nouboue said. "They are very ostentatious

and have nice gardens. The newer ones

are more modern, with straight angles,

and they are less elongated because they

are on less land."

Buyers have a choice of two- to fourbedroom

en-suite flats, maisonettes and

terrace houses, added Charles Onyenze,

an associate at Knight Frank. "Typically, a

very large percentage of homes are

customized, while a few are large estates

accommodating a number of prototype

houses," he said. "Banana Island is a piece

of heaven in the middle of noisy Lagos,"

said Ms. Nouboue, adding that the island

has two parks. "It offers security,

tranquility and privacy. To get to the

island, you have to pass through a security

gate. It's by invitation only."

She added that because there is not

much car traffic, "you can jog in peace."

Mr. Onyenze said the island's security

network, good roads, 24/7 street lighting

and proximity to the waters of Lagos

Lagoon make it special. It also offers

status. "Having a presence in Banana

Island is an indication of your societal

class," he said.

Although Banana Island's main street

offers little more than a café, a barbershop

and a large supermarket, chic shopping

areas and restaurants on Victoria Island

are only a 12-minute car ride away.

Her favorite restaurants include NOK

by Alara, which serves new African

cuisine; Z Kitchen, which offers succulent

steaks; and R.S.V.P., which specializes in

international dishes.

"R.S.V.P. is a great place to go on Friday

nights," she said. "It's elegant, and they

invite the biggest DJs in the world. They

serve cocktails, and there's a pool."

For art, residents head to Ikoyi, which is

five minutes away by car. It is home to

Arthouse Contemporary, a local auction

house; the Wheatbaker hotel, which holds

art exhibits and art-related events; and the

Nigerian National Museum, which

features the best in Nigerian art.

Ikoyi also is a shopping destination.

Exclusive shops include the handbag

purveyor Zashadu, the high-fashion

clothier named for the Nigerian designer

Ejiro Amos Tafiri, and the

functional/fashionable clothing designs of

Grey. Ms. Nouboue also praised Alara, the

Victoria Island shop that celebrates

African craft. "It's a beautiful concept

store designed by architect David Adjaye,

and it has everything from fashion to

furnishings," she said.

Although Banana Island School, which

enrolls boys and girls who are 1 to 5 years

old, and Olive Dale Preparatory School,

which is a nursery-through-primary

school, are the only ones on the island,

there are a variety of top-notch schools in

Ikoyi. They include Lagos Preparatory &

Secondary School, a co-ed day school for

students 18 months old to over 16 years;

the British International School, a British

curriculum secondary school for students

7 through 13 years old that offers a

boarding option; and St. Saviours, a

British curriculum school for children up

to 6 years of age.

"Most of the schools stop at the primary

level because people tend to send their

children to boarding schools in the U.K.

and the U.S.," Ms. Nouboue said.

Residents also are attracted to the hightech

infrastructure on the island that's not

available in the rest of the country.

Banana Island's electrical and water

systems are underground, there's a

They include Lagos Preparatory & Secondary School, a co-ed day

school for students 18 months old to over 16 years; the British

International School, a British curriculum secondary school for students

7 through 13 years old that offers a boarding option; and St.

Saviours, a British curriculum school for children up to 6 years of age.

central sewage system and treatment

plant as well as street lighting and satellite

telecommunications networks.

In addition to Nigeria's wealthiest

people, Banana Island draws a variety of

ex-pats from the United States, Britain,

Lebanon, India and France. They work for

multinationals as well as the mega

mobile-network operator Etisalat Nigeria;

Airtel Nigeria, the provider of prepaid,

postpaid mobile and 4G services; Ford

Foundation Nigeria, a nonprofit whose

mission is to advance human welfare; and

the law firm of Olaniwun Ajayi & Co.,

which all have headquarters there.

"A big set of people are tenants in the

high-rises," Ms. Nouboue said. "Most of

the owners of single-family homes live

here full time, but they also have houses in

the U.K. or the U.S.."

The island is ideal for families, she said,

adding that the residents are well

established and around 45 years old.

Mike Adenuga, the billionaire owner of

Globacom, the country's second largest

telecom operator and of the oil

exploration firm Conoil, lives on the

island, according to Ms. Nouboue and

published reports.

So, according to published reports, does

Iyabo Obasanjo, daughter of the former

president Olusegun Obasanjo; Sayyu

Dantata, son of Alhassan Dantata, who,

when he died in 1955 was one of the

wealthiest men in West Africa; Kola

Abiola, the son of the

businessman/politician MKO Abiola;

identical twins Peter and Paul Okoye, aka

P-Square, the Nigerian R&B duo; and

Nigerian mega-blogger Linda Ikeji.

When Banana Island was built nearly

two decades ago, there was no other

luxury spot like it in Nigeria, but it now

has competition. Ms. Nouboue said that

Eko Atlantic City, a 10-district, 10-squarekilometer

luxury high-rise community

being constructed on Victoria Island on

land reclaimed from the Atlantic Ocean,

has created a sea change in the Banana

Island market even though only the first

buildings have been completed.

"It looks more like Miami, and the expats

are starting to like it more," she said,

adding that the project is due to be

completed in about 15 years. "As Banana

Island did in the beginning, it restricts the

types of homes that can be built. Built on

a beach, it has water views and roads like

those in the U.S. It has not impacted the

prices in Banana Island significantly,

though the fact that there are more

options in the luxury market has definitely

reduced the high and fast increase of

prices that we could have noticed a decade

ago." Ms. Nouboue said that the prices at

Eko are higher than those at Banana

Island, adding that it's not unusual for a

flat to be listed for NGN1billion.

"Banana Island is all about location,"

she said. "It offers easier access to the

mainland, and it's closer to the airport.

But the habits of people change. Everyone

wants smaller homes because their kids

leave and more people are selling their

mansions to live in three-bedroom flats,

where they don't have to worry about

maintenance and using a generator for

electricity." Mr. Onyenze remains

convinced that the "real estate market

looks promising in the future, as there are

visible signs of massive development in

progress." He conceded that prices have

dropped about 30%, but said that "the

economy will improve. It will not be

slowed down in perpetuity."

He said Banana Island's exclusivity

always will remain attractive to "the

highest echelon of the society."

Mr. Onyenze conceded that prices have

dropped about 30% in the last three-anda-half

years because of a combination of

factors, including the devaluation of the

naira, decreased prices for crude oil,

inflation, high interest rates, job cuts and

divestment by multinational

organizations from the Nigerian

economy.

But he said that he's optimistic that "the

economy will improve. It will not be

slowed down in perpetuity."

He pointed to recent reports by the

National Bureau of Statistics that

indicated that the non-oil sector, which

includes construction and real estate,

grew by 2.05%, and that the Nigerian

recession ended in the fourth quarter of

2017. Given all these factors, he said

Banana Island's exclusivity always will

remain attractive to "the highest echelon

of the society."

Source: Al zajeera

sUnDAY, oCToBeR 3, 2021

5

DeveloPmenT Desk

One of the biggest issues at Cop26 is climate

finance, the funding that is supposed to be

provided by the rich world to developing

countries to help us cut greenhouse gas

emissions and adapt to the impact of the

climate crisis.

Back at the Copenhagen Cop in 2009, we

were promised at least $100bn (£74bn) a

year in climate finance by 2020 and every

year after that to at least 2025. But that

target has been missed. Recently, we saw an

OECD report which found that in 2019 only

about $80bn was provided.

These sorts of sums might sound small

compared to what big countries are

spending on Covid, but they would make a

huge difference to us on the ground. The

extreme weather that has been seen around

the world in the past year, follows years of

hurricanes, tropical storms, floods,

droughts and all sorts of damage, which

were caused by climate heating - as the

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate

Change has made clear.

Keep in mind that this promised climate

finance is additional to what developing

countries are spending on the climate

themselves. An increasing proportion of

national budgets are used dealing with the

effects of the climate crisis - such as coping

with natural disasters or repairing the

Covid antiviral pill halves

hospitalisations and deaths

HAnnAH DevlIn

The first pill to treat

coronavirus could be available

within months after it was

found to cut hospitalisations

and deaths by half.

If approved, the antiviral

drug would be the first simple

pill shown to be effective

against Covid-19 and would

mark a major advance in the

fight against the pandemic.

Other drugs such as

dexamethasone are already

saving the lives of the sickest

patients in hospital but need

to be given as injections or IV

infusions.

The latest drug, made by

Merck, known as MSD

outside the US, and

Ridgeback Biotherapeutics,

would be the first that could

be taken by at-risk patients at

home. Merck said it would

apply for emergency use

authorisation for the drug in

the US within the next two

weeks and seek the green light

for use in several other

countries.

Experts anticipate that if

further data supports the

initial clinical trial results, the

pills could be approved for

treating high-risk patients

within weeks of an application

being made.

"It exceeded what I thought

the drug might be able to do in

this clinical trial," said Dean

RAnJAn PAnDA

Cities are growing by leaps and bounds.

Currently, almost 55 percent of the global

population lives in cities. This figure is

estimated to grow to 68 percent by 2050.

In this decade, which is also the 'Decade

of Action' to accelerate the pace of actions

to meet the Sustainable Development

Goals (SDGs), every region in the world is

going to urbanize fast. However, it is

estimated that 96 percent of this urban

growth will take place in the less

developed regions of East Asia, South

Asia and Africa with three countries-

India, China and Nigeria-accounting for

35 per cent of the total increase in global

urban population from 2018 to 2050.

Cities are the most happening places as

economies and aspirations meet there.

But then, they are developing at the cost

of the rural areas and local ecosystems. As

rural people migrate into cities in large

numbers, and as cities aspire to grow

more, cities are battling with many

challenges. Cities have not only become

symbols of prosperity but also

synonymous to some of the world's

biggest challenges such as poverty,

gender-based discrimination, inequality

in several fronts including water and

sanitation and increasing vulnerabilities

due to climate change impacts such as sea

rise, extreme precipitation events

induced flash floods, heat stress, so on

and so forth.

On the 2nd of September, Governor of

New York Kathy Hochul declared a state

of emergency to help New Yorkers

affected by hurricane Ida. The hurricane

unloaded a catastrophic deluge that,

according to some climatologists, should

only occur once over a 200-to-500 year

period. However, that has become a

regular phenomenon now. "More than 7

inches of rain fell in Central Park over a

period of 12 hours, with 3.15 inches of it

pouring down in a single hour, setting a

Li, the vice-president of

Merck research. "When you

see a 50% reduction in

hospitalisation or death, that's

a substantial clinical impact."

The trial tracked 775 adults

with mild to moderate Covid,

who were considered higher

risk for severe disease owing

to health problems such as

obesity, diabetes or heart

disease. Half were given a fiveday

course of the pill, called

molnupiravir, which comes in

the form of small brown

capsules taken twice a day.

Fifty-three patients (14%) in

the placebo group were

hospitalised, compared with

only 28 (7%) of those who

received the drug. There were

no deaths in the drug group

after that time period,

compared with eight deaths in

the placebo group, according

to Merck.

Poor countries must not be forced to

take on debt to tackle climate crisis

damage.

We understand that developed countries

are busy, putting their own economies back

in order after Covid, and that's why we have

not had much progress on climate finance

ahead of this Cop. But $100bn is a drop in

the ocean, and that figure is not the only

story here: the money is not spread evenly.

The biggest developing countries take

most of the available funds. They can attract

funding easily and have the infrastructure

and renewable energy projects, such as

wind farms and solar, that need investment

and make a profit - which investors like.

But for us, who are nano-emitters on a

global scale, cutting emissions is not a

priority. Adaptation is.

What is worse, a lot of the money is

coming in the form of loans, not grants -

about two-thirds of climate finance is loans.

This is creating a climate debt trap. We are

already in a debt trap because of Covid, and

it's getting worse. How do you expect us to

merck said it intended to apply 'as soon as possible'

to health regulators around the world to

authorise the drug's use. Photograph: AP

The data from the study was

made public in a press release

on Friday and has not yet

been peer-reviewed.

However, an independent

group of medical experts

monitoring the trial

recommended stopping it

early because the interim

results were so encouraging.

Prof Peter Openshaw, of

Imperial College London,

described the result as

"remarkable if confirmed",

adding that disappointing

trials of other antiviral drugs

such as remdesivir had

lowered expectations of a

breakthrough. "We don't

really expect to see such

impressive data from an

antiviral," he said.

Prof Peter Horby of the

University of Oxford, said:

"It's really encouraging to see

some positive clinical data in a

How to meet climate and SDG

goals together for cities

new record that was only just broken

during Hurricane Henri last month", the

CNN reported. City leaders were caught

completely off guard, the agency said.

"In the past two weeks, New York City

has had three of its top 20 heaviest onehour

downpours on record; four of the

top 20 have come this year. On Aug. 21, it

received 1.69 and 1.84 inches in back-toback

hours. Another top-20 one-hour

rainfall occurred on July 8, when 1.54

inches fell in a single hour", reported the

Washington Post. About 50 people were

said to be dead as an impact of this

hurricane that brought heavy flooding

rainfall that outsmarted one of world's

The island of Barbuda after Hurricane Irma. The intensity of tropical storms will be

increased by global heating.

Photograph: Jose Jimenez/Getty Images

trial. If the results hold out

this would be a very positive

result."

Horby said caution was

needed, however, as with

relatively small numbers

involved the efficacy figure

can wobble up and down

based on the outcomes of just

a handful of patients.

Only limited information on

side-effects was made public

in the press release, but the

company said rates were

similar between the placebo

group and the treated group.

Finding a convenient pill

that patients can take at home

is a widely held ambition. A

stated goal of the UK

government's antivirals

taskforce when it was

launched in April was to find

two such drugs with a view to

deploying them over the

winter.

Eddie Gray, the chair of the

taskforce, described the

results as "exciting" but would

not confirm if the UK has

preordered doses of the drug

or how an emergency

approval process for the drug

would be handled in the UK.

The US government made

an advance purchase of 1.7m

doses of the drug at a cost of

$1.2bn, and the company said

on Friday it would use a

"tiered pricing approach" to

reflect countries' ability to pay

for the drug.

best sewer systems and the subway's

water pumping mechanism.

As I write this piece, here in India, the

capital city of Delhi is going through a

historical weather moment. Abundance

of rainfall has crippled water supply of

many parts of the city. Till mid-

September, Delhi has received 1,160.8

mm of rainfall, the highest since 1964 and

third highest since records have been

kept by the Indian Meteorological Dept.

Experts believe due to late withdrawal of

monsoon, that's expected by the end of

third week of September, Delhi will

receive more rainfall. The capital city has

already witnessed several spells of floods

s m AkAsH, CHATToGRAm BUReAU

Numerous talented

politicians and thousands of

social reformers have worked

to build a modern and livable

Bangladesh

since

independence, some of them

at the national level and some

at the local level. Raozan is an

upazila near the port city of

Chattogram. It has a

municipality town full of

natural beauty and resources.

The mayor of this

municipality, Jomir Uddin

Parvez, whose dedicated

efforts and thousands of

sacrifices have paved the way

for success, is today a road

map and milestone for the

new generation.

In a close conversation with

The Bangladesh Today, he

talked about the ups and

downs of his life. The mayor

was born on September 10,

1973 at Raozan Municipality

of Chattogram District. He is

the son of late Nurul Haque

Chowdhury and late Lutfar

Nessa.

Mayor Parvez has been

involved in student politics

since his student life. His love

for the country grew when he

heard the story of

Bangabandhu Sheikh

Mujibur Rahman and the war

of liberation from his mother

and grandfather Professor

Mohammad Khaled. Parvez

was a colorful student leader.

While doing Politics under

Bangladesh Awami League he

has been tortured many times

by the oppositions. He served

as Chattogram North District

BCL Vice President (2002),

Asistant Secretary (1999),

Raozan Upazila BCL

and related woes including water logging

of several areas and traffic problems on

the streets. The Delhi deluge has

disrupted piped water supply to many

parts of the Southwest Delhi and it's

going to continue till the end of third

week tentatively.

Such extreme events can impact cities

in many ways. The most recent report of

the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate

Change (IPCC) has concluded, based on a

mammoth scientific review of hundreds

of scientific researches, that humancaused

greenhouse gas emissions have

"led to an increased frequency and/or

intensity of some weather and climate

each city should have two plans ready within a year. one, a sDG plan and two, a climate action plan.

Photo: Collected

Jomir Uddin Parvez: an inspiration

President (2003), Publicity

Secretary (1995), Raozan

College BCL President (1993),

General Secretary (1991),

Raozan Union BCL Vice-

President (1991) and vicepresident

of Raozan Suresh

Vidyalaya Chhatra League

(1987).

Presently he is serving as an

executive member of Raozan

Upazila Awami League and

the President of Upazila Jubo

League. He also have been

elected as the nominated

candidate of Bangladesh

Awami League in Raozan

municipal election. As the

mayor of the municipality, he

is faithfully fulfilling his

responsibilities. For his public

welfare works, Parvez has

been awarded the National

Medal by the Honorable

Prime Minister several times.

In recognition to his special

contribution in the field of

education, he received the

National Primary Education

Medal 2012. On the other

hand in the year of 2014 he

received the Prime Minister's

National Award for his special

contribution in tree planting

and environmental

protection, and again received

award in 2019 in the same

category. He visited

Singapore in 2015 under the

supervision of the

Government of the People's

Republic of Bangladesh and

for country’s youth

extremes since pre-industrial times". This

report strengthens the conclusion of the

IPCC's 2018 special report on 1.5C of

warming that "even relatively small

incremental increases in global warming

(+0.5C) cause statistically significant

changes in extremes on the global scale

and for large regions".

In response to the latest disaster in New

York, Errol Louis of the CNN said, "New

Yorkers needed a mayor focused less on

the big picture and more on the

immediate crisis with matters like

communications, contingency plans and

basic preparedness." I would say, both

are important. Committing to emissions

reductions and at the same time taking

local steps to adapt to climate change

have become essential for cities at a time

when climate change is outsmarting the

smartest of cities.

Delhi's State Action Plan on Climate

Change (SAPCC) already recognizes the

weather extremes and various impacts of

climate change. The government seems

to be giving a big push to renewable

energy. A vulnerability assessment of the

Mumbai city by World Resource Institute

(WRI) finds out that India's commercial

capital is facing substantial increase in

extreme rainfall events in recent years.

The city is formulating its climate change

action plan that is expected to be ready by

November this year.

In fact many cities in the world have

started taking local climate actions.

Starting from undertaking emissions

inventories and developing reduction

targets, cities have gone into taking

several adaptation measures. Such local

actions could be strengthened if cities

understand their relationship with nature

and work to conserve ecosystems. The

2020 World Cities Report says that urban

areas that have adopted compact and

mixed land uses are able to reduce per

capita rates of resource use and

greenhouse gas emissions. "When

take on more loans, get ourselves even

deeper into debt, for something we did not

cause in the first place?

The UN secretary-general, António

Guterres, has called for 50% of climate

finance to go to adaptation, which would

benefit us and ensure that more of the

money is spent with the least developed

countries, not just the middle-income

countries.

Here's another idea: developed countries

could agree debt-for-adaptation swaps. So

instead of developed countries insisting

that we repay our current loans in hard

currency, which is difficult for us, those

repayments could be converted into local

currency and spent locally on adaptation.

That would boost our economy, save us

from having to raise hard currency to repay

loans, and make us better able to withstand

extreme weather. This idea has been put

forward by Germany and we hope other

countries will take it up.

Jomir Uddin Parvez, the mayor of Raozan

municipality of Chattogram. Photo: TBT

obtained the certificate with Minister Sheikh Hasina

distinction.

Mr Parvez was elected a

councilor for the first time in

visited the hospital twice to

monitor his condition and

made sure he gets proper

the municipal elections held treatment. Although he

in 1999 during the foundation

of Raozan municipality and

later served as a councilor in

survived but still carrying the

wounds in the place where he

was shot.

2004, 2010 and 2014 Despite the torture and

respectively. He was shot oppression, he has lived a

during the Raozan College political life from being

Student Parliament elections involved in politics of the

and was admitted to Awami League. He did not

Chattogram Medical College

Hospital for two months in

1992. During that time the

lose hope even after suffering

so much in life. He is writing

impeccable stories with new

then Leader of the enthusiasm. A message to the

Opposition, Awami League

President and current Prime

younger generation,'It is not

over until it is over'

nature-based solutions are incorporated

into design and management, urban

areas can benefit from multiple

ecosystem services including carbon

sequestration, local climate regulation,

storm water capture and water and air

purification", recommends the report.

The WI advocates the need to

safeguard and restore wetlands to reduce

CO2 emissions, protect cities and shores,

maintain biodiversity, combat

desertification, and provide clean water

and food; all issues that are included in

the SDGs.

Loss of wetlands have reduced capacity

of the cities to cope with extreme weather

conditions. These sponges in the cities to

absorb excessive rainfall have been lost to

a large extent and that has given rise to

multiple problems. This is also one of the

causes of the increased heat stress in our

cities. I am really happy to learn that the

Delhi government has set a two-year

deadline to recharge and rejuvenate 22

lakes and 200 water bodies. In another

important city of India, Bengaluru,

environmentalists and concerned citizens

have knocked the doors of judiciary to

restore lakes. Thanks to the Karnataka

High Court, the lake division of the

Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike

(BBMP) has appointed special officers

with magistrate powers to evict

encroachers and resolve conflicts around

lakes. Such orders of the judiciary should

serve as an enabling factor for other cities

to help free their wetlands of

encroachment and conflicts.

These two plans should be working

together to help the cities tide through

climate change impacts that are

outpacing their progress and causing

immense damages not only to the

infrastructure but also to the people,

especially the ones in the poor pockets or

informal settlement areas. And that

would help cities meet the SDG goals.


6

Former state minister for textiles and jute Mirza Azam MP as the chief guest addressed a tri-annual conference

of Gunaritala Union Awami League at Islamabad Wasim Uddin High School ground in Madarganj upazila on

Friday.

Photo: Julfiqar Bablu

Corrupted people have no place

in Awami League: Mirza Azam

JULFIqAR BABLU, MADARGANJ CoRRESPoNDENT

Former state minister for textiles and

jute and organizing secretary of the

central committee of the Bangladesh

Awami League, Mirza Azam MP, said

the process of dismissing corrupt and

infiltrators is underway in the Awami

League. There will be a new committee

through the council, there will be no

place for corruption. The grassroots

leaders and workers of the Awami

League are energized today with the

firm attitude of the Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina.

Mirza Azam MP said this at the triannual

conference of Gunaritala Union

Awami League at Islamabad Wasim

Uddin High School ground in

Madarganj upazila of Jamalpur on

Friday afternoon.

Gunaritala Union Awami League

President Mostakim Billah Lulu Ansari

presided over the function and General

Secretary Aminul Islam Jewel

moderated the function. Among others,

Jamalpur District Member of

Parliament Engineer Mozzzaffar

Hossain, Awami League President Adv.

Muhammad Baki Billah, General

Secretary and Chairman of the District

Council Farooq Ahmed Chowdhury,

District A-League Joint General

Secretary Abu Saleh Shafi Genda were

also present at the occasion.

A view exchange meeting organized by Nakla police station was held on Saturday on the occasion of Durga

Puja 2021.

Photo: Shahjada Swapan

Rehabilitation offers obstetric fistula

patients normal life in Rajshahi

RAJSHAHI: Many obstetric

fistula patients have been

getting their normal life back

thanks to different

rehabilitation works

including surgical repairing

in the region for the last

couple of years as various

organizations have been

implementing need-based

programmes in this regard,

reports BSS.

Diversified rehabilitation

works are being executed on

behalf of a project titled

"Elimination of Genital

Fistula by Capturing,

Treating, Rehabilitating and

Reintegrating in Bangladesh

(FRRei)" to mitigate the

health related problem.

Project Manager Mahatab

Liton told BSS that the

project is being implemented

in different districts,

including Rajshahi, Bogura

and Sirajganj, of the region

with the main thrust of

reducing the prevalence of

fistula.

"We are giving main focus

on identifying cases from the

community, referral for

diagnosis,

timely

management, motivation,

counseling, follow up and

comprehensive rehabilitation

and reintegration to free the

society from obstetric fistula

by 2030," he added.

The people living in char

and hard-to-reach areas and

ethnic communities are

identified as the most

vulnerable to the disease.

So, utmost efforts are being

given on bringing them

under rehabilitation

activities, Liton said.

Around 1,500 patients were

rehabilitated after surgical

repairing and incomegenerating

training and

activities in the Lamb

Hospital under the project

being implemented with

financial support of UNFPA

Bangladesh.

"We are attending fistula

patients, who are being

victimized by unsafe cesarean

operation, and working to

give them back to normal life

through surgical repairing at

present," said Dr

Nazmunnahar Tara,

Assistant Professor in the

Department of Gynecology

and obstetrics of Rajshahi

Medical College and

Hospital. She said ensuring

safe surgery has become an

urgent need to eradicate

surgical fistula as it's one of

the most serious and tragic

childbirthbinjuries which

leave women into chronic

medical problems,

depression, social isolation

and deepen poverty.

Dr Tara also clarified

obstetric fistula is one of the

most devastating pregnancyrelated

morbidity, mostly

affecting women from

marginalized socioeconomic

backgrounds,

particularly the people who

are often touted as 'left

behind.'

Aleya Begum, 60, a

resident of Ratankandi

village under Shahjadpur

Upazila in Sirajganj district,

is now physically and

mentally energized and

strong at this old age. Social

status has been established

after eliminating her 25- year

pains caused by obstetric

fistula.

On the occasion of National Productivity Day, a discussion meeting was held

on Saturday in Joypurhat.

Photo: Masrakul Alom

7 more test

positive for

CoVID-19 in

C'nawabganj

CHAPAINAWABGANJ:

Seven more persons tested

positive for CoVID-19

during the last 24 hours till

last morning, raising the

total caseloads to 5,880 in

the district, reports BSS.

During the time, 93

samples were tested as

seven persons were

detected CoVID-19

positive, showing the

infection rate 7.52 percent,

civil surgeon office sources

said.

All the newly infected

patients are from sadar

upazila.

A total of 74 CoVID-19

patients are undergoing

treatment in the district. of

them, 22 patients are at

dedicated CoVID hospital

and others at home.

Meanwhile, 157 patients

have died of CoVID-19 and

5,649 have recovered from

the disease so far here, the

sources added.

View exchange

meeting marking

Durga Puja held

in Nakla

SHAHJADA SWAPAN, NAKLA

CoRRESPoNDENT

A view exchange meeting

organized by Nakla police

station was held on Saturday

on the occasion of Durga

Puja 2021 with Nakla

Upazila Puja Udjapan

Parishad and Puja Mandap

Natab's on security issues at

the police station premises

on Saturday.

officer-in-Charge (oC) of

Nakla police station

Mushfiqur Rahman

presided over the meeting

while among others, officerin-Charge

(investigation)

Habibur Rahman, Upazila

Hindu Buddhist Christian

Unity Council President

Idrjit Kumardhar, Puja

Udjapan Parishad President

Debjit Paddar Jhumur and

Secretary Abhijit Kumar

Banik and Shyamal Sutra

Dhar were also present at

the occasion.

Discussion meeting

marking National

Productivity Day

held in Joypurhat

MASRAKUL ALoM, JoyPURHAT

CoRRESPoNDENT

on the occasion of National

Productivity Day, a

discussion meeting was held

on Saturday under the

chairmanship of Ishrat

Farzana, Deputy Director,

Department of Local

Government, Joypurhat

District Administration.

During the time,

Additional District

Magistrate SM Zakir Hasan,

Sadar Upazila Nirbahi

officer Arafat Hasan,

District Awami League

General Secretary Zakir

Hasan Mandal, President of

Joypurhat Chamber

Industrialist CIP Anayarul

Haque Anu, BSCIC Deputy

Manager Liton Chadra

Ghose, Joypurhat Press

Club President Adv.

Nipendranath Mandal PP

were among others also

present at the occasion.

At the meeting, the

president of the chamber

said that there is a slow pace

of obtaining licenses,

including various problems

of water production and

marketing system and

industrial entrepreneurs.

He demanded the water

administration, concerned

departments and

departments to issue

licenses to various

departments to speed up the

production of these

problems.

Triennial conference of Dhakastho Narail

Manobik Unnayan Parishad held

TBT REPoRT

The triennial conference of Dhakastho

Narail Manobik Unnayan Parishadwas held

in Mirpur in a joyous atmosphere on Friday.

President of Narail Manobik Unnayan

Parishad Mohammad Khairuzzaman Prince

chaired the occasion in the hall of Mahmuda

Garden No. 6, Mirpur, the central office of

the organization while Mohammad Isa Mia,

managing director of Liberty Group and

organization's chief adviser and patron

delivered the welcome speech. Among

others, Bangabandhu Sainik League Vice

President Tariqul Islam Reza, Narail District

Awami League Member Baldev Kumar Das,

Awami Jubo League Central Committee

Member Md. Sajibul Islam, Human Rescue

and Child Protection organization

Human Rescue and Child Protection Organization Chairman and

2banglarnews Editor and Publisher Syed Khairul Alam addressed the triennial

conference of Dhakastho Narail Manobik Unnayan Parishadwas held in the

capital on Friday.

Photo: TBT

SHAHID Joy, JASHoRE CoRRESPoNDENT

Jashore LGED arranged a program on

Friday morning in the Rahita area of

Monirampur in the district marking Rural

Road Maintenance Month october 2021.

State Minister for Local Government,

Rural Development and Cooperatives

Swapan Bhattacharjee inaugurated the

occasion while Jashore LGED Executive

Engineer A, A, M Anishuzzaman presided

over the inauguration ceremony. During the

time, LGED's Senior Assistant Engineer Shib

Shankar Saha, Rahita Union's former

Awami League President Abdul qadir

Biswas were also present at the occasion.

Speaking as the chief guest, State Minister

for Local Government, Rural Development

Chairman and 2banglarnews Editor and

Publisher Syed Khairul Alam, Deputy

Director Foreign Exchange Bangladesh

Bank, Mohammad Isa Aziz, Mohammad

Saidur Rahman, Senior Administrative

officer, Department of Security Services,

Ministry of Home Affairs, Tanvir Ahmed

Tanu, Eminent Actor, SM Alamgir Hossain,

were among others also present at the

occasion.

It is to be noted that the triennial

conference of Dhakastho Narail Manobik

Unnayan Parishad formed a new committee

and will try to play a dynamic role in the

development of Narail district through the

organization.

Chief Adviser and Patron Mohammad Isa

Mia thanked all the guests for attending the

event and wished them all the best.

LGED's 'Rural Road Maintenance

Month' inaugurated in Jashore

and Cooperatives Swapan Bhattacharjee,

said that Prime Minister Shakh Hasina is

working tirelessly for the formation of her

father's dream of Sonar Bangla. And LGED

has always been playing a leading role in

fulfilling the dream. Achieving the goal of

development is not an alternative to

transportation, such as roads and bridges.

He added that in continuation of this,

LGED is constructing four thousand three

hundred and fifty kilometers of paved roads

in Jashore, the benefits of which are now

visible. The people of Jashore are now able

to travel and transport goods from place to

another, which is further improving their

livelihood, employment and standard of

living.

State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives

Swapan Bhattacharjee as the chief guest addressed a meeting marking LGED's

'Rural Road Maintenance Month' in Jashore on Friday. Photo: Shahid Joy

Markiy the 152nd birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the nation of

India, in a monument of Gandhi was inaugurated in the midst of the colorful occasion

in Atrai upazila in Naogaon on Saturday. Sanjeev Kumar Bhati, Assistant

High Commissioner of India as the chief guest inaugurated the program to celebrate

the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

Photo: Omor Faruk

SUnDAY, OCTOBEr 3, 2021

7

Dubai's Expo 2020 on Saturday acknowledged that five workers had been killed on site during

construction of the massive world's fair, revealing for the first time overall statistics for worker

fatalities.

Photo : Internet

For first time, Dubai Expo 2020

says 5 workers died on site

DUBAI : Dubai's Expo 2020 on

Saturday acknowledged that five

workers had been killed on site during

construction of the massive world's

fair, revealing for the first time overall

statistics for worker fatalities.

Expo previously said that its

200,000 laborers who built the site

worked some 240 million hours in its

construction. It had not offered any

overall statistics previously on worker

fatalities, injuries or coronavirus

infections despite repeated requests

from The Associated Press and other

journalists.

The admission comes after the

European Parliament last month

urged nations not to take part in Expo,

citing the United Arab Emirates'

"inhumane practices against foreign

workers" that it said worsened during

the pandemic. Ahead of Expo,

businesses and construction

companies are "coercing workers into

signing untranslated documents,

Across China: Musical

instruments in Mogao

Grottoes murals

come back to life

LANZHOU : Chen Haiqi, a

22-year-old Chinese lute

player, felt as though she had

traveled 1,000 years back in

time when she played her

instrument as part of a most

unusual performance, reports

UNB.

The young woman was

invited to play the Chinese

lute at the 5th Silk Road

(Dunhuang) International

Cultural Expo and the 10th

Dunhuang Tour-Silk Road

International Tourism

Festival, held in northwest

China's Gansu Province in

September. She was shocked

when standing on the stage in

an exhibition hall where she

saw the exquisite musical

instruments hanging on the

wall were the same as those

she had seen in the Mogao

Grottoes murals.

"When the melody drifted,

in that moment I felt like I was

traveling back more than

1,000 years," Chen said.

The musical instruments on

display were restored based

on paintings in the Mogao

Grottoes, a UNESCO world

heritage site and home to a

vast collection of Buddhist

artwork-more than 2,000

colored sculptures and

45,000 square meters of

murals.

"The grottoes were first

constructed in the year 366.

And experts found that more

than half of the over 400 caves

in the southern area of the

Mogao Grottoes have images

related to music, among them,

more than 6,000 musical

instruments appeared in the

murals," said Wang Jieyuan,

director of an exhibition of the

restored instruments held

during the expo. Thanks to

the unremitting efforts of

researchers, including Zheng

Ruzhong, who has led the

restoration of the ancient

musical instruments in the

murals since the 1980s.

confiscating their passports, exposing

them to extreme working hours in

unsafe weather conditions and

providing them with unsanitary

housing," the resolution said.

At a press conference a day after the

event's opening, Expo spokesperson

Sconaid McGeachin said the

information about fatalities was

previously available to journalists and

referred reporters to a press release

about a monument honoring the

laborers who built the site from

scratch, which offered no additional

details. She said authorities would

offer more information about

casualties at a later, unspecified time,

reports UNB.

McGeachin also acknowledged that

authorities were aware of cases

involving contractors "withholding

passports" and engaging in suspect

"recruitment practices" and

workplace safety violations on site.

"We have taken steps to ensure

those have been addressed and very

much intervened in cases on that," she

said, without elaborating.

The UAE, an oil-rich sheikhdom

that relies on low-paid migrant labor

from Africa, Asia and Arab countries

to keep its economy humming, faces

long-standing criticism from human

rights groups for treating those

workers poorly. But officials have

battled to present a positive image for

Expo, the first world's fair in the

Middle East that seeks to show off

Dubai's pride and draw millions of

foreign visitors. Laborers in the UAE

are barred from unionization and

have few protections, often working

long hours for little pay and living

in substandard conditions. Dubai's

searing early autumn heat proved

hazardous even for those visiting the

site on its opening day Friday, with

some tourists fainting in the 40 degree

Celsius (104 degree Fahrenheit)

humid weather.

American, other airlines will

require employee vaccinations

United States : American Airlines, Alaska

Airlines and JetBlue are joining United

Airlines in requiring employees to be

vaccinated against COVID-19, as the Biden

administration steps up pressure on major

U.S. carriers to require the shots, reports

UNB. The airlines provide special flights,

cargo hauling and other services for the

government. The companies say that makes

them government contractors who are

covered by President Joe Biden's order

directing contractors to require that

employees be vaccinated.

American Airlines CEO Doug Parker told

employees late Friday that the airline is still

working on details, but "it is clear that team

members who choose to remain

unvaccinated will not be able to work at

American Airlines." The pilot union at

American recently estimated that 4,200 - or

30% - of the airline's pilots are not

vaccinated. Earlier, White House

coronavirus adviser Jeffrey Zients talked to

the CEOs of American, Delta Air Lines and

Southwest Airlines about vaccine mandates,

according to three people familiar with the

situation. They spoke on condition of

anonymity because the calls were private.

Airlines are large employers that fall under

Biden's sweeping order that companies with

more than 100 workers require employees to

be vaccinated or undergo weekly testing for

the virus. However, they are also

government contractors, who face a Dec. 8

deadline to enforce vaccination

requirements - without the testing option.

Alaska Airlines and JetBlue Airways said

Friday they will require employees to be

vaccinated as soon as Dec. 8 because they

will be treated as federal contractors.

"This means employees may no longer optin

for regular testing and masking in lieu of

getting the vaccine," Alaska Airlines said in a

memo to employees.

Delta said it was still evaluating Biden's

order. The airline previously said it will

require vaccination or weekly testing and

impose surcharges on unvaccinated

employees. That would meet the Biden test

for large employers but not the stricter rules

for federal contractors. United Airlines took

an early and tough stance to require

vaccination. United said Thursday that 320

of its 67,000 U.S. employees face

termination for not getting vaccinated or

seeking a medical or religious exemption

by a deadline earlier this week.

Employees can seek waivers from the

vaccines on medical or religious grounds.

United is placing most of those workers

on unpaid leave until COVID-19 rates

come down.

American Airlines, Alaska Airlines and JetBlue are joining United

Airlines in requiring employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19, as

the Biden administration steps up pressure on major U.S. carriers to

require the shots.

Photo : AP

Ecuadorian jail

riot death toll

exceeds 100

QUITO : Ecuadorian officials

on Wednesday said more

than 100 inmates were killed

in a prison riot Tuesday in the

southwest port city of

Guayaquil, after initially

reporting the death toll had

climbed to 30.

The number of injured in

the melee at Litoral

Penitentiary remained at 52,

according to the government

agency in charge of prisons,

the National Service for

Comprehensive Attention to

Adults Deprived of Liberty

and Adolescent Offenders

(SNAI), reports UNB.

"The @SNAI_Ec reports

that up to now more than 100

deceased inmates and 52

injured have been confirmed

during the incidents that

occurred Tuesday," the

agency posted on its Twitter

account. The National Police,

the Ecuadorian Prosecutor's

Office and other authorities

continue to investigate the

prison riot, one of the two

deadliest of the year in

Ecuador, which is facing a

serious prison crisis, the

agency added. In February, a

series of coordinated riots at

four prisons left 79 inmates

dead and some 20 people

wounded, including police

officers.

The tragedy led Ecuadorian

President Guillermo Lasso on

Wednesday to decree a 60-

day state of emergency

throughout the prison system

to prevent further outbreaks

of violence.

Rare plant species

rediscovered in

southwest China

after 83 years

KUNMING : A rare species of

Berbris of Berberidaceae

(barberry family), has been

rediscovered in a new

distribution area in southwest

China's Yunnan Province 83

years after it was first spotted.

Botanists under the

Chinese Academy of Sciences

found the species during an

investigation trip to a nature

reserve in Longling County in

the city of Baoshan, reports

UNB. The plant, with sharp

spines along the stem and

oval-shaped fruits, was later

identified as a rare species of

Berbris first discovered in

Yongde County-formerly

known as Shunning Countyin

1938. This is also the first

time it has been spotted

outside its original habitat.

"There had been no

scientific reports of the rare

species since its specimens

were collected in 1938. There

are only six existing

specimens across the world,"

said Tan Yunhong, a

researcher with the

Xishuangbanna Tropical

Botanical Garden under the

Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Tan added that the species

now enjoys good conditions

in Longling and it is necessary

for scientists to carry out

further researches about its

distribution areas.

SAN FRANCISCO : California is poised

to impose the nation's first coronavirus

vaccine mandate for schoolchildren, a

move announced Friday that could

push other states to follow as many did

after Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered the

first statewide stay-at-home order in

the U.S. during the early days of the

pandemic, reports UNB.

Newsom said the mandate won't take

effect for all children until the U.S.

government has finished fully vetting

the vaccine for two age groups - 12 to 15

and 5 to 11. That means those in seventh

to 12th grades probably will have until

July to get their shots. It will be even

longer for children in kindergarten

through sixth grades because the

government has yet to approve any

COVID-19 vaccine for that age group.

California law requires all children

enrolled in public and private schools to

have 10 immunizations, with

exceptions for medical reasons. For the

coronavirus vaccine, California will

grant exemptions for medical reasons,

Phuket opens to all

vaccinated travellers

BANGKOK : Fully vaccinated travellers from

any country can now book holidays to

tourism haven Phuket, the Thai government

has announced, under tweaks to a struggling

quarantine-free travel scheme, reports BSS.

Thailand's tourism industry has been on its

knees, with the coronavirus pandemic and

related restrictions slashing visitor numbers

from 40 million in 2019 to a mere trickle

over the last two years.

Pre-virus, the sector made up a fifth of

Thailand's national income, and the travel

curbs have fed into the country's worst

economic performance in more than two

decades. The kingdom launched a "sandbox"

scheme in July, which allowed fully

vaccinated travellers from countries

considered low-to-medium risk to roam free

on the popular beach island for a fortnight,

and then afterwards travel to the mainland

without quarantine.

Last week, authorities cut the required stay

to a week, in line with national changes to

quarantine rules. The Tourism Authority of

Thailand announced late Friday that the

scheme had been broadened from the

around 80 countries already eligible.

"This means Thailand is now welcoming

travellers from any country in the world to

the sandbox programme," it said in a

statement. Foreign Ministry spokesman

Tanee Sangrat said unvaccinated children

would be able to travel with their vaccinated

parents. The sandbox programme has

already lured more than 38,000 visitors to

the white sands of Phuket, and generated

$66.67 million.

But tourism operators are lukewarm on

the revival of the island's economy, where 90

percent of hotels have been shuttered.

They have been pleading for the

government to simplify entry requirements

to increase visitor numbers.

The changes will allow previously excluded

Indonesians and Malaysians to travel to

Phuket. Before the pandemic, Malaysia was

Thailand's second biggest source of tourists,

with more than four million travellers

visiting in 2019. Thai authorities hope to

reopen five other destinations, including

capital Bangkok, using the sandbox model

from the start of November, followed by 20

more locations in December once

vaccination rates increase.

However, travel advice from other

countries discouraging would-be tourists

could hamper Thailand's plans to reboot

the industry.

Fully vaccinated travellers from any country can now book holidays to

tourism haven Phuket, the Thai government has announced, under tweaks

to a struggling quarantine-free travel scheme.

Photo : AP

Houston school principal shot

by ex-student on campus

HOUSTON : A former student of a Houston

public charter school shot and wounded the

campus principal Friday before quickly

surrendering to police, authorities said.

The 25-year-old man shot through a

locked, glass door at YES Prep Southwest

Secondary, Houston Police Chief Troy

Finner said. No students were hurt, reports

UNB.

Police initially identified the wounded as a

school employee, but a statement from the

YES Prep charter system later identified him

as Principal Eric Espinoza.

In a letter to students and families, YES

Prep CEO Mark DiBella said Espinoza was

grazed by a bullet from behind. He was taken

to a hospital and was expected to be released

Friday. "We had an incredibly frightening

day and are immensely grateful there were

no life-threatening injuries," DiBella said in

the letter. Police did not release the name of

the shooter but said they were able to quickly

identify him because he was a former

student. Police also did not release a motive,

California pushes 1st US vaccine

mandate for schoolchildren

plus religious and personal beliefs. The

rules for those exemptions will be

written after the state hears comments

from the public. Any student without an

exemption who refuses to get the

vaccine would be forced to do

independent study at home.

The mandate eventually will affect

more than 6.7 million public and

private school students in the nation's

most populous state. California already

has a mask requirement for

schoolchildren.

"We have to do more," the

Democratic governor said during a

news conference at a San Francisco

middle school after visiting with

seventh-graders. "We want to end this

pandemic. We are all exhausted by it."

The federal government has fully

approved coronavirus vaccines for

anyone over 16 and has given

emergency authorization to vaccinate

those 12 to 15. Full endorsement for that

age group is likely within a few months.

Vaccines for children 5 to 11 are still in

but Finner said authorities were

investigating whether the shooter and

wounded man had any past interactions.

The shooting happened at about 11:45 a.m.

A line of students in masks streamed out of

the school just before 1 p.m., holding their

hands up to show officers they were not

carrying a weapon. Multiple students told

reporters in Spanish and English what they

witnessed. Some said they saw blood while

leaving the building, and others said they hid

and blocked doorways with furniture like

they had practiced in drills to survive a

shooting.

Parents could be seen having tearful

reunions as they met their children in a

parking lot near the school.

"You don't want anything like this to

happen," Finner said, "but I want to

commend those students. Every student I've

seen coming out, they were calm. The

administrators, the teachers, outstanding

job. I want to commend them. ... They train

for it."

the testing stage. California has one of

the highest vaccine rates in the country

- 84% of people 12 and older have

gotten at least one shot, and 70% are

fully vaccinated. But the state has a

vocal minority skeptical of both the

vaccine and the government's

assurances of its safety. Last month,

more than a thousand people gathered

at the state Capitol to protest vaccine

mandates.

"I just think it's a parent's decision,

you know. Period," said Fabio Zamora,

the father of an eighth-grader at Edna

Brewer Middle School. "The

government in no shape or form should

be having mandates like that. I don't

care for that. I'm a veteran. I served

this country, and I fought for those

rights."

A small number of school districts

nationwide have imposed their own

vaccine mandates, including five in

California. Among those are the

state's two largest districts - Los

Angeles and San Diego.

SuNDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2021

8

Al-Arafah Islami Bank Ltd. has organized an orientation program for its 116 newly recruited Management

Trainee Officers (MTO) at Gulshan Club Auditorium recently. Managing Director and CEO of the Bank

Farman R. Chowdhury was present as chief guest in the occasion. Deputy Managing Directors S M Jaffar,

Shabbir Ahmed, Md. Shafiqur Rahman, Syed Masodul Bari, Md. Mahmudur Rahman, Mohammed Nadim,

Abed Ahmed Khan, Md. Abdullah Al Mamun, Senior Executive Vice President Kazi Mahmood Karim, Akter

Kamal, Md. Mazharul Islam and AIBTRI Director General Md. Abdul Awwal Sarker addressed the event

while Senior Executives of the Bank and newly recruited MTO also present.

Photo: Courtesy

Bidya Sinha Mim is the Brand Ambassador of ‘Let's GO Mart’

"Let's GO Mart" a new e-

commerce site is on the

verge of their commercial

launching with business to

customer (B2C) model.

They will start their

commercial operation in

the market with the slogan

"Never let go of your

needs". In this context,

popular Bangladeshi

actress Bidya Sinha Mim

has signed a contract as the

Brand Ambassador of "Let's

GO Mart". The agreement

was recently confirmed at a

signing ceremony at the

company's head office, a

press release said.

Chairman of "Let's GO

Mart" Major (Retd.) Md.

Rabiul Alam; Managing

Director Golam Mostofa;

Director SM Asaduzzaman;

and Director & Chief

Operating Officer Syed

Ashraf-Us-Saleheen were

present at the signing

ceremony along with the

other higher officials of the

company.

At the signing ceremony,

Director & Chief Operating

Officer (COO) Syed Ashraf-

Us-Saleheen said, "We are

very happy to have Bidya

Sinha Mim as our Brand

Ambassador. Our e-

commerce site will run on

zero-warehouse & zero-

Advance system, where no

product of any kind will be

Asian markets track

Wall St plunge on

debt, rates worry

HONG KONG : Asian markets sank Friday as

investors tracked another hefty sell-off on Wall

Street, concerned about the prospect of higher

borrowing costs, a possible US debt default and

signs that the global recovery is slowing,

reports BSS.

While the fourth quarter is generally

considered a strong period for traders, it has

started in much the same fashion as the

previous one ended, with uncertainty replacing

optimism that the worst of the pandemic is

over. News that US lawmakers had finally

passed legislation to avert a costly government

shutdown did little to allay concerns about the

fact that they are unable to agree a deal to raise

the debt limit.

Top officials including Treasury Secretary

Janet Yellen and Federal Reserve boss Jerome

Powell have warned that failure to do so before

the cash runs out in mid-October would leave

the country unable to pay its bills and default,

leading to an economic catastrophe.

At the same time, Democrats continue to

bicker among themselves over Joe Biden's

multi-trillion-dollar infrastructure and social

spending bills, which will still face a tough

passage through Congress.

Investors are also preparing for the Fed to

start tapering its massive bond-buying

programme before the end of the year.

The move will bring an end to the massive

financial support put in place at the start of the

pandemic that has been a key driver of the

global economic and equity recovery.

Observers are speculating a hike in interest

rates could then come before the end of 2023.

stocked. Once the customer

orders, the desired product

will be delivered to the

customer's doorstep. We

have a cash-on-delivery

(COD) system for both the

buyers and the sellers. Let's

GO Mart will buy the

product from the merchant

and corporate in cash and

deliver the same to the

customer and collect cash."

He further said, "Ecommerce

platform is an

immensely potentent

industry for the world,

where buyers and sellers

can avail all kinds of

services without any hassle.

But due to some

unscrupulous traders/

portals and their wrong

business plans, people have

lost faith in e-commerce.

We are committed to revive

the e-commerce market by

restoring customer

confidence. That's why

we've built our business

model on cash-on-delivery

(COD) and zero-warehouse

& zero-advance system. "

Expressing her

excitement as a Brand

Ambassador of "Let's GO

Mart", Bidya Sinha Mim

said, "I am very happy to be

the Brand Ambassador of

Let's GO Mart which has

brought a new dimension to

the country's e-commerce

market. The company is

fully committed to revive

the e-commerce industry

The bank's monetary tightening-which is

being mirrored in other economies-comes as it

looks to temper a sharp spike in inflation

fuelled by the worldwide reopening, supply

chain bottlenecks and surging commodity

prices.

All three main indexes on Wall Street ended

in the red on Thursday, with the S&P shedding

more than four percent in September.

And Asia followed suit.

Tokyo fell two percent as investors brushed

off the closely watched Tankan business survey

showing confidence among major Japanese

manufacturers had improved for the fifth

consecutive quarter. Sydney, Seoul, Singapore,

Wellington, Taipei and Jakarta also fell.

Hong Kong and mainland Chinese markets

were closed for a holiday.

A wary eye was being kept on China as

troubled property titan Evergrande teeters on

the brink owing more than $300 billion, with

hope that authorities-who have until now

stayed largely silent on the crisis-may comment

during a week-long holiday. Beijing's

crackdown on a range of industries including

tech firms also continued to jangle nerves.

"The old adage, the market climbs a wall of

worry, is not lost on us," said Tom Mantione, at

UBS Private Wealth Management.

"Worries about China, the pandemic, the

debt ceiling and (US) tax legislation are

weighing on investors right now, but it is

important to understand which issues may

create structural change and which ones create

short-term volatility that investors can take

advantage of."

through their transparent

easy business model which

shall bring back the lost

trust of the people. I joined

the organization being fully

informed of their plans and

their services. "

Mim won the first place in

the Lux-Channel-i

Superstar 2007

competition. Her debut film

was titled 'Amar Ache Jol'

which was premiered in

2008. She later won the

Best Actress on 39th

National Film award for her

performance in 'Jonakir

Alo'. She has been widely

acclaimed by both

audiences and critics for her

outstanding performances.

Vietnam's commercial

hub back in business

after 3-month

lockdown

HO CHI MINH CITY : Ho

Chi Minh City on Friday

lifted a stay-at-home order

that had kept its nine million

residents indoors for three

months and devastated

business in Vietnam's

economic hub , reports BSS.

To curb a fast-spreading

wave of Covid-19 -- which

struck the southern

metropolis particularly

hard-residents have been

unable to leave home, even

for food, and almost all

travel in and out of the area

was suspended.

Almost half of Vietnam's

total 790,000 virus cases

were reported in the city,

along with three-quarters of

the country's deaths.

But after a gradual fall in

cases, soldiers began

dismantling road barriers on

Friday and removing

hundreds of checkpoints

that had separated city

districts. "I am happy," said

Tran Van Vu, who owns a

store selling fruit, vegetables

and meat and had planned

to expand his business

before the pandemic.

"During the lockdown our

company was affected a lot...

we didn't have enough

delivery men as they had to

be tested every two days and

it was costly for the

company."

China factory

activity contracts

for first time

since Feb 2020

BEIJING - Chinese factory

activity contracted in

September to the lowest

level since February 2020,

when coronavirus

lockdowns crippled the

economy, official data

showed Thursday, as the

country faces waves of

power outages and fears

over instability in the real

estate sector, reports BSS.

The Purchasing Managers'

Index (PMI) -- a key gauge

of manufacturing activity in

the world's second-largest

economy-slipped to 49.6

from 50.1 in August, the

National Bureau of Statistics

said.Factory suspensions

and power blackouts have

already affected at least 17

provinces in recent monthsa

situation further

exacerbated by tight coal

supply leading to sky-high

prices.

M Latif Hasan

has joined SBL

as DMD & CBO

M Latif Hasan has joined

Standard Bank Limited as

Deputy Managing Director &

Chief Business Officer

recently. Prior to joining

Standard Bank, he was the

Head of Credit Risk

Management at Eastern Bank

Ltd.

Throughout his illustrious

career of nearly 27 years,

Hasan has worked for

Citibank NA Bangladesh,

Prime Bank and Eastern Bank

and successfully carried out

various significant roles such

as Chief Financial Officer,

Head of Business, Head of

Export Finance and Head of

Credit Risk Management.

Apart from that, he was also a

member of the BASEL II Core

Implementation Team and

the Tax Reform Committee.

Hasan, a CSA (Credit Skill

Assessment) Certified from

Omega Performance, USA;

did his Masters from Dhaka

University.

Later he completed his

MBA from Victoria University

of Technology at Melbourne,

Australia and has participated

in numerous seminars,

workshops and training

programs at home and

abroad.

A day-long managers'

conference and business

review meeting for

Mymensingh Division of

Bangladesh Krishi Bank (BKB)

was held virtually at National

Primary Education Academy

(NAPE) in Mymensingh

recently, a press release said.

The Managing Director

Shirin Akhter addressed the

conference as chief guest. She

called uponthe Father of the

nation Bangabandhu Sheikh

Mujibur Rahman with best

regards who established

Bangladesh Krishi Bank in

1973 which is a 100% state

owned specialized bank in

Bangladesh. She also

memorized Martyred

Bangamata Sheikh

Fazilatunnesa Mujib& all

martyrs on 15 August with

deep respect. She expressed

unending gratitude to the

Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina, a pioneer of women's

advancement, for taking the

country's economy to the right

track showing proper

guidance in the wake of the

catastrophic Corona

Venezuela's inflation-battered

bolivar sheds 6 zeroes

CARACAS : The official

exchange rate of Venezuela's

bolivar went from 4.18

million to the US dollar

overnight to just 4.18 as the

impoverished country

slashed six zeroes off its

inflation-battered currency

Friday to simplify

transactions, reports BSS.

It is the third banknote

reform in 13 years, with a

staggering 14 zeroes shed

since 2008 -- giving

Venezuela the dubious

distinction of becoming the

South American country to

have lopped the most zeroes

off its currency.

"Everything expressed in

national currency shall be

divided by a million," the

central bank announced.

Housekeeper Josefina

Galindo said that she "went

shopping without problems

this morning. The new prices

were displayed above the old

ones. And there was always

the price in dollars."

"The price (in dollars) has

not changed," added the 52-

year-old, who was shopping

in the upscale Caracas district

of Chacao but said she had

still paid in old prices using

the old bolivars when she

took the bus from her

working-class neighborhood

of Coche.

The electronic platform of

the public Banco de

Venezuela, which has 14

million clients, was also down

by mid-afternoon, with those

trying to make internet

transactions encountering a

message apologizing for the

inconvenience.

Venezuela, the once-rich oil

producer, is battling its

eighth year of recession and

hyperinflation that reached

nearly 3,000 percent in 2020

and more than 9,500 percent

the year before, according to

central bank figures.

Economic consultancy

Ecoanalitica expects the 2021

figure to come in at around

1,600.

In May, the government

tripled the minimum

monthly wage but the new

amount was not enough even

to buy a kilogram of meat.

Three in four Venezuelans

today live in extreme poverty,

according to a recent study,

with the economic crisis

made worse by US sanctions

and the coronavirus

pandemic.

Millions have left the

country in recent years to try

their luck elsewhere.

'Lack of capacity' -

With the bolivar losing

nearly all its value, seven onemillion

bolivar notes-very

hard to come by-were needed

to pay for one loaf of bread

before Friday's currency

update.

The government issued

new banknotes in

denominations of five, 10, 20,

50, and 100 bolivars, as well

as a one-bolivar coin, but has

said that it wants the

economy to become entirely

digital.

Analysts read this as a way

to avoid printing money that

will just continue devaluing,

eventually requiring another

readjustment.

The biggest note in the

retiring bolivar family, with a

face value of a million, is

worth barely $0.25 -- not

enough to buy a piece of

candy. It will remain in

circulation in parallel with

the new notes for a few

months.

"It (the bolivar) is not going

to be worth more, it's not

going to be worth less, it's just

a monetary scale that we're

applying by removing six

zeros to facilitate

transactions," Vice President

Delcy Rodriguez said this

week.

Salaries of worthless

millions -

According to Luis Arturo

Barcenas of Ecoanalitica, the

readjustment reflected a

"lack of capacity by the

economic actors in Venezuela

to control hyperinflation," a

phenomenon that "has

greatly impoverished the

population." Workers found

themselves receiving salaries

paid in millions of bolivars

that are effectively worth

nothing.

In Venezuela, the

minimum public service

wage is the equivalent of $2.5

per month and the average

salary is about $50, while a

basket of basic groceries for a

family of five costs about

$220.

Chattogram North Zone of Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited organised a webinar

titled 'Compliance of Shari`ah in Banking Sector' recently. Professor Dr.

Mohammad Saleh Jahur, Director of the bank addressed the program as chief

guest. Mohammed Monirul Moula, Managing Director and CEO of the bank

addressed the program as special guest. Dr. Muhammad Saifullah, member of

IBBL Shari`ah Supervisory Committee addressed the webinar as chief discussant.

Presided over by Md. Nayer Azam, Head of Chattogram North Zone, Md.

Shamsuddoha, Executive Vice President of the bank also addressed the program.

Head of branches, executives and officials under Chattogram North Zone

attended the webinar.

Photo Couretsy

BKB Holds Branch Managers' Conference-2021 &

Business Review Meeting of Mymensingh Division

pandemic. She reviewed the

overall achievement of all

business targets based on

Mymensingh division based

on June / 2021. All the

employees of different levels of

BKB are working restlessly to

implement SDG ensuring

quality access to credit

covering all the agri families

(Under BKB's jurisdiction)

within the programsof lowcost

interest. She thanked all

officials concerned for

successful

credit

disbursement on ACD-01,

CMSME, Mujib Birth

Centenary& for being stood

first in APA last year. She also

urged to be more sincere and

punctual to recover classified

loans (NPL) and increase no

cost deposit for rapid progress

of the bank. The General

Manager (Admin) Md. Azizul

Bari was connected as special

guest. The General Manager of

Mymensingh Division Zamil

Ahmed presided over the

conference. Among others,

Chief Regional/Regional

Managers, ivisional/Regional

Audit Officers along with

concerned officials of the

division were present on the

occasion.

SunDAY, oCtoBer 3, 2021

9

english Championship leaders West Bromwich Albion's unbeaten start to the second-tier season

ended with a 1-0 loss away to Stoke on Friday.

photo: Ap

Stoke end West Brom's

unbeaten start to

Championship

SportS DeSk

English Championship leaders West Bromwich

Albion's unbeaten start to the second-tier season

ended with a 1-0 loss away to Stoke on Friday,

reports BSS. Nick Powell scored the only goal of

the game with 11 minutes remaining after a

defensive mistake by Conor Townsend as Stoke

moved up into third place, just a point off West

Brom and second-placed Bourne mouth. Only the

top two teams at the end of the regular season are

guaranteed promotion to the Premier League. "It

was a great performance," said Stoke manager

Michael O'Neill. "We knew it would be tough and

the key was to try and not get dragged into a war.

"We came under pressure but when we got our

build-up play right, we created some good

chances.

"Hopefully we will gain more belief from this win

-- that is what this league is about."

Albion boss Valerien Ismael had no complaints

about the result. "I think that tonight it was not

good enough to pretend to get more," he said.

"We saw a lot of mistakes from our side and I

think it is always a sign of tiredness. "Stoke were

the better team tonight and they deserved to win."

Jacob Brown squandered a chance to put Stoke

ahead when he hit the post after nine minutes.

And Stoke went even closer when Darnell

Furlong's own goal was disallowed for a foul five

minutes before half-time.

Mario Vrancic hit the crossbar with a 25-yard

free-kick and substitute Sam Surridge saw a 71stminute

penalty saved before the breakthrough

finally came for Stoke. Surridge had his spot-kick

saved by Sam Johnstone after he had been fouled

by the keeper in a race for a loose ball.

Co-leader Zalatoris

shoots course-record

61 at Sanderson Farms

SportS DeSk

Reigning PGA rookie of the year

Will Zalatoris fired a courserecord

61 to seize a share of the

lead after the second round of the

Sanderson Farms Championship

in Mississippi, reports BSS.

Zalatoris, who started his round

on the 10th hole, rolled in six

birdies on his back nine including

two straight on a pair of par fours

to cap his round and move into a

tie for the lead with Nick Watney

and first-round leader Sahith

Theegala. "The days where I make

20-footers, those are the days that

I end up putting a great round

together, because I'm always

going to be the guy that's going to

hit 14 plus greens to give myself

chances," Zalatoris said. Watney

shot a 66 on Friday and Theegala

had a 67 to reach a 13-under 131

total.

Americans Cameron Young

and Hayden Buckley both shot

65s and are tied for fourth, one

stroke back of the leaders at the

Country Club of Jackson course in

Jackson, Mississippi. Canada's

Roger Sloan is alone in sixth at 11-

under after a 67.

A half dozen golfers, including

Sweden's Henrik Norlander and

American Sam Burns, are tied for

seventh at 10 under.

This week's tournament is

taking place with a depleted field,

with most of the stars involved in

last week's Ryder Cup opting to

skip the event.

Spain's defending champion

Sergio Garcia, the only player in

the field who played the Ryder

Cup last week, shot his second

straight 70 and missed the cut by

just one stroke.

Watney charged out of the gate

Friday with four birdies in his first

six holes to finish with a 66.

"It didn't seem that stressful,"

Watney said. "For the most part I

kept it in the right spot on the

greens and I made a few kind of

bonus putts that you might not

expect to make. So those are

always fun."

Second-year player Theegala

capped his round with a 30-foot

birdie putt for a 67. Earlier he

chipped in for eagle on the parfive

third hole. Former US Open

champion Gary Woodland had a

73 and like Garcia missed the cut

by one stroke.

Duminy embraces short-term role to 'try and

add value wherever I can' for South Africa

SportS DeSk

JP Duminy always wanted to

be part of the upcoming T20

World Cup. He will be there,

but not in the way he

expected, reports AP.

When Duminy announced

his retirement from ODIs in

March 2019, he remained

available in the shortest

format. During that

tournament, he changed his

mind and opted out of

playing altogether. It didn't

take too long for him to find

his way back, behind the

microphone at first and now,

as part of South Africa's

support staff.

"On Sunday, I was packing

my bag and I realised I

needed to go into the garage

and take out my South

African blazer and tie. It

dawned on me that I didn't

think I would be pulling that

out of the cupboard two years

after retiring. That was an

emotional moment,"

Duminy said on Friday. "I

was reminiscing on the good

times I had when I was

playing and how I am now

coming back in a different

capacity."

Duminy's official title is

"strategic consultant" to the

South African squad. It's a

short-term role, which he

explained as "about trying to

add value wherever I can".

"It's not necessarily about

honing in on a particular

department or skill," he

explained. "The way I see it,

having had the experience

I've had over the last 15 years,

how I can contribute is with

the understanding from that

experience and by being

aware of things that may

unfold in this tournament.

"I have played against

many of these cricketers, and

played with them, and I have

relationships with all the

players and staff that are in

the mix in the South African

squad so I am trying to see

how I can add value to them

in a personal capacity."

Duminy sees a key part of

his role as being to make sure

the players' experience is the

opposite of his own openended

position. "Role

clarification is, if I put my

player's hat on, what players

want. They want to make

sure that when they go out

and face those pressure

moments there is clarity," he

said. "We want to make sure

the former South Africa all-rounder, who

retired two years ago, is a strategic consultant

for the team for the t20 World Cup. photo: Ap

we provide them with

enough information for them

to find the answers as well.

This is an environment, it is

not a dictatorship. It is a

facilitation of learning. If we

are in a position to ask the

right questions, we can

collectively find the right

answers."

That may sound a little

more philosophical than

practical, but that's the kind

of approach Duminy has

always taken. As a player, he

measured his worth in his

personhood, and not

numbers. As a coach, he

seems to want to judge the

team on their impact on each

other and society, not their

victory count.

"People want to feel valued

and like they belong. Having

had the experience playing

here for 15 years, I truly

understand that.

It doesn't matter who you

are, in terms of playing 100

games or one game, there's

always in inherent need to

feel like you belong to

something bigger than

yourself. That's what the

Proteas is about," he said.

"It's a representation of 60

million people and there's

great responsibility in that.

So for me, it's just talking

people through that and

understanding what that

responsibility looks like."

Duminy aims to mentor

players through the

challenges of being "seen as a

role model" and of having to

"live a certain way, day in and

day out, where you are giving

your best every day". He

admitted that "it can be

challenging, particularly

when we are living in a

bubble life and things are

restricted; you have to find

ways to make sure you are

refreshed continuously."

Pele released from hospital,

undergoing chemo: doctors

SportS DeSk

Brazilian football legend Pele was

released from a month-long hospital

stay Thursday after having surgery for

a colon tumor, but will continue

undergoing chemotherapy, his

medical team said, reports BSS.

Pele, 80, had been receiving treatment

at Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao

Paulo since August 31, after a

suspected tumor was detected during

routine tests.

Pele, who underwent surgery on

September 4, is in "stable" condition,

doctors said. The hospital did not use

the word "cancer" in its statement and

gave no further details oPele's

chemotherapy, but the treatment is

typically used in cancer patients. The

results of his biopsy were not made

Kosgei confident of

London Marathon

hat-trick bid despite

Olympic strain

SportS DeSk

Brigid Kosgei believes she can

still defend her London

Marathon title on Sunday

despite the race coming soon

after the strain of the Olympic

Games, reports BSS. This

weekend's race takes place

just eight weeks after the

Kenyan won silver at an

Olympic marathon in

Sapporo staged in hot and

humid conditions.

Several runners dropped

out in Japan and others who

finished were left severely

fatigued. But Kosgei believes

she is fit enough to be

competitive in London this

weekend.

"Before I came here I was

running in the Olympics last

month, my body was still very

tired but I did a lot of

preparation to correct this,"

Kosgei said Friday.

"After the Olympics I went

and had maybe two days'

break and then I continued

practice. My training is going

well and I have prepared well

and I am ready for Sunday."

Kosgei is aiming to become

Koeman on the brink as

Barcelona face

Griezmann and Atletico

SportS DeSk

A revival is surely beyond

Ronald Koeman even if

Barcelona beat Atletico

Madrid on Saturday but

Antoine Griezmann will hope

his own resurgence is just

beginning, reports BSS.

Only the schedule is on

Koeman's side now, with the

international break next week

dictating that it makes more

sense for Barca to change

coach after their trip to the

Wanda Metropolitano than

before.

The 3-0 defeat by Benfica in

the Champions League on

Wednesday left Koeman's

team at the bottom of Group

E and struggling to make the

knock-out stages. In La Liga,

they sit sixth, although their

position could be more easily

rectified, given they are only

five points adrift of leaders

Real Madrid, with a game in

hand. Few, though, appear

ready to give Koeman time to

make amends for what has

been a miserable start to the

season, full of disappointing

results and worse

performances. Koeman's

performances in public have

fuelled the fire as well, a feud

with club president Joan

Laporta in recent weeks

adding to the sense that his

time at Camp Nou is running

out.A two-match suspension

means Koeman will not be on

the touchline on Saturday for

what could be his final game

in charge and his best hope of

being retained is perhaps that

Laporta fails to land a

successor. In the summer,

Laporta told Koeman he

would need two weeks to find

a possible replacement but

none were found, or at least

convinced that this Barcelona

is now a club worth joining.

Captain KL Rahul steers Punjab

into IPL play-off contention

SportS DeSk

KL Rahul steered Punjab Kings to a nailbiting

five-wicket win over Kolkata Knight

Riders on Friday, keeping their hopes alive

for a play-off place in the Indian Premier

League, reports BSS.

KKR looked set for a big total in Dubai

with Venkatesh Iyer smashing 67 off 49

balls but Punjab restricted them to 165 for 7

with England captain Eoin Morgan out for

two. Punjab were without Chris Gayle who

announced his departure from the IPL on

Friday with coronavirus "bubble fatigue"

and to prepare for the Twenty20 World

Cup.

But the openers made a good start before

Mayank Agarwal departed for 40, caught at

cover by Morgan -- having dropped him in

the first over -- off Varun Chakravarthy.

Nicholas Pooran fell for 12, Aiden

Markram for 18 and Deepak Hooda for

three but Rahul held his nerve with a

commanding 67 off 55 balls.

Rahul looked out with 10 balls left but

Rahul Tripathi, taking what appeared to be

a spectacular diving catch, was adjudged by

the third umpire to have grounded the ball.

Rahul was finally caught a few balls later.

With four needed off four, Shahrukh

Khan heaved the ball to the fence where

Tripathi fumbled it over the rope.

"I think catches cost us," Morgan said

afterwards.

Punjab's win takes them to fifth, level on

10 points with fourth-placed KKR and

Mumbai Indians in sixth. The top four

teams will go through to the play-offs.

kL rahul steered punjab kings to a nail-biting five-wicket win over

kolkata knight riders on Friday.

photo: Ap

US women's soccer league calls

off matches, commissioner

reportedly axed

SportS DeSk

public. "I am so happy to be back at

home," Pele said in a statement on

Facebook.

"I want to thank the entire Albert

Einstein Hospital team, who made my

stay a pleasant one, with a humane

and very affectionate welcome. Thanks

also to all of you, who from afar, make

my life complete with so many

messages of love. "When the road is

hard, celebrate every step of the

journey. Focus on your happiness. It's

true that I can't jump anymore, but

these past few days, I've been

punching the air more often than

usual," he wrote.

Considered by many the greatest

footballer of all time, Edson Arantes do

Nascimento -- Pele's real name -- has

been in poor health in recent years,

and has had various stints in the

The top US professional

women's soccer league, under

fire for its handling of

allegations of sexual

misconduct against a head

coach, announced Friday that it

was postponing this weekend's

matches, reports BSS. US

media also reported late Friday

that Lisa Baird has been

removed from her role as

National Women's Soccer

League (NWSL) commissioner.

The decision to remove Baird

was made by the league's board

of directors, who also decided to

let general counsel Lisa Levine

go, American sports

broadcaster ESPN reported. No

replacements have been

announced. Baird's reported

dismissal comes a day after the

North Carolina Courage fired

head coach Paul Riley for what

the team called "very serious

allegations of misconduct."This

week, and much of this season,

has been incredibly traumatic

for our players and staff, and I

take full responsibility for the

role I have played," Baird said

earlier Friday.

"I am so sorry for the pain so

many are feeling," she added in

a statement. "Recognizing that

trauma, we have decided not to

take the field this weekend to

give everyone some space to

reflect."

Baird was named NWSL

commissioner in February

2020, succeeding Amanda

Duffy. Riley's dismissal came

after The Athletic website

detailed wide-ranging sexual

misconduct by the 58-year-old

Englishman spanning multiple

teams and leagues since 2010.

Riley was the second NWSL

coach to be dismissed this week

after the league terminated

Washington Spirit coach Richie

Burke's contract following an

investigation into allegations of

verbal and emotional abuse.

US internationals Alex

Morgan and Megan Rapinoe

were among the players who

have criticized the league's

handling of the Riley allegations.

"Bottom line: Protect your

players. Do the right thing

NWSL," Morgan tweeted.

"Men, protecting men, who

are abusing women. I'll say it

again, men, protecting men,

who are ABUSING WOMEN,"

Rapinoe tweeted. "Burn it all

down. Let all their heads roll."

According to The Athletic,

players Sinead Farrelly and

Meleana "Mana" Shim had

made allegations of

hospital. The only player in history to

win three World Cups (1958, 1962 and

1970), he burst onto the global stage at

just 17 with dazzling goals, including

two in the final against hosts Sweden,

as Brazil won the World Cup for the

first time in 1958.

"O Rei" (The King) went on to have

one of the most storied careers in

sport, scoring more than 1,000 goals

before retiring in 1977. Pele's daughter

Kely Nascimento has provided fans

with updates on her father's condition

during his hospital stay, posting

pictures and videos on social media --

of them playing cards, or the footballer

singing the anthem of Santos, his

former club.

Last week, his daughter said he had

taken "several steps" towards recovery

after his operation.

inappropriate behaviour

against Riley.

Farrelly, who played for Riley

at three different teams in

different leagues, accused him

of "sexual coercion" while he

was her coach at the

Philadelphia Independence.

She said she had been

coerced into having sex with

Riley after going to his hotel

room following a defeat in the

Women's Professional Soccer

League final in 2011. Riley

allegedly told her "we're taking

this to our graves." In another

incident during his reign at the

Portland Thorns, Farrelly and

Shim said Riley had forced

them to kiss each other while at

his apartment.

"This guy has a pattern,"

Shim told The Athletic.

Morgan, who played under

Riley at the same time,

confirmed the players'

allegations and said she had

tried to help them file a report

with the league.

"The league was informed of

these allegations multiple times

and refused multiple times to

investigate," Morgan said. "The

league must accept

responsibility for a process that

failed to protect its own players

from this abuse."

sUNDAY, ocToBeR 3, 2021

10

Task of direction is

very difficult: Babita

TBT RepoRT

Babita, an internationally renowned

actress of the subcontinent, has won

the hearts of the audience by acting

in hundreds of movies. She is the

only Bangladeshi actress to have

acted in an Oscar-winning film

directed by Satyajit Ray. Not only

has Babita acted in movies, she has

also been involved in various social

activities from the beginning of the

heroine's career till today. She has

also produced movies like

Sanjay Leela Bhansali has

finally confirmed the new

release date for 'Gangubai

Kathiawadi,' starring Alia

Bhatt and Ajay Devgn,

after keeping fans waiting

for a long time. The film's

new release date has been

set for January 6, 2022.

The film was supposed to

be released this year, but it

'Fulshojja', 'Poka Makorer Ghar

Bosoti', 'Agaman', 'Lottery', 'Lady

Smuggler', 'Desi Rangbaj'. Babita

was also interested in directing

movies. She said that interest still

remains. Speaking on the phone,

Babita said, 'There was a time when

I really wanted to direct at least one

movie in my life. That desire is no

longer there. However, I must admit

that directing movies is a very

difficult task. That's why you can't

direct a movie if you want to. It's not

like I am going to direct a movie, I

had to be postponed due to

the pandemic, reports

Times of India.

The official handle of

Bhansali's production

house took to social media

and wrote, "The wait to

witness her power,

strength & resilience ends.

Bringing to you a stemwinding

story of

#GangubaiKathiawadi on

6th January 2022, in

cinemas near you."

Earlier, Alia left everyone

stunned with her first look

as Gangubai. Her fans are

eagerly waiting to watch

her in a different avatar on

the big screen.

'Gangubai Kathiawadi'

tells the story of a Gujarati

am going to be assisted by a number

of people - and I am going to make a

name for myself as a director.

If I wanted to, I could have written

my name in the director's book long

ago. But I think you have to know

the details about management, you

have to understand, you have to

learn. Then come the movie

management. I am still interested in

directing movies, let's see what

happens in the future.'

Meanwhile, Babita has not been

seen in any new movies for several

years. She has received offers from

many directors to work in new

movies. But he was not seen in the

new movie as she did not like the

story and above all the character.

She was last seen in Nargis Akhter's

'Putro Ahan Paisawala'.

Meanwhile, May 21 was the 100th

birthday of world-renowned

filmmaker Satyajit Ray. On his

birthday, a special tribute was paid

to him. On August 26, 'Aparajit

Satyajit' was published. It was

published by the Journalism and

Mass Communication Center at

Kalyani University of Kolkata. Ray's

Pather Panchali was released on

August 26, 1955. So the book was

published on the 100th birth

anniversary of Satyajit Ray on the

release day of the first movie. The

book is written by 55 eminent

authors from eight countries of the

world. Babita, the only actress from

Bangladesh got the opportunity to

write in this book only because of

her performance in Satyajit Ray's

movie 'Ashani Sanket'. Babita is very

proud to be a part of such a book

and to write something about Ray in

the book.

'Gangubai Kathiawadi' to

be released in Jan

woman who was betrayed,

sold off, and forced into

prostitution after arriving

in Mumbai with her

partner. In the midnineteenth

century,

Kathiawadi developed

relationships with a slew of

underworld leaders and

gained control of parts of

South Mumbai. She

became a brothel

proprietor and is believed

to have worked for the

upliftment of women and

orphans in Mumbai's

Kamathipura red light

district.

Recently, speaking about

the film, Bhansali told,

"Gangubai Kathiawadi is a

very special film to me. It

has not been easy. We

made it during the

pandemic, and I have given

it my all. I can't wait to

share it with everyone."

Alia Bhatt had wrapped

the shoot of the film in

June this year. The film

also stars dancer-turnedactor

Shantanu

Maheshwari, who will be

seen playing Alia's love

interest. The film is

partially based on the book

'Mafia Queens of Mumbai'

by S Hussain Zaidi.

Source:Times of India

Xefer new

song 'Ojana'

released

TBT RepoRT

Singer-songwriter Xefer

Rahman has collaborated with

promising rock band 'Arekta

Rock Band' for a new song

titled 'Ojana'. The duet track,

sung by Xefer and the band's

lead vocalist Riasat Azmi, was

released on YouTube on

Friday.

The song 'Ojana' is cowritten

by Xefer, Riasat and

Raihan Mahbub Rasha while

music and tune are done by

Raihan. The mix and

mastering of the track are done

by renowned musician Fuad

Almuqtadir. The music video is

directed by Nahian Ahmed,

featuring Xefer and Riasat.

Apart from Xefer's YouTube

channel, the song 'Ojana' will

also be available on music

streaming platforms including

Spotify and iTunes.

Xefer Rahman, who got

popular for her renditions of

many English songs on her

YouTube channel. She did

playback for several films

including the National Awardwinning

film 'No Dorai'. She

was also one of the executive

producers of the film.

Pori Moni to star in Aronno

Anwar's first film "Maa"

Pori Moni has signed a movie with noted

television director Aronno Anwar for his

first directorial film "Maa". The deal was

signed yesterday at the actress' house.

Based on a true story, the movie centers

around the story of a mother as she

struggles with the emotions of losing her

seven-month-old baby who was declared

dead in 1971. Here the central character of

the mother will be played by "Bishwo

Shundori" actress Pori Moni.

The director gave a brief synopsis about

the movie to media.

"My friend Pulok Kanti Barua and I have

worked hard on writing the screenplay of

the movie. The story focuses on the mother

and for that, I wanted someone who was

the right fit for the movie," mentions

Anwar.

"Eventually, I read the screenplay to

Pori Moni, and she immediately

agreed to be part of my project. I was

completely blown away by her reaction

as actors tend to shy away from playing

the role of a mother," added the

director. "I truly respect

Pori Moni as both an

artiste and also as an

actor. She has the voice

and the attitude to

speak up against the

conventional

hegemony

persistent in

society. I am

truly happy that

she agreed to be

part of my first

directorial

venture."

Pori Moni

also shared her

excitement

about being part

of such a good

script.

"It feels great to be part

of a director's debut movie,

as an artiste I always

support and stand behind

such directors. I have

always been a fan of his

work when I used to

'The Flash' producer confirms

shooting's almost complete

TBT RepoRT

The Flash' producer Barbara

Muschietti has confirmed that

the movie is close to wrapping up

production. Scheduled to release

in the United States on

November 4, 2022, 'The Flash'

marks the return of Ezra Miller as

the titular Scarlet Speedster,

Barry Allen, after his appearances

in 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of

Justice' and 'Justice League'. The

movie focuses on Barry's journey

as he attempts to bend time and

space to prevent his mother's

murder, oblivious of the

consequences that he would

bring to his timeline. The movie is

being helmed by Argentinian

filmmaker Andy Muschietti,

while Batgirl screenwriter

Christina Hodson is penning the

script.

'The Flash' has been in

development for quite some time.

watch television and I am glad that he has

written such a wonderful story," she said.

"It will be truly challenging for me to play

the role of a mother as I lost my own

mother at a very young age. However, the

script was so enticing that I couldn't say no

to it. I hope I will be able to perform my

role to perfection," adds the actress.

"It feels great when I hear that a director

is going to direct his for the movie. I always

want to stand behind such directors. I

remember Aronno Anwar since I used to

watch his work in

Television."

Pori Moni will start

shooting for the

movie in January.

The movie was originally

supposed to premiere in 2018,

but that plan was delayed due to

certain creative challenges.

Production officially began in

April 2021, with shooting taking

place all over the United

Kingdom. The Burghley House in

Stamford doubled for the Wayne

Manor, while London and

Glasgow doubled for Central City

and Gotham City respectively. In

July, filming was temporarily

suspended after a camera

operator got injured during an

accident on 'The Flash' set. The

production eventually resumed,

and the film has been shooting

smoothly since. Now, it appears

that the work on the movie is

close to the finish line.

Recently, producer Barbara

Muschietti, who happens to be

the sister of director Andy

Muschietti, shared a BTS image

from the set of 'The Flash'.

Barbara's post featured Andy

grinning as he sat beside his

vanity van. In the post, the

producer expressed joy,

announcing that the movie would

soon be wrapping up production.

Source: Deccan Chronicle

H o R o s c o p e

ARIes

(March 21 - April 20) : A number of

interesting visitors could come to your

home today. At least one could be from

a foreign country, and some could be

in the educational field. You can expect some

interesting conversations, and you might learn

some fascinating facts on a subject that's new to

you. You could enjoy learning this so much that you

look for books on the subject tomorrow.

TAURUs

(April 21 - May 21) : Some

fascinating new neighbors may

move in. They could be in law,

education, or travel, they could be

from a foreign land - or they could be both. A

friend could introduce you to these people.

An impromptu welcome party could result,

so you and everyone else have a chance to get

to know each other.

GeMINI

(May 22 - June 21) : Have you been

looking for some new ways to earn

extra money? Today might find you

studying all the latest statistics and

economic trends to point you in the right

direction. Research online could be beneficial,

although you might not know where to look. You

should still make some inroads that sound

interesting.

cANceR

(June 22 - July 23) : Passion is on your

mind today. You'll want to get

together with a romantic partner.

Don't be surprised if the evening turns

into a long, involved, and very intimate

conversation, revealing secrets that you thought

you'd never repeat to anyone. You could learn some

rather surprising things as well, though nothing

that changes your feelings.

Leo

(July 24 - Aug. 23): Do you want to

surprise your partner with a gift?

Perhaps there's something that

your beloved has wanted for a long

time but hasn't bought. This would make a

wonderful surprise, and should be greatly

appreciated. Expressions of gratitude could be

followed by a long conversation that brings you

closer together.

VIRGo

(Aug. 24 - Sept. 23): A group

activity, perhaps a festival of some

kind, could bring new information

and people into your life. You could

meet people from all over the world and lifestyles.

You might also discover some new products you

want to try. This experience could transform you

in a profound way, so don't expect to go back to

your routine immediately.

LIBRA

(Sept. 24 - Oct. 23): Discussions of

spiritual or psychic matters could

result from exposure to an author on

such subjects. You might attend a

lecture by this person or perhaps see a documentary

on the topic. You might not be convinced about what

this person has to say and want to check it out with

research of your own. But isn't that the point - to get

you to learn on your own?

scoRpIo

(Oct. 24 - Nov. 22) : A long-awaited

letter or call might come today from a

friend who lives in another state or a

foreign country. This could open the

lines of communication to a degree they haven't

reached for a long time. You and your friend have

grown considerably since you were last close, so it's

almost like a whole new friendship. Enjoy getting to

know each other again.

sAGITTARIUs

(Nov. 23 - Dec. 21): Are you

interested in investing? This is a

good day to read financial pages,

study stock reports, and consult

with people who know about these things.

You're probably considering a number of

possibilities. Learn about them in detail before

taking any action. This is a great day to collect

information.

cApRIcoRN

(Dec. 22 - Jan. 20): Communication

with business and romantic partners

should be more warm, open, and

honest than usual. Take advantage of

this to get misunderstandings out of the way,

explain things that might seem confusing, and

develop empathy with those around you. You

could come out of this more united in all of your

relationships.

AQUARIUs

(Jan. 21 - Feb. 19) : Your tasks should

go smoothly and quickly today,

particularly paperwork. Others are

willing to lend a hand if you need it,

and you might be called upon to assist another with

a task beyond his or her ability. The atmosphere is

unusually pleasant, so the day could just fly by. In

the evening, go to a bookstore that's holding a

lecture or book signing.

pIsces

(Feb. 20 - Mar. 20) : A rush of communication

heightens love and romance today.

Feelings and memories are willingly

shared. Either you or your partner could

reveal something that the other didn't know, which

could strengthen the bond between you. Some of what's

exchanged might be a little surprising, but your

relationship should be much better for all the open,

honest, and loving communication.

Mymensingh City Corporation Mayor Md. Ikramul Haque Titu as the chief guest handed over the prizes

among students who participated in the essay, painting and recitation competition on various subjects marking

the 46th Martyrdom Anniversary and National Mourning Day of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at Shaheed Shahabuddin Auditorium on Saturday.

Photo: Md Ali Raj

China launches

investigation into

former justice minister

BEIJING : Anti-graft

authorities in China

announced Saturday they

were investigating the

country's former justice

minister, the latest senior

cadre to be drawn into

Beijing's sweeping corruption

drive.

A growing number of top

Communist figures have been

caught up in President Xi

Jinping's anti-corruption

campaign, which critics say

has also served as a way to

remove the leader's political

enemies since he came to

power in 2013, reports BSS.

Fu Zhenghua-who has held

key roles in Beijing including

minister of justice and head of

the Public Security Bureau-is

being investigated for "serious

violation of discipline and

law", according to a statement

from authorities.

Once Beijing's top cop, Fu is

thought to have led the

corruption investigation into

Zhou Yongkang, the former

security czar who was jailed in

2015 in one of the campaign's

most high-profile cases.

But he is now facing his own

investigation by anti-graft

body the Central Commission

for Discipline Inspection

(CCDI).

Fu is currently the deputy

director of the social and legal

affairs committee on the

standing committee of the

largely ceremonial advisory

body, the Chinese People's

Political Consultative

Conference (CPPCC).

The CDDI's statement

comes just days after the

former deputy public security

minister Sun Lijun-who

oversaw security in Hong

Kong during months of

unrest-was expelled from the

party for corruption.

3 die in Covid

unit of SBMC

Zihad Rana, Barishal

Correspondent

Three patients died in one

day in the Covid unit of

Barisal Sher-e-Bangla

Medical College Hospital

(SBMC). As many as 42

patients were undergoing

treatment there till Saturday

morning.

Meanwhile, in the RT PCR

lab of the medical college,

6.45 percent corona was

detected in all the final

sample tests on Friday night.

According to the medical

director's office, 42 patients

were treated in the corona

ward last Friday.

In one day, 5 patients left

Covid unit after recovering

from the treatment. At the

same time, 8 patients were

admitted to Corona Ward

with various symptoms.

The PCR Lab report on

September 18 identified a

minimum of 1.11 percent

corona. After the launch of

PCR Lab in Barisal on April

5 last year, the highest 73.94

percent corona was

identified on July 5.

Since the launch of Covid

unit in Medical on March 17

last year, 7,236 patients have

been admitted there till

Saturday morning.

Of these, 1,391 patients

died while undergoing

treatment, according to the

director's office.

We have to patriotic to take

country forward: Mayor Titu

Md Ali Raj, Mymensingh Correspondent

Mymensingh City Corporation Mayor Md.

Ikramul Haque Titu said, knowing the true

history of Bangabandhu, one has to be

patriotic and the spirit of liberation war to

take the country forward. We have to play a

role in building a prosperous nation with

inspiration and guidance from history. The

country is like our mother. No one can

become a real person if the country is not

good.

He said this while addressing the students

as the chief guest at a prize distribution

function organized by Mymensingh City

Corporation on the occasion of 46th

Martyrdom Anniversary and National

Mourning Day of Father of the Nation

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at

Shaheed Shahabuddin Auditorium on

Saturday.

In this competition, in the light of

Bangabandhu's life and work, prizes were

Sher-e-Bangla Medical College (SBMC), Barishal

given to a total of 30 students in different

categories who participated in the essay,

painting and recitation competition on

various subjects. The mayor further said that

under the leadership of Father of the Nation

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, we

have regained the great freedom that we lost

in the desert of Palashi. He is the greatest

Bengali of all time. During the time, Mayor

Titu advised the students to read the

Bangabandhu's The Unfinished Memoirs

including Bangabandhu's autobiography.

The program was moderated by Chief

Executive Officer Mohammad Anwar

Hossain. Mymensingh City Corporation

Education Committee Chairman and

Councilor of Ward 30 Md. Abul Bashar,

Secretary Rajib Kumar Sarkar, Panel Mayor

and other councilors, City Corporation

department and branch heads, award

winning students and their parents were

present on the occasion.

There is nothing wrong with school authorities trying to keep children

healthy by preventing coronary infections. Fauzia Bithi, a teacher at

Belkuchi Government Primary School in Bogura's Dhunat Upazila, has

made and distributed cloth masks for the students. Photo : Star Mail

U.S. Steel Tower stands tall

50 years after its dedication

PITTSBURGH : Fifty years later, it's still the

king of the Downtown skyline.

The U.S. Steel Tower remains Pittsburgh's

tallest building as it marks the golden

anniversary Thursday of its dedication, still

sitting on one of the most prestigious

addresses in the city - 600 Grant St.

Over the years, the brawny 64-story

skyscraper has survived the hometown

collapse of the very industry that brought it

life, not to mention the recessions; the Sept. 11,

2001, terrorist attacks; the vagaries of the real

estate market; and a pandemic that virtually

emptied its offices, reports UNB.

It has seen trends come and go, from bell

bottoms to leisure suits. Hairstyles have

changed, though an in-house barbershop is

still around. It has celebrated six Super Bowl

championships, two World Series titles and

five Stanley Cups.

That's not to say there haven't been changes.

For one thing, the name atop the tower has

nothing to do with steel. The rooftop

helicopter that whisked former U.S. Steel CEO

David Roderick to and from appointments

has been gone for three decades. And the

62nd floor Top of the Triangle restaurant that

served as a dramatic backdrop for weddings,

engagements, and after-work drinking bouts

is but a memory.

But it is by no means your grandfather's

skyscraper, according to local real estate

experts. "It has always been the crown jewel

office building," said Gregg Broujos, regional

principal of the Colliers International real

estate firm.

Mr. Broujos and others said the tower has

managed to stay relevant even against

competition from newer skyline additions -

PPG Place, One Oxford Centre, EQT Plaza,

Liberty Center, and BNY Mellon Center in the

1980s - and trendy state-of-the-art

complexes built recently in the Strip District

and beyond.

Morocco to start

administering

3rd COVID-19

vaccine dose

RABAT : Morocco will start

administering booster

COVID-19 vaccine shots in

the coming days, as part of

the national immunization

campaign, the Ministry of

Health announced Friday,

reports UNB.

The ministry said in a

statement that following the

recommendations of the

Moroccan scientific

committee, the third booster

jabs will be administered as

part of the national

vaccination campaign,

urging all Moroccans and

foreigners residing in

Morocco to join this

operation.

The North African country

launched a nationwide

vaccination campaign on

Jan. 28 after the arrival of

the first shipment of China's

Sinopharm vaccines.

As of Friday, 22,719,086

people have received the

first vaccine shots against

COVID-19 in the country,

and 19,197,916 people have

received two doses.

Morocco reported on

Friday 936 new COVID-19

cases, bringing the total

infections in the country to

934,007.

Libyans end Morocco

talks without sign of

election law deal

RABAT : Two rival Libyan

factions wound up ameeting

in Morocco without any sign

of agreement on a disputed

electoral law,ahead of polls

scheduled for December 24,

reports BSS.

They did, however, jointly

appeal for international

support for the oil-rich North

African country's political

process following years of

unrest.

Representatives of the

upper house, based in Tripoli

in Libya's west, heldtwo days

of talks in Morocco's capital

Rabat with the Libyan

parliament,whose seat is in

the eastern city of Tobruk.

"We call on the

international community to

support the electoral

processin Libya... and to send

international observers to

guarantee that thisimportant

event takes place smoothly,"

said El Hadi Ali Elsaghir, a

member ofparliament, at the

close on Friday.

Libya saw a decade of war

following its NATO-backed

2011 revolt whichtoppled

dictator Moamer Kadhafi,

leaving the country split

between rivaladministrations

backed by foreign powers and

myriad militias.

Hopes of stability had

followed a United Nations-led

peace process and aceasefire

in October last year.

A western-based unity

government took office in

March with a mandate

toprepare for December

elections, but negotiations

over relevant legislationhave

raised doubts over the UN-led

process and plans for the

ballot.

Elsaghir made no mention

of agreement with his western

colleagues over anelectoral

law. Germany and the United

States have been among

nations seeking to ensurethat

the December legislative and

presidential vote goes ahead.

Photo : TBT

SUNDAy, OCTOBER 3, 2021

11

Georgia's ex-president arrested

after returning home

GEORGIA : Former President Mikheil

Saakashvili was arrested after returning to

Georgia, the government said Friday, a move

that came as the ex-leader sought to mobilize

supporters ahead of national municipal

elections seen as critical to the country's political

makeup, reports UNB.

The announcement by Prime Minister Irakli

Garibashvili came hours after Saakashvili, who

was convicted in absentia on abuse of power

charges and has lived in Ukraine in recent

years, posted on Facebook that he was back in

the country.

Details of the arrest were not immediately

clear, but Georgian TV on Friday evening

broadcast video of Saakashvili in handcuffs,

with a wide smile on his face, being taken into

custody by police.

In earlier Facebook video, Saakashvili said

he was in Batumi, the Black Sea port and

resort that is Georgia's second-largest city.

Georgian officials earlier in the day had

denied he was in the country.

In the posts, Saakashvili said Saturday's

elections were "crucial" for Georgia and had

called for a rally in Tbilisi on Sunday,

promising to join it.

Saakashvili's attempts to rally Georgians

could upend the ruling party's plans to secure

dominance in the balloting for mayors and

local assemblies that is widely regarded as a

vote of confidence in the national

government and could trigger early elections

next year.

The European Union brokered a deal in

April to ease a political crisis between the

ruling Georgian Dream party and opposition

groups, including Saakashvili's United

National Movement, the second-biggest

political force in the country.

The agreement stipulated that snap

parliamentary elections should be called in

2022 if Georgian Dream receives less than

43% of all proportional votes in the local

elections in the country's 64 municipalities.

It is unclear whether the EU deal will be

followed, however. In July, Georgian Dream

withdrew from the agreement because

United National Movement hadn't signed

onto it by then. The opposition party finally

signed this month, and Saakashvili has urged

supporters to turn out in force at the polls.

A Milad mahfil and prayers were held marking the death of the mother of

Akter Hossain Babul Hawlader, convener of Bhola Char Fasson Upazila

Dakshin Aicha Thana Jubo League and executive member of Dakshin

Aicha Press Club. The occasion was held at at the permanent office of Jubo

League on Friday. Ashraf Uddin Sabuj Munshi, Joint Convener Ward No. 1

of Dakshin Aicha Thana Juba League presided over the function while

Mohiuddin Biplob, Joint Convener of ward No. 2 moderated the occasion.

During the time, Akhter Hossain Babul, convener of Dakshin Aicha Thana

Chhatra League, Giasuddin Member, President of Union Jubo League East

Branch were among others also present at the occasion. Photo: Md Tuhin

The activists of Tomader Pashey, a welfare and voluntary organisation,

conducted a cleaning drive at Dhaka Central Shaheed Minar yesterday

[Friday].

Photo : Courtesy

UN says Ethiopia has no legal

right to expel 7 UN officials

UNITED NATIONS : The United Nations informed Ethiopia on

Friday that it has no legal right to expel seven U.N. officials whom

it accused of "meddling" in the country's affairs.

Ethiopia announced the expulsions on Thursday, giving the

seven officials 72 hours to leave, as pressure grows on the

government over its deadly blockade of the Tigray region where

children are reportedly starving to death, reports UNB.

U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said a diplomatic note

sent to Ethiopia's U.N. Mission and conveyed to Ethiopian Prime

Minister Abiy Ahmed during a phone call with U.N. Secretary-

General Antonio Guterres on Friday stated the U.N.'s

"longstanding legal position" that the doctrine of declaring

someone "persona non grata"-or unwelcome-does not apply to

U.N. personnel.

"The application of this doctrine to United Nations officials is

contrary to obligations under the Charter of the United Nations

and the privileges and immunities to be afforded to the United

Nations and its officials," he said.

The doctrine of declaring someone persona non grata applies

between states, Haq said. "We are not a state."

When issues are raised regarding U.N. personnel, Haq said,

"the requirement is that such concerns are appropriately

conveyed to the organization."

"It's then for the secretary-general to make the necessary

determinations and take the necessary steps to address the

matter," the spokesman said.

Haq didn't answer directly when asked whether this means the

U.N. officials will remain in Ethiopia, and not leave within 72

hours. He reiterated that declaring someone persona non grata

applies between countries, and the United Nations is a global

organization with 193 member nations. Abiy's spokeswoman,

Billene Seyoum, did not immediately respond to a request for

comment on the U.N.'s diplomatic note and the prime minister's

phone call to the secretary-general.

Secretary-General Guterres said Thursday he was "shocked" by

the Ethiopian announcement and expressed "full confidence" in

U.N. staff, saying they are guided by impartiality and neutrality.

Tomader Pashey

conducts cleaning

drive at Dhaka Central

Shaheed Minar

With a view to creating

awareness among people about

cleanliness, Tomader Pashey

[We Stand by You], a voluntary

and welfare organisation,

conducted a cleaning drive at

Dhaka Central Shaheed Minar

on Friday, says a press release.

During the hour-long

programme, Tomader Pashey

activists picked up various

plastic items and other

discarded objects from the

premises and put those in a

nearby designated place.

Among others, the

organisation's Organising

Secretary Md Shofiqul Islam,

Member Secretary Masum

Billah, Publicity Secretary

Nazrul Islam, Finance

Secretary Hashem Ali, Adviser

Shamsul Haque, and members

Nazim Uddin and Md Ujjal

were present on the occasion.

The programme was held

maintaining health guidelines.

Tomader Pashey is basically a

welfare initiative of Khalishpur

Secondary School Alumni

Association, Khulna (SSC Batch

1996).

-- Sk. Mehedi Hassan,

President

Sunday, Dhaka: October 3, 2021; Ashwin 18, 1428 BS; Safar 25, 1443 Hijri

PM for developing villages

into towns:Dr Shirin

RANGPUR : Jatiya Sangsad Speaker Dr

Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury yesterday said

Prime Minister (PM) Sheikh Hasina has

taken multiple initiatives to provide various

urban facilities to villages aiming at turning

every village into a town.

"As part of the multi-faceted initiatives,

an auditorium cum-multipurpose hall is

being established with all modern facilities

in Pirganj upazila. This is a timely decision,"

she said.

The Speaker was virtually addressing a

ceremony arranged for laying the foundation

stone of the 1,000-seat auditorium

cum-multipurpose hall in Pirganj at the initiative

of Rangpur district council as the

chief guest. On the occasion, she also inaugurated

construction work of the auditorium

cum-multipurpose hall by laying the

foundation stone.

"After completion of construction of the

auditorium cum-multipurpose hall with all

modern facilities, it will play a vital role in

meeting the growing demand for holding

Mufti Kazi

Ibrahim

sent to jail

DHAKA : A court on Saturday sent

Islamic preacher Mufti Kazi Ibrahim

to jail in a case filed under the Digital

Security Act. Dhaka Metropolitan

Magistrate Shahinur Rahman passed

the order, rejecting his bail prayer.

Following Ibrahim's two-day

remand, DB Sub-Inspector Md

Hasanuzzaman, investigating officer

of the case, pleaded to keep him in jail

till the investigation of the case is

completed.

Earlier, Kazi Ibrahim was produced

before the Dhaka Metropolitan

Magistrate's Court on September 29

and Metropolitan Magistrate Abu

Sufian Md Noman granted two-day

remand for him.

On Wednesday last, Munsi Abdul

Lokman, deputy inspector of Detective

Branch (DB) North's Serious Crime

Investigation Division of the Dhaka

Metropolitan Police (DMP), filed a case

against Mufti Kazi Ibrahim under the

Digital Security Act.

On Tuesday night, a man named ZM

Rana filed another case against

Ibrahim over fraudulence.

The DB police detained Mufti Kazi

Ibrahim in the early hours of Tuesday

last from his Mohammadpur residence

in the capital for some of his recent

controversial speeches.

Covid in Bangladesh

Daily cases fall

to 589, lowest

since May 16

DHAKA : Twenty-four people died of

Covid infections in Bangladesh and

589 more infected in 24 hours till

Saturday morning, reports UNB. The

number of cases is the lowest since

May 16, when the country saw 363

cases. On Friday, the country logged

21 Covid deaths and 847 cases.

The new cases till Saturday morning

were detected after testing 17, 283

samples. With this, the daily case

positivity rate declined slightly to 3.41

percent from Friday's 3.43 per cent,

said the Directorate General of

Health Services (DGHS).

The daily case positivity rate in the

country remained below 5 per cent for

the 10th consecutive day.

According to the World Health

Organization (WHO), if the daily-case

positivity rate remains at 5 per cent or

below for 14 days it is considered to

be safe for mass unlocking.

The daily case positivity rate in

Bangladesh reached its peak 32.55

percent on July 24 this year.

The fresh numbers took the total

fatalities to 27,555 while the caseload

mounted to 15,57,347, said the DGHS.

However, the mortality rate

remained static at 1.77 per cent.

The recovery rate slightly increased

to 97.45 per cent with the recovery of

741 more patients during the 24-hour

period. So far, 15,17,642 people have

recovered from the deadly virus infections,

the DGHS added.

meetings and seminars," she said.

Besides, works are underway to set up a

multipurpose women's training center in

Bhendabari union of Pirganj at the initiative

of Rangpur district council.

The Speaker said there is no more darkness

across the country as Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina has extended electricity

facilities to all villages in Bangladesh.

"Power connections have paved the way

for development in all rural and remote

areas," she said, adding that concerted

efforts of all are essential to implement the

pledges of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

for building a developed country by 2041.

Dr Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury said the

government is working relentlessly for

ensuring balanced development of all the

unions in Pirganj upazila.

"Meanwhile, construction of Marine

Academy, Technical College, Bangabandhu

Mural, Model Mosque, Sheikh Kamal IT

Training Center, Shaheed Minar, Women

Training Centre, Computer Lab and development

projects have already been completed

in Pirganj," she said.

Besides, the site has been identified for

setting up a stadium. Works of the fourlane

road are in progress and work is

underway to turn the huge water body

'Neeldoriya' into a tourist spot. The proposal

to set up an industrial city at Barabila in

Pirganj has been passed.

"The present government led by Prime

Minister Sheikh Hasina has been implementing

extensive development activities

to build Pirganj as a modern model upazila,"

the Speaker added. Presided over by

Rangpur District Council Chairman

Advocate Safia Khanam, Pirganj Upazila

Awami League General Secretary and

Pirganj Municipality Mayor ASM Tajimul

Islam Shamim moderated the function.

Pirganj Upazila Awami League President

Advocate Azizur Rahman Ranga, its vicepresident

Shahidul Islam Pintu, local leaders

of Awami League and its associate bodies,

dignitaries and elite were present.

S Korea pledges more support

to Bangladesh's path towards

brighter future: Envoy

DHAKA : South Korean Ambassador to

Bangladesh Lee Jang-keun has said

Korea, as a natural and trustful partner of

Bangladesh, is committed to further contributing

to Bangladesh's path towards

brighter future, reports UNB.

Ambassador Lee also drew attention that

Korea and Bangladesh will celebrate the

50th anniversary of diplomatic ties in 2023

and hoped this to be a milestone year bringing

the bilateral relations to a new height.

The Embassy of the Republic of Korea

in Dhaka will celebrate the Korean

National Day virtually on October 3 due

to the persisting corona pandemic.

Every year the Korean Embassy used to

hold a grand in-person reception for the

celebration of its National Foundation

Day, Gaecheonjeol in Korean which literally

means the day of sky opening.

This day is to mark the legendary formation

of the first Korean state in 2333

B.C.

The Korean Embassy has prepared a

special website for the virtual celebration

which includes congratulatory video

messages of a multitude of dignitaries

and friends of Korea from Bangladesh

government, politics and business as well

as diplomatic community in Bangladesh.

Among them are Foreign Secretary

Masud Bin Momen, Parliamentarian

Md. Saber Hossain Chowdhury,

Archbishop George Kocherry, Dean of

the Diplomatic Corps in Dhaka, Md.

Atiqul Islam, Mayor of Dhaka North City

Corporation, Chairman Sung Ki-hak of

Youngone Corporation, representatives

of international agencies such as IOM,

UNICEF and UNDP, Prof. Tanweer

Hasan, Vice Chancellor of IUB and

Korean community in Bangladesh.

Also, students of Sarkari Shishu

Paribar, EPS workers, K-pop lovers and

members of Korean community in

Bangladesh joined in the video celebration.

The video clips of the congratulatory

messages can be found at the website:

www.bd-korea.com

The Ambassador expressed sincere

appreciation to all dignitaries and friends

for joining the auspicious day especially

by sending short video clips.

Dhaka North City Corporation Mayor Atiqul Islam on Saturday inaugurated a public awareness

rally in Uttara Sector 4 of the capital against Aedes mosquitoes and dengue. Photo : Star Mail

BGB seizes

smuggled goods,

drugs worth Tk

106.98 cr in Sept

DHAKA : Border Guard Bangladesh

(BGB) seized various smuggled goods,

arms and drugs worth Tk 106.98 crore

in various drives across the country in

September, reports UNB.

The seized drugs include 20,03,787

Yaba pills, 2.95 g crystal meth ice, 22,368

bottles of phensidyl, 15,684 bottles of foreign

liquor, 2,938 cans of beer, 1,565 kg

965 g of cannabis, 9.15 kg of heroin, 13,099

injections, 7,496 Iskaf syrups, 125 bottles

of Magdil/Cofidil, 49,675 Anegra/Senegra

tablets and 1,75,102 other tablets.

Around 6.78 kg gold, 53.60 kg silver,

cosmetics s, 4,842 sarees, 112 readymade

garments, 3,378 Cubic feet of wood,

10,826 kg of tea leaves, 26,050 kg of coal,

5 trucks/covered vans, 10 private cars/

microbuses, 8 pickups, 60 CNG/battery

run autorickshaws and 70 motorcycles

were among the smuggled goods.

The arms and ammunition recovered

included three pistols, five different types

of guns, five magazines and 12 rounds of

bullet. Besides, legal action has also been

taken against 345 people for their involvement

in smuggling. Some 221

Bangladeshis and nine Indians were

arrested for illegal border crossing.

100 members of Bangladesh Navy team left for South Sudan on Saturday to join Bangladesh Force

Marine Unite-7 , deployed in United Nations Mission in South Sudan.

Photo : ISPR

Philippine president announces

retirement from politics

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte

has said he will not stand for vice-president

in next year's election, and will

instead retire from politics.

Duterte said last month that he would

run for the vice-presidency in 2022. The

country's constitution bars him from a

second term as president. But he now

says he will withdraw, as "the overwhelming

sentiment of the Filipinos is

that I am not qualified". The move

comes amid speculation that his daughter

could run for president, reports BBC.

Duterte, a controversial "strongman"

figure, came to power in 2016 on a platform

of crushing crime and fixing the

country's drug crisis.

In the five years since his election, critics

say he has encouraged police to carry

out thousands of extrajudicial killings of

suspects in what he's called his "war on

drugs". The Philippines' constitution

only permits presidents to serve for a

single six-year term.

Duterte's daughter Sara Duterte-

Carpio, who is currently mayor of the

southern city of Davao, has given mixed

messages about running for high office.

Last month she said that she would

not join the race because she and her

father had agreed that only one of them

would stand in next year's election.

However, she has led every opinion

poll conducted this year.

Embarrassed by son's

'extramarital affair',

Sirajganj mother kills self

SIRAJGANJ : A woman at Binnabari village

in Tarash upazila of Sirajganj has

killed herself as her son reportedly eloped

with neighbour's wife, reports UNB. Police

said Firoza Khatun, 42, mother of Firoz

Ahmed took her own life as newly married

Firoz fled home a week ago with a neighbor's

wife following an extramarital affair.

Unable to bear the shock, Firoza ,wife of

Mominur Rahman, took pesticides on

Friday. Her family members tried to take her

to Natore Hospital but she died on the way.

Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Tarash Police

Station Mohammad Fazle Ashiq said Firoza

married off her son Firoz with her brother's

daughter two months ago but Feroz ran

away with the neigbour's wife. Police sent the

body to Sirajganj Bangamata Fazilatunnesa

Mujib Hospital for autopsy.

Drama returns to Dhaka as Ganga-

Jamuna fest breaks Covid jinx

DHAKA : Good news for drama buffs.

After a long hiatus due to the Covid pandemic,

the popular Ganga-Jamuna

Cultural Festival has returned to Dhaka,

reports UNB.

Commemorating the birth centenary of

the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the golden

jubilee of independent Bangladesh, the

festival was inaugurated at the National

Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala

Academy (BSA) on Friday by State

Minister for Cultural Affairs KM Khalid.

However, noted music composer, freedom

fighter and Shwadhin Bangla Betar

Kendra artiste Shujeyo Sham could not

join the inaugural ceremony due to illness.

Former Minister for Cultural Affairs

Asaduzzaman Noor, legendary thespian

Ramendu Majumdar, 'Mancha Sharathi'

Ataur Rahman, Dhaka Theatre president

Nasiruddin Yousuff, and BSA director

general Liaquat Ali Lucky also joined the

inauguration ceremony as special guests.

Ganga-Jamuna Sangskritik Utsab

Parshad's member secretary Akter

Uzzaman delivered the welcome speech

at the inaugural ceremony, which was

presided over by Parishad convener

Ghulam Quddus.

The guests then inaugurated the 12

day-long festival, lighting Mangal

Pradeep. The organisers also paid tribute

to cultural activists who passed away during

the pandemic by holding a photography

exhibition at the venue.

Inaugurating the festival, KM Khalid

ASI killer drug trader gives

confessional statement in Rangpur

RANGPUR : Drug trader Parvez Rahman

Polash has confessed his crime of killing

Assistant Sub-inspector (ASI) Peyarul

Islam of Haragachh police station of

Rangpur Metropolitan Police (RpMP),

BSS says.

"When produced before the court of

senior judicial magistrate Md Jahangir

Alam on Friday evening, Polash gave a

confessional statement before the court

under section 164 of the Code of Criminal

Procedure of 1898," a press release said

yesterday evening.

Earlier, ASI Peyarul was stabbed by

notorious drug trader Polash in

Baharkachna area in the metropolis at

midnight on September 24 last when he

caught the drug trader while conducting

his routine anti-drug duty.

The drug trader stabbed the ASI

repeatedly with a sharp weapon injuring

him critically.

But, Peyarul showed his maximum

bravery and was still catching the criminal

even in critically injured conditions.

Other policemen immediately rushed

there and caught the killer red-handed

with 152 pieces of Yaba tablets and a sharp

knife (8 inches in length) from the spot.

Police rushed ASI Peyarul to Rangpur

Medical College Hospital where the brave

police official succumbed to his injuries

on the next day.

Sub-inspector (SI) Zillur Rahman filed

two separate cases in this connection with

said, "After so many devastating and frustrating

days, it feels great to welcome back

this kind of grant festival and audiences.

From our Ministry of Cultural Affairs, we

want to sponsor active cultural organisations.

To ensure adequate support to the

appropriate organisations, we will prepare

a list and hand it over to cultural

icons after proper evaluation."

On his part, former Cultural Affairs

Minister Asaduzzaman Noor said, "We

should not compromise when it comes to

ensuring the quality of our theatre productions.

Before we give out incentives,

we need to make sure that the groups and

performances are of high quality. To

ensure high-quality products, we must be

critical of our own work, especially after

the long break."

Echoing similar sentiments, Nasiruddin

Yousuff said, "After an 18-month hiatus,

we returned to the stage tonight to present

quality productions in front of the audience.

Though we were unable to work for

a long period due to the pandemic, we

must now work diligently to recover. A

number of demands have been made to

the government by cultural activists,

which I hope will be met shortly."

None of the Indian cultural groups is

participating in this year's festival due to

the pandemic, so their local counterparts

will be carrying the stage. At the inaugural

ceremony, the guests paid respect to

late theatre personality Amalesh

Chakraborty, who initiated the Ganga-

Jamuna Cultural Festival in Kolkata.

Haragachh police station on September

25 last.

Being instructed by the Police

Headquarters, Rangpur unit of Police

Bureau of Investigation (PBI) took over

responsibility of conducting investigation

into the cases and appointed its Inspector

Saiful Islam as the Investigating Officer

(IO) on September 27.

Under the supervision of Deputy

Inspector General of PBI Banaj Kumar

Majumder and direction of

Superintendent of Police (SP) of Rangpur

PBI ABM Jakir Hossain, the IO started

investigation into the cases putting maximum

importance.

The Rangpur court granted a three-day

police remand of the accused person

when the IO produced him before the

court on September 28 last with a

remand prayer.

"After extensive interrogation adopting

science-based technologies, the accused

person was produced before the court on

Friday evening when he gave the confessional

statement," the release said.

Talking to BSS this evening, PBI SP

Jakir Hossain said investigation into the

two cases was ongoing smoothly.

"A police report will be submitted to the

court as soon as possible after collecting

sufficient and logical evidence so that the

victim's family gets a fair trial and the

offender gets maximum punishment," he

added.

03-10-2021

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