07-10-2021

thurSday

DhAkA: October 7, 2021; Ashwin 22, 1428 BS; Safar 29,1443 hijri

www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www.bangladeshtoday.net

Regd.No.DA~2065, Vol.19; N o. 159; 12 Pages~Tk.8.00

international

French senators arrive

in Taiwan amid

tensions with China

>Page 7

SPortS

France face Belgium

hoping to banish

memories of Euro flop

>Page 9

art & culture

Jaya receives

'Pranobik

Bondhu' Award

>Page 10

Registration must

ahead of operating

news portals: Minister

DHAKA : The government will make

registration mandatory ahead of operating

any news portal from the next year,

said Information Minister Hasan

Mahmud on Wednesday.

"Declaration is a must before publishing

any newspaper, and there should be

the same rule in the case of news portal

operation. News portals must get registered

before starting their activities

which will help bring discipline in the

sector, "said the minister.

The minister came up with the

remarks at BSRF Dialogue held at the

secretariat. Bangladesh Secretariat

Reporters Forum (BSRF) arranged the

dialogue. Hasan Mahmud said the government

is taking an initiative to stop

broadcasting news from IPTVs. "We'll

soon take steps against those IPTVs

which broadcast news."

"Internet protocol television (IPTV) is

a global reality. It's new media. Those

shouldn't be shut. But the mushroom

growth of IPTVs can't continue. So,

we've put in place the registration

process for IPTVs," the minister added.

Responding to a question, Hasan

Mahmud said the proposed media

workers law is now at the final stage.

"Once it is passed in parliament, the

workers of electronic media and even

the online ones will get legal protection.

There'll be no retrenchment without any

prior notice.

Remittance inflow

to become normal

in 2-3 months :

Finance Minister

DHAKA : Finance Minister AHM Mustafa

Kamal has said he is expecting the country's

remittance inflow to become normal

within two to three months.

"Hope, we'll see an uptrend within twothree

months as many of the expatriates

who got stuck at home are going back to

work following the improvement in in the

Covid-19 situation," he told reporters on

Wednesday after a meeting of the cabinet

committee on public purchase. The

finance minister's remarks came against

the backdrop of the consecutive fall in

inward remittances of the country.

As per the Bangladesh Bank's statistics,

the country received $1871.49 million

in July, $1810.10 million in August

and $1726.29 in million in September

this year.

After the fall in remittance earnings,

many analysts apprehend if the downward

trend continues, the country's foreign

exchange reserve may witness a

decline.

Mustafa Kamal said Bangladesh has

been witnessing continuous rise in

remittance inflow as a result of the various

measures, including 2 percent

incentives given by the government to

wage earners.

He said the slight fall in remittance

inflow is temporary and it will return to

the normalcy within two months

Bangladesh has long been receiving

remittances of $22-23 billion annually.

Zohr

04:39 AM

11:55 PM

04:05 PM

05:48 PM

07:00 PM

5:51 5:43

Devote yourselves to

serving people:Hasina

DHAKA : Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

on Wednesday stressed the importance

of good governance and asked the government

officials to devote themselves to

serving people to make this society a better

place. "I hope you'll devote yourselves

to serving people remaining faithful to the

constitutional responsibilities," she said.

The Prime Minister was addressing the

certificate-giving and closing ceremony of

the 119th and 120th Law and Administration

Training Courses at Bangladesh Civil Service

Administration Academy in the capital

through a videoconference from her official

residence Ganobhaban. As per the 7th article

of the Constitution, Hasina mentioned,

people are the owners of the country while

the 21(2) article of the constitution stated

that government employees are bound to

serve people round the clock.

She directed the public servants to take

innovative initiatives to serve people as

the government has prepared a

Perspective Plan and is implementing it.

"We've already attained the status of a

developing nation and we've to maintain

that so that we do not fall behind."

Hasina said it is the desire of all that

Deal over UN's operational

engagement in Bhasan

Char likely on Saturday

DHAKA : Bangladesh and the United

Nations are likely to sign a formal document

on Saturday to find ways for UN

engagement in Bhasan Char demonstrating

support to the government's

massive investment there to ensure better

living for Rohingyas, officials said,

reports UNB.

"We're expecting that the MoU will be

signed on Saturday morning if there's no

last-minute change," a senior official

told UNB, mentioning that things are

finalised. However, he did not elaborate

further what will be the nature of UN

engagement in Bhasan Char and the

specific areas of cooperation.

The numerous challenges associated

with the temporary hosting of persecuted

Rohingyas from Myanmar have compelled

the government of Bangladesh to plan the

relocation of 100,000 Rohingyas to

Bhashan Char, according to the Ministry of

Foreign Affairs.

So far, nearly 20,000 Rohingyas have

moved to Bhasan Char since December

last year in a number of groups.

Some 1642 Rohingyas were relocated to

there will be a service-oriented administration

in the country which will innovate

new services to serve people.

"Stay involved in establishing good governance

through proper enforcement of laws,

stay beside people, and make sure people

get justice and not a single person suffers

from starvation, remains homeless, is

deprived of treatment and education.

Discharge your responsibilities keeping eyes

on these issues, we want that," she said.

Talking about the food scarcity in the

Covid-19 pandemic across the globe, the

Prime Minister said the food scarcity has

increased around the world and many

countries are suffering from this. "Not a

single inch of arable land be left behind

from cultivation."

Hasina said every piece of land in every

area of the country must be put under cultivation

to increase production and mentioned

that many developed countries are in

deplorable condition regarding food production.

"We may have to provide food assistance

to many developed countries, maybe.

Keeping this view in mind, we've to make

sure there's no scarcity of food and protein in

the country."

Bhashan Char on December 4, 2020, while

the second batch, comprising 1,804

Rohingyas, had been transferred from Cox's

Bazar to Bhashan Char on December 29 last

year. On Wednesday, Foreign Minister Dr AK

Abdul Momen said the operational engagement

of the UNHCR, the UN refugee agency,

in Bhasan Char will begin soon. "Everything

is final. It has been done as agreed."

Recognizing Bangladesh's massive

investment in Bhasan Char, UN Resident

Coordinator in Bangladesh Mia Seppo said

there has been, rather, a lot of negative

coverage about Bhasan Char and it is

important that they have somehow managed

to move away from that.

She said they want to be partners in

trying to create something so that everybody

can live and the conversation that

they are having now is important.

Regarding the proposed Memorandum

of Understanding (MoU) to engage in

Bhasan Char, Mia said there are protections

and humanitarian imperatives and

they are obviously looking to support the

massive efforts of the government in

Bhasan Char.

Passengers vandalized the station and lay seized the DC office. About one and a half thousand extra passengers bought

tickets from the station booth. But the passengers could not get up even with the train ticket. Photo : Star Mail

The country's Hindu community yesterday celebrated the Mahalaya, the auspicious occasion of

heralding the advent of goddess Durga, with due religious fervor and enthusiasm. Photo : TBT

Mahalaya celebrated

with religious fervor

DHAKA : The country's Hindu community

yesterday celebrated the Mahalaya, the

auspicious occasion of heralding the

advent of goddess Durga, with due religious

fervor and enthusiasm.

Mahalaya marks an invitation of sorts

to goddess Durga to begin her journey

from Kailash to her paternal home

(Earth), along with her children.

With the beginning of 'Devipaksha',

Mahalaya is observed six days before

Durga Puja, the biggest religious festival

of the Bangalee Hindu community.

This invitation is extended through the

chanting of mantras from Sri Sri Chandi

and singing devotional songs.

Countdown of Durga Puja begins with the

celebration of Mahalaya.

On October 11, Durga Puja will begin with

different rituals on the day of Maha

Shashthi. On the occasion of the day, special

programmes of Mahalaya were arranged at

different temples across the country including

the capital since morning.

On this day, Hindus remember and pay

homage to their ancestors, who passed

away, by performing puja, and offering

Brahmins clothes, food and sweets in

their name. Mahanagar Sarbajanin Puja

Committee arranged a programme marking

the Mahalaya at Dhakeshwari

National Temple at dawn.

Similar programmes were also

arranged in different temples in the capital

city and across the country. A special

programme was also arranged at 5.30am

at Banani Puja Mandap marking the day.

At the initiative of the Board of Directors

of Sri-Sri Lokenath

Brahmachari Ashram O Mandir, a

clothing distribution ceremony among

helpless people was held on its premises

in the city's Swamibagh area.

Duo wins Nobel Chemistry

Prize for work on catalysts

STOCKHOLM : Germany's Benjamin

List and US-based David MacMillan on

Wednesday won the Nobel Chemistry

Prize for developing a tool to build molecules

which has helped make chemistry

more environmentally friendly.

Their tool, which they developed independently

of each other in 2000, can be

Benjamin

used to control and accelerate chemical

reactions, exerting a big impact on drugs

research.

Prior to their work, scientists believed

there were only two types of catalystsmetals

and enzymes.

The new technique, which relies on

small organic molecules and which is

called "asymmetric organocatalysis" is

widely used in pharmaceuticals, allowing

drug makers to streamline the production

of medicines for depression and

respiratory infections, among others.

Organocatalysts allow several steps in

DHAKA : BNP should cooperate in the formation

of a neutral election commission

instead of bothering about an impartial

caretaker government during the next general

election, Awami League General

Secretary Obaidul Quader said on

Wednesday, reports UNB.

Quader was addressing virtually the triennial

conference of Tongibari Upazila Awami

League in Munshiganj district.

He said that all affairs related to election

are placed under the Election Commission

which is empowered to take any action to

make the balloting free and fair.

He said the election-time government

carries out only routine duties and assist the

EC in holding a peaceful free and fair election.

Quader trashed BNP leader Fakhrul

Islam Alamgir's recent comment that people

a production process to be performed in

an unbroken sequence, considerably

reducing waste in chemical manufacturing,

the Nobel committee at the Royal

Swedish Academy of Sciences said.

List and MacMillan, both 53, will

share the 10-million-kronor ($1.1-million,

one-million-euro) prize.

David MacMillan

"I thought somebody was making a

joke. I was sitting at breakfast with my

wife," List told reporters by telephone

during a press conference after the prize

was announced.

In past years, he said his wife has joked

that he should keep an eye on his phone

for a call from Sweden.

"But today we didn't even make the

joke," List, who is a director at the Max

Planck Institute in Germany, said.

"It's hard to describe what you feel in

that moment, but it was a very special

moment that I will never forget."

Quader urges BNP to forget

neutral caretaker govt for polls

will vote for BNP to get rid of Awami

League's misrule.

"The reality is that people have voted for

Awami League to free them from BNP misrule,"

he said. He said people are happy with

the rule of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

"They will not allow them to be trapped by

BNP again," he said.

Quader said voters have turned away

from the BNP long ago and this has become

clear in the recent by-elections and local government

polls too.

Awami League presidium member Dr

Abdur Razzak, organizing secretary Mirza

Azam, liberation war affairs secretary

Mrinal Kanti Das, legal affairs secretary

Najibullah Hiru, MP Sagufta Yasmin

Emily, among others, also addressed the

council.

ThuRSDAY, OCTOBeR 7, 2021

2

Press conference demanding exemplary

punishment of accused held in Rangpur

azaM PaRVez, RaNgPUR CoRResPoNDeNt

a press conference has been

held in Rangpur demanding

swift arrest and exemplary

punishment of the accused in

the case of barbaric attack,

torture and indecent assault

on a woman journalist. afroza

sarkar, literary and cultural

secretary of the Rangpur

Reporters Club, read out a

written statement at a press

conference at the Rangpur

Press Club auditorium on

Wednesday.

During the time, Club Vice-

President tajidul islam lal,

general secretary Bayezid

ahmed, joint secretary azam

Parvez, executive Member

touhidul islam Babla, Press

Club joint secretary sajjad

Hossain Bappi, Press Club

treasurer abdur Rauf sarkar,

Press Club Member Marina

lovely and Press Club

President Mahbub Rahman

Habu were among others also

present at the occasion.

she said in her written

statement that the Reporters

Club, an organization of

promising journalists, has

been conducting the

organizational activities of the

club since its inception on the

basis of the views of the

general members and

majority members of the

executive committee.

following this, the executive

Committee has been formed

every 2 (two) years by vote of

the members or by direct vote.

During the distribution of

food after the pre-announced

general meeting at the club

office on friday 24.09.2021 at

3 pm, some expelled

members carried out a

barbaric attack on the general

A press conference was held in Rangpur Press Club demanding swift arrest

and exemplary punishment of the accused in the case of barbaric attack,

torture and indecent assault on a woman journalist.

Photo: TBT

meeting in a completely

planned manner. several

members of the club,

including me, were injured.

the attack was led by sarkar

Mazharul Mannan, a. aziz

Chowdhury saeed, Nazrul

islam Raju who were expelled

from the club 6 years ago, and

15/20 people including the

club member, former general

secretary Mozaffar Hossain,

surrounded me and asked

why i came to that meeting.

they started torturing me and

tore my clothes. When i tried

desperately to escape from

their hands, they brutally beat

me and humiliated me. My

colleagues admitted me to

Rangpur Medical College

Hospital in critical condition.

in this incident, i filed a case

with the Rangpur

Metropolitan Kotwali Police

station. Case No. 63, dated

26.09.2021.

she added that even though

1 (one) week of the case has

passed, the identified

attackers have not been

arrested yet. those who

sexually assault a female

journalist, who have no

respect for women, and whose

mothers and sisters are not

safe. she urged the Minister of

Home affairs, secretary to the

Ministry of Home affairs and

senior officials of the Rangpur

Metropolitan Police to arrest

the accused quickly and bring

them under the law.

National Birth and

Death Registration

Day observed in

Morrelganj

M PalasH sHaRif, MoRRelgaNj

CoRResPoNDeNt

National Birth and Death

Registration Day 2021 has

been observed in Morrelganj

of Bagerhat on Wednesday.

Marking the occasion, a

discussion meeting was held

at Morrelganj sadar Union

Parishad meeting room

organized by the upazila

administration.

Upazila Nirbahi officer Md

jahangir alam presided over

the meeting while Upazila

Vice Chairman Mozammel

Haque Mozam and Union

awami league President UP

Chairman Mahmud ali spoke

as special guests. among

others, UP members jahangir

Hossain and Nasima Begum

spoke.

at the end of the meeting,

the registered mothers were

given towels, mugs and a

packet of powdered milk.

During the time, Upazila

Nirbahi officer Md. jahangir

alam said that as per the

Prime Minister's directive,

100 percent birth and death

registration will be brought by

2025. if a child born within 45

days is registered, one

thousand towels will be given

to each of them in 16 unions

in phases.

In observance of National Birth and Death Registration Day 2021, child

protection materials were distributed in Morrelganj on Wednesday.

Photo: M Palash Sharif

RajsHaHi: Rajshahi

Medical College Hospital

(RMCH)brecorded three

more fatalities at its Covid-

19 unit in the last 24 hours

till 6am yesterday, taking the

death toll to 18 in the first six

days of this month, reports

Bss.

However, the previous

day's fatality figure was four,

while on sunday the death

figure was just one, which

was the lowest-ever fatality

in the hospital since the

second wave of the

pandemic hit the country

around six months back.

earlier, the number of

casualties was 167 in

RMCH records

three more deaths

in Covid-19 unit

september, 340 in august,

566 in july and 405 in june,

health officials said.

RMCH Director Brig gen

shamim Yazdany told

journalists that one of the

deceased was the resident of

Rajshahi, while two others

were from Naogaon.

among the new fatalities,

all of them had Covid-19

symptoms. of the deaths,

two were female and one

male.

twenty-four more

patients were admitted to

the designated Covid-19

wards of the hospital in the

last 24 hours, taking the

total number of admitted

patients to 91.

thirteen other patients

returned home from the

RMCH Covid-19 unit after

being cured during the time.

Meanwhile, 13 more

people were diagnosed with

Covid-19 after testing 28

samples in Rajshahi's two

laboratories on tuesday,

showing 4.56 percent

positivity rate against 4.04

percent on Monday.

BCIC-161, Date: 6.10.21

GD-1471/21 (5x4)

GD-1472/21 (5x4)

GD-1470/21 (6x4)

GD-1469/21 (7x4)

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2021

3

State Minister for ICT Division Zunaid Ahmed Palak addressing a press conference

over holding International Blockchain Olympiad-2021. Photo : PID

Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni addressing a program titled 'Eye Treatment

and Diabetes Treatment' at Dhaka Reporters Unity yesterday. Photo : Courtesy

Indictment hearing

in graft case against

Papia, husband on

Nov 8

DHAKA : A court on

Wednesday set November 8

for holding hearing on

charge framing in a graft case

against expelled Jubo Mohila

League leader Shamima Nur

Papia and her husband

Mofizur Rahman Sumon.

Dhaka Metropolitan

Sessions Judge KM Imrul

Qayesh set the date in

presence of the two accused

after accepting charge-sheet

filed in the case. The court

also transferred the case to

Dhaka Special Judge Court-3

for further proceedings.

ACC Deputy Director

Shaheen Ara Momtaz filed

the case with its Dhaka

district office-1 on August 4,

2020, for amassing illegal

wealth of Taka 6.24 crore.

According to the case

documents, Papia and her

husband from October 12,

2019, to February 22, 2020,

took a total of 25 rooms of a

five-star hotel in Dhaka on

rent and paid more than

Taka 3.23 crore cash as room

rent, bills for bars, spa,

laundry and food service.

Papia spent around Taka

40 lakh in shopping during

her stay at the hotel, but

couldn't show any valid

source of income against this

huge sum.

Earlier on February 22,

2020, the Rapid Action

Battalion (RAB) arrested

Papia and her husband,

along with two of their

accomplices, at Hazrat

Shahjalal International

Airport with counterfeit

banknotes, foreign

currencies and cash.

Concerted efforts

to reduce carbon

emission stressed

RAJSHAHI : Highlighting the

importance of pollution-free

environment speakers at a

post-rally meeting

unequivocally called for

substantial and sustainable

reduction of carbon emission

for ensuring safe habitat for

all, reports BSS.

Present triggering trend of

carbon emission has been

posing a serious threat to the

environment coupled with the

habitat. Concerted effort of all

the government and nongovernment

organizations

concerned has become crucial

to mitigate the problem.

The discussants came up

with the observation while

addressing a community level

meeting at Borokuthipara

area in Rajshahi city on the

occasion of observing the

World Habitat Day- 2021.

Rajshahi City Corporation

(RCC) and Brac Urban

Development Programme

(UDP) jointly organized the

meeting discussing and

devising ways and means on

how to establish a carbon-free

Rajshahi.

The theme of the day this

year is 'Accelerating urban

action for a carbon-free

world'.

RCC Panel Mayor Shariful

Islam Babu, Ward Councilor

Matiur Rahman and Town

Planner Bony Ahsan

addressed the meeting as

resource persons with Brac

Regional Coordinator of UDP

Farzana Parvin Shampa in the

chair.

The meeting was told that

91,000 people from over

24,000 households living in

different slum areas in the city

have got the scope of

improving their lives and

livelihood conditions amid

intervention of the UDP taken

for reducing their multidimensional

poverty and

deprivation.

Forty of the beneficiary

households have got houses

with the initiative.

Brac has been

implementing the project in

association with RCC to

engage multi-sectorial

partners to create

employment opportunities for

the urban poor people, and

improve their overall living

and livelihood conditions and

realize basic rights.

During her welcome

address, Farzana Parvin told

the meeting that 17,500

youths, including around

13,000 females aged from 15

to 29 are getting necessary

knowledge through needbased

promotional activities

under the project.

Slum dwellers are getting

safe drinking water,

sanitation, housing and

education facilities and their

living and livelihood

conditions are ultimately

improving, she informed.

Some 3,000 youths are

being imparted with either

three or six-month needbased

vocational and

technical training, she said.

The Centre of Excellence in Teaching & Learning (CoETL) of Dhaka University

(DU) organized a virtual workshop on "Research methodology & Project

Proposals" for DU teachers on Tuesday.

Photo : Courtesy

edotco introduces spun

prestressed concrete tower

DHAKA : Telecommunications

infrastructure services company,

edotco Bangladesh yesterday installed

its first "Spun Prestressed Concrete

(SPC)" Tower which is an alternative to

steel.

This innovation designed in house by

edotco engineers is a unique

combination of steel and concrete

materials installed at Manikganj Sadar

upazila, said a press release.

edotco said it is the first time this type

of composite structure has been used to

build

telecommunications

infrastructure in the nation.

This 33.3m height SPC Tower

provides higher stability, ensures

improved network connectivity and

requires less production time.

The high tensile steel wires used

Journo Kanak

Sarwar's sister

held for spreading

anti-state

propaganda

DHAKA : Rapid Action

Battalion (Rab) members

arrested Nusrat Shahreen

Raka, sister of

controversial expatriate

journalistKanak Sarwar,for

spreading anti-state

propaganda.

Raka, 38, wife of Nasir

Uddin Majumder,was

arrested during a drive of

Rab-1conducted at city's

Uttara area early Tuesday,

said a press release of Rab

Headquarter.

RAB members seized a

mobile phone set with antistate

contents, a passport

and some Ice or Crystal

Meth from her possession

during the arrest.

During primary

interrogation of Rab, Raka

confessed that she is an

active member of a group

which is involved in

spreading a anti-state

propaganda.

Raka used to spread

false, misleading and

defamatory information

about the state and

important personalities of

the state through social

media to disrupt peace and

discipline of the country,

according to Rab.

According to her

statement, several

members of the group are

involved in various

spreadig propaganda

against the state through

social media staying

outside the country.

She also said she used to

assist her brother Kanak

Sarwarand other equalminded

peoplw in this

matter.

Legal action will be taken

against the arrestee,said

ASP (Media) Imran Khan

of Rab headquarter.

Workshop

for DU

teachers held

The Centre of Excellence in

Teaching & Learning (CoETL)

of Dhaka University (DU)

organized a virtual workshop

on "Research methodology &

Project Proposals" for DU

teachers on Tuesday.

Director of the Centre Prof.

Dr. Sabita Rezwana Rahman

presided over the workshop

and delivered the welcome

speech. Additional Director of

the Centre Dr. A.T.M.

Shamsuzzoha conducted the

workshop, a press release

said.

Prof. Dr. Donald James

Gomes of Dept. of

Microbiology and Prof. Dr.

Kazi Matin Uddin Ahmed of

the Dept. of Geology of DU

spoke on "How to write a

Ph.D Proposal" and "How to

write a Scientific Project

Proposal" respectively in the

workshop.

It may be mentioned that

DU, CoETL organizes

workshops regularly for DU

teachers and officers for

achieving Quality Higher

Education.

Information and Boradcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud addressing 'BSRF

dialogue' organized by Bangladesh Secretariat Reporters Forum. Photo : PID

DHAKA : The government will procure some

67.20 lakh MMBtu LNG, 1 lakh metric tons

of wheat and 60,000 metric tons fertilizer to

meet the growing demand in the country.

Proposals for the procurements were

approved at the 34th meeting of the Cabinet

Committee on Government Purchase

(CCGP) in this year held yesterday virtually

with Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal

in the chair.

Briefing reporters virtually after the

meeting, the finance minister said that the

day's CCGP meeting approved a total of

seven proposals. He said the price of LNG in

international market is rising every now and

then for which the government has decided

to procure such a volume of LNG which

would meet the country's demand up to

December this year.

Kamal said since the price of LNG in

international market is witnessing uptrend,

so the government has decided to buy 67.20

lakh MMBtu LNG to meet the required

demand up to December.

Joining the briefing virtually after the

meeting, Cabinet Division Additional

Secretary Md Shamsul Arefin said that

Petrobangla under the Energy and Mineral

Resources Division would procure 33.60

lakh MMBtu LNG from M/S Vitol Asia Pte

Ltd, Singapore at a cost of around Taka

1,205.73 crore where the price for per unit

MMBtu LNG would be $35.8932.

Besides, Arefin said, Petrobangla would

procure another 33.60 lakh MMBtu LNG

from Gunvor Singapore Pte Ltd, Singapore

at a cost of around Taka 1,241.23 crore where

the price for per MMBtu LNG would be

SUST to reopen

dorms in phased

manner from

October 25

Sylhet : After nearly 18 months,

Shahjalal University of Science

and Technology (SUST) will

reopen its residential halls to

students in phases starting

from October 25.

SUST Vice Chancellor Prof

Farid Uddin Ahmed

announced the date after the

167th Academic Council

meeting of the university on

Tuesday afternoon.

According to the decision of

the Academic Council,

postgraduate students will be

able to enter the hall on

October 25.

Final-year undergraduate

students will be let in on

October 26, third-year

students on October 27,

second-year students on

October 28, and first-year

students on October 29.

Physical classes may begin

in some departments from

the first week of November.

However, online classes will

continue, the VC said.

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GD-1462/21 (5x3)

inside the pole ensures proper firmness

and increases the resistivity of the SPC

pole, making it highly resistant to heavy

rains, storms and other natural

disasters while guaranteeing

uninterrupted connectivity.

Ricky Steyn, Country Managing

Director of edotco Bangladesh, said,

edotco Bangladesh has played a pivotal

role in developing a sustainable

telecommunications ecosystem in the

country.

Responding to the emerging needs

for connectivity, he said "our talented

pool of engineers design solutions that

are eco-friendly, highly resistant and

cost-efficient aimed towards achieving

seamless network connectivity."

He added "the SPC tower is another

significant outcome of our nationbuilding

commitment to provide

sustainable and shareable

infrastructure across the nation."

Echoing Steyn's statements, Abdul

Yazid Kassim, Director, edotco Group

Engineering and Technology said,

"edotco continues to champion the use

of alternative materials towards

designing sustainable infrastructure,

reducing our dependence on steel and

the impact on the environment.

"Bangladesh has been in the forefront

of these innovations, and the

deployment of this SPC Tower

reinforces the Group's commitment to

our green agenda, innovation and

towards future proofing the

telecommunications industry with next

generation, sustainable technology," he

said.

Govt to procure 67.20 lakh MMBtu

LNG, 1 lakh MT wheat

$36.9506. He said that the Directorate

General of Food under the Ministry of Food

would procure one lakh metric tons of wheat

from Russian Federation on G to G basis at a

cost of around Taka 357.62 crore where the

price for per metric ton wheat would be

$419.

The day's CCGP meeting approved a

proposal from the Ministry of Fisheries and

Livestock for awarding the contract to the

joint venture of Agriculture and Finance

Consultant, Germany and Services and

Solutions International Ltd, Bangladesh as

the consultants with Taka 48.25 crore for the

Agro Business Planning, Technologies and

Marketing Advance and Implementation

Support works under the project for

development of livestock and fisheries.

Besides, the CCGP meeting yesterday gave

nod to two separate proposals from the

Ministry of Industries under which the

Bangladesh Chemical Industries

Corporation (BCIC) would procure 30,000

metric tons of bulk granular urea fertilizer

from Fertiglobe Distribution Limited, UAE

under state level agreement with around

Taka 127.67 crore.

In another proposal, the BCIC would

procure 30,000 metric tons of bagged prield

urea fertilizer from Muntajat, Qatar also

under state-level agreement at a cost of

around Taka 129.85 crore.

Apart from these, the meeting approved a

proposal from the Ministry of Housing and

Public Works for awarding the contract of

Lot No-1(B) to Noorani Construction

Limited for setting up Narsingdi District Jail

with around Taka 69.83 crore.

Mugger

stabs youth

to death in

Dhaka

DHAKA : A 25-year-old

youth was stabbed to death

allegedly by a mugger at

Karwan Bazar in the city's

Tejgaon area on Tuesday

night.

Police have not yet

established the identity of

the deceased.

According to cops, the

mugger tried to snatch the

youth's cell phone in front of

Prince Hotel in Karwan

Bazar. But when the youth

resisted the snatching bid,

the mugger stabbed him,

leaving him seriously

injured.

Locals rushed the youth to

Suhrawardy Medical College

and Hospital. He was

subsequently shifted to

Dhaka Medical College and

Hospital, where doctors

declared him dead on

arrival.

Md Bachchu Mia,

inspector at DMCH police

camp, said that the body has

been kept at the hospital

morgue for an autopsy.

Tejgaon police were also

informed about the crime,

the inspector added.

Govt works to

reduce cost of

doing business in

agriculture: Tipu

DHAKA : Commerce Minister

Tipu Munshi yesterday said as

per the commitment, the

government is working to

reduce the cost of doing

business in agriculture sector

by assisting the entrepreneurs

in their export and import

process, reports BSS.

"It is our commitment to

ensure self sufficiency in food

production, supply safe and

nutritious food as well as

commercialize the agriculture

sector for making it a

profitable venture to poor

farmers... This has been

reflected in our policy

documents and plans," he

said

The minister said this while

inaugurating the "Bangladesh

Trade Facilitation Project" as

the chief guest at a function in

the city, said a press release.

The US Department of

Agriculture's Foreign

Agricultural Service has

funded the project.

The US$27 million project

supports the government of

Bangladesh to implement the

World Trade Organization

(WTO) Trade Facilitation

Agreement in the areas of

simplifying and automating

import and export processes,

strengthening risk-based

clearance processes,

improving notification

provisions, developing the

capacity and testing

procedures of laboratories,

and enhancing the cold chain

system for facilitating trade of

perishable goods.

(†gvt †iRvDj Kwig ev`kv)

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THUrSDAY, OCTOBer 7, 2021

4

Why all eyes are on the Afghan-Tajikistan border

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam

e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com

Thursday, October 7, 2021

Saving government's

lands from grabbers

Bangladesh is a country where land is in

short supply. Every effort needs to be

made, therefore, to conserve land or to

ensure its best possible utilization. Specially,

government owned lands are required to be kept

free from squatters and grabbers.

Government's lands form a particularly

valuable asset. All sorts of demand for the quick

implementation of important projects can be met

from the availability of such lands. For example,

during summer some years ago when a severe

crisis of water gripped Dhaka city and some areas

were found to be very inadequately supplied, the

need arose to set up some underground water

pumping plants in these places for emergency

lifting and supplying of water.

But these plans suffered as suitable

government lands could not be found in these

areas. The ones that were there remained under

different kinds of illegal occupation by their

private occupiers and tangled by legal hurdles in

evicting them.

From distribution of lands to the landless

cultivators to even finding lands for the

establishment of power generating plants that

the country badly needs, the establishment of all

sorts of public utilities are getting hampered from

the usurpation of governmental lands. Buying

land from private owners some of whom many

not be willing also to be so dispossessed involve

greater costs in time and money for the

government as progress of high priority public

projects stagnate as a result. Thus, seen from any

perspective, the retention of government's

possession over its lands, ought to be seen as a

very important issue.

But this vital matter of concern appears to be

poorly addressed at the moment. It has

continued to be an easy practice for a long time

for locally powerful individuals to establish their

control over government's lands all over the

country. They usually occupy the lands and set

up their various enterprises in the grabbed lands.

There are vast areas in Dhaka city, for instance,

where individuals with money, influence and

connections both to the underworld and the

ruling political parties, had grabbed

government's lands .

Rice mills, saw mills, bustees (shanty

dwellings), small businesses, etc., have been

established in such lands and their unlawful

possessors are deriving every financial benefit

from either running them directly or from

getting rents. They have also succeeded in

tampering with land records to be able to lay

legal claims also over these lands.

Typically, government's reaction is to start a

case against such grabbers. But the process gets

bogged up in the extremely tedious legal

procedures . Besides, and more significantly,

government represents itself in these cases

through its lawyers who are very poorly paid in

contrast to the grabbers who pay lucrative fees to

their lawyers and sometimes even ensure the

inactivity of government's lawyers through

underhand bribing. Government's pleaders are

sometimes seen not even coming to courts

during hearing and the occupiers, thus, are able

to get one sided verdict in their favour.

From the continuation of this most

unacceptable neglect, government has already

lost its claim over thousands of acres of land

properties and would suffer more losses in the

future. Very urgent actions are necessary to check

and reverse this trend. Government must create

real incentives or motivation for its legal

practitioners to defend government's properties

through substantially and appropriately

increasing their fees and other benefits.

A truly efficient and accountable system must

be laid to ensure that they do their work with

sincerity and it becomes impossible for anyone to

so easily lay hands on public properties and

consolidate the usurpation.

Tajik President Emomali Rahmon

(left) is seen with his Russian

counterpart Vladimir Putin during a

meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow. Photo:

AFP / Sergey Guneev / Sputnik

Afghanistan and Tajikistan share a 1,400-

kilometer border. Recently, a war of words

erupted between Tajik President Emomali

Rahmon and the Taliban government in

Kabul. Rahmon censures the Taliban for the

destabilization of Central Asia by the export

of militant groups, while the Taliban

leadership has accused Tajikistan's

government of interference.

This summer, Rahmon mobilized 20,000

troops to the border, and held military

exercises and discussions with Russia and

other members of the Collective Security

Treaty Organization. Meanwhile, the

spokesman for the Afghan government,

Zabihullah Mujahid, tweeted pictures of

Afghan troops deployed to Takhar province

on the border of the two countries.

The escalation of harsh language

continues. Prospects of war between these

two countries should not be discounted, but

given the role Russia plays in Tajikistan, it is

unlikely. On September 3, former Afghan

vice-president Amrullah Saleh tweeted,

"The RESISTANCE is continuing and will

continue. I am here with my soil, for my soil

& defending its dignity." A few days later,

the Taliban took the Panjshir Valley, where

Saleh had taken refuge for the past two

weeks, and he slipped across the border into

Tajikistan. The resistance inside

Afghanistan died down.

Since 2001, Saleh had worked closely with

the US Central Intelligence Agency and then

had become the head of Afghanistan's

National Directorate of Security (2004-

2010). He had previously worked closely

with Ahmad Shah Massoud of the rightwing

Jamiat-e Islami and of the Northern

Alliance. Saleh fled by helicopter to

Tajikistan with Massoud's son Ahmad.

They were later joined in Tajikistan's capital

Dushanbe by Abdul Latif Pedram, leader of

the National Congress Party of Afghanistan.

These men followed the lead of the

Northern Alliance, which had taken refuge

in Tajikistan's Kulob region after the Taliban

victory in 1996. The personal ties between

Ahmad Shah Massoud and Tajikistan's

President Rahmon go back to the early

1990s. In March this year, Afghanistan's

ambassador to Tajikistan, Mohammad

Zahir Aghbar, remembered that in the early

1990s Massoud told a group of Tajik fighters

in Kabul, "I do not want the war in

Afghanistan to be transferred to Tajikistan

under the banner of Islam. It is enough that

our country has been fraudulently

destroyed. Go and make peace in your

country." That Massoud had backed the

anti-government United Tajik Opposition,

led by the Islamic Renaissance Party, is

conveniently forgotten.

After the Taliban took Kabul on August 15,

and just before Saleh and Massoud escaped

to Dushanbe, on September 2 Rahmon

conferred upon the late Ahmad Shah

Massoud the highest civilian award of

Tajikistan, the Order of Ismoili Somoni.

This, the protection afforded to the Salehled

resistance movement, and Tajikistan's

refusal to recognize the Taliban government

in Kabul sent a clear signal to the Taliban

from Rahmon's government.

Rahmon says the main reason is that he is

dismayed by the Taliban's anti-Tajik stance.

VIJAY PrASHAD

MArWAN BISHArA

But this is not entirely the case. One in four

Afghans is Tajik, while half of Kabul claims

Tajik ancestry. The economy minister, Qari

Din Mohammad Hanif, is not only Tajik,

but comes from Badakhshan province,

which borders Tajikistan. The real reason is

Rahmon's concerns about regional

destabilization. On September 11,

Saidmukarram Abdulqodirzoda, the head

of Tajikistan's Islamic Council of Ulema,

condemned the Taliban as being anti-

Islamic in its treatment of women and in its

promotion of terrorism.

Abdulqodirzoda, the lead imam in

Tajikistan, has led a decade-long process to

purge "extremists" from the ranks of

mosque leaders. Many foreign-trained

imams have been replaced

(Abdulqodirzoda had been trained in

Islamabad, Pakistan), and foreign funding

of mosques has been closely monitored.

Abdulqodirzoda frequently talks about

the bloody civil war that tore Tajikistan

apart between 1992 and 1997. Between

1990, when the USSR began to collapse,

and 1992, when the civil war began, a

thousand mosques - more than one a day -

opened across the country. Saudi Arabia's

money and influence rushed into the

country, as did the influence of the rightwing

Afghan leaders Massoud and

Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. Rahmon, as

chairman of the Supreme Assembly of

Tajikistan (1992-1994) and then as

president (from 1994), led the fight against

the Islamic Renaissance Party (IRP), which

was eventually crushed by 1997. The ghost

of the civil war reappeared in 2010, when

Mullah Amriddin Tabarov, a commander in

the IRP, founded Jamaat Ansarullah. In

1997, Tabarov fled to join the Islamic

Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), one of the

fiercest of the extremist groups in that era.

The IMU and Tabarov developed close ties

with al-Qaeda, fleeing Afghanistan and

Uzbekistan after the US invasion of 2001 for

Iraq, later Syria. Tabarov was caught by the

Afghan government of Ashraf Ghani in July

2015 and killed.

As the Taliban began to make gains in

Afghanistan late last year, a thousand

Ansarullah fighters arrived from their

sojourn with Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.

When Darwaz fell to the Taliban in

November 2020, it was these Ansarullah

fighters who took the lead.

Tajikistan's Rahmon has made it clear

that he fears a spillover of Ansarullah into

his country, dragging it back into the war of

the 1990s. The fear of that war has allowed

Rahmon to remain in power, using every

means to squash any democratic opening in

Tajikistan. In mid-September, Dushanbe

hosted the 21st meeting of the Shanghai

Cooperation Organization Council of the

Heads of State. Pakistani Prime Minister

Imran Khan had several talks with Rahmon

about the situation in Afghanistan. As the

war of words escalated, Khan called

Rahmon on October 3 to ask that the

tension be reduced. Russia and China have

also called for restraint. It is unlikely that

guns will be fired across the border; neither

Dushanbe nor Kabul would like to see that

outcome. But both sides are using the

tension for their own ends - for Rahmon, to

ensure that the Taliban will keep Ansarullah

in check, and for the Taliban, for Rahmon to

recognize their government.

Source: Asia times

Will Trump run again … and win?

The fear and rage that gripped the US

capital under the presidency of

Donald Trump have left the country

in peril, its democracy ill, and its

immunity weak.

Trump may have been excised from

office in November but Trumpism has not

been eradicated. After months of postelections

recovery, it is back with a

vengeance, slowly metastasising

throughout the country's body and soul.

Less than a year after winning "the

battle for the soul of America", President

Joe Biden is slipping in the polls while his

predecessor's numbers are, well, rising. In

fact, according to a recent poll, Trump is

already ahead of Biden, albeit by a small

margin of 48 to 46 points.

These numbers may flip again in favour

of the Democrats if they are able to pass

the New Deal-like infrastructure and

reconciliation bills in Congress before the

end of the year, which will inject trillions

of dollars into the US economy.

But even the effect of such legislation

may prove transitory, depending on a

number of economic and political factors,

and on the Republican opposition to the

socialist "nanny-state" policies on the

federal and state level.

Meanwhile, 14 Republican-controlled

states under Trumpian influence passed

24 new laws that assert their control over

the running of elections and make it easier

to overturn elections results.

Trump continues to reject the last

election results and is yet to officially

declare his candidacy, but everything he

says or does is campaigning. He is holding

rallies across the country and on October

9, he will hold one in the state of Iowa,

where all presidential bids start.

Back in July, journalist Michael Wolff,

who wrote three damning books about

Trump, concluded after a bizarre and

unexpected dinner invitation by the

former president, that his run in 2024 is a

certainty. But for now, the brand mogul

cherishes stoking the media speculations

and public anticipation, which helps heal

his bruised ego and keeps the donation

money flowing. His Political Action

Committees, PACs, have raked in more

than $82m during the first half of this

year. My guess is that he will start by

doubling down on his "rigged election"

false claim, and will ask his followers to

"Reverse the Steal" in order to "Make

American Honest Again".

He has got to go with the big lie all the

way to the polls - or not go at all. Anything

less outrageous, less audacious, less

offensive will not work. Besides, he clearly

cannot help it, anyway.

The man, whom US media has called

the "liar in chief" who "steals credit […]

invents history and spins conspiracy

theories", will do what it takes to win. So

smug, he will portend to teach America a

lesson in honesty and truth - his

alternative truth.

Trump's penchant for deception is well

Since 2001, Saleh had worked closely with the US Central

Intelligence Agency and then had become the head of

Afghanistan's National Directorate of Security (2004-2010).

He had previously worked closely with Ahmad Shah Massoud

of the right-wing Jamiat-e Islami and of the Northern Alliance.

illustrated in author Bob Woodward's

trilogy, Fear, Rage, and Peril, the last cowritten

with fellow journalist Robert

Costa. In the three books published over

the past three years, the Washington Post

newspaper veteran journalist goes to a

great length to show how even Trump's

closest advisors and allies think he is "a

(expletive) liar".

Trump's own personal lawyer, John

Dowd thought he is such a pathological

liar that he cannot even be trusted to

testify to former Special Counsel Robert

Mueller during his investigation into

Russian meddling in the US elections

without perjuring himself.

But it is not only lying; politicians are

known to lie. The man portrayed rather

convincingly in the trilogy, is incredibly

devious, utterly incompetent, and terribly

dangerous.

Woodward interviewed hundreds of

people associated with the Trump

administration, leading members of his

cabinet and his party, as well as leaders of

Congress and the military. According to

him, many of them thought Trump is,

simply put, unfit to be president of the

United States.

They called him crazy, paranoid,

suffering from a narcissistic personality

disorder. His close ally and Attorney

General, William Barr rebuked him,

saying suburban voters "think you are a

f***ing a**hole".

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of

Staff of the military, General Mark Milley,

thought Trump was so erratic and

dangerous during his last months in

office, that he may take decisions that

could lead, albeit unintentionally, to

confrontations with the likes of China or

Iran with the potential use of nuclear

weapons. Trump directs his venom

against friends and foes alike. Over the

past few years, he has never hesitated to

humiliate Republican leaders, even war

heroes, regardless of political

repercussions. Even today, as he plans a

rerun for the White House, Trump

continues to degrade influential party

leaders including his own former Vice

President Mike Pence, and the Senate

Republican leader Mitch McConnell.

All of this begs the question: if Trump is

so offensive, so incompetent and so

dangerous to the country, why does he

continue to maintain such a strong grip

over the Republican party even after

leaving office? And, why are Republicans

running for Congress in 2022 either

seeking his endorsement or trying to

escape his wrath? Why is he likely to be

the party's official candidate in 2024?

To be sure, a lot depends on next year's

midterm elections.

A victory on November 8, 2022, that

allows for a Republican majority in either

or both Houses of Congress, will render

Biden a sitting duck president and boost

Trump's chances come November 5,

2024. Come to think of it, a Republican

defeat could also propel Trump to the top

of the 2024 list as the most likely saviour

of the party's influence against visibly

ageing Biden or against his vice president,

the lightweight Kamala Harris.

Trump may have been a terrible

president but he has proven himself a

talented populist. His uncanny

fearmongering is the main source of his

influence and the driver behind his

popularity, especially among the

Republican base. Funnily enough, Trump

allegedly did not even know what

Woodward interviewed hundreds of people associated with

the Trump administration, leading members of his cabinet

and his party, as well as leaders of Congress and the military.

According to him, many of them thought Trump is,

simply put, unfit to be president of the United States.

"populist" meant when he first began to

think about running for office, as one

hilarious anecdote at the beginning of

Woodward's first book illustrates.

The fact that Trump received 75 million

votes after four disastrous years that

included mismanaging the pandemic and

leading to an economic crash, and social

unrest, and that he continues to be so

popular with the party base, despite

damning media reports, is a testimony to

his ability to rally support, albeit by

dubious means.

Paradoxical as it may be, this

ostentatious bling-bling billionaire has

convinced the majority of his party base

and much of the country's white working

class that he is their best if not their only

ally against the snobbish, selfish elites

who manage America's decline.

In fact, he has garnered the support of

the majority of white Americans, against

the federal bureaucracy or as he has called

it, "the Deep State", which stands accused

of assaulting their rights, freedoms,

culture and, well, privileges.

Trump has mastered the politics of fear

and fury as Woodward's books show. In

the epilogue to Peril, the third book in the

trilogy which was published in

September, the author recounts an earlier

conversation with Trump, the bombastic

and confident outsider as well as the petty

and cruel insider, who is tantalised by the

prospect of power and is eager to use fear

to get his way. "Real power is, I don't even

want to use the word 'fear'," Trump says,

and he adds, "I bring rage out, I do bring

rage out, I always have."

But Woodward is so focused on

demonising Trump that he fails to see or

highlight the cynicism of his influential

detractors. He goes to a great length

exposing the former president but says

little about Washington's elites that

enabled him. But Trump's populism

would not have been as effective if it were

not for the cynicism of his detractors. The

ruling elites who pretend to be "holier

than thou", while robbing the country

blind; who preach political correctness

but lack political decency; who hold onto

power even if it means presiding over the

US's decline.

In that vein, Woodward's trilogy

constitutes selectively edited accounts of

those complicit with Trump, who talked

only after they were fired by Trump, or

after Trump was fired by the American

people. They are taken at their word and

excused about the rest.

When Woodward recounts Trump's

various exchanges with Gary Cohn, the

former Goldman Sachs executive-turned-

White House-economic adviser, the

former president is portrayed as an idiotic

protectionist who roots for US

manufacturing, while the laissez-faire,

free-trade investment banker is seen as a

brilliant man.

But is it really OK, for example, that the

US imports such a shocking amount of the

antibiotics and other basic medicines it

needs from China? No less during

pandemic times?

Woodward seems to have never met a

Wall Street executive or an Ivy League

school graduate he did not like. Same for

the generals, the congressional leaders,

and the establishment figures: they are

either right or excused for their

wrongness. Bottom line, Trump is evil but

the establishment is good, even if run by a

corrupt self-serving elite, be it, Democrat

or Republican.

When Trump demands justification for

any of the hundreds of military bases

around the globe or demands immediate

troops withdrawal from any part of the

world, he is portrayed as a fool, ignorant of

national security interests and processes.

Any shrinking of US overseas military

commitments is so preposterous in the

eyes of Woodward and his beloved

generals that it does not even merit

comment. And that is why as long as it is

business as usual in Washington, as long

as the ruling elites continue to be satisfied

with managing US decline, Trumpism will

persist and metastasise and there is no

stopping Trump and co laughing their

way to Washington, again. In sum, Trump

will certainly run. And if he wins, as he

may well do - my fingers trembling as I

type - his victory will spell the death of

American democracy with grave

consequences the world over.

Source: Al jazeera

THurSDaY, ocToBEr 7, 2021

5

Dan MilMo

Facebook experienced one of the worst outages

in its history on Monday, leaving users around

the world unable to access its platforms,

including Instagram and WhatsApp, for several

hours. By late on Monday, the services were

slowly coming back online, with the company

apologizing for the extended disruption.

"To the huge community of people and

businesses around the world who depend on

us: we're sorry. We've been working hard to

restore access to our apps and services and are

happy to report they are coming back online

now," Facebook tweeted.

In a later blog post, it said faulty configuration

changes on its routers were the root cause of the

nearly six-hour outage. "Our engineering teams

have learned that configuration changes on the

backbone routers that coordinate network

traffic between our data centres caused issues

that interrupted this communication," the

statement said. "This disruption to network

traffic had a cascading effect on the way our

data centres communicate, bringing our

services to a halt.

Facebook said it had "no evidence" that user

data was compromised. Facebook, Instagram

and WhatsApp became inaccessible for large

numbers of people at about 5pm UK time

(12pm ET), with Downdetector.com citing

reports of problems from millions of social

media users around the world. A map on the

site showed, for instance, reports of outages.

In a blog post, Downdetector said the outage

was global and the largest it had ever seen.

"Facebook is currently experiencing a rarely

seen global outage that is taking out Facebook,

Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook

Messenger." As of 1pm PDT, Downdetector said

it had seen more than 10.6m problem reports

from around the world, with the majority

coming from the US, Germany, the

SaMuEl GiBBS

The iPhone 13 is a minor

upgrade to last year's

brilliant iPhone 12, with an

improved camera, larger

storage longer battery life

and a small price cut. Apple's

latest regular-sized

smartphone costs £779

($799 or A$1,349), which is

£20 cheaper than its

predecessor, and sits

between the smaller £679

iPhone 13 mini and the £949

iPhone 13 Pro.

The phone has the same

general design as its

predecessor. Its flat

aluminium sides and

hardened glass front and

back feel just as robust as last

year. It is 12g heavier and

ever so slightly thicker, but

unless you compare them

side by side that is not

noticeable.

The screen is crisp, vibrant

and a little brighter than last

year's model. It has a refresh

rate of 60Hz, which was

standard for iPhones but

makes it less smooth when

scrolling than most Android

rivals and this year's iPhone

13 Pro models with their

120Hz displays.

The iPhone 13 has Apple's

latest A15 Bionic processor,

which is slightly faster allround

than last year's A14 in

the iPhone 12, and double

the starting storage with

128GB, which will probably

be enough for most people. It

is one of the fastest phones

you can buy.

Battery life is excellent. The

phone lasts about 46 hours

between charges with the

screen used for about five

hours in that time including

MarTin ForD

As the coronavirus pandemic enveloped

the world last year, businesses

increasingly turned to automation in

order to address rapidly changing

conditions. Floor-cleaning and microbezapping

disinfecting robots were

introduced in hospitals, supermarkets

and other environments. Some

enterprises found that, given the new

emphasis on hygiene and social

distancing, robotic operations offered a

marketing advantage. The American fast

food chain White Castle began using

hamburger-cooking robots in an effort to

create "an avenue for reduced human

contact with food during the cooking

process".

With the worst days of the pandemic

hopefully now behind us, the jobs story

has turned out to be unexpectedly

complicated. While overall

unemployment rates remain elevated,

both the US and the UK are experiencing

widespread worker shortages, focused

especially in those occupations that tend

to offer gruelling work conditions and

relatively low pay. Even as a quarter of a

million of British workers who held jobs

in 2019 remain unemployed, job

vacancies are up 20% from pre-pandemic

levels as employers struggle to fill many

positions. The reasons behind the worker

shortages are not entirely clear. A

common assumption is that extended

payments to furloughed workers allowed

people to remain out of the workforce.

However, evidence from a number of US

90 minutes browsing on 5G,

which is longer than most

similarly sized rivals and last

year's model. That means the

phone can just about make it

from the morning of day one

until the morning of day

three if you're careful, but

more likely it'll need charging

every other night.

Apple does not provide an

expected lifespan for the

iPhone 13's battery but it can

be replaced for £69. Batteries

in similar devices typically

maintain at least 80% of

their original capacity after

500 full charge cycles. The

smartphone is generally

repairable, with an out-ofwarranty

service costing

£426.44, which includes the

screen. The previous iPhone

The global outage of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp

Netherlands and the UK.

"We are also seeing an increase in reports

across many other online sites and services as

the Facebook outage causes cascading

impacts," the blog post said. The outage

affected potentially tens of millions of users,

organizations and businesses, highlighting the

widespread global dependency on Facebook

and its platforms. Countless websites and

applications use Facebook's advertising

network, one of the largest in the world,

meaning effects from the outage extended far

beyond the platform's users, Luke Deryckx, the

chief technology officer for Ookla, wrote in the

Downdetector blogpost.

The trouble began on Monday as users

around the world opened WhatsApp,

Instagram and Facebook to error messages that

remained for hours.

Users attempting to open Instagram were

greeted with an error message, while Facebook

failed to load or said: "Sorry, something went

wrong." On Twitter, WhatsApp said: "We're

aware that some people are experiencing issues

with WhatsApp at the moment. We're working

to get things back to normal and will send an

update here as soon as possible. Thanks for

your patience."

The outage forced the company to turn to

Twitter to release its public statements. Around

5pm UK time, the Facebook spokesperson

Andy Stone tweeted: "We're aware that some

people are having trouble accessing our apps

and products. We're working to get things back

to normal as quickly as possible, and we

apologise for any inconvenience."

Twitter itself had a little fun at its rivals'

expense. "Hello literally everyone," said its

Apple iPhone

13 review

The iPhone 13 runs the same version of ioS 15 as

other apple smartphones including the iPhone

13 Pro (right). Photo: Samuel Gibbs2

12 was awarded six out of 10

for repairability by the

specialist site iFixit.

The iPhone 13 uses 98%

recycled rare earth metals,

99% recycled tungsten and

35% recycled plastic in

various components, plus

100% recycled tin in the

solder of its main board and

battery management unit.

The company breaks down

the phone's environmental

impact in its report.

Apple also offers trade-in

and free recycling schemes,

including for non-Apple

products. The iPhone 13

ships with iOS 15, which runs

on all of Apple's

smartphones from 2015's

iPhone 6S.

That includes various

Are robots: stealing our jobs?

autonomous robots.

states that moved to discontinue

unemployment benefits early suggests

that the extended payments may not have

played a major role. Many workers may

have simply reassessed their willingness

to do difficult and often unrewarding jobs

in return for low pay. In the UK, Brexit

has greatly exacerbated the situation. At

least 200,000 EU nationals, primarily

from eastern Europe, who once filled

roles in areas such as agriculture,

transportation and logistics, have left the

newly added features such as

the faster, local voice

interpretation for Siri,

improved notifications and

"focus modes" for removing

distractions, plus an

improved Safari browser

design and FaceTime video

calling with non-Apple users.

Apple provides software

updates for its smartphones

for longer than any other

manufacturer. You an expect

at least five years of software

and security updates but

potentially as long as seven

years, so you can use the

phone safely for longer.

There are two improved

12-megapixel cameras on the

back, one main and one

ultrawide angle; there is no

optical zoom.

Both cameras are bigger

and let in more light than

those on last year's models,

which is most noticeable on

the main camera. Photos in

good light are detailed, crisp

and well balanced even in

high contrast scenes. Low

light performance is greatly

improved, so you need the

dedicated night mode far less

often while producing

sharper and better balanced

images. The ultrawide is a

little sharper and has better

low light performance too,

making it more usable

indoors.

The new "photographic

styles" feature for still shots is

great, letting you choose the

balance between contrast,

vibrancy and tone.

Previously Apple typically

favoured a warmer look

compared with rivals from

Google and Samsung, which

you can now change beyond

simply applying filters.

Today's most advanced distribution centres employ fully

account. The outage also hit small businesses

around the world that rely on WhatsApp,

Instagram and Facebook, meaning that stores,

restaurants and delivery services lost money on

Facebook acknowledged 'trouble accessing our apps'.

Monday, the New York Times reported. The

owner of a food delivery service in Delhi told the

newspaper: "My whole business is down."

The disruption of WhatsApp was particularly

challenging for millions of people around the

world who rely on the platform as their primary

communication method with friends and

family. "It's like the equivalent of your phone

and the phones of all of your loved ones being

Photo: alamy

country and may never return.

All of this has created a powerful

incentive for businesses to invest in

automation as a way to adapt to the

worker shortage. As British farms

confront the absence of seasonal workers

who once flooded in from eastern

Europe, interest in agricultural robots is

growing. The UK-based startup Small

Robot Company, for example, has

developed two robots capable of killing

weeds in wheat fields while cutting down

arwa MaHDawi

Did you get a bit antsy on

Monday when Facebook,

Instagram and WhatsApp

went down? Did you feel the

terrible tremors of an addict

forced to go cold turkey? If so

then please spare a thought for

how torturous this year has

been for poor old Donald

Trump. The 75-year-old social

media junkie has been banned

from all his favourite platforms

since January, when he was

accused of inciting and

applauding a violent

insurrection. Different sites

handed out different

punishments: Trump was put

in Facebook jail for at least two

years with a chance of parole;

Twitter, on the other hand, has

said there isn't a hope in hell

he's getting his account back.

Not even if he becomes

president again.

Trump has handled his

social media exile with all the

grace one would expect from

him. And, to be fair, I can

understand why the belligerent

billionaire is confused by the

fact that he has been told he is

not allowed to do something.

How could it be possible, after

all, that a rich white man be

banned from doing anything,

let alone something he enjoys?

It goes against all the rules of

nature! Well, you'll be glad to

know that Trump is on a

mission to right all that and

make his social media life great

again. On Friday, the former

president begged a federal

judge in Florida to grant an

injunction that would make the

losers and haters at Twitter

reinstate

his

@realDonaldTrump account

dramatically on the use of chemical

pesticides. The first robot autonomously

prowls a wheat field, and with precision

and patience that no human could match

analyses each individual wheat plant

using several cameras, mapping the exact

locations where weeds are beginning to

encroach. Once this data has been

collected, a second, somewhat

frightening, five-armed robot follows,

killing the weeds by administering a

powerful electric shock.

Another startup company, Xihelm,

which received venture funding from the

UK government in 2018, has built a robot

capable of harvesting fragile fruits and

vegetables in greenhouses. The robot can,

for example, carefully pick tomatoes after

using artificial intelligence to identify

only the ripest fruit. In the US, where the

worker shortage has hit the restaurant

industry especially hard, the White Castle

chain has introduced french fry

automation to work alongside its new

hamburger robots, while the national

restaurant chain Sweetgreen acquired a

startup company that provides robotic

kitchen technology. McDonald's

restaurants in the Chicago area are

experimenting with an artificial

intelligence-powered voice system that

can process customer orders in drivethroughs.

There can be no doubt that the

turned off without warning. The app essentially

functions as an unregulated utility," the

journalist Aura Bogado wrote.

Mark Zuckerberg apologized for the outage

Photo: Mykola Tys

on Facebook once the website was back online,

but did not provide an explanation. "I know

how much you rely on our services to stay

connected with the people you care about," the

CEO said.

Experts initially said the problem appeared to

have been related to the company's internal

infrastructure. Facebook engineers responded

to a company data center in California to fix the

Will Donald Trump ever

be able to beat his ban?

while he fights the company's

permanent ban. This guy used

to be the most powerful man in

the world; now he's

pathetically grovelling for a

chance to tweet. It would be

hilarious if it wasn't also a

sobering reminder of the

immense power big tech has.

You know what else is funny,

in a horrible sort of way?

Trump's explanations for why

he deserves his Twitter account

back. According to court

documents, Trump's Twitter

ban isn't just cruel and

unusual, it could spell the end

of the Republican party as we

know it. His legal team's

request for an injunction

argues that: "[By] deplatforming

the presumptive

head and most popular

member of the Republican

party, cutting him off from the

most effective and direct forms

of communication with

potential voters, [Twitter] is

threatening irreparable

damage to the Republican

party's prospects in the 2022

and 2024 elections."

While that analysis may be

dramatic, it's not entirely

incorrect. At the very least, the

Twitter ban certainly threatens

irreparable damage to Trump's

political future. Ask yourself

this: would Trump ever have

been elected president without

social media? He's admitted he

doesn't think so. "I doubt I

pandemic and the associated worker

shortage are accelerating the drive

toward deploying artificial intelligence,

robotics and other forms of automation.

In the UK, the trend is being further

amplified as Brexit's impact on the

workforce becomes evident. However,

the reality is that most of these

technologies are unlikely to arrive in time

to offer a solution to the immediate

challenges faced by employers. Xihelm's

tomato-picking robot, for example,

remains in the testing phase; the

machines are not yet generally available

for purchase. Some of the most critical

worker shortages the UK are in

transportation and logistics. By one

estimate, the country is currently short of

at least 100,000 truck drivers. As has

been widely publicised, this has led to

shortages of everything from petrol to

McDonald's milkshakes. No robots will

be coming to the rescue in the near

future. While a number of startup

companies in Silicon Valley and

elsewhere are working on self-driving

trucks, the technology remains at several

years away from commercial viability.

Add time for governments to craft the

necessary regulations or simply to get the

public to accept the idea of fully loaded

trucks navigating local roads without a

driver at the wheel and the wait could

easily be much longer.

Over the course of a decade or more,

however, the overall impact of artificial

intelligence and robotics on the job

market is likely to be significant and in

outage, which also disrupted internal systems

employees use for work, the Verge reported.

There was no evidence that the issue was

caused by malicious activity, the Associated

Press reported, and experts have said the

outage, which saw Facebook and its services

essentially "disconnected from the internet",

could have only originated from within the

company.

Adam Leon Smith, of BCS, the Chartered

Institute for IT and a software testing expert,

said: "The outage is caused by changes made to

the Facebook network infrastructure. Many of

the recent high-profile outages have been

caused by similar network-level events.

"It is reported by unidentified Facebook

sources on Reddit that the network changes

have also prevented engineers from remotely

connecting to resolve the issues, delaying

resolution. "Notably, many organisations now

define their physical infrastructure as code, but

most do not apply the same level of testing

rigour when they change that code, as they

would when changing their core business

logic."

According to reports, part of the problem was

with the DNS, or domain name system, which

turns website names such as theguardian.com

into numeric addresses that can be understood

by machines. These allow the users' computer

to connect to the destination web server and the

website users are looking for.

"It is rumored to be a border gateway protocol

problem. This is something worth noting. It

might be really hard to get into a router and

change the route tables from outside the

organization, but inside, it's a piece of cake,"

Renee Murphy, a principal analyst at Forrester,

said in an email. "If it really is a BGP problem,

that is a big problem. This is not something that

should ever happen at a company this

sophisticated with this much data."

How could it be possible, after all, that a rich

white man be banned from doing anything, let

alone something he enjoys? Photo: Eric Baradat

would be here if it weren't for

social media, to be honest with

you," Trump said in a 2017

interview with Fox. "Tweeting

is like a typewriter - when I put

it out, you put it immediately

Hardly anybody read it and,

after less than a month, it was

shut down and scrubbed from

the internet. Trump hasn't

faded into oblivion, of course.

He may grumble about being

on your show … When CENSORED but no one has

somebody says something

about me, I am able to go bing,

bing, bing and I take care of it

… [W]ithout social media … I

would probably not be here

talking." The past few months

have confirmed that analysis:

Trump's attempts to go "bing,

bing, bing" without Twitter and

shut him up: he still does

interviews, his aides send out

daily fundraising emails, he

holds a lot of rallies. None of

that, however, has managed to

ignite the news cycle in the

same way his tweets did. It's

still not clear whether Trump is

going to run in 2024. But I'll

Facebook have gone badly, tell you this: Trump

badly, badly. In May, he

launched a blog called From

the Desk of Donald J Trump.

desperately needs Twitter.

Without it he just looks like a

Twit.

some specific areas the technologies may

lead to dramatic change within the next

few years. And many workers will soon

confront the reality that the

encroachment of automation technology

will not be limited to the often low-paying

and less desirable occupations where

worker shortages are currently

concentrated. Indeed, many of the jobs

that employers are struggling to fill may

prove to be highly resistant to

automation. At the same time, betterpaying

positions that workers definitely

want to retain will be squarely in the

sights as AI and robotics continue their

relentless advance.

Consider, for example, the distribution

centres run by Amazon or the online

grocery retailer Ocado. As online

shopping has accelerated, these

warehouses have become an

employment bright spot, providing jobs

for many thousands of workers. Less than

a decade ago, facilities of this kind would

have been animated by hundreds of

workers continuously roving between tall

shelves containing thousands of different

items. The workers would have included

"stowers" tasked with taking newly

arrived inventory and storing it on

shelves and "pickers" responsible for

retrieving items in order to fulfil

customer orders. The activity would have

been a continuous mad scramble,

perhaps resembling an especially

disordered anthill, in which a typical

worker might trek a dozen or more miles

over the course of a single shift.

THURSDAY, OCTOBeR 7, 2021

6

Coast Guard seizes tortoises, gecko in

patuakhali and Khulna

in separate raids in

patuakhali and Khulna,

Bangladesh Coast Guard

arrested three smugglers

along with 54 rare species

of tortoises and 1 gecko on

wednesday, a press release

said.

lt. Khondaker munif

Taki, media officer at the

Bangladesh Coast Guard

headquarters, said this at

noon on wednesday

(october 8).

he said a special

operation was conducted by

BCG security station

Andarmanik and BCG

station nizampur

conducted an operation in

the new Kathapatti (ukil

patti) area adjacent to

Khepupara launch Ghat

under Kalapara upazila of

patuakhali district on

wednesday night on the

basis of secret information.

Memebers of BCG Security Station Andarmanik and BCG Station Nizampur in a

drive detained 2 smugglers along 54 rare species of tortoises from Kalapara

upazila of Patuakhali district on Wednesday.

Photo: Courtesy

During the operation, Tota

Akon (48) and his son md.

Rubel (26) were detained

along with 54 rare species

of tortoises from the area.

later, the smugglers

including tortoises were

handed over to the forest

officer.

on the other hand, manoj

Boishya (35) was detained

along with 1 rare species of

gecko by Coast Guard

outpost naliyan in the area

adjacent to naliyan

embankment under

Dacope police station of

Khulna district at midnight.

The estimated value of the

captured gecko is Tk

6600,000/00 (Tk 66 lakh

only).

The rescued gecko and

the detainee have been

handed over to the nalian

Forest office for

appropriate legal action, he

said.

he further added that the

Coast Guard has continued

and will continue to

conduct regular operations

in areas under the

jurisdiction of the Coast

Guard to maintain law and

order and ensure public

safety, as well as

kidnapping, robbery, drug

control and wildlife

protection.

A view exchange meeting was held with the journalists of Dhamoirhat Model Press Club with new Officer-in-Charge

(OC) KM Rakibul Huda of the upazila on Tuesday.

Photo: TBT

oC holds view exchange meeting

with Dhamoirhat journalists

RejAun AlAm, DhAmoiRhAT CoRResponDenT

A view exchange meeting was held

with the journalists of Dhamoirhat

model press Club with new officerin-Charge

(oC) Km Rakibul huda of

the upazila on Tuesday.

The courtesy call and view

exchange meeting was held at the

oC's office where the president of the

Dhamoirhat model press Club md.

nurunabi Farooqi and General

secretary Rejaun Alam spoke on

various issues. During the time,

Dhamoirhat police inspector

(investigation) Abdul Gani, si md.

harun Aur Rashid, press Club joint

General secretary Abul Bayan,

Treasurer Rifatul hasan sakat, office

secretary Abu Yusuf mortuza

Rahman were among others also

present at the occasion.

At the occassion, oC Km Rakibul

huda said that the police are the

servant people and journalists are the

mirror of the nation. if the police and

the journalists worked in unit then it

will be easy to suppress all kinds of

crimes including drugs, rape, child

marriage, violence against women,

rape and extortion.

In observance of International Teacher's Day, a human chain and a rally was organized by the Upazila

Secondary Teachers' Association demanding nationalization of secondary education in Shibchar on

Tuesday.

Photo: Rafiqul Islam

Durga puja's

preparation

on in full

swing in

Rajshahi

RAjshAhi: The

preparation for celebrating

the forthcoming Durga puja,

the largest religious festival

for the Bangalee hindu

community, is going on in

full swing everywhere in the

division, reports Bss.

The works of decorating

and painting idols and puja

mandaps are being made

with much enthusiasm

ahead of the festival.

idol makers commonly

known as pauls are passing

busy days with the finishing

touch to the idols of hindu

deities. with only a week

left, the pauls are working

round the clock to make sure

that the idols are ready in

time.

Kartik paul, who has been

involved in the idol-making

profession for over 24 years,

has made 34 idols in the last

two months and has been

working for some others at

present. Taka 30,000 to

60,000 are spent for making

each of the idols, he said.

he said that about one

hundred paul community

people in Rajshahi are now

busy with making idols for

mandaps and they have

already completed around

90 percent of the work.

swapon Ghosh, a devotee

who supervises a puja

mandap in Kumarpara area

of the city, informed that

preparations for the

upcoming Durga puja are on

the final stage.

Police in a drive arrested Rakibul Mir along with 65 pieces of yaba tablets from

Purbo Chila village in Amtali upazila on Tuesday night.

Photo: H M Kawsor Madbor

Three drug dealers arrested in Amtali

h m KAwsoR mADBoR,

AmTAli CoRResponDenT

police arrested Rakibul mir

along with 65 pieces of yaba

tablets and Khabir and

julhas hawladar with 200

grams of cannabis. Rakibul

hails from purba Chila

village of the upazila and

Khabir and julhas from

sekandarkhali village were

arrested on Tuesday night.

The accused were handed

over to the Amtali senior

judicial magistrate's Court

on wednesday. judge md

shakib hossain has ordered

to send them to jail.

it has been learnt that md.

masum mridha, son of

shahnaz Begum, a former

woman member of haldia

union parishad of the

upazila, has been collecting

yaba from different parts of

the country including Cox's

Bazar and Kuakata for the

last five years. locals allege

that he has been selling the

yaba all over the area

through 20 retailers. on

Tuesday evening, based on a

tip-off, Amtali police station

si mohammad Dadan mia

raided the purbo Chila village

and arrested Rakibul mir

while he was selling yaba.

on the other hand, si

shubho arrested two drug

dealers named Khabir and

julhas while they were

selling cannabis from

sekandarkhali village. Two

hundred grams of cannabis

were recovered from the

bodies of the two drug

dealers. A case has been filed

under the narcotics Control

Act against masum mridha

and Khabir and julhas, the

main culprits of Rakibul and

Yaba sales at Amtali police

station on the same night.

human chain, rally

demanding nationalization

of secondary education

held in shibchar

RAFiqul islAm, shiBChAR

CoRResponDenT

international Teacher's Day

has been celebrated at

shibchar upqzila in

madaripur district on

Tuesday. marking the

occasion, a human chain

and a rally was organized by

the upazila secondary

Teachers' Association

demanding nationalization

of secondary education.

The rally was brought out

from the local nandakumar

model institution and ended

at the upazila Central

shahid minar. later the

discussion meeting was

held.

During the time, md.

shamsul haque, president

of Bangladesh shibchar

upazila Branch, AKm

masudur Rahman Khan,

General secretary, harunur-

Rashid, Vice president,

sultan mahabub, motiur

Rahman were also present

at the occasion.

5 more test

positive for

Covid-19 in

C'nawabganj

ChApAinAwABGAnj:

Five more people tested

positive for Covid-19

during the last 24 hours till

last morning, raising the

total caseloads to 5,889 in

the district, reports Bss.

During the time, 78

samples were tested as five

persons were detected

positive for Covid-19,

showing the infection rate

6.41 percent, civil surgeon

office sources confirmed.

All the newly infected

patients were from sadar

upazila.

A total of 83 patients are

undergoing treatment in

the district. of them, 24 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.

Awami League Joint General Secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim MP as the chief

guest addressed the triennial conference of Joypurhat district Swecchashebok

League in the district on Tuesday.

Photo: Masrakul Alom

Record 4,94,427 tonnes

of summer vegetables

produced in Rangpur

RAnGpuR: Farmers produced a record quantity that is

4,94,427 tonnes of summer vegetables exceeding the fixed

production target by 21.45 percent during the justconcluded

Kharif-1 season in Rangpur agriculture region,

reports Bss.

officials of the Department of Agricultural extension

(DAe) said farmers achieved bumper output of summer

vegetables braving the Covid-19 pandemic and got fair

prices of the produce.

earlier, the DAe had fixed a target of producing over

4,07,101 lakh tonnes of summer vegetables from 22,030

hectares of land for all five districts in Rangpur agriculture

region during the last Kharif-1 season.

"however, farmers cultivated summer vegetables on

26,365 hectares of land exceeding the fixed farming target

by 4,335 hectares or 19.68 percent," Agriculturist Bidhu

Bhusan Ray, Additional Director of the DAe, Rangpur

region said. Farmers cultivated summer vegetables on

9,480 hectares of land in Rangpur, 4,780 hectares in

Gaibandha, 4,820 hectares in lalmonirhat, 2,475

hectares in nilphamari and 4,810 hectares of land in

Kurigram districts.

"After completing harvest last week, farmers produced

4,94,427 tonnes of vegetables exceeding the fixed

production target by 87,326 tonnes or 21.45 percent at an

excellent average yield rate of 18.75 tonnes per hectare of

land," Ray said. The DAe and other organisations and

institutes, commercial banks and nGos supplied high

quality seeds, inputs, easy-term agri-loans and assistance

to farmers to make the intensive summer vegetables

cultivation programme a success.

After getting repeated bumper production with

rewarding prices, farmers are cultivating vegetables on

more lands and many of them have achieved self- reliance

from farming vegetables thrice during the Rabi, Kharif-1

and Kharif- 2 seasons annually.

"At the same time, farmers have cultivated vegetables on

13,950 hectares of land during the current Kharif-2 season

in the region and already harvested on 3,370 hectares of

land producing 56,143 tonnes of vegetables till Tuesday,"

Ray added.

Triennial conference

of joypurhat district

swecchashebok

league held

mAsRAKul Alom, joYpuRhAT

CoRResponDenT

The triennial conference of

joypurhat

district

swecchashebok league was

held at the shaheed Dr. Abul

Kashem moidan in the district

on Tuesday. At the occassion

Awami league joint General

secretary AFm Bahauddin

nasim mp was the chief guest

at the occasion.

in his speech he said that

today, under the leadership of

prime minister sheikh

hasina, the country is

advancing towards progress

and development. he urgerd

the activists of Awami

swecchashebok league to

work with dignity to build

Bangabandhu's sonar Bangla.

outgoing president of

joypurhat

district

swecchashebok league and

current District Awami

league publicity and

publication secretary

lecturer Aem masud Raza

presided over the occasion

while General secretary of

Bangladesh Awami

swechhasabok league

provided the keynote address.

Among others, jatiya

sangsad whip and Awami

league organizing secretary

Abu saeed Al mahmud

swapan mp, organizing

secretary sm Kamal hasan

were also present among

others.

ThursDAY, OCTOBer 7, 2021

7

A group of French senators arrived in Taiwan for a five-day visit Wednesday following a large

Chinese show of force with fighter jets amid the highest tensions in decades between China and

Taiwan.

Photo : AP

Argentine house fire

leaves 7 people dead

BUENOS AIRES : Seven

people, including four minors,

died in a house fire on Tuesday

in the Argentine city of Bahia

Blanca, some 635 km south of

Buenos Aires, police said,

reports UNB.

The fire started in the front

part of the house, located in the

Villa Ressia neighborhood of

the major port city.

"The victims sought refuge

in a back room, but could not

get out because the window

had a grille on it," a local

newspaper reported.

"We responded to a 911 call

about a fire," the head of the

Bahia Blanca Police

Department Gonzalo Bezos

said.

"The first police cars arrived

and immediately realized the

seriousness of the situation

because the kitchen, the dining

room and the bedroom were

all on fire, with people inside

asking for help," said Bezos.

The cause of the fire is still

unknown, and an investigation

is underway.

French senators arrive

in Taiwan amid

tensions with China

TAIPEI : A group of French senators

arrived in Taiwan for a five-day visit

Wednesday following a large Chinese show

of force with fighter jets amid the highest

tensions in decades between China and

Taiwan.

The group, led by Senator Alain Richard,

will meet with President Tsai Ing-wen,

Taiwanese economic and health officials

and the Mainland Affairs Council. Richard,

a former French defense minister,

previously visited Taiwan in 2015 and 2018,

according to Taiwan's semi-official Central

News Agency, and heads the Taiwan

Friendship group in the French senate.

China's ambassador to France Lu Shaye

sent a warning letter in February calling on

Richard to cancel the Taiwan visit,

according to local media reports.

The visit will likely provoke a rebuke from

China, which claims self-ruled Taiwan as its

own territory and therefore opposes any

international engagement with the island

such as visits by foreign government

officials. It also has aggressively poached

Taiwan's remaining diplomatic allies.

In its most recent display of sustained

military harassment, China flew fighter jets

149 times toward Taiwan over four days

from Friday to Monday. The White House

called the flights risky and destabilizing,

while China responded that the U.S. selling

weapons to Taiwan and its ships navigating

the Taiwan Strait were provocative.

Taiwan's defense minister Chiu Kuocheng

told legislators Wednesday that the

situation "is the most severe in the 40 years

since I've enlisted." Chiu was answering

questions as the legislature decides whether

to approve a special budget for air and

naval defense purchases.

China and Taiwan split amid civil war in

1949. Today they have extensive trade and

investment ties but no official relations, and

China has increasingly mobilized military,

diplomatic and economic pressure to

undermine Tsai's independence-leaning

administration.

As Lebanese got poorer, politicians

stowed wealth abroad

BEIRUT : A trove of leaked

documents confirmed that

for years, Lebanon's

politicians and bankers have

stowed wealth in offshore

tax havens and used it to buy

expensive properties - a

galling revelation for masses

of newly impoverished

Lebanese caught in one of

the world's worst economic

meltdowns in decades,

reports UNB.

Some of the newly outed

holders of offshore accounts

belong to the same ruling

elite that is being blamed for

the collapse and for derailing

the lives of ordinary

Lebanese who have lost

access to savings and now

struggle to get fuel,

electricity and medicine.

Bold-faced names in the

leaked documents include

the longtime central bank

governor, a pivotal figure in

the failed policies that

helped trigger the financial

crisis, as well as Prime

Minister Najib Mikati and

his predecessor.

The documents, named

the "Pandora Papers," were

examined by the

International Consortium of

Investigative Journalists,

with the first findings

released Sunday. The ICIJ

report exposes the offshore

secrets of wealthy elites from

more than 200 countries

and territories.

It was based on a review of

nearly 11.9 million records

obtained from 14 firms that

provide services in setting

up offshore firms and shell

companies. Clients of such

firms are often trying to hide

their wealth and financial

activities.

Setting up an offshore

company is not illegal, but

reinforces the perception

that the wealthy and

powerful play by different

rules - a particularly

upsetting notion for many

Lebanese.

The papers show how

members of the political

class were sending wealth

abroad for years, even as

they urged people to deposit

money in Lebanon's banks,

assuring them that it was

safe, said Alia Ibrahim, a

Lebanese journalist.

"We are not talking about

regular citizens," said

Ibrahim, a co-founder of

Daraj, a Beirut-based

independent digital media

platform, and one of scores

of journalists across the

world who worked with ICIJ

on the investigation into the

documents.

"These are politicians who

served in public office for

years, and they are partly

responsible for the current

crisis Lebanon is going

through," she said.

Lebanon is in the midst of

what the World Bank says is

one of the world's worst

economic meltdowns in the

past 150 years. More than

70% of the population has

been thrown into poverty,

their savings nearly wiped

out in the crisis that began in

late 2019 and was in part

caused by decades of

corruption

and

mismanagement by the

political class. Hundreds of

thousands of people staged

nationwide protests against

corruption starting in late

2019. Yet two years later the

same politicians still run the

country in the same way,

protected by the sectarianbased

system. One of the

protesters, Samir Skaff, said

that the Lebanese are not

surprised to be told that the

political class "is made up of

a bunch of thieves."

"We have been saying that

for years," he said.

Offshore companies,

though not illegal, can be

used to elude taxes or hide

illicitly gained money. The

leaks only add further

confirmation to what

Lebanese have long said

about their ruling class -

though repeated reports of

graft or illicit activity in the

past have failed to bring

change. One of the 14 firms

listed by ICIJ as providing

offshore services is Trident

Trust, with 346 Lebanese

clients making up the largest

group, more than double the

second-place country,

Britain. One focus of the

revelations is Riad Salameh,

who has been Lebanon's

central bank governor for

nearly 30 years.

Daraj reported that the

documents showed Salameh

founded a company called

AMANIOR, based in the

British Virgin Islands, in

2007. He is listed as its full

owner and sole director,

which Daraj said appeared

to violate Lebanese laws

forbidding the central

bank governor from

activity in any enterprise.

A trove of leaked documents confirmed that for years, Lebanon's politicians

and bankers have stowed wealth in offshore tax havens and used it to

buy expensive properties - a galling revelation for masses of newly impoverished

Lebanese caught in one of the world's worst economic meltdowns

in decades.

Photo : AP

5.5-magnitude quake

strikes off Japan's

Miyazaki, no tsunami

warning issued

TOKYO : An earthquake

with a magnitude of 5.5 on

Wednesday struck off

Japan's Miyazaki

Prefecture, according to the

Japan Meteorological

Agency (JMA).

The temblor occurred at

around 5:13 p.m. local time

(0813 GMT), with its

epicenter being at a latitude

of 31.3 degrees north and a

longitude of 131.5 degrees

east, and at depth of 40 km.

The quake logged 4 in

some parts of Miyazaki

Prefecture on the Japanese

seismic intensity scale which

peaks at 7. So far no tsunami

warning has been issued.

Zimbabwe tightens

crackdown on

illegal foreign

currency dealers

HARARE : Zimbabwe's

central bank on Tuesday

blacklisted 47 more

individuals for allegedly

advertising and facilitating

illegal foreign exchange

transactions and money

laundering through social

media.

This came after 30

individuals were "blacklisted

and barred from accessing

financial and mobile

telecommunication services

for the same reasons" on

Sept. 28, said John

Mangudya, governor of the

Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe

(RBZ).

The governor thanked the

public for their information

that is helping the RBZ's

Financial Intelligence Unit

(FIU) to identify and take

action against the culprits,

reports UNB.

When the RBZ blacklisted

the 30 individuals, the FIU

instructed banks, mobile

money operators and other

financial service providers to

identify and freeze any

accounts operated by the

identified individuals and

bar them from accessing

financial services for a

period of two years,

Mangudya said.

The FIU had also

requested the Postal and

T e l e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s

Regulatory Authority of

Zimbabwe to bar them from

operating mobile

businesses.

Since then, 14 suspected

illegal foreign currency

dealers have been arrested,

including four company

directors, on charges of

money laundering.

It is reported that the

current rates in Zimbabwe's

black market are more

lucrative than those in the

official banking system.

TAZACORTE : Fleeing their

home after the La Palma

volcano erupted on

September 19, one couple

married nearly 60 years

decided to seek safe haven

aboard their tiny boat until

the storm passed.

When the evacuation

order came, neither

Margaretha Straates, 80,

nor her 90-year-old

husband Luis Rodriguez

Diaz fancied the idea of

staying in temporary

accommodation, reports

UNB.

"It suddenly came to me,

why don't we try the boat?

It's only an old boat, but we

could take a few things and

settle in," Rodriguez Diaz, a

retired gastrointestinal

surgeon, told AFP.

Just 6.4 metres (20 feet)

long, the "Hamurabi" is a

tough little boat that has

only needed one engine

change in 35 years, he says.

But it is big enough for

him and his Dutch wife who

sit with their backs to the

volcano, which keeps up its

endlessly explosive activity.

Together, they pass the

time on the boat's tiny deck

with a radio, her computer

with Wi-Fi, a small fridge

In California, some buy machines

that make water out of air

BENICIA :The machine Ted Bowman

helped design can make water out of the air,

and in parched California, some

homeowners are already buying the pricey

devices, reports UNB.

The air-to-water systems work like air

conditioners by using coils to chill air, then

collect water drops in a basin.

"Our motto is, water from air isn't magic,

it's science, and that's really what we're doing

with these machines," said Ted Bowman,

design engineer at Washington state-based

Tsunami Products. The system is one of

several that have been developed in recent

years to extract water from humidity in the

air. Other inventions include mesh nets,

solar panels and shipping containers that

harvest moisture from the air.

Bowman said his company's machines -

made for use at homes, offices, ranches and

elsewhere - dehumidify the air and in doing

so create water that's filtered to make it

drinkable. The technology works especially

well in foggy areas and depending on the size

On a boat, elderly couple find safe

haven from Canaries volcano

Austria prosecutors raid

offices of ruling party

VIENNA : Austria's ruling People's Party

(OeVP) said it had been targeted by raids

from prosecutors on Wednesday morning,

with local media reporting that offices in the

chancellery were among those searched.

Deputy OeVP general secretary Gaby

Schwarz confirmed the prosecutors' actions

but did not confirm who was being

investigated, saying only that raids were "for

show" and that "accusations were

constructed over events that date back as far

as five years".

According to Die Presse newspaper, raids

also took place in the chancellery and

targeted several employees of OeVP

Chancellor Sebastian Kurz. The newspaper

reported that the raids related to possible

corruption offences in the publication of

adverts and opinion polls in the Oesterreich

daily.

Kurz himself is suspected of being an

can produce between 200 gallons (900

liters) and 1,900 gallons (8,600 liters) of

water a day. The machines also operate

efficiently in any area with high humidity,

including California's coastline, he said.

The machines are not cheap, with prices

ranging from $30,000 to $200,000. Still, in

California, where residents have been asked

to conserve water because one of the worst

droughts in recent history has depleted

reservoirs, some homeowners are buying

them to meet their water needs.

Don Johnson, of Benicia, California, said

he bought the smallest machine, which looks

like a towering AC unit, hoping it would

generate sufficient water to sustain his

garden. But he found it puts out more than

enough for his garden and his household.

"This machine will produce water for a lot

less than you can buy bottled water at Costco

for, and I believe, as time goes on and the

price of freshwater through our utilities

goes up, I think it's going to more than

pay for itself," he said.

The machine Ted Bowman helped design can make water out of the air,

and in parched California, some homeowners are already buying the

pricey devices.

Photo : AP

and an adopted cat they

picked up while fleeing, and

who bolts into the cabin

when visitors arrive.

The space is small and

requires careful navigation,

with Straates often

forgetting to duck her head

to enter the cabin.

"I've banged my head

three times," she says.

The pair are residents of

Todoque, a village almost

totally wiped off the map by

the lava.

When the order came,

they had to leave very

quickly.

"The Guardia Civil police

came and told us: 'You need

to evacuate right now, very

quickly' so we left in what we

were wearing," says

Rodriguez Diaz.

They never thought the

eruption would be so violent

and destructive, lulled into a

false sense of security by the

eruption of La Palma's

Teneguia volcano 50 years

ago "which was a friendly

volcano that didn't do

much damage", says

Straates. Over the past 16

days, the erupting volcano

has destroyed more than

1,000 properties, many of

them homes.

accessory to the offences, it added.

Kurz began his second term as chancellor

in January 2020 at the head of a coalition

with the Green party.

His previous government, a coalition with

the far-right Freedom Party (FPOe), fell

apart spectactularly in May 2019 over the socalled

"Ibiza-gate" corruption scandal.

After ex-FPOe chief Heinz-Christian

Strache was caught on camera appearing to

offer public contracts in exchange for

campaign help for the FPOe, investigators

launched several sprawling investigations

into alleged corruption in Austrian politics.

Some of these have targeted high-ranking

OeVP politicians, such as Finance Minister

Gernot Bluemel.

Kurz himself is under investigation on

suspicion of making false statements to a

parliamentary committee on corruption,

though he has not been charged.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2021

8

Fevicol’s awareness campaign on dengue

eradication and environmental cleanliness

Last week, an awareness

campaign was launched

popular Fevicol Champions'

Club (FCC) around keeping

environment clean to prevent

infectious diseases like

Dengue and Malaria. The

Fevicol Champions' Club

(FCC) is an independent

association of woodworking

artisans supported by Fevicol

- the adhesive brand which

now a household name in

Bangladesh. FCC started

operating in Bangladesh in

LONDON : British supermarket giant

Tesco on Wednesday posted a near 70-

percent surge in first-half net profit on

the back of higher pandemic sales and its

"resilient" supply chain, reports BSS.

Profit after tax jumped to o781 million

($1.1 billion, 917 million euros) in the six

months to the end of August, the nation's

biggest retailer said in a statement.

That compared with o465 million a

year earlier, when the group was also

2019 with a mission of

Individual and social

development of woodworking

artisans. It presently has a

total of 19 clubs in Dhaka and

Chittagong. FCC conducts

various social work initiatives

like blood donation camps,

Tree Plantation, Heath

awareness programs every

quarter. This Quarter's

campaign was conducted as

part of this initiative,

beginning on 23rd September

and concluding on 25th

September, a press release

said.

The theme of the campaign

was "Keep the Environment

Clean and Make Living

Spaces Safe from Infectious

Diseases." As part of this

campaign, FCC conducted

dengue eradication and

environmental clean-up

activities in Dhaka's

Mohammadpur, Mirpur, and

Rampura, as well as Gazipur

and Narayanganj districts.

Attending this social

buoyed by the Covid pandemic.

Tesco experienced "sustained strong

UK sales, a reduction in Covid-19 related

costs in our retail businesses and a return

to profitability in Tesco Bank", it said.

Revenue rose six percent to o30.4

billion as it "continued to benefit from

elevated sales as a result of the Covid-19

pandemic". Tesco also ramped up its

annual profit forecast and unveiled a

o500-million share buyback.

awareness program were a

total of about 300 members

from 8 different FCCs.

Notable among the various

activities undertaken by the

FCC members are:

Awareness about Aedes

mosquito breeding grounds

and how to prevent their

development; Maintaining

environmental cleanliness by

eliminating the practice of

littering; and creating public

awareness through the slogan

"Keep the environment clean,

stay healthy together."

Speaking about the

campaign, Mainak Dutta,

Country Manager, Pidilite

Bangladesh, the makers of

Fevicol said, "We at Pidilite

has always prioritize health

and safety of everyone

associated to us. We applaud

the FCC's initiative to

eradicate dengue and clean

up the environment. We are

hopeful that the club will

continue to carry out such

social development work on a

larger scale across the

country, gaining people's love

through the development of

society."

First Security Islami Bank Ltd. organized Shariah Awareness Program with the participation of banks

Head office personnel's by using digital platform recently. Professor Dr. Mohammad Gias Uddin

Talukder, Chairman, Shariah Council, First Security Islami Bank Ltd. delivered his lecture on the importance

& significance of complying Shariah in banking activities. The program was ended with valuable

instructions from Syed Waseque Md. Ali, Managing Director of the bank.

Photo: Courtesy

Europe stocks

open higher

despite losses

elsewhere

LONDON : Europe's major

stock markets gained ground

at the open on Tuesday, as

investors shrugged off losses

in Asia and on Wall Street,

reports BSS.

In initial trade, London's

benchmark FTSE 100 index

advanced 0.6 percent to

7,050.82 points, compared

with Monday's closing level.

In the eurozone, Frankfurt's

DAX index increased almost

0.4 percent to 15,095.10

points and the Paris CAC 40

won 0.5 percent to 6,511.06.

However, Asian indices

tumbled on Tuesday following

a Wall Street slump, as

soaring oil prices put further

upward pressure on inflation

while a standoff in

Washington over raising the

country's borrowing limit

fuelled fears of a catastrophic

US debt default.

PRAN dairy receives taxpayer award

PRAN Dairy Lltd, a sister concern of PRAN-RFL

Group, received taxpayer award from Tax Zone-

5, Dhaka recently. Choudhury Atiur Rasul,

Director (Accounts) of PRAN-RFL Group

received the award on behalf of PRAN Dairy

from Shoaib Ahmed, Commissioner at Tax

Zone-5, Dhaka through a program held at the

capital on Tuesday evening, a press release said.

Tax Zone-5, Dhaka, honored the five

companies and five persons for paying highest

tax at the zone. The program arranged to

increase tax collection through reducing gap

between taxpayers and tax receiver.

Atiur Rasul said, "We have got many awards

for paying Vat but this is for the first time we

received award from tax. We are happy for the

program."

He also added, "We have presence at 14

commission rate out of 15 commission rate in

Dhaka. I have been visiting the income tax

offices for last 20 years. Now, we are observing

huge positive changes among the NBR officials.

Shoaib Ahmed said, "We are proud to give

the honor to the taxpayers. I believe, to give

them honor means to honor the country and

nation."

Tesco profits jump on 'elevated' pandemic sales

"We've had a strong six months; sales

and profit have grown ahead of

expectations and we've outperformed the

market," said chief executive Ken

Murphy.

He pointed to "the resilience of our

supply chain and the depth of our

supplier partnerships" as a key factor.

The group however took a o193-million

hit from settling claims relating to its

misstatement of profits in 2014.

United Commercial Bank Ltd (UCB) has been recognized with 2021 U.S. Dollar Clearing MT202 Quality

Recognition Award by JP Morgan at the Corporate Office of the Bank recently. Sazzad Anam, Executive

Director, Head of Bangladesh Representative Office, JP Morgan delivered the award to Mohammed Shawkat

Jamil, Managing Director, UCB. Among others, Arif Quadri, Additional Managing Director, UCB; Md. Abdullah

Al Mamoon, Deputy Managing Director, UCB; Mumtaz Ahmed, Senior Vice President & Head - Financial

Institution and Offshore Banking Unit, UCB; Md. Amirul Islam, Associate, Financial Institutions Group

Wholesale Payments, JP Morgan and Sattar Md. Emon, Analyst, Financial Institutions Group Wholesale

Payments, JP Morgan were present in the award giving ceremony.

Photo: Courtesy

German industrial

orders slump in

August

FRANKFURT : German

industrial orders fell sharply

in August, after a record

month in July, official data

released on Wednesday

showed, as global supply

bottlenecks pinch the

economy, reports BSS.

The indicator, which gives

a foretaste of industrial

activity, fell by 7.7 percent on

the upwardly revised figure

for the previous month,

according to the federal

statistics agency Destatis.

In July, orders had

reached their highest point

since statistics for reunified

Germany began in 1991, as

demand sprung back after

coronavirus

restrictions

were lifted in Europe's

economic powerhouse. In its

latest release, Destatis

revised the increase in July

to 4.9 percent from its

previous estimate of 3.4

percent.

Industrial orders failed to

keep up the pace in August,

despite showing a strong 11.7

percent increase on a year

earlier. The month-onmonth

drop was led by a

steep 11.1 percent decline in

orders of capital goods,

while consumer and

intermediate goods tailed off

by 2.7 and 2.8 percent,

respectively.

Orders for export fell by

9.5 percent, with those from

outside the eurozone

decreasing most by 15.2

percent.

The upheaval caused by

the pandemic has given rise

to global shortages in

components, such as

semiconductors, timber and

plastics, limiting production

in key sectors for the

German economy.

Libya kicks off

construction

of oil refinery

TRIPOLI: Libya on Sunday

said work has begun on the

construction of an oil

refinery in the south of the

conflict-ridden desert

country, reports BSS.

The project will cost

between $500 million and

$600 million and become

operational within three

years, according to the head

of Libya's state oil company

Mustafa Sanalla.

He said an annual income

of $75 million was expected.

Libyan leader Abdelhamid

Dbeibah, speaking at a

ceremony in the capital

Tripoli, said: "This project is

important, the effective start

of construction of a refinery

in the south."

The refinery will be built

near Al-Charara, a major oil

field in the Oubari region,

which produces an average

of some 300,000 barrels of

oil a day.

Announced in the early

1980s, the project for a

refinery in southern Libya

had been put on hold for

years before being revived in

2017.

Agent Banking Branch of Islami Bank has been inaugurated at Khulshi in

Chattogram recently.

Photo: TBT

IBL agent banking outlet inaugurated

at Wireless corner of Chattogram

MOHIUDDIN SHAGOR, CHATTOGRAM CITy CORRESPONDENT:

Agent Banking Branch of Islami Bank has been

inaugurated at Khulshi in Chattogram for

modern banking and improved services.

Chattogram City Corporation no-13 Pahartali

Ward Councilor Mohammad Wasim Uddin

Chowdhury inaugurated the outlet branch by

cutting the ribbon as the chief guest at the

Wireless corner under Khulshi police station

on Tuesday.

Islami Bank Khulshi Branch AVP and

Branch Head Md. Morshedul Alam presided

over the function and Mr. Nair Azam, Senior

Executive Vice President and Head of Zone

North Chattogram and Hure Ara Beauty, a

reserved woman councilor of wards 11, 25 and

26 of City Corporation was present as the

New Zealand central bank lifts

interests rate from record low

WELLINGTON : New

Zealand on Wednesday

became one of the first

developed economies to hike

interest rates since the onset

of the coronavirus

pandemic, as the central

bank bids to rein in rising

inflation, reports BSS.

In a widely tipped move,

the Reserve Bank of New

Zealand lifted its base

interest rate 0.25 points to

0.5 percent Wednesday,

ending an 18-month freeze

aimed at keeping the

economy ticking over during

the Covid-19 crisis.

It signalled further

increases were likely, with

analysts predicting the cost

of borrowing could reach 1.5

percent by mid-2022.

"It is appropriate to

continue reducing the level

of monetary stimulus so as to

maintain low inflation and

support maximum

sustainable employment,"

the central bank said in a

statement.

Emerging economies like

Brazil, Russia and Mexico

have lifted rates in recent

months, along with a small

number of developed

economies including South

Korea.

Stock markets have sold

off in recent weeks on

concerns that extended

central bank and

government stimulus and

rising commodity prices will

spark inflation.

The US Federal Reserve

has so far maintained its

monetary policy stimulus,

though markets expect a

change before the end of the

year.

New Zealand's central

bank cited a recovering

global economy and

increased international

mobility caused by rising

vaccination rates in making

its decision.

It said inflation was set to

rise because of higher oil

prices, increasing transport

costs and the impact of

supply shortfalls, noting a

global move towards tighter

monetary policy was already

underway.

"While economic

uncertainty remains elevated

due to the prevalent impact

of Covid-19, cost pressures

are becoming more

persistent and some central

banks have started the

process of reducing

special guest.

Iqbal Hossain, in-charge of the agent bank,

Shahidul Islam Maqbool, president of Jhautla

market committee, Ward 13 Awami League

Organizing Secretary Anwar Hossain Babu,

Juba League leader Kazi Kaiser, Mir

Shamsuddoha Shaheen, former Chhatra

League central committee member Rajesh

Barua, Juba League leaders Arif Nur, Azgar Ali,

Lutful Rahman, Chhatra League leaders

Kamrul Hasan Shiblu, Mohammad Saeed

Abdullah Rocky, Md. Mominul Haque and

other local businessmen, customers and

dignitaries of the area were present there.

After the inauguration ceremony, special

prayers and munajat were conducted by Senior

Imam of Veterinary and Animal Sciences

University Alhaj Maulana Hafiz Ahmad.

monetary policy stimulus," it

said.

The bank said New

Zealand's inflation rate was

set to rise above 4.0 percent

in the medium term,

exceeding its 1.0-3.0 percent

target range.

The base rate had been at a

record low of 0.25 percent

since March 2020.

The rise had been widely

flagged by the bank but was

delayed in August when the

country was plunged into a

national lockdown by a

Covid-19 outbreak.

The virus has since been

contained to Auckland and

the bank signalled "further

removal of monetary policy

stimulus is expected over

time".

Kiwibank chief economist

Jarrod Kerr said New

Zealand monetary policy had

entered its first tightening

cycle in seven years.

"The Kiwi economy has

solid momentum and the

RBNZ has good reason to

withdraw stimulus... we

expect today's rate hike will

be the first in a series of hikes

towards 1.5 percent and

possibly higher," he said.

thurSDAY, oCtober 7, 2021

9

World champions France were among the favorites to win the summer's european Championship

but failed to set the tournament alight.

photo: Ap

France face Belgium hoping to

banish memories of Euro flop

SportS DeSk

France will take to the field for

Thursday's Nations League semi-final

against Belgium in Turin with

something to prove following their

shock early exit from Euro 2020,

reports BSS.

World champions France were

among the favourites to win the

summer's European Championship

but failed to set the tournament alight

despite having a squad packed with

world-class talent.

Their elimination on penalties at the

hands of Switzerland in the last 16 -

after leading 3-1 with 15 minutes of

normal time remaining -- was a

particular shock, and led to some

fallout within the French camp.

On Tuesday sports daily L'Equipe

published a lengthy interview with

star forward Kylian Mbappe, whose

missed spot-kick handed the Swiss a

memorable win in one of the matches

of the tournament. He said he would

have liked "more support" following

his shoot-out error.

"What shocked me, once again, was

being called a monkey for a penalty,"

Mbappe said.

"That's why I wanted support, not

Mumbai thrash

Royals to stay

afloat in IPL

SportS DeSk

Nathan Coulter-Nile led an

inspired pace attack to help

holders Mumbai Indians

hammer Rajasthan Royals by

eight wickets on Tuesday and

keep their playoff hopes alive in

the Indian Premier League.

Coulter-Nile (4-14), James

Neesham (3-12) and Jasprit

Bumrah (2-14) claimed nine

wickets between them to limit

Royals, who are all but out of

the IPL title race, to 90-9 in

Sharjah, reports BSS.

Opener Ishan Kishan hit an

unbeaten 50 as Mumbai

romped home in 8.2 overs to

jump from seventh to fifth spot

behind Kolkata Knight Riders

as they fight for the final playoff

place.

"We had to come here and do

what we had to do. The two

points were very crucial for us,"

said Mumbai skipper Rohit

Sharma.

"Once we had them bowled

out for 90, we had a chance to

finish it early and improve our

run rate." Delhi Capitals, M.S.

Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings

and the Virat Kohli-led Royal

Challengers Bangalore have

already booked their place in

the last four.

With their backs to the wall,

Mumbai came all guns blazing

after electing to field first as

Coulter-Nile, Neesham and

Bumrah removed Royals' top

three batters.

"There are world class

bowlers in our side and hope

they can pick a few more and I

have my job easier," man of the

match Coulter-Nile said of his

team's pace pack.Opener Evin

Lewis top-scored with 24 but

the rest of the batting fell

flat on a tough pitch.

because I shot the penalty to the left

and (Yann) Sommer saved it."

Mbappe also said that he could have

had more support from his

teammates on the field right after

missing the penalty, but on Tuesday

vice-captain Raphael Varane insisted

the squad supports one another.

"We are together when things are

going well as well as when things are

not going so well," Manchester United

defender Varane told reporters.

"We take on things together, we

don't leave anyone behind. That's our

philosophy, and that's not going to

change."

France go into the match on an

unconvincing run of form, with the 2-

0 World Cup qualifying win over

Finland last month their first victory

after a run of five draws.

They will be missing midfield

dynamo N'Golo Kante after he

contracted Covid-19 in the run up to

Chelsea's 1-0 defeat at Juventus last

week.

"We shouldn't play down this

competition, it's replaced friendly

fixtures which weren't very popular,"

said France coach Didier Deschamps.

"We know we're here with an aim

and unlike other competitions we're

already in the semi-finals." Belgium

too will be looking to bounce back

from their Euro campaign on the turf

of the team which knocked them out

of the tournament in the quarterfinals.

Roberto Martinez's side may have

gone one better than France in the

summer but it was more

disappointment for the team ranked

number one in the world.

The Red Devils' only major sporting

honour is gold at the 1920 Olympics,

which were held in Antwerp, and a

golden generation of players has fallen

short both at the Euro and the last

World Cup, where they were

eliminated by France in the semis.

"They have six or seven players with

more than 100 caps, who have been

there for a very long time," said

Deschamps.

"It's not for nothing that they're

ranked the best team in the world.

They're well organised, have young

players who stand out but also a core

of very experienced players which

makes them one of the best teams in

Europe and the world.

"It's a very, very good generation of

players which has not yet experienced

the joy of winning a tournament."

Spirit chief executive quits as

NWSL scandal rumbles on

SportS DeSk

The chief executive of the Washington Spirit

stepped down Tuesday, as the fallout from

the sexual misconduct and workplace

culture scandal roiling the top US

professional women's soccer league

continued, reports BSS.

Steve Baldwin, who had been sharply

criticized for his handling of allegations

against former Spirit coach Richie Burke --

who was fired last month -- said he was

stepping down to "remove distractions" from

the team.

"In recent days I have spent a lot of time

thinking about the future of the Washington

Spirit and the vision I laid out just three years

ago," Baldwin said.

"I have also listened -- to team leadership

and staff, investors, fans and players -- to

concerns about the Spirit's workplace culture

and our prior coach's conduct.

"While there is a range of opinions on how

we got here, and how to move forward,

everyone -- none more so than me -- is

committed to improving the club's culture,

removing distractions and returning the

focus to the players and the pursuit of a

championship," he said.

"With that goal in mind, and at the recent

request of our players, I have decided to

resign as CEO and managing partner of the

Washington Spirit, effective immediately."

Burke was "terminated for cause" last

week after an investigation by the

National Women's Soccer League,

following allegations of harassment and a

toxic work culture.

He was barred from coaching in the NWSL

after a probe found he had harassed and

verbally abused players.

The NWSL criticized the Spirit's handling

of the allegations against Burke, saying the

team had "failed to act in the best interests of

the league." Even after Burke had been

suspended, Baldwin was accused of

presiding over a workplace culture that left

women feeling sidelined.

Nathan Coulter-Nile led an inspired pace attack to help holders Mumbai

Indians hammer rajasthan royals by eight wickets on tuesday. photo: Ap

England's Sam

Curran ruled out

of T20 World Cup

SportS DeSk

All-rounder Sam Curran will

miss the upcoming

Twenty20 World Cup with a

back injury, the England and

Wales Cricket Board said on

Tuesday, reports BSS.

Curran noticed the problem

after playing for Chennai

Super Kings in their Indian

Premier League match

against Rajasthan Royals on

Saturday.

Scans revealed the Surrey

left-hander's injury and he

will fly home for further tests

and a full review with

England's medical team.

With the injury expected

to sideline him for several

weeks, Curran's brother,

Tom, has been called into

England's squad to replace

the 23-year- old.

Surrey's Reece Topley has

been added as a travelling

reserve and will join the

England party in due course.

England players and

management not at the IPL

arrived at their Muscat base

on Tuesday ahead of the T20

World Cup campaign. They

face warm-up matches

against India and New

Zealand before kicking off

their tournament against the

West Indies on October 23.

Premier League

scrambles to

convince stars to

get vaccinated

SportS DeSk

Premier League matches are

once again being played in

packed stadiums after

Britain's successful

coronavirus vaccine rollout -

- but the reluctance of many

players to get jabbed is

proving a headache for

football authorities, reports

BSS.

The UK has one of the

highest overall virus death

tolls in the world, at more

than 137,000, but more than

82 percent of over-16s have

had two doses of the vaccine,

according to the latest

government figures.

The rapid rollout has

enabled the easing of

restrictions on large

gatherings, with a welcome

return of supporters to

football grounds.

However, although no

official figures have been

offered by the Premier

League, reports suggest only

seven of England's 20 topflight

clubs have more than

50 percent of their squad

fully vaccinated.

"It's low, not just in the

Premier League but in the

Football League as well. It's

very low," said former

Manchester United captain

Gary Neville, who has an

ownership stake in League

Two club Salford City.

China suffer familiar sinking

feeling in World Cup pursuit

SportS DeSk

A familiar sense of crisis threatens to envelop

Chinese football with the men's national

team heading into crunch 2022 World Cup

qualifiers still looking for their first point and

first goal, reports BSS. China under President

Xi Jinping have grand plans to become a

leading football power, with ambitions to

host and even win the World Cup one day.

But the country of 1.4 billion people has

reached the World Cup only once, in 2002,

and Li Tie's side were soundly beaten 3-0 by

Australia in their opening match of this final

round of Asian qualifying for Qatar, then lost

1- 0 to old rivals Japan.

Despite boasting Espanyol's Wu Lei and

Brazilian-born Elkeson in attack, the side

failed to register an attempt on goal in 180

minutes of football and the pressure is

building on former Everton midfielder Li.

That pressure will ratchet up significantly if

they do not beat Vietnam on Thursday in the

United Arab Emirates, where the match is

taking place because of the coronavirus.

China then face Saudi Arabia next week.

China and Vietnam occupy the bottom two

places of the six-nation Group B table --

Vietnam have at least scored one goal.

Only the teams that finish in the top two in

Group A and Group B are guaranteed to

reach Qatar. Two rounds of matches over the

next two weeks will go a long way to deciding

who books their tickets for 2022.

China's talisman Wu came on as a

substitute in Espanyol's 2-1 win over Real

Madrid in La Liga and then jetted over to the

UAE to join his international team-mates.

"It's an important win for my club and I

hope to bring the momentum to the national

team," the 29-year-old said, according to

Xinhua news agency.

Wu's team-mates have been training in

Sharjah for nearly one month and under

strict measures to avoid coronavirus

infections."I know it's a difficult time for the

team since the long closed training period

could affect the players' mentality," Wu

added. "But all of us have the same goal --

which is to win this game, and we are

confident that we will achieve it."

In-form Australia, who top the group with

a perfect six points, face Oman and then have

an eye-catching clash with Japan in Saitama.

"We don't look too far ahead," said

Australia coach Graham Arnold.

A familiar sense of crisis threatens to envelop Chinese football with the

men's national team heading into crunch 2022 World Cup qualifiers still

looking for their first point and first goal.

photo: Ap

Raducanu to take her time

in search for new coach

SportS DeSk

British star Emma Raducanu plans to

take her time before hiring a new coach

as she returns for her first tournament

since winning the US Open at the BNP

Paribas Open at Indian Wells, reports

BSS. The 18-year-old, who stunned the

tennis world at the US Open after

becoming the first qualifier to win a

Grand Slam title, parted company with

coach Andrew Richardson following

her victory in New York.

Raducanu will be assisted by former

professional Jeremy Bates at the

ATP/WTA Indian Wells tournament in

the California desert this week, but is

still looking for a permanent coach.

Bates, the former British No.1, is the

head of women's tennis at the sport's

British governing body, the Lawn

Tennis Association.

"Jeremy is part of women's tennis at

the LTA and while he's here he can help

me out," Raducanu said Tuesday.

"But going forwards I'm just going to

try and find the right person. I'm not

going to rush into anything. I want to

make sure that I make the right

Rising star Vlahovic will not renew contract,

says Fiorentina chief Commisso

SportS DeSk

Serbia's Dusan Vlahovic will not renew his

contract with Fiorentina, the owner of the

Serie A club Rocco Commisso said on

Tuesday, opening the door to an early exit for

one of European football's rising stars,

reports BSS.

In an open letter to supporters posted on

the club's website, billionaire businessman

Commisso said the 21-year-old striker,

whose contract with the Viola expires in

June 2023, had refused an offer that "would

have made him the highest paid player in the

history of the club".

"We also improved our offer on a number

of occasions in order to accommodate the

requests of both Dusan and his entourage.

However, despite our efforts, those offers

have not been accepted," continued

Commisso.

"During my time in Florence over the past

decision." Raducanu believes that for

the time being, she will more than

capable of being her own coach

during matches.

"I'm quite confident," she said. "I

know that even though I'm quite young,

I've got a lot of experience banked. And

at the end of the day you're out

there on your own and you have to be

your own coach on the court.

"I'm just looking for the general

things in a coach -- someone that you

get along with well and someone who

can push you."

Raducanu's life has been

transformed since her victory at the US

Open, which catapulted the youngster

into the public eye as the new darling of

British tennis. However the teenager

says she is not letting the fame go to her

head, and does not plan to change her

approach to tournaments.

"I don't really want to change

anything," she said Tuesday. "What got

me to this point is not thinking

anything differently.

"If I just put additional thoughts in

my head, then that will just create a

problem. I am just going to keep going

few weeks, I have personally endeavoured to

find a solution that would make both the

player and the club happy, but I am

disappointed to say that our efforts and

attempts have not been rewarded.

"At this point, all that we can do is

acknowledge the wishes of the player and his

entourage and quickly identify feasible,

appropriate solutions as we proceed with

this exciting new season."

Vlahovic scored 21 goals in Serie A last

season and has performed well again in the

early stages of this campaign, netting four

times in seven league appearances, after

Fiorentina resisted summer interest from

Atletico Madrid.

His refusal to extend his current deal will

be a blow to Fiorentina fans enjoying an

exciting start to the season and means the

club will have to try to cash in on their star

player before he can leave as a free agent in

just under two years' time.

about my business and staying the

same.""When I was back at home I still

didn't really go out. I was just at home

with my family. I got some cool

invitations, kind messages and kind

words. I didn't get too caught up in it."

Raducanu meanwhile is excited by

the thought of being part of a new

generation of young women's tennis

players which includes the likes of her

opponent in the US Open final,

Canada's Leylah Fernandez, and fellow

teen Coco Gauff.

"All of us are pushing each other," she

said. "When you see one of the other

players doing well you're also

competitive and you want to do well.

"The women's game in general is so

strong right now -- the level is so high

and anyone can win in any

tournaments. Hopefully we can play

each other in many more tournaments

to come." Raducanu has received a

wild card entry to Indian Wells and

will be given a bye straight into

Friday's second round, putting her

on course for a potential third round

meeting with her idol Simona Halep

in the third round.

THURsDAY, ocToBeR 7, 2021

10

Jaya receives 'Pranobik

Bondhu' Award

Galleri Kaya to host anniversary

exhibition on Friday

Galleri Kaya is set to host 17th anniversary

exhibition marking the birth centenary of the

Father of the Nation and Bangabandhu, Sheikh

Mujibur Rahman on Friday.

Creative works of 32 modern and contemporary

artists will be displayed at the "17th Anniversary

Exhibition" in Uttara, said a press release.

The artists are Abdus Shakoor Shah (1947),

Ahmed Shamsuddoha(1958), Aloptogin Tushar

(1968), Aminul Islam(1931-2011), Anisuzzaman

(1972), Ashraful Hasan(1977), Chandra

Bhattacharjee (1961), Chandra Shekhar Dey

(1951), Debdas Chakraborty(1933-2008), Farida

Zaman (1953), Hamiduzzaman Khan (1946),

Hashem Khan (1941), Jamal Ahmed (1955), Kanak

Chanpa Chakma (1963), Kazi Rakib(1955), KMA

Quayyum (1950), Masuda Kazi(1958), M.F.

Husain(1915-2011), Mohammad Eunus (1954),

Mohammad Iqbal (1967), Murtaja Baseer(1932-

2020), Nagarbasi Barman (1973), Rafiqun Nabi

(1943), Ranjit Das(1956), Ruhul Amin Tarek

(1981), Samarjit Roy Choudhury (1937),

Shahabuddin Ahmed (1950), Shahanoor Mamun

(1986), Sheikh Afzal Hossain (1960), Shishir

Bhattacharjee (1960), Shohag Parvez (1981) and

Wakilur Rahman (1961).

A selection of 76 works done between 1952 to

2021 in acrylic, oil, watercolor, ink, charcoal,

pastel, pencil and mixed media on paper and

canvas will be showcased in the exhibition.

Yami Gautam opens up about

her incurable skin condition

Actor Yami Gautam on Monday revealed she has been

dealing with keratosis pilaris, a type of incurable skin

condition, for "many years". The Bhoot Police actor

decided to open up about the condition to let go of her

"fears and insecurities", she wrote in a note on

Instagram.

Sharing pictures from her latest photo shoot,

Yami wrote that the condition causes dry and

rough patches with tiny bumps on the skin.

The 32-year-old actor said when the photos were

about to go for post-production work to "conceal"

her skin condition, she chose to do away with

the procedure. "I thought, 'Hey Yami, why

don't you embrace this fact and accept it

enough to be okay with it. Just let it be'

(Yes, I do talk out loud to myself). For

those who haven't heard about this, it's a

skin condition wherein you get tiny

bumps on the skin.

"I promise they aren't as bad as your

mind and your neighbor aunty makes it out

to be. I developed this skin condition during

my teenage years, and there is still no cure

for it," she wrote.

Gautam said she no longer felt the

need to hide her condition and

found liberation in sharing it

with her followers on social

media.

"I've dealt with it for

many years now and

today finally, I decided to

let go of all my fears and

insecurities and found the

courage to love and accept my

'flaws' wholeheartedly. I also found the courage to

share my truth with you. Phew!

"I didn't feel like airbrushing my folliculitis or smoothing that 'undereye'

or 'shaping up' that waist a tiny bit more! And yet, I feel beautiful,"

she concluded her post.

On the work front, the actor will next be seen in the social comedy

Dasvi, thriller A Thursday and investigative drama Lost.

Source:Times of India

Dhallywood popular actress Jaya Ahsan's love

for animals is unconditional and this time the

actress has got the return of that love in

recognition of the unconditional love and

support of animals, on the occasion of World

Animal Day. People for Animal Welfare (PAW)

Foundation arranged 'Pranobik Bondhu' Award

2021 held on Monday, October 4.

PAW is an organisation, which intends to host

the award programme every year henceforth,

honoured 10 people from all walks of life

working with animals. According to the

foundation, this is the first time such an event

was organised in Bangladesh. The winners list

was announced at the programme and Jaya

Ahsan was at the top of that list.

DNCC Mayor Md Atiqul Islam, rescue

worker Md Abu Bakar Siddik, Sudha Rani,

Gracy Puspita Sarkar, veterinarian Dr Fatiha

Emnoor Eima, journalist Probir Kumar

Sarker, veterinary teacher Prof Nitish

Many bizarre romantic trysts

have happened in comics, and

one that's hardly ever

mentioned is the time 'X-Men'

antagonist 'Magneto' decided to

hook up with founding

'Avenger' the 'Wasp'. While the

pairing has mostly been

forgotten, the story it comes

from isn't obscure. It takes

place in the third and fourth

issues of one of Marvel's first

major crossover events, 'Marvel

Superheroes Secret Wars'

(1985), by Jim Shooter, Mike

Zeck, and Bob Layton.

The classic saga features

many Marvel heroes and

villains being abducted and

forced to fight each other by

an ancient otherworldly being

called the Beyonder. It was

basically a commercial for

Chandra Debnath, public health expert Dr

Be-Nazir Ahmed, and forest official Mollah

Rezaul Karim were also in the list.

However, due to the Covid-19 situation and

limited time, PAW Foundation will hold the

prize-giving ceremony in November.

"There are so many people out there who

work effortlessly for animal welfare. However,

they always remain unnoticed, It is our little

effort in appreciation of those people who are

selflessly involved and contribute to the animal

welfare movement," PAW Foundation said.

Meanwhile, Jaya is overwhelmed by PAW's

initiative. In her words, 'I am being rewarded,

joy is not for that at all. Rather the joy is, for

this extraordinary initiative. It will inspire

animal-lovers. I believe that it will play a big

role in creating living people. I myself have

never worked for animals to get anything.

What I have done, from my own joy and

inner tension. Thank you to all concerned.

TBT RepoRT

'Magneto' hooked

up with the most

random 'Avenger'

Mattel's upcoming Marvel

toyline, but it had a major

impact on Marvel and its

fictional universe. One early

surprise in the plot is that

'Magneto', when abducted, is

placed among the heroes, not

the villains. When everyone is

surprised by this, he defends

himself and says that unlike

the other criminals, his

motives are righteous, making

him (in his mind) a good guy.

While others try to make use

of Magneto as an ally-ofconvenience,

the 'Wasp' (the

leader of the 'Avengers')

objects, seeming furious at

him for his crimes.

After some shenanigans and

battles between the heroes

and villains, the 'Avenger' and

'Magneto' have a proper fight,

ending with 'Magneto'

trapping the shrunken-down

'Wasp' in a big ball of metal.

He takes her to a fortress on

the Beyonder's Battle world as

his prisoner. However, once

he releases her, his demeanor

changes and he immediately

Keep up the good work.'

World Animal Day, celebrated on October 4,

is an international day of action for animal

rights and welfare and also known as the feast

day of Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of

animals and ecology.

Joy, Sithi's music

video 'Mayer

Agomoni' released

A new Durga Puja special music

video titled "Mayer Agomoni" has

been released on Sound BD YouTube

Channel on 4 October.

Written and tuned by national

award-winning lyrist Milton

Khondokar, popular singers Joy and

Abanti Sithi have added their magical

voices to the song.

The chorus of the song is voiced by

Shuprokash, Shanto Saha, Dipti

Sarkar and Anamul, while the song is

composed by the Close-up One famed

Apu Aman.

The visual of the big-budget song

starring Imtu Ratish and Alongkar is

filmed in Dhakeshwari National

Temple and Ramna Kali Temple, says

a press release.

"I don't think such a huge budgeted

song for Puja has ever been made

before. I hope this song will be played

in all the Puja Mandap to celebrate

Durga Puja this year," said Joy.

"Since the song is especially

dedicated for Durga Puja, all the crew

members worked wholeheartedly. Our

effort will pay off if the audiences like

the song," he added.

starts flirting with her. Janet

van Dyne resists his charms,

but not for very long, because

in the next scene in which

they appear, he successfully

woos her into making out with

him.

Source : Deccan Chronicle

H o R o s c o p e

ARIes

(March 21 - April 20) : Equipment

you've come to depend on in your daily

life might suddenly go down today.

This might throw you into a panic, but

don't fall into this trap. Phone a friend who knows

about these things or bring in a professional. At

times like this, it's best not to agonize over a

malfunction but to just get it taken care of as quickly

as possible.

TAURUs

(April 21 - May 21) : There's likely to

be some tumult in your emotional

life right now, Taurus. You may feel

a pressing need to have a heart-toheart

talk with your partner. Tension may

develop if you become increasingly insistent

about your need to do so. Anger or alienation

can be avoided if you express your feelings with

clarity and compassion.

GeMINI

(May 22 - June 21) : Excitement

mounts in your household when

some new equipment comes into

your possession. This could involve a

computer, phone, or some other device.

This could make a big different to everyone,

but make sure you don't treat it like a toy.

You'll want it to last a while!

.cANceR

(June 22 - July 23) : All dissatisfaction

will be abolished today as you

systematically confront and resolve all

the little problems that have been

bothering you. Your tolerance threshold is low to

nonexistent. Give a wide berth to friends who have

been irritating lately. Your wardrobe improves

dramatically as you discard all those clothes that

don't fit or no longer suit you.

Leo

(July 24 - Aug. 23): You're rarely

surprised or bothered by the

occasional setback. Today, however,

you should put a firm hand on any

project you undertake. This isn't the time for a

relaxed attitude, especially where money is

concerned. If you take a systematic approach, you

will have the double benefit of conserving both

energy and assets.

VIRGo

(Aug. 24 - Sept. 23): Expect to be torn

between two seemingly paradoxical urges

today, Virgo. Part of you wants to spend the

day wrapped in a cocoon, playing with your toys. But another

side of you is just as committed to spearheading a major

creative or social endeavor with friends who share your

revolutionary ideas. You feel exhausted from trying to build

the perfect world.

LIBRA

(Sept. 24 - Oct. 23): Unusual dreams,

visions, and audio phenomena may

come to you today. You might think

you're hearing voices. Before jumping

to conclusions, rule out any logical conditions.

You're not crazy. This probably indicates a growing

psychic awareness. You should write down what

you see, hear, or learn during this time. It could be

valuable.

scoRpIo

(Oct. 24 - Nov. 22): Act without hesitation

today, Scorpio, especially if you're following

unfamiliar directions or exploring new

territory. This may not seem like the best

advice, but this is a day for saying an unflinching yes to all

manner of proposals that come your way, even if some are

unclear. Scorpio excels at this type of test. Expect to be at the

head of the class by the end of the day!

sAGITTARIUs

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

struggling with something big, Sagittarius.

Recent comments about your irritability

are well founded. But don't worry. They'll

forgive you eventually. In the meantime,

do what you can to control your temper. It stems from

your current fears, which seem to be multiplying

exponentially. Blame the situation on the planets and

accept it as a lesson on the path to self-realization.

cApRIcoRN

(Dec. 22 - Jan. 20): You'll want to jump into

action today, Capricorn. Feel free to order

others around for a change and delegate.

An aggressive approach is exactly what's

called for, and you have the ability to deliver the goods.

Trying to do everything yourself may seem like a great

idea at first, but you're better off enlisting help so others

can feel involved and you can concentrate on doing a

better job on fewer tasks.

AQUARIUs

(Jan. 21 - Feb. 19) : Your passions have

been stirring like a caged animal for the past

several days, Aquarius. Now is the time to let

them out. Some of what you express may

elicit surprise or disapproval, but that's no reason to stay

silent. If you don't express yourself, illness may result. Your

goal should be to be true to your inner self. Ultimately,

that's the only way to be happy and healthy.

pIsces

(Feb. 20 - Mar. 20) : A social event today

could put you in touch with fascinating

new people in interesting fields.

Intriguing discussions could take place

throughout the evening. The only

problem is if you go there with a partner, you probably

won't see much of him or her. You might get involved

in separate conversations that last for hours. You'll

have a lot to share later!

THurSDAY, OcTOBer 7, 2021

11

In observance of the 1st anniversary of Shornadip Foundation Hospital, a

discussion meeting was held in Sandwip upazila recently. Photo: TBT

Shornadip Foundation Hospital celebrates

first founding anniversary

OPU IBRAHIM, SANDWIP CORRESPONDENT:

Shornadip Foundation Hospital continues to

set another example in serving the poor,

helpless and extremely poor people for the

sake of humanitarianism. The hospital is

open 24 hours a day for the poor and

helpless people as well as all sections of the

society. The hospital is committed to

providing services to the people, and in the

future, this organization will be able to set an

example of advanced medical services in

Shornadip with the cooperation of all the

people of the society.

Also a nursing home will be introduced in

this hospital soon. The hospital was not

established in the hope of profit, service is

the main goal. The staffs of the hospital are

working to make Shornadip Foundation

Hospital Medical Services a model for the

whole of Bangladesh.

A discussion meeting in observance of the

1st anniversary celebrations of the Shornadip

Foundation Hospital, built with the funding

of Youth Group, one of the country's leading

industrial families, on Monday.

Director of Shornadip Foundation

Hospital Khairul Mostafa presided over the

function. Director of Shornadip Foundation

Hospital and Vice Chairman of Youth Group

Akbar Haider Munna, Director and

Managing Director of Shornadip Foundation

Hospital Faridul Alam Emon, Chief Adviser

of the hospital Dr. Kamruzzaman Antu, Coordinator

Principal Mizanur Rahman,

Hospital Resident Physician Dr. Zakaria

Parvez, Shornadip Upazila Rural Physicians

Association President. Abdul Mannan and

others were also present at the occasion.

2 die of Covid-19,

casualties reach

1,236 in Rangpur

RANGPUR: Two more

Covid-19 patients died

during the last 24 hours

ending at 8 am yesterday

raising the number of

coronavirus related

casualties to 1,236 in

Rangpur division, reports

BSS

Health officials said the

two new casualties were

reported from Lalmonirhat

and Thakurgaon districts in

the division where no fatality

was reported during the past

three consecutive days.

"The Covid-19 situation

continues improving amid a

declining positivity rate and

a rising recovery rate in

recent weeks in the

division," Divisional Deputy

Director (Health) Dr Abu

Md Zakirul Islam told BSS

yesterday.

"The district-wise break

up of the 1,236 fatalities

stands at 293 in Rangpur,

80 in Panchagarh, 88 in

Nilphamari, 68 each in

Lalmonirhat and Kurigram,

251 in Thakurgaon, 325 in

Dinajpur and 63 in

Gaibandha districts of the

division.

The average casualty rate

currently stands at 2.25

percent in the division.

Meanwhile, the number

of Covid-19 cases reached

55,033 as 14 new patients

were diagnosed after testing

488 samples of Rangpur

division at the daily

positivity rate of 2.87

percent on Tuesday.

Earlier, the daily Covid-19

positivity rates were 4.01

percent on Monday, 1.42

percent on Sunday, three

percent on Saturday, 4.74

percent on Friday, 2.87

percent on Thursday and

2.26 percent on Wednesday

last in the division.

"The district-wise break

up of total 55,033 patients

include 12,409 of Rangpur,

3,770 of Panchagarh, 4,424

of Nilphamari, 2,733 of

Lalmonirhat, 4,631 of

Kurigram, 7,537 of

Thakurgaon, 14,677 of

Dinajpur and 4,852 of

Gaibandha in the division,"

he added.

SAN FRANCISCO : Google

on Wednesday said it is

tweaking widely used tools

for getting around, shopping

and more to let users factor

climate change into daily

routines.

Google is among the Big

Tech firms that have made

pledges and investments to

reduce the environmental

impact of their operations

with moves such as making

power-hungry data centers

carbon neutral.

New features unveiled on

Wednesday provide users

with ways to help in the

Google lets users

factor climate

change into life

effort, whether it be driving

routes that result in less

exhaust being spewed from

cars or shopping online for

energy efficient appliances.

"In all these efforts, our

goal is to make the

sustainable choice an easier

choice," Google chief

executive Sundar Pichai said

while briefing journalists on

the latest features.

Artificial intelligence was

put to work in Google's free

Maps service in the United

States to show people the

most fuel efficient routes to

destinations even if they are

not the quickest.

"It defaults to the route

that uses less fuel when the

estimated time of arrival is

similar," Pichai said.

"We believe the feature

will have the same impact in

the next year as taking over

200,000 cars off the road."

The feature is to be rolled

out in Europe in 2022.

Seven killed

in new rebel

attack in

C.Africa

BANGUI, Central African

Republic : Seven civilians

were killed by rebels in

eastern Central African

Republic (CAR), where

government forces are

battling armed groups, the

region's senior official said

on Wednesday.

The attack occurred on

Tuesday on a road near

Bambari, the CAR's fourthbiggest

city, inflicting a

"provisional toll of seven

dead and six wounded," said

Victor Bissekoin, prefect of

Ouaka, while aid workers

said at least 15 had died.

Ship's anchor may

have caused massive

California oil spill

LONG BEACH : A ship's

anchor may have hooked,

dragged and torn an

underwater pipeline that

spilled tens of thousands of

gallons of crude oil into the

ocean off Southern

California, according to

federal investigators who

also found the pipeline

owner didn't quickly shut

down operations after a

safety system alerted to a

possible spill, reports UNB.

Questions remained about

the timeline of the weekend

spill, which fouled beaches

and a protected marshland,

potentially closing them for

weeks along with

commercial and recreational

fishing in a major hit to the

local economy.

Some reports of a possible

spill, a petroleum smell and

an oily sheen on the waters

off Huntington Beach came

in Friday night but weren't

corroborated and the

pipeline's operator, Amplify

Energy Corp., didn't report a

spill until the next morning,

authorities said.

An alarm went off in a

company control room at

2:30 a.m. Saturday that

pressure had dropped in the

pipeline, indicating a

possible leak but Amplify

waited until 6:01 a.m. to

shut down the pipeline,

according to preliminary

findings of an investigation

gywReel© AMÖvwaKvi

GD-1474/21(4x4)

GD-1475/21(8x4)

939

into the spill.

The Houston-based

company took another three

hours to notify the U.S.

Coast Guard's National

Response Center for oil

spills, investigators said,

further slowing the response

to an accident for which

Amplify workers spent years

preparing.

GD-1473/21(10x3)

thursday, dhaka: october 7, 2021; ashwin 22, 1428 BS; Safar 29, 1443 hijri

prime minister Sheikh hasina made a courtesy call on president m abdul hamid at Bangabhaban

yesterday evening. photo : pid

Bangladeshi globetrotter Najmun Nahar

makes history with 150th country-visit

DHAKA : Bangladesh's most famous

woman globetrotter Najmun Nahar

accomplished yet another travelling

feat conquering the 150thcountry of

the world and carrying the national

flag there on Wednesday, reports

UNB.

Sao Tome and Principe has been the

150th country visited by the seasoned

adventurer, who moved there from

Covid in Bangladesh

23 more lose lives,

703 get infected

DHAKA : Twenty-three more people

died of Covid-19 and 703 new cases were

detected in 24 hours till Wednesday

morning, reports UNB.

On Tuesday, the country logged 23

Covid-linked deaths and 694 fresh cases.

The fresh cases were detected after

testing 24,376 samples.

With this, the daily-case positivity rate

slightly rose to 2.88 percent from

Tuesday's 2.72 percent, said the

Directorate General of Health Services

(DGHS).

The daily-case positivity rate in the

country remained below 5 per cent for

the 13th 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.

In Bangladesh, the daily-case positivity

rate reached its peak 32.55 per cent on

July 24 this year.

The fresh numbers took the total fatalities

to 27,635 while the caseload mounted

to 15,60,155, said the DGHS.

However, the mortality rate remained

static at 1.77 per cent.

Luanda, Angola.

Sharing her joy over this incredible

achievement on her verified Facebook

profile, she wrote: "Dear Bangladesh, I

am on the way to visit my 150th country,

and within a few hours I am going

to touch this milestone through travelling

the world with my red-and-green

flag."

"What makes the matter even more

special is that the achievement has

been made at a time when we are celebrating

50 years of our independence.

I have flown the flag of our 170 million

people in 150 countries over the last 21

years, and it brings tears of joy in my

eyes," she added.

Thanking her countrymen and

admirers for their constant and overwhelming

support, she wrote, "This

achievement belongs to all

Bangladeshi people all over the world,

and I can certainly say that today, my

dream has come true. After 21 years of

hard work and pursuit, today I am

touching this milestone, proudly bearing

the flag of Bangladesh in 150 countries."

Currently visiting Africa, Najmun

Nahar started her latest journey on

August 8, and so far visited Burundi,

the Democratic Republic of the Congo,

South Sudan, Namibia, and Angola.

A proud recipient of the Miss Earth

Queen Award and Youth Conference

Globe Award at the Fobana Summit,

Nassau Coliseum in 2019, Najmun has

established herself as the most-travelled

Bangladeshi female globetrotter

since 2000.

She has also received the Atish

Dipankar Gold Medal Award, the Red

Crescent Motivational Award and the

Zonta International Club Award, in

the category of outstanding contribution

to women empowerment.

PM calls on

President at

Bangabhaban

DHAKA : Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina made a courtesy call on

President M Abdul Hamid at

Bangabhaban yesterday evening.

"The prime minister (PM) discussed

different state-level issues,

specially her recent visit to the USA

for taking part in the 76th Session of

the United Nations General

Assembly (UNGA)," President's

deputy press secretary Munshi Jalal

Uddin told BSS.

The head of the government

apprised the President of the outcome

of her recent US visit and also

handed over two separate reports to

him in this connection. he said.

The Bangabhaban spokesman said

during the meeting, the President

and prime minister enquired each

other about their health.

The President was apprised by the

PM about the overall activities of the

government, especially the steps

taken to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic

and ongoing vaccination

programme.

The President congratulated the

Prime Minister on receiving the

'SDG Progress Award' in recognition

of her leadership in achieving the

Sustainable Development Goals

(SDGs), declared by the United

Nations .The President appreciated

the overall role of the Prime Minister

in the UN session.

The President also wished the

Prime Minister on the occasion of

her 75th birthday on September 28.

Earlier, the PM reached the

Bangabhaban at 6:30 pm and left

the President's palace at about 8 pm.

three more accused in the murder case of rohingya leader mohibullah was granted 3-day remand

by a Cox's Bazar court on Wednesday.

photo: tBt

HC grants bail to five

day-labourers arrested over

a controversial graft case

DHAKA : The High Court on

Wednesday granted one-year bail to

five day-labourers of Phulbari upazila in

Kurigram district over three months

after their arrest on charge of embezzling

government money even though

they denied any knowledge of the

funds.

The five day-labourers are-Phulmoni

Rani, an widow, Ranjit Kumar,

Prabhash Chandra, Kamal Chandra

Roy and Nikhil Chandra Barman,

reports UNB.

The HC bench of Justice Mustafa

Zaman Islam and Justice Mohammad

Ali passed the order during a virtual

hearing.

Advocate Mohammad Shishir Monir

stood for the petitioners for free, while

Deputy Attorney General Amit

Dasgupta represented the state.

Advocate Shishir drew the attention

of the court after attaching a newspaper

report in this regard.

According to the report, one Swapan

approached the five labourers of

Naudabas village in Phulbari upazila

offering to help them in getting the government's

Covid-19 incentive money.

He asked them to open bank accounts

with Sonali Bank to get the assistance.

Duped by Swapan, the five poor

workers opened bank accounts at

Nageshwari branch Sonali Bank.

Later, Swapan took them to Dhaka on

the pretext of taking some signatures of

them on some documents .Having

signed the documents without knowing

the contents.

After some days, Tk 48.45 lakh was

deposited to the account of Ranjit, Tk

65.72 lakh to Prabhas, Tk 40.71 lakh to

the account of Subol, Tk 42.49 lakh to

the account of Kamal and Tk 48.70 lakh

to the account of Phulmoni.

But the day-labourers had no information

about the deposited money.

On July 1, a case was filed against

nine people including the five daylabourers

for embezzling Tk 2.46 crore

through submission of a fake advice of

Sreepur upazila Accountant's office in

Gazipur district.

Manager of Sreepur headquarter

branch of Sonali Bank lodged the complaint

at Sreepur Police Station for

embezzling the money.

The other accused of the case are-

Bazlur Rashid, accountant officer of

Sreepur upazila office, office auditor,

Arifur Rahman, Tanvir and Shahena

Akter.

Bangladeshi's conviction

FM says evidence

to be shared with

Saudi govt

DHAKA : The government will share the

evidence, if any, with the Saudi government

in favour of Bangladeshi worker

Abul Bashar who was sentenced to 20

years by a Saudi court, said Foreign

Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on

Wednesday, reports UNB.

"If there's any new evidence those

could be put up and to be shared with

the Saudi government after verification,"

he told reports at his office.

The Foreign Minister made the

remarks as his comment was sought

regarding media reports that indicate

Bashar was not carrying Yaba but a person

at the airport in Dhaka put it into his

bag saying it was pickle.

The Saudi court sentenced Bashar to

20 years' imprisonment on charge of

carrying Yaba as he was detained with

the drug when he landed at the Saudi

airport.

"Saudi judges are very independent

and they never get influenced. They

work on the basis of evidence. If there's

any new evidence, those could be put

up," Dr Momen said.

Asked whether the Consulate General

of Bangladesh in Jeddah will look into it,

he responded positively.

Bashar reportedly came to Bangladesh

in December last year and left

Bangladesh for Saudi Arabia in March

this year.

metrorail work is progressing at fast pace. the picture is taken from tSC area on Wednesday. photo: pBa

Mohibullah murder

3 more suspects

remanded over

Shafiul alam, Cox'S Bazar

CorreSpondent

A Cox's Bazar court has granted 3-day

remand to three more accused in the

murder case of Rohingya leader

Mohibullah.

Cox's Bazar court police inspector

Chandan Kumar Chakraborty informed

that, Teknaf Senior Judicial Magistrate

Court Judge Tamanna Farah passed the

order on Wednesday morning after

police produced them before the court

seeking a 7-day remand for questioning.

The remanded accused are - Abdus

Salam, Ziaur Rahman and Elias. Earlier,

accused Salim and Shawkat Ullah were

granted three-day remand on Sunday.

The three accused were brought to the

court from Cox's Bazar District Jail in a

prison van at 10:30 am on Wednesday.

The accused were later produced before

the judge's court at 11am.

Inspector Chandan said the investigating

officer in the case arrested Abdus

Salam and Ziaur Rahman, in the murder

case of Rohingya leader Mohibullah last

Sunday, was produced in court seeking a

seven-day remand for questioning. The

court later fixed Wednesday for the

remand hearing of the accused. Besides,

another accused arrested last Monday.

Elias applied to the court for a 7-day

remand for questioning. The court fixed

Wednesday for the hearing.

It is to be noted that Mohibullah, 46,

who led the Arakan Rohingya Society for

Peace and Human Rights, was shot dead

at around 8:30pm at a Kutupalong

camp office in Cox's Bazar on 30

September.

Demographic data very important

in vaccination efforts: CPD

DHAKA : An online poll shows that

online pre-registration facilities and

demographic data have been very

important and effective in vaccination

efforts.

Some 64 per cent of the poll respondents

said marginalised communities

received equal opportunity as regards

vaccination.

Senior Research Fellow at Centre for

Policy Dialogue (CPD) Towfiqul Islam

Khan presented the findings from the

online poll which was conducted prior to

a session titled 'Data-driven Vaccination

Strategy for a Covid-19 Free World.'

The event was held at the United

Nations World Data Forum (UNWDF)

2021 in Bern, Switzerland in association

with Aspire to Innovate (a2i)

Programme, ICT Division and Cabinet

Division, Government of Bangladesh;

Center for the Implementation of Public

Policies Promoting Equity and Growth

(CIPPEC), Argentina; Embassy of

Switzerland in Bangladesh; Southern

Voice; Patrick J. McGovern Foundation,

USA and The City, USA on Tuesday.

Data has played a critically important

role, both nationally and globally, in

achieving the shortest deployment period,

said a CPD media release.

Similar to other instances of data

usage during Covid-19, experiences of

using data in vaccine rollouts and related

dissemination activities have varied

considerably across nations of differing

income groups.

From monitoring and controlling individual

movement to disseminating

information regarding vaccination availability

and ultimately availing the vaccine,

integrating data in Covid-19

reponses has neither been easy nor

homogenous in approach.

In this regard, it must be mentioned

that successful national Covid-19 vaccination

efforts may define the recovery

path for developing countries in the foreseeable

future, said the CPD.

A comparative perspective based on

the experiences of a low-income country

(Rwanda), a lower-middle-income

country (Bangladesh), a high-middle

income country (Argentina) and a highincome

country (USA) were discussed.

These four countries have diverse

experiences in undertaking vaccination

programmes (public and private) in

response to the pandemic where innovative

data uptake for decision making

plays a critical role.

Dr Agnes Binagwaho, Vice Chancellor,

University of Global Health Equity,

Rwanda stated that Rwanda proceeded

using the 'principle of implementation science'

which was based on knowing the

context, barriers, data and evidence-based

interventions that have been proved by

science and are adaptable for use.

The vaccine strategy in Bangladesh

began with target group identification

(gender, age, location etc) using the NID

database and a database from the

Ministry of Finance, said Mr Anir

Chowdhury, Policy Advisor, a2i,

Bangladesh.

07-10-2021

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