31-05-2022

tuesday
DhAkA: May 31, 2022; Jaishtha 17,1429 BS; Shawal 29,1443 hijri
www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www.bangladeshtoday.net
Regd.No.DA~2065, Vol.20; N o. 30; 12 Pages~Tk.8.00
InternatIonal
Colombians choose a
new president amid
general discontent
>Page 7
sports
Gujarat Titans
win IPL at first
attempt
>Page 9
art & culture
Pori Moni falling
in love again
>Page 10
Delhi's Health
Minister arrested
NEW DELHI : India's Enforcement
Directorate on Monday arrested Delhi's
Health Minister Satyendar Jain in an
alleged money laundering case, says UNB.
Sources said that Jain was involved in
alleged "hawala transactions" linked to a
Kolkata-based company.
"He will be produced in a court and the
Directorate will seek his custody for interrogation,"
sources said.
Jain also holds the additional portfolio
of Delhi's home department and is a
prominent face of Delhi's ruling Aam
Aadmi Party.
There will be no
food crisis:Minister
DHAKA : There will be no food crisis in the
country as Bangladesh's soil can yield gold,
said Food Minister Sadhan Chandra
Majumder on Monday.
"Farmers are harvesting Boro, Aush and
Aman paddy and we'll do everything whatever
is needed against the illegal hoarders.
Rice will be imported to make consumers
comfortable after reducing taxes, if needed,"
he said. The minister said this while speaking
at a virtual view-exchange meeting on
'Boro procurement and market monitoring'
at the Secretariat. He also urged the traders
to show their humanity to the consumers
and not to think about excessive profit.
Sadhan also asked the authorities concerned
to complete 70 per cent procurement
by June.
The minister asked the authorities concerned
to take steps so no farmer or mill
owners faced any unwanted harassment
during rice, paddy procurement.
He also asked the mill owners to ensure
quality of rice as there will be no compromise
with the quality.
1st hurricane of 2022,
Agatha heads for
Mexico tourist towns
MEXICO CITY : The first hurricane of
the season formed off Mexico's southern
Pacific coast Sunday and rapidly gained
power ahead of an expected strike along
a stretch of tourist beaches and fishing
towns as a major storm, reports UNB.
Agatha could make landfall as a
Category 3 hurricane Monday afternoon
or evening in the area near Puerto
Escondido and Puerto Angel in the southern
state of Oaxaca - a region that includes
the laid-back tourist resorts of Huatulco,
Mazunte and Zipolite.
In early evening Sunday, the recently
formed hurricane had maximum sustained
winds of 110 mph (175 kph) - just
1 mph under the threshold for a
Category 3, the U.S. National Hurricane
Center said. It was centered about 160
miles (255 kilometers) southwest of
Puerto Angel and heading to the northeast
at 5 mph (7 kph).
The center said Agatha could have
winds of 120 mph (193 kph) when it
makes landfall. A hurricane warning
was in effect between the port of Salina
Cruz and the Lagunas de Chacahua.
The civil defense office in Oaxaca said
the hurricane's outer bands were
already hitting the coast. The office published
photos of fishermen hauling their
boats up on beaches to protect them
from the storm.
Zohr
03:46 AM
11:59 PM
04:35 PM
06:44 PM
08:09 PM
5:10 6:41
Padma Bridge brightens
Bangladesh's image
as a bold nation:PM
DHAKA : Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina on Monday said her government's
move to construct Padma Bridge
with the country's own money has
brightened Bangladesh's international
image as a bold nation.
"Such a bold decision has also strengthened
self-confidence and mental strength
of the nation," she said while addressing
the Army Selection Board 2022 held at
Multipurpose Complex at Army
Headquarters in Dhaka Cantonment.
PM's press secretary Ihsanul Karim
brief the media after the programme.
The premier said that the World Bank
abruptly stopped financing the Padma
Bridge construction without holding the
board meeting and just on false accusations
of corruption, which later proved
baseless.
She said Bangladesh must go ahead and
keep the momentum of economic development
achieved over the last decade.
She lauded the significant role the Army
members are playing in building infrastructures
of the country.
The PM said the leadership of
Bangladesh Army has been given to capable,
skilled, fit and patriotic officers so the
force can contribute significantly in building
a modern, developed and prosperous
Bangladesh.
She asked the selectors to remember
fishermen
are busy to
make various
fishing tools
ahead of rainy
season. The
picture is
taken from
Sri Rampur
area of
Rajshahi
yesterday.
that selection of skilled leadership is possible
through impartial evaluation.
In this connection, she recalled the
speech of the father of the Nation
Bangabandhu ikh Mujibur Rahman in the
first President Parade in Bangladesh
Military Academy where he had directed
the army officers to be honest, courageous
and disciplined.
"So you must always make sure that
the ideology of the Father of the Nation
is reflected among the promoted officers
and the leadership of the army must be
placed in the hands of the patriots who
believe in the spirit of the Great
Liberation War," she said.
She mentioned that honest and loyal
officers with strong moral courage and
other qualities of leadership are the
claimants of the promotions.
"So, the officers who have succeeded in
various activities in their army career have
to be considered while giving promotions,"
she advised.
The PM said that Army is involved not
only in defending the country, it is also
indissoluble stakeholder of country's
socioeconomic development activities.
She recalled the role of the armed forces,
police and BGB alongside the administration
and others in facing the Covid-19 pandemic
situation and said, they all stood
beside the people together.
Revenue collection target to
be set at Tk4.33 trillion in
budget for next fiscal
DHAKA : The government is to set an
ambitious revenue collection target of
Tk4.33 trillion for the national budget of
fiscal year (FY) 2022-23, comfortably the
highest ever, although meeting this target
has never been the point, reports UNB.
Bangladesh's national budget is set to
be placed in parliament on June 9, 2022,
for the next fiscal, 2022-23. The size of the
national budget is to be set at Tk 6.77 trillion
(TK677864 crore) which is 15.4 percent
of gross domestic product (GDP),
sources in the Finance Ministry said.
The national board of revenue (NBR), a
wing of the internal resources division
(IRD), usually collects revenue for the
government. The upcoming budget is set
to have a Tk4.33 trillion revenue target
that is Tk 44000 crore more than the target
in the budget for the current fiscal and
9.8 percent of GDP.
That target has of course not been met -
it never has been in the era of the expansionary
budgets adopted by ex-finance
minister, the late A.M.A. Muhith. But that
hasn't stopped them from expanding. It
goes to show Muhith's legacy is still very
much alive in the country's governance.
Given the very low tax-GDP ratio, it is
better to aim high and miss, than aim low,
has been the driving philosophy to the
approach.
Though the government is raising the
revenue collection target for NBR, the
margin of the missed targets of the revenue
board has been widening over the
last several fiscal years. Lack of technical
know-how of officials, friendly revenue
collection approach and backdated technology
are obstacles for the revenue
board.
As per the calculation, the budget deficit
would stand at Tk2.44 trillion that is 5.5
percent of GDP.
According to sources of the Finance
Ministry, the government would borrow
Tk128,341 crore from the domestic
sources and Tk1,16,523 crore will be borrowed
from abroad to meet the budget
deficit, in the proposed budget.
Of the domestic borrowing, Tk 93,889
crore would be borrowed from the banking
system while Tk 34,452 crore from
savings certificates.
ADB expanded
support for COVID-19
response in 2021
DHAKA : Private sector operations of
Asian Development Bank (ADB) stepped
up support for the region's response to the
COVID-19 last year, according to ADB's
Private Sector Operations in 2021 - Report
on Development Effectiveness.
The report also said that the lending
agency dedicated 78 percent of $4.3 billion
in total project and program commitments
to help developing member countries
manage the pandemic's economic
and social impacts.
ADB extended $3.3 billion in project
and program assistance to help tackle
pandemic impacts, including support for
agribusinesses, private health care
providers, small and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs), and transport operators,
said a press release.
Over $2.8 billion was committed for
COVID-19-related assistance under ADB's
Trade and Supply Chain Finance
Program, including support for intraregional
trade and efficient distribution of
medicines and medical equipment. Total
co-financing mobilized for pandemicrelated
support reached $5.5 billion.
"The private sector will play a vital role
in helping Asia and the Pacific's communities
and economies to recover from the
pandemic," said ADB Vice-President for
Private Sector Operations and Public-
Private Partnerships Ashok Lavasa.
"ADB's work with the private sector is
mobilizing high-impact capital and delivering
new technologies to help countries
build back better, secure strong and clean
economic growth, and meet their development
goals." added Lavasa.
The milestones for ADB's Private Sector
Operations Department in 2021 include
pioneer investments in animal health in
India, affordable housing in Georgia, support
to scale up bank financing for
women-led SMEs in Vietnam.
ADB Ventures made seven equity
investments in early-stage businesses,
with a focus on technology solutions to climate
change.
Garbage is
being dumped
at hundreds of
places on both
banks of the
Buriganga at an
area of about 15
km. The locals
are suffering due
to the stench of
garbage. The
picture is
taken from
Kamrangichar
area on monday.
Photo : Star mail
Govt will take action
against illegal rice hoarders
Safiqul iSlam (Jami)
The Rice prices are rising in the busy season.
The price of rice has gone up by Rs 5-
15 per kg depending on the standard. In
this situation, Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina has instructed those concerned to
take action against the increase in rice
prices. She also directed to take action if
anyone stocks rice illegally. In other
words, the government has decided to
control the price of rice. She made the
remarks at a meeting chaired by Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina at her office on
Monday (May 30). Cabinet Secretary
Khandaker Anwarul Islam said this at a
press briefing at the Secretariat at 3:30
pm after ending the meeting.
He said there was a long discussion on
market mechanism in the meeting. The
Governor of Bangladesh Bank was also in
the meeting. How we can secure payments
in the international market has
been discussed in detail. Especially rice
and oil have been discussed more. "We
have some reports and suggestions from
the intelligence agencies as to why the
price of rice is higher this busy season," he
said. These have been discussed in detail.
We have been asked to survey the market
and take immediate action.
"We have some information about who
stocks the rice," he said. Suppose I do a
job, do industry or go into production, I
have a Memorandum Association. The
Memorandum Association says what I
can do. It seems to us that some may have
Dhaka seeks New Delhi's advice
on Russian oil purchase despite
sanctions: Momen
DHAKA : Foreign Minister AK Abdul
Momen on Monday said he sought suggestion
from India on how they are managing
their purchase of oil from Russia,
noting that the energy issue has become a
real problem for Bangladesh, too.
"We are dependent on energy (import).
Russia offered us energy and wheat. It has
become a real problem. We are afraid of it
(energy crisis). We sought their (India)
suggestions on how they are doing it. This
is more of a friendly discussion," he told
reporters, apparently keeping the fear of
sanctions in mind.
Momen attended the two-day NADI
Conclave in Guwahati on May 28-29
together with his Indian counterpart S
Jaishankar.
The Indian government has defended
the move to buy Russian oil, saying what it
buys from Russia in a month is less than
what Europe buys from Russia in an afternoon,
according to BBC.
As calls continue for India to keep its distance
from Moscow over the Ukraine
issue, its oil purchases from Russia have
broken the Memorandum Association
and gone into the rice business. "Suppose
I have thousands of crores of TK," he said.
I went to the market and bought paddy
and rice and stocked it. So how long can I
keep these? These matters have been
supervised and given quick instructions.
We have asked the Commerce Minister,
Secretary, Food Minister, Secretary and
Agriculture Secretary to sit down and
look into the matter and conduct a market
survey.
Khandaker Anwarul Islam said, why
the price of rice will be so high in this full
season? It has been decided to give a drive
like the one given a few days ago on the
issue of oil. If anyone trades or stocks
unauthorized rice, action has been directed
against them.
Earlier on Sunday, Food Minister
Sadhan Chandra Majumder had warned
traders about the rise in rice prices at a
meeting held at his office in the
Secretariat. On that day, he said, there
was an unhealthy competition among
traders to buy and store paddy. Everyone
is buying paddy by competing, thinking
that it is profitable to buy paddy. This
unhealthy competition will not bring
good results.
Most of the mill owners buy paddy
from the market but they are not going
into production. New rice is not coming
in the market yet. The rice that is available
in the market now is old from last year. So
where is the new rice going? This situation
will not be allowed to continue.
more than doubled from last year, reports
BBC.
India has taken advantage of discounted
prices to ramp up oil imports from Russia
at a time when global energy prices have
been rising.
Without naming any country, Momen
said, "You are seeing that they keep bossing
us and you (journalists) also encourage
them. Every day, they come up with new
issues. We used to call them development
partners. They don't pay for the development
but keep giving advice."
Momen also claimed that to impede the
development, they put forward many
things and add various conditions to create
instability. "These are not acceptable."
Responding to a question, the foreign
minister said Bangladesh, being a peaceloving
country, always welcomes stability
in the world.
"We are very inter-dependent," he
said, adding that Bangladesh will get
affected if there is instability in the USA
and Europe - two big markets for
Bangladesh's export.

tuesDAY, MAY 31, 2022
2
MP Tanvir Imam's contribution
of an ethnic girl's future
BADRUL ALAM DULAL, SIRAJGANJ
Sadhana Mahato's fortunes turned around
with support from Tanvir Imam, the MP of
Sirajganj's Ullapara. Mahato is the youngest
of the two sons and two daughters of Sudhir
Chandra Mahato, a brick kiln worker. Upon
hearing that Sadhana's education is being
hampered due to financial hurdles, Tanvir
Imam gave one lakh taka from his personal
fund.
With this assistance, Sadhana was
admitted to Sheikh Hasina Medical
College in Tangail. The MP also assured of
more help if needed. "He said that the
assistance was provided to bring the
neglected ethnic group of the society back
to the mainstream. I will cooperate more if
necessary. I am doing this from human
values. Besides, during the present
government, like the rest of the country,
there has been a huge development in
Sirajganj Ullapara. In the remote areas of
the village there are paved road bridges,
educational institutions, hospitals and
various infrastructures have been built.
The remote rural areas illuminated by
electricity, the poor social condition of the
upazila has changed in a few years"
Local MP Tanvir Imam has been working
GD-1030/22 (9x3)
tirelessly to continue this trend of
development. The development activities of
Ullapara started with the overall cooperation
of HT Imam, former political advisor to the
Prime Minister. Incumbent MP Tanvir
Imam has changed the landscape of the area
with his tireless work in the path shown by
his father. As a result, the life journey of the
locals has changed. MP Tanvir Imam
supervised each project under the direction
of the Prime Minister. The MP called upon
all to remain united to accelerate the path of
the Awami League to take the neglected
people forward.
60-year-old woman trampled to death
by wild elephant in Rangamati
RANGAMATI : A 60-year-old woman was
trampled to death by a wild elephant at
Jibtoli in Sadar upazila of Rangamati district
early Monday.
The deceased was identified as Taposhi
Chakma, wife of Gopal Chandra Chakma of
the area. Dhan Chakma, member of Jibtoli
Union Parishad, said a wild elephant
attacked her while she went out of her home
to respond to natural call around 4:30 am,
leaving her dead on the spot.
Israeli nationalists chant racist
slogans in Jerusalem march
JERUSALEM : Thousands of Israeli nationalists, some of
them chanting "Death to Arabs," paraded through the heart
of the main Palestinian thoroughfare in Jerusalem's Old City
on Sunday, in a show of force that risked setting off a new
wave of violence in the tense city.
The crowds, who were overwhelmingly young Orthodox
Jewish men, were celebrating Jerusalem Day-an Israeli
holiday that marks the capture of the Old City in the 1967
Mideast war. Palestinians see the event, which passes
through the heart of the Muslim Quarter, as a provocation.
Last year, the parade helped trigger an 11-day war with Gaza
militants, and this year's march drew condemnations from
the Palestinians and neighboring Jordan.
Israel said it deployed thousands of police and security
forces for the event, and violent scuffles between Jewish and
Palestinian groups erupted inside the Old City before the
parade began.
As the march got underway, groups of Orthodox Jewish
youths gathered outside Damascus Gate, waving flags,
singing religious and nationalistic songs, and shouting "the
Jewish nation lives" before entering the Muslim Quarter.
One large group chanted "Death to Arabs," and "Let your
village burn down" before descending into the Old City.
Police cleared Palestinians out of the area, which is
normally a bustling Palestinian thoroughfare. At one point, a
drone flying a Palestinian flag flew overhead before police
intercepted it.
Ahead of the march, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said
that "flying the flag of Israel in the capital of Israel is an
obvious thing," but also urged participants to celebrate in a
"responsible and respectful manner."
Bennett later issued a statement instructing police to show
"no tolerance" toward the racist groups. He described them
as a "minority that came to set the area on fire" and vowed to
prosecute violent extremists - a step that few Israeli
governments have taken in the past. Foreign Minister Yair
Lapid called the racist groups "a disgrace."
Thousands of people normally take part in the march
through the Muslim Quarter, including some who shout out
nationalistic or racist slogans toward the Palestinians, before
making their way to the Western Wall in the Jewish Quarter
on the other side of the Old City.
Last year, after weeks of Israeli-Palestinian unrest in
Jerusalem, authorities changed the route of the march at the
last minute to avoid the Muslim Quarter. But it was too late
by then, and Hamas militants in Gaza fired a barrage of
rockets toward Jerusalem as the procession was getting
underway. That set off 11 days of heavy fighting.
Sunday's march came at a time of heightened tensions.
Israeli police have repeatedly confronted stone-throwing
Palestinian demonstrators in the disputed compound in
recent months, often firing rubber bullets and stun grenades.
At the same time, some 19 Israelis have been killed by
Palestinian attackers in Israel and the occupied West Bank in
recent weeks, while over 35 Palestinians have been killed in
Israeli military operations in the occupied West Bank. Some
were armed, while others were shot while allegedly throwing
stones or firebombs at troops. But several appear appear to
have been uninvolved in any violence, including Shireen Abu
Akleh, a well-known correspondent for the Al Jazeera
satellite channel.
Biden called again
to mourn with a city
stricken by grief
UVALDE : President Joe
Biden and first lady Jill
Biden are hoping to console
a city stricken by grief and
anger when they meet with
families affected by the mass
shooting at a Texas
elementary school that killed
19 students and two
teachers, reports UNB.
The visit to Uvalde on
Sunday is Biden's second
trip in as many weeks to
comfort a community in
mourning after staggering
loss. On May 17, he was in
Buffalo, New York, to meet
with victims' families and
condemn white supremacy
after a shooter espousing the
racist "replacement theory"
killed 10 Black people at a
supermarket.
The shootings in Texas
and New York and their
aftermath have put a
spotlight on the nation's
entrenched divisions and its
inability to forge consensus
on actions to reduce gun
violence.
"Evil came to that
elementary school
classroom in Texas, to that
grocery store in New York,
to far too many places where
innocents have died," Biden
said Saturday in a
commencement address at
the University of Delaware.
"We have to stand stronger.
We must stand stronger. We
cannot outlaw tragedy, I
know, but we can make
America safer."
Biden was to visit the
makeshift memorial outside
Robb Elementary School
before attending Mass at a
local Catholic church. He
was also scheduled to meet
with family members at a
community center and then
with first responders at the
local airport before returning
to Washington, the White
House said. He was not
expected to deliver formal
remarks.
GD-1024/22 (9x4)
Street children's rehabilitation
process should be undertaken
TBT REPORT
"Conducting a street census has become a
necessity to rehabilitate the children living in the
streets. A separate government allocation is
required for street children." This was stated by
the speakers at a discussion meeting titled
'Quarterly Meeting with Government and Non-
Government Officers, Civil Society Organization
on Street Children's Rights' held at the head
office of Dhaka Ahsania Mission in Dhanmondi
on Monday.
The speakers suggested that the birth
registration problem of street children should be
eliminated and government services should be
enabled by registering them. The speakers said
that the problem of street children should be
considered as a state problem and immediate
action should be taken. Otherwise, their
involvement in various gang cultures and
criminal activities will become a threat to social
security in the near future. Echoing the pledge
'all children are equal including the street
children', a cross sector body needs to be formed.
The event was jointly organized by Dhaka
GD-1025/22 (5x3)
49
Ahsania Mission and Scan Bangladesh under
the 'Words to Reality: Permitting Street
Children's Rights in Bangladesh' project. During
the program various problems of street children
were discussed.
Dhaka Ahsania Mission Treasurer Sajedul
Qayyum presided over the ceremony. Dhaka
Ahsania Mission Education and TVET Sector's
Joint Director Moniruzzaman delivered the
welcome remarks. The main article was
presented by the Joint Secretary of Scan
Bangladesh Masudul Islam. Nazneen
Shabnam, Child Rights Advocacy Officer,
Dhaka Ahsania Mission, was present on the
occasion. The Probation Officer of Dhaka Social
Services Department M. Masud Rana was
present on the occasion. Mohammadpur Police
Education Officer Jasmine Akhter; Medical
Officer of the Civil Surgeon's Office Suraiya
Hossain; SI Rimi Akhter of Kamalapur Railway
Police Station; Dalia Das, Senior Director of SOS
Children's Village International; Aftabuzzaman,
Vice President of Scan Bangladesh; Mausumi
Sharmin, Gender Coordinator of Concern
Worldwide were present among others.
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TUESDAY, MAY 31, 2022
3
A meeting was held at Nabab Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Bhaban yesterday on the
occasion of observing Dhaka University Day. DU VC Prof. Dr. Md. Akhtaruzzaman presided
over the meeting.
Photo : Courtesy
Biker, pillion
rider killed
Hatirjheel
road crash
DHAKA : Two people
including a motorcyclist
were killed in a road
accident in the city's
Hatirjheel area on
Monday, reports UNB.
The deceased were
identified as pillion rider
Fahim Hossain ,20, and
motorcyclist Mohammad
Mamun,25.
The accident occured
around 10:15 am when the
motorcycle ploughed
through the island after
the motorcyclist lost his
control near Madhubagh
intersection , said subinspector
(SI) Sajib of
Hatirjheel police station.
Mamun died on the
spot. Rider Fahim was
taken to Dhaka Medical
College hospital (DMCH)
where he succumbed to
his injuries later, he said.
The deceased were
identified as pillion rider
Fahim Hossain ,20, and
motorcyclist Mohammad
Mamun,25.
Talking to reporters at
DMCH, Fahim's uncle
Kabir Hossain said he was
son of Mizan Hossain
(CNG autorickshaw
driver) of Bagh Srirampur
village under Kachua
upazila in Chadpur
district.
The two bodies were
kept at the DMCH morgue
for autopsy.
Hearing on Samrat's appeal
against bail cancellation on
June 6
DHAKA :The Appellate Division of the
Supreme Court has fixed June 6 for hearing
of the petition filed against the High Court
order for cancelling the bail of expelled
President of Dhaka Metropolitan South Juba
League Ismail Chowdhury Samrat.
The Appellate Division headed by Chief
Justice Hasan Foez Siddique passed the
order yesterday.
Senior Advocate Barrister Rokon Uddin
Mahmud appeared on behalf of Samrtat in
the court while Advocate Khurshid Alam
Khan was represented the ACC.
From March 31 to May 11 this year, Samrat
was granted bail by the lower court in a total
of four cases on health ground.
After receiving the bail papers on May 11,
the jail authorities released Samrat.
On May 18, the ACC filed an application in
the High Court seeking cancellation of bail in
a case filed against him for acquiring assets
other than known income, saying that
Samrat could not secure a bail because of the
gravity of his offence.
Moreover, no relevant medical papers
were submitted before the lower court to
prove his illness, said the ACC.
The High Court cancelled his bail and
ordered him to surrender to the lower court
within next seven days.
The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB)
arrested Samrat from a village in
Cumilla's Chauddagram upazila on
October 6, 2019.
In a subsequent action, police raided his
Kakrail office in the capital and recovered
huge quantities of foreign liquor, guns and
rare species of wildlife skins.
A mobile court sentenced Samrat to six
months of jail term for possessing wildlife
hides. A case was filed against him under the
Arms and Drugs Act for possession of arms
and drugs.
Later, the Criminal Investigation
Department (CID) filed a case against him
under the Money Laundering Act and the
ACC filed a case alleging illegal acquisition of
assets.
Information and Broadcasting Secretary Md Mokbul Hossain inaugurated a training on e governance
yesterday.
Photo : PID
Ctg int'l trade fair
begins today
DHAKA : The 29th Chattogram
International Trade Fair (CITF)-2022
will begin today after a two-year
shutdown due to the Coronavirus
pandemic.
Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi is
scheduled to inaugurate the fair, to be
organised by the Chittagong Chamber
of Commerce and Industry (CCCI), on
Railway Pologround in the port city.
The fair will showcase the products of
small and medium entrepreneurs from
different parts of the country, while the
big companies of the country will
display their products in different
pavilions to promote their products.
The CCCI sources said a modern
Bangabandhu pavilion is being set up at
the fair which will display various books
and publications on Bangabandhu's
autobiography and Liberation War with
the help of Batighor.
3 kids drown in 2 districts
DHAKA : Three minor children drowned in
Chapainawabganj and Dinajpur districts on
Monday.
In Chapainawabganj, two children
drowned in a pond in Tikrampur
Madhyapara area of the municipality at
noon.
The deceased were identified as Didar
Ahmed,5, son of Delwar Hossain of the area
and Tisha,4, daughter of Mohammad
Hossain.
Didar and Tisha slipped into the pond near
their house around 12pm while playing
beside it, said Mozaffar Hossain, officer-incharge
(OC) of Chapainawabganj Sadar
police station.
Locals found the floating bodies of the two
children and took them to Chapainawabganj
Sadar hospital where doctors declared the
duo dead, the OC added.
In Dinajpur, A minor child drowned in a
pond in Nawabganj upazila of the district in
the morning.
The deceased was Taslima, 2, daughter of
Tara Mandal of Haripur Mandbachan village
of Golapganj union.
According to the locals, Taslima was
playing near a pond adjacent to her house
around 10am and fell into the pond.
Family members rescued her and took her
to Upazila Health Complex where doctors
declared her dead, said Ferdous Wahid,
officer-in-charge, of Nawabganj police
station.
Bangladesh sees rise in Dengue
cases: 18 more cases confirmed
DHAKA : Bangladesh reported 18
new dengue cases in the 24 hours till
Monday morning ahead of monsoon.
All 18 people were hospitalised with
dengue' a viral infection, in Dhaka
city, according to the Directorate
General of Health Services (DGHS).
Fifty-one dengue patients, including
50 in the capital, are receiving
treatment at hospitals.
In 2022, the DGHS has recorded
338 dengue cases and 287 recoveries
so far. However, it has not yet
reported any death from the
mosquito-borne viral disease.
A total of 105 dengue patients
including 95 in Dhaka division alone
died in 2021.
Dengue - a leading cause of
serious illness and death in some
Asian and Latin American countries
- was first reported in Bangladesh in
2000 and claimed 93 lives. In three
years, the fatality number almost fell
to zero.
There is no specific treatment for
dengue or severe dengue. Early
detection of disease progression
associated with severe dengue, and
access to proper medical care lowers
fatality rates of severe dengue to below
1 percent, according to World Health
Organization.
"The global incidence of dengue has
grown dramatically, with about half of
the world's population now at risk.
Although an estimated 100-400
million infections occur each year,
over 80 percent are generally mild
and asymptomatic," it said.
Bangladesh
reports 34 fresh
cases, one death
from Covid-19
DHAKA : Bangladesh
yesterday reported 34
Covid-19 cases while one
death was recorded during
the same period.
"The country reported
0.63 percent Covid-19
positive cases as 5,370
samples were tested in the
past 24 hours," Directorate
General of Health Services
(DGHS) said in its routine
daily statement.
Zero coronavirus death
was recorded in the country
for the first time on
November 20, 2021 since
the pandemic began on
March 8, 2020.
In the past 24 hours, the
combined figure of
coronavirus in Dhaka city
and upazilas of the district is
24 while zero Covid-19 death
was reported during the
period.
The recovery count rose to
19,02,591 after another 169
patients were discharged
from the dedicated hospitals
during the past one day.
From the beginning of the
pandemic, 97.39 percent
Covid-19 patients recovered
among the infected people
while 1.49 percent died, the
DGHS statistics showed.
Among the 29,131
fatalities, 12,801 occurred in
Dhaka division, 5,863 in
Chattogram, 2,142 in
Rajshahi, 3,718 in Khulna,
982 in Barishal, 1,328 in
Sylhet, 1,417 in Rangpur and
880 in Mymensingh
divisions.
DMP arrests 59 for
selling, consuming
drugs in city
DHAKA : The members of
the Detective Branch (DB) of
the Dhaka Metropolitan
Police (DMP) in several antidrug
raids arrested a total of
59 people on charges of
selling and consuming drugs
during the last 24 hours till
6am yesterday.
The DB in association with
local police carried out the
drives simultaneously at
different parts of the
metropolis from 6am of May
29, according to a DMP
release. In separate antidrug
raids, police seized
huge drugs from their
possessions.
During the anti-drug
raids, police seized 410
grams and 20 puria (small
packets) of heroin, 49.70
kilograms of cannabis
(ganja), 7,267 pieces of
contraband yaba tablets,
seven bottle of phensidyle
syrup, 15 litres of local liquor
and three litres of alcohol
from their possessions, the
release added.
One gets death, life
imprisonment for 3
in Babu murder case
DHAKA : A Dhaka court
yesterday sentenced a man
named Emdadul Haque to
death and another three to
life imprisonment in a case
lodged over murder of Qazi
Jahurul Islam Babu in the
capital's Mirpur in 2013.
Judge Mohammad Nazrul
Islam of Dhaka Special
Judge Court-10 passed the
order in presence of the
three convicts.
The three convicts who
were sentenced to life
imprisonment are-
Shahidullah, Monir and
Azadul. Of the total four
convicts, Shahidullah is yet
to be arrested and was tried
in absentia.
According to the case
documents, the convicts
stabbed Qazi Jahurul Islam
Babu to death on July 17,
2013. Babu's brother Qazi
Tajul Islam filed the case with
Mirpur Model Police Station
on the same day. Police filed
charge-sheet on July 26, 2014.
The court yesterday came
up with the judgment after
examining 13 out of 15
witnesses on different hearing
dates.
World No Tobacco Day today
DHAKA : World No Tobacco Day will be
observed in the country on Tuesday as
elsewhere in the globe.
The theme of the World No Tobacco Day
for 2022 as set by the World Health
Organization (WHO) is "Tobacco: Threat to
our environment."
This theme is particularly relevant for
Bangladesh and other developing countries
where 90 percent of all tobacco production is
concentrated, said a press release from
PROGGA (Knowledge for Progress), an antitobacco
platform, reports UNB.
The President and thePrime Minister
have issued separate messages on the
occasion.
President Abdul Hamid called upon the
government as well as civil society members,
professional organizations, nongovernmental
organizations and the media
to make concerted efforts to save people,
especially the younger generation, from the
dangers of smoking and tobacco.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
said, "At the South Asian Speakers Summit
2018, I announced that Bangladesh will be
tobacco free by 2040. Our government is
working relentlessly towards that goal as we
need healthy and strong population to build
a developed and prosperous Bangladesh."
Tobacco causes over 84 million tonnes of
carbon dioxide emissions annually and
creates the world's most littered item,
cigarette butts.
Bangladesh ranks 14th in the world on the
basis of area used for tobacco cultivation,
12th for tobacco production in quantity, and
holds a share of 1.3% of global tobacco
production.
According to Tobacco Atlas, tobacco
cultivation accounts for 31 percent of
deforestation in Bangladesh.
The use of tobacco causes around 161,000
deaths in Bangladesh a year. It has been
ranked as the fourth major contributing
factors behind premature deaths in the
country.
PROGGA suggests amending existing
tobacco control law, hiking cigarette and
tobacco product prices imposing specific
excise taxes, divesting government's
investment from British American
Tobacco, promoting alternative farming
and livelihood options, expediting the
adoption of a code of conduct in line with
FCTC Article 5.3 for all government
officials as necessary measures to curb the
prevalence of tobacco use.
Quarterly meeting GO, CSO, NGO on Street Children's Rights was held
at the auditorium of Dhaka Ahsania Mission head office yesterday.
Dhaka Ahsania Mission in collaboration with SCAN network
Bangladesh organized the program.
Photo : Courtesy
Pagla Sewage Treatment
Plant effective in removing
SARS-CoV-2 RNA: study
DHAKA : The Pagla Sewage Treatment Plant
was found to be effective in removing SARS-
CoV-2 RNA from the raw sewage, according
to a new study.
The findings of the study were
disseminated at a seminar, jointly arranged
by icddr,b and the Dhaka Water Supply and
Sewerage Authority (DWASA), at Buriganga
Hall, WASA Bhaban in Karwan Bazar,
Dhaka.
The study was concluded to look into the
presence of the Covid-19 virus (SARS-CoV-
2) in sewage and other contaminated surface
water sources in and around Dhaka city, an
icddrib press release said.
The shedding of the SARS-CoV-2 virus
through human faeces begins within three
days of infection, which ultimately goes into
the sewerage system. This may lead to the
contamination of the environment if the
sewage is not properly treated and
discharged.
Thus, it is very important to understand
this type of environmental contamination
through sewage and other contaminated
surface water sources in Dhaka city.
Accordingly, between September 2020
and January 2021, there were 22 sewage and
23 sludge samples collected from the
DWASA's Narinda, Basabo sewage pumping
stations and Pagla sewage treatment plant
(PSTP).
Additionally, two composite water and two
sediment samples were collected from the
Mitford point of the Buriganga river and
under the Abdullahpur bridge of the Turag
river.
A total of six samples (three water and
three sediment samples) were also collected
from three ponds, namely the Institute of
Public Health (IPH) pond, Mirpur Mazar
Pond and Shahidullah Hall pond on the
campus of the University of Dhaka. The
Shahidullah hall pond was selected as a
control pond. All the samples were tested for
the presence of SARS-CoV-2 by RT-qPCR
assay and different physicochemical
parameters.
Dr Sirajul Islam, Emeritus Scientist at
icddr,b and the Principal Investigator of the
study, presented the findings.
The study showed that of the raw sewage
and sludge samples, about 57.1 per cent and
53.3 per cent samples were found to have
SARS-CoV-2 RNA, respectively. There was
no presence of SARS-CoV-2 in the samples
collected after treatment by the PSTP.
The SARS-CoV-2 RNA wasn't found in the
water and sediment samples collected from
the river and pond ecosystems. The
difference in physicochemical parameters
such as pH, temperature, total dissolved
solids, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, and
dissolved solid in river and pond water
samples were not prominent, but variation
was observed in treated and untreated
sewage samples collected from different
sampling sites of the PSTP.
Local Government, Rural Development
and Co-operatives Minister Md Tazul Islam
was present at the seminar as the chief guest,
while Professor John D Clemens, Former
Executive Director at icddr,b, and Dr Shams
El Arifeen, Acting Executive Director at
icddr,b, attended as special guests. Engineer
Taqsem A Khan, Managing Director and
Chief Executive Officer at Dhaka WASA,
presided over the seminar.
In his speech, Tazul Islam appreciated
the initiative and thanked icddr,b and the
DWASA. He said, "It was a great initiative
of the DWASA to undertake this research
and generate evidence which is
important."
Prof Clemens appreciated the leadership of
the DWASA for taking up this research at a
time as there was not much knowledge about
the environmental contamination of the
Covid-19 virus.
Dr Arifeen remarked that the findings of
the study are indeed very reassuring for the
residents of Dhaka.
Eng Taqsem A Khan said, "The DWASA
partnered with many local and international
institutions including icddr,b to strengthen
its activities based on science and evidence."
National public health experts,
representatives from the WASA, icddr,b, and
media were also present at the seminar. The
study was supported by the DWASA.
AL advisory council
meeting on Wednesday
DHAKA : Awami League (AL) advisory
council meeting will be held at Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina's Official
residence Ganabhaban at 4pm on
Wednesday (June 1).
AL President Sheikh Hasina will preside
over the meeting.
AL General Secretary and Road Transport
and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader has
requested all concerned to attended the
meeting in time.

TuESDaY, MaY 31, 2022
4
Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam
e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com
Tuesday, May 31, 2022
Campus violence must
come to an end
Dhaka headed for closure prematurely
University, considered as the apex centre
of higher learning in the country, may be
for its
summer vacation in a bid to quell the serious disorder
and violence that have gripped it recently. The
vacation may be a ploy only to keep the warring sides
apart since the violence that erupted in this university
some days ago and shows no sign of turning normal
any time soon, has created the necessity of bringing
the university's functioning under a close on any
pretext just to avoid loss of lives and more violence.
Closing the university may be a temporary reprieve.
But it will only worsen in the long term its session
jams and other academic and administrative
problems. The present state of the Dhaka University
is symbolic of the fits that frequently seize campuses
across the country the only outcome of which are the
uncertain and declining standard of higher education
and the consequent drain of resources of its student
population for overseas education. If the campuses
across the country could remain reasonably workable
and peaceful, then this student migration from
Bangladesh could be checked with substantial gains
for the institutions, the students themselves and the
economy.
One remembers in this connection that many times
and from many platforms the plea was made to curb
campus violence. To this end again and again the only
thing that would most work is either formally ending
student politics by all round agreement between all
sides or at least restricting the same on a sustainable
basis and again by all round dialogue and
understanding. Year after year has passed but this
suggestion has remained an utopian dream like an
elusion to be mentioned again and again but never to
be achieved. Unfortunately, nothing of substance was
noted from any side to work to either end student
politics or to bring the same under strict rules and
regulations.
But our Prime Minister on several occasions
suggested a ban or curbs on student politics.
Therefore, one would expect that a scope or basis for
bipartisan agreement is there on the issue. But the
present opposition stance appears to be rather at
variance with their earlier prescription. There was
even criticisms of the PM's proposal as emanating
from a totalitarian desire to silence the student
community who had played such glorious roles in the
country's interest in the past.
However, the opposition's shedding of crocodile
tears for student politics notwithstanding, the
government party on its own can take the steps
unilaterally to impress that it really is sincere about
putting a lid on different forms of lawlessness which
are sought to be passed off as student politics.
There is acute need for stern directives to be passed
on to those who form the student front of the ruling
party that they must absolutely shun the path of
violence or else face completely impartial and very
rigorous policing actions against them. At the same
time, police need to be given special instructions to
use their might impartially to control all unlawful and
violent activities in the educational institutions,
student dormitories, etc., regardless of the party
affiliations of the ones to be affected by their actions.
Only such stern measures can act powerfully to send
right messages and bring about an auto restraint
probably among those who are disturbing the peace
in the campuses.
Simultaneously, the ruling party needs to set a date
and issue formal invitations to the major opposition
parties to sit with it for a dialogue to discuss the ways
and means of phasing out the terror conditions in the
campuses. A formal ban on politics by students and
teachers may not be necessary if they can be kept
committed to certain rules, accepted by all, to
maintain academic environment in the campuses .
Other mechanisms to maintain campus peace such as
institutionalizing of campus police can also be
discussed at such a dialogue between the ruling and
opposition parties to arrive at a common ground.
The point is the government must not limit its role
to making a proposal and then not acting upon it on
the ground that others are not coming out
enthusiastically in support of it. It must show
leadership in the matter and take the initiative .
Peaceful and proper academic environment in the
campuses must be achieved. This is a national
demand from people in all walks of life .Without such
environment, the country's quest for development or
progress in all spheres is certain to face setbacks.
Sanctions failed to sway Russia, but the West hurt
Many
have
compared
the
unprecedented USled
Western
sanctions against
Russia to a genocidal
economic weapon that has never been used
in this way against any other country. This
is a complex plot to destroy the entire
nation, including the Russian economy, on
a social and political level. The Ukraine
crisis is merely the catalyst for what has
become the greatest catastrophic European
disaster in history. Any embargo is a
double-edged sword, harming Russia while
also jeopardising the embargoed nation.
However, Western sanction seems to me
that a canal was dug, and a crocodile was
introduced. In reality, Westerners are
caught in a snare they cannot escape. How
global commodity and fuel prices have
begun to rise due to sanctions and
escalating conflicts, the stagnating
condition of inflation, and how social
instability has already started to emerge in
European nations is perfectly timed.
Despite considerable losses in exports since
the beginning of the crisis, Russia's
economy remains robust, whereas Western
nations are at risk. In the first week of May,
the 5th, the UK's central bankonce again
increased interest rates to their highest
level in thirteen years. Equally applicable to
the United States. The interest rate increase
on May the 4th was the largest since 2000.
Extreme economic, social, and political
difficulties currently exist in the sanctioned
nation. Let's put some light on the actual
situation. However, I will limit my
discussion to a few key points in the interest
of clarity and coherence.
The ruble, Russia's currency, will be my
first consideration. Since Russia recognised
the Donetsk and Luhansk regions on
February the 21st and the beginning of a
special military operation in Ukraine on
February the 24th, the EU has placed
various sanctions on Russia. Personal
sanctions, economic restrictions, and
diplomatic sanctions are all included in the
several stages ofthe embargo. The EU and
its allies, particularly NATO nations,
appear to be competing for sanctions. It
seems they pledged that we must destroy
the Russian economy by whatever means
necessary, even if it involves chopping off
our legs. Is this the ancient society's
mindset in the twenty-first century? Soon
after the initial two rounds of sanctions, the
ruble fell. As a result of unprecedented
international sanctions against the
country's financial sector, the Russian ruble
has dropped by more than 40 percent since
trading began on February the 28th. On
that day, I was astonished to observe the
West's glee and excitement throughout all
media, political, and military arenas,
including the United Kingdom. This
appears to be civilisation. Or the untamed
nature of society? As they did a few years
ago, when fuel costs dropped, many
commentators forecast a complete collapse
of the Russian currency. None of these
purported so-called analysts' future
forecasts has survived. Because their
discourse is illogical, especially when the
subject is antagonistic. Western analysts
are highly skilled in speculating.
The value of the Russian ruble has risen
to its most great point concerning the euro,
the dollar, and the pound in the past two
years. However, people in the West do not
appear to have any reaction to this news; in
fact, even journalists and other media
members are remaining silent. This is the
opposite of what Western sanctions are
supposed to achieve! Even though all of the
major Russian banks have been cut off
from the SWIFT system, which facilitates
financial transactions and payment
services for banks worldwide, the Russian
ruble has made a remarkable recovery as a
direct result of government involvement.
The Japanese yen, which is the world's
third-most traded currency, has fallen to a
20-year low against the US dollar, the worst
performance among the first 40 currencies
tracked this year. This comes when Japan is
paying a hefty price to follow the US lead
over Russia. The ruble was a better option.
In recent days, the value of one ruble may
be shown to be growing when compared to
one dollar. During currency trading on the
Moscow exchange on May the 11th, the
ruble dropped below 74 rubles to one dollar
for the first time since February 2020. This
week Rubble is again stronger than US
dollar which stands below 60 Ruble for one
dollar. This marked the lowest point that
the ruble had reached against the dollar
since February 2020. According to
information gathered from trade, the
exchange rate between the ruble and the
euro has dropped below 71 rubles for the
first time since June of 2016. Since the
beginning of the year, the Russian ruble has
reportedly become the currency with the
DR P R DaTTa
best performance globally, as Bloomberg
reported. Since the beginning of the year,
the value of the ruble has increased by more
than 11 percent when measured against the
dollar. Not only are the crushing economic
sanctions imposed by the West on the
Russian economy responsible for today's
rise in the value of the ruble, but the
different steps taken by the government are
also a contributing factor. Another
significant setback for the Western side.
Now let's talk about oil and gas. Already
struggling with rising living costs,
Europeans now face even more difficulties
in making ends meet as fuel and food prices
rise sharply due to the conflict in Ukraine,
threatening to undermine the recovery of a
fragile post-Covid economic infrastructure.
Analysts predict that the cost of gasoline
and diesel will continue to rise in the
coming days. Fuel prices have increased by
24.5 percent in the last year, according to
the UK's Office for National Statistics (April
2022). The cost of production in the retail
sector increased by 12.6% due to a 10%
increase in fuel prices.Furthermore, the
sector's indirect impact was 5.13 percent.
During the first two months of the Ukraine
crisis, those imposing sanctions jokingly
told Russia that selling fuel to the EU
helped Russia earn nearly double the
revenue Putin was waging in Ukraine's
illegal war. According to a report by a
Finnish-registered think tank, the top 16
importers, excluding China, were the ones
imposing sanctions on Russia. During the
crisis, the European Union (EU) purchases
approximately 61 percent of Russia's fuel.
Yesterday, the British government
announced an additional 15 billion pounds
to assist millions of low-income households
with energy bills and rising living expenses.
More than three months have passed
since Russian President Vladimir Putin's
Special Military Operation in Ukraine. Still,
despite predictions of ruin for Russia's
economy, oil exports to countries such as
India, China and Turkey, including
European countries, have increased, and
Russia's financial sector has not faced a
crisis. According to Edward Fishman, a
former State Department Europe expert,
Putin makes at least $1 billion per day
selling oil and gas, which comes from
Europe. European countries are sending
separate military aid to Ukraine, but their
payments to Russia for oil and gas fall short
of expectations. Despite Western sanctions
on Russia's financial sector, oil exports
increased to 3.8 million barrels per day in
April, up from 3.3 million barrels.
According to Amber and Global Witness,
the EU's current gas plans will increase the
EU's energy bill by 264 billion in 2030 due
to high gas prices. According to Bloomberg,
the International Energy Agency (IEA)
stated recently that Russia's oil revenues
have increased by 50% this year, despite
trade restrictions imposed following a
special military operation in Ukraine.
According to experts, sanctions may have
some long-term effects. Still, because
Russia is the world's 11th most prosperous
country and its immeasurable importance
in the global market, such sanctions will do
more harm than good to the sanctioning
countries. Sanctions have historically
worked better against smaller, weaker
states than larger, stronger ones, and they
have rarely failed to make timely changes.
The current Western sanctions may take
years to impact the Russian economy
significantly, but there is no doubt that they
will cause a significant collapse in the
Western economy.
Meanwhile, disruptions in inflation and
supply chains threaten Western corporate
profits, while raising interest rates to keep
inflation under control is putting
consumers in danger. Russia is the world's
leading natural gas exporter, the world's
second-largest natural gas producer, and
the world's second-largest exporter and
producer of oil. Russia has the fifth-largest
foreign exchange reserves globally, with a
workforce of approximately seventy million
people, making it the sixth largest in the
world. The Russian economy has suffered
and also will suffer no doubt to some extent
as a result of sanctions, but it will hurt more
Western nations. Annual inflation in
Europe reached a 40-year high of 7.5
percent last month, and UK inflation is
already 9%.I am convinced that, as a result
of these Western sanctions, the entire
world will experience another economic
recession, a massive food crisis, millions of
deaths, and a return to poverty for millions
of people. Obviously, this will hinder the
post-covid recovery of many nations.
However, it appears that western nations
still lack common sense.
The Writer is Educator, author, and
researcher, Executive Chair, Centre for
Business & Economic Research, UK
Facing the Nakba could be a first step toward reconciliation
Come this time of year and there is a
marked difference in mood between
Israel's Jews and its Palestinians there
and everywhere.
For the Jewish population, it is a time to
celebrate their independence, which was
declared in 1948. It could not be more
different for Palestinians, who
commemorate the Nakba, or "catastrophe"
in Arabic, when not only were their
aspirations for statehood left in ruins, but
also many lives were lost, communities
destroyed, and 750,000 out of 1.9 million
people from within what is now Israel driven
from their homes and made refugees.
To add insult to injury, almost three
quarters of a century later, Israel still refuses
to accept any responsibility for the Nakba, as
well as the suffering that it inflicted on the
Palestinian people, which continues to affect
millions of refugees scattered across the
Middle East and, consequently, the
prospects of reconciliation.
For Israelis and Palestinians, the struggle
over the 1948 narrative is a crucial aspect of
their relations, as each side strives to win the
consciousness battle within their own
society and in international public opinion.
The vast majority of Israel's Jews have
resorted to complete denial, distortion and
wilful ignorance of the Nakba, and most
wash their hands of any responsibility,
despite mounting evidence to the contrary.
It has become an inconvenient truth that
they would rather avoid for fear that it might
offer a powerful weapon to those who
question the Jewish state's legitimacy, and
might also require painful soul-searching in
light of the war crimes committed and the
need to atone for their legacy.
In the oversimplified Israeli narrative, the
Zionist leadership, unlike the Palestinian
one, accepted the UN's 1947 partition plan,
and when the nascent state was declared, a
war was declared on it by the Palestinians
and several Arab countries. Hence, anything
that happened between that moment and
Israel's eventual victory in the war was part
of a just war - of a country defending itself
from external aggression.
What this narrative conveniently and
deliberately ignores is that even before war
broke out, the leadership of the Jewish
Yishuv (pre-1948 Jewish residents of the
The interest rate increase on May the 4th was the
largest since 2000. Extreme economic, social, and
political difficulties currently exist in the sanctioned
nation. Let's put some light on the actual situation.
However, I will limit my discussion to a few key points
in the interest of clarity and coherence.
"Land of Israel") planned to expel as many
Palestinian communities as possible, and
while subsequently executing this plan, war
crimes, including murder and rape, were
allegedly committed.
Israel points to atrocities committed by
Palestinian and other Arab military forces
against Jews before and during the war, and
this is undeniable; yet it by no means
justifies silencing discussion of Israel's role
in the Nakba and what it means to
Palestinians, especially considering its scale
and its consequences.
The vast majority of Israel's Jews have
resorted to complete denial, distortion and
wilful ignorance of the Nakba. After all, any
fair and just solution, and with it a genuine
reconciliation between the two peoples,
cannot take place unless truth prevails. As
long as Israelis refuse to immerse
themselves in understanding, internalizing
and sympathizing with the immense
suffering visited on Palestinians during the
Nakba, they will be unable to understand the
psychological barrier facing Israel's
Palestinian minority that prevents them
from feeling they are an integral part of
Israeli society, especially as there has never
been an Israeli expression of regret or
responsibility, and a long overdue apology
has yet to be extended to them.
Moreover, the catastrophe that has
befallen Palestinian refugees is sustained by
Israel's enacting of laws that confiscate their
properties and bar them from returning,
while legislation has turned those who were
not made refugees into second-class citizens
who face punitive action should they dare
commemorate the Nakba.
Yet, we are seeing a gradual change of
YOSSI MEKELBERG
discourse in Israel about the Nakba and the
atrocities committed in places such as Deir
Yassin, Tantura or Saliha. This is the result
of a growing body of knowledge derived
from academic research, investigative
journalism and documentaries, in many
cases involving former soldiers who have
decided to bare their souls and share with
the younger generation their experiences of
those atrocities.
Since the late 1980s, Benny Morris' work
"The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee
Israel's security forces are by far not the most immoral in the
world, and the Jewish people have indeed suffered from some
of the most heinous war crimes and crimes against humanity
that anyone can imagine. However, this does not negate the
fact that those handed the task of defending the Jewish state
inflicted, in the course of the 1948 war and in subsequent wars
and conflicts, immense suffering on others.
Problem, 1947-1949" and other research by
those known as the New Historians, has
dispelled the myth that all Palestinians left
their towns and villages of their own accord,
out of fear of war, or because they were told
to do so by their leaders. While some did,
many were brutally forced out by the
advancing Israeli army on the orders of the
country's leadership and, at times, by local
initiatives of Israeli commanders, with the
aim of driving as many Palestinians as
possible out of the country.
For Israelis to admit their role in the
Nakba requires crossing a psychological
rubicon, but denying it is also politically
motivated.
Psychologically, for a nation indoctrinated
with the notion that its military is "the most
moral army in the world," and that the
Jewish nation has always been victimized
and is incapable of victimizing others, it is
next to impossible to admit any wrongdoing.
Israel's security forces are by far not the
most immoral in the world, and the Jewish
people have indeed suffered from some of
the most heinous war crimes and crimes
against humanity that anyone can imagine.
However, this does not negate the fact that
those handed the task of defending the
Jewish state inflicted, in the course of the
1948 war and in subsequent wars and
conflicts, immense suffering on others.
Coming to grips with that reality by
introducing it into the school curriculum
and discussing it in the public domain will
not undermine the right of the Jewish state
to exist, and should be part of a campaign
not to vilify it but to help it become a better
society, one better equipped to understand
Palestinians' grievances and aspirations;
and from these truths could also come
reconciliation and peaceful coexistence.
However, there is also a more calculated
reason for Israel to deny any responsibility
for the Nakba, and it is the fear that it would
hand an advantage to those who demand
restitution and, above all, actualize the right
of return for all Palestinian refugees and
their descendants to their former towns and
villages.
This argument is rather redundant. That
refugees have a right to return is established
in international law, but at no point in
decades of negotiations between Israel and
the Palestinians has there been a serious
demand to allow every refugee to settle in
Israel.
Additionally, all the evidence indicates
that the vast majority of Palestinian refugees
are not remotely interested living in a
Jewish state, but instead want to become
citizens of either an independent Palestine
or their host country. Instead, they rightly
insist on Israel acknowledging responsibility
for their suffering, apologizing for it, and
compensating them for their loss.
The renowned historian Margaret
MacMillan observed: "We can learn from
history, but we can also deceive ourselves
when we selectively take evidence from the
past to justify what we have already made up
our minds to do." If Israel genuinely aspires
to peacefully coexist with the Palestinians
and properly integrate into the region, one
of the first steps, and a crucial one, should be
to stop being selective about how it perceives
and portrays its role in the Nakba.
Yossi Mekelberg is professor of
international relations and an
associate fellow of the MENA Program
at Chatham House.

tuesdAy, MAy 31, 2022
5
these ultra-supportive running shoes for men and women include the new Balance 1540 V3 and the
hoka Clifton 8.
Photo: internet
Get to about the best running
shoes in the market
Kristen AdAwAy
What we wear on our feet makes all
the difference in how we move,
especially when running or jogging. As
a high-impact activity, running puts a
lot of pressure on feet and knees and
the least we can do is make sure they
are supported properly. That's where
having a good running shoe comes in -
and maybe a fitness tracker so you can
keep up with your progress.
According to Dr. Chanel J. Perkins, a
board-certified podiatrist based in
Texas, an adequate amount of
cushioning is crucial when it comes to
selecting a quality shoe.
"Cushioning is a very vital element in
running shoes since this is what helps
with shock absorption as the foot
forcefully impacts the ground when
running," Perkins said.
She added that a good running shoe
tends to be more flexible in the arch,
but stiffer in the forefoot, and is
generally lighter since it's designed for
speed and performance. In short? Try
to stay away from super bulky, heavy
shoes that will weigh your feet down.
"Look for a running shoe with mesh,
which not only contributes to the
lightweight feel of a running shoe, but
also offers more breathability since feet
get hot when running," Perkins said.
"Another quality to look for in a
running shoe is ample heel and forefoot
cushioning."
Below, find Perkins' top
recommendations for the best running
shoes for women and men.
"The New Balance brand is a favorite
among podiatrists. These shoes are
wide enough to accommodate an arch
support, custom orthotic or heel cup if
needed," Perkins said.
The women's shoe comes in three
colors in sizes 5-14, with narrow, wide,
extra wide and extra-extra wide
options. The men's shoe comes in four
colors and sizes 7-16, with narrow,
wide, extra wide and extra-extra wide
options. It has a cushioned sole made of
lightweight foam to support your feet
during your run.
"Hoka shoes are traditionally highly
cushioned, which helps comfort the
foot when running," Perkins said.
The pull tab above the heel helps you
get your feet in and out of this running
shoe easily. In addition to the
cushioned footbed, there's also foam
padding around the ankle collar and
under the tongue for a super comfy fit
that will make you want to run an extra
lap. The shock-absorbing midsole takes
the impact as you take each step.
The women's shoe comes in multiple
colors like aqua, purple, orange, white
and black and in sizes 5-12, with wide
options. The men's shoe comes in
colors like black, orange, blue, yellow
and teal and in sizes 7-14, with wide
options, too.
"These shoes are ultra lightweight
and made from a seamless mesh
material. Also, the spacious footshaped
toe box offers wiggle room for
the toes, which is important since the
feet expand when we run," Perkins
said.
Available in colors like orange, green,
dark blue, light blue and black, the
men's version of this shoe comes in
sizes 7-15. The women's version comes
in colors like coral, purple, teal, blue,
black and light blue, and in sizes 5.5-12.
"This shoe has a firm foam support
throughout the arch. In addition to
being lightweight, it's also very soft,
highly cushioned and largely
breathable," Perkins said.
The women's shoe comes in sizes 5-
13, while the men's shoe comes in sizes
6-16. If Amazon is out of your size, both
the men's and women's shoes are also
available at Road Runner Sports.
CAtherine PeArson
More and more places are
dropping their COVID mask
mandates. Recently, several
airlines announced that they
will no longer require masks
to fly after a federal judge
voided an extended
mandate. Some transit
companies, like Uber and
Amtrak, followed suit.
The changes are divisive,
inspiring both celebration
and concern among
scientists, public health
officials and people simply
trying to go about their lives
two years into the pandemic.
The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention has
not changed its stance on
public masking, and
"continues to recommend
that people wear masks in
indoor public transportation
settings at this time," the
agency states on its site.
All of which raises
questions about how to
proceed. Should you still
mask up when in public,
even if you live an an area
that no longer requires it?
Does it do any good? Here
are some important points
to keep in mind.
There isn't a large,
controlled study that directly
compares the efficacy of
universal masking to oneway
masking for preventing
the spread of COVID, largely
because there are so many
variables at play. What's the
setting? What is local
transmission like? What
types of masks are people
wearing, and how well do
they fit?
Still, doctors and
researchers are pretty much
unanimous that universal
masking is the gold
standard.
"There is no question that
it is more effective for both
the individual and for public
health for a high fraction of
people to wear good masks
when they are in shared air
spaces indoors," said Alex
Huffman, an aerosol
scientist at the University of
Denver. "Masks act as
excellent source control,
meaning that they keep the
infectious aerosol from
going into the room, and
they can dramatically reduce
Does one-way masks give
protection against COVID?
the infectious dose that the
susceptible person breathes
in."
The benefits that masks
confer multiply when
everyone who is in a room -
meaning both the infectious
person and the person who
could become infected -
wears a mask, Huffman
explained. So the infected
person is less likely to spread
the virus. The susceptible
person is less likely to get
infected. And they're
therefore less likely to pass it
among themselves and to
anyone else they interact
with.
A widely covered CDC
report from last summer
demonstrates the potential
limits of one-way masking in
indoor group settings. A
teacher in Marin County,
California, who was
occasionally unmasked over
the course of two days at
work, spread the virus to half
of their students - all of
whom were masked. Some
of those children spread it to
family members.
Things have changed since
then, so what happens in
classrooms may not play out
in the same way. For one,
that outbreak occurred
during the delta surge. But
omicron is up to four times
more transmissible. On the
other hand, it also took place
before children ages 5 to 11
were eligible for vaccines.
Today they are, though
overall vaccination within
that age group remains low.
There's a reason why
health care workers have
long worn masks in many
clinical settings, whether or
not their patients were also
masked up: The masks
protect the person wearing
them.
So if you're in an area of
high transmission or you're
simply not comfortable
going unmasked indoors,
you should take comfort
knowing that your mask
provides you with an
additional layer of
protection.
"It is worth doing," said
Dr. Richard Martinello, an
associate professor of
infectious diseases and
pediatrics at Yale School of
Medicine. "We have a very
simple, safe and effective
intervention."
Martinello pointed to a
CDC study that found people
who wore a high-grade
medical mask in indoor
settings had an 83% lower
risk of getting COVID than
those who did not mask
indoors. He noted that it's
impossible to say whether
everyone else around them
was also masked but said it
offers yet more evidence that
masking prevents spread of
the virus.
If you plan to keep
masking up indoors, the
type and fit is critical,
perhaps now more than
ever. Your first choice
should be a high-quality
medical mask, like an N95,
KN95 or KF94. A well-fitted
N95 can filter out up to 95%
of particles in the air. That
recent CDC study on
effectiveness of use in indoor
settings found that cloth
masks and surgical masks
are much less effective at
preventing COVID spread
than these medical-grade
masks.
As mask mandates are lifted, here's what you need to know before ditching a
face covering.
Photo: Collected
LuisA diLLner
Who doesn't want a long and healthy life? Ageing may be non
negotiable but how you do it affords some wiggle room. There
is, however, no time to lose. Ideally you'd have been getting
your health in order before middle age. But it's never too late
to start. Each of us has a chronological age that's measured in
birthday candles. Since every person ages differently we also
have a biological age that reflects how old our body really is.
This age depends on the relationship between our genes,
lifestyle and living conditions. It's this biological age you can
change by doing what I'm about to tell you.
Over 80% of people say they feel younger than their age.
Largely because most societies view ageing negatively, says Dr
Serena Sabatini, postdoctoral research associate at the
Università della Svizzera Italiana. Her research shows that
people who have good role models for ageing, such as active
grandparents, age better themselves. "They are less likely to be
anxious and more likely to be engaged in life and follow a
healthier diet," says Sabatini. "When people feel more negative
about ageing they do little to keep being healthy so they age in
a less graceful way." Personality traits also come into it. "Being
more open means you are likely to feel more positive about
ageing," says Sabatini.
My mum, at 98 years old, with no short-term memory, feels
positive about her age when reminded of it. "Only two years to
go before I'm 100. It's better than not being around."
"Inflammageing" is what happens to the body as our cells
get damaged with age. The end result is chronic inflammation
and a batch of health problems. Studies show consistent
results in which diets protect us, says Dr Stacey Lockyer,
senior nutrition scientist at the British Nutrition Foundation.
"Healthy plant-rich dietary patterns, such as the
Mediterranean-style diet and the Dietary Approaches to Stop
Hypertension (DASH) diet, are associated with reductions in
risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers, as well
as death from all causes. These diets all have a high intake of
plant foods with fruits and vegetables, wholegrain foods,
protein including plant-based proteins (pulses, nuts) as well as
some fish, seafood, poultry, lean meat and lower-fat dairy
products (or dairy alternatives)." These diets eschew
processed meat and foods high in saturated fat, sugar and salt
(cakes and crisps).
For those of us with a family history of dementia (me) there's
evidence that these diets can also delay cognitive decline by
several years.
A well-balanced diet means that you don't need
supplements. However, Lockyer points out that the lack of sun
in UK winters has prompted the government to suggest we
"consider" daily vitamin D supplements of 10µg from October
to March. Vitamin D is needed for bone and muscle health -
essential for everything except sitting, which you shouldn't be
doing anyway.
Lockyer says that if you are obese, "even losing 3% of your
body weight can be beneficial in reducing your risk of
developing serious diseases". She advises smaller portions
rather than drastic diets. "Weight control is even more
significant for Black, Asian and other minority ethnic groups,"
Lockyer explains. "They have a higher risk of serious health
conditions, such as type 2 diabetes at a lower BMI and waist
circumference measurements than the white population."
When it comes to superfoods, strawberries and blueberries
are fan favourites - credited with antioxidant and antiinflammatory
properties. Ayela Spiro, nutrition science
Eat plant based diet to age better
do blueberries make you live longer?
manager at the British Nutrition Foundation warns that the
evidence is inconclusive. "People who consume berries may
also have many other positive health-related dietary and
lifestyle behaviours, which themselves are associated with
healthier ageing," she explains. "The message remains to eat a
varied, plant-rich diet."
It's all about exercise. It lowers blood pressure and reduces
the risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease. If you've been
clocking up 150 minutes of exercise a week (on 4-5 days) since
your 20s then congratulations. Don't stop. "People need to
consider exercise as part of their personal hygiene, like
brushing your teeth, not something to 'add on' as an
afterthought," says Professor Benjamin D Levine, who holds a
distinguished professorship in exercise sciences at the
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. His
research shows shows that exercise training, started in middle
Photo: Collected
age, can reverse the stiffness in the heart muscle that can cause
heart failure.
Out of the 4-5 days of exercise, one day should be a highintensity
workout (up to 95% peak heart rate), two or three
should make you sweat and one can be less strenuous such as
tennis the way I play it. Levine says 30 minutes of brisk
walking five times a week will also do the job.
"Resistance training is important to preserve strength,
balance and functional capacity as we age," says Levine. "It
doesn't have to be pumping iron in the gym though. Pilates,
strength yoga, tai chi - there are lots of ways to improve
strength. Flexibility is much harder to improve, though I don't
think that by itself it has a major impact on mortality,
cardiovascular disease or even musculoskeletal injury."
Duh! Does it even need saying? Although you could
biologically age even faster by smoking while sitting down.
"Menopause is the marker of middle age - just experiencing
it makes women feel older," says Sabatini. But does the cruel
loss of oestrogen speed up biological ageing? Perhaps a small
amount. Steve Horvath, professor of human genetics and
biostatistics at UCLA, says it's nothing to be alarmed about.
"As a reference group, consider men. Men are at a
substantially higher risk of mortality than women irrespective
of menopausal status."
Menopause does speed up bone loss and increases the risk
of heart disease, but stocking up on calcium (milk, cheese) and
vitamin D in the diet (two portions of fish a week, one of them
oily) and cutting down on saturated fat and salt can reduce the
risk of osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence's view
on the use of HRT to alleviate menopausal symptoms is that
it's an individual's decision to make based on their views of the
risks and how horrible they feel.
Feeling lonely in middle age does not set you up for healthy
ageing. Especially if you're a man. The studies aren't clear why
loneliness increases the risk of dementia, heart disease and
depression. You can be with a group of people and still feel
lonely. Mind has tips on how to manage loneliness which
include volunteering and joining groups based on your
hobbies.
Healthy ageing requires mental as well as physical activity.
Artistic hobbies in particular such as painting, sculpture or
pottery may help memory and thinking. But anything that
exercises your brain, such as Wordle, is beneficial. There's
some evidence that learning a second language can boost
neuron activity in the brain and keep you mentally sharp.
It's a myth that as you get older you need less sleep. "But it's
a common thought that older people sleep less and so once
people start sleeping poorly they feel old," says Sabatini. "Poor
sleep is related to poor cognitive function, depression and
anxiety. It impacts on how people feel about themselves."
Don't ignore pain or medical conditions that can impact sleep
because you're blaming your age. "Mindfulness and bedroom
routines can help improve sleep," says Sabatini.
Dr Bav Shergill, of the British Association of Dermatologists,
says that ageing in the face follows a pattern. "The first sign is
wherever you have movement - the lines start staying there
without movement. Your face loses volume, you get a tiny prejowl,
and your cheeks shrink a bit. We lose elastin so we look
more tired. People may not mind looking older but they don't
want to look tired."
Avoid sun damage, which makes skin look thick, wrinkled
and discoloured. Smoking is even more damaging. On the plus
side, Shergill says that vitamin A topical products work. But
for prescription-level treatments such as retinoic acid, you
need to invest in a private dermatologist - not that he's
advising that. He administers Botox on the grounds it's
reliable and wears off. "Lines that get ingrained across your
forehead can make you look angry. Botox can open up your
face, but you still want to be able to express delight - to move
your eyebrows."
It's the elephant in this article. Dr Darío Moreno-Agostino,
research fellow in population mental health at King's College
London, says research shows that more money gives you a
better health trajectory as you age. Dr Gemma Spiers, senior
research associate at the National Institute for Health and
Care Research's Older People and Frailty Policy Research Unit
at Newcastle University, agrees: "The richer have more years
of disease-free life expectancy. If you ask someone to eat a bit
healthier or take more exercise, that comes at a cost."

TUESDAY, MAY 31, 2022
6
Checking smartphone addiction
among youths stressed
On Monday, Executive Director of Merry Somaj Kalyan Sangstha Meherun Nessa addressing a discussion
marking World Water Day.
Photo : Azahar Ali
Modern irrigation technology gains
RAJSHAHI : Collective efforts of all
quarters, including teachers and
parents, has become crucial to prevent
abuse of smartphones and its abuses by
the youths because the issue has been
turning into an alarming condition.
Addiction to the smartphone as well
as its abuse has been creating negative
impacts in the society. So, its trend
needs to be addressed collectively for
the sake of building the present
students as worthy citizens.
The views were exposed at a
divisional seminar titled "Addiction to
Smartphone: Loss of Studies" at
Rajshahi College auditorium yesterday.
On the occasion, a science related
divisional quiz competition was also
arranged.
Three winning teams in the quiz
competition were given awards.
Rajshahi Divisional Commissioner
Office organized the seminar to mark
the 43rd Science and Technology Week
largely participated by students,
academics, administrative and police
officials and other stakeholders.
Divisional Commissioner GSM
Zafarullah addressed the seminar as
chief guest, while Additional
Commissioner Moinul Islam was in the
chair.
Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of
Police Abdul Baten, Commissioner of
Rajshahi Metropolitan Police (RMP)
Abu Kalam Siddique, Deputy
Commissioner Abdul Jalil and Rajshahi
College Principal Prof Abdul Khaleque
also spoke.
Dr Nazim Uddin, Associate Professor
in the Department of Physics of the
college, illustrated the demerits of
addiction to smartphones and its
abuses during his keynote presentation.
Dr Maleque Sarker, Associate
Professor in the department of
sociology of the college and Shib Sanker
Sen, Associate Professor in the
department of physics of New
Government Degree College, spoke as
panel discussants on the presented
keynote paper.
Commissioner Zafarullah urged the
attending students not to become
addicted to the smartphone but take
only its benefits. This is the time for the
students to become smart by
themselves through enriching them
with knowledge.
He defined that smartphones have
both merits and demerits and the
students and youths should extend
their level of knowledge after the best
uses of the merits.
DIG Abdul Baten told the meeting
that various cyber crimes are occurring
due to addiction to smartphones and its
misuses and urged the students to
become conscious related to its use.
In his remarks, RMP Commissioner
Abu Kalam Siddiqui underlined the
need to generate awareness among the
public in general on the issue, adding
that the present students are the future
of the nation. Time has come to protect
the youths from all sorts of crimes so
that leadership characteristics are
grown among them properly.
popularity in Rajshahi Barind
RAJSHAHI : Different types of modern
and cost-effective irrigation
technologies are being promoted in the
region including its vast Barind tract, in
order to reduce gradual mounting of
cost for irrigation besides boosting soil
productivity.
Many of the farmers avail the scopes
of being familiarized with water saving
technologies like drip irrigation,
fertigation and alternate furrow
irrigation in their farmlands in the
region during last Rabi season.
Abu Zafar Ahmed, a farmer of
Mohanpur village under Godagari
Upazila, has been cultivating guava on
eight bighas of land for the last couple of
years.
He had to arrange irrigation to the
orchard regularly through a pump by
burning 50-60 liters of diesel per week
as there was no deep tube-well.
In order to curtail his excessive
irrigation cost Ahmed installed a solar
power dependent drip irrigation
technology in his guava orchard with
financial support from Integrated Water
Resource Management (IWRM)
project.
At present, there is no irrigation cost,
but previously, he had to spend Taka
15,000 per month on an average for
only irrigation purposes.
The IWRM project provided 80
percent and he spent the rest twenty
percent of the Taka 5.5 lakh scheme.
Not only Ahmed's orchard, four other
drip units were commissioned in other
areas irrigating more than 40 bighas of
farmlands.
Kotwali police have recovered a drum-filled human skeleton from Kazipara Niribili area of Jashore city on
Monday.
Photo : Shahid Joy
Training for hajj pilgrims held in Rangpur
RANGPUR : The district and city units of
Haji Kallyan Sangstha (HKS) organized a
training workshop for the Hajj pilgrims at
the Shilpokola Academy auditorium here
on Sunday.
Male and female Hajj pilgrims, who
will perform the holy religious ritual in
the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia this year,
from all over the district, participated in
the daylong event.
With President of the district and city
units of HKS Professor Md. Shahjahan in
the chair, Mayor of Rangpur Mostafizar
Rahman Mostafa attended the event as
the chief guest.
Rangpur Metropolitan Police
Commissioner Mohd Abdul Alim
Mahmud and Deputy Commissioner
Md. Asib Ahsan attended as guests of
honor.
Rangpur Divisional Director of Islami
Non government organization-
DASCOH Foundation and Swiss Red
Cross have been implementing the
IWRM project in drought-affected 39
Unions and three municipalities in
Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj and
Naogaon districts supported by
Switzerland since 2015.
IWRM Project Coordinator Jahangir
Alam Khan said they are working with
the main thrust of building the UP like
local government institutions as
effective and pro-people institutions
through farmers' level sustainable water
resource management amidst people
participation.
He said the drip irrigation method
consumes 50 to 60 percent less water
than that of conventional systems.
The solar system pump has capacity to
provide irrigation to more than 2,000
bighas of cropland round the year.
The method also helps to reduce
fertilizer use by at least 45 percent as it
has provision of mixing fertilizer with
irrigation water.
As the system is dependent on solar
power the matter of fuel saving is also
important. So, time has come to expand
such a method furthermore in the
Barind area.
Khan also said many of the
entrepreneurs have set up dragon
orchards and are doing successful
business in different areas of the dried
region after the best uses of drip
irrigation technology.
Shafiul Islam Mukta, a resident of
Godagari Upazila said, he has developed
three dragon orchards on 52 bighas of
Foundation Md. Abul Kalam Azad,
President of Rangpur Chamber of
Commerce and Industry Mostafa Sohrab
Chowdhury Titu and President of
Rangpur City Shop Owners Association
Ashraf Ud Daula Arju were present as
special guests.
Instructor and Advisor of the district
and city units of HKS Professor Dr. Md.
Nazrul Islam provided training as a
resource person.
Head of the Department of Medicine
and Vice-principal of Rangpur Medical
College Professor Dr. Md. Mahfuzer
Rahman participated in the program
jointly moderated by Principal Md.
Golam Farukh and Alhaj Ali Akbar Badal.
The resource person spoke about the
'Arkan' and 'Ahkam', religious rituals and
methods for performing 'Oju',
'Tayammum', 'Salat', Hajj and
land in Gogram and Matikata areas.
He earned Taka 27 lakhs last year and
has also sold a dragon at Taka 200 to
400 per piece based on size, quality and
colour in this season.
Relating to the production cost he said
around Taka 2.60 lakhs is required for
dragon farming in one bigha land.
Gogram UP Chairman Mujibur
Rahman said the newly commissioned
solar power-based drip irrigation
pumps have opened up a new door in
the agriculture sector as farmers can
boost their farming yields through the
irrigation facilities round the year.
In addition to benefiting the farmers
economically, the pumps are
contributing to reduce the gradually
increasing pressure on power supply.
Prof Mijanur Rahman of the
Department of Geography and
Environmental Sciences in Rajshahi
University said the power produced
through fossil fuel is carbon
contaminated and that it always pollutes
the environment.
Besides, its production cost is high.
However, the solar system power
generation is a new idea, which is
renewable, less production cost and
carbon-free.
As a whole, the solar system has a
significant contribution towards
lessening the pressure on the gradually
increasing power demands. He said the
farmers will no longer depend on the
mercy of power supply for crop
production if the solar irrigation system
functions successfully.
circumambulating the holy Ka'aba Sharif
in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina
Munwara.
Greeting the Hajj pilgrims, Mayor
Mostafa thanked the government for
taking necessary steps in a shorter period
so that the Hajj pilgrims could get
adequate facilities for performing the
holy Hajj easily.
While performing Hajj after two years
due the Covid-19 pandemic, he called
upon the pilgrims to pray for prosperity
and welfare of the country and its people
and Muslim Ummah and humanity as a
whole.
"All pilgrims should properly follow the
rules and regulations, take necessary
medicines and protect themselves from
the heat, wear shoes and keep mobile
phone numbers and contacts of the
companions," he added.
Man hacked
dead in Jashore
JASHORE : A 33-year-old
man has been hacked to
death allegedly by
miscreants following an
altercation at Najir
Shankarpur in Jashore
town, locals said.
The deceased was
identified as Afzal Hossain, a
tea stall keeper of the area.
Locals said 14-15 men,
aides of Sujan alias Tera
Sujan, stabbed Afzal from
back at the Najir
Shankarpur area around
8am on Sunday following an
altercation between Sujan
and Afzal a few days ago,
leaving him seriously
wounded.
When the locals came to
resist the bid, they exploded
two bombs and fled
immediately, witnesses said.
Afzal was later rushed to
Jashore General Hospital
where he succumbed to his
wounds.
There are several cases
against Sujan who was
released from jail around a
month ago, said Tajul Islam,
officer-in-charge (OC) of
Kotwali police station.
Two killed in
Laxmipur
road accident
LAXMIPUR : Two persons
were killed and another was
injured in a road accident in
Karala Bazar area under
Ramgati upazila of the
district last night.
The deceased were
identified as motorcyclist
Raihan and Babul Majhi.
According to eyewitnesses
and police, a pick-up van
carrying Hilsa fish from
Ramgati collided head-on
with a motorcycle in the area
coming from opposite
direction last night around
11 pm, leaving motorcycle
rider dead on the spot and
injuring two others.
Among the wounded,
Babul Majhi succumbed to
his injuries on way to the
hospital, officer in-charge
(OC) of Ramgati thana Md
Alamgir told BSS.
The pickup van seized but
the driver fled the scene.
Police arrested three drug peddlers in Senbag upazila of Noakhali district
with 80 bottles of wine and 8 kg hemp .
Photo : Manik Bhuiyan
Groundnut cultivation
brings smile on the faces of
Char people in Manikganj
MANIKGANJ : The
farmers of char areas of
Daulatpur, Shibalaya and
Harirampur Upazilas of the
district are happy for getting
bumper output of
groundnut as its harvesting
has started on the barren
chars during the current
Kharif-1 season.
With the rising of water
level of the river Jamuna
and Padma, the char area of
the three upazilas of the
district is continuing to
inundate. So the groundnut
cultivators are passing busy
time to harvest their
products from the low land.
Department of
Agriculture Extension
(DAE) officials here said
that the groundnut is
generally cultivated on the
sandy land.
Experimentally, some
local farmers started
cultivation of groundnut on
their barren land which
would remain fallow all over
the year in the char areas for
the last few years, they said,
adding that seeing their
success, a number of
farmers now are cultivating
groundnut in the vast char
areas of the Jamuna and the
Padma rivers.
The char farmers are
getting fair prices of the crop
between Tk. 2500 and 3000
per mound as per its quality
while it has high demand in
the local markets.
DAE office sources said
they set a target of
groundnut cultivation on
2600 hectares of land in the
chars of three upazilas of the
district, but more than 2700
hectares of land has already
been cultivated during the
Kharif-1 season, exceeding
its fixed target.
Rifazuddin, one of the
groundnut cultivators of
Char kalikapur of Baghutia
union of Daulatpur upazila,
said he had cultivated
groundnut on two bighas of
land this season and was
getting expected production
and prices.
Md Haidar Ali, another
groundnut cultivator of
Harirampur Upazila said
groundnut cultivation is
gaining popularity in the
char areas as it grows in the
sandy barren land and it
needs no irrigation and
fertilizer.
Now the groundnut
became one of the cash
crops for the char people, he
said adding that groundnut
is cultivated twice in the year
in the winter and summer
seasons.
The sources said the
cultivators are getting
opportunities to sell their
crops at the nearest markets
and even at their homes as a
good number of buyers
regularly visit the areas for
searching the groundnuts.
Abu Mohammad Enayet
Ullah, Deputy Director of
the DAE, said the sandy
land of char area is suitable
for groundnut cultivation
and its cultivation is gaining
popularity in the three
upazilas of the district day
by day.
Open budget meeting of 9 No Brommogacha Union Parishad of Raiganj upazila under Sirajganj district
was held yesterday.
Photo : Sirajganj Correspondent

TUeSDAY, MAY 31, 2022
7
Hundreds of flights worldwide were cancelled by mid-afternoon Sunday, adding to the mounting number
of scrubbed flights during the busy Memorial Day holiday weekend in the U.S.
Photo : Internet
Flight cancellations pile up on
busy Memorial Day weekend
ATLANTA : Hundreds of flights
worldwide were cancelled by midafternoon
Sunday, adding to the
mounting number of scrubbed flights
during the busy Memorial Day holiday
weekend in the U.S.
More than 1,260 flights had been
canceled as of 2:30 p.m. EDT Sunday,
according to flight tracking website
FlightAware. That followed more than
2,300 cancellations Friday and
another 1,500 on Saturday, reports
UNB.
More than 350 of Sunday's
cancellations involved aircraft
scheduled to fly to or from U.S. cities.
Delta Air Lines cancelled the most
flights among major U.S. airlines, with
more than 250 flights, or 9% of its
operations, eliminated Saturday.
More than 150 Delta flights were
canceled by mid-afternoon Sunday,
according to FlightAware.
Saturday's cancellations were due to
Shanghai to ease
COVID-19 control
measures
SHANGHAI : Shanghai will
relax the curbs on entering
or leaving residential
compounds, resume public
transport services and ease
rules on private cars on
roads, local authorities said
Monday.
The new rules will be put
into effect starting
Wednesday as the city's
COVID-19 situation has
been effectively curbed,
according to a statement by
Shanghai municipal leading
group for COVID-19
prevention and control.
No restrictions should be
put on residents entering or
leaving residential
compounds except for those
in middle and high risk areas
and areas put under COVID-
19 restrictions, the
statement said.
Shanghai will also
essentially resume public
transport services, including
buses, rail transport and
ferries, in the city, according
to the statement.
GD-1031/22 (5x3)
bad weather and "air traffic control
actions," Atlanta-based Delta said in
an email to The Associated Press,
noting it's trying to cancel flights at
least 24 hours in advance of the
Memorial Day weekend.
Delta announced on its website on
Thursday that from July 1 to Aug. 7, it
would reduce service by about 100
daily departures, primarily in parts of
the U.S. and Latin America that Delta
frequently serves.
"More than any time in our history,
the various factors currently
impacting our operation - weather
and air traffic control, vendor staffing,
increased COVID case rates
contributing to higher-than-planned
unscheduled absences in some work
groups - are resulting in an operation
that isn't consistently up to the
standards Delta has set for the
industry in recent years," Delta's Chief
Customer Experience Officer Allison
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Ausband said in a post.
Airlines and tourist destinations are
anticipating huge crowds this summer
as travel restrictions ease and
pandemic fatigue overcomes lingering
fear of contracting COVID-19 during
travel.
Many forecasters believe the number
of travelers will match or even surpass
pre-pandemic levels. However, airlines
have thousands fewer employees than
they did in 2019, and that has, at times,
contributed to widespread flight
cancellations.
People who are only now booking
travel for the summer are experiencing
the sticker shock.
Domestic airline fares for summer
are averaging more than $400 for a
round trip, 24% higher than this
time in 2019, before the pandemic,
and a robust 45% higher than a year
ago, according to travel-data firm
Hopper.
The U.N. envoy for Sudan on Sunday decried the killing of two people in a violent
crackdown against pro-democracy protesters who once again took to the
streets of the capital to denounce an October military coup. Photo : Internet
UN envoy decries Sudan violence
after 2 killed in protests
CAIRO : The U.N. envoy for
Sudan on Sunday decried the
killing of two people in a
violent crackdown against prodemocracy
protesters who
once again took to the streets of
the capital to denounce an
October military coup, reports
UNB.
Hundreds of people
marched Saturday in
Khartoum, where security
forces violently dispersed the
crowds and chased them in the
streets, according to activists.
"I am appalled by the violent
death of two young protesters
in Khartoum yesterday, Once
again: it is time for the violence
to stop," said Volker Perthes,
the U.N. envoy, on Twitter.
The two were killed during
protests in Khartoum's Kalakla
neighborhood. One was shot
dead by security forces and the
other suffocated after inhaling
tear gas, according to the
Sudan Doctors Committee,
which is part of the prodemocracy
movement.
Perthes urged military
authorities to lift the state of
emergency imposed since the
Oct. 25 coup and find a
"peaceful way out of the
current crisis."
Sudan has been plunged
into turmoil since the military
takeover upended its shortlived
transition to democracy
after three decades of
repressive rule by former
strongman Omar al-Bashir.
Al-Bashir and his Islamistbacked
government were
removed by the military in a
popular uprising in April 2019.
Later Sunday, the Security
and Defense Council, Sudan's
highest body that decides on
security
matters,
recommended the lifting of the
state of emergency and the
release of all detainees, said
Defense Minister Maj. Gen.
Yassin Ibrahim Yassin.
The recommendations
came in a meeting chaired by
Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan,
head of the ruling sovereign
council. They were meant to
facilitate dialogue between the
military and the prodemocracy
movement,
Yasmin said in a video
statement.
Colombians choose a new president
amid general discontent
BOGOTA : Colombians
emerging from the
coronavirus pandemic were
voting for their next president
Sunday, choosing from six
candidates who promise
various degrees of change
amid rising inequality,
inflation, violence and a
discontent with the status
quo.
Former rebel Gustavo
Petro, who has been leading
in polls , could become
Colombia's first leftist
president. But those polls
also show him falling short of
the 50% of votes needed to
win in the first round and
avoid a runoff against the
second-place finisher.
Behind him are a populist
real estate tycoon promising
monetary rewards for tips on
corrupt officials and a rightwing
candidate who has tried
to distance himself from the
widely disliked conservative
current president, Ivan
Duque.
"The main problem in the
country is the inequality of
conditions, the work is not
well paid," said Jenny Bello,
32, who sold coffee near a
long line of voters under a
typical cloudy sky in the
capital of Bogota. She had to
resort to informal sales after
months without work
because of the pandemic.
A Petro win would add to a
series of leftist political
victories in Latin America as
people seek change at a time
of dissatisfaction with the
economic situation. Chile,
Peru and Honduras elected
leftist presidents in 2021, and
in Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula da
Silva is leading the polls for
this year's presidential
election. Mexico elected a
Plane wreckage found
in Nepal mountains,
14 bodies recovered
KATHMANDU : The
wreckage of a plane lost in
Nepal's mountains was found
Monday scattered on a
mountainside and 14 of the
22 people on board were
confirmed dead, the army
said.
Rescuers recovered 14
bodies from the crash site,
said Teknath Sitaula of
Tribhuwan International
Airport in Kathmandu. There
was no word on survivors,
and the search of the crash
site was continuing.
Aerial photos of the crash
site showed aircraft parts
scattered on rocks and moss
on the side of a mountain
gorge.
The Tara Air turboprop
Twin Otter lost contact with
the airport tower Sunday
while flying in an area of deep
river gorges and
mountaintops on a 20-
minute flight.
The army said the plane
crashed in Sanosware in
Mustang district close to the
mountain town of Jomsom
where it was heading after
taking off from the resort
town of Pokhara, 200
kilometers (125 miles) west of
Kathmandu.
According to tracking data
from flightradar24.com, the
43-year-old aircraft took off
from Pokhara at 9:55 a.m.
(04:10 GMT) and
transmitted its last signal at
10:07 a.m. (04:22 GMT) at
an altitude of 12,825 feet
(3,900 meters).
Four Indians and two
Germans were on the plane.
The three crew members and
other passengers were Nepali
nationals.
The plane's destination is
popular with foreign hikers
who trek the mountain trails
and also with Indian and
Nepalese pilgrims who visit
the revered Muktinath
temple.
The Twin Otter, a rugged
plane originally built by
Canadian aircraft
manufacturer De Havilland,
has been in service in Nepal
for about 50 years, during
which it has been involved in
about 21 accidents, according
to aviationnepal.com.
leftist president in 2018.
This is the second
presidential election in
Colombia - Latin America's
third most populous country
- since the government
signed a peace agreement
with the Revolutionary
Armed Forces of Colombia,
known as FARC. But the
divisive agreement was not a
central campaign issue as
matters like poverty and
corruption garnered more
attention.
It is
P e t r o ' s
t h i r d
attempt to
be the South America's
country president. He was
defeated in 2018 by Duque,
who is not eligible for
reelection.
His victory would usher in
a new political era in a
country that has always been
governed by conservatives or
moderates
while
marginalizing the left due to
its perceived association with
the nation's armed conflict.
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GD-1029/22 (7x3)
He was once a rebel with the
now-defunct M-19
movement and was granted
amnesty after being jailed for
his involvement with the
group.
He has promised to make
significant adjustments to the
economy, including a tax
reform, as well as changes to
how Colombia fights drug
cartels and other armed
groups. His main rival for
most of the campaign has
been Federico Gutierrez, a
former mayor of Medellin
who is backed by most of
Colombia's traditional
parties and ran on a probusiness,
economic growth
platform.
Gutierrez has promised to
fight hunger with the
extension of subsidies and
public-private alliances so
that food that otherwise goes
to waste is destined for the
poorest.
A Gallup poll conducted
earlier this month showed
that 75% of Colombians
believe the country is heading
in the wrong direction and
only 27% approve of Duque.
A poll last year by Gallup
found 60% of those
questioned were finding it
hard to get by on their
income.
The coronavirus pandemic
set back the country's antipoverty
efforts by at least a
decade. Official figures
showed that 39% of
Colombia's 51.6 million
residents lived on less than
Colombians emerging from the coronavirus pandemic were voting for
their next president Sunday, choosing from six candidates who promise
various degrees of change amid rising inequality, inflation, violence and a
discontent with the status quo.
Photo : Internet
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$89 a month last year, which
has a slight improvement
from the 42.5% rate from
2020.

TUESDAY, MAY 31, 2022
8
Social Islami Bank Limited inaugurated four sub-branches and eight ATM booths through virtual platform
on Monday at its head office. Dr. Md. Mahbub Ul Alam, Chairman of SIBL, inaugurated the sub-branches
and ATM booths as the chief guest while Zafar Alam, Managing Director and CEO of the Bank, presided
over the inaugural program. Abu Reza Md. Yeahia, Additional Managing Director, delivered welcome
speech at the event. Md. Shamsul Hoque and Mohammad Forkanullah, Deputy Managing Directors, were
also present in the program. Managers of different branches, in-charges of sub-branches and local dignitaries
also joined the program virtually.
Photo: Courtesy.
US price surge eased in April as
shoppers continued to spend
WASHINGTON:The US
inflation wave showed signs
of waning last month,
posting the smallest increase
since late 2020, as rising
wages supported continued
spending by American
shoppers, according to
government data released
Friday, reports BSS.
The relief was good news
for consumers who have
been the key support for the
US economy, but also for
President Joe Biden who has
made battling rising prices
his top domestic priority.
Surging prices at the
grocery store and at the gas
pump have hit families and
become a political liability for
Biden and his Democratic
party heading into midterm
congressional elections in
November.
The personal consumption
expenditures (PCE) price
index slowed sharply in
April, increasing just 0.2
percent-the smallest
monthly rise since November
2020, according to the
Commerce Department
report.
The world's largest
economy has been battered
for months by a cresting
BBS Cables limited 10th Partner's Meet 2022 took place at the International Convention City Bashundhara
(Novoratri Hall) on Sunday. Honorable Chairman of BBS Cables Ltd. Engr. Abu Noman Howlader,
Managing Director Engr. Mohammad Badrul Hassan, Director Engr. Hasan Morshed Chowdhury &
Director Engr. Mohammad Ruhul Majid, High officials were present in this program. More than thousands
of Dealers of BBS Cables Ltd. from different corner of the country attended in the 10th Partner's Meet 2022
and those business partner's achieved their yearly sales target were awarded by attractive foreign tour packages.
Financial assistance was provided to the families of the dealers who died due to Covid-19. It is to be
noted that the 100th sales center of BBS Cables Ltd. was celebrated at the event.
Photo: Courtesy.
HONG KONG : Asian
markets rose Monday as
investors rediscovered some
verve after the release of
healthy US data and as
China eases some of its strict
Covid curbs in Shanghai and
Beijing, lifting hopes for the
world's number two
economy, reports BSS.
The gains extended a
positive end to last week for
global equities with some
commentators saying there
was a growing hope that the
months-long sell-off may
have run its course.
Wall Street provided a
inflation wave, made more
painful by the surge in energy
prices sparked after Russian
leader Vladimir Putin
ordered the invasion of
Ukraine in late February.
Over the last 12 months,
the key inflation measure
slowed to 6.3 percent,
according to the data.
Excluding volatile food and
energy goods, the increase in
the "core" PCE price index
also lost speed, falling to 4.9
percent.
Biden cheered the signs of
progress.
"This morning's decline in
inflation is a sign of progress,
even as we have more work
to do," he said in a statement.
"At the same time, inflation
is still too high and Putin's
price hike continues to
impact food and energy
prices."
He noted that annual core
inflation for the latest three
months averaged around
four percent compared to six
percent in the three months
before it.
PCE price index is the
Federal Reserve's preferred
inflation gauge, as it reflects
consumers' actual spending,
including shifts to lower cost
strong lead and snapped a
series of weekly losses, with
Friday's rally supported by
data showing an easing of
the key personal
consumption expenditures
(PCE) price index.
Markets have been
pummelled this year as
soaring prices-caused by the
Ukraine war, supply chain
snags and China's
lockdowns among other
things- forced central banks
to hike interest rates and
warn of more to come.
The US reading lent hope
that the worst of the inflation
items, unlike the more wellknown
consumer price
index, which jumped 8.3
percent in April.
The central bank has
launched a counter-offensive
against inflation with a series
of aggressive interest rate
hikes to cool the economy.
The process began in
March and was followed
early this month by a halfpoint
increase, the biggest
since 2000, and the Fed
signaled similar big hikes are
likely in June and July.
Fed policymakers argue
that the US economy is
strong enough to withstand
the increased borrowing
costs, and though the hot
housing market has cooled,
consumers show no signs of
reducing spending.
Buoyed by rising wages, US
personal income rose 0.4
percent compared to March,
while personal consumption
expenditures (PCE)
increased 0.9 percent, slower
than the prior month but far
stronger than analysts were
expecting.
But economists caution it
may be too early to declare
victory on inflation, given the
continued pressure from the
surge may have passed and
could allow the Federal
Reserve to ease back from its
hawkish rate hike drive later
in the year.
May jobs data-due for
release on Friday-should
provide a fresh snapshot of
the economy and possibly
provide an idea about the
Fed's next policy moves.
Asian investors followed
the lead from their US
counterparts.
Hong Kong put on more
than two percent after a
strong Friday performance
fuelled by a rally in tech
conflict in Ukraine on food
and energy prices, and
ongoing impact on supply
chains from the Covid-19
lockdowns in China.
"Consumer spending
remained resilient in April.
That is a double-edged sword
as those gains are creating a
floor for how much inflation
can moderate on its own,"
said Diane Swonk, chief
economist at Grant
Thornton.
"In response, the Fed will
have to more aggressively
rein in demand to align with
a supply-constrained
economy."
She said central bankers
aim "to avert rather than
repeat the mistakes of the
1970s."
Outlays on services were
the biggest element of the
increase in spending last
month, led by food services,
but also travel, hotels,
housing and utilities.
The report said spending
rose across all categories,
except for gasoline, led by
outlays on autos.
Personal income increased
$89.3 billion in April, while
disposable personal income
rose $48.3 billion and
Asian markets extend Wall St rally
as China eases curbs
firms, while Tokyo, Sydney,
Shanghai, Seoul, Taipei,
Manila and Wellington were
also well up.
An easing of long-running
lockdown measures in
Shanghai provided a muchneeded
lift to sentiment,
with China's biggest city
seeing a drop in Covid cases,
while some curbs were also
being lifted in Beijing.
Officials have also
announced measures to ease
the impact on the world's
number two economy,
which has been hammered
by the restrictions.
Gangs, inflation and political crisis
bring Haiti economy to brink
PORT-AU-PRINCE:- With gas sales
already subsidized by the government
at a loss, the Haitian economy-fragile
from incessant crime and political
instability-appears close to collapse as
the war in Ukraine sends fuel prices
soaring, reports BSS.
The global surge in fuel costs comes
at the worst possible time for Haitian
authorities: Last December, they had
for the first time in five years made the
highly sensitive move to hike the price
at the pump-just two months before
Russia invaded its neighbor.
Still well below the global average,
Haitians now pay 49 US cents for a liter
of gasoline and 84 cents for diesel.
Unsustainable fuel subsidies -
The state pays the difference to the oil
companies, and that gap between what
the government pays for fuel and what
ordinary Haitians pay at the pump has
become unbearably steep since the
invasion of Ukraine sent world oil
prices skyrocketing.
"This year, these fuel subsidies have
increased by more than 200 percent:
that is around 18 billion gourdes," or
more than $164 million euros, said
economist Kesner Pharel.
In cash-strapped Haiti, that is a
staggering amount, equalling more
than twice the budget of the health
ministry.
And it does nothing to reduce the
misery of the 60 percent of Haitians
living below the poverty line.
"This does not help socially because it
is a generalized subsidy: we do not
target the most disadvantaged people",
said Pharel.
"In December, a mechanism was
floated to support only the public
transport sector, but, so far, it has not
been done because of the state's lack of
efficiency," he said.
And as the impoverished country
imports five times more food than it
exports, the increase in maritime
transport costs is aggravating inflation,
which had already crossed the 25
percent mark at the start of the year.
"We are going to suffer from
imported inflation because our main
trading partners, the United States and
the Dominican Republic, now also have
high inflation: at home, we could reach
30 percent this year," warned Pharel.
The specter of the 2008 food riots
hangs over Haiti while wheat prices are
also soaring due to Russia's war in
Ukraine, the two leading grainproducing
countries.
"This is beginning to affect the entire
production of wheat-based goods in
Haiti, like flour or pasta, which have
already seen a more than 30 percent
increase since the war" began in
Ukraine, said economist Etzer Emile.
Haitian households spend 60 percent
of their income on food, according to
the national statistics institute, and
food insecurity already affected 4.5
million people here even before the
outbreak of the war in Europe.
"This morning for breakfast, the
children asked for bread but we
couldn't buy it: we replaced it with
cassava pancakes, even if they don't like
it much," said Michele, who lives in
Port-au- Prince with her mother, sister
and three nephews.
"You can't buy as much rice as before.
Besides, we don't have any and are
thinking whether to buy more or not",
the young woman said.
Mutual Trust Bank Limited (MTB) arranged Branch Anti Money Laundering Compliance Officer (BAMLCO)
Conference on Saturday with a view to updating and creating awareness on key deliverables for Anti Money
Laundering & Combating Financing of Terrorism (AML&CFT) compliance. More than 200 participants
including BAMLCOs and Corporate Head Office executives were present in the conference. Photo: Courtesy.
M. Amanullah
elected Chairman of
Risk Management
Committee of
Mercantile Bank
M. Amanullah has been
elected as Chairman of Risk
Management Committee of
Mercantile Bank Limited in its
402nd Board Meeting held on
Sunday.
He is also Sponsor Director
of the Bank. He was the
former Chairman of
Mercantile Bank Ltd. and
contributed heavily towards
the efficiency and
optimization of Mercantile
Bank during his tenure. M.
Amanullah, the founder of the
conglomerate, Aman Group
of Companies, is a very
respected and distinguished
industrialist in Bangladesh.
His business acumen has
lead to the successful launch
of various, diversified
businesses under the
umbrella of Aman Group of
Companies and he holds the
position of Chairman of all the
companies under the group.
He is one of the Director of
"Amader Shomoy', one of the
top circulating daily in
Bangladesh. He is the CIP.
Mr. Aman is also recognized
for his contribution to the
community and to the nation
in the field of education. He
was the Ex-Chairman of
Presidency University, Dhaka.
He has been rewarded many
times by many of government
and private organizations as a
recognition for his various
social welfare activities and
also for contributing through
a charitable hospital run by
'Aman Group Foundation'.
Besides this Aman is the
founder chairman of Gulshan
North Club.
vivo Launches Flagship Smartphone
X80 in Bangladesh
Leading smartphone maker
company vivo has announced
the launch of the flagship
device X80 5G in Bangladesh
on Friday. Users will
experience its premium
quality cinematography
features from the collaboration
of vivo_ZEISS partnership, a
press release said.
The device is now open for
pre-booking at BDT 76,990
which will be closed on 6th
June, 2022. From 7th June
vivo X80 5G will be available
on all vivo authorized retail
stores.
Sharon, Sales Director, vivo
Bangladesh; said, "X80
demonstrates vivo's constant
pursuit of user-oriented
innovation and premium
mobile imaging technology. In
successive collaboration with
ZEISS, a global leader in optics
and opto-electronics, we are
once again delivering excellent
experiences to our users in
Bangladesh.''
X80 has been launched to
offer cinematic style video
modes in collaboration with
ZEISS. The new ZEISS
Cinematic Video Bokeh
feature creates oval flares,
creating a widescreen
cinematic lens effect that can
capture highly aesthetic and
expressive videos.
The X80 comes with a 32MP
front camera. The rear camera
system houses a 50MP Ultra-
Sensing Sensor Camera, a
12MP portrait camera, and a
new 12MP wide-angle camera.
The X80 is also equipped with
the latest iteration of vivo's
imaging chip V1+.
The X80 runs on the
MediaTek Dimensity 9000
platform for efficient
performance. The device
supports 80W FlashCharge,
with a 4500mAh large battery
that can be fully recharged in
35 minutes.
X80 is equipped with a large
X-Axis Linear Motor,
supported by vivo's selfdeveloped
vibration algorithm
that allows for quiet but
powerful scene-based
vibration. In addition, X80 is
equipped with a Dual Stereo
Speaker balanced with
powerful bass to improve the
overall sound effect, bringing
dual speakers to vivo X80 for
the first time.
"BCBL Eid Reunion" organized by Bankers Club of Bangladesh Limited
was recently held at Bankers Club Bhaban. Presided over by Mohammad
Imtiaz Uddin, President of the Club Managing Director and Chief
Executive Officer of Islami Bank Ltd. Mohammed Monirul Moula was
present as the chief guest.
Photo: Courtesy

TueSDAY, MAY 31, 2022
9
Forest promoted to Premier League
for first time in 23 years
Gujarat Titans won the Indian Premier League at its first attempt with allrounder Hardik
Pandya leading his team to an emphatic seven-wicket victory over Rajasthan Royals in Sunday's
final.
Photo : Internet
Gujarat Titans win Indian Premier
League at first attempt
AHMEDABAD : Gujarat Titans won the
Indian Premier League at its first
attempt with allrounder Hardik Pandya
leading his team to an emphatic sevenwicket
victory over Rajasthan Royals in
Sunday's final, reports UNB.
Pandya took 3-17 with impeccable
medium-fast bowling to restrict
Rajasthan to 130-9 after Sanju Samson
won the toss and chose to bat.
Pandya then made a crucial 34 off 30
balls as Gujarat reached 133-3 in 18.1
overs in front of a raucous crowd of
more than 100,000 at the Narendra
Modi Stadium.
Opening batter Shubman Gill topscored
with an unbeaten 45 and sealed
the memorable victory with a six off
Obed McCoy over deep square leg.
"This title is going to be a special one
because we talked about creating a
legacy, and the coming generations will
talk about it," said Pandya, who won
four IPL titles with Mumbai Indians but
switched franchises this year and was
appointed Gujarat captain.
"This is the right example for every
team in the world that if you can play as
a team, you can do wonders."
Pandya's superb bowling in the
middle overs was well supported by
Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan
(1-18) and derailed Rajasthan's bid for a
second IPL title since winning the
inaugural edition in 2008.
Jos Buttler made only 39 off 35 balls
but still finished as the tournament's top
scorer with 863 runs, and Samson
scored 14. Both were dismissed by
Pandya.
Samson tried to accelerate the scoring
rate but was caught at third man off
Pandya's second ball. Buttler, who
scored four centuries and four half
centuries during this IPL season, got a
faint edge as he tried to guide a short ball
to third man.
The Gujarat skipper then made sure
Rajasthan was without power-hitters in
the death overs, taking a return catch to
dismiss Shimron Hetmyer (11) with the
last ball of his four-over spell.
Trent Boult (1-14) and this season's
top wicket-taker, Yuzvendra Chahal (1-
20), bowled well for Rajasthan but
Pandya carefully negotiated the middle
overs by combining in a 63-run stand
with Gill for the third wicket.
"Batting comes first to me, it's been
always close to my heart," player-of-thematch
Pandya said after hitting three
boundaries and a six in his innings
batting at No. 4. "When the (IPL)
auction finished, I knew I would have to
bat at No. 4."
Chahal ended up with 27 wickets in
the tournament when Pandya was
caught in the slips in the 14th over. But
Gujarat's depth in the middle-order
batting - the team topped the table with
20 points from 10 wins during the
league stage - saw it home. David Miller
(32 not out) and Gill comfortably took
the tournament newcomer to the
winning target.
Rajasthan's Samson saw some
positives despite the defeat.
"This season is really special for us, we
have been able to play good cricket and
gave fans some happy moments,"
Samson said, while adding his team had
an off-day in the final.
"All the youngsters and seniors played
well as a team, I am proud of my team.
We believe quality bowlers win you the
tournament, so we invested in them ...
but there is a lot to learn."
Djokovic braced to deliver Nadal
hammer blow at French Open
PARIS : Novak Djokovic
renews his epic 16-year
rivalry with Rafael Nadal at
the French Open on Tuesday
with a semi-final spot at
stake and where victory
could end the 13-time
champion's Roland Garros
career.
Nadal, who will turn 36 on
Friday, puts his record of
109 wins and just three
losses in Paris, since his titlewinning
debut in 2005, on
the line against the
defending champion.
The Spaniard was taken to
five sets for only the third
time in his tournament
history by 21-year-old Felix
Auger-Aliassime in the
fourth round.
In the immediate
aftermath of that victory,
Nadal admitted that not only
was this year's French Open
at stake for him but possibly
his entire playing future.
"I know my situation, and
I accept it. I can't complain
much," said Nadal, who
arrived in Paris unsure if he
would be able to take part
after suffering a recurrence
in Rome of a chronic foot
injury which has plagued
him for large parts of his
career.
"I am just enjoying the fact
that I am here for one more
year. And being honest,
every match that I play here,
I don't know if it's going to
be my last at Roland Garros.
"I went through a tough
process again with my foot,
so I don't know what can
happen in the near future."
Overall, Djokovic leads
Nadal 30-28 since their first
career meeting at the 2006
French Open.
Nadal has a 19-8 edge on
clay and has won seven of
the pair's nine meetings in
Paris.
Djokovic, however, came
out on top in the semi-finals
at Roland Garros in 2021 on
his way to a second title.
That defeat took a physical
toll on Nadal who then
skipped Wimbledon, the
Olympics and the US Open.
With Djokovic deported
from Melbourne on the eve
of the Australian Open,
Nadal seized the
opportunity to claim a
record-setting 21st Grand
Slam title, breaking a tie
with Djokovic and Roger
Federer.
Both men are playing in
the quarter-finals at Roland
Garros for the 16th time.
Djokovic has reached the
last-eight with ease. He has
won 22 sets in a row, a run
stretching back to his Italian
Open triumph in Rome.
Adding an extra twist to
the clash is a battle of wills
over scheduling.
Nadal insists he does not
want to play in the night
match.
His compatriot, 19-yearold
Carlos Alcaraz, who faces
Alexander Zverev also on
Tuesday, said it would be
"unfair" if he was ordered to
play after 9pm for the third
time.
Nadal and Djokovic have
played one match each after
dark.
"I don't like to play on clay
during the night, because
the humidity is higher, the
ball is slower, and there can
be very heavy conditions
especially when it's cold,"
said Nadal.
Novak Djokovic renews his epic 16-year rivalry with Rafael Nadal at the French Open on Tuesday
with a semi-final spot at stake and where victory could end the 13-time champion's Roland Garros
career.
Photo :Internet
LONDON : Nottingham Forest clinched
promotion to the Premier League for the
first time in 23 years with a 1-0 win
against Huddersfield in the
Championship play-off final on Sunday.
Levi Colwill's own goal late in the first
half at Wembley was enough for Steve
Cooper's side to hit the jackpot in the
most lucrative single match in world
football.
Promotion to the top-flight is
estimated to be worth at least o170
million ($214 million) in increased
revenue.
Forest will gratefully accept the huge
financial windfall, but it was the relief at
ending their long exile from English
football's elite that spurred the frenzied
scenes of celebration among their
thousands of red and white-clad fans.
For the first time in the 21st century,
Forest can look forward to welcoming
the Premier League's elite to their City
Ground stadium on the banks of the
River Trent.
The promotion was a personal
triumph for Cooper, who has revitalised
Forest since replacing the sacked Chris
Hughton in September
Forest were bottom of the table after
taking one point from their first seven
games, but Cooper had the midas touch
as he erased the bitter taste of his defeat
with Swansea in last year's
Championship play-off final against
Brentford.
"I'm really pleased for the players and
the supporters. Everybody connected
with the football club deserves this today
Russian Kasatkina
reaches second
French Open
quarter-final
PARIS : Daria Kasatkina
booked her place in the
French Open quarter-finals
for the second time on
Monday with a comfortable
victory over Italian 28th
seed Camila Giorgi.
Russian Kasatkina, seeded
20th, took advantage of an
error-strewn performance
from Giorgi to win 6-2, 6-2
in only an hour and 20
minutes.
She will face either
compatriot Veronika
Kudermetova or Madison
Keys in the quarter-finals.
"I'm excited about the
quarter-finals at Roland
Garros, that's the most
important... Who the
opponent will be doesn't
matter," Kasatkina said.
The 25-year-old broke into
the world's top 10 four years
ago after reaching the last
eight at both Roland Garros
and Wimbledon before a
slump in form.
But she reached four finals
last season to climb back up
the rankings and is now one
win away from a first Grand
Slam semi-final.
Kasatkina made just 10
unforced errors to Giorgi's
37 in a dominant display on
Court Suzanne Lenglen.
Asian Online
Chess: Bappi
Sarkar of
Bangladesh
stands 6th
DHAKA : Two Bangladeshi
players-Bappi Sarkar and
Syed Ejaz Hossain became
6th and 7th in the Visual
Impaired Open Group of the
Asian Online Chess
Championships for Players
with Disabilities.
Both Bappi and Ejaz both
scored three points each
from five games and Bappi
finished sixth and Ejaz
seventh in the tie-breaking
system.
Marufa Azad Sukanna of
Bangladesh bagged three
points from five matches
and was placed 4th in the
Disability Women's Group.
Sharmi Roy of Bangladesh
finished 9th with one point.
The three-day event took
place on the online chess
platform Tornelo.
and we're now really looking forward to a
positive future," Cooper said.
"It's relief and pride. This isn't about
me but it's changed my life, potentially
anyway.
"We've brought Nottingham to
Wembley today, we've taken over the
place and here we are in the Premier
League."
Cooper repaired the wounds of
Forest's worst start to a season for 108
years and ensured they remained focus
after losing a shot at automatic
promotion in their penultimate game of
the season against top-two rivals
Bournemouth.
Fourth placed Forest beat Sheffield
United on penalties in the play-off semifinal
and held their nerve again to earn
the ultimate prize against Huddersfield.
Having knocked Arsenal and Leicester
out of this season's FA Cup before losing
narrowly to Liverpool, Forest's sleeping
giants have awoken from their slumber
at last.
Forest's golden period came under
legendary boss Brian Clough, who led
them to the English title in 1978 and won
the European Cup in 1979 and 1980.
Clough's retirement in 1993 triggered a
steep decline in Forest's fortunes, with
their wilderness years featuring a threeseason
spell in the third tier.
Forest had been regular visitors to
Wembley during Clough's heyday but
this was their first appearance at the
national stadium since 1992.
No wonder the Forest supporters in
the 80,000 crowd were in fine voice from
the moment Ryan Yates headed James
Garner's free-kick wastefully wide from
six yards.
Forest were the better side in a frantic
encounter, but there was more
perspiration than inspiration for long
periods as passes went astray from both
teams.
Driven forward by on-loan Manchester
United midfielder Garner, Forest broke
the deadlock in the 43rd minute.
Garner whipped a dangerous
inswinging cross into the Huddersfield
area and Colwill inadvertently deflected
it into his own net as the on-loan Chelsea
defender tried to get to the ball before
Yates.
Rocked by that blow, Huddersfield
finally raised their tempo after half-time
and Jonathan Hogg should have done
better with a header that failed to hit the
target from a corner.
The decisive moment came in the 73rd
minute when Huddersfield were left
fuming after being denied a strong
penalty claim.
Harry Toffolo went down under a
challenge from Jack Colback but referee
Jon Moss booked the Huddersfield
wing-back for diving and VAR refused to
overturn the decision.
Huddersfield's frustration increased
when another penalty appeal was
rejected after Max Lowe bundled into
Lewis O'Brien.
Forest's nerves frayed when Samba
limped off injured in the final minutes,
but the Reds held on to earn their return
to the big time.
Nottingham Forest clinched promotion to the Premier League for the first
time in 23 years with a 1-0 win against Huddersfield in the Championship
play-off final on Sunday.
Photo : Internet
Daria Kasatkina booked her place in the French Open quarter-finals for
the second time on Monday with a comfortable victory over Italian 28th
seed Camila Giorgi.
Photo : Internet
Pandya tipped as future India captain
after Gujarat's IPL fairytale
AHMEDABAD : All-rounder
Hardik Pandya is being
tipped as a future India
captain after leading an
unfancied debut team to
victory in the world's most
valuable cricket tournament.
Pandya's Gujarat Titans
thrashed Rajasthan Royals by
seven wickets in the Indian
Premier League final on
Sunday, with the skipper
taking three wickets and
scoring 34 runs in front of
nearly 105,000 fans in the
world's biggest cricket
stadium.
It was the culmination of an
extraordinary season that
began with pundits lashing
the side's purchases in the
player auction, questioning
Pandya's appointment as
captain and predicting a dire
outcome for the expansion
franchise's first season.
But the 28-year-old-a
flamboyant cricketer who
loves his tattoos and
expensive watches, and was
once suspended for sexist
comments on a TV show- has
proved a revelation in his first
leadership role.
Commentators have lauded
the precision of his decisionmaking
and field-setting in
the Twenty20 format.
In the wake of the Titans'
triumph at their home ground
in Ahmedabad, former India
captain Sunil Gavaskar said
Pandya would be a worthy
choice to follow in his
footsteps.
"When you have leadership
qualities, it automatically
opens the door for honours at
the national level to be able to
captain the Indian national
team in the near future," the
batting great said.
"The way he has led the
team, the way he has got them
together, the way he has got
them to gel together means he
has got leadership qualities,"
he told Star Sports.
"Not just my estimation,
but everybody's estimation.
This was an aspect of his
game which nobody had too
much information about."
The national side are
currently led in all formats by
Rohit Sharma, who was
appointed earlier this year
after Virat Kohli's ODI
sacking, but at 35 he is
unlikely to be a long-term
captain and is being rested for
a home series against South
Africa in June.
Rohit's five-time IPL
champions Mumbai Indians
had a disastrous season,
finishing bottom of table.

TUEsdAY, MAY 31, 2022
10
Pori Moni falling in love again
TBT REPORT
Popular actress Pori Moni and Actor
Shariful Razz are about to have their
first child. Earlier, the actress also
published a picture of her Baby Bump.
In the meantime, the actress gave a
piece of startling news. She reported
the news of falling in love again. No,
there is nothing to confuse about. The
actress has fallen in love with her
husband Shariful Razz again.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe's
version of the Darkhold is going to get a
bigger role in Doctor Strange in the
Multiverse Of Madness. While Doctor
Strange 2 will be helmed by the titular
Doctor Strange (Benedict
Cumberbatch), the film will also feature
the next appearance of Wanda
Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), who has
not been seen in the MCU since the
events of WandaVision. During that
series, Wanda becomes aware of her
true power as the Scarlet Witch. Her
evolution over WandaVision's 9
episodes has led to numerous theories
about what her role in Doctor Strange 2
will turn out to be.
WandaVision introduces a whole
host of important plot elements to
On Friday (May 27) night, Pori
Moni shared some pictures on social
media. Where it was seen, her
husband Razz surprised her by
arranging a special dinner. It also had
a special cake. The quote "You made
me better. Our children will make me
the best. I love you dear wife" was
written on the cake.
Sharing pictures of those moments
full of love, Pori Moni wrote, "My dear
Scarlet Witch's story, including the evil
Darkhold book. Wanda first learns of it
when she faces off with another witch,
Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn).
Agatha reads a section of the Darkhold
that's dedicated to Wanda and her
potentially destructive powers, which
are also described as chaos magic.
While little about the book is revealed
beyond what Agatha shares, Wanda
takes the Darkhold for herself after
defeating the villainous witch and is last
seen studying whatever dark secrets are
contained within its pages.
On a recent episode of The Phase
Zero podcast (via The Direct), Russell
Bobbitt, a Marvel Studios Prop Master
for WandaVision and Loki, discusses
the Darkhold when asked about
husband, I have fallen in love with you
again!"
Pori Moni and Shariful Razz
went to Cox's Bazar on May 2.
Presumably, the pictures are of
that tour. That was her first
vacation or honeymoon after her
marriage. The two enjoyed the
beauty of the sea and the beach as
they wished and felt the moments
of love.
WandaVision’s Darkhold gets bigger
role in ‘Doctor Strange 2’
collaborating with the Doctor Strange 2
team. In revealing where
WandaVision's version of the magical
book came from, he shares it will play a
major role in Multiverse of Madness.
The Darkhold's larger role in Doctor
Strange 2 makes a lot of sense following
what the film's trailers and posters have
revealed about Wanda. Dark magic in
the MCU seems to take a physical toll
on its users, as evidenced by Agatha's
blackened fingers and eyes. Some
Doctor Strange 2 promotional
materials have shown Wanda with the
same blackened features. It seems that
Wanda has learned how to use dark
magic from the Darkhold and will most
likely call upon it during Doctor Strange
2. Source: Collider
Sabbir Nasir, Sampa Biswas's new duet song 'Harmony Bajao'
TBT REPORT
Sabbir Nasir and Sampa Biswas
released a new duet song titled
Harmony Bajao recently on YouTube
channel of Sabbir Nasir. Plabon
Qureshi penned lyrics of and also
composed tunes and music of the song.
Pritul gave direction of music video for
the song.
While talking about the song, Sabbir
Nasir said, "This is the third song
composed by Plabon Qureshi we
rendered together. Apart from being
the lyricist and the composer, Plabon
also played the harmonium in this
song. Salman Jaim did the mixing and
mastering for the song. The music
video was directed by Pritul and Evan
edited it. I hope the viewers will enjoy
the song. I believe those who are fans of
Bengali folk songs and culture, they will
surely like this duet song."
Sampa Biswas shared her feelings by
this way, "Our new song Harmony
Bajao has already reached the
audience. This is the fifth song we
rendered together. For those who are
Actor Deepika Padukone
wrapped up the 75th
annual Cannes Film
Festival on Saturday (IST)
by bringing celestial grace
and Indian traditional
glamour to the red carpet.
The star attended the last
day of the international
film festival held in the
French Riviera town and
even posed for the
paparazzi as she walked the
red carpet. She attended
the prestigious event as the
Festival de Cannes jury
member and made heads
turn with her heavenly
fusion look in an ivory saree
and a unique blouse. We
have to say Deepika ended
her Cannes journey this
year perfectly with this
stunning look that scored
full marks in the fashion
department.
On Sunday, Deepika took
to Instagram to share
pictures of her ethereal look
for the last day of the
Festival de Cannes. The
star chose a custom ivory
ruffled saree, bustier blouse
and a unique pearl collar by
ace designers Abu Jani and
yet to listen to Harmony Bajao, I will
request them to listen to the song. In
fact, I like to mention the name of
Plabon Qureshi. Sabbir and I have
rendered this song with his written
lyrics, melody and composition.
Hopefully, this new song will also be
appreciated like our previous song
Binodini Rai. I am grateful to the whole
Sandeep Khosla. While she
captioned her post with just
a white heart emoticon, the
Instagram account of Abu
Jani Sandeep Khosla called
her "Celestial Grace."
Coming to the design
details, Deepika's ivory
saree comes with minimal
yet striking design details.
The Abu Jani Sandeep
Khosla piece features a
floor-sweeping trail and
dramatic pleated ruffles
attached to the borders.
She draped the six yards
around her body in a
figure-hugging style,
accentuating her svelte
frame.
Deepika teamed the silk
saree with a bustier blouse
and a statement handembroidered
pearl collar
that sat on the shoulder to
drape her décolletage and
accentuate the simple
beauty of the six yards.
Additionally, the blouse
came decorated with pearls
and crystals.
French actor and
team for this new song and to them
who like me and Sabbir as a singer. We
want to bring many more new songs in
the coming days."
It is noted that Sabbir and Sampa's
last song titled Chan Raate was
released just before Eid-ul-Fitr. The
duo is best known for their
performance in the song Binodini Rai.
Mithila, Nirab’s 'Omanush’ to hit theaters on June 17
TBT REPORT
Dhallywood popular actress Rafiath
Rashid Mithila, Nirab Hossain
starrer much anticipated film titled
'Omanush', directed by Anonno
Mamun finally to hit the theaters on
June 17.
The film 'Omanush' is Mithila's
debut film in Bangladesh, she had
completed the work of film before
going to Kolkata and signing
contracts for several films in a row.
The shooting of 'Omanush' started on
March 25 last year at Birulia in Savar
and expected to release this year in
February with the clearance from the
Censor Board.
On Thursday May 26, a poster was
released announcing the final date of
release director Anonno Mamun and
actor Nirab Hossain have both
confirmed the news to the media that
the film will be released nationwide
on June 17.
Apart from Nirab and Mithila the
film also features Qazi Nawshaba
Ahmed, Misha Sowdagar,
Shahiduzzaman Selim, Rashed
Mamun Apu, Don and Ananda
Khalid, among others.
In the film Mithila will portray a
character who recently returned from
abroad name Nusrat, while Nirab will
be seen in the role of a formidable
bandit in this thriller film name
Osman. Another important character
will be played by Nawshaba.
Meanwhile, Nirab and co-artistes
have worked on the whole film
through various obstacles in the
ongoing epidemic. For this special
film, Nirab has to change the look in
reality. Many have been surprised to
see that as well.
Deepika serves glam for one last time at Cannes red carpet
President of the Jury of the
75th Cannes Film Festival
Vincent Lindon with
French director Ladj Ly,
Norwegian film director
Joachim Trier, US film
director Jeff Nichols,
British actress Rebecca
Hall, Swedish actress
Noomi Rapace, Italian
actress Jasmine Trinca,
Indian actress Deepika
Padukone and Iranian film
director Asghar Farhadi.
(AFP)
Source: Indian Express
H O R O s c O P E
ARIEs
Today your intellectual and
expressive abilities should receive a
boost from the planets. It's an
excellent time to organize your thoughts about
presenting a project to a possible collaborator,
engage in trade, or write. In terms of your
private life, it's also a good time to examine the
latest events, certain aspects of which are still
partially misunderstood.
TAURUs
Overall, the forecast for today is fairly
good. The aspects seem to favor figuring
out the meaning of all that's transpired
over the past several weeks. It's an
opportunity for you to take a leisurely look at the
distance you've covered moving toward your goals.
Since it's an auspicious day for social activities, why not
get together with friends and discuss the latest events
with them?
GEMINI
Have you felt somewhat lost for the past
few days? The fog may lift today and
enable you to situate yourself at last.
You're probably eager to settle a
question that has nagged at you and interfered with
your judgment. However, you should be patient,
especially if it has to do with emotional matters. Try
to understand, but don't take immediate action.
You'll be more objective beginning tomorrow.
cANcER
You may have been feeling somewhat
disillusioned. Perhaps you lost sight of
your goals or misplaced your faith in
yourself. You'll feel some relief
beginning today. This is an opportunity to end what
has been a somewhat apathetic and moody phase
and begin a new one that's based on work and
meditation. As you can imagine, this new phase will
be much more fulfilling!
LEO
You might be tempted to settle certain
matters by radical means. The
visionary part of you means you're
painfully aware of the world's wrongs.
You see no reason not to take action to correct them.
But the forces in play are so powerful that you can't
expect to institute a new order in one day. If you
have an emotional question to resolve, it would be
better to wait a few days before making a decision.
VIRGO
Today will be fairly calm in terms of
outside events, but your inner world is
likely to be in a rush of activity. Today you
wish you could find the solution to your
heartaches as well as your career predicaments. You'd
like to achieve some supreme understanding of the
events that took place over the past month. First you
must force your brain to slow down. Haste makes
waste, as you know!
LIBRA
You have a lot of thinking to do about
your professional goals, Libra. You'll go
over the elements to see if there isn't
some way to approach things differently.
Are there new paths you could try or ways to improve
things? Your mind will go a thousand miles a minute
today. Those who spend time with you may be totally
exhausted by the end of the day because of all the
questions you ask!
scORPIO
You just can't do everything at once,
Scorpio. How do you expect to reduce
your stress and recuperate while at
the same time continue to be a
superstar performer in every area of your life?
Don't pressure yourself to perform today. If you do,
you're likely to deplete your reserves even further.
Take it easy, rest, and relax! You've earned this
little break.
sAGITTARIUs
This is a good moment to adapt your logic
and reason to reality, Sagittarius. If you
don't, you're going to run into some
intellectual problems. Everyone knows that you find new
ideas plentiful, but unless you have plans to be a novelist,
link your thinking to reality. The "pie in the sky" thinking
that you engage in isn't particularly useful to the rest of
us living here in the real world.
cAPRIcORN
It's going to be a little difficult talking
to you today, Capricorn. You, who can
be easily influenced by others, will be
listening to and criticizing everything
that people say. Nothing emotional or vague is
going to get into your head. It's as if you've installed
an extremely fine filter that lets in only what you
allow. You're going to appear to be a real expert.
Don't show off too much!
AQUARIUs
Have you been reviewing your family
history lately, Aquarius? Of special
interest is your cultural background.
What educational, social, and religious
environment were you born into? What are its
values? In the end, do you feel a strong affinity with
them now or are those views different from the ones
you hold? These are interesting avenues of thought
for you today.
PIscEs
It's time to elevate your sense of self,
Pisces. You're just as good as anyone
else, so why don't you believe it? The
problem is that you're very sensitive
about having an ego. Even though you know
everyone does, you punish yourself for its existence!
This is a noble idea, but it doesn't do you any good.
You'll never be perfect and neither will anyone else.
What are you worrying about?

TueSDAY, MAY 31, 2022
11
BSMMU will launch
Pediatric Endocrinology
and MD courses: Vice
Chancellor
TBT Report
The Third International
Child Hormone Conference
has been held at
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib
Medical University
(BSMMU). The conference
was organized by
Bangladesh Shishu
Hormone Society on May
30.
BSMMU Vice-Chancellor
Prof. Dr. Md. Sharfuddin
Ahmed spoke as the chief
guest. He said that before
the birth of the child, the
device for diagnosing defects
in the mother's womb will be
installed at Bangabandhu
Sheikh Mujib Medical
University. The VC Award
will be given to the author of
the best research and best
article of the university. A
separate Department of
Pediatric Endocrinology will
be opened in the University
as and when required. At the
same time MD course in
Pediatric Endocrinology will
also be introduced.
Vice-Chancellor of the
University (Academic)
Professor Dr. AKM
Mosharraf Hossain and
President of Bangladesh
Pediatric Association Prof.
Manjur Hossain spoke as a
special guest on the
occasion. The conference
was attended by pediatric
endocrinologists and
pediatricians from
Bangladesh and India.
Plane wreckage found in Nepal
mountains; 17 bodies recovered
KATHMANDU : Rescuers searching a
mountainside in Nepal on Monday recovered
the bodies of 17 of the 22 people who were on
board a plane that crashed a day earlier, officials
said.
A search is continuing for the remaining
people, airline spokesperson Sudarshan
Bartaula said.
Bartaula said rescuers believe some bodies are
pinned under the plane's wreckage. Rescuers
working with their bare hands have not been
able to move the metal debris, he said.
The Tara Air turboprop Twin Otter lost
contact with the airport tower on Sunday while
flying on a scheduled 20-minute flight in an area
of deep river gorges and mountaintops.
Four Indians and two Germans were on the
plane, Tara Air said. The three crew members
and other passengers were Nepali nationals, it
said. The wreckage was located by villagers who
had been searching in the area for the
Yarsagumba fungus, which is commonly
referred to as Himalayan Viagra, according to
local news reports. The Setopati new website
quoted a villager, Bishal Magar, as saying that
they heard about the missing plane on Sunday
but were only able to reach the site on Monday
morning after following the smell of fuel.
Magar said it appeared the plane may have
clipped the top of a smaller mountain and then
slammed into a bigger mountain.
Local news reports said the passengers
included two Nepali families, one with four
members and the other with seven.
Aerial photos of the crash site showed aircraft
parts scattered on rocks and moss on the side of
a mountain gorge.The army said the plane
crashed in Sanosware in Mustang district close
to the mountain town of Jomsom, where it was
heading after taking off from the resort town of
Pokhara, 200 kilometers (125 miles) west of
Kathmandu.
2 die as tractor
plunges into roadside
ditch in Manikganj
MANIKGANJ : Two people
died and another three were
injured on Sunday as a tractor
lost control and fell into a
roadside ditch at Hatipara
Bazar area in Manikganj Sadar
upazila.
The deceased were identified
as Aynal,35, and Miraz,32,
from Basail upazila in Tangail,
said Abdur Rauf, Officer-incharge
of Manikganj sadar
police station. The accident
occurred around 5:30 pm on
Bartek-Beribadh regional road
near Gonger Chawk as the
tractor carrying electric poles
fell into the ditch leaving two of
the driver's assistants dead on
the spot.
Freedom Fighter
Liakot Hossain
passes away
MANIKGANJ : The veteran
Freedom Fighter and former
general secretary of
Manikganj Poura Awami
League Liakot Hossain
Khan Moyeen yesterday
died of Cancer at a hospital
in Dhaka.
He was 68.
Late Liakot Hossain left
behind his wife, two sons, a
daughter and a host of
relatives and well wishers to
mourn his death.
He was buried at Siddique
Nagar Graveyard in the
town with state honour after
a namaz-e-janaza.
7 Rohingyas illegally entered
from India held in Cox's Bazar
COX'S BAZAR : Members of
the Armed Police Battalion
(APBn) on Sunday detained
seven members of two
families who took shelter in
Lambashia refugee camp in
Cox's Bazar's Ukhiya who
illegally entered from India.
The detainees were
identified as Shajan,22, his
wife Hamida Begum, 20, their
son Ibrahim,3, Mohammad
Tahir,33, his daughters
Saima,5, and Ramina, 2, and
Anwar Kalim,25.
They were held from block
F-14 of Lambashia Rohingya
Camp-1 East on Saturday
evening, said Naimul Haque,
commander of APBn-14.
He said in primary
questioning the detainees
have accepted entering from
India.
All the seven detainees have
been transferred to the transit
camp with the help of the
Camp-In-Charge(CIC), said
APBn commander Mainul
Haque.
14,646 more doses Covid-19 jabs
administered in Rangpur
RANGPUR : More 14,646 doses of Covid-
19 jabs were administered on Sunday raising
the number of inoculated vaccines to two
crore 80 lakh 75 thousand and 475 doses in
the division.
Health officials said among the 14,646
doses of the jabs inoculated on Sunday, 249
were administered as the first doses, 2,453 as
the second doses and 11,944 as the booster
doses.
"Till Sunday, a total of 1,35,33,164 people
got the first doses of Covid-19 jabs, and of
them, 1,28,54,090 got the second doses and
16,88,221 got the booster doses," Divisional
Director (Health) Dr. Abu Md. Zakirul Islam
told BSS.
Meanwhile, the number of Covid-19
infected patients remained steady at 64,143
in the division as no fresh positive cases were
diagnosed after testing new 48 samples on
Sunday. The number of healed Covid-19
patients remained same at 62,785 in the
division where no new patients recovered
during the last 24 hours ending at 8 am
yesterday."Besides, the number of casualties
remained steady at 1,284 in the division as
no new deaths were reported during the last
24 hours," Dr. Islam added.
Dhaka Power Distribution Company Limited distributed 'Integrity Award'
for the year 2020-21 under the National Integrity Strategy Work Plan.
DPDC managing director engineer Bikash Dewan handed over the prizes
to the winners at a function held at the conference room of the DPDC head
office at Bidyut Bhaban on Sunday.
Photo : Courtesy
I
P
a
c
f
o
d
M
H
GD-1028/22 (7x3)
Season's 1st hurricane aims heavy
hit at Mexico tourist zone
MEXICO CITY : Hurricane Agatha, the season's first,
headed for a stretch of tourist beaches and fishing towns on
Mexico's southern Pacific coast Monday amid warnings of
dangerous storm surge and flooding from heavy rains,
reports UNB.
After forming on Sunday, Agatha quickly gained power,
and it was predicted to make landfall as a powerful
Category 3 hurricane Monday afternoon or evening, the
U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
It was moving toward the area near Puerto Escondido
and Puerto Angel in the southern state of Oaxaca - a region
that includes the laid-back tourist resorts of Huatulco,
Mazunte and Zipolite.
The hurricane center said Agatha could "bring an
extremely dangerous storm surge and life-threatening
winds."
Late Sunday, Agatha had maximum sustained winds of
110 mph (175 kph) - just 1 mph under the threshold for a
Category 3, the hurricane center said. The storm's center
was about 140 miles (225 kilometers) southwest of Puerto
Angel and heading to the northeast at 6 mph (9 kph).
A hurricane warning was in effect between the port of
Salina Cruz and the Lagunas de Chacahua.
GD-1026/22 (8x3)
(
GD-1027/22 (4.5x8)

Tuesday, Dhaka: May 31, 2022; Jaishtha 17, 1429 BS; Shawal 29, 1443 Hijri
Democracy gets
strengthened
with strong
judiciary : CJ
DHAKA : Chief Justice Hasan Foez
Siddique yesterday said when country's
judiciary gets strong, its democracy
becomes strong as well.
"We all should work jointly to make
our judiciary strong. We are trying to
ease backlog of cases and judges have
been given different directions in this
regard," he said this while talking to
leaders of Law Reporter's Forum (LRF)
at his office.
The chief justice also said different
steps have been taken to resolve the
problems faced by the justice-seekers in
court arena, adding, "Plan has been
made to install separate sheds for justice-seekers."
LRF president Ashutosh Sarker, vicepresident
Didarul Alam, general secretary
Ahammed Sarwer Hossain
Bhuiyan, joint secretary Fazrul Haque
Mridha, treasurer Abdul Zabbar Khan
and organizing secretary Arafat Munna,
among others, were present at the occasion.
Appellate Division Registrar Md
Saifur Rahman was also present on the
occasion.
Flood damages
552 km roads,
8 bridges in
Sunamganj
SUNAMGANJ : A total of 552 kilometres
of road and eight bridges and culverts
have been damaged during the
recent flash flood in parts of Sunamganj
district, said officials at Local
Government and Engineering
Department (LGED) on Monday.
According to the LGED office, of the
damaged roads 500 km is under LGED
while the rest 52 km is under Roads and
Highways Department.
The worst affected were Noarabai-
Banglabazar road, Chhatak-jauabazar
road, Chhatak-Gobindaganj road,
Koitak-Haidarpur road, Lama-
Rasulganj road in Chhatak upazila,
Tahirpur-Badaghat road, Garh-
Kalagaon road in Tahirpur upaizla,
Niamatpur-Fatehpur-Anwarpur road in
Salukabad of Bishambharpur upazila
and Doarabazar-Banglabazar road,
Doarabazar-Sunamganj road,
Doarabazar-Bogla road in Doarabazar
upazila of the district.
A rubber dam and a number of
embankments were also damaged during
the flood. Md Mahbub Alam, executive
magistrate of LGED, Sunamganj,
the government incurred a loss of Tk
150 crore for damages to LGED roads.
The estimate of the damage may be
higher, he said.
Meanwhile, Mahmudul Hasan,
deputy divisional engineer of
Sunamganj Roads and Highways
Department, said 52-km roads were
damaged during the flood.
Several lakh people have been affected
in a flood triggered by the onrush of hilly
waters from India and rainfall since May
14 in the district. A vast tract of cropland
and other areas were flooded, causing
untold sufferings to the affected people of
the district.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday took part in a photo session with the
Army Selection Board at Army Headquarters Multipurpose Complex in Dhaka
Cantonment.
Photo : ISPR
Expatriates send $1.65 bn
in 26 days of May
DHAKA : The ministry of finance is
expecting the growth of inward remittance
by 16 per cent in the fiscal year
FY2022-23, reports UNB.
Bangladesh has, meanwhile, received
inward remittance of USD $1654.94
million (1.65 billion) in 26 days of May.
The ministry in a report said that over
5.5 lakh workers went abroad in the post
Covid-19 period from the country. The
trend of manpower export will continue
as many countries of the Middle East
and Europe are hiring more workers to
meet the huge non-skill and semi-skilled
manpower.
Besides, Qatar's football World Cup
preparations have also created huge job
demand in the service sector in the
Middle East. Bangladesh Bank data
shows that foreign exchange reserve is
Greece planning major wall
extension on border with Turkey
ATHENS, GREECE : Greek authorities
say they are planning a major extension of
a wall along the country's border with
Turkey and are seeking European Union
financial support for the additional construction,
reports UNB.
Notis Mitarachi, the migration affairs
minister, said the steel wall would be
extended from 40 to 120 kilometers (25 to
75 miles), with construction work due to
start later this year.
"It is a government decision to extend
the border wall further and we have
requested European funding," Mitarachi
said, speaking in an interview Sunday
with a radio station near Athens. The minister
posted the audio of the interview on
social media Monday. He gave no details
on the projected cost of the project.
increasing thanks to growing inward
remittance in the recent months despite
huge import payment demand.
If the remittances reach this trend the
amount of inward remittance is likely to
cross $2 billion in May, said Md Serajul
Islam, executive director and spokesperson
of BB.
The remittance inflow will increase in
the next month ahead Eid-ul-Azha, as
the expatriates are expected to send
additional money on the occasion of the
festival, he said.
He said that remittance inflow has
increased due to ease of incentive delivery
process and devaluation of
Bangladeshi taka.
Bangladesh has received $18, 9662.71
million or $18.97 billion since June 1 to
May 26 of FY 22.
Greece has accused neighbor and fellow-NATO
ally Turkey of "instrumentalizing"
migration as a means of exerting
pressure on EU countries. That is an
assertion rejected by Ankara, which says it
has shouldered a disproportionately
heavy burden, hosting some 4 million
refugees, most of whom fled the civil war
in neighboring Syria.
Last year, twelve countries including
Greece requested EU funding for border
walls which are currently financed by
national budgets.
The EU Commission does not currently
pay for wall construction at its external
borders, arguing that it would drain funds
from other migration-related activities,
including financing the EU border protection
agency, Frontex.
War in Ukraine adds to food price
hikes, hunger in Africa
Heavy fighting as
Russian troops enter
outskirts of Ukraine's
Sievierodonetsk
BRUSSELS : EU countries failed to agree
on a Russian oil import ban despite lastminute
haggling before a summit got under
way in Brussels on Monday, exposing a
struggle to widen sanctions on Moscow
over its war in Ukraine as the economic risk
for Europe grows, reports Reuters.
The leaders of the 27 European Union
countries will agree in principle to an oil
embargo, a draft of their summit conclusions
showed, but they will leave the practical
details and hard decisions until later.
The EU has rolled out five packages of
sanctions against Russia since the conflict
began more than three months ago,
demonstrating uncharacteristic speed
and unity given the complexity of the
measures. But an agreement on oil sanctions
has proved elusive for weeks
because so many countries depend on
Russian crude.
"There is no compromise for this
moment at all," said Hungarian Prime
Minister Viktor Orban, whose country
has been the main holdout for a deal, as
he arrived for the two-day summit.
European Commission President Ursula
von der Leyen.
Beauty of road
divider in Cumilla
attracts people
CUMILLA : The natural beauty of the
Dhaka-Chhattogram four-lane highway
has increased due to flowers and greenery
at the road divider of the highway in
Cumilla part.
Flowers of many varieties including
Sanalu, 'Krisnachura, Jarul, and Togor
have increased the beauty of the newlybuilt
highway. The flowers and greeneries
are not only increasing the beauty of
the highway but also playing a role to
save the balance of the environment.
Tens of thousands of passengers and
drivers of the Dhaka-Chhattogram fourlane
highway are enjoying the beauty of
the road divider in Cumilla. The natural
scene has also attracted the local people.
Many people from different corners of
Cumilla are coming to enjoy the lovely
scenario of the road divider.
Question on BNP leaders'
mental health arises in
people's minds:Quader
DHAKA : Road Transport and Bridges
Minister Obaidul Quader yesterday
said the BNP leaders' mega falsehood
about the country's mega projects have
raised questions about their mental
health.
"As the BNP leaders, who did not
dream of implementing any mega project
in the country during their reign,
make mega falsehood about megaprojects,
the question of their mental
health has arisen in the people's
minds," he told a press conference at
his official residence here.
Quader, also the Awami League
General Secretary, said the country's
people have realised that the jealous BNP
does not hesitate to cause harm to it aiming
to halt the country's development.
Recently, he said, BNP secretary
general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir
made comments on the number of
metro rail stations.
The BNP leaders, who are skilled in
looting and plundering public money,
find only the smell of money without
considering the welfare of the people,
he added.
The road transport and bridges minister
said the government of Sheikh
Hasina always undertakes projects
considering the public interest and
cost-effectiveness.
Considering the international context
and taking the advice of consultants,
surveys and public interest into the
account, the locations of the metro rail
stations have been determined, he said.
Jealous BNP leaders are making misleading
statements without having
enough knowledge about these projects,
he said. Replying to a statement of
Fakhrul, Quader said bringing the
laundered money back to the country is
a good initiative.
Asking a question to the BNP secretary-general,
the AL general secretary
said why Fakhrul gets irritated when he
hears about the laundered money is
going to be brought back to the country.
"Why you (Fakhrul) are so afraid?
After hearing your statement, questions
have arisen in the minds of the
people. But are you afraid of returning
your laundered money?" he questioned.
Quader said as the Awami League is
in power, the BNP is being deprived of
looting public money and prosperities.
"That's why Mirza Fakhrul is upset."
"The BNP leaders are upset for various
reasons...because Padma Bridge is
going to be inaugurated. Metro rail and
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Karnaphuli tunnel are being constructed
and that's why they are upset," the
minister said.
Bangladesh, Portugal to
sign MoU to establish
direct shipping links
DHAKA : Bangladesh and Portugal
are working to connect the two
countries through direct shipping
links to create new prospects for
fast, cost-effective and reliable shipping
for the Bangladeshi exporters
while sending regular consignments
to Europe by sea.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs
Md. Shahriar Alam has expressed his
satisfaction on the progress achieved
towards signing of a memorandum of
understanding (MoU) between
Chattogram Port Authority and
Leixoes Port Authority for the establishment
of direct shipping link.
He also expressed satisfaction over
the progress towards formation of a
working group for the timely implementation
of the MoU and assured
his full support in this regard.
The State Minister received the
Leixoes Port Authority delegation, led
by the President of its Board of
Directors Eng. Nuno Araujo at the
Embassy during his current visit to
Portugal.
He apprised the delegation on
Bangladesh's existing port infrastructure
and its further development
opportunities to meet the regional
and international requirements.
The representatives of the Leixoes
Port Authority explored technical
issues related to establishing direct
links between the ports and discussed
the feasibility of the said freight route.
Later that day, the State Minister
met a business delegation from the
"Business Association of the Lisbon
Region" led by its Executive President
Rui Jorge Rego.
He underscored the need for
enhanced interaction between both
business communities to tap the full
potential of future trade and investment.
He suggested establishing a Joint
Business Council to further the cooperation.
Highlighting the investment
friendly policies and incentives of the
government, the State Minister invited
the Portuguese Investors to make
full use of the offered opportunity and
invest in Bangladesh.
The business delegation commended
the steady and continuing economic
growth of Bangladesh and anticipated
full support from the government
for enhancing economic relations
between the countries.
A video featuring Bangladesh's economic
progress and potential was
screened for the delegation also.
The State Minister also interacted
with the members of the expatriate
community in Portugal the day
before. Bangladesh Ambassador to
Lisbon and other officials were present
at both meetings.
MOGADISHU : It now costs Ayan
Hassan Abdirahman twice as much as it
did just a few months ago to buy the
wheat flour she uses to make breakfast
each day for her 11 children in Somalia's
capital.
Nearly all the wheat sold in Somalia
comes from Ukraine and Russia, which
have halted exports through the Black
Sea since Moscow waged war on its
neighbor on Feb. 24. The timing could
not be worse: The U.N. has warned that
an estimated 13 million people were facing
severe hunger in the Horn of Africa
region as a result of a persistent drought.
Abdirahman has been trying to make
do by substituting sorghum, another
more readily available grain, in her flatbread.
Inflation, though, means the price
of the cooking oil she still needs to prepare
it has skyrocketed too - a jar that
once cost $16 is now selling for $45 in the
markets of Mogadishu.
"The cost of living is high nowadays,
making it difficult for families even to
afford flour and oil," she says.
Haji Abdi Dhiblawe, a businessman
who imports wheat flour into Somalia,
fears the situation will only worsen:
There is also a looming shortage of shipping
containers to bring food supplies in
from elsewhere at the moment.
"Somalis have no place to grow wheat,
and we are not even familiar with how to
grow it," he says. "Our main concern now
is what will the future hold for us when
we currently run out of supplies."
Another 18 million people are facing
severe hunger in the Sahel, the part of
Africa just below the Sahara Desert
where farmers are enduring their worst
agricultural production in more than a
decade. The U.N. World Food Program
says food shortages could worsen when
the lean season arrives in late summer.
"Acute hunger is soaring to unprecedented
levels and the global situation just
keeps on getting worse. Conflict, the climate
crisis, COVID-19 and surging food
and fuel costs have created a perfect
storm - and now we've got the war in
Ukraine piling catastrophe on top of
catastrophe," WFP Executive Director
David Beasley warned earlier this month.
Even the cost of therapeutic food for
malnourished children could rise 16%
over the next six months because of the
war in Ukraine and disruptions related to
the pandemic, UNICEF says.
African countries imported 44% of
their wheat from Russia and Ukraine
between 2018 and 2020, according to
U.N. figures. The African Development
Bank is already reporting a 45% increase
in wheat prices on the continent, making
everything from couscous in Mauritania
to the fried donuts sold in Congo more
expensive for customers.
"Africa has no control over production
or logistics chains and is totally at the
mercy of the situation," said Senegalese
President Macky Sall, the African Union
chairperson, who has said he will travel
to Russia and Ukraine to discuss the
price woes.
After a few
days of heat,
it rained.
As soon as it
rained on
the Dhaka
University
campus,
the students
enjoying
the peace.
Photo :
Star Mail