22-06-2022

weDnesDay

DhAkA: June 22, 2022; Ashar 8,1429 BS; Zilquad 21,1443 hijri

www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www.bangladeshtoday.net

Regd.No.DA~2065, Vol.20; N o. 51; 12 Pages~Tk.8.00

InternatIonal

UN revokes travel

privileges for two Taliban

education officials

>Page 7

PM to police

Earn public trust as the

last resort for their safety

DHAKA : Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina on Tuesday directed the

police force to grow as the last resort

of the people who come to them

seeking protection for their lives and

dignity.

"In our country, the police will also

have to acquire public confidence so

the people think the force as their

last resort in protecting their lives

and dignity. The people can get their

shelter," she said, joining a function

of Bangladesh Police through a

videoconference from her official

residence Ganobhaban.

In the function, the premier

opened five projects of Bangladesh

Police, including two newly constructed

police stations -Padma Setu

Uttar Thana and Padma Setu

Dakkhin Thana-on the two sides of

the much-desired Padma Bridge.

PM Hasina also asked the police to

stay vigilant against different social

diseases and crimes to maintain a

peaceful environment in the country.

Noting that the police drive

against militancy and terrorism has

been a success, she said the drive

should continue.

She said police is playing a significant

role to check drug abuse, cybercrimes,

money laundering, spreading

rumours, human trafficking and

other offenses, which are very harmful

to the people and the country.

"You'll have to stay vigilant always

in this regard," she said, asking them

to pay special attention to prevent

such crimes in the society.

Zohr

03:43 AM

12:05 PM

04:38 PM

06:50 PM

08:17 PM

5:10 6:47

Referring to recent communal

incidents the PM said the police

played an excellent role in thwarting

bid to destroy communal harmony,

intercepted the perpetrators

promptly and showed their excellent

efficiency. "We want peace in our

country. If a peaceful situation prevails,

we'll be able to make economic

development," she said.

Talking about the global food crisis,

she renewed her call not to leave

a single inch of land uncultivated to

attain food autarky in the country

and prevent the brunt of the world

economic meltdown.

She said the prices of essentials

and the inflation rate are on rise creating

instability throughout the

world. "So, we'll have to remain

alert," she added.

Among projects inaugurated are 12

newly constructed district-level

police hospitals, six women barracks

for Bangladesh Police, the online GD

(general diary) activities to reach the

services to the doorstep of the people,

and the distribution of 120

houses constructed in the second

phase for homeless families.

As part of the government's initiative

to construct separate barracks

for female members of Police in 64

districts, the six barracks have been

constructed. With the newly constructed

120 abodes, the Police have

so far provided a total of 520 houses

for the homeless families.

The two modern police stations

were set up at Mawa side and Jajira

side of the country's longest 6.15-km

Padma Bridge in order to ensure

security to the multipurpose railroad

bridge and its users alongside

maintaining the law and order in the

surrounding areas.

The premier will open the iconic

Padma Bridge on June 25 next.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman

Khan, Senior Secretary of Public

Security Division Md Akhter

Hossain and Inspector General of

Police Benazir Ahmed spoke at the

function from Rajarbagh Police

Lines in the capital.

Besides, the participants including

police members and beneficiaries

attended it virtually from Rajarbagh

Police Lines, Padma Bridge North

Police Station in Munshiganj, KMP

Women Barrack in Khulna,

Mymensingh Police Hospital and

Pirojpur Police Lines.

sports

Rudiger says he was rooting for

Real Madrid against Liverpool

in Champions League final

>Page 9

art & culture

Nusraat, Apurba

pairs up for

'Icon man'

>Page 10

Prime Minister Sheikh hasina on Tuesday inspected the flood situation in Sylhet, Sunamganj,

Netrokona and adjacent areas.

Photo : Star Mail

New corona sub

variant detected

Shahid Joy, JaShore

A new sub-variant of coronavirus,

Omicron BA. ?, has been identified in the

bodies of two Bangladeshis at the Genome

Center of Jashore University of Science

and Technology (JUST). A team of scientists

detected this new subtype through

genome sequencing.

According to the research team, the two

infected people were men. One of them is

44 years old and the other is 79 years old.

One infected person received a booster

dose of the corona vaccine and the other

two doses of the vaccine. One of the victims

is being treated at the hospital and

the other is being treated at home. The victims

have various mild symptoms including

fever, sore throat, cold and cough.

Researchers believe that both of them

have been infected locally.

The research team also found that

mutations similar to omicron in spike

proteins were observed in the BA.4/5

sub-type. However, this subvariant

also has mutations in amino acid

number 452 of the spike protein like

the delta variant. This subvariant also

contains mutations in another important

amino acid number 486 of the

spike protein.

These two sub-types of Omicron

were first identified in South Africa in

January and February. The sub variants

were spotted in southern India in

late May.

Scientists believe that this phenomenon

is responsible for the fifth wave of corona

infection in South Africa and more recently

the third wave of Covid spike in India.

People who have been vaccinated are also

being infected by this subvariant.

Flood waters in Sunamganj

receding slowly

ak MiloN, SuNaMgaNJ CorreSPoNdeNT

The flood water is receding very slowly

in Sunamganj and the flood affected

people can not return home now.

Floodwaters are still raging on municipal

roads and people's homes.

Meanwhile, there is a crisis of food and

clean water among the shelters.

According to the Sunamganj Water

Development Board, the water of Surma

river is flowing over 27 cm of danger level

near Sunamganj municipal town on

Tuesday morning.

There was no rain in the area around

Sunamganj city from Tuesday morning

till afternoon. It is to be noted that

Sunamganj district was isolated from the

rest of the country till last Monday after

the onset of floods in Sunamganj from last

Thursday. The cell phone network was

down. Sunamganj was without electricity

for four days. Meanwhile, there were

three to six feet of water on the city roads.

As a result, all the activities of government

and non-government organizations

were stopped. People's homes sank.

However, the flood situation has

improved as the rainfall has gradually

decreased over the last three days. This

morning, the mobile phone network has

been activated and electricity has been

provided in a few areas.

Turning to the ground, it can be seen

that about 80 percent of the houses in

Sunamganj municipal town are still

flooded. So the flood-affected people are

not able to return home now.

However, as the water receded, some

shops opened in different parts of the city.

Most of the roads in the municipal town

are still flooded. Some of these roads have

knee-deep water. Water has come down

from houses in the traffic points.

Drinking water crisis is everywhere.

There is a similar, water and food crisis

have been witnessed in the shelters.

Rickshaw puller took refuge with his family

in the deputy commissioner's office.

Kadar Ali (55) said, 'There is still

waist-deep water in the house. I don't

know when I will be able to return. I'm

in big trouble. Water purification tablets

are not available here properly. 'Rahima

Akhter, 45, who took shelter at the

Government Jubilee High School, said,'

Everything in the house is ruined. There

is no money in hand.

The worst affected areas are

Sunamganj Sadar, Chhatak, Doarabazar

and Tahirpur. According to government

data, about 500 shelters have been

opened in the district. Apart from this,

flood hit people have taken shelter in high

houses, offices, courts, hospitals and even

big buses wherever they get a chance.

Sunamganj municipality mayor Nader

Bakht told The Bangladesh Today that

water in the city is slowly receding.

However, people did not return home.

Many areas are still flooded. Dry and

cooked food is being distributed in the

shelters as much as possible.

Sunamganj Deputy Commissioner Md

Jahangir Hossain told The Bangladesh

Today that the overall flood situation in

Sunamganj has further improved. Reliefs

are being distributed.

Covid-19

Positivity rate

rises to 11.03%,

One more dies

TBT deSk

Bangladesh registered one Covidlinked

death day with 874 fresh cases

in 24 hours till Tuesday morning.

This is the second Covid-linked

death of the current month.

The daily-case positivity rate rose

to 11.03 per cent from Monday's

10.87 per cent as 7,893 samples were

tested during the period.

The country's total caseload rose to

1,958,074 while the total fatalities

reached 29,133 with the new numbers,

according to the Directorate

General of Health Services (DGHS).

The deceased was a man, aged 71-

80, hailing from Dhaka division.

The mortality rate remained static

at 1.49 per cent. The recovery

rates declined to 97.34 per cent

from Monday's 97.38 per cent as

84 patients recovered during this

period.

On Monday, the country logged the

first Covid-linked death in the current

month with 873 cases. The previous

death was recorded on May 30.

In May, the country reported only

four Covid-linked deaths and 816

new cases, while 7,356 patients

recovered from the disease, according

to the DGHS.

Among the four deaths during the

period, one was vaccinated with single

dose of Covid vaccine while three

were vaccinated with two doses.

The country reported its first zero

Covid death in a single day on

November 20 last year, along with

178 cases, since the pandemic broke

out here in March 2020.

On January 28, Bangladesh logged

its previous highest positivity rate of

33.37 per cent.

The country registered its highest

daily caseload of 16,230 on July 28

last year and daily fatalities of 264 on

August 10 in the same year.

WEDnESDAY, JUnE 22, 2022

2

Padma Bridge- a symbol of honesty

>(From page-12) Trans-Asian Highway and

the Trans-Asian Railway. International connectivity

with Bangladesh, India, Bhutan and

Nepal will be established. The importance of

the Mongla port will increase manifold. There

will be expansion of industry including

tourism in the south-west. City-centers can

sprung up on the two banks of the Padma in

the style of Singapore and Shanghai, China. A

study by an independent consultant of the

World Bank and a consultancy firm

employed by the bridge department also

reveals the economic impact of the Padma

Bridge. According to the survey, if the Padma

Bridge is built, the GDP will increase by 1.23

percent. In addition, the GDP growth of the

southwestern region will be 2.3 percent.

When the Awami League won the 1996

national elections, a new government led by

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina began its

journey. The Padma Bridge, the dream of the

Prime Minister, is on the priority list for

economic activities. The pre-feasibility study

of the Padma Bridge was conducted in 1999.

On July 4, 2001, then Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina laid the foundation stone for the

construction of the Padma Bridge.

Unfortunately, the realization of the Padma

Bridge project did not start in a smooth

manner. Political retaliation, domestic and

international conspiracies hampered the

implementation of this bridge. During the

rule of BNP-Jamaat alliance led by Begum

Khaleda Zia, the pace of construction of

Padma Bridge slowed down. After a detailed

study, in 2004 JICA recommended the

construction of the Padma Bridge at Mawa-

Jajira Point. But the BNP-Jamaat alliance

government did not take any effective steps to

move ahead with the implementation of the

project. They did not pass the Padma Bridge

project at the ECNEC meeting in the light of

detailed survey. The reason for this was the

laying of the foundation stone of the Padma

Bridge by Sheikh Hasina. The Prime Minister

was so interested in the construction of the

Padma Bridge that she included the

construction of the Padma Bridge in Awami

League's 2008 election manifesto. Awami

League's sweeping victory in the 2008

national election brought hope back for the

general masses. She again took the initiative

to speed up its implementation by prioritizing

the construction of the Padma Bridge.

Although sad it is the fact that the Padma

Bridge project with huge economic potential

became the victim of domestic and foreign

conspiracies. The World Bank has repeatedly

recommended that a blacklisted company be

hired as a consultant. The evaluation

committee headed by Jamilur Reza

Chowdhury, a distinguished professor at

BUET, the country's highest educational

institution, did not agree to appoint the

blacklisted company as a consultant. The

appointment of consultants has been delayed

due to repeated recommendations of the

World Bank. In 2011, the World Bank alleged

that it had found a "credible" corruption case

in the Padma Bridge project, with highranking

officials involved. Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina took up the challenge and

asked the World Bank to prove the

allegations. The World Bank has filed a

complaint against Canadian SNC-Lavalin

with the Canadian Royal Mounted Police. A

lawsuit was later filed in a Canadian court.

Following this, on June 29, 2012, the

President of the World Bank, Robert Zoellick,

canceled the loan for the Padma Bridge. The

question is that not a single penny has been

released for the implementation of the

alleged corruption surrounding the project.

So how can there be corruption? Such

questions were pondering around the minds

of the conscious community. In fact, there

was a deep conspiracy behind it. The decision

to cancel the loan was made not only by the

World Bank but also by domestic and

international stakeholders. Their aim was to

tarnish the image of the Awami League

government by tarnishing its image at home

and abroad. It was a tool to empower the

opposition to cause an uprising in the country

to ensure the defeat of the Awami League in

the 2014 election. It was later identified that

the conspiracy was linked to opposition

politicians and a number of civil society

figures, including a Nobel laureate, who

wanted to oust Sheikh Hasina from politics at

that stage.

The depth of the conspiracy will become

clearer if we focus on the post-loan

disbursement activities of the World Bank.

The World Bank has been giving one

condition after another to the government to

receive the loan again. Per the

recommendation of the World Bank, the

government removed Syed Abul Hossain

from the ministry of communications.

Bridges Secretary Mosharraf Hossain

Bhuiyan was arrested and had to go to jail

and subsequently lost his job. Prime

Minister's financial adviser Mashiur Rahman

has to go on leave.

But despite all this, there has been no

positive response to the loan disbursement

from the World Bank. It is noteworthy that

the country's most prominent opposition

politician, Nobel Laureate and some

members of the civil society are trying to

prove the allegations of corruption of the

World Bank on the Padma Bridge. They also

made public statements. There are

allegations that the so-called Nobel laureate,

through a powerful country, used his

influence on the World Bank to cancel loans.

The Prime Minister took a tough stance as he

could have guessed the conspiracy behind the

loan.

She announced the construction of the

Padma Bridge in the National Assembly in

July 2012 with own funds. It was a timeless

bold utterance, which was admired by all

quarters at home and abroad. Following this,

on January 31, 2013, Finance Minister AMA

Muhith wrote two letters to the President of

the World Bank and to ADB, JICA and IDB

informing them of the government's decision

not to take their money to finance the Padma

Bridge project. Work on the Padma Bridge

started in 2015 from the treasury funds. In

the midst of this construction, the Federal

Court of Canada ruled that the World Bank's

allegations of corruption were false. The

government surprised the world by building

the Padma Bridge with its own funds in

seven years. Many, including economists,

have said that Bangladesh is going to face

huge economic risks by constructing the

Padma Bridge with its own funds. But it did

not happen. The real truth is that the

conspiracy has been defeated by the

determination, courage and honesty of

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Bangladesh's

economic potential has been proven to the

world. The image of the country has

brightened. Therefore, Padma Bridge is not

just a bridge, it is a symbol of honesty and

courage of the people's leader Sheikh

Hasina.

The writer is State Minister for ICT

Division. He can be reached:

me@palak.net.bd

Air Force helicopter distributing relief in Tahirpur upazila. Photo : Jahangir Alam Bhuiyan

Mobile court of Mymensing city corporation conducts drive at Shamvuganj

Majipara area yesterday.

Photo : Ali Ahsan Raj

Yashwant Sinha is

Indian opposition's

presidential pick

NEW DELHI : India's

opposition parties on

Tuesday named Yashwant

Sinha, a former Finance

Minister, as their joint

candidate for the presidential

polls slated for next month.

"In the forthcoming

Presidential elections, we

have decided to elect a

common candidate and stop

the Modi government from

doing further damage," the

opposition parties said in a

statement.

"At a subsequent meeting

held today, we have chosen

Yashwant Sinha as a

common candidate. We

appeal to all political parties

to vote for Yashwant Sinha,"

it added.

A former leader of India's

ruling Bharatiya Janata Party

(BJP), Sinha served as the

Finance Minister in Prime

Minister Atal Bihari

Vajpayee's government.

Following apparent

disagreements with Prime

Minister Narendra Modi's

current dispensation, Sinha

quit the BJP and joined

Bengal Chief Minister

Mamata

Banerjee's

Trinamool Congress party

recently.

The BJP, on the other

hand, is yet to announce its

candidate for the presidential

polls. Incumbent President

Ram Nath Kovind's five-year

term ends on July 24.

DMP arrests 74 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

74 people on charges of

selling and consuming drugs

during the last 24 hours till

6am Tuesday.

The DB in association with

local police carried out the

drives simultaneously at

different parts of the

metropolis from 6am of

June 20, according to a

DMP release. In separate

anti-drug raids, police seized

huge drugs from their

possessions.

During the anti-drug

raids, police seized 32 gram

of heroin, 35.355 kilograms

of cannabis (ganja), 28,375

pieces of contraband yaba

tablets, eight grams of ice

drug, 247 bottles of

phensidyle syrup and eight

litres of locally made liquor

from their possessions, the

release added.

Police filed 54 separate cases

against the arrestees in these

connections with respective

police stations under the

Narcotics Control Act.

Man dies while

seeking relief

Jahangir Alam Bhuiyan,

Tahirpur (Sunamganj)

Correspondent

Biplob Mia, (60) died while he

was seeking relief in Tahirpur

upazila of Sunamganj. He is

the son of Abdus Shahid, a

resident of Ujan Tahirpur

village in Sadar union of the

upazila. Former member

Matiur Rahman Moti has

confirmed his death.

He said, Biplob was

undergoing treatment at the

health complex. When his

condition worsened, he was

referred to Sylhet on Tuesday

morning where the doctors on

duty declared him dead.

When this news spread, the

shadow of mourning

descended on the family and

area of the deceased. The

other injured are being treated

at Tahirpur Upazila Health

Complex. Officer-in-charge

(investigation) of Tahirpur

Police Station Suhel Rana said

an Air Force helicopter had

come to Tahirpur to distribute

relief.

Unable to reach any part

due to the flood waters, they

hurled relief bags from the sky

to the ground. The helpless,

hungry people rushed to

receive them. At that time, 10

people were injured in the

collision of who will collect the

relief first.

Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) organized a program at BIWTA bhaban of the capital

city yesterday on the occasion of World Hydrography Day-2022. Pro-Vice Chancellor (Education) of

Dhaka University Prof. Dr. ASM Maksud Kamal was present as chief guest in the program. Photo : Courtesy

GD-1176/22 (14x4)

Keel Laying Ceremony of Search and Rescue Vessel which is under construction at Khulna Shipyard

was held yesterday.

Photo : TBT

Flight operations to

resume 'soon' at Sylhet

airport: StateMinister

Mahbub

DHAKA : Flight operations

at Sylhet's MAG Osmani

International Airport will

resume soon, said State

Minister for Civil Aviation M

Mahbub Ali on Monday.

"If there is no more rain

and the flood situation will

remain static, then the flight

operation at the airport will

resume soon. The decision

will be taken to operate

flights at Sylhet airport

considering the safety of the

passengers and aircraft

latteness," he said.

Mahbub revealed this

information while talking to

the reporters when visiting

the airport.

He also visited the

approach area, runway and

terminal of the airport.

The street lights of the

approach area of the airport

are out of order now and

that's why the flight

operation

remained

suspended, he said.

Already a team of the Civil

Aviation Authority of

Bangladesh has inspected

the airport area, he added.

Flight Operation at

Sylhet's MAG Osmani

International Airport has

been suspended since June

17 due to the deteriorating

flood situation in the region.

4 members of a

gang of robbers

arrested

DHAKA : Detective Branch

(DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan

Police arrested four alleged

robbers, including its leader,

from Tongi in Gazipur,

reports UNB.

The detectives also

recovered one robbed gold

chain, Tk14,000 in cash, one

iron chapati , two sewing

ranges, one screwdriver and

one knife from their

possessions.

The arrestees were

identified as Zakir Hossain,

leader of the bandit's gang,

and three are-Mohammad

Sabuj, Mohammad Omar

and Mohammad Osman

Gani Swapan.

Based on secret

information, a special team

of the DB (North Division)

conducted a raid on Zakir's

Bhangari (scrap) shop in

front of Anwar Ceiling and

Popular Pharmaceutical

Factory at Teesta Gate in

Tongi Naogaon area of

Gazipur at around 8:30 pm

on Monday night.

They arrested the four

dacoits and recovered the

cash and other goods from

their possessions during the

drive.

Briefing reporters at the

DMP media centre in the

city on Tuesday, Additional

Commissioner (DB) of the

DMP AKM Hafeez Akhter

said five bandits entered a

house after cutting grill in

Bhatulia area of Uttarkhan

in the capital on April 5 late

night.

The dacoits gang looted

over Tk 3 lakh in cash and

gold ornaments worth

around Tk 8 lakh at

gunpoint .

Bangladesh reports season's

first Dengue death, 27 more

hospitalised

DHAKA : A dengue patient died and 27

others were hospitalised in 24 hours till

Tuesday morning.

The first death of the year from the

mosquito-borne viral disease was recorded

in Dhaka division. All new patients were

hospitalised in Dhaka, according to the

Directorate General of Health Services

(DGHS). As many as 110 dengue patients,

including 106 in the capital, are now

receiving treatment at hospitals across the

country.

This year, the DGHS has recorded 808

dengue cases and 697 recoveries so far.

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.

However, 105 dengue patients, including

95 in the Dhaka division, died in 2021.

Dengue is found in tropical and subtropical

climates worldwide, mostly in urban

and semi-urban areas.

About 4 billion people, almost half of the

world's population, live in areas with a risk of

dengue, according to the US Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention.

Each year, up to 400 million people get

infected with dengue while

approximately 100 million get sick from

infection, and 40,000 die from severe

dengue, it says.

"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 the World Health

Organization.

A webinar titled 'No To Hate' organized by ARTICLE 19 South Asia, a UKbased

human rights organization on Monday evening to mark the first

International Day for countering hate speech.

Photo: Courtesy

Call for strengthening education,

awareness, and cultural activities

to tackle hate

Speakers at a webinar urged to strengthen

awareness, and cultural activities as well as

ensure proper education to tackle the

growing hate speech online and offline. They

said hate speech cannot be curbed by law

alone. It is essential to develop a positive

mindset of accepting differences and

respecting diversity for social cohesion and

peace.

The speakers came up with their opinions

in a webinar titled 'No To Hate' organized by

ARTICLE 19 South Asia, a UK-based human

rights organization on Monday evening to

mark the first International Day for

countering hate speech .

The discussants included Huma Khan,

Senior Human Rights Advisor at the UN

Resident Coordinator office in Bangladesh,

Sanjeeb Drong, General Secretary of the

Adibashi Forum, Nawazul Kabir, a gender

activist and Machen Hla, Human Right

Ambassador Fellow at ARTICLE 19, while

Faruq Faisel, Regional Director for

ARTICLE 19 South Asia moderated the

webinar. Rumky Farhana, Senior Program

Officer of ARTICLE 19 presented the keynote

pointing out the objectives and actions that

need to be performed to uphold the spirit of

the Day. Journalists, teachers, and human

rights activists from Bangladesh and Nepal

attended the webinar.

In July 2021, the UN General Assembly

highlighted global concerns over "the

exponential spread and proliferation of hate

speech" around the world and adopted a

resolution on "promoting inter-religious and

intercultural dialogue and tolerance in

countering hate speech".

The resolution recognizes the need to

counter discrimination, xenophobia and

hate speech and calls on all relevant actors,

including States, social media companies,

media, civil society and other stakeholders to

increase their efforts to address this

phenomenon, in line with international

human rights laws.

The resolution proclaimed 18 June as the

International Day for Countering Hate

Speech, which has been marked for the first

time in 2022.

Huma Khan, the senior human rights

advisor at the UN Resident Coordinator

Office in Bangladesh, in the webinar,

said: 'critiquing or dissenting is not hate

speech. Therefore, hate speech must be

tackled carefully while keeping the

freedom of expression at the forefront.

This requires affirmative actions

including educating people and raising

awareness about the harmful aspects of

hate, rather than formulating laws in

order to punish.''

Sanjeeb Drong, General Secretary of the

Adibashi Forum, said: "The role of education

in combating hatred is very important.

Diversity is not a threat to society; rather a

strength - this mindset must be instilled in

today's youth. Alongside, regular dialogue

among interfaith groups and communities

as well as cultural activities need to take

place to promote diversity for social cohesion

and peace.

Indian High

Commission

celebrates 8th

International

Day of Yoga

DHAKA : The High

Commission of India in

Dhaka celebrated the 8th

International Day of Yoga

(IDY) on Tuesday.

Around 1000 people

participated in doing Yoga

together at the Shaheed

Suhrawardy National

Stadium in Dhaka, said a

press release.

Indian High Commissioner

to Bangladesh Vikram Kumar

Doraiswami delivered the

welcome remarks on this

occasion.

Experts and students of

Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre

(IGCC) demonstrated

Common Yoga Protocol and

yoga asanas.

Yoga associations and

Institutes, students from

various schools, colleges and

universities in Bangladesh

participated in the

celebrations of IDY.

Several celebrities including

sports personalities, popular

film actors, singers etc.

participated in the event.

Besides, various other Yoga

organizations and institutes

also organized separate

programmes to mark the IDY

event.

MoFA officials pay

tributes to ex- secretary

Mohiuddin Ahmed

DHAKA : The officials of the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

(MoFA) paid their last

respect to former secretary,

diplomat Mohiuddin

Ahmed, also an organiser of

the Liberation War.

Mohiuddin Ahmed's s

body was brought to his

former workplace, the

Foreign Service Academy,

Tuesday morning where his

Namaz-e-Janaza was held.

PM's energy adviser

Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury,

State Minister for Foreign

Affairs Md Shahriar Alam

and Foreign Secretary

Masud Bin Momen, among

others, attended the janaza.

Foreign Minister AK

Abdul Momen could not

attend the janaza as he is

visiting flood-hit Sylhet with

Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina, said a press release.

The body of late

Mohiuddin Ahmed was then

taken to his village home in

Feni for burial.

Mohiuddin Ahmed, 80,

passed away Monday at his

Uttara home in Dhaka after

a prolonged illness.

SOL share, Shakti

Foundation to

interconnect solar

P2P microgrid to

national Grid

DHAKA : SOLshare, the

initiator of the world's first

peer-to-peer energy

exchange network for rural

communities, in

collaboration with Shakti

Foundation, is set to break

another glass ceiling in

energy innovation.

Funded by the UK

Government, SOLshare

and Shakti Foundation will

be interconnecting one of

their P2P solar microgrids -

a network of

interconnected solar home

systems, in a rural village in

Bangladesh through a

single point called the Point

of Common Coupling

(PCC), to feed the excess

solar energy into the

national grid.

Dr Tawfiq-e-Elahi

Chowdhury, Advisor to the

Prime Minister for Power,

Energy and Mineral

Resources Affairs

inaugurated the PCC on

Tuesday at SOLshare's

offices in the city.

He was joined by acting

British High Commissioner

to Bangladesh Javed Patel

as special guest.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22, 2022

3

Sarah Resort conducts recruitment

program at DIU

'Campus Recruitment Day Summer 2022'

was organized yesterday at the Department

of Tourism & Hospitality Management

(THM) of Daffodil International University

atAshulia, Dhaka. This special job

recruitment for THM Graduates was

organized by the department for the

recruitment of Sarah Resort of Fortis Group

in Gazipur, Bangladesh.

Prof. Dr. M. Lutfar Rahman, Vice-

Chancellor of Daffodil International

University was present as the chief guest at

the opening ceremony of the day-long event.

Besides, Professor Dr. Md. Masum Iqbal,

Dean, Faculty of Business and

Entrepreneurship, Mahbub Parvez, Head of

Tourism & Hospitality Management

Department, Ahmed Raquib, General

Manager, Joynab Akter, Cluster Human

Resources Manager, Shayeduzzaman Khan

Shawon, Senior Executive of HR &

Administration of Sarah Resort were present

at the program.

Speaking as the chief guest, Vice-

Chancellor of Daffodil International

University Prof. Dr. M. Lutfar Rahman said,

the demand of the Tourism and Hospitality

Department is increasing day by day in

Bangladesh. Those who are studying here

will see it not only as an increase in skills

but also as a work of humanity. We are

trying to prepare university students that

way. This is my expectation that those who

go to Sarah Resort yesterday for an

internship will work, learn and apply what

they have learned.

Sarah Resort was established in 2017 as

a part of Fortis Group and has established

a strong position in Bangladesh with a

reputation. Ahmed Raquib, general

manager of Sarah Resort said, "My idea of

a private university changed when I came

to Daffodil International University.

Private universities in Bangladesh can

have such beautiful campuses, and I could

not help but be impressed. I believe

students will definitely get a reflection on

their work in our workplace. Guests

praised the University's Green Campus

and Academic Lab at the event.

Guests praised the Green Campus and

Academic Lab of Daffodil International

University after visiting the whole campus.

Professor Dr. M. Lutfar Rahman, Vice Chancellor, Daffodil International

University addressing as the chief guest at the recruitment program conducted

by Sarah Resort. Professor Dr. Md. Masum Iqbal, Dean, Faculty of

Business and Entrepreneurship, Mahbub Parvez, Head of Tourism &

Hospitality Management Department, Ahmed Raquib, General Manager,

Joynab Akter, Cluster Human Resources Manager, Shayeduzzaman Khan

Shawon, Senior Executive of HR & Administration of Sarah Resort were

present at the program.

Photo : Courtesy

BCL attacks Samajtantrik Chhatra

Front at Eden College

DHAKA : BCL activists of Eden College have

allegedly attacked Samajtantrik Chhatra

Front activists during a human chain rally in

front of the College around 1.30 pm on

Monday.

Eden College unit president of

Samajtantrik Chhatra Front Saima Afroze,

and general secretary Shahinur Shumi along

with some other activists were injured in the

attack. Demanding proper justice for the

incident, Injured Shahinur Shumi said about

ten minutes after submitting their

memorandum to the principal they were

attacked.

"They abused us, tore our banner, and tried

to snatch the phone of our president (Saima

Afroze) to delete the videos. We have been

organizing different programs since last

month demanding to start bus services on

eight routes and to improve the quality of the

canteen food. As a part of that ongoing

program they submitted a memorandum to

the principal asking to implement their

claims," she replied when asked about their

program. "When we reached our tent at

'Koroitola' after completing their activities,

some BCL activists of Eden College under the

leadership of Eden College Chhatra League

president Jesmin Riva and general secretary

Razia Sultana attacked us," she said.

Samajtantrik Chhatra Front also alleged

that BCL activists attacked them when they

were collecting donation money for the floodhit

people of Sylhet. Asked about the

allegation, BCL president of Eden College

Chhatra League Tamanna Jesmin Riva said,

"As far as I know nothing such happened in

the campus. There is college administration

and everything have to go through a

systematic process but they didn't follow it."

"There are around 40000 students in this

College, if you want to collect money from the

students you have to take permission from the

administration but did they maintainit?" she

added.

Condemning the attack, Samajtantrik

Chhatra Front central panel formed a

human chain in front of anti terrorist Raju

monument sculpture of University of

Dhaka at 3.30 pm in the afternoon.

Intensify searching in hotels,

messes to prevent subversive

acts: DMP commissioner

DHAKA : Dhaka Metropolitan Police

(DMP) Commissioner Md Shafiqul Islam

ordered his charges to intensify searches in

residential hotels and messes in the capital to

avert any subversive activity ahead of the

Padma Bridge inauguration and during the

Hindu religious festival Rath Yatra.

The DMP Commissioner gave the directive

while addressing the monthly Crime Review

Meeting of the DMP held at its headquarters

on Sunday.

In his speech, the top official of the DMP

thanked all the police members as no

untoward incident took place in the capital in

May.

The DMP commissioner asked the police

officers to work wisely to ensure the safety of

the people. On the occasion of inauguration

of Padma Bridge on 25th June, proper

movement and safety of VIPs and VVIPs

should be ensured, he added.

"In order to prevent any kind of sabotage

activity on the occasion of the inauguration

of Padma bridge, upcoming rath yatra and

reverse rath yatra, search operations of

residential hotels and messes have to be

intensified," he added.

He further said that on the occasion of the

upcoming Eid-ul-Azha, the makeshift cattle

markets have to fulfill their responsibilities

with utmost importance. All concerned

should be careful so that no untoward

incident including any kind of extortion

takes place in the markets.

The DMP Commissioner awarded the best

police officers in recognition of their good

work in maintaining law and order and

public safety in the Dhaka metropolitan city.

Senior police officers of the DMP

headquarters also attended the meeting.

WedneSdAy, JUne 22, 2022

4

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam

e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com

Wednesday, June 22, 2022

Money at risk in

fraudulent

organisations

A

newspaper

reported on the activities of

two so called non government

organisations (NGOs) at Lakshimpur in

the Noakhali district which vanished after

receiving about Taka one crore from

unsuspecting depositors. Members of these

organisations who came to them for depositing

their weekly savings, found that the offices have

completely disappeared and not even the

signboards existed.

This was not for the first time that people had

to suffer at the hands of such fraudulent

organisations. It appears that there are

institutions, many in number in the country,

which have created a vast informal money

market. These bodies are drawing deposits

from people and lending them to business

organisations and individuals in the same

manner as the banks do with the only difference

being their not having the legal sanction for

their operations. However, such illegality has

not prevented them from drawing substantial

deposits and the number of depositors in them

are rising as government took steps to lower

interest rates on its own saving schemes and

the banks also lowered their interest rate on

savings accounts. These organisations

pretending to be like banks, could attract huge

sums to them as deposits from people with the

lure of giving relatively higher interests against

such deposits. Only they know not that at some

point of time like the depositors at Lakshmipur,

they run the high risk of getting deceived and

cheated and becoming financially ruined from

the same.

Apart from the illegality of such bank like

organisations, what is very objectionable about

the carefree functioning of such bodies is the

high risk to which they are exposing their

clients. Pensioners, middle and low income

savers who are keeping their resources in such

organisations particularly stand to lose 'all' if

the government either decides to take drastic

appropriate actions against the illegal banking

activities of these fraudulent organisations or if

these bodies themselves close down from their

own deficiencies or to fulfil their fraudulent

designs.

Some of them are known to be on the verge of

sudden closure although their ordinary clients

are not aware of such a fate. In these cases, these

organisations or cooperatives as some of them

are also called, are facing a situation with their

classified loan burden no less formidable than

the one faced by the regular commercial banks.

Thus, if one bad morning, if the clients of such

a large organisation are startled by the news

that it has closed shop, then they same may

create some awareness about these

organisations among people and they may

rethink their decisions to keep their money in

them. But before the occurrence of one such

traumatic incident or incidents, the

government has a duty to warn people

adequately in time about the dangerous gamble

of saving in such bodies. It is imperative that

people should be warned not to keep their

monies in such fraudulent organisations

through regular publicities in the mass media.

The government also should engage in

regulatory activities with no loss of time to

oblige these organisations to pay heed to rules.

The government's moves may lead to many of

them turning into full fledged authorised banks

from their moves to adhere to regulations to be

able to remain in business. The government is

unlikely to admit any liability on its own in

respect of depositors' funds arising from the

auto closure or ordered closure or just the

disappearance of these organisations like in

Laksmipur . The least it can do is remove the

illusion that people have about the legality and

sustainability of these organisations.

The Tories' Brexit obsession has no future in a changing Britain. They just won't admit it

In December 2016, only six months after

the Brexit referendum, there was a by

election in the constituency of Sleaford

and North Hykeham, Lincolnshire, part of

an area where 62% of voters had backed

leaving the EU. The local Tory MP had

resigned over his differences with Theresa

May and her government over its treatment

of refugees, international aid and attempts

to cut parliament out of the Brexit process -

and thereby triggered a contest defined by

the idea that we had to confront the EU and

escape its grip as soon as possible. The

Tories campaigned with the slogan "Brexit

means Brexit" and the promise of "a fully

independent, sovereign country", and won

over 50% of the vote, with Ukip coming a

distant second.

When I spent time there, what was

interesting was not the rather muted battle

between the parties, but a glaring

generational divide, which was clear as

soon as I started talking to people. At one

end of the spectrum, most people over 60

were still worked up about the EU, equally

vocal about a range of issues that swirled

around it, and worried that Westminster

might somehow snatch Brexit away. But

anyone under 30 responded to questions

about such things either with pro-remain

opinions, or indifferent shrugs.

"I think the older people voted to come

out," said one woman, who snugly fitted

into the first category.

"They want to see this country as it was,"

offered her husband. "All the old values

have gone, haven't they? There doesn't

seem to be much pride in the country."

As had long been the norm, these

sentiments often blurred into fairly

pungent opinions about immigration, and

claims about shadowy forces trying to deny

Britain its destiny. But when we spoke to

students from a nearby further education

college, the only political issues that seemed

to count were the near-impossibility of

getting somewhere to live and the lack of

good local jobs: any talk about the stuff of

nationhood and belonging drew endless

blank looks, almost as if I was speaking

How Putin's Ukraine policy parallels Stalin’s plan for Germany

Almost four months into Russia's

invasion of Ukraine, President Vladimir

Putin's policy is becoming clear. The

war between Ukraine and Russia is likely to

be a long one.

It is becoming obvious that the Western

states, and particularly the countries of

Europe, will have to provide assistance on an

unprecedented scale, amounting to a civilian

and a military aid package. This would be

similar to the Marshall Plan, the funding

offered by the US after the Second World War

to help rebuild Europe.

Putin is pursuing a brutal policy of

subjugating Ukraine. He regards his country

as Ukraine's historic imperial master. To stop

the war, Ukraine may have to undertake

never to join or cooperate with the North

Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Putin is trying to weaken Ukraine as much

as he can to reduce its value to the Western

world it is trying to join. He will seize as much

Ukrainian territory as he thinks he can hold.

From the new Russian territories in eastern

and southern Ukraine, Putin will then hope to

dominate the rump Ukrainian state and draw

it into dependence on Russia.

There is a telling historical parallel from

Soviet history for this policy. During World

War II, the Soviet dictator, Josef Stalin, won

the agreement of US president Franklin

Roosevelt and British prime minister

Winston Churchill to weaken the German

empire - the great state founded by Otto von

Bismarck in 1871 that extended from Alsace-

Lorraine in modern-day France to

Koenigsberg (now Kaliningrad) in modernday

Russia.

To Stalin, Germany was not only a grave

threat to the Soviet Union as the greatest

European power, it was also part of the threat

posed to the USSR by the entire capitalist

world.

At their wartime conferences in Tehran,

Yalta and Potsdam, the leaders of the three

Allies agreed that the German empire would

be dismembered, thus greatly reducing its

size. Much of its eastern territory would be

given to Poland and the USSR. Poland lost

territory in its east. The line marked by the

Oder and Neisse rivers became the new

Polish-German border.

The ethnic German population of Eastern

Europe, about 12 million people, was expelled

to the territory of the rump German empire,

which consisted of Germany's western and

central regions.

Stalin initially hoped that the whole of

Germany would become communist and fall

into the USSR's hands. When he realized that

that would not happen, he established an East

German state, the German Democratic

Republic (GDR), in October 1949 - five

months after the foundation of its western

counterpart, the Federal Republic of

Germany.

Stalin and his successors as leaders of the

USSR consistently hoped that the GDR would

draw the people of the Federal Republic

toward communism. It never succeeded in

doing so. In 1989-1990 the people of East

Germany overthrew the communist regime

and voted to join the Federal Republic.

When the Russian invasion of Ukraine

began in February this year, Putin expected

that his army would overrun the country

quickly, there would be little resistance, and

the elected government would flee into exile.

These hopes have been dashed.

He is now trying to dismember Ukraine,

seizing its eastern territories (the selfdeclared

republics of Donetsk and Luhansk)

and expelling elements of their populations

that might not be loyal to Russia. This follows

PAUL MADDRELL

RABBI MARC SCHNEIER

the 2014 seizure of Crimea, in the south of

Ukraine.

Russian military commanders and

government officials have claimed publicly

that eastern and southern Ukraine will, from

now on, belong to Russia forever. Russia's

minister for education, Sergei Kravtsov,

recently announced that strict censorship

would be introduced into the education

system in eastern and southern Ukraine so

that no anti-Russian sentiments could be

expressed.

Russification (the policy of enforcing

Russian culture on populations) appears to be

being reinforced by ethnic cleansing. Last

month the Ukrainian parliament's

commissioner for human rights, Liudmyla

Denisova, informed the United Nations' High

Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi,

that 1.3 million Ukrainians, including

223,000 children, had been forcibly deported

to Russia.

For the Russian president, Ukraine is not

only important in itself: It is important as an

asset to the Western world it seeks to join,

which Putin calls "the Euro-Atlantic world" -

the European community of states that looks

to the United States for leadership.

Ukraine is an important part of the struggle

between Russian authoritarianism and

Western liberalism. Since his army cannot

conquer the whole of Ukraine, Putin wants to

seize as much of the country as he can and

reduce the value of the remainder to the West

as much as possible.

This is similar to the policy toward

Germany that Stalin adopted in the late

1940s. He would have preferred to establish

communist control over the whole of

Germany. The US, by attempting to revive the

West German economy with a new currency

and with Marshall Plan aid, made clear to him

that it would prevent this. Consequently,

Stalin strengthened his hold on the part of

Germany in his hands.

It took 41 years - from 1949 to 1990 - for the

Federal Republic to recover East Germany. It

has not recovered its lost territories of Silesia,

Pomerania and East Prussia and probably

will never do so. It took France 48 years -

from 1871 to 1919 - to recover Alsace-

Lorraine, lost after the Franco-Prussian War.

In both of these cases, the territories were

only recovered once the regimes that

controlled them fell from power. It is likely

that Putin's regime will have to fall if Ukraine

is to recover its eastern and southern regions,

just as Germany's Hohenzollern imperial

dynasty fell in November 1918 and the Sovietbacked

GDR regime fell in November and

December 1989.

Putin's policy will fail, just like Stalin and his

successors failed, only if the West proves too

united and too strong to be defeated. To take

their eastern and southern territories back,

the Ukrainians will not only have to wage a

long war: they will have to receive enormous

military, financial and economic assistance

from Europe.

The US cannot be expected to provide the

lion's share of the assistance, as it has done up

to now. The states of Europe will have to

display an unprecedented degree of solidarity,

both with Ukraine and with one another.

Full membership of European Union for

Ukraine must be in the cards, as a way of

strengthening the country. Although as

indicated by EU leaders, this is likely to be a

slow process.

Paul Maddrell is lecturer in international

history and international relations at

Loughborough University, England.

A Saudi-US partnership beyond transactions

The White House has confirmed that US

President Joe Biden will visit Saudi Arabia

this July in what will be his first trip to an

Arab or Muslim country. Such an overseas

journey could not be timelier: By meeting the

Saudi leadership in Jeddah, the US leader can

reinvigorate an alliance - one of America's oldest

- that is needed more than ever.

Policymakers may be primarily fixated on the

global supply of oil, as well as the war in Ukraine

and questions over the future of the Joint

Comprehensive Plan of Action, or nuclear deal,

with Iran. It is understandable that at a time of

record gas prices, Americans cannot help but

concentrate on the pain in their wallet each time

another language.

Six years on, despite the government's

sliding popularity, Boris Johnson is

keeping this division festering on. His

attempts to move on from his recent noconfidence

vote centre on his government's

battle with "liberal left lawyers" and the

European court of human rights over a

truly mind-boggling asylum policy; and its

reckless approach to the Northern Ireland

protocol is all about the idea that if

everything else fails, the Brexit wars will

have to be restarted. The mixture of

nostalgia, belligerence and a zealous belief

in "sovereignty" - whatever that means -

that came to the fore in 2016 has never

really gone away. Conservatism's offer to

anyone unmoved by such abstracts,

moreover, is once again a mystery.

What the government's current

contortions really betray is its anxiety about

the Brexit project's long-term survival. As

they try and shore up an increasingly feeble

prime minister, Brexiters are not behaving

like people who won, but people brimming

with fear and paranoia. On the day of

Johnson's no-confidence vote, Jacob Rees-

Mogg warned - despite plenty of evidence

to the contrary - that Tory opponents of the

prime minister were "hostile to Brexit" and

that the ballot would "undermine the Brexit

referendum". Suella Braverman, the

government's in-house brains trust and

attorney general, last week dismissed

they fill up their car. Likewise, it makes sense

that Saudis are prioritizing the exciting

opportunities of Vision 2030, as well as security

needs stemming from the Houthi drone attacks

that have repeatedly targeted population

centers and civilian infrastructure in recent

years. But when Biden meets King Salman and

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a

narrow American and public focus on these

security and economic matters would be a lost

opportunity for both countries, the region and

the planet. We cannot forget that the US-Saudi

partnership of more than 80 years has never

been solely transactional, or about just oil and

defense needs. From fighting global

John hARRIS

concerns about Northern Ireland as

"remainiac make-believe". The rightwing

press is full of talk of remainer plots,

including Keir Starmer's alleged secret plan

to take us back into Europe.

Somewhere in their souls, the cleverer

Brexiters presumably know two things.

One is that there will be no material

benefits from life outside the EU, and that

its dire effects on the economy are now

becoming crystal clear. The other echoes

what I found in Sleaford: the fact that the

As had long been the norm, these sentiments often blurred into

fairly pungent opinions about immigration, and claims about

shadowy forces trying to deny Britain its destiny. But when we spoke

to students from a nearby further education college, the only political

issues that seemed to count were the near-impossibility of getting

somewhere to live and the lack of good local jobs: any talk about the

stuff of nationhood and belonging drew endless blank looks, almost

as if I was speaking another language.

vote to exit the EU was the product of a

unique political moment based on delicate

age demographics that have already

shifted, which confirms the sense that

hardcore Brexitism is a doomed creed. It

will fade as the future takes shape and

Brexit's dire consequences become

inescapable. But as panic sets in, the

strongest Tory instinct is not to rethink.

Instead, the most doctrinaire and stupid

Conservatives see no other option than to

double down.

History very often works like this.

Partisans sometimes rejoice in seemingly

historic triumphs that are followed by

defeat and retreat, something that may yet

apply to both the referendum, and

Johnson's win in 2019 (shades here of

George Dangerfield's famous critique of the

Liberal landslide of 1906: "from that victory

they never recovered"). Among

revolutionaries and zealots - a description

Russian military commanders and government officials have

claimed publicly that eastern and southern Ukraine will, from

now on, belong to Russia forever. Russia's minister for education,

Sergei Kravtsov, recently announced that strict censorship would

be introduced into the education system in eastern and southern

Ukraine so that no anti-Russian sentiments could be expressed.

communism to repelling Saddam Hussein, and

crushing Al-Qaeda and Daesh, the relationship

at its core has been about shaping a safer, more

secure and more prosperous world.

One way in which Saudi Arabia more recently

has changed its neighborhood for the better,

and opened up a rich and still largely

unexplored space of possibilities, is through

interfaith dialogue.

Americans are largely unaware that the

Kingdom has pioneered many of the

breakthroughs in tolerance and understanding

that have so profoundly shaken the modern

Middle East.

Efforts began with King Abdullah, through a

that surely fits many Tory Brexiters - there

is always a tendency to assume that if

things slip, the apparent supporters of a

cause will be as passionate and driven as

the people at the top, and equally attached

to their big ideas. The truth is that if a

revolution fails to deliver the most basic

gains for people, it will sooner or later

founder; and that in any case, most of us

tend to quickly get bored and frustrated by

fanatics. Johnson once showed signs of

understanding this: it seemed to be the

essence of his promise to get Brexit done. In

that context, in the midst of a cost of living

crisis, the spectacle of him and his allies

threatening to undo it and wallow in

complete arcana is quite something.

In Sleaford and elsewhere, I suspect that

even many of the apparently hardened

Brexiters of 2016 will be left cold, but that is

only half the point. Remember: 73% of 18-

to 24-year-olds voted remain. Among the

25-34 age group, the figure was 62%. Three

years ago, when hardcore Tories raised the

union jack and flirted with a no-deal Brexit,

68% of over-65s said they supported that

course of action, but the figure for 18-24s

was a measly 14%. Does that suggest any

kind of firm foundation for a Tory future

based on flag-waving belligerence and

endless fights with Brussels?

Clearly not, and the same, refreshingly

hopeful argument may apply to the political

present. If the Conservatives lose next

week's byelections in Devon and West

Yorkshire, we will presumably hear a lot

about Partygate and people's doubts about

the prime minister's fitness for office. What

we also ought to consider is something that

is going to become more and more obvious:

the fact that Johnson and his stubborn

allies are starting to look like generals

fighting the last war, wilfully oblivious to

how much their home country is changing,

and the uselessness of their tattered maps.

John Harris is a Guardian columnist,

who writes on subjects including politics,

popular culture and music.

global interreligious conference he hosted in

2008, followed by his interfaith initiative

address at the UN several months later. I was

honored to participate at both convocations, in

Madrid and in New York. Four years later,

Saudi leaders were largely responsible for

launching the King Abdullah International

Center for Interreligious and Intercultural

Dialogue, a multinational forum for open

dialogue across faiths. The center's work has

endured beyond the late king, and every day it

works to strengthen global voices of tolerance.

Rabbi Marc Schneier is president of the

Foundation for Ethnic Understanding

WEdnEsdaY, JunE 22, 2022

5

JulIa rIEs

We've seen second COVID-19 boosters

recommended for older adults and people with

underlying health conditions - but what about

the general population? Will another booster

shot be recommended for everyone in the fall

to fend off a winter surge? Or will the next

booster campaign be geared to those most at

risk for developing severe disease?

These are the key questions vaccine experts

are considering right now. The Food and Drug

Administration's Vaccines and Related

Biological Products Advisory Committee

recently met to discuss the next round of

boosters. The panel agreed that while there is a

strong need to craft a plan ahead of fall and

winter, there isn't enough data to know who

would benefit from another booster. The

committee also didn't decide whether a next

booster would be an already-approved shot or

one of the updated vaccines currently being

tested. The advisory group will meet again on

June 28.

Infectious disease experts generally agree

that developing a booster strategy is a

complicated task. The utility of boosters varies

greatly, depending on people's age and risk

factors, so we may very well see the next round

of boosters limited to at-risk individuals.

Vaccine scientists also have to consider that a

booster strategy for everybody might not make

sense today, but we could very well find

ourselves in a totally different situation come

September.

"The solution isn't just throwing vaccines at

everybody. It's actually having a meaningful

understanding of what are the goals of the

vaccine program and what can we expect the

vaccines to do," Isaac Bogoch, an infectious

disease physician and scientist at the

University of Toronto, told.

Bogoch said in order to determine if, when

and how boosters will be needed, it's crucial to

first look at the goals.

The current shots have waning protection

against infection and onward transmission,

Bogoch explained, but they continue to be safe

and very effective at preventing severe

outcomes like hospitalizations and death.

Health officials will need to decide if they

want boosters to prevent hospitalization and

death (which the initial shots still do in most

people) or to prevent symptomatic COVID (a

harder feat), according to Arjun Venkatesh, a

Yale Medicine emergency medicine doctor and

associate professor at Yale School of Medicine.

The effectiveness of vaccines varies between

When is it time for another Covid booster?

Experts discuss the next round of booster shots and the variant-specific vaccines now being tested.

people. Immunocompromised individuals and

older people's antibody levels wane earlier,

which makes these people strong candidates

for booster doses, Venkatesh said.

"The reason we want to boost older adults

first is because in many ways, the vaccine -

their first two doses - didn't work as well as it

worked in younger people," Venkatesh said.

That second booster has helped at-risk groups

be "as vaccinated" as healthier individuals who

got only two doses.

It's reasonable to expect that the next round

of boosters will be recommended for

vulnerable individuals before the next wave of

the pandemic this fall, Bogoch said.

Venkatesh also believes we will see booster

campaigns targeting at-risk populations more

than blanket booster recommendations. It's

not uncommon for booster campaigns to roll

out for select groups - we already do this for

shingles, pneumonia and flu shots.

Trials have shown that a fourth dose of the

currently available vaccines doesn't provide

much more protection against mild or

asymptomatic infections than a third dose in

healthy people under 50, according to Supriya

Narasimhan, the division chief of infectious

diseases and hospital epidemiologist and

medical director of infection prevention at

Santa Clara Valley Medical Center.

"The increase in vaccine efficacy was small

and short-lived, therefore the benefit of an

additional dose is not thought to be great,"

Narasimhan said, noting that the benefits of a

Photo: Internet

fourth dose were much more pronounced in

people over 60.

As of now, it's unclear if and when the

general population should get an additional

booster dose.

"That's going to be based, largely, on when

we start seeing young, healthy people being at

risk for hospitalization or death - because

that's the outcome we're trying to prevent - or

when we see young, healthy people have

waning levels of antibodies" that put them at

risk, Venkatesh said. That would suggest it's

time for everybody to get another shot.

Bogoch suspects booster campaigns will vary

from place to place. The United Kingdom

recently suggested its fall booster campaign

would be limited to older and more vulnerable

people. Quebec, on the other hand, already

made a booster dose available for anyone over

the age of 18 who wants it. Bogoch wouldn't be

surprised if health authorities elsewhere

eventually say that anyone who wants a dose

can get it.

Last week, Moderna announced its omicronspecific

booster was well tolerated and

demonstrated a more robust antibody

response against omicron variants than the

original COVID shot. The company hopes to

submit preliminary data soon. If authorized,

the shots will be available in late summer, with

booster options in the fall.

Pfizer is also working on a fall booster,

though little data has been released on that.

The FDA recently recommenced authorization

for the Novavax vaccine's primary series, but

the shot is still being studied as a booster.

It's difficult to predict when the new versions

of the COVID vaccines will be available,

Bogoch said. Even though they've been

developed and are being tested, that doesn't

mean they will be recommended for everyone.

Vaccine scientists and health officials will first

need to figure out if the new shots help people

regain protection against infection and

onward transmission - and, if so, how well,

Bogoch said.

"It's completely expected that something like

that would still protect against severe

protection, hospitalization and death - but can

we regain protection against infection and

onward transmission and can we do so in a

durable manner that doesn't wane over a

couple of months?" Bogoch asked. These

questions have not yet been answered.

Venkatesh suspects that, like the flu, we will

eventually have annual vaccines for COVID. At

some point, we may pivot to different types of

vaccines - like intranasal vaccines that can help

fight transmission and pan-coronavirus

vaccines that can target various types of

coronaviruses at once. But we won't see these

in 2022, Bogoch noted.

For now, experts want to tread carefully

when it comes to boosters and prioritize them

for the people who need them most while

tracking how the current shots hold up in the

rest of the population.

"It is important that we are timely and

cautious in deploying additional boosters for

the general population because the increase in

protection is likely to be small and short-lived,

especially in those who have hybrid immunity

due to infection and vaccination," Narasimhan

said.

Proper ways to clean out ears

CarolInE BoloGna

Our bodies produce all

kinds of substances, and

people have different

tolerance levels for them.

One that can be really

bothersome is earwax. But

believe it or not, this

substance actually serves a

purpose ? and you need to

be careful when it comes to

removing it.

Below, experts break

down what you need to

know about dealing with

earwax and cleaning out

your ears. "Most people do

not need to remove their ear

wax," said Dr. Erich P.

Voigt, an associate

professor

in

Otolaryngology-Head &

Neck Surgery at NYU

Grossman School of

Medicine. "It is a protective

coating of the ear canal. It is

a waterproofing agent and

has anti-microbial

properties. It helps prevent

outer ear infections."

In addition to protecting

your ears from water

damage and infection,

earwax also lubricates the

ears, preventing the area

from feeling dry and itchy.

And like other parts of the

body, ears are "selfcleaning,"

so you don't

really need to wash the

inside area.

"Think from an

evolutionary standpoint,"

said Dr. Lawrence R. Lustig,

chair of the Department of

Otolaryngology-Head &

Neck Surgery at Columbia

University Vagelos College

of Physicians and Surgeons.

"If Mother Nature designed

an ear that had to be

cleaned, that would be a

poor design. We didn't have

ear cleaners 500,000 years

ago."

He described the system

as a "conveyer belt of skin."

"Earwax is a combination of

skin and oil," Lustig said.

"Skin migrates out from the

eardrum to the outside of

the ear canal, and as those

migrating dead skin cells

mix with the oil glands of

the ear canal on the way out,

that's where you get

earwax."

Some people have a

migration problem,

produce too much wax or

wax of an abnormal

consistency. They might be

prone to wax infections and

require

medical

intervention to remove their

earwax, which can block the

ear and impair hearing. But

for most of us, the wax

clears out naturally as we go

about our daily lives.

"The body has a system

for creating wax and

pushing it out," said Dr.

Bradley B. Block, an

otolaryngologist-head and

neck surgeon and host of

the "Physician's Guide to

Doctoring" podcast. "As you

chew and talk, the ear canal

skin moves, and this pushes

the wax out. Interfering

with this system can lead to

wax getting pushed in and

accumulating, clogging the

ear canal, so cleaning the

ears can have the

paradoxical effect of

clogging the ear."

When you ask people

what Q-tips are meant for,

their answers will likely

include cleaning out

earwax. This practice has

Experts break down the best practices when it comes to dealing with earwax.

Photo: Getty

become so commonplace

that Kevin James' character

in "Hitch" has a dance move

that mimics cleaning out

the ears with a Q-tip.

But pop culture fans

might also remember that

brutal scene from "Girls"

when Hannah inserts a Q-

tip too far into her ear and

accidentally punctures her

eardrum. The packaging for

Q-tip products today even

contains a clear warning:

"Do not insert inside the ear

canal."

Indeed, cotton swabs like

Q-tips can scratch the ear

canal and cause bleeding or

even lead to ear drum

damage. Bottom line:

Cleaning out your ears with

Q-tips is not a good idea.

"Think about diameter of

ear canal and diameter of Q-

tips," Lustig said. "If you

can't see what you're doing,

you can end up sort of

packing all that wax in with

a Q-tips. A lot of the time it

acts as a plunger. When I

have someone come in with

an earwax infection, half the

time it's because they used

Q-tips."

In addition to packing the

wax deeper and potentially

causing it to get trapped in

the ear, cleaning out your

ears with Q-tips can lead to

outer ear infections.

"Stripping the wax out of

the canal can also leave the

skin dry, and dry skin can

get itchy," Block added.

"This leads to a cycle of

using cotton swabs to clean

out the wax, which makes

them itch, so then you

scratch with cotton swabs,

which makes them itch,

etc."

And bad news if you

prefer using ear candles: In

addition to causing other

forms of potential harm,

this method doesn't seem to

work. "There have actually

been studies to see the

amount of wax that comes

out," Lustig said. "It doesn't

seem to help at all, and

there's the risk of burning

your ear doing it. It was

trendy for awhile, but I

think that trend has worn

off ? though I'm sure ear

candles will eventually arise

from the dead like Lazarus."

If you're still wanting to

clean your ears, just focus

on the outside area and any

wax that's already on its way

out.

"My

general

recommendation for people

is let the body do its job,"

Lustig said. "Let that skin

migration with the wax

come out on its own. Take a

wet washrag onto your

finger and clean out

whatever comes to the entry

point."

Both Block and Voigt

recommended simply

letting the normal

showering and hair washing

process clean the area. "Just

wipe the outside with a

soapy finger or washcloth,"

Block said.

MonICa TorrEs

If you feel like you are at the

breaking point right now at

your job, you are not alone.

Americans are coping with

what is known as "cascading

collective trauma," as

termed by Roxane Cohen

Silver, a University of

California at Irvine

psychologist who has

researched trauma for

decades.

In an article published in

the journal Nature Human

Behavior, Silver and her coauthors

described how the

pandemic has added a new

kind of layer to our

cascading collective

traumas, which they define

as "chronic events with an

ambiguous endpoint. We do

not know how bad things

will get, nor when recovery

can truly begin."

"Individuals must grapple

with intense direct exposure

to cascading events (for

example, personal illness or

loss, social isolation,

economic loss, violent

policing), with varying and

sometimes conflicting

policies dictating public

response," they added.

Sound familiar? With an

indefinite pandemic, regular

mass shootings, anti-Asian

hate, anti-Black police

violence, wars, record-high

inflation causing economic

distress, high-profile sexual

assault and harassment

cases, a fresh rise of openly

white supremacist politics

and abortion rights in peril,

it may feel like there's a

never-ending list of

traumatic events happening

all at once right now.

Each one comes with a toll

on your psyche and effects

how well you can do your

job. "The impact feels

greater each time, because

we have lower and lower

capacity to deal, because we

haven't had enough time to

recover from the last thing,"

said psychotherapist Esther

Boykin, who likens it to

catching a cold and then

getting an allergic reaction,

plus an infection on top of

that.

Trauma shows up in our

bodies, and it can affect us in

unseen ways. Silver, along

with other researchers, has

studied how residents in the

Northeast responded to

successive traumatic events

like 9/11, Superstorm Sandy,

the Sandy Hook shooting

How to cope with collective

traumas at work

Enduring a pandemic, racism, violence, misogyny, the erosion of rights and mass death

is taking a cascading toll on the workers.

Photo: Collected

and the Boston Marathon "There may be a number Atlanta-based partner at a

bombing. She found that of challenges in the management consultant

increased exposure to a background that we may not organization, cascading

trauma could increase see, because people may not collective trauma included

emotional distress share their individual the death of her mother a

responses like hypervigilance,

challenges with their co-

year into the pandemic. "I

feeling "on edge," workers, but the emotional was already dealing with my

trouble sleeping and consequences of the own personal grief, but then

emotional numbness in individual challenges may when you have policeinvolved

subsequent tragedies. still be there," she said.

shootings, and

But now with traumas

happening on an almostdaily

basis, Silver is not sure

how we are processing it.

"We are really being rapidly

bombarded with these kinds

of challenges. We may see

something different now. I

don't know," she said. "I do

"One of the best ways we

can intervene with the

effects of cascading trauma

is creating space for more

rest," Boykin said, noting

that rest is not just about

more naps or a vacation, but

also could mean detoxing

from news for a while, or

mass shootings, it can feel

like a compounding of grief,"

she said.

As a Black woman, Hanks

said the white supremacist

attack on a grocery store in

Buffalo, New York, deeply

affected her, and as a former

educator, the Uvalde, Texas

know that emotional volunteering and school shooting "kind of

exhaustion is a response that

we are seeing in our data,

reconnecting with people.

Flexibility could also mean

broke" her.

Her grief manifested as

that I'm hearing anecdotally managers creating space for more fatigue, trouble

that many people are people to gather and support sleeping and feeling more

reporting that they have just

reached their limit. They

each other when something

traumatic goes down during

irritable and cynical during

the work day, she said. What

can't listen to the news office hours ? and also giving stands out in Hanks'

anymore."

them the clear option to opt memory in terms of

That's why Silver advises out, Boykin said. Ideally, meaningful support is when

employers to be flexible in managers should be her colleagues and

these times, and be thinking about this before supervisor not only offered

understanding that people

cannot always be bringing

the next crisis hits. It means

not just creating a plan, "but

the option to cancel an

engagement, but they were

their "A-game" right now. to be collaborative in also proactive about offering

Often traumas unfold as we creating that plan," she said. their help. They sent texts

are at work, making "To genuinely ask the people like "Hey, just doublechecking,

colleagues our most who work for you to create

you know I can

immediate possible support

systems. And on the flip

side, people may not share

the more personal traumas

ways for them to even

anonymously share when

things happen that are

traumatic, what kind of

take this... It's your call, but

I'm happy to do it."

"It's one thing to cancel,

but it's another thing for

they experience outside the resources do you need someone to pick up weight

office but are effected available to you at work?" when we all feel pinched for

nonetheless.

For Nancy Hanks, an time and capacity.

WEDNEsDay, JuNE 22, 2022

6

swimsuits being distributed to one of the trainees.

Elephant conservation

project in the offing

By Rafiqul islam

DHAKA: Bangladesh Forest

Department has decided to

implement a project to

conserve wild elephants and

minimise elephant-human

conflicts, as a number of

wild mammoths have been

killed in recent years.

"We have already

formulated a Taka 50-crore

project titled 'Elephant

Conservation Project' and

sent it to the Planning

Commission," Mollah

Rezaul Karim, Conservator

of Forests at Wildlife and

Nature Conservation Circle,

told BSS.

He said once the project

gets clearance from the

Planning Commission, the

Forest Department will start

work for implementation of

the project.

According to the project

details, 1,400 hectares of

orchards having plants that

elephants prefer to eat, 150

hectares of calamus palm

garden and 250 hectares of

bamboo garden will be

created aiming to ensure

safe habitat, breeding and

food security for elephants.

To ensure daily water

demand of the wild

elephants, 15 small-big

water bodies and 50 saltlicks

will be built at their habitats.

About 100-kilometre

solar-powered barred

fencing will be set up along

the ecological boundaries of

vulnerable forests and

villages to minimise humanelephant

conflicts.

32.50 lakh tonnes of

Boro rice produced

in Rajshahi division

RAJSHAHI: Farmers have

produced around 32.50

lakh tonnes of Boro rice

from 8.18 lakh hectares of

land in all eight districts

under Rajshahi division

during the recent past

harvesting season.

Currently, the grassroots

farmers are happy after

getting better yield and

market price of their newly

harvested rice contributing

a lot towards ensuring food

security in the region.

This year, additional

6,668 tonnes of rice has

been produced in the

division compared to the

target set by the

Department of Agriculture

Extension (DAE).

The DAE had fixed the

target of producing 35.51

lakh tonnes of rice from

8.12 lakh hectares of land

but, amazingly, the

farmers brought around

8.19 lakh hectares of land

under paddy farming.

Shamsul Wadud,

additional director of the

DAE, Rajshahi, said the

farmers attained the yield

following various effective

steps including inspiring to

enhancing cultivation of

high yielding varieties of

Boro rice, price reduction

of DAP fertilizer, smooth

supply of fertilisers and

power for irrigation by the

government.

Photo: sajjadul Tuhin

Consumer Department raiding a storehouse in Puthia, Rajshahi

Photo : md. mehedi Hasan

Consumer Department's

campaign to control rice

market in Puthia

PUTHIA: In order to control the rice market,

the Consumer Rights Department Rajshahi,

market monitoring team is conducting

operations in different rice warehouses and

rice mills of Puthia upazila. On Tuesday

(June 21) at noon, a raid was carried out on

some rice mills in Dhopapara Bazar of

Puthia Upazila.

In the mobile court raid led by Md. Masum

Ali, Assistant Director, Department of

Consumer Rights, Rajshahi District, in

Dhopapara Bazar, Puthia Upazila, a fine of

10000+5000=15000 taka were fined to two

companies for violating Section 45 of the

Consumer Rights Act. Hafeez, Upazila

Sanitary Inspector and Safe Food Inspector,

and members of the security forces were

present at the time. The campaign team said

that the campaign will continue for the

public interest.

People using vela as Chilmari flood situation deteriorates. Photo: Golam mahbub

60,000 people trapped in

water as flood situation in

Chilmari deteriorates.

KURIGRAM: In Chilmari, Kurigram, the

flood situation has deteriorated due to the

downpour and continuous rains coming

down from the upper reaches. The water level

of Brahmaputra River is rising and is flowing

at 57 cm above the danger level which

resulted into about 60,000 people in the

lowlands being trapped in the water and

various crops including paddy have been

submerged in 2,600 hectares of land.

10,000 people from Ashtamirchar Union,

6,000 from Nayarhat Union, 12,000 from

Raniganj Union, 12,000 from Ramna Union,

9,000 from Thanahat Union, and 8,000

from Chilmari Union are reportedly

marooned. Besides, crops such as jute, aus

paddy, seedbed, vegetables and chillies of

about 2,616 hectares of land in 8 unions of the

upazila including meadows have been

submerged in water. Ramna Model Union

head Golam Ashek Aka said 12,000 people

were marooned. He received 100 packages of

dry food as humanitarian supplies, which he

couldn't carry to the flood-hit area. Hossain

Johnny, a gauge reader at Paubo

Brahmaputra Chilmari Point, said the water

level at Chilmari Point in the Brahmaputra

River had risen by 5 cm in the last 24 hours,

and flowing at 56cm over the danger level.

50,400 people are reportedly marooned in

the upazila. 30 MT of rice, 150K GR cash, 150

packets of dry food, 150K for infant food, and

150K for cow food have been allocated to

support marooned individuals.

Pranoy Bishan Das, Upazila Agriculture

Officer, said that in 7 unions of the upazila

including meadows, crops such as jute, aus

paddy, seedbed, vegetables and chillies

including about 2,616 hectares of land have

been submerged in water.

Upazila Executive Officer Md. Mahbubur

Rahman said that the assistance received is

being distributed in phases among the

marooned people.

Inauguration

of swimming

training camp

at Manda

MANDA: A week-long

swimming training camp

has been inaugurated at

Naogaon Manda. The camp

was inaugurated at

Kayapara Kamarkuri High

School premises in the

upazila yesterday afternoon.

This swimming training

camp is being held under the

management of District

Sports Office under the

annual sports program

2021-22 of Bangladesh

Sports Directorate.

The inaugural event was

presided over by the District

Sports Officer, Abu Jafar

Mahmuduzzaman, while the

Upazila Executive Officer,

Md. Abu Bakkar Siddique,

was the chief guest.

Additionally, the

headmaster and teachers

from other schools were

present at the event. Thirty

trainees from various

schools in the upazila are

partaking in swimming

instruction. In addition,

swimsuits were supplied to

the trainees.

UNO Abu Bakkar

Siddique stated that there is

no alternative to swimming

for constructing a healthy

body. People living in floodprone

locations must be able

to swim. Students will learn

to swim, compete in

numerous events, and build

a name for themselves

domestically

and

internationally. Therefore,

not only students but all of

us must routinely engage in

swimming to maintain our

health.

Two motorcyclists

killed in Rangpur

road accident

RANGPUR: RANGPUR,

June 21, 2022 (BSS) - Two

motorcyclists were killed in a

road accident at Talimganj

Bazar point on the

Mithapukur-Phulbari

regional highway under

Mithapukur upazila in the

district on Monday night.

"The accident occurred

when a Rangpur bound

truck from Phulbari hit the

motorbike carrying the two

men on the spot at 12

midnight," Officer-in-

Charge (OC) of Mithapukur

police station Mostafizar

Rahman said.

Driver and helper of the

killer truck, however,

managed to escape from the

scene with their vehicle.

The deceased were

identified as Md. Shafikul

Islam, 25, and Md. Emon

Miah, 30, of village

Tilakpara in Chengmari

union of Mithapukur upazila

in Rangpur.

"The bodies were handed

over to their respective

family members," the OC

said, adding that a case was

filed in this connection with

Mithapukur police station.

2,97,65,202 Covid-19

jabs so far administered

in Rangpur division

RANGPUR: RANGPUR,

June 21, 2022 (BSS) -The

total number of

administered Covid-19

jabs rose to two crore 97

lakh 65 thousand and 202

in Rangpur division with

inoculation of more

14,215 doses on Monday.

Health officials said

among the 14,215 doses of

the jabs inoculated on

Monday, 374 were

administered as the first

doses, 2,496 as the

second doses and 11,345

as the booster doses.

"Till Monday, a total of

1,35,57,642 people got the

first doses of Covid-19

jabs, and of them,

1,29,93,880 got the

second doses and

32,13,680 got the booster

doses," Divisional

Director (Health) Dr. Abu

Md. Zakirul Islam told

BSS today.

President receives Nazrul University's

book "Bangabandhu's Nazrul in

Bangladesh"

TRISHAL: Prof. Dr. Soumitra Shekhar, Vice

Chancellor of the University, presented the

publication "Bangabandhu's Nazrul in

Bangladesh" by Kazi Nazrul Islam University

to the President and Chancellor of the

University, Md. Abdul Hamid. Upon

receiving the book, the President stated he

had watched all the events of Father of the

Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur

Rahman introducing national poet Kazi

Nazrul Islam to Bangladesh.

Students will gain from the cluster

system and the inclusion of universities

outside the equation will be beneficial to

everyone, according to President Md.

Abdul Hamid.

An exchange meeting was held at

Bangabhaban last Sunday on the issue of

group admission test for 22 universities

where he handed over the book

"Bangabandhu's Nazrul in Bangladesh" to

the President. This information was given in

a press release issued on Tuesday afternoon

by Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University.

According to Nazrul University Vice-

Chancellor Professor Soumitra Shekhar

during the relevant debate, the entire

condition of the university has come to a

standstill due to session jitters and the self

protracted student life of some students,

which is quite concerning. They are renting a

property in a nearby town rather than living

on campus or in the immediate area of new

universities. Thus, environmental

degradation is taking place at new

universities and students in the halls of

residence are missing out on the constant

presence of their teachers and staff which

hinders the creation of a better learning

environment.

Vice-Chancellor Soumitra Shekhar urged

the President to create modern schools and

colleges together with new universities. Then

he gave the President "Bangabandhu's

Nazrul in Bangladesh" by Nazrul

University's Institute of Nazrul Studies.

President receives Nazrul university's book "Bangabandhu's Nazrul in

Bangladesh"

Photo: mominul islam

Workshop on prevention of Covid-19

at Tajumuddin in Bhola

BHOLA: The Hunger Project has

organized workshops with religious

leaders in Tajumuddin, Bhola to raise

awareness on risk prevention, community

involvement and vaccination in order to

prevent Covid-19. The day-long workshop

was held in the auditorium of Tajumuddin

Upazila Health Complex in Bhola on

Sunday (June 19) in collaboration with

UNICEF. Tajumuddin Upazila Health and

Family Planning Officer Dr. Kabir Sohel

spoke as the chief guest at the workshop.

Maulana Mohammad Riaz Uddin

Kashemi, District Master Trainer, Islamic

Foundation Bhola spoke as the special

guest. In the presidency of Bhola District

Cannabis cultivation behind

the house, mechanic in jail

KUSHTIA: He planted a cannabis tree in the

back of the house and the tree was growing.

The tree would be cut down after a few days

but after receiving the news, the police

picked up the tree and the man was sent to

jail after a case was filed.

The incident took place at Naogaon Para in

Dakshin Manoharpur village of Chadpur

union in Kumarkhali upazila of Kushtia. Md.

Badar Uddin's son Ujjal Hossain (43) was

arrested by the police under the Narcotics

Control Act.

According to police sources, mason Ujjal

Hossain was cultivating cannabis behind his

house. On the basis of such news, the police

raided the back of his house around 11:30

Coordinator of The Hunger Project Md.

Ashrafuddin Mamun, Imam Maulana

Mohammad Nasrullah of Tajumuddin

Upazila Parishad Jame Mosque, President

of Hindu, Buddhist, Christian Unity

Parishad of Tajumuddin Upazila Parishad

Bidhuvushon Roy, Khoshanadi Dakhil

Madrasa Super Maulana Md. Rafiqul

Islam and others also spoke on the

occasion. Md. Ashrafuddin (Mamun),

Bhola District Coordinator of The Hunger

Project gave a welcome speech at the

beginning of the workshop. Soon after, M

Sharif Ahmed, the information service

provider of The Hunger Project, gave an

idea about the project.

last Monday night and seized a cannabis

plant about 10 feet high and weighting 25 kg.

It is learned that a case was filed against

him under the Narcotics Control Act at the

police station on Tuesday morning with case

number 29. Police sent him to jail through

the court at noon.

Kumarkhali Police Station OC

Kamruzzaman Talukder said, "Cannabis was

being cultivated behind the house. Upon

receiving the news, the cannabis plant

weighing about 25 kg with a height of 10 feet

was seized. Later, a case was filed against the

farmer under the Narcotics Control Act and

the accused in the case was sent to jail

through the court''.

Kumarkhali police have seized about 25 kg of cannabis plants. farmer

ujjal Hossain has been sent to jail. Photo: mizanur Rahman Nayan

WEdNESdAY, JUNE 22, 2022

7

President of Panama

announces blood

cancer diagnosis

Cortizo said on Monday that

he has blood cancer,

although the 69-year-old

said he feels well and is in

"good spirits."

In late May, Cortizo's

doctors detected "a decrease

in hemoglobin and white

blood cell count" during

routine testing, the

president said in a televised

statement, reports BSS.

Specialists recommended

that a bone marrow biopsy

be performed, and samples

were sent to a US laboratory,

and he was diagnosed with

"intermediate risk"

myelodysplastic syndrome,

a type of cancer that hinders

the production of blood

cells.

Cortizo said he will

undergo a second evaluation

in the US city of Houston in

July to find out the extent of

the disease.

"I want to say that I feel

well, I'm in good spirits and

that I will continue with my

regular work," he added.

"The disease diagnosed to

the president is a type of

blood cancer," Julio

Sandoval, a doctor

specializing in internal

medicine and critical care,

told AFP.

According to Sandoval,

this type of cancer causes a

decrease in hemoglobin, and

abnormal levels of platelets

and white blood cells,

making the patient feel tired

and weak, and leading to

weight loss.

The disease can be caused

"by a genetic disorder that

develops silently and

appears after the age of 60,"

Sandoval said.

Life expectancy, which will

depend on the specific type

of cancer Cortizo has, can

range "from six months to 15

years," he added.

Denmark declares

'early warning' over

Russia gas supply

worries

STOCKHOLM: Denmark's

energy agency declared a

first level "early warning"

alert over worries of its gas

supply, due to uncertainty

on energy imports from

Russia because of the

ongoing war in Ukraine,

reports BSS.

The European Union has

established a system to allow

member states to flag up

impending energy supply

difficulties using three

ascending levels of alerts -

beginning with "early

warning", followed by

"alert", then "emergency".

The system allows for

mutual assistance from

other EU countries, but

could also mean a start to

rationing supplies.

On Monday, the deputy

director of the Danish

Energy Agency, Martin

Hansen, issued the first level

warning.

"This is a serious situation

we are facing and it has been

exacerbated by the

reduction in supplies,"

Hansen said in a statement.

Currently Denmark's gas

stocks are about 75 percent

full, "and gas has been added

in recent days", the agency

said in a statement.

The declaration comes

after Danish energy

company Orsted announced

at the end of May that

delivery of Russian gas to the

Scandinavian country would

be suspended from June 1,

after Orsted refused to settle

the payment in rubles.

Gas represents 18 percent

of the energy consumed

each year in Denmark.

Domestic production

accounted for three-quarters

of the gas consumed in 2019.

Russia is one of the main

sources of natural gas

imports, according to the

Danish Energy Agency.

The Netherlands also

announced Monday it will

lift restrictions on coal-fired

power generation, a day

after Germany and Austria

took similar steps to alleviate

their reliance on Russian gas

supplies.

Taliban fighters guard at the site of an explosion in Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, June 18, 2022.

Photo: AP

Macron seeks to salvage power

after France vote upset

PARIS: French President Emmanuel

Macron will meet party leaders

including the far-right Marine Le Pen

for talks, the Elysee said Monday, after

he and his allies lost their overall

majority in the legislative elections,

reports BSS.

Macron's discussions with opposition

leaders will start on Tuesday with

Christian Jacob, head of the traditional

conservative Republicans (LR) party

that has been in decline in recent

months but could be courted to give

Macron a parliamentary majority.

Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure

and Communist Party boss Fabien

Roussel, members of the NUPES leftwing

alliance, will also meet Macron,

although the hard-left Jean-Luc

Melenchon, who leads NUPES, is not

scheduled to do so.

In a rare encounter, Macron will also

host Le Pen-his presidential election

rival and leader of the far-right

National Rally.

The aim is to "build solutions to serve

the French" at a time when there is no

"alternative majority" to that of

Macron's ruling alliance, said a

presidential official who asked not to be

named.

Representatives of the parliamentary

parties will be received at the Elysee

Palace separately and successively.

The result of the parliamentary

elections was a stunning blow for the

president and his reform agenda,

leaving his camp facing the prospect of

a political deadlock.

While Macron's Ensemble

(Together) coalition remains the largest

party after Sunday's National Assembly

elections, it fell dozens of seats short of

keeping the absolute majority it has

enjoyed for the last five years.

Melenchon and Le Pen made big

gains, leaving them as major players in

the new parliament.

Resurgent opposition -

The left-leaning Liberation daily

called the results a "slap in the face" for

Macron, while the conservative Figaro

said he was now "faced with an

ungovernable France".

Macron's Together alliance won 244

seats, well short of the 289 needed for

an overall majority, in a low-turnout

vote that resulted in an abstention rate

of 53.77 percent.

Macron met Monday with his

embattled Prime Minister Elisabeth

Borne and two top allies, former

premier Edouard Philippe and centrist

leader Francois Bayrou.

The election saw NUPES become the

main opposition force along with its

allies on 137 seats, according to interior

ministry figures.

But it appears unlikely the coalition of

Socialists, Communists, Greens and the

hard-left France Unbowed will be able

to retain common cause in the

legislature.

Melenchon, the France Unbowed

chief who orchestrated the alliance,

called its results "fairly disappointing"

and proposed Monday to make NUPES

a permanent left-wing bloc.

Burkina's junta announces

military zones, forbids entry

OUAGADOUGOU : Burkina Faso's ruling

junta is creating two military zones in the

north and east-reputed havens for jihadistswhere

"human presence is forbidden", the

army said late on Monday, reports BSS.

The decision was taken at a defence council

convened on Monday by junta leader

Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo

Damiba to discuss the country's "worrying

security situation".

"The council decided to create two zones of

military interest in the East and (northern)

Sahel regions," the head of domestic

operations, Lieutenant Colonel Yves Didier

Bamouni, said.

Bamouni said the aim was to make it easier

to combat "the terrorist hydra".

The areas are in the northern Soum

province bordering Mali, and the protected

natural reserves between Pama and the "W"

National Park in the east.

All human activity and human presence

will be banned in the zones. Anyone who

ventures into them risks exposing

themselves "to the military operations that

will be conducted there shortly", Bamouni

said.

The decision comes 10 days after 86

civilians were massacred in an attack blamed

on jihadists on the northern border village of

Seytenga.

It was the second worst attack since 2015,

when violence attributed to fighters linked to

Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group began.

Thousands have since died and nearly two

million people have fled their homes.

The new government led by Damiba, who

overthrew elected president Roch Marc

Christian Kabore in January, vowed to

restore security, blaming Kabore of not

doing enough to repel armed jihadists

groups.

ECOWAS delegation head Shirley Ayorkor Botchway (left) meets Lt. Col. Paul-

Henri Sandaogo, the military junta leader of Burkina Faso, during a visit of West

African and UN envoys in Ouagadougou, on Jan. 31, 2022. Photo: Reuters

He said it would not be a full-on

merger but simply an effective

"alternative" force in parliament,

though the offer was immediately

rejected by the three other NUPES

parties.

Premier vulnerable? -

Meanwhile the far right under Le Pen

posted the best legislative performance

in its history, becoming the strongest

single opposition party with 89 seats,

up from eight in the outgoing chamber.

A confident Le Pen said her party

would demand to chair the National

Assembly's powerful finance

commission, as is tradition for the

biggest opposition party.

"The country is not ungovernable,

but it's not going to be governed the

way Emmanuel Macron wanted," Le

Pen told reporters Monday.

Melenchon said he would bring a

motion of no confidence against Borne

in early July, when she is to lay out her

policy priorities for the next five years.

Borne could now be vulnerable as

Macron faces a new cabinet shake-up

after several of his top allies lost their

seats.

His health and environment

ministers were beaten and by tradition

will have to resign, as did the

parliament speaker and the head of

Macron's parliament group.

The outcome tarnished Macron's

April presidential election victory when

he defeated Le Pen, when he became

the first French president to win a

second term in over two decades.

Malaysia reports

2,093 new COVID

19 infections, 3

new deaths

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia

recorded 2,093 new COVID-

19 infections as of midnight

Monday, bringing the total

tally to 4,542,705, according

to the health ministry.

The newly reported

infections included one

imported case and 2,092

local transmissions, data

released on the ministry's

website showed. Three more

deaths were reported from

the pandemic, bringing the

death toll to 35,735.

The ministry reported

2,082 new recoveries,

bringing the total number of

COVID-19 patients cured

and discharged to 4,481,018

in the Southeast Asian

country.

Currently there are 25,952

active cases recorded in

Malaysia, 23 of them held in

intensive care and 18 in need

of assisted breathing.

The country reported that

6,772 vaccine doses were

administered on Monday,

and that 85.8 percent of the

population have options

available to Macron range

from seeking to form a new

coalition alliance, passing

legislation based on ad hoc

agreements, or even calling

new elections. One option

would be an alliance with the

Republicans, which has 61

MPs. But LR president

Jacob received at least one

dose, 83.3 percent are fully

vaccinated and 49.4 percent

have received booster shots.

UN revokes travel privileges for

two Taliban education officials

UNITED NATIONS : The United Nations on

Monday banned two Taliban officials from

traveling abroad in response to the harsh

restrictions the hardline Islamists have

imposed on Afghan women, , reports BSS.

Travel exemptions permitting 15 Taliban

officials to go abroad for talks and

negotiations were set to expire Monday.

For 13 officials the travel exemptions were

extended for at least two months, but they

were scrapped for two education officials in

response to the Taliban's decision to ban

secondary girls' education.

According to a diplomat who spoke on

condition of anonymity, the officials now

banned from traveling are Said Ahmad

Shaidkhel, the deputy education minister,

and Abdul Baqi Basir Awal Shah-also known

as Abdul Baqi Haqqani-the minister of

higher education.

Since seizing power in August, the

Taliban have rolled back marginal gains

made by Afghan women during the past

two decades, limiting their access to

education, government jobs and freedom of

movement.In March, supreme leader

Hibatullah Akhundzada ordered secondary

schools for girls to shut, just hours after

they reopened for the first time since the

Taliban returned to power.

The decree, which stops hundreds of

thousands of teenage girls from attending

schools, was met with international

outrage.

A top Taliban education official criticised

the latest UN decision as "superficial and

unjust".

"Such decisions will only make the

situation more critical," deputy minister of

higher education Lutfullah Khairkhwa .

After difficult negotiations, the UN's

Taliban Sanctions Committee

compromised on an extension for the 13

other Taliban leaders for "60 days + 30

days," diplomats told AFP.

Some countries were in favor of revoking

all of the travel exemptions due to the

deterioration of women's rights, but others

objected, according to diplomats.

Under the terms of the agreement, the

exemption will automatically be extended

for 13 Taliban leaders in the third month

"unless objected by any Council member," a

diplomatic source said.

Trial of Myanmar's Suu Kyi moved

to prison compound: source

YANGON : Hearings for the trial of ousted

Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi will be

moved to a prison compound in the

military-built capital Naypyidaw, a source

with knowledge of the case said Tuesday,

reports BSS.

The Nobel laureate, 77, was detained by

the military when it ousted her

government last year and faces a raft of

charges that could see her jailed for more

than 150 years.

She has since been confined to an

undisclosed location in Naypyidaw, leaving

only to attend hearings in a municipal

compound in the east of the sprawling,

low-rise capital inaugurated by the army in

2006.Future hearings "will be conducted

at the new Special Court in Naypyidaw

GD-1174/22 (10x3)

Prison" following the completion of a new

court building in the compound, said a

source with knowledge of the case.

The source did not give further details.

Suu Kyi's lawyers have been banned

from speaking to the media and journalists

barred from her trial.

Under a previous junta regime, she spent

long spells under house arrest in her family

mansion in Yangon, Myanmar's largest

city. Her current detention has seen her

links to the outside world limited to brief

pre-trial meetings with her lawyers. She

has already been convicted of corruption,

incitement against the military, breaching

Covid-19 rules and breaking a

telecommunications law, with a court

sentencing her so far to 11 years.

WednesdAY, June 22, 2022

8

Kenya's khat producers eager

to resume exports to Somalia

The 39th Annual General Meeting of Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited was held on 21 June 2022,

Tuesday at virtual platform. Professor Md. nazmul Hassan, Ph.d, Chairman of the Bank presided

over the meeting. Yousif Abdullah Al-Rajhi of KsA and Md. shahabuddin, Vice Chairmen of the

bank, dr. Areef suleman, representative of IdB along with other directors, Mohammed Monirul

Moula, Managing director & CeO, Prof. dr. Mohammad Gias uddin Talukder, Chairman of

shariah supervisory Committee, J Q M Habibullah, FCs, deputy Managing director and Company

secretary along with foreign institutional shareholders and a significant number of local shareholders

participated in the meeting. The meeting approved Financial statements of the Bank for

the year ended 31 december 2021 and 10% cash dividend for the shareholders. Photo: Courtesy

Dutch Co. to Invest US$

10.52m in BEPZA EZ

M/s Checkpoint System

Bangladesh Ltd.-Unit 2, a

Netherlands-owned company, is

going to establish a Garments

Accessories manufacturing

industry in BEPZA Economic

Zone. The company will invest

US$ 10.52 million to produce

annually 1,319 million units of

different types of Hang Tag,

Tickets, Sticker, Label etc. 274

Bangladeshi nationals will get

employment opportunities in

this factory, a press release said.

An agreement to this effect

signed between Bangladesh

Export Processing Zones

Authority (BEPZA) and M/s

Checkpoint System Bangladesh

HONG KONG: Equities

rose Tuesday in Asia as

some stability returned to

markets after last week's

upheaval, but analysts

warned of further pain for

traders after central bank

officials hinted at further

interest rate hikes to reel

in inflation, reports BSS.

While there was no

catalyst from Wall Street

owing to a public holiday,

a healthy performance

across Europe provided a

little boost, while bargainbuying

was also lending

support.

However, there remains

an overarching sense of

gloom as traders

speculate that the sharp

lift in borrowing costs

around the world will tip

economies into recession.

Focus this week is on

Federal Reserve boss

Jerome Powell's two days

Ltd.-Unit 2 at BEPZA Complex,

Dhaka today (21 June 2022). Ali

Reza Mazid, Member (IP) of

BEPZA and Kumudu

Athuruliya, General Manager-

South Asia of Checkpoint

System signed the agreement on

behalf of their respective

organizations. BEPZA Executive

Chairman Major General Abul

Kalam Mohammad Ziaur

Rahman, ndc, psc witnessed the

signing ceremony.

Checkpoint System

Bangladesh Ltd.-Unit 2 would

be the second enterprise under

the same ownership in the

industrial zones operated under

BEPZA. Their first one,

of testimony to

lawmakers

in

Washington, which will

be closely watched for

some insight into the

bank's thinking and

possible clues about its

plans for fighting surging

prices.

The Fed announced a

three-quarter point lift

last week, after inflation

data days earlier had

smashed forecasts and hit

a four-decade high.

"While (investors do)

not expect Powell to

reinvent the policy wheel,

we could expect him to

reinforce the idea that the

Fed is in data-dependent

mode," said Stephen

Innes of SPI Asset

Management.

"Hence, any shift in Fed

rhetoric will be a function

of incoming data, virtually

all of which now presents

Checkpoint Systems Bangladesh

Limited, has been operating

since 2009 in Adamjee EPZ.

Though the enterprise was

initially started their operation

in Dhaka EPZ fifteen years ago.

Among others, Member

(Engineering) Mohammad

Faruque Alam, Member

(Finance) Nafisa Banu,

Executive Director (Public

Relations) Nazma Binte

Alamgir, Executive Director

(Investment Promotion) Md.

Tanvir Hossain and Executive

Director (Enterprise Services)

Md. Khorshid Alam were

present during the agreement

signing ceremony.

event risk. From that

perspective, further

evidence of persistent

inflation will trigger policy

panic, while any signs of

sluggish growth

momentum will confirm

the recession narrative.

"Neither suggests that

now is the time to board

the rally wagon."

In early trade, Tokyo,

Hong Kong, Shanghai,

Sydney, Seoul, Singapore,

Wellington, Taipei,

Manila and Jakarta all

rose.

"There might be a

narrative that we've hit a

bottom, we are oversold,

the Fed is taking inflation

seriously and that might

be slightly bullish in the

interim," Frances Stacy,

of Optimal Capital, told

Bloomberg TV.

However, while the

volatility of last week has

Bankrupt Sri

Lanka allows

younger women

to work abroad

COLOMBO: Crisis-hit Sri

Lanka on Tuesday reduced

to 21 the minimum age at

which women can go abroad

for work and earn muchneeded

dollars for the

bankrupt economy, reports

BSS.

Colombo imposed age

restrictions on women

working overseas in 2013

after a 17-year-old Sri

Lankan nanny was

beheaded in Saudi Arabia

over the death of a child in

her care.

Following outrage over the

execution, only women older

than 23 were allowed to go

abroad, while for Saudi

Arabia the minimum age

was set at 25.

But with Sri Lanka in its

worst economic crisis since

independence, the

government on Tuesday

eased the rules, including for

Saudi Arabia.

"The cabinet of ministers

approved the decision to

lower the minimum age to

21 years for all countries

given the need to increase

foreign employment

opportunities," spokesman

Bandula Gunawardana told

reporters.

Remittances from Sri

Lankans working abroad

have long been a key source

of foreign exchange for the

country, bringing in around

$7 billion per year.

This number dived during

the coronavirus pandemic to

$5.4 billion in 2021 and was

forecast to drop under $3.5

Asian markets climb as calm

returns after sharp sell-off

gone, banks' intention to

continue hiking rates

could cause fresh

ructions.

Several officialsincluding

at the Fed, Bank

of England, Reserve Bank

of Australia and

European Central Bankhave

come out in recent

days to flag a further

tightening of borrowing

costs.

In commodities

markets, oil extended

gains as traders moved

back in after Friday's

plunge fuelled by

concerns over a possible

recession.

The gains have been

helped by optimism for a

boost to demand as China

gradually eases out of its

period of Covid

containment, while the

US summer driving

period picks up.

MAUA: As the afternoon sun starts to

dip over central Kenya, the town of

Maua buzzes with activity as the khat

harvest arrives, reports BSS.

For decades, over half a million people

in this region have lived by the rhythms

of khat, a mildly narcotic native shrub

also known as miraa.

Trading here in khat is a wellestablished

routine.

Every day, young miraa shootsinstantly

identifiable by their red stemsare

bundled and wrapped in banana

leaves, packed in bags and loaded onto

pickup trucks.

Drivers then zip along roads at

breakneck speed in an effort to ensure

that the khat is fresh when it reaches

consumers in northern and eastern

Kenya, as well as the capital Nairobi,

located 300 kilometres (200 miles)

south. But for the last two years and

counting, no air shipments of Kenyan

khat have made it to Somalia.

The country is notoriously poor and

unstable yet is one of the biggest markets

for khat, which is chewed to provide a

Fevicol Champions' Club

(FCC) has planted more

than 600 trees in different

areas of Dhaka and

Chittagong. About 860

members of the FCC

participated in the

implementation of this

initiative. The FCC is an

independent association of

woodworking artisans

supported by Fevicol, the

leading adhesive brand in

Bangladesh. This initiative

was taken as part of the

club's social responsibility

activities, a press release

said.

The tree planting program

was inaugurated by

Khandaker Saifur Rahman,

Head of Marketing, Pidilite

Bangladesh, the makers of

Fevicol. "It is essential to

maintain the balance of

nature," he said. "We applaud

the FCC for taking such an

essential initiative in

protecting the environment,

through planting these trees."

Mainak Dutta, Country

Manager at Pidilite

Bangladesh said, "This

world is ours - it is the only

world habitable to humans.

So, it is our responsibility to

keep it healthy. We are

hopeful that the club will

continue to work

dedicatedly

on

environmental and social

stimulant and suppress the appetite.

Mogadishu initially banned air cargo

in March 2020 due to the coronavirus

pandemic, but diplomatic tensions

between Kenya and Somalia have kept

the ban in place even as other Covid-19

restrictions have been lifted.

The election of President Hassan

Sheikh Mohamud in Somalia last month

raised hopes of a thaw in ties with

Nairobi, and on June 10, Kenyan

Agriculture Minister Peter Munya

announced that Mogadishu had agreed

to resume air shipments of khat.

The news has sparked cautious

excitement in Maua, where people are

increasingly impatient for change.

Although Munya promised that air

links would resume "within two weeks",

Somalia's new government has

maintained a conspicuous silence on the

issue.

"The resumption (of trade) would be

like a rebirth" for the region, said

Kimathi Munjuri, chairman of the

Nyambene Miraa Traders Association in

central Kenya.

development with a view of

making large-scale positive

impacts across the country."

FCC started operating in

Bangladesh in 2019 with the

aim of supporting the

individual and social

development

of

woodworking artisans. At

present, the club carries out

activities in Dhaka and

Chittagong. FCC conducts

various social work

initiatives such as blood

But he remained circumspect, noting

that similar announcements in the past

never materialised into facts on the

ground.

Prior to the ban, around a third of the

150 tonnes of khat shipped daily went to

Somalia, representing a loss of earnings

of up to 16 million Kenyan shillings

($136,000), he said.

Somalia has been a crucial export

market for Kenyan khat traders ever

since the Netherlands and Britain

imposed a ban in 2012 and 2014

respectively, joining the ranks of other

Western nations which classify it as a

drug.

Khat grower David Muchoka is among

those desperate to see the resumption of

air links to Mogadishu.

The ban saw his earnings plunge, he

said, forcing the father-of-six to venture

into dairy farming to pay the bills.

"Back in the days we could make up to

100,000 shillings ($850) in one month,

but now we can only make around

6,000-10,000 a month," the 53-year-old

told AFP.

Fevicol Champions Club Plants Over 600 Trees

donation camps, tree

plantation drives, and health

awareness programs every

quarter. This quarter's

campaign was conducted as

a continuation of such

initiatives.

Standard Chartered Saadiq hosts session to discuss

‘Road to Kaaba - Learn about the holy journey’

Standard Chartered Saadiq

recently organised a session,

titled "Road to Kaaba - Learn

about the holy journey." The

session washeld at Standard

Chartered's Head Office in

Dhaka. Clients planning to

attend Hajj or Umrah - either

this year or in the future - and

individuals interested in

learning more about the holy

journey were invited to

participate, a press release

said.

Md.

Zahidur

Rahman,Director, Quran

Teaching, Research, and

Training Centre, led the

session. Rahman has over 10

years of experience in

organising sessions on Hajj

and Umrah and contributes to

training around 1500

individuals each year on the

core tenets of the holy

journey. Sabbir Ahmed, Head

of Consumer, Private and

Business Banking, Standard

Charted Bangladeshand Asif

Rahman, Director, Saadiq,

Retail Banking, Standard

Chartered Bangladesh were

present.

During the session, keynote

speaker Md. Zahidur

Rahman, Director, Quran

Teaching, Research, and

Training Centre, commented

on the ways in which the holy

journey provides individuals

with ample opportunities for

reflection, learning, and

ultimately - growth. He said,

"Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam

and has a significant influence

in a Muslim's life. It intensifies

a Muslim's faith and

transforms him to become a

better human being who is

free of pride and does greater

good to the society, which is

indeed the ultimate success of

a Muslim."

Sabbir Ahmed, Head of

Consumer, Private and

Business Banking, Standard

Charted Bangladesh,said,

"Hajj is one of the

fundamental pillars of Islam

and the blessed journey is a

turning point that influences

an individual and all their

future decisions. Through

sessions such as this, we hope

to help our clients to live their

values beyond their everyday

banking needs. Thank you to

Md. Zahidur Rahman and to

all of our attendees for such an

engaging conversation. I

extend my best wishes to

everyone who will attend Hajj

or Umrah in 2022 and

beyond."

Standard Chartered Saadiq

is the only international

Islamic banking proposition

in Bangladesh for both retail

and corporate clients. For the

last 17 years, Standard

Chartered Saadiq has been

pioneering change and

innovation across Bangladesh

and beyond. It has led the way

in Islamic Banking by

introducing several firsts -

from arranging the first Sukuk

transaction in the market in

2019 to launching the Saadiq

Sadaqah Account, the first

donation-focused account of

its kind in both local and

global markets. Standard

Chartered Saadiq has been

recognised by a host of

international bodies for its

consistent focus on

excellence. In recent years, it

has been celebrated as Bank

of the Year, Best Country

Deal, and Best Sukuk at The

Asset Triple A Islamic Finance

Awards; Best Islamic Bank in

Bangladesh at The Banker's

Islamic Bank of the Year

Awards; and Best Islamic

Retail Bank in Bangladesh by

The Digital Banker at the

Global Retail Banking

Innovation Awards. In April

of this year, Standard

Chartered Saadiq organised a

live webinar, titled "Learnings

from Ramadan - the month of

reflection," as part of the

Bank's Living Islam Series.In

2019, the theme of the

inaugural session of Living

Islam was "Business Ethics."

The theme of 2021's live

webinar was "Understanding

how Sadaqah can be an

Islamic response to a

pandemic."

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22, 2022

9

FINA bars participation of transgenders

in the women’s category

Antonio Rudiger has joined Real Madrid from Chelsea on a free transfer.

Photo: AP

Rudiger says he was rooting for Real Madrid

against Liverpool in Champions League final

SPORTS DESK

Germany defender Antonio Rudiger

said on Monday he was rooting for Real

Madrid to beat Liverpool in the

Champions League final last month

because was still hurting after losing

the FA Cup and League Cup finals with

Chelsea against the Merseyside club,

reports UNB.

Real ground out three come-frombehind

wins against Paris St-Germain,

Chelsea and Manchester City in the

knockout stage to reach the final, where

they beat Liverpool 1-0 in Paris.

"I was really happy that Real Madrid

won. I knew that I was going to play

here and it was like a personal third

final for me after those two losses in cup

finals to Liverpool," Rudiger told a

news conference as he was unveiled as

a Real player.

The 29-year-old centre back agreed

to join the LaLiga and European

Bangladesh's

Shoriful declared

fit for second

West Indies Test

SPORTS DESK

The underperforming

Bangladesh cricket team

received a boost Monday

when bowler Shoriful

Islam was declared fit and

drafted into the squad for

the second and final Test

against the West Indies,

reports UNB.

The left-arm pacer will

leave for St Lucia on

Monday to join the

Bangladesh squad for the

match, which starts

Friday.

The 21-year-old has

played four Tests for

Bangladesh since making

his debut in April 2021.

The Under-19 World

Cup winner missed the

second Test against Sri

Lanka in May and the first

Test against the West

Indies last week with a

hand injury.

Bangladesh lost the first

Test against the hosts by

seven wickets in Antigua

to go 1-0 down in the

series.

champions on a four-year deal as a free

agent as his contract with Chelsea

expired at the end of the 2021-22

season.

"Real Madrid is about winning.

That's what it means to play in this club

and I'm really looking forward to start.

"What they did last year in the

Champions League was hard to explain

and put into words. It was incredible.

They did it against all odds and doubts.

Really remarkable," Rudiger said.

Rudiger, who was part of the Chelsea

side eliminated by Real in the quarterfinals,

said playing against the team

that could be his future club was not an

issue.

"At that time I wasn't sure that I was

going to Real, but it would be easy

anyway because we are professionals

and those contractual elements stay off

the pitch," Rudiger said.

"It was a very special and intense

game the second-leg, my first time

playing at Santiago Bernabeu. It was all

going well for our team but after we

scored the third goal I was surprised

that the atmosphere was still positive

from the crowd, it was quite

impressive."

Chelsea, who lost 3-1 in the first leg in

west London, led 3-0 in the return but

allowed Real to score twice late in the

second half and qualify for the semifinals

5-4.

Rudiger has been a key player for

Chelsea since joining from AS Roma in

2017, winning the FA Cup, Champions

League, Europa League, UEFA Super

Cup and Club World Cup. He made 54

appearances in all competitions in his

final season, all from the start, more

than any other Chelsea player and

departed with 203 appearances and 12

goals to his name.

Rudiger has played 50 times for

Germany since his debut in 2014.

Giggs resigns as Wales

manager to avoid World

Cup distraction

SPORTS DESK

Ryan Giggs resigned from his role as

manager of Wales on Monday as the former

Manchester United great awaits trial on an

accusation of domestic violence, reports

UNB.

Giggs has been on leave since November

2020 when he was arrested.

The 48-year-old is accused of controlling

and coercive behaviour against his former

girlfriend Kate Greville between August 2017

and November 2020.

Giggs is also accused of assaulting Greville,

causing her actual bodily harm, and

common assault of her younger sister,

Emma Greville, at his home in the

Manchester area in November 2020.

He has denied the allegations and pleaded

not guilty to all charges. His trial has was

delayed until August in January to a courts

backlog. Since then, his former assistant Rob

Page, has led Wales to their first World Cup

since 1958.

Giggs' decision to step aside means Page

will take charge of games against the USA,

Iran and England in Qatar in November.

"After much consideration, I am standing

down from my position as manager of the

Wales men's national team with immediate

effect," Giggs said in a statement.

"It has been an honour and a privilege to

manage my country, but it is only right that

the Wales FA, the coaching staff and the

players prepare for the tournament with

certainty, clarification and without

speculation around the position of their head

coach." Giggs won 13 Premier League titles

and two Champions Leagues among 25

major honours during a 24-year career with

United at club level.

He began his coaching career at Old

Trafford, taking temporary charge at the end

of the 2013/14 season after David Moyes was

sacked before working as an assistant to

Louis van Gaal for two years.

Giggs was appointed Wales boss in

January 2018 and helped them secure

qualification for Euro 2020.

And he said he hopes to return to

management in the future.

"I do not want the country's preparations

for the World Cup to be affected, destabilised

or jeopardised in any way by the continued

interest around this case," he added.

"It is my intention to resume my

managerial career at a later date and I look

forward to watching our national team

alongside you in the stands."

In a statement, the Football Association of

Wales (FAW) said: "The FAW places on

record its gratitude to Ryan Giggs for his

tenure as manager of the Cymru Men's

National Team and appreciates the decision

he has taken, which is in the best interests of

Welsh football.

Natela Dzalamidze, a 29-year-old doubles player ranked No. 44 in the world, will compete in the women's

doubles with Serbia's Aleksandra Krunic when the tournament starts on June 27.

Photo: AP

SPORTS DESK

Swimming's international

governing body FINA barred

participation of transgenders

in the women's category in a

controversial ruling on

Monday, with Athletics and

Football set to follow.

Shashank Nair delves into the

complex issue of how FINA

are thinking of introducing

an 'Open' category to include

trans-women

The International

Swimming Federation

(FINA) voted against

allowing transgender athletes

to participate in female

competitions - the exception

being that the transgender

athlete must have completed

their transition before the age

of 12.

The policy was voted upon

by 274 members with 196

casting their votes in favour

of it. The ruling only applies

to elite competitions run by

FINA. Athletics and FIFA

were reported by BBC and

British media, as two other

major sporting bodies set to

follow swimming's cue.

FINA President Husain Al-

Musallam announced that a

Working Group was being set

up to create an 'open

category' in some FINA

competitions. On the 'open

category' Musallam said,

"The creation of an open

category will mean that

everybody has the

opportunity to compete at an

elite level." He then added,

"This has not been done

before, so FINA will need to

lead the way."

Track and Field's IAAF

boss Seb Coe later told BBC:

"We see an international

federation asserting its

primacy in setting rules,

regulations and policies that

are in the best interest of its

sport.

This is as it should be. We

have always believed that

biology trumps gender and

we will continue to review our

regulations in line with this.

We will follow the science."

The move was also widely

Russian player

changes nationality

to avoid

Wimbledon ban

SPORTS DESK

A Russian tennis player has

avoided a Wimbledon ban on

all competitors from her

country by changing her

nationality to Georgian,

according to a report in The

Times newspaper.

Natela Dzalamidze, a 29-

year-old doubles player

ranked No 44 in the world,

will compete in the women's

doubles with Serbia's

Aleksandra Krunic when the

tournament starts on June 27.

Wimbledon organisers the

All England Club announced

in April that players from

Russia and Belarus would be

barred from competing this

year following Russia's

invasion of Ukraine.

But an All England Club

spokesman told The Times

they were powerless to

interfere in Dzalamidze's

change of nationality, as this

was a matter for the Women's

Tennis Association (WTA)

and the International Tennis

Federation (ITF), and that she

had satisfied the entry

requirements.

"Player nationality, defined

as the flag they play under at

professional events, is an

agreed process that is

governed by tours and the

ITF," the spokesman said.

Wimbledon's ban on

players from Russia and

Belarus provoked a hostile

reaction elsewhere in the

tennis world, with the WTA

and the ATP, its male

equivalent, stripping the

tournament of ranking points.

None of the other Grand

Slam tournaments have

followed Wimbledon's lead,

with the US Open announcing

last week that Russian and

Belarus players will be

allowed to compete under a

neutral flag.

criticized by gender activists,

on grounds of exclusion.

Why have these changes

been made?

Transgender athletes in

sports, particularly

transgender women

participating in women's

competitions, are at the heart

of this change. A transgender

woman who has gone

through male puberty and

then later on transitioned

into a female, has been

shown in case studies to

retain testosterone levels that

lead to higher structural

advantages in sport over

cisgender (A person whose

sense of identity and gender

corresponds with their birth

sex) women.

Ross Tucker, a sports

scientist explained on his

podcast, the Real Science of

Sport that the effects of

testosterone result in the

development of a body post

puberty differently for men

and women. He said that

according to at least 13 case

studies, men who later

transitioned to becoming

women do not have the

effects of testosterone

completely removed because

they transitioned to become a

woman.

"In a number of

physiological systems that

are relevant to performance -

muscle mass, muscle

strength, body performance,

body fat, heart and lung size -

testosterone creates things

that are never fully undone,"

said PHD Tucker on the Real

Science of Sport podcast. He

then added, "The difference

between men and women for

power, strength and muscle

mass can be 30-40%.

Testosterone suppression for

a year can take away 5-10%.

The result is quite a large

retained advantage - and if

you've retained biological

advantage, then you've

retained performance

advantage."

What is the stance of the

IOC and other major sport

bodies?

It is the importance given

to testosterone and the

timing of when it affects a

human body, that has divided

world bodies to the extent

that the International

Olympic Committee and the

International Swimming

Federation have almost

opposite policies on

transgender athletes.

For example, World

Athletics has said that once

transgender women reduce

testosterone for 12 months,

they should be allowed to

compete in competition. USA

Swimming dictates that trans

athletes must undergo three

years of hormone

replacement therapy before

they can be allowed to

compete.

The IOC's trans-transinclusion

framework

essentially gave the right to

the leading bodies of sport to

decide how they would

incorporate their transgender

athletes. It also said that sport

bodies

shouldn't

automatically assume that

trans women athletes were

inherently more advantaged

than cisgender women

athletes nor that transgender

women shouldn't have to

reduce their testosterone

levels to compete.

FINA in their

Extraordinary Congress

called upon their medical,

legal and athlete counsels to

speak. Each counsel had a

couple of delegates who

spoke on why FINA came to

the decision. And then the

member organisations voted

for this historic measure.

One could say Lia Thomas was the reason the world body of swimming

took this measure. Thomas earlier competed in the male category in

swimming for Penn State University and was part of their team for

three years.

Photo: AP

England power past plucky

Netherlands in 2nd ODI

SPORTS DESK

England beat off a plucky

attack by the Netherlands

on Sunday to defeat the

hosts by six wickets in a

shortened second one-day

international at VRA

cricket ground outside

Amsterdam, reports UNB.

The win by the world

champions give them an

unassailable 2-0 lead in the

series, with the final match

to be played at the same

venue on Wednesday.

The Netherlands won the

toss and opted to bat,

setting Eoin Morgan's men

a target of 236-7 in 41

overs.

Heavy rain overnight

delayed the start of the

match with officials waiting

for wet patches to dry next

to the batting-friendly

pitch and on the outfield.

England opener Phil Salt

slapped 77 off 54 balls

before falling to Dutch

youngster Arjan Dutt, who

also claimed the scalp of

fellow opener Jason Roy.

Roy, who scored a single

run in England's record

total of 498 on Friday,

redeemed himself by

hitting 73 off 60 balls.

Unlike Friday's run-fest

which was peppered with

sixes, Sunday's match was

a more demure affair, with

England's first six only

coming in the 15th over

when Roy smacked Dutt

over midwicket to clear the

boundary.

Salt survived an early

scare when an attempted

off-side cut sent the ball

into the air, only to fall

between two Dutch

fielders-none of whom

decisively nominated for

the catch.

The Welsh-born Salt

never really seemed

troubled after that,

celebrating his half-century

with a stylish four off the

bowling of Bas de Leede.

Dutt however had the last

laugh when Salt attempted

to play around the ball and

was beaten, seeing the bails

flying off the stumps

behind him.

England however scored

freely, smacking 29 fours

despite the fall of Morgan

and Liam Livingstone's

wickets in quick

succession.

'Missed opportunity' -

"I'm delighted," Morgan

told Sky Sports after the

match.

"With the ball, Brydon

Carse came into the game

and hit the series with

plenty of pace and with

something we haven't seen

before.

"And with the bat again

Phil Salt contributed for

the second time doing what

he does. Jason Roy did well

in his 100th cap," Morgan

said.

The Netherlands earlier

posted a solid 235-7

against a blistering

England attack led by

David Willey and Carse on

a deck that mainly stayed

low.

Newly-minted captain

Scott Edwards' move paid

far better dividends than

Friday's first ODI, when

England were sent in to bat

and proceeded to set a new

one-day world record of

498.

Top-scoring Dutch

batsman Edwards, with 78,

played a skipper's innings

which included three sixes

and four fours.

Former captain Pieter

Seelaar, who has been

plagued by a recurring

back injury and did not

play, announced his

retirement from

international cricket after

the match.

Together with exciting

rookie Teja Nidamanuru,

who slugged 28 off 30

balls, Edwards put on the

best partnership for the

Dutch of 73 runs.

Edwards was eventually

run out after Willey

removed the bails at the

bowlers' end with a bull'seye

throw.

"I was feeling good out

there. Today was a missed

opportunity to really get

that score up to 260," said

Edwards.

"We need to improve our

powerplay. That's where

the game got away from

us."

De Leede carved out a

patient 34 including

slogging a big six off the

bowling of Adil Rashid in

the 15th over, the ball flying

over cow corner to break a

window pane in the press

box.

A promising spell

however came to an end

when he mistimed another

attempt at a slog off the

bowling of Livingstone,

popping the ball up into the

air for an easy catch by

Willey.

A late flurry by Logan van

Beek with 30 not out saw

the hosts post a defendable

total.

WEdNEsdAY, JUNE 22, 2022

10

Ananta Jalil’s ‘Din- The Day’

releases final trailer

Nusraat, Apurba pairs up

for ‘Icon man’

TBT REPORT

Dhallywood popular actress Nusraat

Faria who started her career through

television will be seen once again in

small screen opposite versatile actor

Ziaul Faruq Apurba in their upcoming

Eid special television feature film

titled 'Icon man', directed by in Sanjoy

Somadder.

The duo paired up for the second

time, earlier they were seen together

for Zee5's web film titled 'Jodi Kintu

Tobuo'. It is learnt that the length of

this special film is 75 minutes. It is a

Madame Web actress Sydney Sweeney

says she grew up watching Marvel

movies. In recent years, Sony has been

raking in big sums with its Spider-Man

Universe. Spider-Man: No Way Home

earned Sony and Marvel a little shy of $2

billion, while other in-universe movies

like Venom and Venom: Let There Be

Carnage have also grossed impressive

global revenues, totaling $500 million

and $850 million, respectively.

Considering the profits, Sony has greenlit

a number of spin-off films based on

Spider-Man characters from the comics.

Three, so far, have made significant

headway, including Kraven the Hunter,

El Muerto, and Madame Web, which is

Sony's first movie to feature a female

superhero.

Development on Sony's Spider-Man

Universe's (SSU) Madame Web

commenced in 2019. At that time, Charlize

Theron and Amy Adams were circling the

suspense thriller that centers around

the theme of competition and revenge

instilled indefinitely into the heart of

society. The screenplay was written by

Ishtiaque Ayon.

In the film Apurba will be seen in

the role of a motivational speaker

named Fahad Baig. On the other

hand, Faria is playing the role of Nova.

The shooting of the feature film

started on Saturday June 18 in Uttara.

Regarding the context Apurba said,

'Although it is a feature film, it is being

made in the style of a full-length

movie and a great story. Besides, I

have a lot of good work experience

with Sanjay Samaddar. I have worked

with Nusraat Faria before. I hope

something good will happen. '

'I have a great understanding with

Apurba. I also have faith in him and

the story is wonderful. So, I joined this

project', said the actress about pairing

with Apurba for the second time.

The feature film 'Icon Man' is going

to be release on Deepto TV and its

official YouTube Channel on the

occasion of Eid-ul- Adha.

'Madame Web Spider-Man' spinoff star

grew up watching Marvel movies

titular role, but ultimately, Sony brought

Kerem Sanga on board to re-write the

script from Matt Sazama and Burk

Sharpless, and the Spider-Man spin-off

movie was rechristened completely.

Subsequently, in 2022, news broke out

that Fifty Shades of Grey's Dakota

Johnson will play Madame Web's lead,

with Jessica Jones helmer S. J. Clarkson

attached to direct. In the following days,

Celeste O'Connor, Isabela Merced, and

Tahar Rahim joined the cast, with

Euphoria's Syndey Sweeney also landing a

secret role. Sweeney is an avid fan of

superhero fare, and she has shared her

passion for the same.

In a new interview with THR, Sweeney,

who's previously starred in shows like

Everything Sucks! and The Handmaid's

Tale, opened up about her love for Marvel

movies, which she grew up watching. The

actress feels that Marvel's superhero

movies are incredibly cool and largerthan-life,

and she has always dreamt of

being a part of a project like that. And

now, her wishes are coming true with her

role in the Spider-Man spin-off movie,

Madame Web. Read what she said below.

Oh my goodness. I grew up watching

Marvel movies and superheroes are just

the coolest thing ever. So I just dreamt of

being able to be a part of something

bigger than life itself. And that's what I

feel like I'm getting to be a part of with

Madame Web.

Although the star has been incredibly

coy about her Madame Web role,

speculations are rife that Sweeney might

play Felicia Hardy/Black Cat. The Once

Upon a Time in Hollywood actress has

long been a popular fancast for the

Spider-Man love-interest/anti-hero. And

now that she has officially joined the SSU,

fans are hoping she ends up playing the

part. Regardless of whatever character

Sweeney is playing in Madame Web, the

actress is definitely working hard to ace

her new job. She is collecting and

researching comics and also presumably

brushing up on her mixed martial arts

skills, which she has been trained in since

childhood.

With her love for Marvel, the

superhero genre, her persistent hard

work, and a spectacular acting prowess

that she recently demonstrated through

her turn as Cassie in Euphoria season 2,

Sweeney is undoubtedly the perfect

casting choice for Madame Web.

Of course, since Sweeney has grown up

watching MCU films, she must be

familiar with the nuances of playing a

superhero/ supervillain as well as fans'

expectations from the movies.

TBT REPORT

Ananta Jalil's upcoming film Din- The

Day, a Bangladesh - Iran co-production

will hit the theatres on this Eid-ul-Adha.

The final trailer was released on Sunday,

June 19, 2022.

Directed by Iranian film-maker Murtaza

Otash Jamjam, the film stars Ananta

himself and wife, Afiea Nusrat Barsha,

newcomer Sumon Faruk, and many other

actors from Lebanon and Iran.

On December 2, 2020, Jalil released

the song teaser from his upcoming film

on his official Facebook page. The actor

along with his wife Barsha were seen

dancing in the romantic song, set against

the backdrop of gorgeous Middle Eastern

deserts. Barsha wore a headscarf

throughout the video and Jalil wore his

hair long.

Shot in different locations of Iran,

Bangladesh, Lebanon, and Syria, the

teaser divided fans with some slamming

the 'uncreative,' 'poorly-written' lyrics,

while others praised the location,

costume design and Jalil's efforts to go

international with his films.

The first trailer of the film was later

released in March, 2021.

‘Chirkutt’ performs at Alliance

Française de Dhaka

TBT REPORT

Country's popular music band

'Chirkutt' has perform at a concert at

Alliance Française de Dhaka (AFD) in

the capital's Dhanmondi area on

Tuesday. The AFD has organised the

concert, marking the 'Fête de la

Musique', which is globally known as

the World Music Day.

The musical programme begun at

7:30 pm. The purpose of this concert is

also to raise funds for the flood victims.

Fête de la Musique, known as World

Music Day, is a music festival that

began in France in 1982. The idea was

conceived by French Minister of

Culture, Jack Lang, in 1981. Since then

June 21 has been celebrated every year

in more than hundred countries in

Europe and over the world as the

World Music Day.

Popular Bangladeshi music band

Chirkutt began its journey in 2002. It

consists of vocalist Sharmin Sultana

Sumi, guitarist Emon Chowdhury,

bassist Didar Hasan, keyboards player

Jahid Nirob and drummer Pavel

Areen.

Along with performing with

Scorpions at Madison Square Garden

in New York City, SXSW Music Festival

in Austin, Texas, and prominent

international music festivals and

conferences in Norway, the United

Kingdom, Australia, Portugal, India,

Sri Lanka, and other nations, Chirkutt -

the global Bangladeshi band -

established themselves as icons for

millions of young people, particularly

Bangladeshi youth.

The audience has been compelled to

listen to every word of their

impassioned and thought-provoking

songs, as well as the magnificent live

performances they put on. Their

unique Bangla music is their greatest

asset. They blend Bangla and Asian

sensibilities into the great folk, rock,

and classical music they create and

perform.

Ajay, Rakul starrer 'Thank God' gets a release date

Filmmaker Indra Kumar's 'Thank God'

starring Ajay Devgn, Sidharth Malhotra

and Rakul Preet Singh is all set to light up

the big screen on Diwali. The film was

earlier scheduled for a July release,

however, the movie is now scheduled to hit

the theatres on Diwali.

Produced by Bhushan Kumar, Thank

God is touted as a slice of life drama movie,

which will not only tickle your funny bones

but also convey a beautiful message.

This will be the third time Rakul Preet

Singh and Ajay Devgn will be seen sharing

screen space. The two have previously

worked in films such as 'De De Pyaar De'

and 'Runway 34'.

Thank God reportedly also stars actress

Nora Fatehi, who will be seen making an

appearance in a dance number. She will

reportedly be seen grooving to the remake

of the popular song 'Manike Mage Hithe'

by Sri Lankan singer Yohani.

A T-Series Films & Maruti International

production, 'Thank God', directed by Indra

Kumar is produced by Bhushan Kumar,

Krishan Kumar, Ashok Thakeria, Sunir

Kheterpal, Deepak Mukut, Anand Pandit

and Markand Adhikari and co-produced

by Yash Shah.

Besides Ajay Devgn, Rakul Preet Singh

and Sidharth Malhotra, the film will

reportedly also feature Nora Fatehi in a

special dance appearance in the song

remake of Manike Mage Hithe. Thank God

is all set to release on Diwali 2022.

Source: Times of India

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?

WeDNeSDAY, juNe 22, 2022

11

200 Dhaka Nagar Paribahan

buses on 3 routes from Sept 1

DHAKA : Dhaka South City Corporation

(DSCC) will run 200 more buses on three

routes from September 1 under Dhaka Nagar

Paribahan.

Dhaka South City Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor

Taposh came up with the announcement after

the 23rd meeting of the Bus Route

Rationalization Committee (BRCC) held at the

DSCC Nagar Bhaban yesterday. The BRCC

Different families are witnessing hillslide in the incessant rain.

GD-1177/22 (7x3)

cvwb-1089/2021-2022

GD-1173/22 (7x3)

took the decision in a bid to restore order to the

public transport system in Dhaka. Dhaka North

City Mayor Md Atiqul Islam also attended the

meeting, said a press release.Three new routes

are Ghatarchar (Keraniganj) to Bhulta

(Narayanganj) via Farmgate; Ghatarchar to

Meghna Ghat (Kanchpur) via Bosila

(Mohammadpur) and Science Lab; and

Ghatarchar to Narayanganj via Karail.

Photo : Z Rahman Shorov

Bangladesh Navy observes

World Hydrography Day

2022 in Ctg

S M Akash,

Bureau Chief, Chattogram

A seminar was organized at

the Multipurpose Hall,

Chattogram Naval Base

under the management of

Chief Hydrographer of

Bangladesh Navy on

Tuesday on the occasion of

World Hydrography Day

2022.

Commander Chattogram

Naval Area Rear Admiral M

Nazmul Hassan was present

as the chief guest. High

officials from various

ministries, members of the

National Hydrographic

Committee, Hydrography

and

Maritime

Organizations, Port

Authorities, Universities,

Maritime Research &

Training Institutes and

many Hydrographers were

present at the seminar.

Sustainable ocean

management, remote

sensing in oceanography,

blue economy and the

importance of ocean literacy

in achieving the UN Ocean

Decade Goal were discussed

in the seminar by

Hydrographers and ocean

science experts. The

speakers also emphasized

the enhancement of

cooperation

and

coordination between the

stakeholders related to

Hydrography for promoting

the blue economy of

Bangladesh. Chief

Hydrographer Commodore

A K M Sherafullah of

Bangladesh Navy delivered

the welcome speech, while

the Captain M Minarul

Hoque presented the

keynote paper.

'World's biggest'

freshwater fish

netted in Cambodia

PHNOM PENH: A

fisherman on the Mekong

river in Cambodia has

hooked the biggest

freshwater fish ever

recorded, scientists said-a

300-kilogram stingray,

reports BSS.

The giant freshwater

stingray, which measured

four metres (13 feet) from

snout to tail, was caught last

week and released back into

the wild after being fitted

with a tag to track its

behaviour.

The monstrous bottomdweller

beat the previous

record for biggest recorded

freshwater fish, held by a

293-kilo (646-pound)

Mekong giant catfish caught

in Thailand in 2005, the USfunded

Wonders of the

Mekong research project

said.

The stingray, caught in

Stung Treng province in

northern Cambodia, was

more than twice the weight

of an average lowland

gorilla, the experts said.

"In 20 years of researching

giant fish in rivers and lakes

on six continents, this is the

largest freshwater fish that

we've encountered or that's

been documented anywhere

worldwide," Zeb Hogan, a

fish biologist leading the

Wonders of the Mekong

project, said in a statement

released Tuesday.

"This is an absolutely

astonishing discovery, and

justifies efforts to better

understand the mysteries

surrounding this species and

the incredible stretch of river

where it lives."

The researchers fitted an

acoustic tag to the stingray

before returning it to the

river, to try to learn more

about the secretive

creature's elusive behaviour.

Last month, an

endangered giant freshwater

stingray four metres long

and weighing 180 kilos was

also hooked by a fisherman

in the same province.

More than 1,000 fish

species call the Mekong

home and the stingray is not

the only giant lurking in the

muddy waters-the giant

catfish and giant barb also

reach up to three metres

long and 270 kilos in weight.

A seminar was organized at the Multipurpose Hall, Chattogram Naval Base under the management of Chief

Hydrographer of Bangladesh Navy on Tuesday on the occasion of World Hydrography Day 2022. Photo : Courtesy

GD-1178/22 (7x4)

GD-1175/22 (8.8x4)

6348

Wednesday, dhaka : June 22, 2022; ashar 8, 1429 BS; Zilquad 21, 1443 hijri

Padma Bridge- a symbol of honesty

and courage of PM Sheikh Hasina

Flood waters have started receding in Sunamganj. People are passing their days in

miserable condition. The picture is taken on Tuesday from Bishwamvarpur in

Sunamganj.

Photo: Star mail

Padma Bridge

demonstrates

what Bangladesh

can do on its

own: Naoki

DHAKA : Appreciating Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina's "far-sighted vision

and political astuteness" Japanese

Ambassador to Bangladesh Ito Naoki

has said the completion of Padma

Bridge demonstrates what Bangladesh

can do for its economic development

and stability.

"Padma Bridge has been done on its

own initiative and on its own funding.

This is the bridge of national dream and

pride. This bridge will truly fulfill the

growth potential of Bangladesh," he told

a small group of journalists at his residence

on Tuesday.

The Japanese envoy said the year 2022

will be remembered by the world with so

many examples of quality infrastructure

including Padma Bridge inauguration on

June 25 and partial inauguration of

metro rail later this year.

He said Japan will continue to

cooperate with Bangladesh for its

development and will stand by this

country in its development journey

until the day Bangladesh fulfills

vision 2041 and realizes the vision of

Father of the Nation Bangabandhu

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to build

Sonar Bangla.

Responding to a question, ambassador

Naoki said their focus remains on a number

of mega projects in Dhaka,

Chattogram and Cox's Bazar in line with

the Bay of Bengal Industrial Growth Belt

(BIG-B) initiative for the construction of

an industrial corridor.

But, he added, for the sake of this

Flood damages Aush

paddy on 56,000

hectares of land

DHAKA : Aush paddy on about 56,000

hectares of land in the country has been

damaged by the ongoing flood triggered

by incessant showers, said Agriculture

Minister Muhammad Abdur Razzaque

on Tuesday.

"If the floods do not last long, it is possible

to recoup the losses caused so far.

That's why extensive preparations have

already been taken," he told reporters

after a meeting with Maldives High

Commissioner Shiruzimath Sameer at

the Secretariat.

Razzaque said Aush paddy on 22,000

hectares of land in Sunamganj and

Sylhet were damaged by floodwater.

Flood has slumbered different areas in

Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari and

Moulvibazar districts.

Besides, vegetables, sesame, nuts etc.

have been damaged, he added.

Various programmes are being taken

to ensure that the production of Aman

paddy is not disrupted, the minister said

adding Aman is a major crop in the country

from where about 1.50 crore tonnes of

rice is produced annually.

"Now the work of preparing seedbeds

by planting Aman has started. If the flood

situation improves, the seedbed will not

be damaged much."

Govt implementing 30-yr master

plan to modernize railways

DHAKA : The government is implementing

a 30-year master plan slated from

2016 to 2045 to modernize the country's

rail communication system aiming at

making the transportation service a people-friendly

one.

The information was revealed at a seminar

titled 'Railways in development

progress: Challenges and remedies' at the

CIRDAP auditorium in the city yesterday.

Railways Minister Md Nurul Islam

Sujan addressed the seminar as the chief

guest while State Minister for Information

and Communication Technology (ICT)

Division Zunaid Ahmed Palak and

Member of the Parliamentary Standing

Committee on the Railways Ministry

Asaduzzaman Noor spoke as special

guests.

Presided over by Railways Secretary Dr

Md Humayun Kabir, Bangladesh Railway

Director General Dhirendra Nath

Mazumder also spoke while ICT Division

representative Farhad Zahid Sheikh presented

the keynote at the seminar.

Speaking at the seminar, Sujan put

emphasize on gearing up the infrastructural

development for ensuring a better

rail communication system.

"Therefore, the government is committed

to implement the projects set out in the

8th Five Year Plan on priority basis," he

said.

Palak said ICT Division has already

taken various plans to make Bangladesh

Railway more technology and passenger

friendly.

He called upon the stakeholders to come

forward to work in a coordinated manner

with the public and private sectors to take

the railway sector forward.

Keynote presenter Farhad said 230

projects have been taken involving Taka

5,53,662 crore in six phases to implement

the 30-year long master plan.

Once the projects are implemented, he

said, all the railways of the country will

come under the network.

According to the keynote paper, the

present government has taken various

programmes for improving the railway

service under the 8th Five Year Plan,

which include construction of 798 km new

railway line and 897 km dual gauge double

railway line, repairing of 846 km existing

railway line, construction of nine important

railway bridges and level crossing.

Other infrastructural development

activities include construction of ICDs and

workshops, procurement of 160 new locomotives,

1704 passenger coaches and

modern maintenance equipment,

improvement of signaling system at 222

stations, and strengthening of railway

management and development of financial

management of the service.

Bangladeshi children seek more

allocation in education, health: UNICEF

DHAKA : Nine in ten Bangladeshi children

say that it is very important for the government

to spend more on education, health

and other areas that directly impact children,

according to a new UNICEF survey.

A total of 14,000 children and 37,000

young people aged 18-24 participated in

the survey, which asked them for their

opinions about the national budget.

Children are also posting their top priority

asks for the national budget on UNICEF's

Generation Parliament online platform, a

UNICEF press release said. "Children have

a lot to say about what they want from us,

about their hopes and aspirations. As public

representatives we need to listen to them and

engage with them meaningfully. From my

position, I will continue to champion their

rights and convey their voices to national

leaders for a better Bangladesh," said Md

Shamsul Haque Tuku, Chairman of the

Parliamentary Caucus on Child Rights.

"Every aspect of children's lives has been

affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the

findings from this survey show that they are

aware and concerned. It is critical that

national leaders listen to them," said Sheldon

Yett, UNICEF Country Representative.

Learning loss caused by eighteen

months of pandemic school closures was

identified as a priority in the survey. Over

85 percent of children who participated

said that it is very important for

Bangladesh to spend more on education to

help children recover from learning loss. A

majority of the children also said what is

most needed is investment in teacher education

and training.

"I want to see more spending on education

in the national budget, prioritising

primary and secondary schools. This is

needed if we want to end child labour,

child marriages and prevent children

from dropping out of school," said 13-

year-old Gargee Tanushree Paul.

Quality healthcare at affordable prices

also emerged as a pressing concern. For

more than 90 percent of the children who

participated in the survey, it is very important

that Bangladesh invests more to speed

up progress towards universal health coverage.

"In the national budget, the allocation for

the health sector should be increased. To

ensure better health of children and pregnant

mothers, we need more investment in

trained nurses, midwives and specialised

equipment", said 17-year-old Ibna Al

Ramiz.

The survey findings and children's

debate entries on the Generation

Parliament platform show that children

are both aware and eloquent when given

the opportunity to express what they want

from their national leaders. However, the

survey also revealed that many children do

not feel that their opinions matter: only

about half of children said that it was very

important to listen to children's views

while deciding on the national budget.

This low sense of empowerment echoes

the findings from UNICEF's 2021

Changing Childhood project, which

showed that Bangladesh, when compared

to surveyed countries worldwide, has the

second-lowest share of children and young

people who believe that it is very important

for political leaders to listen to children.

Zunaid ahmed Palak (mP)

On January 12,

1 9 7 2

B a n g a b a n d h u

Sheikh Mujibur

Rahman took

charge of the wartorn

country. At

that time

Bangladesh fell into the category of

one of ten poorest countries. 88 percent

of the people were living below

the poverty line. Dependence on foreign

aid was 88 percent. Many doubted

whether this new born country

would actually survive itself! Henry

Kissinger, a US security adviser,

dubbed Bangladesh a "bottomless pit".

Standing on the rubble Bangabandhu

started planning for economic recovery

with little resources in hand.

In the second year of the first Five Year

Plan (1973-78), Bangladesh's GDP

rose to 9.59 percent against the target

of 5.5 percent in 1974-75, which is a

record GDP in the history of

Bangladesh.

After the assassination of

Bangabandhu on 15 August 1975, the

25,981 hajj

pilgrims reach

Saudi Arabia so far

DHAKA : A total of 25,981 hajj pilgrims

have reached Saudi Arabia from

Bangladesh so far to perform holy hajj

this year. Of these, 3,385 are under government

management and 22,596 are

under private management.

This information has been highlighted

in the latest published (18th) Hajj

Bulletin.

According to the bulletin, a total of 71

flights carried the pilgrims to their destination

in the last 16 days, including 39

flights from Biman Bangladesh Airlines,

27 flights from Saudi Airlines, and five

flights from Flynas Airlines.

Hajj flight started from June 5. The last

flight with the pilgrims will be operated

on July 3. The first return flight with the

pilgrims will start on July 14.

This year, 57,585 pilgrims from

Bangladesh will perform Hajj, while

around one million pilgrims from

around the world will visit Saudi Arabia

for the same purpose.

This year, the holy Hajj is going to be

held on July 8, subject to the sighting of

the moon.

prospect of development quickly overturned.

The country was plunged into

darkness. The military and quasidemocratic

rulers shared the power of

the anti-independence forces and

ruled the country for 21 long years.

During that tenure, GDP growth has

never been above 4-5 percent. But

what if we take into account the premiership

of Sheikh Hasina, we find a

worthy successor of Bangabandhu.

She picked up the development

plans where Bangabandhu left. Her

prudent judgment of economic development

has transcended all the sectors.

Her initiatives have propelled the

country to a unique height. GDP

growth rose to 7.25 percent in FY

2021-22 after a setback from the

Covid-19 pandemic. In FY 2018-19 it

was recorded 6 percent.

Bangladesh is now the 41st largest

economy in the world. The country is

an epitome of a development model to

the world. This June 25 is marked to

set another milestone in the ongoing

development journey of Bangladesh.

On this day, the Prime Minister will

inaugurate the Padma Multipurpose

SANGSAD BHABAN : Dhaka South City

Corporation(DSCC) is preparing a 30 year

Integrated City Master Plan for Dhaka

(2020-2050) aiming to turn it into a clean

and smart city.

LGRD Minister Tazul Islam said this in

Parliament on Tuesday replying to a

tabled question from Awami League MP

elected from Chattogram M Abdul Latif.

Tazul Islam also said that the Mohakhali

Bus Terminal will be reconstructed after

demolishing it under the "The Dhaka

Public Transport Improvement Project."

The minister said the corridor road of

BRT Line-3 will also be improved.

In response to another question from

Abdul Latif, the LGRD minister said that

projects will be taken to enhance the beauty

of the Buriganga River old channel and

create an aesthetic environment.

Responding to a question from Jatiya

Party MP elected from Dhaka Syed Abu

Hossain Babla, the minister said the daily

water demand in both the city corporation

Bridge fulfilling the dreams of millions

of people. The Padma bridge is not like

any other bridge. It is an infrastructure

of pride and glory. On the one hand,

this bridge testifies the audacity of foreign

aid dependent Bangladesh's economic

potential to take charge of its

development. On the other hand, it is a

bridge to create examples of courage

and honesty by tackling conspiracies

and challenges. The articulation of this

write-up revolves around the construction

of the Padma Bridge.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is a

visionary leader. Building a bridge

over the river Padma is one of her long

cherished dreams. If the bridge is built

over the mighty river Padma, it will not

only improve the connectivity of the

people of 21 districts in the south-west

of the country, but will also make a

huge contribution to the economy of

Bangladesh.

The bridge will play a huge role in all

fields of agriculture, industry, economy,

education and trade. An integrated

communication system will be developed.

It will connect the region with the

>(Contd. on page-2)

DSCC preparing integrated

master plan to turn Dhaka

into smart city, Tajul tells JS

areas in Dhaka is 260-265 crore liters.

On the other hand, the daily water production

capacity of Dhaka WASA is 270-

275 crore liters.

Therefore, the water production capacity

of Dhaka WASA is more than the

demand and there is no shortage of water

supply as per the demand, the LGRD minister

said.

In response to a query from ruling

Awami League MP elected from Noakhali

Morshed Alam, the minister said that after

the handover of Dhaka WASA storm sewerage

and canals to the City Corporation in

December 2020, Dhaka North City

Corporation (DNCC) undertook various

crash programmes through joint efforts of

Waste Management Department,

Engineering Department and Estate

Department.

As of December, 2021, about 71,584

tons of floating waste and about 10,000

tons of soil / sludge have been removed

from 26 canals, Tazul Islam said.

Corona infection is on the rise in Chattogram in last week. The number of fever, cold and

cough patients has increased in every house in the city. The picture is taken on Tuesday from

agrabad mollah Para in the city.

Photo : Star mail

22-06-2022

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