18-10-2021

Monday

DHaKa: October 18, 2021; Kartik 2, 1428 BS; Rabi-ul-awal 10,1443 Hijri

www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www.bangladeshtoday.net

Regd.No.Da~2065, Vol.19; N o. 170; 12 Pages~Tk.8.00

international

US religious group

says 17 missionaries

kidnapped in Haiti

>Page 7

SPortS

Man City prove too

strong for Burnley

>Page 9

art & culture

Badhon to make

her Bollywood

debut in 'Khufiya'

>Page 10

Zohr

The photo shows Mohammad Saifuddin celebrating with teammates after dismissing Scotland

skipper and opener Kyle Coetzer in their first round Group B match against Scotland at the Al

Amerat Cricket Stadium in Muscat on Sunday.

Photo: Courtesy

Sheikh Russel

Day to be

observed today

TBT RePoRT

For the first time, Sheikh Russel Day

2021 will be celebrated today with due

dignity in every district-upazilas across

the country and Bangladesh embassies

abroad as 'Ka' class national day, a press

release said.

Marking the occasion, at the initiative

of Information and Communication

Technology Department 10 Sheikh

Russel Gold Medals among children

with special needs for their special contributions

to education, arts, literature

and culture, sports, science and technology,

20 laptops among the winners

of Sheikh Russel Medal and online quiz

competition and a total of 4,000 laptops

will be provided, 5 in the main

event and 3,995 in their respective districts

under LEDP.

In addition, Sheikh Russel Children

and Adolescents Council will distribute

60 prizes. A supplementary will be published

in various national dailies highlighting

the importance of the day.

ICT State Minister Zunaid Ahmed

Palak informed this at a press conference

held at BCC Auditorium at ICT

Tower in Agargaon on Sunday. At the

occasion various programmes were

undertook to mark the day.

Speaking as the chief guest at the press

conference, ICT State Minister said

Sheikh Russel was a humble, friendly and

lively child.

The sorrow of Sheikh Russel's

untimely demise may never end. On

Sheikh Russel's birthday, we wish and

hope that not only in Bangladesh, but

all over the world, we will work together

so that children around the world

can grow up safely and develop their

dreams and latent talents.

04:43 AM

11:50 PM

03:55 PM

05:35 PM

06:50 PM

5:57 5:31

Rohingyas a huge burden

for Bangladesh: PM

DHAKA : Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

on Sunday said Rohingyas have become

a huge burden for Bangladesh as there

has been no progress yet over their repatriation

although three years have

elapsed since their massive influx into

Bangladesh, reports UNB.

"They've become a huge burden for

Bangladesh. The environment and forest

resources in Cox's Bazar are getting

destroyed," she said. The Prime Minister

said this when newly-appointed

Ambassador of The Netherlands Anne

Gerard Van Leeuwen met her at her official

residence Ganobhaban.

PM's press secretary Ihsanul Karim

briefed reporters after the meeting.

About the stranded Pakistanis in

Bangladesh, the Prime Minister said,

"They're creating economic pressure on

us." The Ambassador said he has talked

to various people, including refugees

and NGO activists, and all of them think

that the solution to the Rohingya crisis

lies there in Myanmar.

Hasina appreciated the contributions

of The Netherlands for the development

of the country.

She mentioned Father of the Nation

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur

Rahman's stance to develop Bangladesh

through land reclamation like the

Netherlands. The PM thanked The

Netherlands for their cooperation in formulating

the Delta Plan 2100.

She also recalled her visit to the

Netherlands and said that she was overwhelmed

to see the Green House system

to produce and preserve agricultural

items. "We are an agri-based country

and we can adopt that system," she said.

Hasina said the government is dredging

more rivers in the country to preserve

water. About airports, she said the

government is upgrading the Cox's

Bazar International Airport to attract

more tourists to the longest unbroken

sandy sea-beach of the world.

She also mentioned that 100 economic

zones are being developed in different

parts of the country to invite more

domestic and foreign investments.

Dutch Ambassador Anne Gerard Van

Leeuwen appreciated the development

of Bangladesh under the leadership of

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

He has travelled Bangladesh by air

and witnessed the landscape of the

country. This landscape has similarities

with his own country, he added.

Countrymen religious

but not bigoted:Kamal

ShAfiqul iSlAM (JAMi)

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan

Kamal said, "We are taking the recent

incident of puja mandapa in Cumilla

very seriously." I will inform you (journalists)

about the incident through a real

investigation. I hope to inform you soon.

He said this in response to a question

from a journalist at the Home Ministry

at the Secretariat on Sunday.

The Home Minister said, "We have

already arrested 2-3 suspects in the

Cumilla incident." We will also identify

the real people who have done the work,

we will be able to inform very soon. We

hope that as we move forward, we will be

able to arrest them soon.

He said Bangladesh is a country of

non-communal consciousness. Everyone

is getting along here. For this I am moving

forward at a relentless pace. There

must be a reason behind this sudden

occurrence of Cumilla. I will be able to

clear the matter in a few days.

Noting that the people of the country

are religious but not bigoted, he said,

"We have never given place to militancy

and terrorism." All together we have

eliminated militancy and terrorism. In

such a situation, who will benefit by creating

a chaotic situation again? I ask you

who will benefit from this. "We are seeing

a lot, guessing a lot, these are the

things we are waiting for proof," the

minister said. I will present it to you as

soon as I get proof.

The Home Minister said, "We are sorry

for the loss of life in Hajiganj of Chandpur

and Noakhali due to the incident in

Cumilla." We are sure that the Cumilla

incident was purposefully created to create

instability. This has happened to

destroy our country of harmony.

Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said that

no pious men can do this. Everyone is

religious, whose religion he follows.

Whoever did it on purpose, who did it to

fuel someone and destroy the stable situation

we will investigate everything and

provide exemplary punishment so that

no one tries to destroy harmony?

660MW power

plant in Munshiganj

gets CCGP nod

DHAKA : The Cabinet Committee on

Government Purchase (CCGP) on

Sunday approved eight proposals,

including setting up of a 660-megawatt

power plant at Gazaria upazila of

Munshiganj to meet the country's ever

growing demand for electricity.

The approval came from this year's

35th meeting of the CCGP held virtually

with Finance Minister AHM Mustafa

Kamal in the chair. Briefing reporters virtually

after the meeting, Cabinet Division

Additional Secretary Md Shamsul Arefin

said CCGP has approved the proposal of

BPDB under the Power Division to build

the gas or LNG-based combined cycle

power plant at Meghnaghat area of the

upazila which will supply the electricity to

national grid for 22 years.

He informed that consortium - Edra

Power Holdings Sdn Bhd, Malaysia and

Winnievision Power Ltd, Bangladesh- placed

the proposal to implement the project.

Arefin said the meeting also approved

another proposal of BPDB to extend the

existing contract for 5 years (17/03/2021

to 16/06/2026) to import 160 MW power

from NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Limited

(NVVN) of Tripura, India.

As per approval, he said, the tariff will

be Taka 7.13852 per kilowatt hour and

about Taka 4,188.78 crore will have to be

paid in five years. He informed that the

meeting also approved the proposal of

procuring 30,000 metric tons of bagged

granular urea fertilizer from Karnaphuli

Fertilizer Company Limited (KAFCO).

The meeting also approved the proposals

of 30,000 metric tons bulk granular

urea fertilizer import from Muntajat,

Qatar and 30,000 metric tons bulk granular

urea fertilizer import from Saudi Basic

Industries Corporation (SABIC) through

the national agreement.

He said the meeting also approved the

proposal of procuring 20 lakh Novel

Corona Virus RT-qPCR Diagnostic kits

under three lots from Sterling Multi

Technologies Ltd, Dhaka, OMC(Pvt) Ltd.

Dhaka and G.S Biotech, Narayanganj with

a cost of Taka 117.41 crore.

Buzz back as in-person

classes resume at

Dhaka University

DHAKA : Dhaka University authorities

resumed physical classes on Sunday,

after nearly 18 months of Covid-forced

closure, reports UNB.

Offline classes resumed at different

departments and institutes from 8am on

Sunday. Prof Abu Md Delwar Hossain,

Dean of the Arts Faculty, said classes

and exams began at 8am and those continued

until 5pm on Sunday.

Students are allowed to attend classes

provided they show the proof of receiving

at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine.

Antika Tabassum, a third-year student

of Islamic Studies department, said, "We

are excited for being back to classrooms

and seeing each other after a long time."

'Govt plans to produce 140

mn kgs of tea by 2030'

RANGPUR : The government has

taken a plan to produce 140 million

kgs of processed quality tea in the

country by 2030 to export the product

abroad after meeting its growing

domestic demand.

Bangladesh Tea Board (BTB)

Chairman Major General Md

Ashraful Islam said this at a viewsexchange

meeting with tea growers,

tea factory owners and other stakeholders

at Circuit House auditorium

in Panchagarh district town yesterday

as the chief guest.

He said the government has plans

to set up a tea auction market in

Panchagarh, the second largest tea

producing zone (Kartoa Valley) in

the country.

"The government and the BTB will

extend all possible assistance to smallscale

tea farmers in the northern

region to enhance tea cultivation and

increase its production," he said,

adding that small tea farmers are also

being trained to achieve the goal.

"We have got approval to conduct

mobile courts if domestic or Indian

smuggled tea is

sold in packets

after packaging,"

he said.

The BTB

Chairman said

Panchagarh is

now the second

largest tea producing

zone in

the country in

terms of production,

but lags

behind in producing

high

DHAKA : The government is taking

an initiative for setting up a support

center to provide necessary facilities

including temporary accommodation

to the expatriate workers,

said Expatriates' Welfare and

Overseas Employment Minister

Imran Ahmed on Sunday, reports

UNB.

Besides, a hospital and diagnostic

center will be set up at Bhatara in

the capital to provide medical services

to the expatriate workers at low

cost, he said.

The Minister said this at an event

of Wage Earners' Welfare Board at

Probashi Kalyan Bhaban.

Terming the present government

as an expatriate- friendly one, the

quality tea.

"So why, farmers have to increase

the production and quality of tea in

accordance with the instructions of

the BTB which is now working with

three 'Ps' meaning Production,

Quality and Price of tea," he said.

Presided over by Additional Deputy

Commissioner (Revenue) Abdul

Mannan, BTB Director Dr AKM

Rafiqul Haque, its Senior Scientific

Officer (Entomology) and Project

Director of Northern Bangladesh

Project Agriculturalist Dr Mohammad

Shameem Al Mamun, Development

Officer Agriculturist Amir Hossain,

President of Bangladesh Small Tea

Garden Owners' Association Amirul

Haque Khokan and Senior Journalist

Shahidul Islam Shahid addressed the

occasion.

Earlier, the BTB Chairman attended

an on-field practical training workshop

titled 'Camellia Open Sky School'

organised by Panchagarh regional

office of BTB for local tea growers with

the slogan 'Improved Knowledge,

Improved Tea' in the morning.

Support centers to be set up for

expatriate workers : Minister

minister said the government is

working for the welfare of expatriate

workers.

As part of this, yearly allowance

Tk 12,000 are being provided to the

expatriate workers' children with

disability.

Director General of Wage Earners

Welfare Board Md Hamidur

Rahman presided over the meeting

while Director General of

Manpower, Employment and

Training Bureau MdShahidul Alam

NDC, Managing Director of

Expatriate Welfare Bank Md

Zahidul Haque, Wage Earners

Welfare Board Director Shoaib

Ahmed Khan were, among others,

present.

Dhaka

university

authorities

resumed

physical

classes on

Sunday,

after nearly

18 months of

Covid-forced

closure.

Photo : TBT

Physician

found dead

in Dhaka

DHAKA : Police have

recovered the body of a

young physician from his

flat at Nikunjo in the city's

Khilkhet area, reports UNB.

The deceased was

identified as Dr Joydeb

Chandra Das, 25, son of

Dilip Chandra Das of South

Salanda Kumarpara under

Parbotipur thana in

Dinajpur. Police said they

recovered the body from his

flat on the 8th floor of a

building on Saturday night.

The body was sent to

Dhaka Medical College and

Hospital morgue for an

autopsy.

Khilkhet Police Station SI

Russel Pervez said the CID

crime scene unit collected

evidences from the spot.

Police suspected that Dr

Joydeb has committed

suicide.

IU to resume

in-person classes

Wednesday

ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY :

The physical classes of all

departments of Islamic

University will resume on

Wednesday after about 18

months of closure due to

Covid-19 outbreak, reports

UNB.

Many students have

already returned to the

campus as the university

authorities reopened its

dormitories for the students

on October 9.

University authorities

allowed only those students,

who had received at least

one dose of a Covid vaccine,

to enter the halls.

The decision was taken in

IU's 263rd syndicate

meeting held on the campus

on October 9.

All departments have

already taken preparation to

hold physical classes, IU

treasurer Professor M

Alamgir Hossain Bhuiya

said.

State minister of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Zunaid Ahmed Palak visited the

site of the proposed high-tech park in the TMSS Mom Inn entertainment world at Thengamara,

Bogura on Saturday.

Photo : Azahar Ali

Germany offers support

to Bangladesh in climate

adaptation, energy sector

DHAKA : Germany on

Sunday said it is ready to

cooperate with Bangladesh,

particularly in the areas of

climate change and energy

sector.

Newly-appointed

German Ambassador to

Bangladesh Achim Troester

said this when he paid a

courtesy call on Prime

Minister Sheikh Hasina at

her official residence

Ganobhaban.

After the meeting, Prime

Minister's Press Secretary

Ihsanul Karim briefed

reporters.

The German envoy

mentioned that the two

countries are passing 50

years of their diplomatic

ties and their bilateral

relations are excellent.

Achim Troester

appreciated Bangladesh's

overall development and

the

Bangladesh

government's mechanisms

to tackle the Covid-19

situation successfully.

The death rate is

relatively lower compared

to many other countries, he

said.

In reply, the Prime

Minister highlighted

various measures taken by

her government to check

the Corona pandemic and

said some six crore people

have so far been vaccinated

in Bangladesh with single

and double doses together.

On the climate change

issue, Hasina said

Bangladesh has started the

adaptation and mitigation

programme with its own

resources.

Recalling with gratitude

Germany's cooperation

during Bangladesh's

Liberation War in 1971, she

said many German families

adopted "war babies" after

the Liberation War.

Ambassador-at-Large

Mohammad Ziauddin and

Principal Secretary Dr

Ahmad Kaikaus were present.

2 motorcyclists

killed in Gazipur

road crash

GAZIPUR : Two

motorcyclists were killed as

their motorbike crashed into

a truck on Rajabari road in

Sreepur of Gazipur district

on Saturday night, reports

UNB.

The deceased were

identified as Kajol Sardar,

30, and Abul Kalam, 40.

Both were residents of

Sreepur upazila.

MonDAY, oCToBer 18, 2021

2

Rajshahi University dormitories

reopen after 18 months

RAJSHAHI : Authorities on Sunday

reopened the residential halls Rajshahi

University (RU) after closure for long 18

months due to the Coronavirus pandemic,

reports UNB.

The students started to enter their

respective halls at 10 am amid much

enthusiasm showing their ID cards and

vaccination cards.

The university administration decided to

reopen the halls at a meeting of the

university's academic council on September

30.

The university administration has issued

some instructions including wearing masks

for the students to enter the halls.

Basins have been installed in front of the

dormitories to wash their hands. However,

most of the 16 residential halls have not been

renovated. Students who have not yet been

vaccinated yet but got registered on the

Surokkha app have been asked to get

vaccinated at the Shaheed Sukhranjan

Samaddar Student-Teacher Cultural Center

(TSCC) from October 18 to 22.

University Public Relations office

administrator professor Ajijur Rahman said

students need to get at least one dose of

corona vaccine to enter the halls. Two copies

of the vaccination certificate, hall identity

card and stamp size picture of them have to

be shown at the entrance.

All the residential halls of Rajshahi

University remained closed since March 16

last year. Academic activities will resume on

October 20.

Covid-19: Bangladesh reports

increased deaths, cases in 24 hrs

DHAKA : Covid-19 in Bangladesh

claimed 16 more lives and infected

another 314 people in 24 hours till

Sunday morning, reports UNB.

Both the numbers of death and

infection marked a slight rise from

Saturday when six Covid-related deaths

and 293 cases were reported in 24 hours.

The daily-case positivity rate declined

slightly to 1.74 per cent on Sunday from

Saturday's 1.88 per cent.

With the fresh numbers, the Covid

fatalities reached 27,768 on Sunday

while the caseload climbed to 1,565,488

in Bangladesh, according to the

Directorate General of the Health

services (DGHS).

Of the latest deceased, 10 were men

and six were women.

However, the mortality rate remained

static at 1.77 per cent compared to the

same period.

Besides, the recovery rate rose slightly

to 97.60 per cent, with 529 more patients

getting cured during the period.

So far, 1,527,862 people have recovered

from the deadly virus infections, the

DGHS added.

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Monday, oCToBER 18, 2021

4

Remembering Sheikh Russel in his birthday!

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam

e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com

Monday, October 18, 2021

Get rid of laws that

discriminate against males

Laws that discriminate against some while

favoring excessively others, indeed call for

rectification, reforms. restructuring, additions or

alteration or the gamut of these processes fully, partly

or any justified form. This is indispensable for

preventing sheer miscarriage of justice. The providing

of equity and justice ideally ought to be the main goal

of a legal system worth the name.

In Bangladesh, we see some laws that are to be

considered as highly discriminatory or injurious to

males. The imperative of reforming or removing such

laws have been manifest or pending for a long time.

There havebeen a spate of abuses on the rights and

liberties of the male part of the population of the

country recently.That is why it is so very important

for the judiciary of the country and the lawmakers

to give focused attention to this need with a sense of

high priority.

We, in the media, are increasingly coming across

cases where the female complainants are exploiting the

advantages that prevailing laws bestow on them at the

expense of their helpless male victims. For example, let

us take the example of the misuse or abuse of the

Women and Children Repression Act. Undoubtedly,

the Act was inspired by noble thinking. But the idealism

behind is getting misused or abused increasingly by

greedy or opportunistic women in many cases against

male targets.

In many cases the women lodge complaints in police

stations that they have been regularly raped sexually by

false promises of marriage which is a penalty under the

Act. But normally and as per common sense, no one

should have any difficulty understanding what is

willful engaging in sexual intercourse and what not. In

the cases of regular willful engaging in intercourse by

women how to determine and by whom whether these

women submitted to intercourse for the joys of it or

other temptations or for achieving undisclosed

objectives.

Normally, medical tests need to be carried out

immediately after the event to detect that rape has

actually occurred. The longer such tests are delayed,

the more difficult it becomes to determine medically

that rape has actually occurred. Thus, in many of these

cases, medical tests are ignored and only the

statements of the women are accepted in courts and

police stations about the occurrence of rapes. Thus, it

is sufficient in our setting to be able to establish that

rape has actually occurred on the basis of so called

circumstantial evidence and heresy. Needless to say

both circumstantial evidence and what some persons

may perceive or say, can be misleading and inaccurate

doing great harm and injustice to the accused.

Therefore, reforms in the law are urgently needed to

guard against false and motivated accusations of rape.

The century old British laws that govern adultery

cases in Bangladesh are also too discriminatory

against men. The adultery laws here are interpreted

to mean that only men commit punishable offences

by engaging in adulterous acts. Thus, judges here can

rebuke an adulterous woman by writing a few

rebuking words against an adulterous woman in the

judgement but cannot order her physical

punishment like fines and jail terms. But the archaic

laws can both order penal sentences on the

adulterous man for committing adultery. Typically, a

man facing an adultery case in Bangladesh can face

jail and fine or both whereas the woman involved

fear nothing about actual punishment . She is likely

to go scot free with some moral admonition at most

probably. Needless to say, nothing can be more

unfair and discriminatory than this because

adultery is committed by two adult persons of

the opposite sexes and on grounds of fairness

both would deserve equal punishment.

Besides, the greater part of the world has moved on

and practically most of the advanced nations of the

world no more cling to the notion that there should be

anything like adultery. Thus, in the greater part of

Europe and North America today sexual relationship

between two willing persons of the opposite sexdespite

both being married or one being married to

other person/s - cannot be legally an offence under

the notion of adultery.

Religious authorities in those countries or parts of the

world may look upon such relationships with disfavor

under grounds of breaching religious morality. But

they have no power to stop the same or punish anybody

for the same. Bangladesh should do well to be at par

with the rest of the advanced world by at least initiating

immediately the moves to sufficiently upgradeits laws

dealing with so called notions of adultery or make the

same fairer.

Sheikh

Russel

was a witty kid

and happened

to be the youngest

member of the

family

of

Bangabandhu

Sheikh Mujibur

Rahman. He was

born on 18 October 1964 at

Bangabandhu's No. 32, Dhanmondi

residence. At the time of his birth,

Bangabandhu was in Chittagong on

election emergency.

Bangabandhu named his fifth child

Sheikh Russel after the worldrenowned

British writer, philosopher,

and Nobel Laureate in Literature

Bertrand Russel. Russel, a very fond

child, grew up like a rose. As a child, he

was very intelligent, spent most of his

time without his father. Because

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was roaming

from one corner to another corner of

the countryfor the sake of the freedom

movement and liberation struggle of

Bengalis. He had to stay in jail for a

long time as a political prisoner. Amid

the tumultuous days of sixty's, baby

Russel grew up.

With the victory in the great war of

independence in 1971, the red-green

flag was waving in the free sky of

liberated Bangladesh. With intrigue

Russel grasped the new reality. Sheikh

Russel also had a stylish presence on

the state tour with his father

Bangabandhu. He accompanied his

father in many visits. Sheikh Russel

was studying in the 4th grade of the

University Laboratory School in 1975,

when he was 11 years old. He loved

cycling and used to go to and from

school by bicycle like any other boy

without any state protocol.

On Friday, August 15, 1975, very early

in the morning, as usual, the muezzin's

melodious voice came from the

mosque, calling for prayers, for

welfare; Just then the demonic bullets

of the treacherous perpetrators roared

at Bangabandhu's house at No. 32,

Dhanmondi. The brutal armed assassin

killed Bangabandhu and his family

along with his infant son Russel that

day. There have been political

assassinations in the world for ages,

but nowhere has such a brutal and

demonic assassination taken place.

Terrified by the sound of bullets, blood

and screams, Russel cried and said, "I

will go to my mother." Later, seeing his

mother's dead body, Sheikh Russel

begged in a tearful voice, "Send me to

Hasu Apar (Sheikh Hasina)." Russel

was brutally murdered after the killers

walked past the bodies of his parents,

two brothers, his brother's wife and

uncle.

Sheikh Russel grew up laughing at

the affection of his parents and

siblings. What happened to his mind

when he saw their dead bodies lying?

Why was an innocent child had to die

nayEEM ISlaM nIBIR

JanE MadGWICk

with so much pain? What was the

crime of Bangabandhu's darling child?

Will the answer to this question ever be

found?

Sheikh Russel, if survived would have

been 57 years old to this day. He could

have joined hand in building

Bangabandhu's golden Bengal. He may

have been a world-renowned

researcher, scientist, or father of the

nation, or a beacon of humanity as

glorious as Bertrand Russel. The voice

of the oppressed people of the world.

Sheikh Russel could have been a

unique example for the welfare of the

country, the nation and the world as a

worthy successor of Bangabandhu.

On Sheikh Russel's birthday,

Bangabandhu's daughters Sheikh

Hasina and Sheikh Rehana cried

remembering thousands of memories

of their younger brother. At the same

time,they regret that Russel could have

done more if he had survived. Talking

about Sheikh Russel, Sheikh Hasina

burst into tears in an emotional voice.

she said, 'What did Russel look like

today?' Sheikh Russel had a lot of

compassion for children. He would give

something to the children.

Bangabandhu used to share his food

with the poor people. That was the

quality of Russel.

Sheikh Russel did not get close to

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

for long. So, he was anxious to go to his

father. He used to cry for his father.

Bangabandhu wrote in his prison diary,

"One day Russel came to visit me in

jail. And two-year-old Russel said,

Abba, let's go home. What should I

answer? I tried to convince him that he

did not understand that I was a

prisoner. I told him, you go to your

mother's house. I live in my house.

Come to see me again. How can this

little boy be freed from this stone wall

with his weak hand! I am sad, I am a

man - his father."

"The other boys and girls had learned

to understand but Russel has not yet

learned to understand. So sometimes

he wanted to take me home." It is a

matter of realizing from the heart how

many memories and emotional

moments of Sheikh Russel are written

in the book 'Our Little Russel Sona'

written by Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina.

If Sheikh Russel had survived, he

could have made the development of

the country more dynamic by

strengthening the hand of People's

Leader Sheikh Hasinatoday. The

book 'Our Little Russel Sona' written

by the Prime Minister on the life

story of Sheikh Russel should be

handed over to the youngest students

in our country. Child-loving and

human-loving Sheikh Russel is today

the name of an ideal for the childrenadolescent-young

and well-informed

people of the country. Happy

Birthday!

Rohingya crisis: international and Bangladesh's posture

Bangladesh has

sheltered the

persecuted Rohingyas

who have fled

Myanmar since

August 25, 2016.

Bangladesh has

proved as a safe haven

for Rohingyas for the

past four decades. In

1982, two lakh such Rohingya refugees

came to Bangladesh. In the early 1990s,

another 50,000 Rohingyas came to

Bangladesh as victims of the Myanmar

military's anti-Rohingya campaign. Many of

the Rohingyas who came to Bangladesh in

these two influxes spent their days in misery

at different times and then returned to their

homeland Myanmar. However, many did

not return.

Immediately after the incident, Mother of

humanity, Prime Minister of Bangladesh

Sheikh Hasina visited the Rohingya camps

in Cox's Bazar on September 12, 2017 to

express her condolences to the oppressed

people and assured all possible assistance

from the Government of Bangladesh. In

addition, the Bangladesh government has

provided hundreds of foreign organizations

interested in working in the camps to make

the situation of the Rohingya humane and

tolerable. By taking this immediate decision,

Bangladesh was able to successfully attract

the attention of the world.

The Myanmar government signed an

agreement with Bangladesh to repatriate

Rohingya, but did not begin repatriation. A

resolution on the persecution of the

Manila's new airport: opportunity to build with nature

Anew airport under construction in a

key wetland habitat just north of

the Philippine capital is an

environmental and social disaster in the

making, unless action is taken now.

The 2,500-hectare complex in Bulacan

province just north of Manila threatens to

destroy a large chunk of the area's

mudflats and mangrove forests, as well as

its biodiversity and the livelihoods and

homes of local fishing communities.

The site, one of the largest wetlands in

Manila Bay, is vital for people, climate and

nature. Its coastal mangrove forests store

huge amounts of carbon - up to five times

as much as other types of forests - and

protect local communities from high tides

and storm surges. Mangroves also act as a

nursery and foraging ground, sustaining

the fisheries on which local people

depend. The area is also internationally

recognized as a home and critical stopover

for threatened species and endangered

migratory waterbirds, a function that is on

a collision course with the new airport.

Every year, more than 50 million

waterbirds, including 32 globally

Sheikh Russel, if survived would have been 57 years old to this

day. He could have joined hand in building Bangabandhu's

golden Bengal. He may have been a world-renowned

researcher, scientist, or father of the nation, or a beacon of

humanity as glorious as Bertrand Russel. The voice of the

oppressed people of the world. Sheikh Russel could have been

a unique example for the welfare of the country, the nation

and the world as a worthy successor of Bangabandhu.

M. SadMan SafI PRoTIk

Rohingya and their return to Myanmar has

been unanimously passed by the UN

Human Rights Council. The resolution on

Rohingya was passed at the 47th session of

the Human Rights Council in Geneva. At the

initiative of Bangladesh, the Organization of

Islamic Cooperation (OIC) presented a

resolution on "The human rights situation of

Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in

Myanmar".

At the 72nd session of the UN General

Assembly on 22 September 2017, Prime

Minister Sheikh Hasina proposed five points

to resolve the Rohingya issue. The resolution

calls for an immediate and unconditional

end to violence and genocide in Myanmar, a

speedy deployment of UN Secretary-

General's own investigative team to

Myanmar, and an UN-sponsored security

cordon inside Myanmar to ensure the safety

of all citizens, regardless of race or religion.

They are called upon to ensure their return

home and rehabilitation and to secure

unconditional, full and speedy

implementation of the recommendations of

the Kofi Annan Commission. Various

countries and international organizations

threatened species, travel through the

Philippines by the East Asian-

Australasian Flyway, one of the world's

biggest migratory-bird flight paths.

And yet the project, led by San Miguel

Aerocity Inc, has ignored calls from

experts and environmental and citizen

advocates for sustainable development in

the vulnerable area.

As it stands, the ambitious project is a

disaster waiting to happen. Mangroves

and tidal mudflats have been and will be

lost along with associated fisheries. The

area is already subsiding and the coastline

eroding, which will only be exacerbated if

fine sediment is dredged and disposed

have taken various measures to solve the

Rohingya problem. Former UN Secretary-

General Ban Ki-moon has criticized

Myanmar authorities for being lax in

repatriating displaced Rohingya. UN

Secretary General António Guterres has

In the last four years, the international community has continued its activities

in various ways to solve the Rohingya problem. Bangladesh has been able to

successfully draw the attention of the world community to solve this problem.

The displaced Rohingya people who have taken refuge in Bangladesh for

more than four years have been receiving humanitarian assistance.

expressed deep concern over the ongoing

Rohingya crisis. Yang Hili, the UN special

envoy for human rights in Myanmar, said all

major countries in the world had a

responsibility to resolve the Rohingya crisis.

Switzerland has agreed to take the

necessary steps under international and

human rights law to resolve the Rohingya

issue.

Switzerland is one of the earliest donors to

the Rohingya problem, which stood by

Bangladesh at the outset with humanitarian

assistance. Switzerland has called for the

fullimplementation of the

recommendations of the Advisory

Commission in Rakhine State. From 2016 to

2019, Switzerland pledged help 30 million

in humanitarian aid and relief to the

Rohingya. In addition to financial

assistance, Swiss experts have been

providing assistance to UN agencies and

offshore, causing coastal flooding.

Of grave concern is that, according to

Wetlands International's independent

analysis, the development of the new

airport is based on an unsatisfactory

environmental and social impact

The site, one of the largest wetlands in Manila Bay, is

vital for people, climate and nature. Its coastal mangrove

forests store huge amounts of carbon - up to five

times as much as other types of forests - and protect

local communities from high tides and storm surges.

assessment that fails to meet international

standards. This includes the Equator

Principles and International Finance

Cooperation's performance standard

geared to improve development outcomes

of large-scale projects.

Preparatory work for the construction of

the airport, including the dredging of an

access channel, has started without

proper impact assessment and

NGOs working in Cox's Bazar. French

Ambassador Marie Enik Bourdain

said,"France would continue to provide

assistance to Bangladesh on the Rohingya

issue". Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah of

Brunei emphasized the need for a just and

lasting solution to the Rohingya problem.

In the last four years, the international

community has continued its activities in

various ways to solve the Rohingya problem.

Bangladesh has been able to successfully

draw the attention of the world community

to solve this problem. The displaced

Rohingya people who have taken refuge in

Bangladesh for more than four years have

been receiving humanitarian assistance. The

United Nations and the international

community have expressed support for

Bangladesh in its efforts to ensure the return

of Rohingya to their homeland. Despite all

this, the repatriation of Rohingyas to

Myanmar has not yet begun.

Needless to say, this huge number of

refugees is definitely a big burden for

Bangladesh. With this refugee camp, the

government has to face various political

pressures and security issues from time to

time. With this Rohingya refugee, the

Bangladesh government has to deal with the

various realities that have arisen. There is

boundless reluctance on the part of

Myanmar to repatriate these refugees.

Considering the overall situation, it is

unlikely that Myanmar will take back the

Rohingya in the near future.

The writer is a student of North

South University

consultation. The airport design also fails

to align with the Manila Bay Sustainable

Development Management Plan

proposed by the National Economic and

Development Authority, experts from the

Philippines and abroad, and

representatives from civil society. The

management plan, which envisages a

sustainable and resilient Manila Bay,

includes much-needed measures to

restore natural habitats that boost

fisheries, store carbon, and reduce risk to

flooding.

Current design and construction plans

for the airport also run counter to

commitments made by the Philippine

government under international climate,

biodiversity, sustainable development

and disaster risk reduction conventions.

This doesn't have to be the case, and the

good news is there is still time to correct

course. A sustainable airport development

that benefits society at large is possible in

the Manila area and would set a worldclass

example.

Source: Asia times

monday, oCToBer 18, 2021

5

Kenya rejects UN court judgment on

maritime dispute with Somalia

PeTer mUirUri

Kenya's president, Uhuru

Kenyatta, has rejected a

decision by the UN's highest

court to grant Somalia

control of disputed waters in

the Indian Ocean, saying it

would "strain relations"

between the neighbouring

countries.

The president accused the

international court of justice

of imposing its authority on

a dispute "it had neither

jurisdiction

nor

competence" to oversee after

it delineated a new

boundary that gives Somalia

territorial rights over a large

portion of the ocean, which

is thought to be rich in oil

and gas reserves. According

to the new maritime border,

Somalia has gained several

offshore oil exploration

blocks previously claimed by

Kenya.

The two countries are

already embroiled in

disputes over the presence of

Kenyan soldiers in Somalia

as part of the African Union

mission in the country.

Somalia has consistently

accused Kenyan troops of

destabilising the country,

which have resulted in

intermittent recalls of both

countries' envoys.

Kenyatta said on

Wednesday: "This [ruling]

is, in the circumstances, a

zero-sum game, which will

strain the relations between

the two countries. It will also

reverse the social, political

and economic gains; and

potentially aggravate the

peace and security situation

in the fragile Horn of Africa

region.

"Kenya, like other

independent countries,

possesses a determined

geographical territory. As a

devoted member of the

United Nations, the United

Nations security council as

well as the African Union's

peace and security council,

we beseech the rest of the

family of nations to

appreciate and respect our

inherent right to protect, by

all available means, our

territory."

But he added that Kenya

was "committed to finding a

diplomatic solution to the

current impasse". Somalia

first filed a case with the

court in August 2014 to

The new maritime boundary drawn by the Un international court of justice,

which was closest to a line proposed by Somalia. Photo: Chris Canipe

determine the delimitation

of 100,000 sq km (38,000

sq miles) of the Indian

Ocean claimed by both

countries.

Kenya has traditionally

administered the area,

including oil and gas

exploration projects. But on

Tuesday, the court declared

there was no agreed

maritime boundary and

drew up the new border just

short of where Somalia had

requested. The court

rejected Somalia's demand

for reparations and its

argument that Kenya's

maritime activities had

violated its sovereignty.

The ruling is legally

binding, but cannot be

enforced by the court.

Somalia said the ruling was a

victory for the country. In a

televised address and official

tweets, President Mohamed

Abdullahi Mohamed, also

known as Farmaajo, said it

followed the long struggle by

his government and the

people of Somalia "against

the unlawful attempts by the

Kenyan government to

claim parts of our maritime

territory".

Farmaajo said: "Each time

we unite for the purpose of

patriotism and the defence

of our nation, this kind of

victory always follows." He

went on to accuse Kenya of

indiscriminate airstrikes

inside Somalia resulting in

the "deaths of innocent

civilians, including women

and children".

Homegrown Covid vaccines fill gap as

UN Covax scheme misses target

hazem Badr

Developing countries are

increasingly turning to

homegrown Covid

vaccinations as the UNbacked

Covax programme

falls behind. While western

countries roll out booster jabs

to their own populations,

Covax, which was set up by

UN agencies, governments

and donors to ensure fair

access to Covid-19 vaccines

for low- and middle-income

countries, has said it will miss

its target to distribute 2bn

doses globally by the end of

this year.

According to the latest

supply forecast, on 8

September, the programme is

now expecting to provide

1.4bn vaccine doses over 2021

- a shortfall of nearly a third.

The shortage is largely a

result of export and

manufacturing constraints

and increasing demand from

vaccine-producing countries.

India - a key producer - only

delivered 28m of a promised

40m doses in March when

infections surged as the Delta

variant spread around the

country.

Developing countries have

responded by producing new

local vaccines. Among them is

Egypt, which has launched

human trials for its

homemade vaccine Covi Vax,

after successful laboratory

tests.

"The Egyptian Medicines

Authority gave its approval to

manufacture the first batch of

vaccine doses under the name

Covi Vax for use in clinical

trials," said Mohamed Ahmed

Ali, professor of virology at the

National Research Centre and

head of the research team for

production of the vaccine.

Earlier this year,

researchers in Saudi Arabia

announced the start of earlystage

human trials of a vaccine

developed by researchers at

Imam Abdulrahman bin

Faisal University. Cuba is

seeking WHO approval for its

own vaccines as it seeks to

reach full immunisation,

including children as young as

two, by the end of 2021.

Several Brazilian research

institutes are also betting on

the development of

homegrown vaccines against

Covid-19. The Butantan

Institute, a public research

centre in São Paulo, is

carrying out early-stage

human trials of ButanVac.

The viral vector vaccine,

developed by the Icahn School

of Medicine in New York and

an international consortium,

can be produced entirely in

Brazil in future.

Cristiano Gonçalves,

innovation manager at

Butantan, said: "The

consortium and supporters

behind ButanVac are

concerned about low- and

middle-income countries that

are being underserved right

now. The idea is for ButanVac

to serve the domestic market,

and for Butantan to reserve

part of its production for

export."

The Indian government also

plans to launch ZyCoV-D, the

world's first DNA vaccine,

which is being produced by

Zydus Cadila, a private

company, in partnership with

the Indian Ministry of Science

and

Technology's

biotechnology department.

This will allow expansion of

the existing vaccination

programme to include young

children and adolescents.

In Singapore, three mRNA

vaccines developed by the US

company Arcturus

Therapeutics are undergoing

mid-stage human trials to

check their efficacy. The

production of homegrown

vaccines follows a number of

agreements in which

developing countries have

begun to take on the

manufacturing of vaccines

developed in Europe, the US

or China.

In Brazil, about two-thirds

of the population have

received at least one vaccine

dose, many of which were a

result of technology-transfer

agreements between Brazilian

laboratories and international

pharmaceutical companies.

a lab technician producing the Chinese Sinovac vaccine in Cairo.

Photo: amr abdallah dalsh

In July 2020, the Butantan

Institute backed large-scale

human trials of CoronaVac,

the vaccine made by the

Chinese company Sinovac

Biotech. In exchange, Sinovac

committed to transferring

technology to the Brazilian

institute.

Butantan is importing the

raw materials from China and

packaging the vaccine in

Brazil. For the next phase of

the technology-transfer

agreement, a factory is being

prepared to start producing

doses. The Oswaldo Cruz

Foundation, a research centre

in Rio de Janeiro linked to the

health ministry, began

negotiations

with

AstraZeneca in the first half of

last year.

As a result, the Anglo-

Swedish drugmaker's

Covishield vaccine also

underwent large-scale human

trials in Brazil, and is now

being produced in the country

with raw materials imported

from abroad. In future, the

vaccine will be fully produced

in Brazil.

Similar agreements have

helped to plug the vaccination

gap in many other low- and

middle-income countries,

such as Egypt, which has

already started local

production of Sinovac's

vaccine.

Last month, the Egyptian

health minister, Hala Zayed,

announced an ambitious plan

to produce more than 1bn

doses a year of the jab, which

would make it "the largest

producer of vaccines in Africa

and the Middle East", she

said.

Morocco has also launched

a project to produce China's

Sinopharm vaccine locally.

The state-owned Moroccan

Press Agency announced in

July that the government

plans to produce 5m doses a

month. Indonesia is also in

talks with the World Health

Organization as well as six

drug companies to become a

global hub for manufacturing

vaccines, according to its

health minister, Budi Gunadi

Sadikin.

a camp for internally displaced people, Somalia.

lizzy davieS

Photo: mahamud Utaama

UN development goal of zero

hunger is a distant dream

Saeed Kamali dehghan

Global targets to eradicate

hunger by 2030 will be

missed as a "toxic cocktail" of

the climate crisis, conflict and

the Covid-19 pandemic

reverses progress, new

projections have revealed.

The fight to end hunger is

"dangerously off track" and

the UN sustainable

development goal of zero

hunger "tragically distant",

according to the 2021 Global

Hunger Index (GHI),

published on Thursday.

Forty-seven countries will fail

to achieve even low levels of

hunger (ie countries that

have adequate food and low

numbers of child deaths) by

2030 and millions of people

will experience severe hunger

in the coming years.

The findings come amid

warnings from the UN's food

agency, the World Food

Programme (WFP), that an

average temperature rise of

2C from pre-industrial levels

will mean 189 million more

people going hungry.

Hunger levels around the

world have been declining

Netflix and Unesco to portray

African culture thru' film

For Nelson Mandela they

were "morsels rich with the

gritty essence of Africa but in

many instances universal in

their portrayal of humanity,

beasts and the mystical."

Passed down through the

generations, whispered at

bedtimes and raucously

retold by elders, folktales

have long been a mainstay of

African cultural heritage.

Now some of those tales -

perhaps the one about a

scheming hyena or a snake

with seven heads - are to gain

fresh global recognition as a

new competition aims to find

the next generation of filmmakers

from sub-Saharan

Africa. Unesco has teamed up

with streaming giant Netflix

to find and fund six short

films "reimagining" folktales

that will premiere in 2022.

"We want to find the

bravest, wittiest, and most

surprising retellings of some

of Africa's most-loved

folktales and share them with

entertainment fans around

the world in over 190

countries," the UN cultural

body and production

company said in a joint

statement.

Winners of the

competition, which opens on

Thursday, will be trained and

mentored by industry

professionals and given a

production grant of $75,000

(£55,000) through a local

company. Entrants must be

citizens and residents of a

country in sub-Saharan

Africa and be aged 18-35.

Ernesto Ottone, Unesco's

assistant director-general for

since 2000, according to the

GHI, a tool to measure and

track hunger developed by

NGO Concern Worldwide

and German humanitarian

aid agency Welthungerhilfe.

But progress is slowing,

showing "signs of stagnating

or even being reversed".

Sub-Saharan Africa and

south Asia have the highest

levels of hunger. The GHI

score is calculated using four

indicators, including

undernourishment, child

wasting (children under the

age of five with low weight to

height ratio), child stunting

(children under the age of five

with low height for their age)

and child mortality rates.

Undernourishment is

particularly high in sub-

Saharan Africa, while south

Asia has high levels of child

wasting. Countries are

ranked on a 100-point scale:

a score of 50 or above is

classified as "extremely

alarming". Somalia, with a

rating of 50.8, is the only

country out of 135 ranked to

fall into this category.

At least five countries have

The new folklore films will sit alongside successful contemporary series

such as South african crime drama Queen Sono.

Photo: netflix

culture, said the organisation

had approached Netflix as it

carried out the first complete

mapping of the continent's

film and audiovisual

industries. That report,

released last week, found the

creative industries were

currently grossly underserved

but could quadruple their

revenue and create an extra

20m jobs.

"What we're trying to

achieve with [Netflix] … is

how we can engage those

young film-makers in telling

stories of African folk and in

passing on through the

generations the culture and

the traditions that are in place

in Africa," he said. To do this,

partnering with a platform on

the global scale of Netflix was

vital to ensure visibility, he

said.

Ottone rejected any

suggestion the competition

levels of hunger that are

"alarming" - Central African

Republic, Chad, the

Democratic Republic of the

Congo, Madagascar and

Yemen. A further 31

countries have "serious"

levels of hunger.

Fourteen countries

succeeded in reducing their

GHI score by a quarter

between 2012 and 2021. "A

toxic cocktail of climate crisis,

the Covid-19 pandemic and

increasingly severe and

protracted violent conflicts is

threatening to wipe out any

progress made against

hunger in recent years," said

Dominic MacSorley,

Concern's chief executive.

"Violent conflict is now the

primary cause of hunger, and

it is worsening food security

and malnutrition around the

world at a ferocious rate this

year," he said. "The GHI

report shows that conflict is a

major driver of hunger in

eight of the 10 countries with

hunger levels classified as

'alarming' or 'extremely

alarming'."

The report said that in

could be seen as a western

initiative trying to co-opt the

African voice.

"No, we don't believe it

because, as you can see, what

we are launching is for

African young creators and

film-makers to tell their

stories … We are not telling

stories from our view in the

north of what should be or

what could be representative

of Africa. It's not the purpose.

The purpose is to give the

voice to the young creators

who are living there and are

creating there."

Many of the continent's

film-makers face significant

barriers, from the political -

limits on freedom of

expression are common - to

the practical: patchy internet

connectivity and a lack of

funding. The Unesco report

found that only 19 African

countries offered financial

2020 more than half of the

people grappling with

undernourishment, which

reflects on insufficient calorie

intake, lived in countries

affected by conflict and

violence. "After decades of

decline, the global prevalence

of undernourishment - one of

the four indicators used to

calculate GHI scores - is

increasing," the report says.

"This shift may be a

harbinger of reversals in

other measures of hunger."

David Beasley, the WFP's

executive director, said:

"Large swathes of the globe,

from Madagascar to

Honduras to Bangladesh, are

in the throes of a climate

crisis that is now a daily

reality for millions. The

climate crisis is fuelling a food

crisis."

The agency said tens of

thousands of lives are at risk

in southern Madagascar,

where famine-like conditions

have been driven by climate

breakdown. Consecutive

droughts have pushed nearly

1.1 million people into severe

hunger.

support to film-makers.

Ben Amadasun, Netflix's

director of content in Africa,

said: "Africa has a rich

storytelling heritage and a

wealth of folktales that have

been passed down for

generations. When you marry

these very local stories with

Africa's emerging talent, there

is no limit to fresh new stories

to connect people with

African cultures and bring the

world that much closer to

each other."

Amadasun, who is

Nigerian, said earlier this year

he believed the world was

witnessing "the beginning of a

golden age for African films".

Netflix, he told the New

African magazine, was "one of

the key companies in the

world that could give us this

opportunity for our stories

and our voices to be heard all

over the world".

MonDAY, oCToBer 18, 2021 6

Former Home Minister Dr. Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir MP inagurated two newly constructed buildings of two

government primary schools at a cost of almost Tk 1.5 crore on Sunday.

Photo: Md Muhiuddin

Forging social movement

against food waste and

adulteration stressed

RAJSHAHI: Concerted

efforts of all the government

and non-government

organizations concerned

have become indispensable

for protecting agriculture

from all sorts of pollution

and contamination to

ensure food safety, reports

BSS.

Besides, utmost emphasis

should be given on freeing

the markets from all sorts of

unhygienic and unsafe foods

because those are injurious

to public health.

The observations came at

a discussion held at the

conference hall of the

Deputy Commissioner

yesterday in observance of

the World Food Day-2021.

"Significance And How To

Reduce Food Waste" was

the main theme of the day.

The District administration,

Department of Agriculture

Extension and Department

of Food jointly organized the

discussion.

Deputy Commissioner

Abdul Jalil, Additional

District Magistrate Sabiha

Sultana, Deputy Director of

Department of Agriculture

Extension Abdul Awal and

its Additional Deputy

Director Umme Shalma and

Upazila Food Controller

Omor Faruque addressed

the meeting.

Abdul Jalil said the fight

against food adulteration

has intensified after the

government established

Bangladesh Food Safety

Authority (BFSA) in 2015.

MANIKGANJ: The Department of

Agriculture Extension (DAE) has fixed a

target of cultivating winter vegetables on

8,100 hectares of land in all seven upazilas

of the district to recoup the existing losses

being caused by floods, reports BSS.

Most of the upazilas of the district

specially Saturia, Manikganj Sadar, and

Singair are suitable for vegetable

cultivation and farmers of the upazilas

have already started cultivation of

different types of vegetables on their lands

with the receding of the flood water, DAE

office sources said.

Ali Hossain, one of the vegetable

cultivators of village Chartlli under

Saturia upazila, said he has already

planted cabbage on three bighas of land

and those are growing well.

Human chain demanding

water drainage of 4,000

bighas of crop lands

AMOR D COSTA, BARAIGRAM CORRESPONDENT

Locals in Baraigram formed a human

chain demanding solution for drainage of

4,000 bighas of three crop lands on

Sunday. More than 400 farmers and their

family members Chamta, Barni and Janail

villages organized the human chain in

front of Diarpara Bhadagari Beel of Janail

Union of the upazila.

Local eldery citizen Rowshan Ali chaired

the occasion while among others, Imdadul

Haque, Tariqul Islam, Francis Razario,

Jahangir Alam spoke.

Speakers at the occasion said that as a

result of heavy rains, this beel is holding

about 4,000 bighas of water. As there is no

canal for this water to be evacuated, there

should be waterlogging for 7-8 months of

the year. If the concerned department of

the government does not take initiative to

eliminate waterlogging by means of canal

construction, the agro-based economy of

the area will collapse and the agridependent

families of this area will suffer

financial hardship.

Locals in Baraigram formed a human chain demanding solution for drainage

of 4,000 bighas of three crop lands on Sunday.

Photo: Amor D Costa

8,100 hectares land brought under

vegetable cultivation in Manikganj

He said he had sowed seeds in his seed

beds twice as the floodwaters damaged it.

Ali Hossain is expecting to harvest

cabbage from his land within 15 days.

Sarif Mia, a vegetable cultivator of

village Fukurhati under Saturia upazila,

said he has cultivated cabbage and

cauliflowers on two bighas of land and he

is expecting to start harvesting within two

weeks.

Hedayet ullah, another vegetable

cultivator of Ralya village under the same

upazila, said he has cultivated palong

shak, lal shak, data shak, bean, bottle

gourd, cucumber, lady's finger and brinjal

on three bighas of land and he has started

to harvest and happy to get the maximum

prices of his products.

When this correspondent visited some

areas of Manikganj sadar upazila found

some cauliflowers growing well and those

may be matured within a week. The

farmers said they are expecting to get the

high prices of their products.

The farmers of char areas of

Harirampur, Shibalaya and Daulatpur

upazila have already started harvesting

bottle gourds from their land and selling

those at a high price. A large number of

women are found working along with the

male labour in the fields.

DAE office sources said most of the

upazilas of the district are suitable for

vegetable cultivation and the vegetables

include radish, lady's finger, bean, bottle

gourd, sweet bottle gourd, cucumber

cauliflower, cabbage, winter brinjal,

coriander (Dhone) and leafy vegetables.

Two newly

constructed

school

buildings

inaugurated

at Kachua

MD MAHIUDDIN, KACHUA

CORRESPONDENT

Former Home Minister Dr.

Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir

MP inagurated two newly

constructed buildings of two

government primary schools

at a cost of almost Tk 1.5

crore. He inaugurated the

new building of Bitara

Union Kholagaon

Government Primary School

at 11:30 am on Sunday and

the new building of

Enayatpur Government

Primary School at 12:30 pm

at the same day.

During the time, Acting

Chairman of Upazila

Parishad Sultana Khanam,

Upazila Nirbahi Officer

Dipayan Das Shuvo, Upazila

Engineer Syed Zakir Hasan,

Upazila Education Officer

Shahriar Rasul, Municipal

Mayor Nazmul Alam

Swapan and ormer Vice

Chairman of Upazila

Parishad Adv. Md. Helall

Uddin were among others

also present at the occasion.

On the same day after the

inauguration of the new

building of the two schools,

he was the chief guest at the

Awami League's view

exchange meeting at the

Awami League office.

National Sanitation

Month observed

in Gaibandha

RAFIqUL ISLAM, GAIBANDHA

CORRESPONDENT

The National Sanitation

Month and Global

Handwashing Day 2021 was

observed in the district on

Sunday with a call to stop the

defecation in open space and

improve sanitation and

hygiene systems across the

country.

This year's theme of the day

is 'Future is at Hand-let's

Move Forward Together.'

Marking the day, the district

administration and

department of public health

and engineering (DPHE)

chalked out elaborate

programmes in cooperation

with a number of nongovernment

organizations

including SKS Foundation,

Gana Unnayan Kendra (GUK),

BDRCS, Gaindha unit, Swiss

Red Cross, RDRS Bangladesh,

Friendship, BRAC and ICCO

Cooperation of Netherlands.

A discussion meeting was

held at the conference room of

the Deputy Commissioner

marking the importance of

the month with executive

engineer of DPHE here Md.

Rezwan Hossain in the chair

while DC Abdul Matin

addressed the meeting as the

chief guest.

The meeting was also

addressed among others by

Sadar upazila parishad

chairman Shah Sarwar Kabir,

coordinator of SKS

Foundation Ashraf Alam and

journalist KM Rezaul Haque.

Crop farming begins on char

lands in Rangpur region

RANGPUR: Hundreds of char people have

started farming various crops, mostly adopting

intercropping methods, on char lands and

dried-up riverbeds in riverine areas of

Rangpur agriculture region, reports BSS.

Officials of the Department of Agricultural

Extension (DAE) said char people started

sowing seeds of Rabi crops on char lands

following the appearance of shoals with

massive deposition of alluvial soils during

recent floods.

Additional Director of the DAE for Rangpur

region Agriculturist Bidhu Bhusan Ray said

char people cultivated various crops on over

90,000 hectares of land in all five districts in

the region during the last Rabi season.

"Crop farming continues and tender plants

of some crops are growing superbly on char

lands, shoals and silted-up beds of the

Brahmaputra, Teesta, Dharla, Ghaghot,

Jamuna, Kartoa and other rivers in the

region," he said.

The landless and poor people and marginal

farmers mostly cultivate potato, pumpkin,

brinjal, green chili, onion, garlic and maize,

wheat, Boro rice, groundnut, 'kawn', 'till',

tobacco, banana, pulses and watermelon and

many other crops on char lands.

"They will begin harvesting the cultivated

crops from January next to end before the

commencement of the rainy season," Ray said,

adding that the flood-affected people of char

areas are also cultivating crops on their floodhit

char lands," he said.

Talking to BSS, Senior Coordinator

(Agriculture and Environment) of RDRS

Bangladesh Agriculturist Mamunur Rashid

said crop cultivation on char landsnis

expanding every year in Rangpur region

benefiting thousands of char and riverside

Journalist S Mizanul Islam was awarded the medal and certificate for his

special contribution in education and social service recently. Photo: TBT

BANARIPARA CORRESPONDENT

A senior journalist received the "Golden

Jubilee Award-2021" medal on the occasion

of the golden jubilee of independence

organized by the SAARC Cultural Forum at a

glittering ceremony at the cafeteria of

Katabon Chingree Chinese Restaurant on

Friday, October 15 at 7 pm.

S. Mizanul Islam was awarded the medal

and certificate for his special contribution in

education and social service. In the

celebration of the golden jubilee of

independence, a discussion meeting and 20

dignitaries of different professions were

honored.

people.

Many people living in char villages of

Gannarpar, Buridangi, Singhimari, Miazipara,

Motukpur, Kolkond, Bagdohra, Nohali,

Chhalapak and other char areas in Gangachara

upazila of Rangpur are busy now in cultivating

various crops on char lands.

They are mostly cultivating potato, sweet

pumpkin, onion, garlic, green chili, mustard,

pulses and many varieties of vegetables on

sandy char lands and dried-up beds of the

Teesta in these char villages.

Some 25,000 char households, who are

beneficiaries of different NGOs and

government organisations, are cultivating

pumpkin, other vegetables and crops in over

250 char villages of all five districts in Rangpur

agriculture region this season.

"More than 21,000 char families have

already achieved self-reliance through farming

various crops on char lands with GO-NGO

assistance changing their living standard and

livelihoods in the last 12 years," Rashid added.

Riverside and char people Mahtab Hossain,

Lokman Hossain and Kobiza Khatun of Char

Mohipur in Gangachara upazila of Rangpur

said 120 families are cultivating various crops

on char lands and dried-up riverbeds of the

Teesta alone.

"A farmer generally spends Taka 20,000 for

cultivating pumpkin on 200 raised sandbars to

sell the produce at around Taka 50,000 and

earn a profit of Taka 30,000 after completing

harvest by March and April every year," said

Anwarul of the village.

Farmers Bablu Mina, Rafikul Islam and

Afzal Hossain of Char Gannarpar village in the

same upazila said they are cultivating

pumpkin, onion, potato, garlic and maize on

the char lands and dried up beds of the Teesta.

Journalist S Mizanul Islam

wins SAARC Cultural Forum’s

‘Golden Jubilee Award-2021’

SAARC Cultural Forum General Secretary

Jinnah Ali Jinnah presided over the meeting

to mark the golden jubilee. The chief guests

on the occasion were heroic freedom fighter

and former Justice Mir Hasmat Ali, special

guests were former Vice Chancellor of Shere-Bangla

Agricultural University Prof. Dr.

Kamal Uddin Ahmed, Principal of Narsingdi

Government Manohardi College Md. Golam

Faruq, Inner Wheel Organization

Bangladesh Representative Nayar Islam,

SAARC Cultural Forum (Bangladesh +

India) President ATM Mamtazul Karim and

others. The convener was RK Ripon, the

convener of the celebration committee.

15 more test positive for Covid-19 in Rajshahi

RAJSHAHI: Fifteen more

people tested positive for

Covid-19 in five districts of

the division on Saturday,

taking the caseload to

98,747 since the pandemic

began in March last year,

reports BSS.

However, the new

positive figure is almost

similar to the previous

day's figure of 13, which

was the lowest-ever in the

division since the second

wave of the pandemic hit

the country around six

months back, said Dr

Habibul Ahsan Talukder,

divisional director of

Health.

Meanwhile, the recovery

count rose to 94,676 in the

division after another 19

patients were discharged

from the hospitals on the

same day.

The death toll reached

1,667, including 685 in

Bogura, 315 in Rajshahi

with 192 in its city, and 173

in Natore, as one fresh case

of fatality was reported

after six consecutive days

today, Dr Talukder added.

Besides, all the positive

cases of Covid-19 have, so

far, been brought under

treatment while 22,931

were kept in isolation units

of different dedicated

hospitals for institutional

supervision. Of them,

19,214 have been released.

Meanwhile, 41 more

people have been sent to

home and institutional

quarantine afresh while 71

others were released from

isolation during the same

time. Of the 15 new cases,

four each were detected in

Rajshahi city, Joypurhat

and Two in Pabna and one

in Natore districts.

With the newly detected

patients, the district-wise

break-up of the total cases

now stands at 28,027 in

Rajshahi, including 22,596

in city, 5,663 in

Chapainawabganj, 6,401 in

Naogaon, 8,367 in Natore,

4,620 in Joypurhat, 21,586

in Bogura, 11,388 in

Sirajganj and 12,695 in

Pabna.

A total of 1,13,525 people

have, so far, been kept

under quarantine since

March 10 last year to

prevent the community

transmission of the deadly

coronavirus (COVID-19).

Of them, 1,12,002 have,

by now, been released as

they were given clearance

certificates after

completing their 14-day

quarantine.

During the government ban of catching mother hilsa, special VGF rice has been distributed among 700

fishermen in Gournadi on Sunday. UP Chairman Faruk Hasan Molla distributed VGF rice at Sarikal

Union Parishad office in Gournadii upazila of Barishal as the chief guest. Photo: Gias Uddin Mia

US religious group says 17 missionaries

kidnapped in Haiti

SAN JUAN : A group of 17

U.S. missionaries including

children was kidnapped by a

gang in Haiti on Saturday,

according to a voice message

sent to various religious

missions by an organization

with direct knowledge of the

incident, reports UNB.

The missionaries were on

their way home from

building an orphanage,

according to a message from

Ohio-based Christian Aid

Ministries.

"This is a special prayer

alert," the one-minute

message said. "Pray that the

gang members would come

to repentance."

The message says the

mission's field director is

working with the U.S.

Embassy, and that the field

director's family and one

other unidentified man who

stayed at the ministry's base

while everyone else visiting

the orphanage, was

abducted. No other details

were immediately available.

A U.S. government

spokesperson said they were

aware of the reports on the

kidnapping.

"The welfare and safety of

U.S. citizens abroad is one of

the highest priorities of the

Department of State," the

spokesperson said, declining

further comment.

Haiti is once again

struggling with a spike in

gang-related kidnappings

that had diminished after

President Jovenel Moise was

fatally shot at his private

residence on July 7, and

following a 7.2-magnitude

earthquake that struck

southwest Haiti in August

and killed more than 2,200

people.

Gangs have demanded

ransoms ranging from a

Kids in California

county care sleeping

on floor in building

FRESNO : A central

California county executive

has pledged immediate

changes after a news report

revealed that vulnerable

children removed from their

families were living in

deplorable conditions inside

an office building - sleeping

on conference tables, eating

fast food and urinating into

water bottles until social

workers could find homes for

them, reports UNB.

Fresno

County

Administrative Officer Jean

Rousseau apologized

Thursday to the children

forced to stay at the office

building that is the main hub

for Fresno County's Child

Protective Services and to the

workers who oversee them,

The Fresno Bee reported

Friday. The news

organization first reported

about the conditions on

Wednesday.

"When I saw the conditions

in the office, when I saw the

mats being used as beds, I

said, 'This is unacceptable.' I

should have known earlier,

and we're going to rectify it

immediately," Rousseau said,

expressing frustration that he

was not informed about the

situation sooner.

Social workers told The Bee

that the county's child welfare

system is understaffed and

overwhelmed and there's a

lack of housing for children

who have been removed from

their homes for their own

safety. As a result, some

children stay at the offices of

Child Protective Services until

foster homes can be found for

them.

The Fresno Bee described

children sleeping on

conference tables or on yoga

mats on the floor in rooms

with lights that do not turn

off. They share a single

bathroom, cannot shower

and use water bottles to

relieve themselves, the news

outlet reported.

Lorraine Ramirez, a veteran

social worker with Fresno

County Department of Social

Services' child welfare agency,

told The Bee that children

stay in the building for a few

hours to several weeks.

A group of 17 U.S. missionaries including children was kidnapped by a

gang in Haiti on Saturday, according to a voice message sent to various

religious missions by an organization with direct knowledge of the incident.

Photo : Internet

couple hundred dollars to

more than $1 million,

according to authorities.

Last month, a deacon was

killed in front of a church in

the capital of Port-au-Prince

and his wife kidnapped, one

of dozens of people who

have been abducted in

recent months.

At least 328 kidnapping

victims were reported to

Haiti's National Police in the

first eight months of 2021,

compared with a total of 234

for all of 2020, according to

a report issued last month by

the United Nations

Integrated Office in Haiti

known as BINUH.

Gangs have been accused

of

kidnapping

schoolchildren, doctors,

police officers, busloads of

passengers and others as

they grow more powerful. In

April, one gang kidnapped

five priests and two nuns, a

move that prompted a

protest similar to the one

organized for this Monday to

decry the lack of security in

the impoverished country.

"Political turmoil, the

surge in gang violence,

deteriorating socioeconomic

conditions - including food

insecurity and malnutrition

- all contribute to the

worsening of the

humanitarian situation,"

BINUH said in its report.

"An overstretched and

under-resourced police force

alone cannot address the

security ills of Haiti."

On Friday, the U.N.

Security Council voted

unanimously to extend the

U.N. political mission in

ABOARD THE SEABIRD : As dozens of African

migrants traversed the Mediterranean Sea on a

flimsy white rubber boat, a small aircraft

circling 1,000 feet above closely monitored

their attempt to reach Europe, reports UNB.

The twin-engine Seabird, owned by the

German non-governmental organization Sea-

Watch, is tasked with documenting human

rights violations committed against migrants at

sea and relaying distress cases to nearby ships

and authorities who have increasingly ignored

their pleas.

On this cloudy October afternoon, an

approaching thunderstorm heightened the

dangers for the overcrowded boat. Nearly

23,000 people have died or gone missing in the

Mediterranean trying to reach Europe since

2014, according to the United Nations'

migration agency. "Nour 2, Nour 2, this is

aircraft Seabird, aircraft Seabird," the aircraft's

tactical coordinator, Eike Bretschneider,

communicated via radio with the only vessel

nearby. The captain of the Nour 2, agreed to

change course and check up on the flimsy boat.

But after seeing the boat had a Libyan flag, the

people refused its assistance, the captain

reported back on the crackling radio.

"They say they only have 20 liters of fuel left,"

the captain, who did not identify himself by

name, told the Seabird. "They want to continue

on their journey." The small boat's destination

was the Italian island of Lampedusa, where

tourists sitting in outdoor cafes sipped on

Haiti. The kidnapping of the

missionaries comes just

days after high-level U.S.

officials visited Haiti and

promised more resources

for Haiti's National Police,

including another $15

million to help reduce gang

violence, which this year has

displaced thousands of

Haitians who now live in

temporary shelters in

increasingly unhygienic

conditions.

Among those who met

with Haiti's police chief was

Uzra Zeya, U.S. under

secretary of state for civilian

security, democracy, and

human rights.

"Dismantling violent

gangs is vital to Haitian

stability and citizen

security," she recently

tweeted.

Volunteers in the sky watch

over migrant rescues by sea

Aperol Spritz, oblivious to what was unfolding

some 60 nautical miles (111 km/68 miles) south

of them on the Mediterranean Sea.

Bretschneider, a 30-year-old social worker,

made some quick calculations and concluded

the migrants must have departed Libya

approximately 20 hours ago and still had some

15 hours ahead of them before they reached

Lampedusa. That was if their boat did not fall

apart or capsize along the way.

Despite the risks, many migrants and

refugees say they'd rather die trying to cross to

Europe than be returned to Libya where, upon

disembarkation, they are placed in detention

centers and often subjected to relentless abuse.

Bretschneider sent the rubber boat's

coordinates to the air liaison officer sitting in

Berlin, who then relayed the position (inside

the Maltese Search and Rescue zone) to both

Malta and Italy. Unsurprisingly to them, they

received no response. Running low on fuel, the

Seabird had to leave the scene. "We can only

hope the people will reach the shore at some

moment or will get rescued by a European

coast guard vessel," Bretschneider told AP as

they made their way back. The activists have

grown used to having their distress calls go

unanswered.

For years human rights groups and

international law experts have denounced that

European countries are increasingly ignoring

their international obligations to rescue

migrants at sea.

House fire in eastern

Pakistan kills 7

family members

MULTAN, PAKISTAN :

Police were investigating

after a fire overnight in

eastern Pakistan killed

seven family members, a

rescue official said Sunday,

reports UNB.

The fire ignited at a house

in the Ali Pur area of

Muzaffar Garh district in

Punjab province, said rescue

service chief Dr. Hussain

Mian.

He said firefighters

retrieved the charred bodies

of a 65-year-old man, two

women ages 35 and 19, three

boys ages 3, 10 and 12 and a

2-month-old infant.

Mian said the bodies have

been sent for autopsy and

forensic examination.

Police said the cause of the

fire was being investigated

and investigators want to

know why none of the family

members woke up when the

fire erupted.

Robert Durst

hospitalized

with COVID-19,

his lawyer says

LOS ANGELES : New York

real estate heir Robert Durst,

who days ago was sentenced

in a two-decade-old murder

case, has been hospitalized

after contracting COVID-19,

his lawyer said Saturday,

Defense Attorney Dick

DeGuerin said he was notified

that Durst was admitted after

testing positive for the

coronavirus. De Guerin told

multiple media outlets that

Durst is on a ventilator.

Additional details on his

condition were not

immediately made available,

reports UNB.

The Los Angeles Superior

Court said in a statement

Saturday that the court was

notified someone present for

the sentencing hearing for

Durst on Thursday had tested

positive for COVID-19.

"As a result, the Court will

follow CDC and LA County

Department of Public Health

guidelines for assessing close

contacts of the infected

individual," the statement

read. No additional COVID-

19 cases have been reported.

Durst, 78, was sentenced

Thursday to life in prison

without a chance of parole for

the murder of his best friend

more than two decades ago.

Durst, who has numerous

medical issues, sat in a

wheelchair with a catatonic

stare during much of the

sentencing hearing.

UN chief welcomes

unilateral

cease-fire in CAR

UNITED NATIONS : UN

Secretary-General Antonio

Guterres on Saturday

welcomed the unilateral

declaration of a nationwide

cease-fire by the

government of the Central

African Republic (CAR).

The secretary-general

commended the critical step

in line with the Joint

Roadmap for Peace in the

Central African Republic

adopted by the international

conference on the Great

Lakes Region on Sept. 16,

said his spokesman

Stephane Dujarric in a

statement. Guterres called

on all the other parties in the

CAR to immediately respect

the cease-fire and renew

efforts to implement the

2019 peace agreement. He

urged all parties to engage

constructively through an

inclusive political dialogue,

said the statement.

The secretary-general

reiterated his commitment

to continue mobilizing the

international community to

support the government and

people of the CAR in their

quest for peace,

reconciliation, and

development, it said.

The unilateral cease-fire

was announced by CAR

President Faustin-Archange

Touadera on Friday.

BEIRUT : The families of the

victims of last year's massive

Beirut port blast reaffirmed

their support Saturday for the

judge leading the investigation

into the explosion, despite

increasing calls for his ouster by

the militant Hezbollah group

and its allies.

The families' statement was

apparently meant to counter a

video released by their

spokesman on social media late

monDAY, october 18, 2021

7

Families of Beirut blast victims back

judge amid pressure

Friday in which he calls on

Judge Tarek Bitar to step down.

The spokesman, Ibrahim

Hoteit, could not be reached for

comment. It was unclear if he

had made the video under

pressure. The families said he

had not coordinated with them,

as is customary, and that the

video took them by surprise.

Since the August 2020

explosion, which killed at least

215 people, the families of the

victims have taken on an

increasingly prominent role in

Lebanon with their demands

for accountability. After the

blast, it emerged from

documents that several senior

politicians and security chiefs

had known about the hundreds

of tons of highly combustible

ammonium nitrate stored

haphazardly in a port

warehouse and had done

nothing about it.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2021

8

Dekko ISHO Technologies (DITECH), a concern of leading conglomerate - Dekko ISHO Group, has signed

a strategic capital investment agreement with Fashol.com Limited, A B2B startup aiming to change the

country's age-old perishable supply chain using technology, data, and efficient logistics. Photo: Couretry

3rd Quarter business conference

of Social Islami Bank held

Social Islami Bank Limited

(SIBL) arranged a two days

long Business Conference of

the 3rd Quarter of 2021 to

evaluate the business

position of the Bank through

virtual platform on October

16-17. Quazi Osman Ali,

Managing Director and CEO

of the Bank, presided over

the program.

Md. Tajul Islam,

Additional Managing

Director, Abu Naser

Chowdhury, Md. Sirajul

Hoque, Md. Shamsul Hoque

and

Mohammad

Forkanullah, Deputy

Managing Directors, Abdul

Hannan Khan, Company

Secretary, Kazi Obaidul Al-

Faruk, Head of HRD were

NEW YORK : Exhausted after working long

hours during the coronavirus pandemic and

resentful that their bosses are not sharing

sometimes huge profits, tens of thousands of

nurses, laborers and entertainment workers

are going on strike across the United States,

reports BSS.

If they fail to reach agreement with the

Hollywood studios on a new collective

bargaining contract, 60,000 members of the

International Alliance of Theatrical Stage

Employees plan to strike on Monday. The

IATSE includes cinematographers,

hairdressers, makeup artists and sound

editors.

Some 31,000 employees of the Kaiser

Permanente healthcare group in the western

states of California and Oregon are also poised

to strike soon.

Since Thursday, 10,000 employees of the

John Deere farm equipment company have

been on strike; while 1,400 workers walked off

the job at the Kellogg's cereal company on

October 5, and more than 2,000 employees of

Mercy Hospital in Buffalo, New York, began

striking on October 1.

The sudden rash of strikes this month has

even led some to coin the word "Striketober," a

neologism since embraced on social media

even by prominent progressive Democrat

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

During the pandemic, workers say, they

often had to bear extra burdens to make up for

WASHINGTON : New applications for

US unemployment benefits dipped below

300,000 for the first time since the

pandemic began, a milestone in the labor

market's recovery from the devastation

wrought by the virus last year, reports

BSS.

President Joe Biden heralded the data

as a victory for his policies.

The tally of weekly applications for

jobless aid became one of the most visible

signs of economic ravages of Covid-19, as

the total surged into the millions in

March 2020.

Claims have declined steadily this year

as vaccines allowed employers to rebuild

their staff, and the total dropped to

293,000 in the week ended October 9,

the lowest level since the crisis started,

the Labor Department reported

also present in the program.

Divisional Heads, Branch

Managers and Subbranch In-

Charges virtually joined the

program. The conference

reviewed business progress

of the Bank from January to

September 2021 and chalked

out various policy to achieve

yearly target. The MD & CEO

also said that SIBL has been

maintaining a steady growth

Frustrated and weary over

long pandemic hours, more

US workers are striking

others who were staying home.

"We've sacrificed our time with our families,

we missed ballgames with our kids and dinners

and weddings, in order to keep boxes of cereal

on the shelves," said Dan Osborn, a mechanic

at Kellogg's for 18 years.

"And this is how we're getting repaid," he

continued, "by asking us to take concessions at

a time when the CEO and executives have

taken increases in their compensation."

Osborn, the president of a local chapter of the

Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and

Grain Millers union (BCTGM), said workers

object to a two-tier pay system that leaves some

newer employees making far less than older

workers.

"We are not asking for anything as far as

increases in our wages and benefits," he said.

Nor are workers opposing long hours.

But they do reject a pay system that leaves

some employees earning less for the same

work, and to a revocation of inflation-linked

pay raises- particularly at a time when prices

have been surging.

"The strike can go however long it takes,"

Osborn said. "All we have to do is hold out one

day longer than the company."

Success inspires others -

Most of the strikes are motivated by

demands for better working conditions, said

Kate Bronfenbrenner, who specializes in union

and labor issues at Cornell University in New

York.

Thursday.

"With both Covid-19 cases and

unemployment claims declining, it is

clearer than ever that America is in the

midst of an historic economic recoveryone

that continues to lead the world,"

Biden said about the data.

Since taking office in January, Biden

has staked his presidency on both

fighting off Covid-19 and revitalizing the

economy through massive spending bills,

one of which he succeeded in passing,

though two others aimed at

infrastructure and social programs

remain mired in Congress. Even as

claims inch closer to 256,000, the level on

March 14, 2020, the last week of

normalcy before the pandemic

shutdowns began, American workers face

headwinds.

in all its business indicators

by rendering modern and

technology-based services at

the doorstep of the people of

the country and this trend of

innovation will continue.

US stocks

rise again,

finish with

weekly gains

NEW YORK : Wall Street

stocks scored another

winning session Friday

following good economic

data and earnings,

concluding a positive week

on a strong note, reports

BSS.

US retail sales posted a

surprise 0.7 percent increase

in September, according to

government data, pushed by

broad gains that extended

beyond gasoline and autos.

The better-than-expected

report, coupled with strong

earnings from Goldman

Sachs, lifted stocks further

after major indices surged

more than 1.5 percent on

Thursday.

"The US economy has lost

some luster, but demand

appears resilient in the face

of lingering supply-chain

disruptions," said Greg Daco

of Oxford Economics.

"With the health situation

having improved

considerably over the past

few weeks, consumer

spending is firming and

high-frequency data points

to an acceleration in

employment growth."

US jobless claims dip below key pandemic threshold

These include supply chains snarls that

have pushed prices up, as well as the

Delta variant of the virus, which has

fueled a spike in cases in recent weeks

though that now appears to be ebbing.

Nonetheless, Ian Shepherdson of

Pantheon Macroeconomics said the labor

data predict that better days are ahead.

"Claims won't keep falling at the pace

seen over the past couple weeks, but the

trend clearly is downwards and as the

economy re-emerges from the Delta

wave, layoffs will decline further," he

wrote in an analysis. Applications from

workers seeking jobless benefits

remained elevated for much of 2020

before vaccines brought a decisive decline

this year, though the fast-spreading Delta

variant's wave of infections arrested that

progress in recent weeks.

Quicker vaccinations

key to pandemic

recovery: IMF

WASHINGTON : Accelerating

the pace of vaccinations

worldwide will be key not just

to containing the coronavirus

pandemic, but also to resolving

the speed bumps besetting the

global economic recovery, IMF

chief Kristalina Georgieva said

Thursday, reports BSS.

Finance officials gathered for

the annual meeting of the

Washington-based crisis lender

have flagged concerns about

supply chain bottlenecks that

are pushing prices higher.

Those disruptions stem from

the unprecedented situation

created by the pandemic and

the sharp rebound in demand

as economies reopen, as well as

struggles to hire workers amid

renewed infections from the

Delta variant of the

coronavirus.

But Georgieva said the "more

fundamental problem" is the

growing divergence between

"countries that are pulling

forward more strongly, and

those that are falling behind,"

largely due to the drastically

lower vaccination rates in

lower-income nations. "There

was a very clear message

coming out of this meeting that

vaccinating the world is

critical," she told reporters.

While advanced countries

are starting to provide booster

shots, about 96 percent of the

population of low-income

countries are unvaccinated.

Georgieva repeated the

Fund's view that inflation

pressures are mostly transitory,

but the committee stressed that

central banks will be watching

prices closely and will take

action if "concrete" risks

materialize.

Less product, same price:

‘Shrinkflation’ hits US shoppers

NEW YORK : More air in that

bag of chips? Fewer flakes in

your cereal box? You're not

imagining it: "Shrinkflation,"

a tactic used by industry to

hide price increases, is back in

vogue.

Facing the post-pandemic

inflationary surge, partly

fueled by bottlenecks in global

supply and trouble finding

workers, companies are under

more pressure to deal with

rising costs, reports BSS.

Consumer advocate Edgar

Dworsky, who has followed

the phenomenon he calls

downsizing for quarter of a

century, says he has identified

dozens of products in recent

months that have seen sneaky

price increases.

He found goods ranging

from Charmin toilet paper

rolls to Cheerios cereal, to

Royal Canin canned cat food,

where the size or weight has

shrunk, but the price remains

the same.

In September, food giant

General Mills, maker of

Cheerios, flagged the soaring

costs for materials and labor

to justify conventional price

increases but also changes to

"PPA"-price

pack

architecture-a technical term

for the adjustment of size or

quantities.

While these small changes

in size could pass largely

unnoticed in the past, the

internet era puts them in the

spotlight.

On the social network

Reddit, the "Shrinkflation"

group has 14,500 members,

who share their discoveries

though mostly tongue-incheek

rather than to protest.

"It's definitely more

insidious because shrinkage,

at least for me, is less

noticeable than a price

increase," Jonathan Khoo, 44,

a software designer in Oregon,

told AFP.

But "it's the delay in finding

out that you've been played"

that makes the tactic "much

worse" than a straightforward

price hike, he said.

Pierre Chandon, professor

of marketing at the Sorbonne

University's INSEAD

behavioral lab, said shoppers

feel they have been scammed

because "most consumers

have a mistaken idea that the

quantities are standardized,

regulated," which is only true

for a few with rare exceptions

like alcohol.

"Since we assume that the

weight is fixed, we do not look

at it," Chandon said.

Fellow Oregon resident

Brian Johnson winced when

he recently saw that a

container of trendy local ice

cream brand Tillamook lost

six ounces, dropping to 48

ounces (to 1.42 liters from

1.65 liters).

"I know that companies are

doing this because consumers

have a price point for items

based on years of experience.

They expect to buy a container

of something within a price

range," the 52-year-old data

scientist said.

Dworsky, known as "Mr

Consumer," said companies

"don't take a step like that

lightly."

"They did the calculation"

and if they get a handful of

complaints "they send a

couple of bucks in coupons to

the consumer to get them to

keep buying."

In fact there are no

documented examples of

shoppers revolting against a

product that has shrunk, and

even the members of the

Reddit group hardly ever call

for a boycott of a brand.

"Perhaps we have learned

that this is normal and that if

we are fooled, it is because we

have been bad shoppers,"

Chandon explained.

Anand Krishnamoorthy, a

marketing professor at the

University of Central Florida,

said that even after the cost

spikes have receded, "there is

no incentive" for brands to

revert to their original size.

Examples of shrinkage can

be seen in many other sectorsfrom

tiny urban apartments

to legroom on airplanes-but

"where we notice it the most is

consumer packaged goods."

"Consumers don't

understand sizing as much as

they do prices,"

Krishnamoorthy said.

Chandon, the Sorbonne

professor, sees a silver lining

in the health benefits of

smaller package sizes.

"We know that the more

there is, the more we eat," he

said, and now "we are

returning to what were

normal portions not so long

ago."

Bogura Zone of Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited organized Clients' Get-together at a local hotel recently.

Mohammed Monirul Moula, Managing Director and CEO of the Bank addressed the program as chief guest.

Muhammad Qaisar Ali, Additional Managing Director and Miftah Uddin, Executive Vice President of the

bank addressed the program as special guest. Md. Abdus Sobhan, Head of Bogura Zone presided over the

program while Md. Rezaul Islam, Head of Bogura Branch addressed. Md. Fazlur Rahman Paikar, Managing

Director of Paiker Jute Mill Ltd, Md. Najir Hossain Prodhan, Chairman of Prodhan Group, Biplob Prosad

Kanu, Proprietor of M/s- BP Enterprise, Hasan Ali Alal, Chairman of Akbaria Group, Alal Ahmed, Managing

Director of Alal Group and TM Ali Haider, Managing Director of BCL Group addressed on behalf of clients.

Khaled Mahmud Raihan, FCCA, Senior Vice President, A.M. Shahidul Amran, Assistant Vice President along

with Head of Branches and distinguished clients attended the program.

Photo : Courtesy

Southeast Bank Limited launches 5 (five) Agent Banking outlets for the

unbanked people across the country specially at the rural and semi-urban

area. Southeast Bank formally launches 3 (Three) 'Tijarah'-Islamic Agent

Banking outlets at Rayarmahal Bazar, Khulna; Kumudini College Gate,

Tangail; Bisot Bazar, Satkhira; and 2 (Two) Conventional Agent Banking

Outlets at Sagorika Shopping Mall, Noapara Bus stand, Avoynagar, Jessore

and Bhanga Court Par Bazar, Faridpur. Its main objective is to uphold the

trend of financial inclusion and spread banking services at every corner of the

country. M. Kamal Hossain, Managing Director of Southeast Bank Limited

inaugurated the formal operation of 3 Islamic and 2 Conventional Agent

Banking outlets as the Chief Guest. Other officials of the Bank and Proprietors

of the 5 Agent outlets were also present.

Photo: Courtesy

Biden signs

debt increase

bill into law

WASHINGTON: US

President Joe Biden signed

into law Thursday a bill to lift

the nation's borrowing

authority, averting the threat

of a first-ever debt default-but

only for a few weeks, reports

BSS.

On Tuesday the

Democratic-controlled House

of Representatives voted

along party lines to pass the

stop-gap $480 billion hike,

which advanced from the

Senate last Thursday after

weeks of heated debate.

Without this increase in the

debt limit, the Treasury

warned that the federal

government would be

incapable of securing and

servicing loans after October

18. This would have

reverberated around the

world as an economic

catastrophe. This increase in

the debt ceiling "is expected to

be sufficient to allow the

Federal Government to

continue to meet its full

commitments through early

December," the White House

said in a one sentence

statement announcing Biden

signed the bill.

Bernardo Silva (right) scored Manchester City's first goal against Burnley.

photo: Ap

Man City prove too strong for Burnley

SportS DeSk

Manchester City remained on

Liverpool's tails at the top of the

Premier League by seeing off Burnley

2-0 at the Etihad thanks to goals from

Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne

on Saturday, reports AP.

Pep Guardiola's men were far from

their fluent best, but did enough to

remain just one point behind the

leaders.

Silva snapped up the rebound after

Nick Pope denied Phil Foden early on

before De Bruyne's blast made the

game safe 20 minutes from time.

Raheem Sterling's suggestion he

could look to leave City if he is not

afforded more minutes caught

Guardiola unaware when he faced the

media on Friday.

Guardiola responded by handing the

England international a rare Premier

League start this season among five

changes from a 2-2 draw at Liverpool

before the international break.

But Sterling struggled to make an

impact in a disjointed first 45 minutes

from the hosts.

"After the international break we take

the victory and look what's next," said

Guardiola.

"All the guys gave everything. It

doesn't matter if the performance is

good or not, it's important that you

fight for your teammates and everyone

was incredible."

Silva continued his bright early

season form as his side's standout

performer.

The Portuguese started the move for

the opening goal by picking out Foden

at the edge of the area and when his

shot was parried by Pope, Silva

followed up to smash home the

rebound.

Burnley had lost 5-0 on their four

previous visits to the Etihad and Pope

spread himself to save brilliantly from

Joao Cancelo moments later to prevent

the floodgates opening once more.

But it was the Clarets who came

closest to scoring as the half-time

whistle approached.

Maxwel Cornet scored four goals in

three appearances for Lyon against City

in the Champions League and the

Ivorian should have been the scourge of

the English champions again.

Zack Steffen, deputising for Ederson

due to his late return from

international duty with Brazil, saved a

one-on-one with Cornet before the

forward blasted a second attempt over.

Josh Brownhill then fired just wide a

good chance to equalise before the

break.

Burnley were also unfortunate when

Aymeric Laporte was shown just a

yellow card for a dangerous sliding

challenge on Dwight McNeil.

City upped the tempo at the start of

the second half with Sterling restored to

his favoured position on the left of the

front three.

Riyad Mahrez hit the bar from

Sterling's cut-back before Foden just

did not get enough on an attempted lob

over Pope.

The second goal City craved to make

sure of the three points also had a hint

of controversy.

Again Burnley were less than

impressed with referee Martin

Atkinson as Mahrez collided with

Ashley Westwood to allow the ball to

break to De Bruyne, who crashed the

ball high past Pope.

Chris Wood should have halved the

visitors' arrears when he blasted over

with just Steffen to beat, but his lack of

composure showed why Burnley

remain without a league win this

season.

"I'm a realist, you have to get points

on the table," said Burnley boss Sean

Dyche. "You have to find a way to win

and you have to find that however it

might come."

Afghanistan will stick to daring

T20 approach, says skipper Nabi

SportS DeSk

Afghanistan captain

Mohammad Nabi said his

team will shrug off political

and travel turmoil to thrive at

the T20 World Cup by

remaining true to their

philosophy of "daring cricket",

reports BSS.

Since the return of the

Taliban in the country,

Afghanistan briefly faced the

possibility of being banned

from the tournament if the

women's game was

discontinued.

Then star spinner Rashid

Khan stepped down as

captain before visa issues

placed yet another familiar

hurdle in the path of the

resilient Afghanistan team.

All-rounder Nabi agreed to

replace Rashid at the helm

and played down the turmoil

plaguing the team.

"The team is brilliant, they

have been preparing for the

last one and a half months,"

said Nabi.

"There was a little bit of a

struggle on visas, so they

didn't arrive in the UAE early.

They were practising in

Qatar."

Nabi, like Rashid, was

already in the UAE, playing in

the Indian Premier League

with Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Problematic build-ups are

not unusual for Afghanistan.

They lost all nine matches in

the 50-over World Cup in

2019 in England when captain

Asghar Afghan was sacked

weeks before the event to be

replaced by Gulbadin Naib.

But Twenty20 is the format

where Afghanistan thrive

having won 12 consecutive

matches in 2018-19 -- the

most by any team.

They also hold the record

for the highest total in T20

internationals of 278-3

against Ireland at Dehradun

in 2019.

Opener Hazratullah Zazai,

part of the current squad, hit

the most sixes in an innings

with 16 in a robust 162 not

out, the second highest

individual score behind

Australia's Aaron Finch's 172.

Nabi vowed his team will

not change their aggressive

style.

"This is our mindset to

always play daringly," said

Nabi, who also skippered

Afghanistan in the 2015 50-

over World Cup in Australia.

"We have the same

approach in bowling, whether

they are fast bowlers or

spinners."

Nabi added that former

Zimbabwe player and

England coach Andy Flower,

hired as a batting consultant

for this event, will lift the

team. "He (Flower) is a great

coach and also a great mentor

for every player. He knows a

lot about the pitches in UAE,"

said Nabi. Nabi said he

relished regaining the

leadership.

"Yeah, it's (captaincy) a

tough job but I will try my best

to lead the team in the World

Cup and perform well in the

tournament.

"I am really excited to play

as a captain in this event."

Afghanistan will play their

first match on October 25

against a qualifier from Group

B, likely to be Bangladesh.

Afghanistan captain Mohammad Nabi said his team will shrug off political and travel turmoil to

thrive at the t20 World Cup by remaining true to their philosophy of "daring cricket". photo: Ap

Dravid set to

be next India

coach: report

SportS DeSk

Former Indian cricket

captain Rahul Dravid is set

to take over as the senior

team's head coach after the

T20 World Cup, local media

reports said Saturday,

reports BSS.

The Times of India

newspaper quoted an

anonymous official at the

Board of Control for Cricket

in India (BCCI) as saying

that the 48-year-old former

batting stalwart would be

given a two-year contract.

According to the report,

Dravid's former teammate

Paras Mhambrey will join as

the team's bowling coach.

Former England captain

Michael Vaughan tweeted

Saturday that "the rest of the

world better beware" if

reports of Dravid's

appointment were true.

Known as "Mr

Dependable" or "The Wall"

among Indian cricket fans,

Dravid played 164 tests and

344 one-day internationals

from 1996 to 2012.

Currently director of the

National Cricket Academy in

the southern city of

Bangalore, he is credited

with mentoring many of the

young cricketers in the

current national team.

Dravid will take charge

ahead of the New Zealand

series after the T20 World

Cup, the Times of India

reported.

Current coach Ravi Shastri

last month signalled his

intention to step down after

the tournament, which

starts Sunday and runs until

November 14.

The former all-rounder

has been head coach since

2017 after spending three

years as the team's director.

"I believe one thing...

never overstay your

welcome," Shastri said last

month.

Fowler takes lead

in Las Vegas, eyes

end to drought

SportS DeSk

Rickie Fowler, aiming to put a

season of struggle behind

him, fired a nine-under par 63

on Saturday to grab a twostroke

lead over Rory McIlroy

in the CJ Cup in Las Vegas,

reports BSS.

Fowler notched his best

round in three years, firing

nine birdies without a bogey

at the Summit Club, which is

hosting the tournament

usually held in South Korea

because of the coronavirus

pandemic.

Fowler won the most recent

of his five US PGA Tour titles

at the 2019 Phoenix Open.

Last season he failed to

qualify for the FedEx cup

playoffs for the first time in his

11-year career and he came

into the week ranked 128th in

the world. He will have his

work cut out for him on

Sunday with low scores

abounding at the Summit,

where McIlroy capped his

bogey-free 10-under par 62

with a 21- foot eagle at the

18th. He was looking forward

to the challenge.

"I haven't been there a lot

the last couple of years, so it's

nice to be back in that

position," Fowler said. "It's

been a long time coming. It's

been a long road, tough times.

We're not done."

Northern Ireland's McIlroy

was nine off the pace at the

start of the round, but raced

up the leaderboard with five

birdies in a row from the third

through the seventh holes.

He added a birdies at the

ninth, 12th and 14th before

his final flourish.

"I think on a course like this

you're going to have stretches

where you're going to play

good golf and hit good shots

and maybe just not hole the

putts," McIlroy said.

"I played an eight-hole

stretch yesterday in even par,

I made eight pars in row. It

was nice to finish with a birdie

last night. Then today I played

a stretch of golf, played nine

holes in six-under and all of a

sudden you feel a little better

about yourself.

MoNDAY, oCtoBer 18, 2021

9

Late Lobete goal sends 10-man

Real Sociedad top of La Liga

SportS DeSk

Real Sociedad moved ahead of Real Madrid

to the top of La Liga on Saturday after

scoring a dramatic last-minute winner to

beat Real Mallorca, despite playing half the

game with 10 men, reports BSS.

Julen Lobete fired inside the near post in

the 90th minute to snatch a 1-0 victory and

spark pandemonium at the Reale Arena,

where the fans and players celebrated like

they had won a trophy.

"I was crying with joy," said Lobete, who

had covered his face with his hands after

scoring. "I can't describe it."

In jubilant scenes after the final whistle,

the players paraded the 2020 Copa del Rey

trophy - won earlier this year in the

postponed final against Basque rivals

Athletic Club - in front of their own fans for

the first time.

"These players don't lack ambition or belief

but when the fans are like that in Reale

Arena, it's easier," said coach Imanol

Aguacil.

"We were able to celebrate with them,

show them the cup and live that moment

with them. We know the love they have for

the players and from the players for the

fans."

And while Real Madrid face Barcelona in

the first Clasico of the season next Sunday,

Real Sociedad's game away at reigning

champions Atletico Madrid now has more

riding on it at the top of the table.

Atletico are also three points behind La

Real."It's a great start but that's all it is,"said

Aguacil. "We have to continue in this way."

With Real Madrid and Atletico both sitting

out the weekend's matches due to the

extended South American international

break, Real Sociedad knew they could take

first place by avoiding defeat against

promoted Mallorca.

But winning became a harder task when

Aihen Munoz was given a second yellow card

at the end of the first half, a wild hack on

Mallorca's Rodrigo Battaglia leaving his

team to play the whole second period with a

man less.

Yet La Real never crumbled and instead

grabbed a sensational winner in injury-time.

Lobete, who had come on as a substitute,

collected Martin Zubimendi's through ball

on the edge of the area and just as he looked

to have lost his balance, he shifted the ball

right and unleashed.

Mallorca goalkeeper Manolo Reina got a

hand to the shot but failed to prevent the ball

squirming inside the near post.

Real Sociedad's players rushed to the

corner, piling onto each other in celebration.

real Sociedad moved ahead of real Madrid to the top of La Liga on

Saturday after scoring a dramatic last-minute winner to beat real

Mallorca.

photo: Ap

Beijing flame to be lit in

a vacuum in Olympia

SportS DeSk

The Olympic flame will once again be lit in an

empty stadium on Monday as it starts its

truncated journey to Beijing for the Winter

Games in February, reports BSS.

Like the ceremony in March 2020 to light

the flame for Tokyo, and like those Games,

which were put back a year, Monday's

ceremony is a victim of coronavirus

restrictions. "Due to the situation created by

the Covid-19 pandemic, the Lighting

Ceremony will be held in strict compliance

with local health protocols," the Hellenic

Olympic Committee announced in

September. The ceremony is conducted at

the ruins of the Temple of Hera in Olympia,

site of the ancient Greek games from eighth

century BC to the fourth century AD.

Clear skies are forecast for 11.30 local time

(0830 GMT) when the flame is due to be lit

by the rays of the sun concentrated in a

concave. Priestess Xanthi Georgiou will light

IOC has 'concerns' over FIFA's

biennial World Cup plan

SportS DeSk

The International Olympic Committee on

Saturday hit out at FIFA's controversial

plans to hold the men's football World Cup

every two years, expressing concerns on the

impact it could have on other sports, reports

BSS. The project, which has the backing of

former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger

who now works for FIFA, has come in for

heavy criticism from continental federations

UEFA and CONMEBOL, as well as coaches

and pundits.

The IOC added its voice to those opposing

the proposals, saying that many sports

federations had spoken out against the idea.

"The Executive Board (EB) of the

International Olympic Committee (IOC)

takes note of FIFA's plans to change the

football competition schedule and to hold

the World Cup every two years," the IOC said

in a statement.

"A number of International Federations

(IFs) of other sports, national football

the torch from the flames.

Before the pandemic, the flame had been

lit behind closed doors once, in 1984, when

Greek organisers wanted to protest against

the decision of the Los Angeles organisers to

accept sponsorship of stretches of the torch

relay in the United States.

This time the ceremony will be held in

front of an audience limited to the members

of the International Olympic Committee, the

Greek and Chinese Olympic committees as

well as the president of Greece, Katerina

Sakellaropoulou, and vaccinated members

of the media. While Greek skiers will run the

first and last legs, and a Chinese participant

will also carry the torch in a brief relay,

organisers have decided to skip the usual

journey round the country.

"There will be no Torch Relay on Greek soil

and following the Lighting Ceremony in

Ancient Olympia the Olympic Flame will be

transferred to the Acropolis where it will stay

overnight," they said on October 12.

federations, clubs, players, players

associations and coaches have expressed

strong reservations and concerns regarding

the plans to generate more revenue for

FIFA."

The IOC listed the "impact on other

sports", "challenges for the further

promotion of women's football" and a

"further massive strain" on players' health as

reasons not to play the World Cup more

regularly.

"The IOC shares these concerns and

supports the calls of stakeholders of football,

international sports federations and major

event organisers for a wider consultation,

including with athletes' representatives,

which has obviously not taken place," the

statement added.

The World Cup has been played every

four years, apart from cancellations during

World War II, since the inaugural edition in

1930. FIFA also wants continental

championships, including the Euro and

Copa America, to be played every two years.

MONDAY, OcTOBER 18, 2021

10

Badhon to make

her Bollywood

debut in 'Khufiya'

Jaya Ahsan wins best actress

award in Madrid

TBT REPORT

Dhallywood popular heroine

Azmeri Haque Badhon is all set

to make her Bollywood debut

through Netflix with the Indian

National Film Award-winning

director Vishal Bhardwaj's latest

film titled 'Khufiya'.

Director Vishal Bharadwaj

looking for a Bangladeshi actress

for his new film titled 'Khufiya'.

Earlier, two Dhallywood

atresses Bidya Sinha Mim and

Mehazabin Chowdhury turned

down the offer due controversial

issues about Bangladesh in the

story. Now model, actress

Ajmeri Haque Bandhan will be

doing the film. It is learnt that

the actress has already flown to

Delhi to act in the movie

'Khufia'. Vishal Bharadwaj has

confirmed this information by

posting a picture with a picture

the actress on his Instagram

handle at noon on Thursday

October 14 and wrote, 'So

delighted to have this gorgeous

actor from Bangladesh.'

The Bollywood director Vishal

Bharadwaj is best known for his

Shakespeare trilogy 'Maqbool',

'Omkara' and 'Haidar.' He is the

recipient of seven National Film

Awards in four categories. This

time he is coming with a spy

thriller based on Amar

Bhushan's 2012 novel titled

"Escape to Nowhere".

The film titled 'Khufiya' will

follow a whistleblower, which

nervously drops in to share his

suspicion about a senior

colleague's involvement in

espionage with the head of the

security division of the Agency,

India's External Intelligence

Service. A teaser of the movie

has been released on September

26. Popular Bollywood actor Ali

Fazal was seen there. The

description also includes the

names of Bollywood actress

Tabu and Punjabi actress

Wamika Gabbi, Ashish

Vidyarthi and others.

Recently, actress and model

Ajmeri Haque Bandhan was

nominated for Best Actress at

the Asia Pacific Screen Awards

(APSA) in Australia. This Lux

star became the first

Bangladeshi to get a place in this

prestigious event. Bandhan got

the nomination due to her

impeccable performance in

Abdullah Mohammad Saad

directed movie titled 'Rehana

Maryam Noor'.

TBT REPORT

Popular Bangladeshi actor Jaya

Ahsan has received the award for

Best lead actress in a foreign

language film at Madrid

International film festival 2020.

The actor conferred the

award from one of the most

prestigious film festivals in

Europe for her performance in

Atanu Ghosh directorial film

"Robibaar."

Jaya had to compete with 18

other actors to secure the award.

Though the award was

announced in December, the

actor received the memento of

the award this weekend.

Sharing the picture of the

award, the actor expressed

gratitude to the director and the

entire cast of "Robibaar" for their

contribution. Noted Indian

director Atanu Gosh also

received an award for Best

Original Screenplay of a Foreign

Language Film in Madrid

International Film Festival for

Jaya Ahsan starring film

"Robibaar."

"Robibaar" was released in

Kolkata on 27 December 2019

and hit the theatres of

Bangladesh on 21 February

2021.

Ranveer Singh shortlists Shuryaveer

Singh as his baby's name?

sALEHUDDIN sOHEL

I have been a fan of superstar hero Shakib

Khan since childhood.I used to enjoy

Shakib's acting on my own, and I thought I

would be a movie hero when I grow up, I am

Fan of Shakib Khan since

childhood: Akash Nibir

still walking on the path of that dream.

These words are from the journalist,

lyricist and producer Akash Nibir.The

popular lyricist and producer shared his

dreams and reality with this reporter.

He has also made a name for himself as a

producer with the popularity of several

songs written by him along with the voices of

popular artists.

Akash Nibir was born and raised in

Basanter Para village of Saghata upazila of

Gaibandha district. After completing SSC

from local Jumar Bari High School, he

completed Honors in Bengali in 2007. In

2017, he made his debut as an entertainment

journalist in the daily Karatoya, and also

started working as a producer.Nibir started

working as a lyricist from his student life, so

far 22 songs written by him have been

published.The songs were sung by popular

singers Mohammad Milon, Kamruzzaman

Rabbi, AI Tutul, Monir Khan and many

other emerging artists.Among the web films

and dramas published under the direction of

Akash Nibir are Ghasha, Matal, Ghumbaj,

Ek Raat Golpo, Duet, Twin Love etc.

Among the unpublished works are Behind

the Tokai, Hawker, Rocky Pandey

etc.Besides, the popular web film Baji has

been released on the occasion of the recently

concluded Durga Puja.

When asked, Akash Nibir said, "It is my

dream to establish myself as a journalist as

well as an actor and producer." I am grateful

to Ishtiaq Ahmed Rumel, my icon as a

producer, for his guidance so far.

'Batman: The Animated Series' unmade

Arkham movie explained

Actor Ranveer Singh is geared

up for the premiere episode of

The Big Picture, a visual-based

quiz show. Ahead of the show,

the actor revealed that he

received a surprise from his

wife and actor

DeepikaPadukone.

"On my first day, I was

nervous and excited. Deepika

sent me flowers and a

handwritten note to wish me

the very best for the show," he

revealed. Ranveer has often

confessed how Deepika has

been a support system to him

since the beginning and even

gave him tips to host this quiz

show. During the show,

Ranveer also revealed that he

has been scouting for baby

names. While welcoming

Abhay Singh, a contestant

from Gorakhpur, Ranveer will

make a?delightful remark

about his future with Deepika.

(In two-three years, we will

also have a baby. Abhay, your

sister-in-law was such a cute

baby. My life will be sorted if I

have a baby like her)."

He added, "Main shortlist

karrahahun baby names. Agar

aap mind nahikarengay,

tohyehleelun main Shuryaveer

Singh! (I am shortlisting baby

names. If you don't mind, can I

take Shuryaveer Singh)."

The Big Picture will air on

Colors TV. The show will start

premiering on television from

October 16 onwards. It will air

every Saturday and Sunday at

8 pm. The audience will also

be able to watch the show on

Voot.

Source: The Indian Express

In the late 1990s, there were originally plans for a feature-length

spinoff film of 'Batman: The Animated Series' set around Arkham

Asylum - here's what is known about the project and why it was never

made. Intended as a follow-up to 'Batman' and 'Mr. Freeze: SubZero'

(1998), the film would have been the third

chronologically in the DC Animated

Universe. Although the project was

abandoned, concept art teases the story

and characters involved.

The Emmy-winning 'Batman: The

Animated Series' (1992-1995) is

commonly regarded as one of the finest

depictions of the 'Dark Knight'. Kevin

Conroy starred as Batman and Mark

Hamill as the Joker, both of whom have

since voiced the characters in numerous

animated shows, films, and video games.

The show was heavily influenced by the

Gothic world of Tim Burton's live-action

Batman films and is commended for its empathetic approach to its

villains and the creation of Harley Quinn. The show's first spinoff

film, 'Batman: Mask of the Phantasm' (1993), was released

theatrically to critical acclaim. Numerous villains were seen

incarcerated in Arkham Asylum throughout 'Batman: The Animated

Series', but the psychiatric institute and its inhabitants were

supposed to receive greater focus in the canceled animated movie.

Titled 'Batman: Arkham', many of the show's voice performers had

signed on to return, while Angie Harmon was cast as a new love

interest for the Caped Crusader. Unfortunately, the film was aborted

during pre-production in

favor of another film, instead

connected to the sequel series

'Batman Beyond' (1999-

2001).

The finer details of the

project remain undisclosed,

but the premise dealt with

Batman and Dick Grayson's

Robin tracking down several

escaped criminals from

Arkham. Boyd Kirkland, who

previously helmed SubZero

and worked on the original

show, was to write and direct

Batman: Arkham. Meanwhile, Steven E. Gordon designed concept

art for several characters, with the Joker, Poison Ivy and Bane teased

as the main villains. Meanwhile, Batman's new love interest was the

dark-haired Elizabeth, seen wearing a black suit with an

accompanying briefcase in one sketch and cozying up to Bruce

Wayne in another.

Source: BBC

H O R O s c O P E

ARIEs

(March 21 - April 20) : Today may

be taken up with doing a lot of lastminute

errands. You may be called

on to referee a dispute among

colleagues, relatives, or neighbors. Depending

on the nature of the spat, you may be able to

broker a temporary truce, but don't be too hard

on yourself if tempers simmer despite your best

efforts. Try and make relaxation a priority.

TAURUs

(April 21 - May 21) : A friend may have

some outrageous, unworkable ideas

for making money, Taurus. No matter

what they involve, you'll probably start

by listening just to be polite and then end up

wondering if your friend is still on this planet. This

isn't a good day to get involved in anything risky. If

asked, make your excuses. "Risky" is too mild a

word for this proposal!

GEMINI

(May 22 - June 21) : Today's

planetary aspects may have you

experiencing a little cabin fever. If

you have the urge to go off by yourself for a

while, do so. Try a new diversion. Drive down a

country road you've never explored. Find some

antique shops. You probably need a break from

your daily routine. You'll feel revitalized.

cANcER

(June 22 - July 23) : Some new

concepts involving the sciences that

you're trying to study may be difficult,

Cancer. You might be a little impatient

with yourself, viewing this confusion as a symptom

of mental dullness. These ideas could just be new to

you. Don't be afraid to ask someone to explain

things. There are times when hearing it makes it

more understandable than reading it.

LEO

(July 24 - Aug. 23): You may be

experiencing a wonderful openness to

new ideas and grand plans. You're

enjoying an active imagination and

your intuition is sharp. Trust in your self-awareness

and confidence. If a friend with a negative attitude

tries to dissuade you from your plans, keep it in

perspective. Consider the source. Stay in tune with

your initiatives and you'll succeed.

VIRGO

(Aug. 24 - Sept. 23): A social event

could put you in touch with a magnetic

woman who has a lot of interesting stories

to tell, Virgo. She probably exaggerates, so don't take

every detail as fact, but you'll enjoy meeting her anyway.

Don't commit to any proposal that you and she work on

a project together. She can be very convincing, but you'll

need to think about it carefully before deciding.

LIBRA

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

be trying to do some in-depth

research, Libra, but don't be surprised

if what you're looking for proves

difficult to find. You could get sidetracked by other

interesting subjects related to what you're doing.

Don't be upset with yourself. Finding what you need

won't be easy. Enjoy the side roads and go back to

your search tomorrow.

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): Today a charismatic,

artistic woman could visit your home,

Sagittarius. She could have a lot of ideas to

discuss, perhaps proposing that you work on

a project together. This might be a good idea, but don't

commit to it now. Your friend has a way of getting people all

excited and clouding their judgment. Wait until she leaves

and take some time to think. You'll be in a better space then.

cAPRIcORN

(Dec. 22 - Jan. 20) : The main things

you need to do today are relax and

enjoy your day. You may be feeling

a bit under the weather and have a

trip coming up that doesn't exactly thrill you.

Stay alert, because you may receive an

important message today from someone far

away. You may also have a visitor arriving from

out of town.

AQUARIUs

(Jan. 21 - Feb. 19) : Cupid may have

struck you unawares. Your libido

could be in high gear today and

you're ready for love. You look and

feel great. Try your best to reach the one you

love. If it isn't possible to get together this

evening, see if you can plan a romantic interlude

soon. If all else fails, dive into a romance novel

and escape that way.

PIscEs

(Feb. 20 - Mar. 20) :Attempts to balance

emotions with logic may not succeed today,

particularly where family is concerned,

Pisces. Members of your household may be

upset, and you might not be able to cheer them up. Perhaps

all you can do is leave them alone for a while to think. Only

they can understand their feelings and discern the right way

to proceed. Let them know you care, then back off.

MONDAY, OCTOBeR 18, 2021

11

US-Bangla to resume Dhaka-Kolkata

flights from October 21

DHAKA : US-Bangla Airlines will resume its

Dhaka- Kolkata flights from October 21

under the air bubble agreement inked

between Bangladesh and India, reports

UNB.

The flights will leave Dhaka at 9:45 am

every Thursday, Saturday and land in

Kolkata at 10:45 am (local time). On the

same days, the flights will leave Kolkata at

11and land in Dhaka at 12:30 PM.

The passengers' will have to secure

negative report of Covid-19 RT-PCR test

within 72 hours before taking flight. They

will also need to get molecular test done on

their own expenses after landing in Kolkata.

All the passengers are now allowed to

travel to India under the air bubble deal

following the current visa related directives.

With all the taxes and surcharges applied

US-Bangla's Dhaka-Kolkata one way flight

ticket price is Tk 7,226 and the price of

return ticket is Tk 12,733.

On September 2, the Civil Aviation

Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) accepted

the Indian civil aviation ministry's proposal

to resume Bangladesh-India air bubble

flights on September 4.

Later, India and Bangladesh mutually

decided to increase the frequency of flights

under the Air Bubble arrangement from 7 to

21 per week per country.

To book US-Bangla air tickets for any route

call on 01777777800-6 or 13605 numbers.

Venezuela halts talks after Maduro

ally's extradition to US

MIAMI : Venezuela's government said

Saturday it would halt negotiations with its

opponents in retaliation for the extradition

to the U.S. of a close ally of President

Nicolas Maduro who prosecutors believe

could be the most significant witness ever

about corruption in the South American

country, reports UNB.

Jorge Rodriguez, who has been heading

the government's delegation, said his team

wouldn't travel to Mexico City for the next

scheduled round of negotiations.

The announcement capped a tumultuous

day that saw businessman Alex Saab

placed on a U.S.-bound plane in Cape

Verde after a 16-month fight by Maduro

and his allies, including Russia, who

consider the Colombian-born

businessman a Venezuelan diplomat.

A few hours after news of Saab's

extradition blew up Venezuelan social

media, six American oil executives held on

house arrest were taken back to jail by

security forces - a sign that relations

between Washington and Caracas could be

upended after months of quiet diplomacy

since Joe Biden entered the White House.

Families of the men known as the Citgo 6 -

for the Houston subsidiary of Venezuela's

state-owned oil company where they

worked - expressed frustration with both

governments.

"The fact that Mr. Saab is in the U.S.

before my father is a disgrace," said

Cristina Vadell, whose father, Tomeu

Vadell, is among the Americans serving out

long sentences on what the U.S.

government considers trumped-up

charges.

"This is additional proof that these

Americans are held hostage in Venezuela,

and President Biden's administration

needs to recognize this and win their

release immediately," she added.

Saab is expected to make his initial

appearance in court on Monday in Miami,

according to Justice Department

spokesperson Nicole Navas Oxman, who

expressed gratitude and admiration to the

government of Cabo Verde for its

professionalism and "perseverance with

this complex case."

Saab, 49, was arrested in the African

archipelago while making a stop on the

way to Iran for what Maduro's government

later described as a diplomatic

humanitarian mission that gives him

immunity from prosecution.

Station Officer of Mohammadpur Fire Station Ashraful Islam briefed Dhaka

Power Distribution Company Limited (DPDC) employees after a fire drill at

Jigatola 33/11 KV substation in the capital on Sunday. Photo: Courtesy

BU Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Md. Sadequl Arefin on Sunday visited the center where the cluster admission test

of 'Kha' unit for the academic year 2020-21 of first year students was held.

Photo: Zihad Rana

DPDC holds

fire drill in

the capital

A fire drill was held at

Jigatola 33/11 KV substation

in the capital under Dhaka

Power Distribution

Company Limited (DPDC)

on Sunday, a press release

said.

Dhaka Power Distribution

Company Limited (DPDC) is

also in the process of raising

awareness about fires and

teaching various firefighting

techniques to the employees

working in the company to

prevent massive loss of life

and property due to

unwanted fires. The fire drill

was held in the morning

with the help of Bangladesh

Fire Service and Civil

Defense Department.

A team of Bangladesh Fire

Service led by Station Officer

of Mohammadpur Fire

Station Ashraful Islam

conducted the drill. Jigatola

33/11 KV Substation,

Executive Engineer, NOCS

Jigatola, DPDC and Chief

Engineer, NOCS (North)

witnessed the drill while

more than two hundred

employees and took part in

various events.

DPDC Managing Director

Engineer Bikash Dewan,

Executive Director

(Engineering) Md. Gias

Uddin Joardar, Executive

Director (Operations) Abdur

Rauf Khan, Executive

Director (ICT &

Procurement) Abdullah

Noman, among others

exercise witnessed the

events.

At the end of the drill,

Station Officer Ashraful

Islam briefed the employees

on various fire fighting

techniques and taught them

how to use fire

extinguishers.

One killed, 2 burn

injured in

Chatttogram blast

CHATTOGRAM : A man

was killed and two others

suffered burn injuries in a

fire following an explosion at

a house at Bayezid Balu

chara in Chattogram port

city on Sunday, reports

UNB.

The deceased was

identified as Md Faruk alias

Akash, 27.

The explosion occurred on

the ground floor of the threestorey

building around

10:30 am, leaving three

people including a

pedestrian injured, said

Kamruzzaman, officer-incharge

of Bayezid Bostami

Police Station.

The injured were taken to

Chattogram Medical College

and Hospital with 70

percent burn injuries where

a victim died.

On information, a

firefighting unit rushed to

the spot and doused the

flame.

The second floor of the

building houses a mosque

and a madrasha and the

other floors were used as

mess, said the OC.

Fire service sources said

the fire might have broken

out flowing a gas cylinder

blast.

BU holds cluster

admission test

Zihad Rana, Barishal University

Cluster admission test of 'Kha' unit for the

academic year 2020-21 of first year

students of Barisal University (BU) was

held on Sunday.

The university authorities had published

the conditions for admission in Barisal

University (BU) through admission test in

cluster system. In this case the admitted

students have to fulfill the subject based

conditions.

BU Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Md.

Sadequl Arefin visited the center.

It is mentioned in the notification, in

order to be admitted in 'A' unit (science)

subjects, one has to get minimum 6 marks

in the relevant subject in the admission

test. To be admitted in the Department of

Mathematics, Statistics, Botany, one has

to have a relevant subject in the Higher

Secondary or equivalent examination. In

addition, in order to be admitted in the

biochemistry department, one has to have

a secondary or equivalent biology subject

and get minimum 6 marks in biology in

the admission test. Barisal University

authorities will take admission test of a

total of 10 departments under 2 faculties

in 'A' unit. If one wants to be admitted in

'B' unit (humanities) Bangla section, then

GD-1527/21 (7x4)

one have to get 12 in Bengali in admission

test and 14 in English to be admitted in

English section. In addition, if one wants

to be admitted in economics, it is

compulsory to have economics or

mathematics in higher secondary or

equivalent examination. However, no

conditions have been laid down for

admission in other departments of this

unit. This year, the authorities will take

admission in 'B' unit in 10 departments

under 3 faculties.

However, there is no requirement to

get the subject in 'C' unit (Business

Studies) by passing the examination in

'C' unit. However, in order to get the

subject of 'C' unit in case of branch

change, the students belonging to 'A' and

'B' units have to have higher secondary

or equivalent higher mathematics or

statistics or economics. This year, the

authorities will admit a total of 4

subjects under the Faculty of Business

Studies.

At present, the total number of seats in

Barisal University under 6 faculties is

1440. Besides, the university authorities

have not yet received approval for the

construction of a building and allotment of

rooms for the social work department.

2 e-posters published

on Sheikh Russel's

birthday

DHAKA : Two e-posters

have been published at the

initiative of the Father of the

Nation Bangabandhu

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's

Birth Centenary Celebration

National Implementation

Committee marking the

58th birthday of Shaheed

Sheikh Russel, the youngest

son of Bangabandhu Sheikh

Mujibur Rahman.

The

national

implementation committee

has requested all to spread

the e-posters widely in

electronic, online and social

media on behalf of the

committee to celebrate the

birth centenary of Father of

the Nation Bangabandhu

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

VGF rice distributed

among fishermen in

Dakshin Aicha

Tayibur Rahman, Char

Fasson Correspondent

In the first phase, rice has

been distributed among

1,468 VGF registered

fishermen families in

Charmanika Union No. 9 of

Dakshin Aicha Thana of Char

Fasson on Sunday. Local UP

members including Char

Manika Union Parishad

Chairman Shafiullah

Hawlader and Upazila Youth

Development Officer Tushar

Kanti Dey started

distribution of rice at the

Char Manika Union Parishad

office.

Regarding the distribution

of VGF rice to fishermen,

Upazila Fisheries Officer

Maruf Hossain Minar said,

"In the first phase, VGF rice

has been distributed among

1,468 registered fishermen

families in Char Manika

Union of the upazila."

Shafiullah Hawlader,

chairman of Char Manika

Union, distributed 20 kg of

VGF rice to 1468 fishermen

families in Char Manika

Union on Sunday as fishing is

prohibited in the sea.

VGF rice has been distributed among 1,468 VGF registered fishermen

families in Charmanika Union No. 9 of Dakshin Aicha

Thana of Char Fasson on Sunday. Photo: Tayibur Rahman

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18-10-2021

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