25-10-2021

Monday

DhaKa: October 25, 2021; Kartik 9, 1428 BS; Rabi-ul-awal 17,1443 hijri

www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www.bangladeshtoday.net

Regd.No.Da~2065, Vol.19; N o. 176; 12 Pages~Tk.8.00

international

Erdogan orders removal

of 10 ambassadors,

including US envoy

>Page 7

SPortS

Suarez deepens Barcelona

crisis, Koeman insists

he will continue

>Page 9

art & culture

Red-White for

Pori Moni's

Birthday Party

>Page 10

Payra bridge opens for

the commuters

ZiHAD RAnA, BUReAU CHief

Finally, the dream of the people of the Southern

region has come true. The Payrabridge has

been opened for travel.

After that the curious

crowd is crossing the

bridge on foot and by

car. Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina inaugurated

the bridge on

Sunday (October 24) at

10 am via video confce

from Ganobhaban.

At that time, the

Prime Minister

expressed her joy and

wished to cross the

bridge on foot. The

Prime Minister highlighted

various development

work and possibilities

during the

tenure of her government

in the Southern

region including

Patuakhali.

Construction of the bridge over the

Payra River on the Barisal-Patuakhali

Highway began in 2016. One hundred

percent work of the bridge has been completed.

SHAfiqUl iSlAM (JAMi)

Minister of Environment, Forests and

Climate Change Md. Shahab Uddin said

that the present government is trying to

save the dolphins. The government is

working sincerely to make this activity a

success. But many people deliberately kill

the animal for a variety of reasons, including

collecting dolphin's oil. Rewards will

be given to those who provide information

on these dolphin killers to the Forest

Department. He made the remarks at a

discussion meeting on the occasion of

International Freshwater Dolphin Day-

2021 organized by the Forest Department

Zohr

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated

Paira Bridge over the Paira River from her official

residence Ganobhaban. Photo : Star Mail

04:46 AM

11:50 PM

03:50 PM

05:30 PM

06:50 PM

6:00 5:26

Besides, the work of river bank protection

project is also in the final stage. Several safety

pillars have been installed on the bridge.

Monitoring arrangements have also been made

to see if there is any

damage to the bridge

due to natural calamities

like lightning and

earthquake.

The Chinese contractor

'Longjian Road and

Bridge Construction'

has completed the construction

of the bridge,

which is 1,470 meters

long and 19.76 meters

wide, is connected on

both sides by cables.

After the Karnafuli

Bridge

in

Chattogram, this is

the second bridge in

the country to be

built on an extra dose

cable system. The

bridge was built with

the joint investment

of Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic

Development, OPEC Fund for International

Development and the Government of

Bangladesh. The construction cost has been

estimated at Tk 1,500 crore.

Govt declared 9 dolphins

sanctuaries in country

on Sunday (October 24). The theme of

this year's Dolphin Day is 'If there are dolphin

dolphins, it will be a good river in the

country'.

Referring to various initiatives taken by

the government for the conservation of

dolphins, the Forest Minister said that

seven dolphin conservation teams have

been formed for the conservation of dolphins

in the Sundarbans

and similar teams will

be formed in other areas

as well.

Training is being

given to those concerned

including fishermen.

The government

has so far declared nine

dolphin sanctuaries in

the country for the purpose

of conserving dolphins,

and other areas

will also be declared.

Shahab Uddin said

the Dolphin Action Plan

and Dolphin Atlas have been prepared.

The number of dolphins in the Halda

River has been determined and a management

plan has been formulated. The

Wildlife (Conservation and Protection)

Act provides for imprisonment for up to

five years or a fine of up to TK 5 lakh or

both for repeat offenses of killing dolphins.

He said people dedicated to the conservation

of nature and wildlife in the country

should work diligently from their respective

places to protect the dolphins. With

the concerted efforts of all, we will succeed

in the dolphin conservation program.

Chief Forest Conservator Mohammad

Amir Chowdhury presided over the program.

Deputy Minister of Environment,

Forests and Climate Change Begum

Habibun Nahar, Secretary Mostafa Kamal

and Additional Secretary

(Administration) Iqbal Abdullah Harun,

Mukti Majumder Babu, Chairman of

Nature and Life Foundation, Country

Representative of IUCN Bangladesh

Rakibul Amin also spoke at the meeting.

Sub-project director of Shufol Madinul

Ahsan and Professor of Zoology at

Jahangirnagar University M. Monirul H

Khan presented the thematic article.

Welcoming speech was given by Mollah

Rezaul Karim, Forest Conservator of

Wildlife and Nature Conservation Area.

Plan to dispose 6 lakh

pending cases by

2022 : Law Minister

DHAKA : Law Minister Anisul Huq said

more than 37 lakh cases are pending in

the courts across Bangladesh which is an

accumulated problem from the past

years, reports UNB.

"A plan has been taken for disposing 6

lakh cases by 2022 to refute this knot of

pending cases," he said. The minister

said this at the inaugural function of the

42nd Special Basic Training Course for

Assistant and Equivalent Judges at the

Judicial Administration Training

Institute in Dhaka on Sunday afternoon.

The judges will need to play the key

role in implementing this plan, he said.

In an effort to reduce the number of

pending cases, apart from building infrastructure

1152 judges have been appointed

in the last few years and more

appointments are in progress, he added.

"Vacant positions are being filled

immediately now," he said. Anisul said

Covid-19 pandemic has brought rapid

changes across the world and judges of

Bangladesh will need to change accordingly

to conduct judicial activities.

ACC quizzes

BNS chairman

on graft charges

DHAKA : The Anti-Corruption

Commission (ACC) on Sunday quizzed

the chairman of BNS Group of

Companies MNH Bulu in connection

with grabbing of a government plot.

ACC Director Sheikh Fanfillah and

Deputy Director Subash Dutta questioned

him at the ACC head office.

According to ACC, the BNS Group

chairman bought a plot in Gulshan from

Anawar Alam. Anwar in collision with

the officials of RAJUK and the Public

Works Department illegally took many

plots in Gulshan and Dhanmondi areas.

Earlier, the ACC received a number of

graft allegations, including income tax

dodging and construction of a building in

the capital without the approval of city

authority, against the BNS Group chairman.

According to the allegations received

by the ACC, Bulu built BNS Centre at the

city's Uttara Sector 7 without the

approval of Rajuk, and swindled about

Tk 22 crore of customers' money by selling

the properties.

SPoRtS DeSk

Bhanuka Rajapaksa scored fifty vs Bangladesh in their opening game of the twenty20 World

Cup Super 12 phase at Sharjah in United Arab emirates (UAe) on Sunday. Photo: Courtesy

Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh

by 5 wickets in Sharjah

The brilliance of Charith Asalanka and

Bhanuka Rajapaksa have helped Sri

Lanka complete their highest successful

run-chase in T20 World Cups. Quick

wickets from Shakib and Saifuddin dented

Sri Lanka's charge in the middle, but

the two smartly negated the pressure to

stitch an 86-run stand with the pair lacing

eight boundaries and eight sixes to

help Sri Lanka reach the target with

seven balls to spare.

Bangladesh were sloppy on the field

and the bowling changes were poor,

something that the two capitalised on

largely. This was the start Sri Lanka

were looking for and they have got it.

Earlier, riding on the half-century of

Mushfiqur Rahim and opener Naim

Sheikh, Bangladesh compiled a

respectable 171-4 against Sri Lanka in their

opening game of the Twenty20 World Cup

Super 12 phase at Sharjah in UAE.

Naim sheikh hit 62 off 52, smashing

six fours while Mushfiqur Rahim, who

was instrumental in keeping the side in

good stead in the middle overs, blasted

an unbeaten 57 off 37, clobbering five

fours and two sixes.

Bangladesh though were asked to

bat first got a decent start for the first

time in this World Cup with their openers

Liton Das and Naim Sehikh combining

for a 40-run partnership.

The partnership was broken in the

penultimate delivery of the first powerplay

when Liton picked up mid-off, trying

to clear the boundary.

But as he was walking off, the bowler

Lahiru Kumara exchanged some words

that Liton clearly didn't like and in the

process, the two was involved in verbal

spat and there was also some physical

contact. It needed others intervention to

separate those two players.

In form Shakib then came into the

crease but couldn't make any impact

this time as Chamika Karunaratne rattled

his stump with a modest delivery

after he scored just 10.

But out of form Mushfiqur Rahim

gave Bangladesh the sigh of relief when

it looked Sri Lanka put them in control.

With caution and aggression,

Mushfiqur and Naim kept Sri Lanka

bowlers in pressure and rotated the

scoreboard with good pace.

Mediation can play

big role in easing

backlog of cases:CJ

DHAKA : Chief Justice Syed

Mahmud Hossain on Sunday said

mediation process can play a big

role in easing backlog of cases in

courts.

"Judges, lawyers and all other

people related to trial process have

to come forward in disposing of

cases through mediation. The

scope of justice gets hampered

when justice gets delayed. Expense

for all the parties related to trial

process goes up, number of pending

cases increases," he said.

The chief justice said these while

handing over certificates among

280 judges, who successfully completed

a mediation related training

course, at Hotel InterContinental

Dhaka.

Organized by Bangladesh

International Mediation Society

(BIMS), the ceremony was

presided over by Justice

Muhammad Imman Ali. BIMS

chairman Advocate SN Goswami

gave the welcome speech at the

function.

MonDAY, oCTober 25, 2021

2

45,21,934 get 1st

dose of Covid-19

vaccine in Rangpur

RANGPUR : The number of

the first dose recipient citizens

of Covid-19 vaccine rose to

45,21,934 with the inoculation

of 56,643 more citizens with

the first dose of the jab

yesterday in Rangpur division.

"Among 56,643 new first

dose recipients, 27,928,were

inoculated with Sinopharm

Covid-19 jab, 28,625 with

AstraZeneca Covid-19 jab and

90 with Pfizer-BioNTech

Covid-19 jab today," Divisional

Director (Health) Dr Md

Motaharul Islam told BSS.

The total first dose recipient

45,21,934 citizens include

13,23,473 people vaccinated

with AstraZeneca Covid-19

jab, 30,66,360 people with

Sinopharm Covid-19 jab,

1,31,849 with Moderna Covid-

19 vaccine and 252 with Pfizer-

BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.

Meanwhile, the number of

the second dose of Covid-19

vaccine recipient citizens rose

to 20,79,343 with inoculation

of more 32,614 people with the

second dose of the jab

yesterday in the division.

GD-1560/21 (6x3)

Khulshi Thana police organized a 'Shompriti Shomabesh' with followers of all religions to maintain

communal harmony in the police bit area under Khulshi police station in the port city of Chattogram

on Saturday.

Photo: Mohiuddin Shagor

CMP's 'Shompriti Shomabesh' with

religious gurus held in Chattogram

Mohiuddin Shagor,

Ctg Metropolitan Correspondent:

Khulshi

Thana police have organized

a 'Shompriti

Shomabesh' with followers

of all religions to

maintain communal harmony

in the police bit area

under Khulshi police station

in the port city of

Chattogram.

The Shompriti

Shomabesh was organized

by the 28th Pahartali

Police Bit under Khulshi

Police Station of the Chattogram

Metropolitan

Police (CMP) on Saturday.

Speaking as the chief

guest under the chairmanship

of Officer-in-Charge

of Khulshi Police Station

Mohammad Shahinuzzaman,

Md. Shah-Alam,

Senior Assistant Commissioner

of Police, Bayazid

Bostami Zone under CMP

North Division said, "Our

purpose is to maintain

communal harmony

among the followers of all

.967 21

E-Tender Notice

religions in Chattogram

city. I request you to

inform the police as soon

as you come across any

provocative inconsistency

that will hurt your religious

feelings."

Speaking as the special

guest at the function conducted

by Khwaja Enam

Elahi, in-charge of CMP's

28th Pahartali Police Bit,

Wasim Uddin Chowdhury,

13th Pahartali Ward

Councilor of Chattogram

City Corporation said, "I

do not believe in majority

and minority. We are all

equal in my area. We will

take our motherland

Bangladesh forward by

Mirpur robbery: 6

arrested from Dhamrai

and Keraniganj

DHAKA : RAB have arrested

six members of the gang

involved in the robbery of the

Eden Autos Motorcycle

Showroom in the capital's

Shyamolibagh area in Mirpur,

reports UNB

They were arrested with

weapons from Dhaka's

Keraniganj and Dhamrai

during RAB raids on Saturday

night.

The arrestees are the

mastermind of the robbery

Md. Johirul Islam, 33, Jasim

Uddin, 34, Md. Zahidul Islam

Sikder, 26, Md. Khairul

Bhuiyan, 20, Md. Rakib

Hasan, 20, and Md. Nayan,

28.

During the raid, four

machetes used for robbery,

and Tk 1,93,000 cash looted

from the showroom were

recovered from the gang

members. After the arrest they

admitted that they were

involved with the robbery, said

RAB sources.

On the evening of October

12, 2021, a gang of robbers

entered the showroom of Eden

Autos, dealer of Uttara Motors

in Shyamlibagh area of

Mirpur, and attacked manager

Wadud Sajib.

maintaining harmony

among the followers of all

communities. "

Abul Hashem Shah,

joint general secretary of

13th Pahartali ward Awami

League, Mir Shamsuddoha

Shahin, general secretary

of 28th bit of community

policing, Jubo

League leader Md. Kazi

Kayshar Uddin and Religious

leaders from the

Hindu, Buddhist and

Christian communities,

including the imam of the

Police Beat Mosque of the

area were also present at

the

Shompriti

Shomabesh.

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BNP wants to kill

liberation war

spirit: Nasim

DHAKA : Awami League

Joint General Secretary AFM

Bahauddin Nasim yesterday

said that BNP does not hold

the spirit of liberation war and

that's why they want to kill it.

"BNP wants to slay the

soldiers of the Father of the

Nation for their leadership in

the liberation war…They

want to massacre the ideology

of Bangabandhu and also

Bangladesh as dreamt by

Bangabandhu," he said.

The ruling party leader

made the remarks while

addressing a discussion and

doa programme, organized

by the Agriculture and

Cooperatives sub-committee

of the ruling Awami League

here.

Nasim alleged that "BNP

wants to make Bangladesh a

Taleban state like Afghanistan

along with the defeated forces

of 1971. So, they are always

trying to make the country

instable."

BNP never wants the

welfare of the people and even

not for the country, he added.

Remembering Shahid

Sheikh Russel, Nasim said Zia

and Mostaque had killed

Sheikh Russel mercilessly on

August 15 in 1975.

11-years old Russel

requested them [killers] to

take him to his mother, but

they killed Russel giving him a

false assurance, Nasim told

the function.

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Two magistrates get another

week to explain Pori Moni's

multiple remands

DHAKA : Two lower court magistrates who placed actress

Pori Moni on police remand for the second and the third

time in a narcotics case have got another week to explain

their orders.

The HC bench of Justices Mustafa Zaman Islam and KM

Zahid Sarwar granted the time on Sunday responding to an

appeal submitted by lawyer Abdul Alim Mia Jewel on behalf

of the two magistrates.

Meanwhile, the Investigation officer in the case Kazi

Golam Mostafa has already submitted his written

explanation in this regard.

On September 29, the High Court asked for further

explanation from two lower court judges by October 24 on

why they remanded Pori Moni to police multiple times in

the narcotics case.

The two metropolitan magistrates in question are

Debabrata Biswas and Atiqul Islam.

Besides, the HC asked the investigating officer of the case

to submit his explanation within the set date.

Pori Moni was arrested on August 4 following a raid by

Rab on her Banani residence. A case was filed against her

under the Narcotics Control Act the following day.

On August 5, Dhaka metropolitan magistrate Mamunur

Rashid remanded Pori Moni for four days.

On August 10, Dhaka metropolitan magistrate Debabrata

Biswas granted a second time remand of 2-days to Pori

Moni.

On August 19, for the third time Dhaka metropolitan

magistrate Atiqul Islam granted another 1-day in remand

for the actress.

Following the High Court's intervention, a Dhaka court

finally granted bail to the actress on September 1 and she

walked out of jail the following day.

On August 29, one Ain-o-Salish Kendra lawyer filed a

petition before the High Court seeking an order on the

legality of taking Pori Moni in multiple remands in the case

defying an earlier order of the Supreme Court.

On September 2, the High Court asked the two lower court

judges to explain why they had accepted the police request to

remand the actress for multiple times in the narcotics case.

ZvwiL : 24/10/2021 wLª.

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GD-1561/21 (4x4)

GD-1558/21 (12x4)

MONDAY, OCTOBeR 25, 2021

3

Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Mohammad Akhtaruzzaman cut the cake as the chief

guest at a function organized by Dhaka University Model United Nations Association on Sunday at

TSC Auditorium to mark the 76th United Nations Day.

Photo : Courtesy

Sound pollution

is a growing

hazard to public

health: Experts

RAJSHAHI : Although

sound is one of the vital

communication media for

human civilization, its

pollution

causes

multifarious physical and

mental disorders to public

health.

Utmost emphasis should

be given on creating massawareness

side by side with

full-length enforcement of

the existing laws to protect

public health from the

adverse effects of sound

pollution.

The views were expressed

at a daylong training

workshop related to creating

awareness among the public

in general especially for the

transport drivers and

labourers at the conference

hall of Rajshahi Teachers

Training College on

Saturday.

The Department of

Environment (DoE)

organized the workshop in

association with its

Integrated and Partnership

in Controlling Sound

Pollution Project.

Commissioner of Rajshahi

division Dr Humayun Kabir

addressed the workshop as

chief guest with Deputy

Commissioner Abdul Jalil in

the chair.

DoE Additional Director

General Humayun Kabir,

Principal of Rajshahi

Medical College Prof

Nawshad Ali, Commissioner

of Rajshahi Metropolitan

Police Abu Kalam Siddique

and Chief Executive Officer

of Rajshahi City Corporation

Dr Sharif Uddin also spoke.

The meeting was told that

sound pollution is the main

reason behind 30 major

diseases in the human body

and around five percent of

the population is affected

physically and mentally by

the pollution.

Covid-19 claims 9

more lives in

Bangladesh, infects

275 others

DHAKA : Covid-19 claimed

nine more lives and infected

another 275 people in

Bangladesh in 24 hours till

Sunday morning, reports

UNB.

The daily-case positivity

rate declined slightly to 1.49

per cent from Saturday's

1.85 per cent.

With the fresh numbers,

the Covid fatalities reached

27,823 while the caseload

climbed to 1,567,692 in

Bangladesh, according to

the Directorate General of

the Health services (DGHS).

Of the latest deaths, three

were men and six were

women. The new cases were

detected after testing 18,499

samples during the 24-hour

period. However, the

mortality rate remained

static at 1.77 per cent

compared to the same

period. Also, the recovery

rate increased slightly to

97.68 per cent, with 364

more patients getting cured.

Kamal lays foundation

stone of Bangladesh NGO

Foundation Bhaban

DHAKA : Finance Minister AHM Mustafa

Kamal yesterday laid the foundation stone of

Bangladesh NGO Foundation Bhaban at

Agargaonin the capital.

The 12-storey building having two

underground basements will be constructed

at a cost of Taka 38.63 crore. Once the

construction of the building is completed,

Bangladesh NGO Foundation would get its

permanent office which is expected to

strengthen further the poverty alleviation

activities of the foundation, said a Finance

Ministry press release.

Speaking on the occasion, the finance

minister said that the year 2021 is a year

written in red letter in the national life as

three events-the centenary birth celebration

of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh

Mujibur Rahman, the Golden Jubilee of

country's independence and attaining the

final eligibility of country's LDC graduationcoincide

in this year.

He said it is a matter of pride that the NGO

Foundation has started building its own

building in this year.

Highlighting various socio-economic

attainments of the country over the last 12

years, Kamal said Bangladesh, under the

farsighted leadership of Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina, has attained an

unprecedented 7.4 percent GDP growth on

an average over the last one decade.

The release said that the NGO Foundation

has a current balance of Taka 270 crore

although it received Taka 162 crore from the

government as grant since its inception and

thus distributed Taka 159.67 crore to its

associate bodies from the profit.

The finance minister said this indicates the

sign of important successes of the NGO

Foundation, adding that it has been playing

an important role in various poverty

alleviation programmes in the rural areas by

facilitating the lagging behind, helpless and

extreme poor communities.

He informed that some 1,120 NGOs

(associate organizations under the

foundation) have been continuing their

operations at around 7,500 villages. Beside,

these are also working to improve further the

living standards of the people through

conducting special credit operations in the

rural areas during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kamal hoped that like in the past,

Bangladesh NGO Foundation would

continue to work for changing the fate of the

marginal and helpless communities in

future.

Finance Division Senior Secretary Abdur

Rouf Talukder, Financial Institutions

Division Secretary Sheikh Mohammad

Salim Ullah, Chief Engineer of the Public

Works Department Mohammad Shamim

Akhter, among others, attended the

programme. Bangladesh NGO Foundation

Chairman and former Senior Secretary of the

Finance Division Hedayetullah Al Mamun

presided over the function.

Dengue: 1 more die in

Bangladesh, 179 new

patients hospitalized

DHAKA : Dengue claimed one more life

in Bangladesh while 179 new patients

were hospitalized with the fever in 24

hours till Sunday morning, reports UNB.

With the fresh deaths, the number of

fatalities from the mosquito-borne

disease this year rose to 87, according to

the Directorate General of Health

Services (DGHS).

Of the deceased, 80 people died in

Dhaka division alone, two each in

Chattogram and Khulna divisions and

one each in Rajshahi, Barishal and

Mymensingh division.

Among the new patients, 154 were

undergoing treatment in hospitals in

Dhaka while the remaining 25 cases were

reported from outside the division.

Some 840 patients diagnosed with

dengue are receiving treatment in the

country as of Sunday.

Of them, 680 patients are receiving

treatment at different hospitals in the

capital while the remaining 160 were

listed outside Dhaka.

Since January, some 22,498 patients

have been admitted to different hospitals

with dengue in the country. So far, 21,571

dengue patients have left hospitals after

recovery, said DGHS.

In September, the country recorded the

highest number of 7,841 dengue cases of

the current year with 22 deaths.

A voluntary blood donors' organization 'BADHAN' organized a joyous rally

yesterday at DU campus.

Photo : Courtesy

PM greets

Modi as India

administers

1bn Covid jabs

DHAKA : Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina yesterday

congratulated her Indian

counterpart Narendra Modi

on achieving the historic

milestone of administering

"One Billion" Covid-19

vaccine doses on October 21,

2021 by his government,

reports BSS

In a message sent to Modi,

Sheikh Hasina mentioned it

as a remarkable

achievement despite all the

challenges that the Covid-19

pandemic has inflicted on

humankind.

She recapped that it will be

a major step towards the

path of recovery and

normalcy for India and the

region.

She also informed Modi

that her government has

been carrying out a mass

vaccination programme in

Bangladesh as more than 60

million people have been

inoculated with vaccines,

collected from multiple

sources.

She reiterated that India

has been an important

source of Covid-19 vaccines

for Bangladesh from the

very beginning of the

vaccination programme.

The prime minister

conveyed her thanks to the

Government of India for

resuming the export of

AstraZeneca Covishield

vaccines, hoping that the

procurement will continue

uninterrupted in the coming

days.

She expressed her firm

belief to continue working

together more closely with

India to save the people of

this region from the scourge

of Covid-19 pandemic and to

counter the multifarious

adverse fallouts of this

pandemic.

Badrunnessa

college teacher

sent to jail in

DSA case

DHAKA : A court yesterday

sent Begum Badrunnessa

Government Girls' College

associate professor Ruma

Sarker to jail in a case lodged

under Digital Security Act

(DSA).

Dhaka Metropolitan

Magistrate Sadbir Yasir

Ahsan Chowdhury passed

the order as police produced

Ruma before the court after

the end of her two-day

remand in the case and

pleaded to keep her behind

the bars till the end of the

probe.

Earlier on October 21,

Dhaka Metropolitan

Magistrate Masud Ur

Rahman had placed Ruman

Sarker on two-day remand.

Ruma is accused of

sharing on Facebook a video

of Shahin Uddin murder in

capital's Pallabi, terming it

as the footage of Jatan Saha

killing in Noakhali. She is

also accused of spreading

communal hatred through

sharing rumors on social

networking sites.

Roller skating show held to

prevent road accidents

A human chain and roller skating show were

organized by Dhaka Ahsania Mission Health

Sector at Manik Mia Avenue area of the

capital on Saturday on the occasion of

National Road Safety Day-2021. All the

participants in the human chain demanded

that the speed limit of vehicles should be

controlled by law to prevent road accidents.

One of the major causes of road accidents is

reckless driving. The participating roller

skaters skated in the Manik Mia Avenue area

to raise awareness about safe road use.

It is to be noted that if the speed of the

vehicle increases by 1km/h, the probability of

accident increases by 4-5 percent. The lower

the speed of the vehicle, the lower the risk of

injury and death for pedestrians could be

ensured. There are various causes of road

accidents including reckless driving, the

tendency to drive and overtake at excessive

speeds.

Numerous people die in road accidents in

Bangladesh every year. Road accident is the

8th biggest cause of death over the world.

According to the Global Status Report on

Road Safety 2018 of the World Health

Organization, about 1.35 million people die

in road accidents around the world every

year; additionally, about 20-50 million

people suffer from various non-fatal injuries.

Usually, 90 percent of these deaths occur in

low-income and middle-income countries.

According to the World Health Organization,

about 25,000 people die in road accidents in

Bangladesh every year.

About 50 people together with Dhaka

Ahsania Mission, officials of various

professions from the health sector including

doctors, nurses, and roller skaters as well

participated in the human chain program.

A human chain and roller skating show were organized by Dhaka Ahsania

Mission Health Sector at Manik Mia Avenue area of the capital on Saturday

on the occasion of National Road Safety Day-2021. Photo : Courtesy

RUB protest: Student

on hunger strike tries

to kill self in public

SIRAJGANJ : A Rabindra University

Bangladesh student took poison on Sunday

while on a hunger strike to demand

termination of a teacher who allegedly cut

the hair of 14 students, reports UNB.

Shamim, a student of Cultural Heritage

and Bangladesh Studies Department

brought out a bottle of poison from his

pocket around 1 pm during his speech and

gulped it in front of the students, said

Nazmul Hasan Papon, spokesperson for the

protesting students.

He was immediately taken to Shahjadpur

Upazila Health Compex and his condition

has improved now, he said.

After the incident students blocked the

Bagura-Nagarbari Highway around 1:30 pm

which got scattered later as locals attacked

them, said Nazmul.

From Friday night students of RUB went

on an indefinite hunger strike as the

syndicate committee didn't permanently

suspend accused professor Farhana Yasmin

Baten of the Cultural Heritage and

Bangladesh Studies Department.

The syndicate committee held a meeting

on Friday which was adjourned without any

decision on the incident.

This again has triggered the students to

renew their protest until Prof Baten gets

terminated.

Meanwhile, Treasurer Abdul Latif said the

meeting was adjourned without a decision as

the committee didn't receive all the

information. "A decision will be made

following the legal procedures in the next

syndicate meeting," he said.

On September 26, Farhana instructed an

office assistant to trim the hair of 14 firstyear

students as they were entering

examination halls, apparently for ignoring

her previous instructions to get the haircuts.

Unable to bear the humiliation, Nazmul

Hasan Tuhin, 25, a student of the

department, consumed sleeping pills the

following day in an attempt to take his own

life.

Although she submitted her resignation as

department chair, assistant proctor, and

member of the proctorial board, Farhana has

continued to deny the allegations and

claimed the charges against her were all

fabricated, as she rejected the request of a

few students to defer the exam.

On September 30, the RUB students

staged protests demanding the termination

of the teacher.

The following day, the High Court asked

the RUB VC and registrar to take steps

against those involved in the incident and to

file a report within a month.

Later in the day, the RUB authorities

suspended Farhana from her teaching

position as well.

On October 2, following assurance by

Education Minister Dipu Moni of launching

a probe into the incident, students eased

their protest and unlocked the

administrative building of the university.

RUB authorities formed a five-member

committee led by Professor Layla Ferdous

Himel to probe the incident.

200 trees felled in Sylhet without permission

SYLHET : About 200 trees have been

cut down at Shahjalal upasahar in the

city to construct roadside drains by the

Sylhet City Corporation (SCC) without

any approval from the forest

department, reports UNB.

SCC workers chopped down the

trees from Monday night to Tuesday

afternoon, cut those into pieces and

then removed those in trucks, said

locals. Locals alleged that most of the

felled trees have already been sold and

a local syndicate is involved in it.

Upon receiving the news, a team of

the forest department visited the spot.

Aftab Chowdhury, the National Tree

Plantation Award winner and a

resident of the area, said he had

planted most of the trees which have

been felled. Aftab Chowdhury said,

"Trees have been chopped down

indiscriminately. They cut down 200

trees where about 50 trees needed to

be felled. The trees could be sold at Tk

one lakh each." According to SCC's

engineering unit, construction of

drains and road expansion work in 15

km area of the city started in the

current fiscal year at a cost of around

Tk 100 crore.

Drain construction and road

expansion work started on Road No.

21, 37 and 38 of C Block in Shahjalal

Upasahar area recently. Trees of

various species including 'Rain tree'

were planted on both sides of these

roads in the area in 1990.

According to the rules of the forest

department, prior permission of the

forest department is needed before

cutting down trees on privately owned

or government land. If it sees tree

cutting logical after verification, then

the price of the trees is fixed and

permission is given on the condition of

planting more trees.

Sylhet City Ranger of the Forest

Department Md Shahidullah said the

city corporation authorities sent a

letter to the forest department on

October 17 seeking permission cut

down some trees to build drains on

both sides of the road in the area.

"When our staff went to visit the area

the next day they found all trees

felled." "We are trying to find out how

many trees have been cut down and

where they have been taken," he said.

Nur Azizur Rahman, chief engineer

of the Sylhet City Corporation, said

they had sent a letter to the forest

department for approval . However,

some workers of the city corporation

cut down the trees before getting

permission. We will take action against

those responsible for this," he added.

MONDAy, OCTOBER 25, 2021

4

Fears of a Hamas takeover of the West Bank are exaggerated

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam

e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com

Monday, October 25, 2021

Financial sector :

relieving strains

There is no need to explain why the financial

sector of a country needs to be well

regulated for the obvious reasons. National

economies can be strained from under

management of the financial sector.

But it does not seem that some policymakers in

Bangladesh realize, yet, the supreme importance

of protecting the financial sector from the taking

of actions full of potentially harmful

consequences. A former and now deceased

highly respected Deputy Governor of the

Bangladesh Bank (BB) in a media interview

underlined the importance of shaking off

political influences by the BB for the healthier

running of the financial sector as a whole. For

example, theBB for long was arm twisted into

considering proposals for establishing new

private sector banks.

Earlier, the BB as the guardian of the country's

banking sector and the specialist official

organization to judge the merit or not in

establishing new banks, had been opposing the

idea tooth and nail. But it had to buckle down

finally to intense political pressures specially

from the former finance minister who shocked

all concerned by saying that it was the political

decision of the government to set up more banks

regardless of BB's opposition to the move.

BB had been struggling for the government to

see the point that there is just no room

forproliferation new banks as many of the

existing banks were in difficult conditions from

their classified loans and overexposure to the

risky capital markets. BB insisted on completing

banking reforms and restoring the health of the

banking system as a whole before allowing new

banks.

Even a delegation chief of the IMF told the

media that permission for new banks must not be

given when in varying degrees many of the

existing banks remained gripped by serious

liquidity and other problems. Besides,

economists, well intentioned bankers and other

experts in this sphere, have been urging the

government not to succumb to pressure from

some interest groups and invite setbacks to the

financial sector by admitting new banks.

The financial sector of the country also faces

difficulties from government's over borrowing.

Government's borrowing from the banking

system in the last two years has surpassed past

records . As a result, the banks generally are

suffering from a liquidity crisis.

The credit-deposit ratio (CDR) of a good

number of scheduled commercial banks has

started rising again posing a threat to the

country's banking system. "Despite the central

bank's close supervision, CDR of 12 banks, both

in the public and private sectors, has gone

beyond absolute safe limit that might lead to

institutional great stresses , " a senior officer of

the Bangladesh Bank told a front rank Dhaka

daily recently.

Banks' credits to the private sector have

declined to satisfy government's appetite for

borrowing. The borrowed amounts are going into

unproductive spending in many cases on

political considerations and the increased money

supply has fuelled inflation.

According to recent credible media reports the

amount of total classified loans in the financial

sector has crossed Taka 2 lakh and 20 thousand

crore Taka . And the trend continues unchecked.

The amount of classified loans and other

irregularities in the country's financial sector as a

whole do not suggest that the sector and the

country's economy is about to pass over the cliff.

Our macro economy and financial sector is

comparatively healthier than many other

countries.

But the present situation certainly points to the

need of closely and very strictly monitoring the

financial sector from the highest level of the

government and pushing through timely

curative and reformative actions steadily but

decisively against all odds specially the political

ones. All concerned would only hope that the

government would start seriously taking

rectification measures before the financial sector

faces further strains.

Over the past few months, there

has been an escalation of

violence in the occupied West

Bank. Armed clashes between

Palestinians and the Israeli army in

Jenin and Jerusalem and elsewhere

have resulted in the deaths of several

Palestinian fighters and civilians and

the injuries of several soldiers from

the Israeli occupation forces. There

have been also stabbings, carramming

attacks, and shootings at

different locations targeting Israeli

soldiers and settlers.

These incidents coincided with the

escape of six Palestinian political

prisoners from the Israeli Gilboa

prison.

In view of these developments,

Israel's security services have

expressed increasing concern about

the growing resistance in the West

Bank. More specifically, Israeli

officials have raised the spectre of a

Hamas takeover of the occupied

Palestinian territories currently under

the nominal control of the Palestinian

Authority (PA). But how realistic is

this prospect?

Since Hamas's victory in the 2006

Palestinian legislative elections, Israel

has perceived the movement as a

grave threat.

Then Israeli Prime Minister Ehud

Olmert made it clear that his

government was not going to

cooperate with a Hamas-led cabinet,

the way it had with the Fatah-led PA.

The subsequent tensions between

Fatah and Hamas, fuelled by external

forces, escalated into armed clashes,

in which Hamas fighters were able to

take control of the Gaza Strip. Israel

imposed a debilitating siege on the

strip and in the following years

launched repeated deadly wars on its

people, killing thousands and

destroying civilian homes and

infrastructure.

Meanwhile, the PA, now under

Fatah's control again, launched a

massive security operation to uproot

Hamas from the Wes Bank. Working

with Israel, it arrested hundreds of

Hamas members, closed its offices

and associations and clamped down

on its supporters.

The same happened with Islamic

Jihad, an ally of Hamas.

Since then, the movement has been

able to set up small cells to carry out

limited operations against Israeli

forces. But the violence of the past few

months raised concerns within the

Israeli security community about the

extent of Hamas's penetration of the

West Bank and its ability to rally other

groups to carry out resistance

activities.

Some have perceived the new

"security infrastructure" Hamas has

built as different from the limited

cells it had in the past and more

difficult to trace. Such a development

can be considered a major failure of

the Israeli occupation forces and

intelligence, which over the past few

years have tightened their grip on the

West Bank. Hamas also appears to be

increasingly coordinating on-theground

activities with other

Palestinian factions. In mid-

September, as the violence escalated

and fears emerged of an Israeli

assault on Jenin, Hamas, along with

the armed wing of Fatah and Islamic

Jihad, announced a joint "operations

room" to fight off any Israeli attack.

One major consequence of these

developments is the increasing feeling

of insecurity in Israel and among

Israeli settlers in the West Bank.

There are fears that the West Bank

and Jerusalem might plunge into

violence, as they did during the socalled

Knife Intifada of 2015-16, when

hundreds of Palestinians and dozens

of Israelis were killed, or during the

series of bombings in the 1990s and

the second Intifada in the 2000s.

These attacks have taken place

despite the Israeli army's regular

arrest campaigns, security summons,

and repeated round-the-clock

incursions into cities, villages and

refugee camps across the West Bank,

as well as the continuous Israeli

security coordination with the PA.

It is important to note that the

recent armed attacks took place in the

context of growing anger at the PA.

In April, President Mahmoud Abbas

cancelled the Palestinian legislative

elections for fear of Fatah, which

dominates the PA, losing to Hamas.

ADNAN ABU AMER

ANDREA BUSFIELD

This drew sharp condemnations from

various Palestinian political factions

and the Palestinian people.

Palestinians were also angered by

the feeble response of the PA to Israeli

aggression against worshippers at Al-

Aqsa Mosque and forced evictions of

Palestinian residents of Jerusalem.

Likewise, the Palestinian government

did little to counteract the deadly

Israeli assault of Gaza in May.

The death of Nizar Banat at the

hands of the PA's security forces in

late June was another event that

fuelled Palestinian rejection of Abbas.

The assassination drew large crowds

of Palestinians to the streets, where

they faced a brutal crackdown by

Palestinian security forces. This only

caused further outrage and amplified

calls for Abbas's resignation.

A poll conducted by the Palestinian

Center for Policy and Survey Research

and published in September revealed

that 80 percent of the respondents

want the president to resign. At the

same time, 45 percent believe that

Hamas should lead the Palestinians,

while only 19 percent said Fatah

deserves this role.

The popular opposition to Abbas

and the armed military struggle

against the Israeli occupation in the

West Bank have ignited fears in some

circles that Hamas might benefit from

these events and mobilise other

factions for its own ends.

Some Israeli and foreign analysts

have been vocal about the possibility

of such mobilisation leading to

Hamas taking control of the West

Bank as it did in Gaza.

It is true that Hamas would like to

be the dominant force in Palestinian

politics and end Abbas's dictatorial

rule, but statements about the

possibility of a Hamas takeover of the

West Bank seem greatly exaggerated

for several reasons.

First, Hamas still does not have an

integrated, durable infrastructure in

the West Bank and therefore, does not

have the necessary strength to extend

its influence over it. Its popularity

may have increased, but the PA and

the Israeli occupation forces continue

to put serious efforts into dismantling

cells and networks loyal to the group.

This is preventing it from establishing

a deeper footprint.

Second, the PA may be rejected by

many Palestinians, but it still

commands full military power over

the West Bank. It may suffer from

internal tensions, but it is still able to

mobilise all its loyalists, who are

united in their fear of losing their

privileges if their patrons fall from

power. PA officials are ready to do

everything and anything to stay in

power and would not hesitate to seek

Israeli military help.

Third, Israel constantly seeks to

dislodge Hamas from the West Bank

at any cost, given the grave threat that

any increased Hamas capabilities

there would pose to the more than

400,000 Israeli settlers illegally

residing on occupied Palestinian land.

It is highly unlikely they would allow

Hamas to grow its power in the West

Bank to the point where it can stage a

takeover.

This fear-mongering on part of

Israeli officials about Hamas's

capabilities may be aimed at

undermining any efforts of mediation

between Hamas and Fatah, after the

recent tensions following the

cancellation of the elections. It is in

Israel's direct interest to keep

Palestinian factions divided so they

can never present a united front to its

occupation and crimes.

The Israeli leadership is also playing

up this Hamas's "resurgence" possibly

to garner more international support

for its brutal security campaigns

against the Palestinians. The

increased international spotlight on

the raids on Islam's third holiest site,

Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the forced

expulsions of Jerusalemites from

their homes has worried it. It is,

therefore, seeking to take attention

away from these crimes and dominate

the narrative on Palestine again.

What Israel and its allies, however,

cannot preclude is the spectacular

loss of legitimacy the PA has suffered,

which renders its rule over the West

Bank in the long run completely

untenable.

Source: Al Jazeera

Cyprus: From holiday island to 'holy island'

Primarily Greek Orthodox, Cyprus

is home to a small but vibrant

Latin community of more than

2,400 people who can trace their roots

to the Crusaders. And it is this historical

and religious wealth that officials are

now looking to promote, in a postpandemic

push to bolster its Covidravaged

coffers.

Steeped in myth and legend, this

small island, which takes up only 9,251

square kilometers of the

Mediterranean, has been conquered,

coveted and colonized throughout its

10,000-year history by such historical

giants as Alexander the Great and

England's King Richard the Lionheart.

But while Cyprus has long been

considered the gateway to the East -

standing at the crossroads of Europe,

Asia and Africa - some 2,000 years ago

the island was experiencing traffic

coming from the other direction, acting

as the gateway through which the

message of the Gospels was spread to

the West.

The Apostles Paul and Barnabas are

the missionaries credited with bringing

Christianity to Cyprus, and in another

religious coup for the island, its first

bishop was none other than Lazarus,

the man Jesus raised from the dead.

As the story goes, after the

Resurrection of Christ and rumors of

plots to kill him, Lazarus fled Judea for

Cyprus, where he lived for another 30

years before dying for the second, and

last, time.

Some 1,100 years later, Cyprus again

found itself as a portal between two

worlds, when Richard the Lionheart

stopped by on his way to the Holy Land

to get married. In an unconventional

honeymoon move, he then laid waste to

the place, took it for his own and sold it

to the Knights Templar, who used it as a

military base throughout the Crusades.

Today, these snapshots of ancient

history remain embedded in the

infrastructure of modern Cyprus.

The Church of St Lazarus in Larnaca

is said to be built over the legendary

bishop's tomb, which was discovered in

Since Hamas's victory in the 2006 Palestinian legislative

elections, Israel has perceived the movement as a grave

threat. Then Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert made it

clear that his government was not going to cooperate with

a Hamas-led cabinet, the way it had with the Fatah-led PA.

AD 890. Human remains found in a

marble sarcophagus under the altar in

1972 were later identified as part of the

saint's relics. They are now kept in a

plinth in the central aisle of the church.

A 50-minute drive from the church,

along the southern coastal road, lies

Limassol Castle, the home of the Cyprus

Medieval Museum and the low-vaulted

room, lined with tombstones of ancient

knights, where Richard the Lionheart is

said to have married. These are just two

of the historical riches that litter the

length and breadth of the island.

Christodoulos Papachristodoulou, of

the Deputy Ministry of Tourism, said:

"Due to its geographical position, the

island has played host to people coming

from all over the Middle East and

further away. All of which means

Cyprus has a unique blend of

monuments, relics and sites that form

part of our natural wealth, and we are

proud to share them with visitors from

abroad."

Before the pandemic hit, Cyprus

attracted 40,000 religious tourists a

year - a drop in the glittering

Mediterranean Sea compared with

commercial tourism's 4 million visitors

a year, but officials are hopeful they can

generate much greater interest in the

island's religious and cultural history.

"Cyprus has a wealth of historical sites

that stretch back for centuries, and the

potential is high for attracting cultural

tourists who want to explore the home

of some of Christianity's biggest

milestones," Papachristodoulou said.

Cyprus possesses no fewer than 10

UNESCO World Heritage Listed

churches as well as a staggering

collection of Byzantine art,

meticulously preserved frescos and a

number of monasteries steeped in their

own myths and legends.

Limassol Castle, where Richard the

Lionheart is said to have married.

Photo: Cyprus Deputy Ministry of

Tourism Credit: Cyprus Deputy

Ministry of Tourism

Now, the government's new Cyprus

National Tourism Strategy aims to

establish the country as a quality yeararound

destination offering religious,

cultural, green and agro-tourism

experiences, and investment agencies

have been quick to recognize the

potential of diversification.

George Campanellas, chief executive

of Invest Cyprus, said: "The draw of

religious tourism should not be

A 50-minute drive from the church, along the southern

coastal road, lies Limassol Castle, the home of

the Cyprus Medieval Museum and the low-vaulted

room, lined with tombstones of ancient knights,

where Richard the Lionheart is said to have married.

underestimated. There are 10,000

years of history on our island and, in

many respects, this is an untapped

source, not least for visitors who want

more from their holiday experiences.

"The vision of the new Cyprus

National Tourism Strategy is to turn

Cyprus into a sustainable and

technology-smart destination. Thanks

to more than 320 days of sunshine a

year, there is no 'off season' as such and

our tourism strategy aims to

incorporate other local and cultural

experiences in order to attract

investment.

"In this regard, our efforts are focused

on diversifying, enriching and

improving the quality of the touristic

product and investment opportunities

into thematic areas."

Among potential investors currently

looking into the deeper riches to be

mined from Cyprus tourism is Joseph

Borghese, an Indo-Cypriot

entrepreneur who has established two

companies on the island, Pundi X 365

and Borghese Ventures. Offering tech

solutions in tourism and hospitality,

fintech, edtech and data analytics,

Borghese is hoping to add glamping to

his business concerns.

He said: "Sustainable tourism

remains a relatively untapped market

and it is clear that there are areas of the

island that have much to offer tourists

throughout the year. The forests of

Troodos are not only very scenic and

beautiful, they offer a very different

tourism experience to the usual sun, sea

and sand image, and they are also home

to some of the country's most

impressive monasteries and historical

treasures.

"My aim, once the legislative

framework is in place, is to offer tourists

an experience that sits in harmony with

nature, offering luxury eco-friendly

cottages and villas at the heart of rural

and religious Cyprus."

The popular summer holiday image of

drunk foreigners spilling out of

nightclubs in Ayia Napa often sits at

odds with what is a deeply conservative

and traditional society - and yet the two

have co-existed quite happily for

decades. Constantinos N Phellas,

professor of sociology and senior vicerector

at the University of Nicosia, said:

"One cannot discount the unique and

enduring contribution of Christianity to

the island, dating back to [AD 45].

"Christianity was widely adopted

throughout the townships and

communities in Cyprus, bequeathing an

amazing collection of important

ecclesiastical monuments and churches

over the years and a deeply traditional

and conservative outlook in her people.

"As a result, Cyprus has become a

one-stop destination for tourists who

want it all; from the holiday hotspots to

cultural and spiritual experiences that

leave the soul enriched."

Source: Asia times

MoNDay, oCtoBER 25, 2021

5

Sudanese protesters demand

full civilian rule in Sudan

ZEiNaB MohaMMED SaLih

Hundreds of thousands of

pro-democracy

demonstrators have taken to

the streets of the Sudanese

capital Khartoum and other

major cities demanding full

civilian rule, just days after a

sit-in was launched calling

for a return to military

government.

Images posted on social

media showed vast crowds

marching in different parts

of the Sudanese capital in

protests to reject military

rule as the crisis in the

country's troubled transition

from authoritarian rule

deepened.

The military has shared

power with civilians in an

increasingly frayed

transitional sovereign

authority since a popular

uprising removed President

Omar al-Bashir after three

decades in power. At least

one Sudanese journalist was

reportedly shot in the head

while covering the protests,

which came amid mounting

tension over the country's

faltering democratic

transition.

According to some

estimates, participants

numbered in the hundreds

of thousands. Protesters in

Omdurman were met with

heavy teargas to prevent

them from crossing a key

Nile bridge leading to central

Khartoum. Plumes of smoke

could be seen across the city

as protesters burned tyres

and waved Sudanese flags.

The demonstrations on

Thursday were organised by

Forces for Freedom and

Change (FFC), the civilian

umbrella coalition that led

the movement to topple

Bashir. A splinter faction of

the FFC, aligned with some

rebel groups and political

parties, has aligned itself

with the military, which has

accused the civilian parties

of mismanagement and

monopolising power and is

seeking to dissolve the

cabinet.

Many chants were critical

of the head of the ruling

Sovereign Council, Gen

Abdel Fattah al-Burhan,

accusing him of being loyal

Demonstrators in Khartoum march in support of the interim government

and the transition to full civilian rule.

Photo: Getty

to Bashir. Seraj Omer, a 32-

year-old musician and

activist from Khartoum, told

the Guardian he was

protesting "to support the

power of people and civilian

power".

The relationship between

the military generals and

Sudanese pro-democracy

groups has deteriorated in

recent weeks over the

country's future. Sudan has

been ruled by an interim

civilian-military government

since 2019. With Bashir

toppled, the ruling generals

agreed to share power with

civilians representing the

protest movement. The

aftermath has been volatile.

"Let's mark with our

protests a new wave of

popular uprising that will

pave the way for a fully

civilian and democratic

rule," read a statement by

the Sudanese Professionals'

Association, which called for

large rallies nationwide on

Thursday. The group

spearheaded the uprising

that kicked off in December

2018 and culminated in

Bashir's ousting.

"October 21 is a lesson for

any tyrants, loyalists or

opportunists deluded into

thinking they can turn back

the hands of time," wrote

Sovereign Council member

Siddig Tawer, one of several

civilian officials who

endorsed the protests.

Neighbourhood

resistance committees said

in a statement they were

protesting the entire

power-sharing agreement

and demanded sole civilian

rule. Many businesses in

central Khartoum were

closed in anticipation of the

protest and there was an

extensive police presence.

The military says it is

committed to the transition

to democracy and elections

at the end of 2023.

Prime minister Abdalla

Hamdok, who leads the

cabinet under the militarycivilian

power-sharing

agreement, remains popular

despite an economic crisis.

He has said he is speaking to

all sides in the crisis in order

to find a solution.

Global heating may trigger

epidemic of kidney disease

NataLiE GRovER

Chronic kidney disease

linked to heat stress could

become a major health

epidemic for millions of

workers around the world as

global temperatures increase

over the coming decades,

doctors have warned. More

research into the links

between heat and CKDu -

chronic kidney disease of

uncertain cause - is urgently

needed to assess the

potential scale of the

problem, they have said.

Unlike the conventional

form of chronic kidney

disease (CKD), which is a

progressive loss of kidney

function largely seen among

elderly people and those

afflicted with other

conditions such as diabetes

and hypertension, epidemics

of CKDu have already

emerged primarily in hot,

rural regions of countries

such as El Salvador and

Nicaragua, where

abnormally high numbers of

agricultural workers have

begun dying from

irreversible kidney failure.

CKDu has also started to

be recorded as affecting large

numbers of people doing

heavy manual labour in hot

temperatures in other parts

of Central America as well as

North America, South

America, the Middle East,

Africa and India.

Kidneys are responsible

for fluid balance in the body,

which makes them

particularly sensitive to

extreme temperatures.

There is an emerging

consensus that CKDu should

be recognised as a heat

stress-related injury, where

workers are developing

subtle damage to their

kidneys each day while they

are in the field. This in turn

can develop into severe

kidney disease or complete

renal failure over time.

This repetitive low-grade

assault on the kidneys does

not necessarily come with

symptoms, so workers may

not even know they are

getting sick over time until

things get so bad that they

end up with end-stage

kidney disease, said Dr

Cecilia Sorensen, director of

the global consortium on

climate and health education

at Columbia University.

"I think we just have no

idea what the scope of the

problem is because we're not

doing surveillance for it," she

said. "There are some

regions that are clearly

hotspots but in terms of its

prevalence and how serious

a problem it is, I don't even

think we've begun to wrap

our brains around it."

The documented

epidemics, however, have

similar characteristics.

Those affected tend to be

people who work in hot

conditions outdoors and

come

from

disproportionately

vulnerable backgrounds -

socially and economically -

with limited access to

medical care or insurance, or

live in areas with modest

healthcare infrastructure.

Sorensen said that,

according to current data, it

appears that the severity of

the kidney damage gets

worse the more vulnerable

and desperate the worker is.

She says that those who have

no control over their working

conditions or are

incentivised to work for

longer hours with no breaks,

such as workers paid for how

many berries they pick or

how much sugar cane they

cut, are likely to be those

worst affected.

"They're getting sick from

Sugar-cane cutters in Nicaragua, where abnormally high numbers of agricultural

workers suffer from CKDu

Photo: Ed Kashi

the work that they're doing,

but they have no other

options, and there's very

little regulatory oversight in

the work environment that

prevents this from

happening. It's a huge blind

spot and a human rights

issue," she said.

Dr Ramón García

Trabanino, a clinical

nephrologist and medical

director at El Salvador's

Centre of Hemodialysis, first

noticed an unusual number

of CKD patients saturating

his hospital as a medical

student more than two

decades ago.

"They were young men,"

he said, "and they were dying

because we didn't have the

budget or the capacity to give

them dialysis treatment. We

did the best we could, but

they kept dying and more

kept coming."

Since then he has started

researching similar

epidemics in Mexico,

Nicaragua, Costa Rica and

Panama. "If you take a look

at the maximum

temperature maps in the

region in Central America,

you will notice that they

match the regions where we

are describing the disease,

the hotspots," he said. "El

Salvador and Nicaragua -

every year we have a fight for

the first place for the country

with the highest mortality

due to CKD. Our mortality

rates are about 10 times

higher than what we should

expect. The number of new

patients is overwhelming."

Although the consensus

view is that CKDu is related

to heat exposure and

dehydration, some scientists

believe exposure to

agrochemicals and infectious

agents, as well as genetic

makeup and risk factors

related to poverty,

malnutrition, and other

social determinants of

health, are also likely to play

a role.

SaEED KaMaLi DEhGhaN

José Luis Martín C Gascón

used a walking stick to

carry out his duties as the

Philippines' "courageous"

human rights lawyer, a

result of living with with

diabetes and the wound it

left on his right foot. But in

the words of his brother,

Miguel Gascón, who

confirmed his death on

Facebook earlier this

month, "of all the battles

you fought, we had to lose

you to Covid-19".

The Filipino lawyer had

chaired the commission on

human rights (CHR), an

independent constitutional

body, since 2015, and was

famous for his public

confrontations with the

country's president, Rodrigo

Duterte - particularly over

his "war on drugs", which

activists say has involved the

unlawful killing of drug

users and traffickers.

In the aftermath of his

death on 9 October, at the

age of 57, tributes have

poured in for Gascón,

known as Chito, with

activists and scholars at

home and abroad hailing "a

true hero", "a tireless

champion" and "a giant for

human rights".

"Neither diabetes nor

Covid-19 stopped him from

serving the victims of

human rights violations …

under the most extreme

pressure of a president who

detests human rights to its

core," said Fides Lim, wife of

the jailed peace consultant

Vicente Ladlad, Filipino

news website Bulatlat

reported.

Lim, a spokesperson for

Kapatid, a group

representing political

prisoners' relatives, added:

"The country lost a

dedicated public servant

who never cowered in fear in

asserting people's rights and

civil liberties despite every

curse and insult of a

tyrannical president."

Gascón was a "courageous

human rights defender",

said human rights NGO

Karapatan. "Chito's tenure

as chairperson came at a

crucial time of massive

Unsafe conditions and low pay for

migrants on Irish fishing boats

ELLa MCSWEENEy

Racist insults, verbal abuse,

long working hours with few

breaks and pay below the

legal minimum wage are

"common workplace

experiences" of migrant

workers in the Irish fishing

sector, says a new study. The

report, conducted by

Maynooth University's

Department of Law, comes

four months after a

damning assessment by the

US state department over

Ireland's failure to combat

human trafficking, which

stated that undocumented

workers on Irish vessels are

vulnerable to trafficking and

forced labour.

The study features indepth

interviews with 24

male migrant workers in the

Irish fishing industry, some

of whom are

undocumented. More than

two-thirds said they could

work up to 20 hours a day,

with allegations of wages

being withheld, being forced

to live on the boat without

enough food, and working

under threat of dismissal

and deportation from

Ireland. More than half of

the participants interviewed

said that they had been

subjected to verbal and

racial abuse.

Only one-third of workers

said that they felt safe on the

fishing vessels. Others

reported a range of injuries,

including broken bones,

back problems and finger

injuries or loss. While a

small number of injured

workers were "looked after",

the report says, the

remainder appeared not to

receive sick pay.

In 2016, after a Guardian

investigation that uncovered

allegations of exploitation of

Filipino human rights

lawyer Chito Gascón

José Luis Martín C Gascón, leads families of victims of alleged unlawful

killings.

Photo: Bullit Marquez

challenges and worsening

attacks on human rights in

the Philippines," the group

said. "He and the

commission faced various

threats for their work in

fulfilling their mandate,

especially in openly

denouncing the Duterte

administration's sham and

bloody drug war." Gascón

showed "dignity, strength

and courage", despite

relentless personal attacks

on him and the commission

he led, said Jacqueline de

Guia, a CHR spokesperson.

"Never bitter, never

fearful, he was equally

unrelenting in 'pounding the

rock of impunity', as he'd

say. Through the hardest

days, Chito provided stable

leadership. He was an

intellectual giant who

showed great eloquence in

his speech. He cared when

no one did and he dared

when others were fearful."

Gascón was appointed to

chair the CHR by the late

former president, Benigno

Aquino III, who was

succeeded by Duterte in

2016. He studied philosophy

and then law at the

Fishers work on their nets in Killybegs.

workers from Asia and

Africa onboard Irish

trawlers, the Irish

government set up a

taskforce to investigate the

treatment of migrant

workers on trawlers, which

resulted in the creation of an meaningfully

"atypical working scheme"

(AWS) for non-EEA

workers in the fishing fleet.

Under the scheme,

workers are contracted to an

individual employer and

have the right to a safe

working environment,

regular breaks and rest

periods, annual leave and

payment of the legal

minimum wage. If the

contract is breached by

either party, the permit

should be revoked.

But this latest study,

funded by the International

Transport Workers'

Federation, reveals a gap

between the terms and

conditions of the AWS

contract and the reality of

how workers are treated at

sea. The AWS "can be used

by employers as a means to

University of the

Philippines, before taking a

master's degree in

international law at the

University of Cambridge.

The 1986 people's revolt,

known as the February

revolution, which forced an

end to the 20-year rule of the

dictator Ferdinand Marcos,

provided an opportunity for

Gascón. He was the

youngest member

appointed to the body in

charge of drafting a new

constitution.

He later served as the

youngest representative in

the eighth Philippine's

congress during President

Corazon Aquino's term,

where he most notably

championed legislation to

protect children.

In 2014, a year before

becoming the CHR chair, he

was appointed to the human

rights victims' claims board,

set up for reparation

programmes for the victims

of martial law in the 1970s

and 1980s.

Carlos H Conde, senior

researcher at Human Rights

Watch's Asia division, tells

the Guardian that Gascón

threaten and exploit

workers", the report says,

adding that the level of

control exerted by

employers "makes it

impossible for migrant

workers to engage

with

inspections". One worker

told the researchers that the

contract was "for show".

"Long hours, long hours,

sometimes one week, no

sleep, just working," said

another.

Figures released in July by

Ireland's Department of

Justice show that 227

fishers on Irish boats hold

AWS permits, including

workers from the

Philippines, Egypt, Ghana

and Indonesia. The

department said it had not

been made aware of any

confirmed breaches of

contract under the AWS.

Five workers interviewed for

the report said that they

were satisfied with their

working situation, but that

their immigration status

and lack of freedom to

came to the CHR at a

particularly important time

for the Philippines.

"A few months after

Gascón's appointment by

then President Benigno

Aquino III in June 2015,

Rodrigo Duterte, then a

mayor of Davao City in the

south, announced that he

would run for president and

that he would embark on a

violent campaign against

crime, just as he did in

Davao City, in which

hundreds had been killed by

his Davao death squad since

the 90s," he says.

The Filipina journalist

Maria Ressa's recent Nobel

peace prize win highlighted

the situation of human

rights in the Philippines,

Conde adds. "The human

rights situation in the

Philippines right now

continues to be dire. The

killings in the 'drug war' are

continuing, even if the ICC

[international criminal

court] has initiated an

investigation, and regardless

of the UN's efforts to help

the Philippines improve its

capacities to address rights

issues."

Photograph: Richard Wayman

change employer or sector

was a key challenge.

According to the Irish

labour inspectorate, since

the AWS was introduced in

2016, there have been 323

breaches of employment

law on Irish boats. Fewer

than half of those

interviewed for this study

recalled boats being

inspected by the authorities

for compliance with labour

law. One worker told the

researchers that that he had

reported bad treatment to

inspectors, but "they did

nothing".

Dr Clíodhna Murphy, one

of the report's authors, told

the Guardian that the

permit scheme was not fit

for purpose. "I think that the

atypical scheme needs to be

thoroughly reviewed and

overhauled - if it is retained

at all," she said. In 2019,

four UN special rapporteurs

warned the Irish

government that their

permit scheme breached

international human rights

law.

MoNDAY, oCToBeR 25, 2021 6

Bogura Highway police collects Tk 3.25

crore revenue against Illegal vehicles

AZHAR ALI, BOGURA CORRESPONDENT

Bogura Highway police filed more than

12,000 cases in the last nine months to

stop the movement of illegal vehicles

including three-wheelers on the highway.

From this, about 3.25 crore taka revenue

has been deposited in the government

treasury. On October 22, National Road

Safety Day was celebrated across the

country. Around the day, the Highway

Police has taken up various programs at

the Bogura Regional Office.

From 1 January to 30 September

12,742 cases have been filed against

vehicles plying on the highway with

illegal three-wheelers under the Highway

Police Bogura Region, Highway Police

Station, Outpost, and Camp.

Highway Police Bogra Region consists

of Rajshahi and Rangpur divisions.

Highway police have been working on

them since they were formed. Awareness

meetings have been held to restore order

on the highways.

According to Bogura Highway Police

sources, there are 7 highway police

stations, 7 outposts, and 1 highway police

In observance of National Road Safety Day a colorful rally was brought out in Bogura recently.

Photo: Azhar Ali

Ctg records

0.40pc Covid-19

positivity rate

CHATTOGRAM:

Chattogram district

recorded 0.40 percent

Covid-19 positivity rate

while only four fresh cases

were reported after testing

991 samples during the last

24 hours till Sunday

morning, reports BSS.

The Covid-19 situation is

improving consistently

during the recent months in

the district, Civil Surgeon Dr

Ilias Chowdhury said.

Earlier, the district also

recorded 0.66 percent

Covid-19 positivity rate on

Thursday and 0.53 percent

on Friday, Dr Ilias

Chowdhury added.

Human chain

marking

International

Day of Climate

Action held

KUAKATA CORRESPONDENT

A human chain was formed

on the occasion of

International Day of Climate

Action-2021 demanding

protection of Andharamanik

River and to save Hilsa was

held in Kuakata.

The human chain was

formed at the initiative of

Bangladesh Paribash Adalan

Bapa and Water Keepers

Bangladesh. Hundreds of

ordinary people, including

many local workers, took

part of the human chain held

at 11 a.m. on Sunday.

During the time,

Shahadat Hasan Biswas,

President of Kalapara Bapa,

Nasir Uddin Biplob,

President of Kuakata Pros

Club, Mizanur Rahman,

Inspector of Kuakata Tourist

Police, Majbahuddin

Mannu, Media Activist, K.

M. Bachu, President of

Kuakata Tour Guide

Association spoke at the

occasion.

The speakers called upon

the government to protect

and control the

Andharmanik river.

camp in the region. 300 awareness

meetings have been held for people and

transport workers in these highway police

stations, outposts, and camp areas. 290

trainings have been provided to drivers

and helpers. More than 3,000 drivers

and helpers have been trained in this

training. In addition, about 40,000

leaflets were distributed in public

awareness of driver helpers and the

general public. 250 awareness signboards

have been set up.

Bogura region Highway Police Super

Munshi Shahabuddin said the highway

police were on duty to maintain order on

the highway and to ensure a safe road for

everyone. Awareness among the people

has been spread through leaflet banner

festoons which continues. The members

of the highway police are ready to

maintain all kinds of discipline on the

road. On the occasion of National Road,

Safety Day Highway Police put up dropdown

banners, festoons, and various

banners on the roads in the Bogura

region. Meanwhile, on the occasion of

National Road Safety Day, Nirapad Sarak

Chai Bogura district President Mostafizer

Rohman said that a memorandum has

been issued to the Deputy Commissioner

and Superintendent of Police on the

issues to be taken to prevent accidents on

roads and highways. Leaflets continue to

be distributed among the general public

and vehicle drivers and helpers in public

awareness. He also said that public safety

processions and videos on road safety

would be displayed at important places in

the town on Safe Roads Day.

A Human chain was held at 11 a.m. on

last Thursday led by Nirapad Sarak Chai

Bogura district President Mostafizer

Rohman at Satmatha. Awareness leaflets

were distributed to all pedestrians,

drivers, and students. Bogura District

Branch vice-President Abdus Salam

Babu, Ayesha Begum, General Secretary

Rakibul Islam Sohag, Joint General

Secretary Golam Rabbani Shepon,

Organizing Secretary Al Amin, Office

Secretary Md Zaidul Islam, Publicity

Secretary Raunak Hasan, Finance

Secretary Selim Reza, and others were

present in the human chain.

16 more test positive

for Covid-19 in

Rajshahi division

RAJSHAHI: Sixteen more

people tested positive for

Covid-19 in six districts of

the division on Saturday,

taking the caseload to

98,856 since the pandemic

began in March last year,

reports BSS.

However, the new positive

figure is double compared to

the previous day's figure,

said Dr Habibul Ahsan

Talukder, divisional director

of Health, adding that

Friday's infection figure was

eight.

Besides, Wednesday's

fresh infection figure was

just four, which was the

lowest-ever in the division

since the second wave of the

pandemic hit the country.

Meanwhile, the recovery

count rose to 95,013 in the

division after 51 patients

were discharged from the

hospitals on the same day.

The death toll reached

1,671, including 685 in

Bogura, 318 in Rajshahi with

193 in its city, and 173 in

Natore, Dr Talukder added.

Besides, all the positive cases

of Covid-19 have, so far, been

brought under treatment

while 22,970 were kept in

isolation units of different

dedicated hospitals for

institutional supervision. Of

them, 19,328 have been

released.

Meanwhile, 19 more

people have been sent to

home and institutional

quarantine afresh while 93

others were released from

isolation during the same

time. Of the 16 new cases,

eight were detected in

Rajshahi, including six in its

city, followed by three in

Pabna, two in Bogura and

one each in Naogaon, Natore

and Joypurhat districts.

With the newly detected

patients, the district-wise

break-up of the total cases

now stands at 28,076 in

Rajshahi, including 22,640

in city, 5,666 in

Chapainawabganj, 6,406 in

Naogaon, 8,382 in Natore,

4,622 in Joypurhat, 21,606

in Bogura, 11,393 in Sirajganj

and 12,707 in Pabna.

A total of 1,13,709 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, 1,12,495 have, by

now, been released as they

were given clearance

certificates after completing

their 14-day quarantine.

A human chain was formed on the occasion of International Day of Climate

Action-2021 demanding protection of Andharamanik River and to save

Hilsa was held in Kuakata on Sunday.

Photo: TBT

Prize distribution and closing ceremony of an anti-drug friendly football match was held in Joypurhat on

Saturday.

Photo: Masrakul Alom

Hindu community

holds human

chain in Kaunia

MD ASHRAFUL HABIB,

KAUNIA CORRESPONDENT

Hindu community held a

human chain program was

held at the premises of Sri

Sri Kali Mandir and Durga

Mandir in Bauner Hat of

Kaunia last Saturday

afternoon to protest against

violence during recently

concluded Durga Puja.

General Secretary Jibon

Roy, members Khudiram

Barman, Jagadis Singh,

Ganesh Chandra, Madan

Kumar Roy, Ratan Chandra

and Sebayet Sushil Chandra

addressed the discussion

meeting of the human chain

program chaired by Paresh

Chakraborty.

Speakers at the occasion

demanded the arrest and

punishment of the culprits.

35,920 more get

1st dose of

Covid-19 vaccine

in Rangpur

RANGPUR: A total of

35,920 more citizens were

inoculated with the first

dose of the Covid-19

vaccine in all eight districts

of Rangpur division on

Saturday, reports BSS.

"Among the new 35,920

vaccinated citizens, 16,394

were inoculated with

Sinopharm Covid-19 jab,

19,466 citizens with

AstraZeneca Covid-19 jab

and 60 others with Pfizer-

BioNTech COVID-19 jab,"

said Divisional Director

(Health) Dr Md Motaharul

Islam.

"With the inoculation of

35,920 citizens with the

first dose of the Covid- 19

vaccine yesterday, the total

number of the first dose

recipients rose to

44,66,189 in all eight

districts of the division.

Among the first dose

recipient 44,66,189

citizens, 12,95,848 people

were vaccinated with

AstraZeneca Covid-19 jab,

30,38,432 with Sinopharm

Covid-19 jab and 1,31,849

others with Moderna

Covid-19 vaccine in the

division.

Meanwhile, the total

number of the second dose

of Covid-19 vaccine

recipient citizens rose to

20,47,729 with the

inoculation of more 25,950

people with the second

dose of the jab on Saturday

in the division.

Among the 25,950 new

second dose recipient

citizens, 125 were

inoculated with

AstraZeneca Covid-19

vaccine and 25,835 others

with Sinopharm Covid-19

vaccine on Saturday," Dr

Islam said.

"The second dose

recipient 20,47,729

citizens include 5,42,657

people vaccinated with

AstraZeneca Covid-19 jab,

13,80,113 people with

Sinopharm Covid-19 jab

and 1,23,959 others with

Moderna Covid-19 vaccine

in the division," Dr Islam

added.

Anti-drug friendly football

match held in Joypurhat

MASRAKUL ALOM, JOyPURHAT CORRESPONDENT

Prize distribution and closing ceremony of

Joypurhat anti-drug friendly football match

was held at Ramdao Government Bajla Dhol

field in the city at 4 pm on Saturday. The

Chief Guest was Deputy Commissioner Md.

Shariful Islam who inaugurated the

occassion which was oragnized by Joypurhat

district Administration and Department of

Narcotics Control.

During the time, District Awami League

President and District Parishad Chairman

Arifur Rahman Rocket, Additional

Superintendent of Police (Crime-

Administration) Tariqul Islam, Joypurhat

District Awami League Vice President and

Joypurhat Sadar Upazila Parishad

Chairman S, M Salaiman Ali were among

others also present at the occasion.

In the friendly football match, the green

team lost to the red team 0-1.

Hindu community held a human chain program in Kaunia on Saturday

protesting against violence during recently concluded Durga Puja.

Photo: Md Ashraful Habib

Covid-19 recovery

rate reaches 95.77pc

in Rangpur division

RANGPUR: The average recovery rate of Covid-19 patients

reached 95.77 percent in Rangpur division as no casualty was

reported during the last 24 hours ending at 8 am yesterday,

reports BSS.

Rangpur Divisional Deputy Director (Health) Dr Abu Md

Zakirul Islam said 15 more Covid-19 patients recovered during

the last 24 hours in the division.

"With this, the total number of healed patients rose to 52,925

since the beginning of the pandemic at an average recovery rate

of 95.77 percent in the division," he said.

The 52,925 recovered patients include 11,347 of Rangpur, 3,671

Panchagarh, 4,341 of Nilphamari, 2,625 of Lalmonirhat, 4,527

of Kurigram, 7,278 of Thakurgaon, 14,350 of Dinajpur and

4,786 of Gaibandha districts in the division.

Meanwhile, the number of Covid-19 cases reached 55,265 as six

fresh cases were diagnosed after testing 252 new samples at the

positivity rate of 2.38 percent on Saturday in the division.

Earlier, the daily Covid-19 positivity rates were 10.40 percent on

Friday, 0.38 percent on Thursday, 1.97 percent on Wednesday,

2.56 percent on Tuesday, 2.72 percent on Monday and 2.42

percent on Sunday last in the division.

"The district-wise break up of total 55,265 patients include

12,457 of Rangpur, 3,800 Panchagarh, 4,438 of Nilphamari,

2,738 of Lalmonirhat, 4,636 of Kurigram, 7,607 of Thakurgaon,

14,730 of Dinajpur and 4,859 of Gaibandha in the division," he

added.

"Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, a total of

2,90,958 collected samples were tested till Saturday, and of

them, 55,265 were found positive with an average positivity rate

of 18.99 percent in the division," Dr Zakirul added.

Divisional Director (Health) Dr Md Motaharul Islam said the

number of casualties remained steady at 1,240 as no new death

was reported during the last 24 hours from the division.

"The district-wise breakup of the 1,240 fatalities stands at 293

in Rangpur, 80 in Panchagarh, 89 in Nilphamari, 68 in

Lalmonirhat, 69 in Kurigram, 252 in Thakurgaon, 326 in

Dinajpur and 63 in Gaibandha districts of the division.

The average casualty rate currently stands at 2.24 percent in the

division.

Among the total 55,265 Covid-19 patients, 48 are undergoing

treatments at isolation units, including 10 patients at ICU and

six at High Dependency Unit beds. While 52,925 patients

recovered, 1,240 died and 1,052 are remaining in home

isolation.

RMCH records

two more

fatalities in

Covid-19 unit

RAJSHAHI: Rajshahi

Medical College Hospital

(RMCH) recorded two more

fatalities in its Covid-19 unit

in the last 24 hours till 6am

yesterday, taking the death

toll to 85, so far, this month,

reports BSS.

However, the previous

day's fatality figure was

three, while on October 3,

the death toll was just one,

the lowest-ever in the

hospital since the second

wave of the pandemic hit the

country around six months

back.

Earlier, the number of

casualties was 167 in

September, 340 in August,

566 in July and 405 in June,

health officials said.

RMCH Director Brigadier

General Shamim yazdany

told journalists that the

deceased were one each

from Kustia and Chuadanga

districts.

Among the new fatalities,

both of them were suffering

from symptoms of Covid-19.

Of the two new deaths, both

of them were male.

Eight new patients were

admitted to the designated

Covid-19 wards of the

hospital in the last 24 hours,

taking the total number of

admitted patients to 54.

Twelve other patients

returned home from the

RMCH Covid-19 unit after

being cured during the time.

Meanwhile, eight more

people were diagnosed with

Covid-19 after testing 261

samples in Rajshahi's two

laboratories on Saturday,

showing a 2.78 percent

positivity rate against 0.9

percent on Friday.

Erdogan orders removal

of 10 ambassadors,

including US envoy

ISTANBUL : Turkish President Recep

Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday that he had

ordered 10 foreign ambassadors who called

for the release of a jailed philanthropist to

be declared persona non grata.

The envoys, including the U.S., French

and German representatives in Ankara,

issued a statement earlier this week calling

for a resolution to the case of Osman

Kavala, a businessman and philanthropist

held in prison since 2017 despite not

having been convicted of a crime, reports

UNB.

Describing the statement as an

"impudence," Erdogan said he had ordered

the ambassadors be declared undesirable.

"I gave the instruction to our foreign

minister and said 'You will immediately

handle the persona non grata declaration

of these 10 ambassadors,'" Erdogan said

during a rally in the western city of

Eskisehir.

He added: "They will recognize,

understand and know Turkey. The day they

don't know or understand Turkey, they will

leave." The diplomats, who also include

the ambassadors of the Netherlands,

Canada, Denmark, Sweden, Finland,

Norway and New Zealand, were

summoned to the foreign ministry on

Tuesday.

A declaration of persona non grata

against a diplomat usually means that

individual is banned from remaining in

their host country.

Kavala, 64, was acquitted last year of

charges linked to nationwide antigovernment

protests in 2013, but the

ruling was overturned and joined to

charges relating to a 2016 coup attempt.

International observers and human

rights groups have repeatedly called for the

release of Kavala and Kurdish politician

Selahattin Demirtas, who has been jailed

since 2016. They say their imprisonment is

based on political considerations. Ankara

denies the claims and insists on the

independence of Turkish courts.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday that he had ordered 10

foreign ambassadors who called for the release of a jailed philanthropist to be

declared persona non grata.

Photo : AP

Germany says border

protection is 'legitimate'

BERLIN : Germany's interior minister said

Sunday it was "legitimate" to protect

borders, after several EU states asked

Brussels to pay for barriers to prevent illegal

migrants from entering the bloc.

The call came earlier this month, as Poland

proposed building a 350 million-euro ($410

million-) wall on its border with Belarus to

keep migrants out.

The EU accuses the Belarusian authorities

of flying migrants from the Middle East and

Africa to Minsk and then sending them into

the bloc on foot in retaliation for sanctions

imposed over a crackdown on the

opposition.

Asked whether Poland's border wall was

necessary, Germany's Interior Minister

Horst Seehofer said protecting frontiers was

justifiable.

"It is legitimate for us to protect the

external border in such a way that

undetected border crossings are prevented,"

he told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper

Sunday.

The surge in people crossing illegally over

the EU's eastern frontier with Belarus has

placed major strains on member states

unaccustomed to dealing with large-scale

arrivals.

Seehofer also said Germany would

increase controls on the German-Polish

border and that eight hundreds-strong

teams of police had already been deployed.

"If necessary, I am ready to reinforce this

even more," he said.

According to figures from the German

interior ministry, around 5,700 people have

travelled over the border between Germany

and Poland without an entry permit since the

start of the year.

Seehofer wrote to his Polish counterpart

Mariusz Kaminski last week to propose

increasing joint patrols along the border with

Poland in response to rising numbers of

migrants.

Kaminski responded that Poland would

offer its "full support" for such measures.

However, Seehofer also said last week

Germany had no plans to close the border

with Poland, adding that such a move would

also be "legally questionable".

Earlier this month, officials from countries

including Poland, Lithuania and Greece

argued for barriers along EU borders to

counter efforts to weaponise migration.

Brussels has so far shied away from

funding border walls for members states,

insisting that the current legal framework

only allows it to use EU budget funds for

"border management systems".

Germany's interior minister said Sunday it was "legitimate" to protect borders,

after several EU states asked Brussels to pay for barriers to prevent

illegal migrants from entering the bloc.

Photo : AP

Cuba reports lowest number

of daily infections from

COVID-19 in four months

HAVANA : Cuba reported

on Saturday the lowest

number of daily infections of

the novel coronavirus

(COVID-19) in four months,

with 1,393 cases registered

in the last 24 hours, bringing

the total to 944,431.

According to the Ministry

of Public Health, there were

14 deaths in the last day,

bringing the death toll to

8,167, reports UNB.

"Today, we have

encouraging figures," said

the ministry's director of

hygiene and epidemiology,

Francisco Duran.

Duran stated that there

are currently 5,846 active

cases, the lowest figure in

four months.

The central province of

Sancti Spiritus, which on

Friday became the epicenter

of the disease in the country,

reported an incidence rate of

960.2 per 100,000

inhabitants.

In Cuba, an accelerated

mass immunization process

against COVID-19 is

underway, in which about

62 percent of the country's

11.2 million people have

been fully vaccinated with

the Cuban-made vaccines

Abdala, Soberana 02, and

Soberana Plus.

China calls for tightened

response as new COVID-19

outbreak affects 11 regions

BEIJING : A total of 11

provincial-level regions have

been affected within a week

as a fresh outbreak of

COVID-19 emerged in

China, a spokesperson with

the National Health

Commission (NHC) said

Sunday.

Sporadic cases reported in

various regions have been

increasing ever since Oct. 17,

Mi Feng, spokesperson for

the NHC, told a press

conference.

Most of the cases have

inter-region travel histories,

increasing the risk of virus

transmission to other

regions, Mi said.

The spokesperson called

for tightened anti-epidemic

response against the new

outbreak.

US urges NKorea to

stop missile tests

and return to talks

SEOUL, South Korea : A

senior U.S. diplomat on

Sunday urged North Korea

to end a recent series of

missile tests and resume

negotiations, days after the

North performed its first

u n d e r w a t e r - l a u n c h e d

ballistic missile launch in

two years.

Sung Kim, the top U.S.

official on North Korea

affairs, spoke after meeting

with South Korean officials

to discuss North Korea's

recent streak of missile tests

that came amid a longrunning

stalemate in

nuclear diplomacy between

Washington and

Pyongyang. "We call on the

DPRK to cease these

provocations and other

destabilizing activities, and

instead, engage in

dialogue," Kim told

reporters, referring to North

Korea by its official name,

the Democratic People's

Republic of Korea.

"We remain ready to meet

with the DPRK without

preconditions and we have

made clear that the United

States harbors no hostile

intent towards the DPRK,"

he said.

Last Tuesday, North

Korea fired a newly

developed ballistic missile

from a submarine in its fifth

round of weapons tests in

recent weeks. South Korean

officials said the submarinefired

missile appears to be in

an early stage of

development.

Still, that marked the

North's first underwaterlaunched

test since

October in 2019 and the

most high-profile one

since President Joe Biden

took office in January.

monDAY, ocToBER 25, 2021

7

A strong earthquake struck northeastern Taiwan on Sunday, with residents reporting violent shaking in

the capital Taipei but there were no immediate reports of widespread damage.

Photo : AP

Strong quake strikes

northern Taiwan

TAIPEI : A strong earthquake struck

northeastern Taiwan on Sunday, with

residents reporting violent shaking in the

capital Taipei but there were no immediate

reports of widespread damage.

Taiwan's central weather bureau said the

quake was of magnitude 6.5 while the US

Geological Survey gave a lower figure of 6.2.

It hit northeastern Yilan county at 1:11 pm

(0511 GMT) at a depth of 67 kilometres (42

miles).

An AFP reporter who lives in Yilan said the

shaking seemed to last some 30 seconds.

"The walls of the house were shaking, both

sideways and up and down, it felt quite

strong," the reporter said.

There was no damage in his

neighbourhood. The main quake was

followed by a 5.4-magnitude aftershock and

Taipei's MRT metro system shut down as a

precaution for a little under an hour before

service resumed. Tom Parker, a British

illustrator who lives in Taipei, said he was

riding the subway when the quake hit.

"First time I've felt a quake on the MRT.

Like a tame rollercoaster," he tweeted,

adding he and other commuters were told to

shelter in place in the station for now.

Many others reported the tremor on social

media. "I was scared to death, I screamed in

my room," Yu Ting wrote on Facebook.

"This earthquake is really big, glass has

shattered in my living room." Some grocery

stores reported food and other goods were

thrown from shelves by the shaking.

Taiwan is regularly hit by earthquakes as

the island lies near the junction of two

tectonic plates.

Some earthquakes of this magnitude can

prove deadly, although much depends on

where the quake strikes and at what depth.

Hualien, a scenic tourist hotspot.

Egyptian writer warns of "risks"

of following Western media

CAIRO : The Western media attempt to

shape global perceptions while warping the

truth, which is why people should be aware

of the risks in following their reports, wrote

Egyptian writer Azza Radwan Sedky in a

recent article, reports UNB.

"The Western media is no better, if also no

worse, than Hollywood, which, if it so

chooses, manages to manipulate and

mislead whether viewers like it or not,"

Sedky wrote in her article titled "Follow the

western media-at your own risk."

The piece was published earlier this month

on Ahramonline, the English website of

Egypt's state-run Al-Ahram newspaper.

Sedky cited how Hollywood cowboy

movies in the 1950s and 1960s have misled

audiences regarding the native Indians,

saying that Hollywood movies propagated

"unfair and unjust" vision and misled the

Ethiopia launches air strike

on Tigray's 'western front'

ADDIS ABABA : Ethiopia's military launched an air strike on

a rebel-held facility in Tigray's west on Sunday, a government

official said, the seventh aerial bombardment in the war-hit

region in a week.

"Today the western front of (Mai Tsebri) which was serving

as a training and military command post for the terrorist

group TPLF has been the target of an air strike," government

spokeswoman Selamawit Kassa said, referring to the Tigray

People's Liberation Front (TPLF).

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government has been locked

in a war against the TPLF since last November, though

Tigray itself had seen little combat since late June, when the

rebels seized control of much of Ethiopia's northernmost

region and the military largely withdrew.

But on Monday Ethiopia's air force launched two strikes on

Tigray's capital Mekele that the UN said killed three children

and wounded several other people.

Since then there have been three more strikes on Mekele

and another targeting what the government described as a

weapons cache in the town of Agbe, about 80 kilometres (50

miles) to the west.

The strikes coincide with ramped-up fighting in Amhara

region, south of Tigray.

They have drawn rebukes from Western powers, with the

US last week condemning "the continuing escalation of

violence, putting civilians in harm's way".

A strike Friday on Mekele forced a UN flight carrying 11

humanitarian personnel to turn back to Ethiopian capital

Addis Ababa, and the UN subsequently announced it was

suspending its twice-weekly flights to the region.

The conflict has spurred fears of widespread starvation.

world to accept the depictions as authentic.

"The same thing is sometimes true of the

Western media," wrote Sedky, calling

Western media's prejudice against China,

Russia, Iran, and Egypt as "recognizable

bias."

"Stories in the Western media about these

countries are constantly presented

negatively, highlighting gloom and doom,"

she wrote, deeming the Western media "a

propaganda tool."

The Western media also provide other

media with descriptions which create

negative stereotypes, with phrases like

"China's tabloids say ... " and "Egypt's progovernment

media argues ..., " Sedky wrote.

Such phrases leave readers with

stereotypical negative impressions on

Russia, China, Iran and Egypt while the

Western media "alters and twists facts."

Drag racer slams into

spectators in Texas; 2

children killed

KERRVILLE : A driver lost

control during a Texas drag

racing event on an airport

runway and slammed into a

crowd of spectators, killing

two children and injuring

eight other people Saturday,

authorities said.

A 6-year-old boy and an 8-

year-old boy were killed in the

crash Saturday afternoon at

an event called "Airport Race

Wars 2" at the Kerrville-Kerr

County Airport, police said in

a news release. The organized

event was attended by

thousands and involved

drivers speeding down a

runway as they competed for

cash.

The driver "lost control and

left the runway, crashing into

parked vehicles and striking

spectators who were

observing the races," Kerville

police said.

The injured victims were

taken to various hospitals,

including a 46-year-old

woman who was listed in

critical condition. The

majority of the other injuries

are not believed to be lifethreatening,

although the

condition of a 26-year-old

man was unknown,

authorities said. A 4-year-old

boy and a 3-month-old girl

were taken to a hospital for

precautionary evaluations.

Authorities did not

immediately release the

identities of the two children

who were killed at the event

about 60 miles (97

kilometers) northwest of San

Antonio..

The Kerrville Convention

and Visitors Bureau's website

promoted the event as an

"action packed, familyfriendly

day" in which fans

could watch the "fastest drag

cars compete for over $8000

in total prizes."

MONDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2021

8

Bank Asia has arranged a virtual Breast Cancer awareness program titled 'Myths of Breast Cancer' for all

female employees of the bank on the occasion of Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2021. Tania Nusrat

Zaman, Director of the Bank, graced the program as Chief Guest. Dr. Poovamma C.U and Dr. Raghavendra

Babu both from Cytecare Cancer Hospital, Bangaluru, India, was the Resource Persons of the awareness

program. The program was held on 23 October 2021 in collaboration with Cytecare Cancer Hospital with

the support of MediAider Ltd. Suresh Ramu, CEO of Cytecare Cancer Hospital and Sheikh Shaer Hasan,

Chairman, MediAider Ltd., were also present at the program.

Photo: Courtesy

UK warns of ‘gaps’ with EU as talks to

solve N.Ireland Brexit issues resume

LONDON : Talks between

Britain and the European

Union to resolve problems

with the Brexit agreement

regarding Northern Ireland

will move to London next

week with the UK

government warning on

Saturday that "substantial

gaps" remained, reports

BSS.

A negotiating team from

the European Commission

will travel to London on

Tuesday "for several days of

intensive discussions",

according to a statement

issued by London on

Saturday. British minister

David Frost and EU

Commission Vice President

Sefcovic are due to meet for

talks at the end of the week

to "take stock and assess

progress so far".

London added that talks

over the previous days had

been "constructive" but that

"substantial gaps" remain.

Brussels has put forward a

raft of proposals to try and

ease tensions within the

loyalist community over the

Northern Ireland Protocol,

the part of the Brexit deal

that deals with the British

province.

The proposals include

Desperate for employees, US

businesses struggle to hire

NEW YORK : To keep the

taps at his recently opened

beer tasting room flowing,

Peter Chekijian had no choice

but to ask his main

employees to come in seven

days per-week, reports BSS.

The staffing shortage has

also kept Chekijian from

realizing his goal of brewing

beer on site, since he can't

find contractors to finish

installing tanks he requires.

"That's been a big issue of

getting people to actually

finish up the job," said

Chekijian, who co-founded

the small Twin Fork Beer

Company in New York state.

Even as millions of

Americans who lost their jobs

to the Covid-19 pandemic

have returned to work,

companies nationwide report

they're still struggling to hire

employees in recent months.

More than 10 million jobs

were unfilled as of the end of

August, according to

government data. The labor

force participation rate,

which measures the US

economy's active workforce,

was 61.6 percent in

September, compared to 63.3

percent before the pandemic.

The causes of the short

staffing are myriad, from

continued fears of

contracting Covid-19,

particularly among people

who live with elderly family

or children, to early

retirements and objections

over work-life balance and

low wages.

And while the government

throughout the pandemic

offered

generous

reduced customs checks and

paperwork on British

products intended for

Northern Ireland, which

loyalists complain are

driving a wedge between

Belfast and London and

building momentum for the

republican push for a united

Ireland.

Despite moving on

customs checks, the

European Union has said it

will not accept London's

demands for an alternative

arbitrator to settle post-

Brexit trade disputes

involving Northern Ireland.

As a result, Britain is

threatening to trigger the

protocol's Article 16, which

provides both parties with

unilateral power to take

action if they believe the

agreement is causing

"serious economic, societal

or environmental difficulties

that are liable to persist".

"There's been plenty of

speculation about

governance this week but

our position remains

unchanged: the role of the

European Court of Justice in

resolving disputes between

the UK and EU must end," a

British government source

said in Saturday's statement.

unemployment benefits to

keep people who lost their job

financially sound, their

expiration last month hasn't

yet caused hiring to increase.

The employee shortages

come as restaurants and

entertainment venues reopen

amid as more Americans get

vaccinated, and ahead of the

uptick in business around the

holiday season.

With "so many employers

trying to hire so many people

at the same time, it creates

that imbalance," said Aaron

Sojourner, an economist at

the University of Minnesota.

Employers who spoke to

AFP told of mad scrambles to

attract applicants by offering

higher wages and other

perks.

Chekijian has put out ads

looking for employees and

attended job fairs with offers

of time off, benefits packages

and salaries as generous as he

can manage, but still can't

find the people he needs.

"It's been shockingly slow,"

he said. "It's definitely

affecting what we're trying to

do in terms of growing our

business." The biggest

American retailers are hiring

staff ahead of the holiday

season, with Amazon and

Walmart both recruiting

150,000 people, Target and

UPS taking on 100,000 and

FedEx 90,000.

Logistics company GXO is

looking to hire 9,000

employees for the busy

season over the next two

months, and its head of

human resources Maryclaire

Hammond said "finding

"We need to see real

progress soon rather than

get stuck in a process of

endless negotiation because

the issues on the ground in

Northern Ireland haven't

gone away.

"Whether we're able to

establish that momentum

soon will help us determine

if we can bridge the gap or if

we need to use Article 16 to

safeguard the Belfast (Good

Friday) Agreement".

That agreement ended

decades of violence between

republicans who want a

united Ireland, and loyalists

who want it to remain part of

the United Kingdom.

Designing the protocol

was a major source of

friction in Britain's drawnout

divorce from the EU

after it voted to leave the

bloc in 2016.

Both sides say they want to

preserve peace and stability

by avoiding a hard border on

the island of Ireland, which

is split between EU-member

the Republic of Ireland and

the UK province.

To achieve this, Northern

Ireland was given unique

status as a member of both

the UK and the EU single

market.

people has been a huge

issue."

"There is a massive

competition for talent at all

levels, there is an absolute

war," she said in an interview.

GXO is particularly short

on material handlers and

forklift operators, and has

paid for billboards and social

media advertisements and

organized job fairs to attract

applications.

It has upped its pay by $3 to

$5 per-hour in the past eight

months and offered hiring

incentives and a benefits

package including health

insurance, retirement

contributions and college

tuition assistance.

But Hammond said getting

people to stay is even trickier.

"The current workforce is

pretty fickle, happy to

change," she said. If a

warehouse nearby pays even

slightly more, employees will

move there.

The company has tried to

make workers feel

comfortable, even going so

far as to hand out burritos at

some warehouses.

"Offering very good

burritos in the mornings, it

sounds silly, but things like

that really motivate people,"

Hammond said.

It has also tried to find ways

around the worker shortages

by increasing automation in

its warehouses by 40 percent

this year.

Staci Weinsheimer is

looking for a full-time

administrative job and feels

that the market is finally

turning in her favor.

Picasso masterpieces

fetch $108.9 million

at Sotheby's auction

LAS VEGAS :Eleven

masterpieces by Pablo Picasso

fetched $108.9 million at a

Sotheby's auction in Las

Vegas on Saturday, reports

BSS.

The works went under the

hammer at the Bellagio hotel

and casino, known for its

extensive art collection, ahead

of what would have been the

Spanish painter's 140th

birthday.

The jewel in the crown of

MGM Resort's auctioned

collection was "Femme au

beret rouge-orange"

("Woman with a red-orange

cap"), one of the last portraits

by the artist of Marie-Therese

Walter, who he began an

affair with when she was 17

years old, and inspired many

of his most celebrated works.

It sold for nearly $40.5

million after a starting price

was estimated at $20-30

million.

"Painted in January 1938,

the portrait of his beloved

muse Marie-Therese Walter

stands as a crowning

achievement amid one of

Picasso's most inspired and

productive periods,"

Sotheby's said in a Tweet.

Two iconic portraits from

the last years of the painter's

life were also sold: "Homme et

enfant" ("Man and child") --

for $24.4 million-and "Buste

d'homme" ("Bust of Man") --

at $9.5 million-which sold

below its estimated starting

price of 10 million.

Sabbia Hossain

Becomes CPA

from Canada

Daughter of S. A. M.

Hossain, proprietor of Victor

Electronics, former Vice

Chairman & Director of

Standard Bank Ltd and

Rahela Hossain, Sponsor

Director of Prime Insurance

Company ltd; Sabbia

Hossain has been certified

as Chartered Professional

Accountant (CPA) by the

Chartered Professional

Accountants, Ontario Board,

Toronto, Canada, a press

release said.

Prior to this, she

completed her Master of

Accounting (MAcc) from a

famous university; Schulich

School of Business, Toronto,

Canada. Currently she is

working as Chief Financial

Analyst in a reputed

Financial Organization in

Toronto, Canada.

Sabbiainvokes for blessing

of her relatives, teachers,

friends and well-wisher of

Noapara, Rawzan,

Chattogram and all over

Bangladesh .

China’s

natural gas

output up

7.1 pct in

September

BEIJING:China saw an

increase in its natural gas

output in September, official

data showed, reports BSS.

The country's natural gas

output totaled 15.7 billion

cubic meters last month,

rising 7.1 percent year on

year, according to the

National Bureau of Statistics

(NBS).

The volume rose 15.2

percent from that in

September 2019, putting the

two-year average growth at

7.3 percent.

In the first nine months,

China's natural gas output

amounted to 151.8 billion

cubic meters, increasing

10.4 percent from a year

earlier, the NBS

said.Imports of natural gas

rose 22.7 percent from a

year earlier to 10.62 million

tonnes in the same period.

Two PET-CT machines and

One cyclotron machine with

radio chemistry facility at

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib

Medical University

(BSMMU) campus and 1

PET-CT machine has been

installed at the Institute of

Nuclear Medicine and Allied

Sciences (INMAS) located

on the campus of Dhaka

Medical College. The

machineries were installed

under the project titled

"Establishment of PET-CT

with Cyclotron Facilities" of

The National Institute of

Nuclear Medicine and Allied

Sciences (NINMAS) under

the Bangladesh Atomic

Energy Commission.

Government of the People's

Republic of Bangladesh,

Minister, Ministry of Science

and Technology, Architect

Yeafesh Osman, inaugurated

the PET-CT and Cyclotron

facilities on 24th October

Sunday morning as the chief

guest, a press release said.

Bangabandhu Sheikh

Mujib Medical University

Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr.

AKM Mosharraf Hossain

was present as a special

guest on the occasion.

WASHINGTON:The US

Federal Reserve on Thursday

announced stricter

investment rules for officials

of the central bank following

recent controversies over

trading activities, reports

BSS.

The rules would prevent

Fed officials from holding

individual stocks, prohibit

trading during times of

unusual market stress,

require pre-approval of

trades, and more frequent

disclosure of trading activity

to "help guard against even

the appearance of any conflict

of interest," the Fed said.

"These tough new rules

raise the bar high in order to

assure the public we serve

that all of our senior officials

maintain a single-minded

focus on the public mission of

the Federal Reserve," Fed

Chair Jerome Powell said in a

statement.

Powell, who is awaiting

word whether he will be

appointed to a second term,

became the target of criticism

this week after disclosure

documents showed he pulled

$1 million to $5 million out of

a stock index in October

2020, just before a sharp

China to expand property tax

trial to check speculation

BEIJING : China is set to expand pilot

property tax reforms, state media reported,

as the government battles real estate

speculation in the world's second-biggest

economy, reports BSS.

China's housing market took off after key

1998 reforms sparked a building boom on

the back of rapid urbanisation and wealth

accumulation.

But as prices soared, so did worries about

wealth disparity and the resulting potential

for social instability.

China's top legislature, the National

People's Congress Standing Committee, on

Saturday approved the latest plan to

promote "rational housing consumption",

according to the official Xinhua news

agency.

Under the five-year pilot scheme, Xinhua

added, property tax will be levied on all

types of real estate, excluding some rural

homes. Further details, such as its start date

and target areas, are expected to be

disclosed at a later date.

The announcement comes with President

Xi Jinping pushing for more "common

prosperity" in China aimed at spreading

wealth more evenly.

In 2011, authorities started trials in

Chairman of Bangladesh

Atomic Energy Commission

Prof. Dr. Md. Sanwar

Hossain presided over the

meeting. Member of

Bangladesh Atomic Energy

Commission (Biology) Prof.

Dr. Ashok Kumar Pal,

Director of National

Institute of Nuclear

Medicine and Allied

Sciences (NINMAS) Prof.

Dr. Shamim Mumtaz

Ferdousi Begum, Ministry of

Science and Technology,

various institutions of

US Fed announces stricter

investment rules for

central bank officials

single-day drop in the US

market.

Two other senior officials

resigned recently following

disclosures that they had

traded individual stocks last

year, as the Fed was working

to shore up the economy

amid the pandemic crisis.

A Fed official told reporters

staff are working on the

details of the new investment

rules, including the criteria

for what is considered

"unusual market stress."

But the volatility during the

pandemic crisis last year

would certainly fall under that

definition which would be

subject to a temporary

trading ban, the official said.

Powell announced the

review of existing rules

governing investments last

month after reports that

Dallas Fed President Rob

Kaplan and the Boston Fed's

Eric Rosengren profited from

sales of individual stocks last

year.

The Fed official said the

goal of the review was to

materially tighten existing

rules, which already subject

central bankers to a trading

blackout 10 days before the

monetary policy committee

Bangladesh Atomic Energy

Commission, authority of

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib

Medical University and

about 300 guests from

different hospitals were also

present on the occasion.

Speaking as the chief

guest, Minister for Science

and Technology Architect

Yeafesh Osman said, "With

the help of Bangabandhu's

daughter, we have been able

to set up a state-of-the-art

medical device, Cyclotron

and PET-CT." Through

meetings.

They currently are barred

from holding bank stockssince

the Fed regulates banksand

now will be prohibited

from holding agency

mortgage-backed securities, a

class of bond the central bank

has been buying in large

numbers during the

pandemic to help prop up the

American economy.

Some central bankers may

have to divest some of their

holdings to comply with the

stricter requirements, the

official said.

Under the new regime,

officials will have to provide

45 days advance notice for

purchases and sales of

securities, obtain prior

approval, and hold

investments for at least one

year.

And in addition to annual

disclosure reports, officials,

including senior staff, will be

required to report any trades

within 30 days.

After their trading activities

came to light, Kaplan left his

post on October 8, while

Rosengren moved his

already-scheduled retirement

up by several months to

September 30.

Shanghai and Chongqing targeting highend

private residential properties for

taxation.

There have been talks to expand such

taxation, but localities have been reluctant,

worried it will drag down property values

and dampen demand for land, a key source

of local government revenue, state-run

tabloid Global Times said Saturday.

China's real estate sector is in troubled

waters, with home sales slumping 16.9

percent on-year in September and deeply

indebted property giant Evergrande

battling a liquidity crisis.

Some analysts believe, however, the latest

tax move is aimed at preventing prices from

rebounding to earlier levels.

"The chances of a national tax being

implemented are much higher now," said

Mark Williams of Capital Economics last

week as reports emerged that a plan was

being stalled.

Opposition to the tax from insiders was

not new, he added, given that correlation

between Communist Party membership

and ownership of multiple properties is

"probably fairly high" . "But demographics

mean the 25-year property boom is ending,"

he said.

"Inauguration of Cyclotron and PET-CT

Facilities at BSMMU Campus

which the science and

technology sector in the

government took a step

forward in establishing the

first PET-CT technology in

the country. It is a great

innovator in the

development of the country.

We are working relentlessly

to take the science and

technology sector forward.

With cyclotron facilities,

PET-CT continues to make

Fed's Powell says

'premature' to up

rates despite

inflation risk

WASHINGTON : Despite a

risk that high inflation in the

United States could persist,

it would be "premature" to

raise borrowing rates and

risk slowing the economic

recovery, Federal Reserve

Chair Jerome Powell said

Friday, reports BSS.

The US central bank chief

acknowledged that supply

constraints and shortages

that have caused prices to

rise sharply are "likely to last

longer than previously

expected, likely well into

next year."

But at the Fed "we need to

be patient," Powell said

during a panel discussion

organized by South Africa's

central bank.

The Fed is "on track" to

begin to pull back on its

massive monthly bond

purchases, which would be

completed by mid-2022, he

said.

But "it would be

premature to actually

tighten policy by raising

rates now with the effect and

intent of slowing job

growth."

Policymakers are expected

to announce the slowdown

of bond buying at the central

bank's policy meeting early

next month, but the

benchmark lending rate is

forecast to remain at zero at

least until late next year.

MonDAY, octoBer 25, 2021

9

Luis Suarez piled more misery on Barcelona by scoring in a 2-0 victory for Atletico Madrid on

Saturday.

photo: Ap

Suarez deepens Barcelona crisis,

Koeman insists he will continue

SportS DeSk

Luis Suarez piled more misery on

Barcelona by scoring in a 2-0 victory for

Atletico Madrid on Saturday but

Ronald Koeman insists he has the

club's support to continue as coach,

reports BSS.

Barca president Joan Laporta had

said a few hours before kick-off that

Koeman would continue as coach

"regardless of the result" at the Wanda

Metropolitano, but another limp

display will put that commitment to

the test over the two-week

international break.

Koeman confirmed after the game he

spoke to Laporta on Friday night and

Saturday morning. He said he

welcomed the clarity over his future,

which he believes will benefit the team.

"Clarity is very important, for the

confidence of the coach, for the players

too, for them to know the coach is still

here," said Koeman.

"He has made his decision, as he said

this afternoon, so everything is perfect."

Goal scorer Suarez put his hands

together and looked up to the sky in

what was initially a muted celebration,

out of respect for his former club,

where he spent six years and scored

198 goals. "(It was) out of respect, love,

for the journey I had at Barca and for

the period they're in at the moment,

for the fans as well," said Suarez after

the game.

But the Uruguayan also made a

telephone gesture and appeared to aim

it at Koeman, perhaps referencing the

abrupt manner Barca's coach told him

he was surplus to requirements at

Camp Nou, just over a year ago.

"That was for the people who think

I'm still using the same number," said

Suarez with a smile.

Thomas Lemar had already fired

Atletico in front and, two down before

half-time, Barcelona looked vulnerable

to another hammering on the back of

successive 3-0 defeats in the

Champions League by Bayern Munich

and Benfica.

They at least avoided more

embarrassment in the second half

and it remains to be seen now

whether Laporta stays true to his

word by giving Koeman more time to

turn things around.

Xavi Hernandez, Roberto Martinez

and Andrea Pirlo have reportedly been

the names under consideration as

replacements. However, it is possible

Laporta has found none of them are

keen, with Barcelona bottom of their

Champions League group and

restricted to a spending limit of 97

million euros by La Liga, only the

seventh highest in the division.

Barca sit ninth, while Atletico's win

takes them level on points with Real

Madrid at the top of the table.

They needed this result too, after a

disappointing start to the season that

had seen them win only two of their

previous five games.

Suarez might take the headlines but it

was his partner Joao Felix who was

arguably the star of the show, the

youngster a menace in the first half and

producing one of his best performances

in a long time.

Atletico coach Diego Simeone said:

"When the first half was over, I went

over to Joao and said: 'This is what I

need from you. This is what you have to

do'."

It was the first time the Wanda

Metropolitano had been full since

March 2020 and the noise gave

impetus to Atletico early on.

It was Felix's superb touch that

created the opening goal, a delightful

shift away from Ronald Araujo on the

left wing opening the whole pitch up in

a moment.

Felix played inside to Suarez, who

fired first-time across to Lemar and he

finished into the top corner.

Feisty Indian cricket star Ashwin

a divisive figure with rare talent

SportS DeSk

Ravichandran Ashwin is one of

cricket's leading spin bowlers and a

superstar in India, but more than once

he has been accused of flouting the

spirit of the sport, reports BSS.

The 35-year-old all-rounder, who is not

short of confidence or afraid to say

what's on his mind, was again at the

centre of fierce debate last week in the

money-spinning Indian Premier

League (IPL).

Australian cricket legend Shane

Warne called it "disgraceful" after

Ashwin ran a controversial single for

the Delhi Capitals in a testy encounter.

The feisty Ashwin had a sharp

exchange with Kolkata Knight Riders

skipper Eoin Morgan and with Tim

Southee following a throw that

ricocheted off his partner Rishabh

Pant's arm.

Usually, a batsman avoids a run

when the ball from a fielder hits him

and deviates away because it is seen as

against the spirit of cricket, although

there are no rules prohibiting a run.

"Why does Ashwin have to be that

guy again?" the retired Warne tweeted,

with some on social media on Ashwin's

side and others against him.

Ashwin did not hold back in

mounting his defence and said he also

had no remorse for the ugly set-to with

Morgan and Southee.

ravichandran Ashwin is one of cricket's leading spin bowlers and a

superstar in India.

photo: Ap

"Did I fight? No, I stood up for myself

and that's what my teachers and

parents taught me to do and please

teach your children to stand up for

themselves," he told his 10.4 million

followers on Twitter. It was not the first

time that Ashwin has courted

controversy in the IPL and ignited

debate about the "spirit of cricket". In

2019, he ran out Jos Buttler when the

batsman was backing up at the nonstriker's

end. The so-called Mankad

form of dismissal is legal, but often

viewed as unsportsmanlike. Ashwin's

rise to the top started in his hometown

of Chennai and through the years he

has added variations to his repertoire of

tricks.

He mastered the "carrom" delivery,

or "sudoku ball" -- "flick of the fingers"

in his native language Tamil -- while

playing with a tennis ball.

He has taken 413 Test wickets and

over 200 scalps in limited-overs

internationals, and emerged in the last

five years as cricket-mad India's

number one spinner.

Ashwin played a key role in India's

historic Test win in Australia early this

year and, underlining his supreme

confidence, said: "I think I have done

enough to say I am the best spinner."

But that did not prevent his exclusion

from India's Test XI in the recently

concluded tour of England -- former

England captain Michael Vaughan

called that "madness".

Ashwin last played a limited-overs

match for his country in 2017 but he

looks set to play a major part for India

at the upcoming Twenty20 World Cup

in the United Arab Emirates and

Oman. He is also more than a useful

batter.

"I see a lot of myself in Ashwin. He

is a fantastic cricketer with a lot of

work ethic," said India spin legend

Anil Kumble.

Lens cut PSG lead

to six points in

empty stadium

SportS DeSk

Lens cut Paris Saint-

Germain's lead at the top of

Ligue 1 to six points on

Friday with a 2-0 win over

Reims although their fans

were forced to stay away,

reports BSS.

Teenage striker Arnaud

Kalimuendo, on loan from

PSG, scored both Lens goals

as the team moved to 18

points.

PSG lead with 24 points

from eight games and have a

game in hand.

Lens were playing their

second home match at Stade

Bollaert behind closed doors

following crowd trouble last

month in the local derby

with Lille.

Kalimuendo, just 19,

opened the scoring on the

stroke of half-time from the

penalty spot after a red card

handed to Reims teenage

winger Hugo Ekitike for

dangerous play.

Kalimuendo added his

second in the 52nd minute

as Lens bounced back from a

1-0 loss to Strasbourg in

their last, crowdless, home

game.

"We were in control.

Obviously, with the penalty

and the red card, it helped us

to intensify our control,"

said Lens coach Franck

Haise."To be second in the

table heading into the

international break, with an

average of two points per

game, it's beautiful."

PSG will look to restore

their nine-point lead when

they travel to Rennes on

Sunday.

Norrie topples

Rublev to reach San

Diego ATP final

SportS DeSk

Britain's Cameron Norrie

rallied to beat fifth-ranked

top seed Andrey Rublev 3-6,

6-3, 6-4 Saturday and reach

the ATP San Diego Open

final, reports BSS.

Norrie, who captured his

first ATP Tour title in Los

Cabos, Mexico, in July,

dropped the first set in 35

minutes, but he saved three

break points in the third

game of the second set to

begin to turn the tide.

The 28th-ranked Briton

pushed Rublev into errors,

gaining a break in the

second set as the Russian

looked more and more

frustrated.

"All credit to Andrey, he

came out firing," Norrie said.

"He played some big tennis

at the beginning and I

managed to weather the

storm at the start of the

second.

"It's such a big win for me.

It's definitely a match that

I'm going to remember for a

long time."

Norrie saved eight of nine

break points he faced to

reach his fifth ATP final of

the year.

He'll face either secondseeded

Casper Ruud of

Norway or Bulgarian Grigor

Dimitrov in Sunday's

championship match.

"I'm just trying to enjoy

today and then I'll try to rest

up and get ready for that,"

Norrie said. "I've been

watching both of them this

week and they've been

playing some of their top

level. I'm looking forward to

that one tomorrow."

Benitez's flying start silences

Everton sceptics

SportS DeSk

Rafael Benitez's appointment as Everton

boss was not a popular one with supporters

given his past as a Champions Leaguewinning

Liverpool manager, but the

Spaniard's tactical nous has the Toffees

dreaming of European football, reports BSS.

Everton have lost just one of Benitez's first

seven Premier League games in charge

despite a limited budget due to financial fairplay

restrictions and injuries to star strikers

Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison.

A 1-1 draw away to Manchester United

kept Benitez's men level on points with the

Red Devils and Liverpool and one ahead of

Manchester City ahead of the champions'

trip to Anfield on Sunday.

United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could

afford the luxury of bringing Cristiano

Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho and Paul Pogba on

as substitutes, while Benitez had to name

three teenagers to fill out his bench.

But a point was the least the visitors

deserved from a performance that married

the defensive organisation Benitez's sides are

famous for with a potent threat on the

counter-attack.Everton's goal showed the

impact the 61-year-old has had in just a few

months in charge. After an Everton outlay of

o240 million ($325 million) in transfer fees

over the past three years, Benitez's spending

South Korea's Park, Ko share

LPGA ShopRite lead

SportS DeSk

Ko Jin-young and Park In-bee set the stage for a South

Korean shootout, firing second-round 65s to share a twostroke

lead heading into Sunday's final round of the LPGA

ShopRite Classic.

World number two Ko made five of her six birdies in the

space of six holes in her six-under effort at Seaview Bay in

Galloway, New Jersey.

Park had seven birdies, bouncing back from a bogey at her

penultimate hole, the eighth, with a birdie at the par-five

ninth to grab her share of first place on 11-under par 131.

They were two strokes in front of Thailand's Patty

Tavatanakit, who had six birdies in her six-under 65 for 133.

A victory in the 54-hole tournament would make Ko the

LPGA's second three- time winner of the season after

triumphs at Dallas in July and Portland two weeks ago.

"I had a lot of good opportunities for birdies," said Ko, who

hit 15 of 18 greens in regulation and needed 27 putts.

was limited to o1.7 million to bring in

Demarai Gray and Andros Townsend during

the transfer window. At the same time he

had to shave down the wage bill with James

Rodriguez frozen out before his move to

Qatari side Al-Rayyan. But Gray and

Townsend have shone as Everton have taken

14 points from a possible 21. Gray showed his

blend of strength, determination and pace to

twice dispossess Fred and set in motion the

counter-attack for Everton's equaliser.

Abdoulaye Doucoure is another player

transformed by Benitez's arrival and the

Frenchman provided his fourth assist of the

season by rolling the ball into the path of

Townsend for his fifth goal in nine games as

an Everton player.

Townsend was available on a free transfer

from Crystal Palace with his career

seemingly in decline but he has been revived

by reuniting with Benitez after the pair

worked together previously at Newcastle.

"The manager demands the very best. He

got the best out of me when I was at

Newcastle and he seems to be getting the

best out of me again at the minute," said

Townsend. "If I keep working hard, keep

listening to the manager, hopefully I can

continue getting on the scoresheet." But for a

matter of centimetres Everton could even

have grabbed their first victory at Old

Trafford since 2013.

everton have lost just one of Benitez's first seven premier League games in

charge.

photo: Ap

Chelsea boss Tuchel urges

Werner to keep improving

SportS DeSk

Thomas Tuchel warned Timo Werner he

must keep improving after the Chelsea

striker's first Premier League goal since April

helped seal a 3-1 win against 10-man

Southampton on Saturday, reports BSS.

Werner saved Chelsea from a frustrating

end to a difficult week when he netted six

minutes from full-time at Stamford Bridge.

Tuchel's side had been pegged back to 1-1

after James Ward-Prowse's second- half

penalty cancelled out Trevoh Chalobah's

early opener. Ward-Prowse was sent off with

14 minutes left for a nasty lunge on Jorginho

and Chelsea laid seige to the Southampton

goal before Werner slotted home from Cesar

Azpilicueta's cross. Ben Chilwell's lastminute

goal wrapped up the points as

Chelsea moved top of the Premier League,

two points ahead of second-placed

Liverpool, who host Manchester City on

Sunday.

"We are all relieved, him and me and the

whole club. Every time he scores we have the

feeling there is a VAR decision to take it away

from him, there have been a lot of very

narrow decisions," Tuchel said.

It was a much-needed victory for Chelsea

after successive defeats against City and

Juventus. After a troubled first season at

Chelsea, it was a rare upbeat moment for

Werner, whose relief was clear as he

celebrated wildly.

after scoring and then smiled and joked

with fans while conducting pitchside

interviews.

The former RB Leipzig star has been

forced to play second fiddle to Chelsea's club

record signing Romelu Lukaku since the

start of this season, sparking reports Tuchel

might be willing to offload him.

For a player who has had a remarkable 16

goals disallowed since he joined Chelsea,

Werner will surely benefit from the jolt of

confidence that will follow his second club

goal of the season.

But Blues boss Tuchel has no intention of

letting the 25-year-old relax after his matchwinning

heroics.

"It was very important goal for us to secure

the win. And on the other hand he was there

when he needed to be," he added.

"We're happy and relieved that he scored.

He has to keep on going and a lot of things to

improve."

MONDAY, OcTOBER 25, 2021

10

Actor Mahmud

Sajjad passes away

Red-White for Pori Moni's

Birthday Party

TBT REPORT

October 24 was the birthday of the popular actress

Pori Moni. As always, the heroine has celebrated

her birthday with a special arrangement.

It is learned that Pori Moni has cut a birthday

cake with the people nearby at a five star hotel in

Dhaka on Sunday evening. That is why the actress

has returned to Dhaka from the set of the movie

'Gunin'. Every year she keeps a dress code for the

guests invited to the birthday party. This time the

SALEHUDDIN SOHEL

F APritom is currently one of the busiest composer

and vocalist of the country. This popular musician

and composer is currently working with movie

dress code is white for men and red for women.

Pori Moni has already said that this time she will

only invite real relatives and close people.

Invitation cards have already been sent to the

guests as per the word. There was a special message

in that card.

The Pori Moni wrote, "Come to me with pure soul

and fly with me for the rest of your life".

Pori Moni is currently busy shooting for a movie

titled 'Gunin'. She will then take part in the

shooting of 'Maa', 'Pritilata' and 'Biopic'.

F A Pritom is one of the busiest

musician of the country

Bobby to star in

'Mayurpankhi'

TBT REPORT

The attempted hijacking of Biman Bangladesh

Airlines' Boeing-737 aircraft 'Mayurpankhi' at Shah

Amanat Airport in Chattogram on February 24,

2019, sparked heated discussions across the

country. Palash Ahmed, the ex-husband of

Dhallywood actress Shimla, was involved in the

incident. The movie 'Mayurpankhi' is going to be

based on that discussed incident. The movie will be

songs, drama songs, jingles and music video songs.

So far, he has composed more than 250 songs

with his own melody and voice. Many of these

songs have gained a lot of popularity. FA Pritam's

full name is Md. Hanif. He was born and raised in

Dagan Bhuiyanupazila of Feni district.

The artist started his relationship with music at

the age of thirteen. While studying in seventh grade

he started to take music training from UstadMihir

Lal.

Pritom made his debut in the audio industry in

2015 with the album 'Keno Bujhona' in his own

voice. The album released under the banner of

popular audio video platform CD Choice gained a

lot of popularity in that journey. Among the

popular songs sung by Pritomare Amar Girlfriend

er Bia and BekheyaliJibon. His songs

MontaamarKhaKha kore and PriyareOpashani

also became very popular on YouTube. Popular

Kolkata artist Akash Sen's songs titled Sona, Maa

and Boishakh are also highly acclaimed by Pritom.

The popular composer has also received a lot of

praise for film songs. He has composed the songs

for the Bengali film MatalKanchalanka.

FA Pritom said, "My childhood dream was to be

a footballer, then suddenly I became interested in

music. Now I am with music, I want to be with

music with the love of everyone till death."

directed by Rashid

Palash. Actress

Bobby has already

verbally agreed to

star in the movie.

The actress will be

officially signed

next week.

Director Rashid

Palash said actress

Bobby has become

a finalist for this

movie. I will give

the details within

the next 2-1 days and hope to go to the shooting at

the end of this year. He added that the story of the

movie happened in 2019 at the Shah Amanat

Airport in Chittagong.

TBT REPORT

Veteran actor Mahmud Sajjad

died in the capital on Sunday. He

was 73.

His brother, noted cultural

personality, M Hamid,

confirmed that the actor passed

away at Evercare Hospital where

he was undergoing treatment for

Covid from September 1. Even

though he had tested negative for

Covid later on, he suffered from

post Covid complications.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

expressed profound shock at the

death of the celebrated actor

Bollywood's heartthrob Vicky

Kaushal is currently being

heavily praised for his amazing

work in 'SardarUdham'. The

actor is in a quiet happy place

right now. It seems like there is

more happy news coming his

way, as there is news buzzing

around that the URI actor might

soon get engaged to his

rumoured girlfriend Katrina

Kaif!

The actor's movie was released

on 16 October and since then he

Ezra Miller teases Barry Allen's

"large and powerful arc" in the

upcoming 'Flash' movie. Miller

made his DCEU debut as Barry

Allen in 2016's 'Batman v

Superman: Dawn of Justice',

which was a quick cameo, and

returned for a prominent role in

2017's 'Justice League'. After a

long and tumultuous time in

development, Miller's Scarlett

Speedster is finally getting his

own solo outing that just finished

production ahead of its

scheduled release on November

4, 2022.

From it, director Andy

Muschietti and Birds of Prey

writer Christina Hodson, 'The

Flash' is shaping up to be one of

the most highly anticipated

DCEU movies in recent years.

The film will feature a

multiverse-centric plot that will

see Michael Keaton and Ben

Mahmud Sajjad. In a condolence

message, the Prime Minister said

the actor will remain alive in the

hearts of people for his

contributions. The Prime

Minister prayed for the salvation

of the departed soul and

expressed deep sympathy to his

family members.

State Minister for cultural

Affairs KM Khalid, who is the

actor's younger brother, prayed

for eternal peace of the departed

soul and also sought doa to the

nation on behalf of his family.

Mahmud Sajjad acted on stage

as well as in TV dramas. His

is only receiving applause from

the industry people and his

beloved fans.

Well, in a recent interview,

Vicky Kaushal was asked about

his engagement rumours that

had spread like wildfire on social

media a few weeks ago. The

answer that he gave has gotten

us all excited!

During a conversation with

ETimes, Vicky Kaushal was

asked, "News of your roka

(engagement) created quite a

Affleck both reprising their roles

as Bruce Wayne/ Batman, along

with two Barry Allens and the

introduction of Sasha Calle of

Supergirl, much of which was

recently teased in the DC

feature film debut was with Zahir

Raihan's "Sansar." His first series

drama was "Sakal Sandha."He

furore online. What's the status

on that front? When are you

getting engaged?"

The Raazi star replied to this

by saying, "The news was

circulated by your friends

(laughs). I'll get engaged soon

enough when the time is right.

Uskabhi time aayega (the time

will come)." Is this some sort of

confirmation? Are Katrina and

Vicky planning a future

together?!?!

Earlier there were a lot of

speculations going around that

Vicky and Katrina were about to

have their Roka ceremony soon.

This news has had hit the

internet like a storm. However,

the actor's brother Sunny

Kaushal laughed off the

FanDome first look. Now,

during a virtual appearance at

DC FanDome China (per

Comicbook), Ezra Miller teased

Barry Allen's "very large and

powerful arc" in the forthcoming

left behind his wife Mamtaz

Begum, two sons and a host of

relatives to mourn his death.

Did Vicky hint at

his engagement

with Katrina?

rumours and denied them.

But now it looks like, through

the interview, Vicky has himself

confirmed it by not denying the

engagement rumours. The one

thing to point out from the

whole interview is when the

actor said: "soon enough" when

asked about his engagement!

This is the best news for his

fans out there as the rumoured

duo are shipped widely by their

buffs.

Earlier, Anil Kapoor's son

Harsh Varrdhan Kapoor had

also confirmed on a talk show

that Vicky Kaushal and Katrina

Kaif are surely dating each

other.

Source:India Today

'The Flash' movie has large, powerful

arc for Allen teases Ezra

'Flash' movie. Miller spoke about

how the film will be both an

origin story and a "coming-intohis-own

story," for his character,

resulting in a "big arc for Barry."

Miller's comments are just the

latest reminder that the

upcoming 'Flash' movie is first, a

solo outing for Barry Allen,

despite much of the fanfare

being centred on Keaton

reprising his role as Batman and

Calle's introduction as

'Supergirl'. The film will be

adapting the famous Flashpoint

storyline from the comics, which

sees Barry going back in time to

prevent the death of his mother,

who will be played by Maribel

Verdú. This is likely how Barry

will crack open the multiverse,

giving way to the two Barrys and

Keaton's return.

Source: The Indian

H O R O S c O P E

ARIES

(March 21 - April 20) : Good news about

career success may have your home in an

uproar. Visitors, particularly men and

young people, could be in and out all day,

and warm and loving calls could come periodically. You

may want to do some work on your home, perhaps

clean, decorate, or even minor repairs, but the

interruptions may get in your way. Enjoy the company.

You can always do what's necessary tomorrow!

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) : You're swamped with

paperwork regarding financial affairs. Bills

need to be paid and checks deposited.

There may also be a legal paper of some kind to deal

with. Basically, everything looks great regarding money,

so this is certainly welcome. Your circle of acquaintances

may widen. Tonight you may receive an invitation to a

social event that you choose not to attend.

cANcER

(June 22 - July 23) : Have you been

thinking about working toward a career

as a writer or teacher? If so, this is the

day to start. Perhaps you need to sit

down and start writing, or you want to take some

courses to improve your skills. A number of

communications from out of state or even distant lands

could come your way from people with information

that might change your life in some way.

LEO

(July 24 - Aug. 23): Being around

others should be especially

gratifying for you today. Most

people should be friendly, and

you'll enjoy their company. The downside is

that your psychic faculties are acute, so you

might pick up some unsettling feelings from

those you talk to. You're likely to find that many

smiles hide turmoil inside.

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): The current

aspects indicate success. This might

relate to your romantic life or to a

creative project that you've been

working on for a long time. Whichever it is, it

comes at just the perfect time when your

enthusiasm and optimism are at a peak. You'll be

able to make the most of the fortunate event that

comes your way.

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): A letter or phone call

concerning potential positive changes

in your financial situation could have

your mind buzzing over possibilities for

the future. You might be a bit worried about being

able to make the most of this break, but your

practicality should enable you to face it objectively

and efficiently. There's no need to worry.

cAPRIcORN

(Dec. 22 - Jan. 20) : Someone that you

don't really know well may corner

you at a social occasion and try to

talk you into something. Get all the

facts before you commit to anything. Your

persuasive powers are high. If you have a project

to pitch to someone, this is the day to do it, or at

least map out your strategy. Success is strongly

indicated for any project you start today.

AQUARIUS

(Jan. 21 - Feb. 19) : Your writing and

speaking abilities are operating at a

high level today. If you've been

thinking about pursuing either of

these avenues, starting now gives you an

advantage toward attaining success. Make a start

and get your ideas down on paper, however rough

they may be. The only downside is the stress that

might result from the sudden stimulation.

PIScES

(Feb. 20 - Mar. 20) : Success in a creative field

and possible public acknowledgment could

come your way. Close friends and romantic

partners will be very happy for you and might

even throw a little celebration of some kind. Phone calls with

congratulations may come from distant states or even

foreign countries. This could be something you've been

working toward for a long time, so relax and enjoy it.

monDAY, oCtober 25, 2021

11

Shornadip Foundation Hospital is now a beacon of hope for the islanders of Sandwip.

Human chain

formed protesting

communal violence

in Noakhali

NOAKHALI : Bangladesh

Medical Association (BMA)

Noakhali formed a human

chain protesting attacks on

Hindu temple, vandalizing

Hindu idols and arson

attacks on their homes in the

town yesterday.

The human chain, which

turned into a rally, was

organised in front of Civil

Surgeon Office yesterday

morning.

Dr MA Noman, Dr Abdus

Salam and Dr Mahbubur

Rahman spoke among

others in the rally.

Besides, Ghatok Dalal

Nirmul Committee and

Muktijoddha Sangsad

Command organised a rally

with the help of Sammilita

Sangskritik Jote at Maijdee

Town Hall protesting

communal violence in the

country.

Woman

killed in

Bagerhat

road crash

BAGERHAT : A 65-yearold

woman was killed after

being hit by a private car

on Khulna-Maowa

highway in Mollahat

upazila of Bagerhat district

on Sunday morning,

reports UNB.

The deceased was

identified as Rani Begum,

wife of Nowsher Ali of

Berboyalia village in the

upazila.

Witnesses said a

speeding private car hit

Rani Begum near

Berboyalia area on the

highway around 10am,

leaving her dead on spot.

Mollahat Highway Police

Outpost SI Sheikh Abul

Hasan said they couldn't

detain the killer driver as

he escaped the scene with

the vehicle immediately

after the accident.

Lack of accurate market statistics causes

imbalance in demand-supply: Minister

DHAKA : Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi

said on Sunday that balancing demand with

supply of essentials becomes difficult due to

lack of accurate statistics on food production

and consumption, reports UNB.

He was speaking as the chief guest at a

programme on "Bangladesh's 50 Years of

Agriculture Transformation and

Achievement" organized by Bangladesh

Agricultural Journalists Forum (BAJF) and

Bangla daily Bonik Barta at a city hotel.

Talking about onions he said, "I have

become restless due to the recent burning

demand of onions."

"There is a problem with statistics. We

need 24-25 lakh tonnes of onions. The

production is also 25-26 lakh tonnes. Then

why is there a shortage? In that case the

narrative is that about 20 per cent of our

onions are wasted," the minister added

The government is working to originate

high yielding onions to increase

production and preservation of onion in

the right way to reduce the waste, he said.

"We want to produce surplus onion but it

needs 3 to 5 years to achieve this," Tipu

Munshi said.

State Minister for Planning Dr. Shamsul

Alam spoke at the function as the special

guest.

Agriculture economist and professor of

Bangladesh Agriculture University Dr.

Muhammad Jahangir Hossain presented a

key note paper on agro product marketing.

Director General (DG) of Livestock

Research Institute Dr. Jahangir Alam,

former DG of Fisheries Directorate Dr.

Syed Arif Azad, Lalteer livestock chairman

Abdul Awal Mintu, Managing Director of

Islami Bank Limited Mohammed Monirul

Moula, Managing Director of Aftab

Bahumukhi Farms Limited Abu Lutfe

Fazle Rahim Khan also spoke in the

function.

Bonik Barta Editor Dewan Hanif

Mahmud moderated the programme.

Health rules to be maintained

till 100 percent vaccination

achieved: DGHS

DHAKA : The Directorate

General of Health Services

(DGHS) has said Covid-19

infection in the country is

decreasing but health

guidelines will be maintained

till 100 percent of the

population gets vaccinated,

reports UNB

DGHS spokesperson and

Director (disease control) Dr

Nazmul Islam said this Sunday

during the regular health

bulletin of the directorate on

Covid infection situation in the

country.

"Declining infection rate is a

hopeful sign but there is no

reason to feel complacency," he

said.

In the last seven days

126,840 samples have been

tested for Covid-19 which is 12

percent lower than the

previous seven days, he said.

Dr Nazmul said, the number

of new infections has decreased

32 percent in the last seven

days from the previous week,

meanwhile the number of

fatalities has decreased 21

percent.

In the last seven days daily

infection rate mostly remained

below 2 percent except on

October 19 when 2.20 percent

infection rate was reported, he

added.

"Overall the infection rate is

showing a downtrend for a

month which is still continuing

," said the DGHS

spokesperson.

Since January this year most

of the infections were logged in

July and August while the

country saw 336,226 and

223,480 cases respectively, he

said.

"Compared to that, just

11,506 cases reported so far in

October is quite an

improvement", said the DGHS

official.

Number of patients in Covid

dedicated hospitals have

declined and people are

seeking telemedicine services

less now, he said.

Replying to a question he

said Bangladesh cannot be

considered Covid-free yet as

every day new patients are

being detected.

In the last week of the current

month or at the beginning of

next month they will be able to

inform the total number of

school going students who have

registered for Covid-19 vaccine,

said the DGHS director.

Photo: Apu Ibrahim

Colombia's most wanted

drug lord captured in

jungle raid

BOGOTA : Colombian

security forces have

captured the country's most

wanted drug trafficker, a

rural warlord who stayed on

the run for more than a

decade by corrupting state

officials and aligning himself

with combatants on the left

and right.

President Ivan Duque

likened the arrest Saturday

of Dairo Antonio Usuga to

the capture three decades

ago of Pablo Escobar.

Colombia's

military

presented Usuga to the

media in handcuffs and

wearing rubber boots

preferred by rural farmers.

COVID-19 hospitalizations

hover in record territory in

U.S. Alaska

SAN FRANCISCO : The U.S.

state of Alaska reported six

deaths and 877 new COVID-

19 cases Friday as COVID-

19-related hospitalizations

hovered in record territory,

reports UNB.

By Friday, there were 225

people hospitalized with the

virus around Alaska,

narrowly below the new

record of 235 set Thursday.

Health officials said that

there's not enough evidence

to say cases have begun

declining.

Alaska's case rate per

100,000 over the last week

remains the highest in the

nation, according to data by

the Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention.

In total, 673 resident

deaths tied to the virus.

Shornadip Foundation Hospital

is now a ray of hope of islanders

Apu Ibrahim, Sandwip Correspondent

Many people lost their limbs and were

paralyzed due to not being able to reach the

doctor in time. Many mothers have died

after giving birth in a trawler in the middle of

the river. People are helpless to get treatment

island's government healthcare. About

30,000 people are treated on the coastal

island of Sandwip.

Former managing director of Sandwip

Youth Group, late Firoz Alam, used to think

a lot about these issues. He sought help to

Rezakul Haider Manzoor, former chairman

of his business partner Youth Group, and set

up a hospital. Shornadip Foundation

Hospital emerged as a visible discovery of

that consciousness and a beacon of hope for

the islanders.

In Sandwip, he set up a multi-public

welfare organization called Shornadip

Foundation in the service of humanity. With

the money of this organization, the

treatment of the people of Sandwip,

especially the maternity services, will be

alleviated. According to hospital sources,

Shornadip Foundation Hospital is a

completely non-profit and non-commercial

organization. Here the service is the main, it

is being managed in the Zakat Fund. Those

who cannot afford to pay zakat will get free

GD-1557/21 (4x3)

medical treatment and those who can afford

it will get treatment with a minimum cost.

Proud participants of this great initiative

are- Late Rezakul Haider Monju, Late Firoz

Alam, Akbar Haider Munna, Asghar Haider

Miku, Faridul Alam Emon, Faisal Alam

Rimon, Regina Alam Kali, Khairul Mostafa,

Nasir Uddin, M. Hasanuzzaman Sohag,

Didarul Alam and Md. Mamun.

Built at a cost of around Tk 25 crore, the

modern hospital started its official services

on October 5, 2020, but sadly, a dreamer

Feroz Alam died before the inauguration of

the hospital. But the Shornadip Foundation

Hospital of their dreams has started its

journey in the 2nd year after passing the 1st

year, doubling the quality of service.

Co-ordinator Mizanur Rahman addressed

the participants at the 1-year anniversary

function at the hospital lounge on October 5,

highlighting the activities of the year. Who

has been given completely free treatment.

In this regard, Akbar Haider Munna, Vice

Chairman of Youth Group and Director of

Shornadip Foundation Hospital, told The

Bangladesh Today, I will have full

cooperation to ensure that it is not disrupted

and I am and will continue to work selflessly

for the overall development and prosperity

of this organization.

Ethiopia launches air strike

on Tigray's 'western front'

ADDIS ABABA : Ethiopia's military launched an

air strike on a rebel-held facility in Tigray's west

on Sunday, a government official said, the

seventh aerial bombardment in the war-hit

region in a week.

"Today the western front of (Mai Tsebri)

which was serving as a training and military

command post for the terrorist group TPLF has

been the target of an air strike," government

spokeswoman Selamawit Kassa said, referring

to the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF).

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government

has been locked in a war against the TPLF since

last November, though Tigray itself had seen

little combat since late June, when the rebels

seized control of much of Ethiopia's

northernmost region and the military largely

withdrew.

But on Monday Ethiopia's air force launched

two strikes on Tigray's capital Mekele that the

UN said killed three children and wounded

several other people.

Since then there have been three more strikes

on Mekele and another targeting what the

government described as a weapons cache in the

town of Agbe, about 80 kilometres (50 miles) to

the west.The strikes coincide with ramped-up

fighting in Amhara region, south of Tigray.

They have drawn rebukes from Western

powers, with the US last week condemning "the

continuing escalation of violence, putting

civilians in harm's way".

Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh

Office of the Executive Engineer, DPHE

Barishal Division, C&B Road, Kazipara

Barishal-8200.

Email: eebarishal@dphe.gov.bd

†kL nvwmbvi g~jbxwZ

MÖvg kn‡ii DbœwZ

Memo No.46.03.0600.061.07.001.17-681 Date : 21/10/2021

Invitation for e-Tender Notice

we`ÿ r/Rb-235(2)/24/10/2021

GD-1556/21 (4x3)

GD-1559/21 (6x3)

Monday, Dhaka: October 25, 2021; Kartik 9, 1428 BS; Rabi-ul Awal 17, 1443 Hijri

AL leaders, activists stand

beside Hindus: Hasan

DHAKA : Information and Broadcasting

Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud yesterday

said no other party excepting Awami

League stood beside the Hindu community

after the Cumilla incident. "AL leaders

and activists stood beside the Hindu

community after the incident of Cumilla.

But there was no other party stood

beside them. The social media could not

avoid the liability for the situation as the

incident was spread through the social

media," he told newsmen at his

Secretariat office in the capital.

Earlier, the minister exchanged

views with the leaders of Editors'

Forum. Information and Broadcasting

Secretary Md Mokbul Hossain was

present at the meeting.

Editors' Forum convenor Rafiqul

Islam Ratan, secretary general Faruque

Ahmed Talukder, members Dulal

Ahmed Chowdhury, Belayet Hossain,

Sharif Sahabuddin and Mafizur

Rahman and advisor Azizul Islam

Bhuiyan, among others, were present.

Hasan said all leaders and activists at

upazila and union levels have been

asked to stay at puja mandaps during the

Durga Puja as no one can create unstable

situations and they were there.

"The vested quarter which carried out

the incident had a big plan. But they

couldn't do that as our leaders and

activists stood beside the Hindu community.

Even, the AL leaders and

activists brought out peace processions

and rallies across the country within a

few hours. We remain alert till now," he

added.

DHAKA : A "Framework

Arrangement" was signed on Sunday

between the governments of

Bangladesh and Korea to provide soft

loan of US$700.00 million for the

period of 2021-2025.

The amount will be used as project

assistance for various development

schemes in Bangladesh.

Fatima Yasmin, secretary of Economic

Relations Division (ERD) and LEE Jangkeun,

ambassador of Republic of Korea

in Bangladesh signed the "Framework

Arrangement" on behalf of their respective

governments.

Officials from the Korean Embassy

in Dhaka, the Kexim Bank and the

ERD were present on the occasion,

said a press release here.

The Korean Government has been

providing soft loan through the

Economic Development Cooperation

Fund (EDCF) for the development of

socio-economic, infrastructure and

ICT sectors in Bangladesh since 1997.

Fifteen projects worth US$469.77

million have already been completed

with assistance from the EDCF while

another eight projects worth

US$666.28 million are currently

ongoing.

At the end of FY 2020-21, the total

commitment from the EDCF has been

US$1330.48 million. This is the second

largest amount committed by the

The minister said Awami League

stands beside the Hindu community.

But, BNP and its secretary general Mirza

Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and even

Gayeshwar Chandra Roy only appeared

in television channels instead of standing

beside the people, he added.

He said they instigated the incident

and the plan was made from the other

side of the sea. "The government has

taken speedy steps. One hundred and

two cases were lodged and over 600 people

were arrested," said Hasan, also

Awami League joint general secretary.

He said the government has also constructed

new houses for victims of

Pirganj within a few days and every victim's

family got over Taka one lakh as

assistance. The government has also

taken steps to repair the temples which

were attacked by the miscreants, he

added.

He said the Prime Minister has

declared that houses will be made for the

victims who have lost their dwellings.

In the view exchange meeting, Hasan

said the situation would have not surfaced

if the incident was not spread

through social media. "The incident of

Pirganj was also held due to a post in

social media- facebook. They all are

responsible who were involved in the

incident. The facebook authority is also

responsible and they could not avoid the

liability", he added.

Replying to a query over social media,

he said the government doesn't control

anything. But everything should be run

judiciously, he added.

Korea to provide US$700m

to Bangladesh as soft loan

Korean government for its development

partners.

Under this Framework

Arrangement, the Korean government

will provide financial assistance to

implement several projects in the next

five years.

Loan agreements of US$100.00 million

for "Sustainable Economic

Recovery Programme (Subprogram1)"

under Finance Division, US$ 51.00

million for "Procurement of CNG

Single Decker AC Buses for BRTC"

project under the Road Transport and

Highways Division and US$25.00 million

for "Establishment of a Modern

International Training Institute for

Dhaka WASA" project under the Local

Government Division are expected to

be signed within this year.

In addition, important projects like

"Construction of Railway-cum-Road

Bridges across the River Karnaphuli at

Kalurghat, Chattogram" and

"Establishment of a Multi-disciplinary

and Super Specialized Hospital at

BSMMU (2nd Phase)"are also expected

to be implemented under this

Framework Arrangement.

The loan agreements to be signed

under this Framework Arrangement

will bear interest rate of 0.01 per

cent to 0.05 per cent with 40 years

repayment period and 15 years

grace period.

State wants death

penalty for 25 accused

in Abrar murder trial

DHAKA : The state side in the case

lodged over the murder of Bangladesh

University of Engineering and

Technology (BUET) student Abrar

Fahad, yesterday pleaded to sentence all

the 25 accused to death for their role in

the brutal killing.

Chief prosecutor Mosharraf Hossain

Kazal made the plea in his closing arguments

in the sensational case at Dhaka

Speedy Trial Tribunal-1.

"The accused have been charged in

this murder case. They have killed a man

after waking him up from his sleep.

Abrar's family cried their hearts out, the

whole nation cried for this boy. All the

accused are educated. I am expecting

death penalty for them," Advocate Kazal

said.

After his conclusion, plaintiff's counsel

Abdus Sobhan Tarafder started placing

his part of arguments in the case, but

failed to conclude. Judge Abu Zafar Md

Kamaruzzaman of Dhaka Speedy Trial

Tribunal-1 after that adjourned the hearing

till today.

The tribunal on September 8 framed

charges in the case afresh.

A total 46 out of 60 prosecution witnesses

have testified in the sensational

case.

Earlier on November 13, 2019, Dhaka

Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court took

into cognizance the charge sheet in the

case filed by Detective Branch (DB) of

police against 25 accused. The case was

later transferred to the speedy trial tribunal,

allowing a plea of Abrar's father.

The tribunal on September 15, 2020,

had framed charges against all 25

accused in the case.

The areas known

as 'blanket

villages' of

Kazipur upazila

of Sirajganj district

have

become bustling

with the

message of

winter season in

nature. People of

different ages in

these villages are

busy making

new and old

blankets.

Photo : Star Mail

Govt to construct

30,000 Bir-Nibash

for insolvent

freedom fighters

DHAKA : The government will construct

30,000 Bir-Nibash throughout the country

as part of providing housing facilities

for all insolvent freedom fighters.

"Marking the birth centenary of Father

of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh

Mujibur Rahman and the golden jubilee of

Independence, the government is going to

construct those one-storey houses,"

according to a official release.

Earlier, 14,000 houses were approved

for the freedom fighters, but later the

government decided to build 30,000

Bir-Nibash which is being constructed at

a cost of Taka 13.43 lakh for each house.

Liberation Affairs Minister AKM

Mozammel Huq has given directives to the

concerned authority to maintain quality in

construction of those accommodations.

"A total of 30,000 Bir-Nibash will be

constructed throughout the country for

the insolvent veteran freedom fighters as

the gift from Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina," he said while inaugurating a

training workshop for the field level officials

of the Bir-Nibash construction

project here on Sunday.

The Bir-Nibash will be constructed

through the upazila-wise implementation

committee to ease the project

implementation.

"The committee has been included the

concerned freedom fighter who get the

allocation of the housing along with the

officials," Huq added.

Risky overtaking on Dhaka-Aricha highway. The picture is taken from Savar area on Sunday.

Photo: PBA

All illegal occupants over city

canals to be evicted:Minister

DHAKA : All the illegal occupants over

each canal in the capital city will be

evicted within the tenure of this government

to save people from waterlogging,

reports UNB.

"Necessary action will be taken as per

the law, no matter how powerful the occupiers

are...projects will be taken to save the

canals," Minister of Local Government

and Rural Development (LGRD)

Muhammad Tajul Islam told UNB.

The minister believes if the canals are

freed up, it would be possible to build

multiple Hatirjheel-like large canal

projects in the city. Walkways could be

built on both sides of the canals.

Large establishments have been built

over the canals by the occupiers making

fake documents and papers. Both

the north and the south city corporations

have taken over the control of the

canals from WASA and renovation

works have already begun, he said.

The minister added that 170 acres of

canal areas, out of 173 acres, in

Kalyanpur have been encroached. All

the establishments in the canal areas,

including that of Kalyanpur, will be

evicted soon.

According to the Dhaka Deputy

Commissioner's record, there are 50

canals, locally called Khal, in the Dhaka

metropolitan areas.

The large canals include Baishteki in

North Senpara; Sanbadik khal in North

Senpara Parbata; Digun khal in Goran

Chatbari of Mirpur; Gabtali Khal that

flows to the Turag River; Rupnagar

Khal in Arambagh; Kalyanpur Khal,

Kalyanpur main and Kalyanpur partial

in Kalyanpur area; Bawnia Khal and

Diabari Khal in Uttara.

Besides there are small canals like

Billion dollars export possible

from blue economy : Salman

DHAKA : Prime Minister's Private

Industry and Investment Adviser Salman

F Rahman yesterday said that blue economy

is a new potential sector for investment

in Bangladesh and it is possible to export

billion dollars from this sector in the next

few years.

The Adviser said this while addressing a

workshop as the chief guest titled "Blue

Economy and Course of Actions" held at

the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers

of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) office

yesterday.

Salman advised the FBCCI and BIDA to

work together to find out why the progress

of the once emerging sector, shipbuilding

industry has slowed down, and thus to fix

the policy strategy.

In addition, he said deep sea fishing

trawlers or ships can be built under both

domestic and foreign ownership.

However, in this case, it is necessary to

amend the policy of the Ministry of

Fisheries and Livestock.

Speaking as the special guest at the

workshop, Deputy Minister for Water

Resources AKM Enamul Hoque

Shameem said that along with the plan to

utilize the marine economy, the policy of

conservation of these resources should

also be adopted.

Abdullahpur Khal in Bailjuli Ranavola

mouza; Ramchandra Khal in

Ramchandrapur mouza; Katasur khal

in Katasur mouza; Rajabazar Khal in

Rajabazar mouza; Begunbari Khal in

Boro Maghbazar mouza; Mohakhali

Khal in Tejgaon industrial mouza;

Meradia-Gazaria Khal in Ulun

Meradia mouza; Gullar Khal in Baddar

North Meradia mouza; Gulshan lake in

Gulshan residential area mouza;

Bhatara Khal and Sutivhola Khal of

Bhatara mouza; Dumni Khal of Dumni

mouza; Talna Khal of Talna mouza;

Baothat Khal in Baothat mouza;

Amaiya Khal in Gobindpur mouza;

Nirnichak Khal in Nirnichak mouza;

Bhaturia Khal in Bhaturia mouza;

Small Palasia Khal in the small Palasia

mouza; Palashia canal in Palasia

mouza, and Chamurkhan Khal in

Chamurkhan mouza.

Some other canals include Ujanpur

Khal in Ujanpur mouza; Gobindpur Khal

in Gobindpur mouza; Canal in front of

Bashundhara Apollo Hospital in

Joarsahara mouza; Dayanpara Khal;

Kathal Khal; Ibrahimpur Khal in

Ibrahimpur mouza; Mousaid Khal in

Uttarkhan mouza; Dholaikhal-1 and

Dholaikhal-2 in Dholaikhal mouza;

Paribagh Khal in Ramna mouza;

Khilgaon mouza's Khilgaon-Basabo Khal,

Kamrangirchar mouza's Kamrangirchar

Khal, Enayetganj mouza's Kalunagar

Khal, Sultanganj mouza's Rayer Bazar

Khal, Nandipara mouza's Nandipara

Trimohoni (Jirani) Khal and Nayakhola

mouza Nayakhola Khal.

The existence of all these canals has

become almost impossible to identify

due to the huge illegal establishments

of the occupiers.

Md Sirajul Islam, Executive Chairman,

Bangladesh Investment Development

Authority (BIDA), who was the special

guest at the workshop, said that an

International Investment Conference is

going to be held on November 26-29. The

Blue Economy will be discussed separately

at that conference.

While making his key-note presentation,

Rear Admiral (Retd.) Md Khurshed

Alam, Secretary, Maritime Affairs Unit,

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that the

total sea area of Bangladesh is 664 km, but

fish is harvested in only 60 km.

Therefore, Bangladesh's share in global

fish production is limited to only 2.6 percent

where China alone supplies 61 percent

of the world's fish.

In the same way, Khurshed said despite

having sea frontier, there is still a huge

amount of offshore oil and gas beyond

reach.

"Although several plans have been taken

in this regard, it has not come into light. In

contrast, Myanmar has already started

extracting mineral resources from near

the sea block of Bangladesh," he added.

Khurshed said not only fish or mineral

resources, rather Ocean Economy may

change the whole picture of the economy

of Bangladesh.

Rohingya camp attack

275 people sued

COX'S BAZAR : A case has been filled

against 275 people in connection with

the gun attack on a madrassa in Cox's

Bazar's Ukhia Rohingya camp that left

six Rohingyas dead. Nurul Islam,

father of victim Azizul Haque, filed the

case against 25 named people and 200-

250 unnamed ones at Ukhia police station,

APBN Additional Superintendent

of Police (Media) Kamran Hossain said

on Sunday morning.

APBN members have already arrested

10 people, including rive 'ezhar' listed

accused, in this connection, he said.

On Friday, a predawn gun attack on

Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama Al-

Islamiyah Madrasa at Cox's Bazar

Ukhiya Rohingya Camp left six people

dead.

Police arrested a man named

Muzibur Rahman from the spot with

a locally-made gun, 6 bullets and one

knife. The other nine arrested

accused are Dildar Mabud alias

Parvez, 32, son of Abu Tayub of

Camp-8, Mohammad Ayub, 37, son

of Syed Ahmed; Ferdous Amin, 40,

son of Nur Bashar of Camp 9 and

Abdul Majid, 24, son of Zahid

Hossain; Mohammad Amin, 35, son

of Ali Ahmed of Camp-13;

Mohammad Yunus alias Fayez, 25,

son of Abu Siddique, Zafar Alam, 45,

son of Elias of Camp 12; Mohammad

Zahid, 40, son of Omar Miah and

Mohammad Amin, 48, son of Nazi

Ahmed's.

Joining election

depends on

atmosphere: BNP

SYLHET : BNP will go to polls if an

environment conducive to election is

created, said BNP Secretary General

Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on

Sunday, reports UNB.

"We want to say it clearly that it's not

possible to hold a free and fair election

under the Awami League government.

For this, a neutral election-time government

is needed. We'll join the election

if it's conducted by a new Election

Commission under the neutral government.

We'll wage a movement to

ensure it," said Fakhrul.

He came up with the remarks at a

press briefing after visiting the shrine

of Hazrat Shahjalal (RA) in Sylhet on

Sunday morning.

Fakhrul reiterated that BNP will not

participate in any election under the

Awami League (AL) government unless

a suitable environment is ensured.

The BNP leader said, "There's no

election situation in Bangladesh now.

An unelected and illegitimate government

has been in power for the last two

terms by force."

The government has completely

failed to provide security to the people

of the country as a whole. "It has

failed to ensure security of Hindu,

Buddhist and Christian community

people and their places of worship.

Even majority Muslims have no safety

in the country."

Mirza Fakhrul reached Sylhet in the

morning. After visiting the shrine in

Sylhet, he went to Sunamganj to attend

the mourning ceremony of former

whip and former president of

Sunamganj district BNP Fazlul Haque

Aspia.

25-10-2021

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