09-08-2022

TUESDAY
DHAKA : August 9, 2022; Srabon 25, 1429 BS; Muharram 10, 1444 Hijri www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www.bangladeshtoday.net Regd. No. DA~2065, Vol. 20; No. 89; 12 Pages~Tk. 8.00
INTERNATIONAL SPORTS ART & CULTURE
Cease-fire between
Manchester talking
three points from
Shafiq, Salma’s
Palestinians, Israel
takes effect in Gaza
Premier League
‘Bondhu’ released
Holy Ashura
today
DHAKA : The holy Ashura, commemorating
the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam
Hossain Ibn Ali (RA), a grandson of
Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (Peace
Be Upon Him), will be observed across
the country today with due religious
solemnity.
Today is the 10th day of the month
of Muharram in Hijri calendar. This
day is well-known as the “Holy Ashura”.
It is regarded as the day of Karbala,
a ‘mourning and heartbreaking event’,
which has special religious significance
for the Muslim community across the
globe.
Muslims across the world recall the
sacrifice of Hazrat Imam Hossain (RA)
along with his family members and 72
followers, who embraced martyrdom
in 680 AD in the desert of Karbala on
the banks of the Euphrates River in
Iraq while fighting for truth and justice
against the Yazid forces.
Their self-sacrifice at Karbala
Maidan to uphold the great ideals of
Islam, the religion of peace and harmony,
is shining in the history of humanity.
On the eve of the holy Ashura,
President M Abdul Hamid and Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday issued
separate messages, paying deep
respect to Hazrat Imam Hossain (RA)
and other martyrs of Karbala.
Transit
First cargo ship
from India arrives
at Mongla port
for trial run
BAGERHAT : The first trial-basis cargo
ship meant to carry goods for northeastern
India through Bangladesh’s internal
waterways reached Mongla port with two
containers on Monday.
Bangladesh flag-bearing cargo vessel
MV Rishad Rayhan anchored at jetty-9 of
the port in the morning, having left Kolkata
port on August 1, said the Mongla
port authority. This is the first of the four
trial cargo ships on this route.
The cargo ship is now waiting for a trial
run on the Mongla-Tamabil and Mongla-Bibirbazar(in
Cumilla) routes.
In October, 2018, a deal was signed
between the two countries to transport
goods through Chattogram and Mongla
ports from India’s northeastern states.
In two containers, the vessel carried
16.38 ton of iron pipes in 70 packages
and 8.5 ton prefoam in 249 packages.
Unloading from the cargo ship began
around 11 am . A truck was loaded with
container and steel products which left
for India around 12 pm. One of the containers
will go to India’s Meghalaya state
through Tamabil while another will go to
India’s Assam through Bibirbazar border,
said the port authority.
According to the port authority, an
agreement and Standard Operating Procedures
(SOP) regarding the use of Mongla
Port for transportation of goods from
India have been signed between the two
countries. The decision to conduct the
trial run was taken after the 13th Bangladesh-India
Joint Group of Customs
(JGC) meeting held in March 2022.
Zohr
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Bangabandhu was lucky
to have Bangamata as
his life partner : PM
DHAKA : Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
on Monday said Bangabandhu Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman was fortunate enough
to have Bangamata Begum Fazilatunnesa
Mujib as his life partner who provided
him immense strength to work for the
independence of the country and welfare
of the people.
“It had been the good luck for my father
that he got my mother as a life partner
beside him,” she told a programme
held to mark the birth anniversary of
Bangamata Begum Fazilatunnesa Mujib.
She also distributed Bangamata Begum
Fazilatunnesa Mujib Padak-2022 at the
function.
Hasina is the eldest child of Bangabandhu
and Begum Fazilatunnesa Mujib.
Both her parents were assassinated along
with most members of the family during
the August 15 carnage in 1975 at their residence
on Dhanmandi Road 32, reports
UNB.
She also paid tribute to her grandfather
and grandmother for allowing their
son (Bangabandhu) the freedom to work
for the country from his early days. Her
grandparents had never demanded anything
from their son, she said.
“It was easy for my father to devote
fully to the struggle for achieving independence
of the country as he got such
wonderful life partner and parents beside
him,” she said.
Hasina said it would have been very
tough for Bangabandhu to work for the
country and give full concentration in
politics had he not been blessed with a
Bangladesh receives more
doses of Pfizer
Bangladesh receives more doses of
Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine from US
DHAKA : The US government has
donated another 1.5 million pediatric
doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine
to Bangladesh via COVAX to help the
government of Bangladesh expand
vaccination coverage to protect children
ages 5-11 for the very first time.
This delivery marks the second
shipment of US-donated vaccines for
young children this week and brings
the total number of all US vaccine donations
to over 75 million doses, said
the US Embassy in Dhaka on Monday.
More than two-thirds of all international
COVID-19 vaccine donations to
Bangladesh have come from the United
States and the American people.
The United States continues to work
closely with Bangladesh to support every
facet of the national COVID-19 vaccination
campaign, according to the US
Embassy.
life partner like her mother.
“...if she had nagged her husband all
the time pressing for various demands, it
would have been a tough job for my father,”
she said.
She said that her mother never insisted
on getting anything from her husband.
The PM said that her mother had been
gifted with an unusual mental strength to
face any problem with courage and adjust
her life with difficult situation. She further
said her mother also brought them
up in that way and taught her children to
face hostile situation with courage.
Hasina also said that the political decisions
that her mother had made proved
helpful for the country’s independence
movement.
“My mother’s attention was on everything
that was for the good of country
and its people,” she said.
In this regard she mentioned some
anecdotes that occurred before and after
the independence of Bangladesh.
“My mother was confident that the
country will get its independence and this
conviction of my mother was very much
helpful for my father,” she said.
Sheikh Hasina said that her mother
had given everything for the country till
her last breath. “On august 15, she did not
beg for her life. She rather sacrificed her
life,” she said.
Hasina asked the women of the country
to be imbibed with Bangamata’s ideology
that teaches that desire, pleasure
and luxury should not be only purpose of
one’s life.
This includes training to over 51,000
healthcare providers and other workers
on safely administering vaccines to
support Bangladesh’s COVID-19 vaccination
roll out across 64 districts.
The United States has also donated
18 freezer vans, 750 freezer units,
and 8,000 vaccine carriers and helped
transport 57 million doses of vaccines
to remote areas - for direct administration
of 47 million vaccinations.
In Bangladesh, the United States
has contributed more than $140 million
in COVID-19 related development
and humanitarian assistance, said the
US Embassy.
Globally, the United States has donated
$4 billion to support the COVAX
effort, which includes support for ultra-cold
chain storage, transportation,
and safe handling of COVID-19 vaccines,
making the United States the
world’s largest donor for equitable
global COVID-19 vaccine access.
>Page 9 >Page 10
Production at
Barapukuria Coal
Mine resumes
DINAJPUR : Production resumed at
Barapukuria Coal Mine on a limited scale
Sunday night, ten days before the stipulated
time. The Chinese workers resumed
the coal production and the full-fledged
production will be resumed in a day or
two after the local workers rejoin.
Managing director of the mine, Engineer
Saiful Islam, said the coal extraction
remained suspended from July 29 as 106
workers tested positive for Covid-19.
However, the coal extraction work from
phase 1306 of the mine restarted from Sunday
night with the help of Chinese workers,
he said. The authorities concerned also collected
samples of 213 workers under phase
1041 of the mine on Monday while 100
workers tested negative for Covid-19.
Proposal to double
launch fares denied
DHAKA : The government Monday rejected
the launch owners’ proposal to
double the existing launch fare amid the
recent 42.5 percent hike, from Tk 80 to
Tk 114 a litre, in diesel price. Launch
owners are seeking a 100 percent increase
in fares in response to the new
fuel oil prices set by the government.
“The Bangladesh Inland Water Transport
Passenger Carriers Association, an organisation
of the launch owners, proposed
to double the current fare. If their proposal
is accepted, the fare will be Tk4.60 and
Tk4 from the existing Tk2.30 and Tk2 per
kilometre, respectively,” Shipping Secretary
Md Mostafa Kamal said. Against the backdrop
of launch owners’ proposal for a steep
fare hike, the shipping ministry formed a
working committee to recommend new
rates by taking into account the potential
implications for all stakeholders.
The first trial-basis cargo ship meant to carry goods for northeastern India through Bangladesh’s internal
waterways reached Mongla port with two containers on Monday.
Photo : Courtesy
Buses are parked on the road. Due to this, the pitch did not fall on the bus parking place during pitch
casting on the road at night. The picture was taken from Gulistan in the capital. Photo : Star Mail
Bangamata was source
of inspiration for
Bangabandhu : Matia
DHAKA : Awami League presidium
member Matia Chowdhury yesterday
said Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa
was source of inspiration for Bangabandhu
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Matia was speaking as the chief
guest at a discussion marking the 92nd
birth anniversary of Bangamata organised
by Awami League (AL) sub-committee
of Relief and Social Welfare at
AL central office at Bangabandhu Avenue.
Matia also distributed seeds of
vegetables among marginal farmers
marking the day.
“Many leaders put pressure on
Bangabandhu’s family to release him
on parole in Agartala Conspiracy Case
but Bangamata firmly denied it,” Matia
said. Recalling the political sense
and courage of Bangamata, Matia said,
“She did not study in school, college or
university but she had learned from
the experience of life”.
Dhaka seeks Washington’s support
in Rohingya case with ICJ
DHAKA : Bangladesh has urged the
United States to extend their support regarding
the Rohingya case with the International
Court of Justice (ICJ) in The
Hague brought by The Gambia under
the genocide convention.
Bangladesh also thanked the US side
as it has decided to extend their support
to the Rohingyas now living in Bhasan
Char.
“We thank them (US side) as they
will extend their support to the Bhasan
Char,” Foreign Secretary Masud Bin
Momen told reporters at the Foreign
Service Academy while briefing about
his discussion with US Assistant Secretary
of State for International Organization
Affairs Michele J. Sison on Monday.
He said Bangladesh also thanked
the US side recalling that they (US)
in March determined members of the
Myanmar military committed “genocide
and crimes against humanity” against
Rohingya following a rigorous factual
and legal analysis.
“The issue of third country resettlement
also came up in the discussion,”
said the foreign secretary.
He said Bangladesh reiterated that repatriation
of the Rohingyas to their place
of origin in Rakhine State in a safe and
dignified manner would be the key solution.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation
(OIC) has welcomed the ruling by
Awami League presidium member
and Agriculture Minister Dr Abdur
Razzak said,” We find patriotism, courage
and patience in Bangmata’s various
steps.”
Awami League presidium member
Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya
Bir Bikram said many leaders gave
many suggestions to Bangabandhu before
the March 7 speech, but Bangamata
said, “You should not listen to anyone,
you should say whatever you bear
in mind and Bangabandhu did so”.
Awami League’s organizing secretary
Mirza Azam said, “Bangamata
supported Bangabandhu as a successful
wife and gave him courage”.
AL central committee member Dr
Mustafa Jalal Mohiuddin presided
over the meeting while Member Secretary
of Relief and Social Welfare
Sub-Committee Sujit Roy Nandi also
spoke, among others.
the ICJ in The Hague on July 22, rejecting
Myanmar’s preliminary objections to
the case brought by The Gambia under
the 1948 Convention on the Prevention
and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide
(Genocide Convention).
Responding to a question on elite
force Rab, the foreign secretary said
Bangladesh keeps working for withdrawal
of sanctions on Rab following
their legal process.
Inspector General of Police (IGP)
Benazir Ahmed and other officials are
scheduled to attend the third United Nations
Chiefs of Police Summit at the UN
headquarters in New York on August
31-September 1.
Asked whether he will face any visa
related problem due to US sanctions,
the foreign secretary said they are yet
to communicate and will try to know
beforehand, noting that there are some
exceptions.
He said they are discussing the loopholes
and any inconsistency in the Digital
Security Act (DSA) for its further
improvement in terms of application so
that no one faces any problem.
Masud said they discussed multilateral
issues to strengthen cooperation in
a number of areas including food security,
health and human rights issues and
discussed events during the high-level
week of the UNGA.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 9, 2022
2
On the occasion of the 92nd birth anniversary of Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib, a discussion meeting and prayer
meeting has been organized by Chattogram Port Authority.
Photo : Courtesy
130 sued over
BNP activists
police clash in
C'nawabganj
CHAPAINAWABGANJ : A
case has been filed against
130 people in connection
with the clash between BNP
activists and police in
Shibganj upazila of
Chapainawabganj that left
five people including a cop
injured on Sunday.
Sub-inspector of Shibganj
Police Station Sihab filed the
case at the police station
Sunday night accusing 130
BNP activistsincluding 100
unidentified ones, said
Zobayer Ahmed, officer-incharge
(OC) of the police
station.
Police have so far arrested
12 people in this connection,
the OC added.
On Sunday, BNP leaders
and activists gathered near
Islami Bank Mor of Shibganj
Bazar to hold a rally as part
of their central programme
protesting the price hike of
daily commodities including
oil, gas, fertilizers and the
murder of Swechchasebak
Dal leader Abdur Rahim and
Chhatra Dal president Noore
Alam in Bhola.
At one stage, police
obstructed them as a huge
traffic jam was created there
due to the rally.
The leaders and activists
pelted brickbats targeting
police, triggering a clash that
left at least 5 people injured,
said police.
Later, police lobbed tear
gas shells and rubber bullets
to bring the situation under
control.
Pfizer to acquire sickle cell
drugmaker GBT for $5 bn
NEW YORK : American drugmaker Pfizer
announced a deal on Monday to acquire
Global Blood Therapeutics, makers of a
recently approved treatment for sickle cell
disease, for $5.4 billion, reports BSS.
With the agreement, Pfizer, one of the top
makers of Covid-19 vaccines, acquires GBT's
Oxbryta to treat the potentially fatal blood
disorder that primarily affects people of
African, Middle Eastern or South Asian
descent.
The drug was authorized for those over 12
years old in 2019 but gained federal approval
in December for children aged four to 11.
"We are excited to welcome GBT colleagues
into Pfizer and to work together to transform
the lives of patients, as we have long sought to
address the needs of this underserved
community," Pfizer Chairman and CEO Albert
Bourla said in a statement.
Net sales for Oxbryta were approximately
$195 million in 2021, and Pfizer said GBT's
suite of SCD treatments have the potential to
generate more than $3 billion in worldwide
sales.
Bourla said the merger will help "accelerate
innovation for the sickle cell disease
community and bring these treatments to
patients as quickly as possible."
Sales of Oxbryta helped GBT generate firstquarter
turnover of $55 million (up 41
percent), while the company registered a net
loss of $81.4 million.
The San Francisco-based firm is due to
publish its second-quarter numbers on
Monday, but will not hold a previously
scheduled call to discuss the earnings report.
Pfizer's second-quarter turnover jumped 47
percent-to a record $27.74 billion-boosted by
sales of its Covid vaccine and pills.
Its net profit soared by 78 percent, to $9.9
billion.
Following the merger announcement, GBT
shares rose 4.4 percent in early trading
Monday, while Pfizer shares slipped 0.7
percent.
Stranded Beluga whale is now
stationary in Seine: NGO
RENNES : A malnourished beluga whale that
has swum up France's River Seine is no longer
progressing but is still alive, environmental
group Sea Shepherd said Monday, reports
BSS.
Hopes are fading to save the animal, which
was first spotted on Tuesday in the river that
runs through Paris to the English Channel.
"It is alert but not eating," Sea Shepherd
France president Lamya Essemlali told AFP in
a text message.
There was, however, "no worsening of its
condition", she said.
Since Friday the whale has been between
two locks some 70 kilometres (44 miles) north
of the French capital.
Rescuers are considering last-ditch efforts to
extract the animal from the Seine as the river's
warm water is harming its health.
One alternative would be to open the locks in
the hope that the beluga will swim towards the
English Channel, authorities said.
Opening the locks would harbour the risk of
the whale moving further upriver towards
Paris, which would be even more disastrous.
Several attempts to feed the whale have
failed in the past days.
On Saturday, veterinarians administered
"vitamins and products to stimulate its
appetite", said a statement on Sunday by the
police in Normandy's Eure department, which
is overseeing the rescue effort.
This year Global IT Challenge for Youth with Disabilities (GITC) 2022 will be held through online
zoom platform. About 1,800 (total number) youth with disabilities from 16 countries are attending.
Actually as a country of organizer was Chin but due to Covid situation, Rehabilitation International,
Korea (RI Korea) is organizing this year GITC competition.
Photo : Courtesy
Rohingya
shot dead in
Cox's Bazar
COX'S BAZAR : A Rohingya
man was shot dead in a
reported gunfight between
two factions of Rohingya at
Nayapara in Teknaf upazila of
Cox's Bazar district on
Sunday night, police said on
Monday.
The deceased was identified
as Ibrahim, son of Abdur
Razzak of the upazila. He was
a supporter of 'Jakir Bahini' a
Rohingya criminal gang.
Hasan Bari Nur,
commanding officer of APBn-
16, two Rohingya criminal
gangs exchanged gunfire in
the Rohingya camp on
Sunday night.
On information, a team of
APBn rushed to the spot and
found Ibrahim injured with
bullets.
Later, he was taken to the
local hospital where doctors
referred him to Cox's Bazar
Sadar Hospital.
Ibrahim died on way to
Cox's Bazar hospital.
Police are investigating the
incident and trying to arrest
the culprits, said police.
Schoolgirl
raped by 6 in
Panchagarh
PANCHAGARH : A tenth -
grade schoolgirl was allegedly
raped by six men including
her boyfriendwho had
promised to marry her in
Tetulia upazila of Panchagarh
district.
The crime occurred at a tea
garden at Bandarpara village
in Atoari upazila of the district
on Saturday night.
The girl has been
undergoing treatment at
Panchagarh Modern Sadar
Hospital.
Yusuf Ali, superintendent
of Panchagarh Police, said the
girl developed a love affair
with one Hasan, 25, son of
Rahman of Atoari upazila
over mobile phone and she
met him several times while
visiting her maternal uncle's
house.
On Saturday, Hasan made a
phone call to the girl and
asked her to meet him as he
wanted to marry her now.
When the girl reached in
Panchagarh, Hasan and
Sabuj, 30 son of
Khamiruddin along with took
the girl to a tea garden in Old
Atoari in Atoari upazila
around 8 pm.
Later, they violated the girl
in turns.
Four more people-Aminul
Islam alias Dipjol, 25, son of
Abdur Rahman, Nazrul, 40,
son of Khazimuddin, Amar,
30, son of Koilash and Abdur
Rahman, 50 appeared there,
forcing Hasan and Sabuj run
away. Later, they also raped
the girl getting her alone in
the area.
CPA discussion meeting and Dowa
mahfil marking Bangamata's birth
anniversary held
S M Arju, Staff Reporter
On the occasion of the 92nd birth
anniversary of Bangamata Sheikh
Fazilatunnesa Mujib, a discussion meeting
and prayer meeting has been organized by
Chattogram Port Authority.
Chairman of Chattogram Port Authority
Rear Admiral M Shahjahan was present as
the chief guest at the discussion meeting
and award distribution ceremony
organized by Chattogram Port Authority at
Shaheed Fazlul Haque Munshi Auditorium
on Monday on the occasion of the 92nd
birth anniversary of Bangamata Sheikh
Fazilatunnesa Mujib.
All members of Chattogram Port
Authority, Heads of Departments, Heads of
Sub-Divisions, Heads of Branches, Heads
of Educational Institutions, Faculty,
President and General Secretary of Port
Employees Council and students of
World's biggest chocolate plant
restarts after health scare
BRUSSELS : A factory in
Belgium billed as the world's
biggest chocolate-making
plant said it restarted
operations Monday after
closing for six weeks to clean
up a salmonella
contamination, reports BSS.
Three of the 24 production
lines at the plant in the town
of Wieze resumed and the
first delivery took place, said
Barry Callebaut, the Swiss
company that runs the
factory.
The plant-which supplies
industry giants such as
Hershey, Nestle and Unilever
but not to consumers directlywas
shut down at the end of
June after salmonella
bacteria was found in one lot.
Zurich-based Barry
Callebaut said it halted
shipments and informed
clients in time to prevent
contaminated chocolate
making its way to shops.
It identified lecithin, added
to smooth food textures, as
the source of the
contamination, prompting
weeks of extensive cleaning.
"We remain cautious
because this operation is
unprecedented, the process of
cleaning and disinfection
takes a lot of time," a Barry
Callebaut spokesman,
Korneel Warlop, told AFP.
He said that while the
factory was currently turning
out only a "fairly low volume",
it planned to reactivate more
GD-1339/22 (7 x 3)
production lines "in the weeks
to come".
Belgium's food health
agency said it was continuing
to monitor production from
the plant.
The Barry Callebaut plant
employs around 600 people
and is a key unit in the
company's total output,
which amounted to 2.2
million tonnes in the 2020-
2021 financial year, produced
in more than 60 sites
worldwide.
Six migrants die
after boat sinks
off Algeria: local
ALGIERS : Six migrants were
found dead at sea and others
were missing after their boat
sank Monday off the coast of
Algeria, local television
reported, adding six survivors
were rescued, reports BSS.
"Six bodies were retrieved
and six injured people,
including a pregnant woman,
have been transferred to
hospital at Bainem" west of
the capital Algiers, private
television channel Ennahar
said.
The boat capsized around
4:00 am local time (0300
GMT), it added.
A search was ongoing for an
unspecified number of
missing people.
educational institutions of the port were
present in the event. Chairman of
Chattogram Port Authority, Rear Admiral
M Shahjahan, in his speech, inspired by the
ideals of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman and Bangamata Sheikh
Fazilatunnesa Mujib, urged to work
sincerely with the current Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina in an effort to build Sonar
Bangla and advised the students to be
patriots.
Members of Chattogram Port, General
Secretary of Port Employees' Council and
student representatives of all educational
institutions of the port gave speeches
among others. At the end of the meeting,
the chief guest handed over the prizes to the
winners of the quiz and essay competition
and after the meeting, he participated in
prayers and mahfil at the main Jame
Masjid of Chattogram port.
Madrasa girl gang
raped in Chandpur,
1 held
CHANDPUR : A 14-year-old
madrasa girl has allegedly been
raped by three men after
abduction in Kachua upazila of
Chandpur, said police.
The crime took place Friday
afternoon at an abandoned
building near Khidda Bazar of
the upazila.
Md Mohiuddin, officer-incharge
(OC) of Kachua police
station, said three rapists
abducted the girl from a CNGrun
auto rickshaw on her way
to home and violated her in
turns after taking her to the
abandoned building, leaving
her unconscious.
Later, she informed police
about the incident and lodged a
complaint against the three at
the police station, the OC
added. Following her
statement, police arrested
accused Russel Mia, 26, on
Sunday and produced him
before the court Monday
morning.
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TUESDAY, AUgUST 9, 2022
3
World Health Organization Representative in Bangladesh Dr. Bardan Jung Rana paid a courtesy call
on Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Md. Akhtaruzzaman yesterday at the latter's office of
the university.
Photo : Courtesy
Dhaka mayors
get minister
status
DHAKA : Dhaka North City
Corporation (DNCC) Mayor
Atiqul Islam and Dhaka
South City Corporation
(DSCC) Mayor Barrister
Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh
have been given the status of
minister.
Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina approved the new
status of the two mayors of
Dhaka, said a handout on
Monday.
Besides, the Narayanganj
City Corporation (NCC)
Mayor Selina Hayat Ivy and
Chattogram
City
Corporation Mayor (CCC)
Rezaul Karim Chowdhury
were given the status of state
minister.
The authorities concerned
have been asked to issue a
gazette notification in this
regard.
Dengue: 79
new patients
hospitalised
in 24 hrs
DHAKA : Another 79
dengue patients were
hospitalised in 24 hours till
Monday morning, according
to the Directorate General of
Health Services (DGHS).
Among them, 59 patients
were hospitalised in Dhaka
while the 20 in other places,
it said.
As many as 360 dengue
patients including 286 in the
capital are now receiving
treatment at hospitals across
the country.
On Sunday, this year's
death toll from the
mosquito-borne viral
disease rose to 15 with one
more death reported from
Cox's Bazar
Among the total deaths,
ten were reported from
Cox's Bazar while five from
Dhaka.
On June 21, the DGHS
reported the first death of
the season from the viral
disease. In July, the country
reported 1,571 dengue cases
with nine deaths.
This year, the DGHS has
recorded 3,263 dengue cases
and 2,888 recoveries so far.
ASEAN Dhaka Committee
celebrates 55th ASEAN Day
DHAKA : ASEAN Dhaka Committee (ADC)
on Monday celebrated the 55th anniversary
of the founding of the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) at the
Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia.
Foreign Minister Dr AK Momen joined the
event as the chief guest by delivering a prerecorded
video speech.
Haji Haris Haji Othman, High
Commissioner of Brunei Darussalam; Heru
Hartanto Subolo, Ambassador of the
Republic of Indonesia; Haznah Md Hashim,
High Commissioner of Malaysia; Aung Kyaw
Moe, Ambassador of the Republic of the
Union of Myanmar; Makawadee Sumitmor,
Ambassador of the Kingdom of Thailand;
Pham Viet Chien, Ambassador of the
Socialist Republic of Vietnam; Sheela Pillai,
Head of Mission of the Singapore Consulate,
Dhaka; Christian Hope V. Reyes, Charge
d'Affaires, a.i of the Republic of the
Philippines; Foreign Ministry officials and
diplomats from ASEAN Member States were
present.
The celebration started with the ASEAN
flag raising ceremony followed by ASEAN
food festival, which reflects ASEAN unity
and harmony based on cultural diversity.
Ambassador Aung Kyaw Moe, the current
Chair of ADC, highlighted the achievements
of ASEAN throughout the past 55 years since
its founding; the activities of ADC; the
cordial relations between ASEAN countries
and Bangladesh as well as the cruciality of
"ASEAN Unity" among the Member States.
The ADC was established in the year 2014
and is comprised of eight ASEAN Missions
based in Dhaka.
The ADC chair is rotated every six months
and is currently being chaired by the
Republic of the Union of Myanmar.
ASEAN was founded on 8 August 1967
through the signing of ASEAN Declaration
(Bangkok Declaration) comprises ten
Member States, namely Brunei Darussalam,
Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia,
Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand
and Vietnam.
The celebration of the 55th ASEAN Day
resumed physically after the 54th
celebration in 2021 was held virtually due
to COVID-19.
This was the first on-site event organised
by the ADC after the relaxation of the
pandemic preventive measure by the
Bangladesh government, highlighting a fresh
start to boost the relations between ASEAN
and Bangladesh.
Dhaka's air quality turns 'good'
DHAKA : With an air quality index (AQI)
score of 41, Dhaka's air quality turned
'good' Monday morning.
The metropolis ranked 37th in the list
of world cities with the worst air quality
at 9 am.
An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered
to be 'good' while between 50 and 100
'moderate'.
Kuwait's Kuwait City, Pakistan's Lahore
and Saudi Arabia's Riyadh occupied the
first three spots in the list, with AQI
scores of 158, 155 and 141, respectively.
An AQI between 101 and 200 is
considered 'unhealthy', particularly for
sensitive groups.
Similarly, an AQI between 201 and 300
is said to be 'poor', while a reading of 301
to 400 is considered 'hazardous', posing
serious health risks to residents.
AQI, an index for reporting daily air
quality, is used by government agencies to
inform people how clean or polluted the
air of a certain city is, and what associated
health effects might be a concern for
them.
In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five
criteria pollutants-Particulate Matter
(PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2 and
Ozone.
Dhaka has long been grappling with air
pollution issues. Its air quality usually
turns unhealthy in winter and improves
during the monsoon.
A report by the Department of
Environment (DoE) and the World Bank
in March 2019 pointed out that the three
main sources of air pollution in Dhaka
"are brick kilns, fumes from vehicles and
dust from construction sites".
With the advent of winter, the city's air
quality starts deteriorating sharply due to
the massive discharge of pollutant
particles from construction work,
rundown roads, brick kilns and other
sources.
Air pollution consistently ranks among
the top risk factors for death and
disability worldwide. Breathing polluted
air has long been recognised as increasing
a person's chances of developing a heart
disease, chronic respiratory diseases, lung
infections and cancer, according to
several studies.
As per the World Health Organization
(WHO), air pollution kills an estimated
seven million people worldwide every
year, largely as a result of increased
mortality from stroke, heart disease,
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,
lung cancer and acute respiratory
infections.
Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Md Shahab Uddin addressing a program on the
occasion of 92nd birth anniversary of Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib. Photo : Courtesy
WHO Representative
calls on DU VC
World Health Organization
(WHO) Representative in
Bangladesh Dr. Bardan
Jung Rana paid a courtesy
call on Dhaka University
(DU) Vice-Chancellor Prof.
Dr. Md. Akhtaruzzaman
yesterday at the latter's office
of the university. Director of
the Institute of Leather
Engineering and
Technology of DU Prof. Dr.
Mohammed Mizanur
Rahman was present on this
occasion.
During the meeting Vice-
Chancellor Prof. Dr. Md.
Akhtaruzzaman appraised
WHO representative of
holding a Special
Convocation of DU to confer
Honorary D.Litt. Degree
(Posthumous) on the Father
of the Nation Bangabandhu
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
This Special Convocation
will possibly be held
sometime in-between
October-December 2022.
The VC has already invited
WHO DG Tedros Adhanom
Ghebreyesus to attend this
Special Convocation as a
Convocation Speaker. They
discussed regarding possible
schedule of WHO DG to
attend this prestigious
occasion.
Int'l Confce on Bangamata
concluded at DU
The 2-day long international conference
on 'Bangamata: A Paragon of Women's
Leadership and Nation-building in
Bangladesh' was concluded yesterday at
Nabab Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate
Bhaban of Dhaka University (DU), a
press release said.
As a part of this conference a
roundtable discussion on 'Bangladesh at
50 and Beyond: A journey towards
Gender and Sustainable development'
was held today. Bangamata Sheikh
Fazilatun Nessa Center for Gender and
Development Studies of Dhaka
University organized this event.
Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences
of DU Prof. Dr. Zia Rahman presided
over the roundtable discussion while
Principal Coordinator (SDGs Affairs) of
Prime Minister's Office Ms. Zuena Aziz,
Member of Publicity and Publication
Sub-committee of Bangladesh Awami
League Rasheq Rahman, Martyred
Intellectual Dr. Alim Choudhury's
daughter Dr. Nuzhat choudhury,
Professor of DU Law Department Sheikh
Hafizur Rahman, Chairperson of DU
Women and Gender Studies Department
Dr. Umme Busra Fateha Sultana and
Chief News Editor of News 24 Shahnaz
Munni took part in the discussion as
panelists. Earlier two key-note papers
were presented and a special session on
'Gender Equality and Future Bangladesh:
Voices from Young Generations' was held
at Nabab Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate
Bhaban.
President of Bangladesh Mahila
Parishad Dr. Fauzia Moslem delivered
the key-note speech on 'Ensuring
Women's Right in Bangladesh: Realities
and Challenges' while President of
National Press Club Farida Yasmin took
part in the discussion.
Distinguished Professor of McGill
University Dr. Ratna Ghosh delivered the
key-note speech on 'Women Access to
Justice in Bangladesh: Availability,
Accessibility and Inclusion' while Senior
Secretary of PM Office Mohammad
Tofazzel Hossain Miah presided over the
session. Acting Dean of DU Law Faculty
Prof. Dr. Sima Zaman took part in the
discussion.
State Minister of ICT Division, Ministry
of Posts, Telecommunications and
Information Technology Zunaid Ahmed
Palak, MP attended special session as
chief guest while State Minister of the
Ministry of Disaster Management and
Relief Dr. Md. Enamur Rahman, MP and
former Captain of Bangladesh National
Cricket Team Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, MP
spoke as guest of honor. Director of
Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatun Nessa
Center for Gender and Development
Studies Prof. Dr. Tania Haque conducted
the special session.
The 2-day long international conference on 'Bangamata: A Paragon of Women's Leadership and
Nation-building in Bangladesh' was concluded yesterday at Nabab Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate
Bhaban of Dhaka University (DU).
Photo : Courtesy
HC directs to
protect 952 ponds
in Rajshahi city
DHAKA : The High Court on
Monday directed Rajshahi
City Corporation (RCC) to
protect 952 ponds under its
jurisdiction.
A bench of Justice Zubayer
Rahman Chowdhury and
Justice Kazi Ebadat Hossain
made the direction during
hearing on a writ petition filed
by environment human rights
organization Human Rights
and Peace for Bangladesh
(HRPB).
The court also asked to
ensure no more ponds get
occupied or filled in the city.
RCC mayors, Rajshahi
Directorate of Environment
and Deputy Commissioner
have been asked to implement
the order. The court also
directed to return the ponds of
RCC to their previous state
and said the trial in this regard
will continue, said HRPB
president Manzil Morshed.
Manzil Morshed said the
writ petition was filed in 2014
to stop the filling up of ponds
in the RCC area.
The High Court then issued a
rule questioning why a direction
to stop filling and protecting the
ponds in the RCC area will not
be issued and asked Rajshahi
DC to inform the numbers of
ponds. After that, Rajshahi DC
submitted a report to HC
informing there are a total of
952 ponds in RCC.
On February 23, this year, a
supplementary appeal with the
writ was submitted adding a
report published in a national
daily titled, ''Conserved pond
filled up to sell as plots'", said the
HRPB president.
Mild heat wave sweeps
parts of country
DHAKA : A mild heat wave is sweeping different parts of the
country including Sylhet division.
"Mild heat wave is sweeping Sylhet division and Rajshahi,
Rangpur and Nilphamari districts and it may continue,"said
Bangladesh Metrological Department (BMD).
Besides, light to moderate rain or thunder showers
accompanied by temporary gusty wind is likely to occur at
many places over Khulna, Barishal, Chattogram and Sylhet
divisions; at a few places over Mymensingh, Dhaka and
Rangpur divisions and at one or two places over Rajshahi
division with moderately heavy falls at places over the
country, it added. Day and night temperatures may remain
nearly unchanged over the country.
The weather office
recorded the highest rainfall 77mm in Sylhet in 24 hours till
6am on Monday.
The highest temperature was recorded at 36.4 degrees
Celsius in Sayedpur of Rangpur division, while the lowest
temperature was recorded at 24.5 degree Celcius in
Sitakunda of Chattogram division.
Meanwhile, the low pressure area over Northwest Bay off
Odisha-West Bengal coast intensified into a well-marked low
and lies over the same area. It is likely to intensify further.
The axis of monsoon trough runs through Rajasthan, Uttar
Pradesh, Odisha, centre of the well-marked low to Assam
across central part of Bangladesh, it added.
Bangladesh reports 3 more
Covid deaths, 296 cases
DHAKA : Three more people died from Covid, and 296
tested positive for the virus in Bangladesh in the 24 hours to
Monday morning.
While the country's total fatalities reached 29,307, the new
number took its caseload to 2,007,631, according to the
Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The daily case positivity rate dropped to 4.99 percent from
Sunday's 5.10 percent as 5,929 samples were tested.
The mortality rate remained unchanged at 1.46 percent.
The recovery rate rose to 97.06 percent from Sunday's 97.05
percent.
Bangladesh reported its first zero Covid death Sunday after
June 29. In July, the country reported 142 Covid-linked
deaths and 31,422 cases, the highest monthly death toll and
caseload since March this year.
Students
stage protest
against fuel
price hike at
Nilkhet
DHAKA : Students from
various educational institutions
staged demonstrations in the
capital's Nilkhet intersection
on Monday protesting the
latest hike in fuel prices.
The students demanded
lowering the prices of fuel to
their previous rates within
48 hours, cancelling the
decision of raising the fares
of public transports, and
ensuring half fare for
students in public
transports.
The prices of fuel
were increased
abruptly on Friday
night following which
the fares of public
transports also shot up.
Ismail Samrat, Chief
Coordinator of the Seven
College Movement, said,
"Anarchy is going on in
the name of fares in the
public transport sector. It
must be stopped.
Commuters have to pay
two to three times more
than the previously fixed
fare due to the
unbearable condition
created by the transport
owners."
After the programme, the
protesting students went to
Modhur Canteen to join
another program called by
the left leaning alliances to
protest against police attack
on their procession against
fuel price hike on Sunday.

TueSdAy, AuguST 9, 2022
4
Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam
e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com
Tuesday, August 9, 2022
Waking up to the crisis
in food and agricultural
products
T
here
is a pressing need on the part of a
country like Bangladesh which depends to
some extent on imported food grains and
a great deal on imported cooking oil, pulses,
spices and dairy products, about both the
soaring prices and scarcity of these
commodities in international market places.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)
of the United Nations has issued a warning
recently that the bill for global food imports will
top $1,000 billion this year for the second time
ever putting the world dangerously close to a
new food crisis. The scenario projected in the
FAO's twice-yearly Food Outlook released last
week warned that the world should be prepared
for even higher prices for these products in the
year 2011 if domestic food productions in
importing countries do not increase
substantially. A similar food crisis was
witnessed from under production worldwide in
2007-8 when the imported food bill soared to $
1,031 billion. But ten years before that crisis,
the global food bill for imports averaged less
than $ 500 billion a year.
Prices of agricultural commodities have
surged following top producers of wheat for
exports, Russia and Ukraine, declaring a ban on
their exports. In this backdrop, the two most
populous countries, China and India, have met
setbacks in their food production. For
Bangladesh, India next door from which it
could import food grains conveniently and at
most competitive prices, this source is also
drying up. Although the Indian government
declared a relaxation of their ban on food grain
export in relation to Bangladesh, it remains to
be seen how far the offer can materialize in the
tight situation faced by India itself. Thus, there
are all the reasons for policy planners in
Bangladesh to be extremely proactive in
securing the import requirements of these
agricultural products. Not only the maximum
efficiency and timeliness must be attained in
importing food grains and other kitchen items,
the same sort of agility and competence need to
be there in importing raw cotton for the
country's textile industries because cotton
availability has also slumped from under
production worldwide.
Under the current volatile international
market conditions, government in Bangladesh
should form urgent policies and implement
them neatly to keep the supply lines of these
imported products smooth and the prices as
stable as possible. Constant contacts with the
sellers and building up of market intelligence,
plus forward buying at stable prices under
longer term contracted arrangements, could be
the answer to protect the country considerably
from the shocks of fast rising imported prices of
agricultural commodities.
Internally, the greatest stress will have to be
put on increasing overall production of food
grains. It appears that climate played a part in
reducing the last harvest of Aman rice. The
preparations are underway to raise the next
Boro crop during the coming winter months.
Every effort will have to be pushed to the
maximum with timely supply of all sorts of
inputs, including irrigation water, to farmers at
reasonable prices. Truly incentive prices will
also need to be declared to motivate farmers so
that the surplus Boro rice can be successfully
purchased from them for stocking up
adequately in government operated silos. This
would reduce the need for import and build up
greater basic food security. It is also imperative
to adopt a plan and execute it with the greatest
efficiency to much increase the cultivation of
non cereal crops such as oilseeds, spices, pulses
and cotton within the country.
highlight
Constant contacts with the sellers and
building up of market intelligence, plus
forward buying at stable prices under longer
term contracted arrangements, could be the
answer to protect the country considerably
from the shocks of fast rising imported prices of
agricultural commodities. Internally, the
greatest stress will have to be put on increasing
overall production of food grains and cotton.
China-Taiwan Conflict and Risk of War
Russia's invasion of Ukraine is a
reminder that Taiwan's fate will
ultimately be determined by military
power. The risk of military conflict in
Taiwan due to the Ukraine war is not an
abstract or remote possibility today. Beijing
views Taiwan as an integral part of the
People's Republic of China, governed by the
'One China' policy. The fundamental goal of
the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is
Sino-Taiwan unification. It has been the
political promise of leaders for generations
since Mao Zedong. Senior CCP leaders say
military force will be used for unification if
peaceful measures fail. China passed the
Anti-Secession Law in 2005, Article 8 of
which included the legal justification for the
use of military force.
China's ambassador to the United States,
Qin Gang, recently told Americans, "China
is not committed to giving up non-peaceful
means for unification." PRC pressure
against Taiwan has increased under
President Xi Jinping, and the justification
for using force to resolve the Taiwan Strait
dispute has come to the fore. Xi's 2013
statement is plausible. The issue, he said,
"should not continue from generation to
generation." Unification is a key element of
Xi's "China Dream." Threats to deploy the
People's Liberation Army (PLA) to force
unification and invade Taiwan have been
intensified by two decades of military
modernization and expansion. Taiwan's
military officials call the naval transits of
Chinese aircraft carriers along Taiwan's east
and west coasts "encirclement missions."
Beijing's uncompromising position on
unification and economic and political
incentives to stimulate Taiwan's public
support for unification have created an
uneasy status quo. As its military power
grows, it becomes more challenging to deter
Beijing from using force against Taiwan. If
Beijing chooses a military solution to the
Taiwan problem; Japan and Australia will
further complicate the situation by directly
participating in the risks and consequences
of a Taiwan cross-strait conflict. Giving
Australia long-range weapons, including
Tomahawk missiles and nuclear-powered
submarines, as part of the 2021 Australia-
UK-US AUCAS deal is apparently part of an
effort to deter China from using force. But it
cannot suppress China at all.
Australia needs 12 years to develop
submarines under Aucas treaty; During this
period, many events can change the account
of the situation. China will not sit and suck
their fingers for so many years. Japan is also
a pioneer in opposing China. Former Prime
Minister Shinzo Abe said, "Taiwan's
emergency is also an emergency for Japan,
and therefore an emergency for the Japan-
US alliance." Southeast Asian countries
have so far not engaged in the Taiwan crossstrait
issue, preferring instead to limit
economic ties with Taiwan on an informal
Russia, EU continue transition to wartime economies
Having declared victory over the
"economic blitzkrieg" of Western
sanctions in March, Russian
President Vladimir Putin must contend with
continued Western financial support to
Ukraine as it combats Russian forces. In
addition, the Kremlin will be forced to
finance the reconstruction and integration
of conquered Ukrainian territory.
With costs mounting, Putin has
increasingly promoted the need to fortify the
Russian economy's immediate and longterm
position. In April, the head of Russia's
Central Bank, Elvira Nabiullina, stated that
the Russian economy would see a
"structural transformation" during the
second and third quarters this year to offset
inflation, supply-chain issues, and reduced
imports.
To alleviate domestic concerns related to
the cost of the war, the Kremlin increased
minimum-wage and pension payments by
10% in May. The initiative also appeared to
help muffle any domestic opposition on
June 30, when two bills were submitted to
the lower house of Russia's parliament, the
Duma, to give the government greater
control over the domestic economy.
The first bill will allow Russia to compel
domestic companies into accepting
government contracts and supply the goods
and services required for what it calls its
"special military operation" to the armed
forces.
To reassure the business community that
this bill would not impact them negatively,
Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov said
the proposed law would "not provide for
compulsory conversion of civilian small and
medium-sized enterprises for the needs of
the armed forces." Instead, the bill would be
primarily aimed at companies in the defense
sector that already work with the
government.
The second bill, which will introduce
changes in the federal labor law, permits the
government to overcome potential labor
shortages by allowing it to make employees
work overtime, at night, and on weekends
and holidays. Even after agreements are
signed, the government will be able to alter
basis. Singapore is a notable exception,
having military ties with Taiwan. Taiwan's
military facilities can be used by Singapore.
This relationship predates the
establishment of Singapore-PRC
diplomatic relations in 1992. It should be
remembered here that Israel maintains
Singapore as a military hub for Southeast
Asia and Israel manufactures and stores
many weapons here, although Singapore is
not yet under any military threat and
complexity. However, Singapore does not
offer any security guarantees to Taiwan, nor
does the US have a law similar to the
Taiwan Relations Act. Singapore has been
the most outspoken of Southeast Asian
countries on concerns about US-China
tensions, including the Taiwan issue.
As Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien
Loong summed up at the 2015 Shangri-La
Dialogue, 'no country wants to choose sides
between the United States and China', not
choosing sides is a popular idea, but it does
not take into account Singapore's own
values and agency. In some situations,
Singapore will make policy based on its own
interests, not taking into account PRC or US
preferences. Moreover, Taiwan lacks
diplomatic relations with any Southeast
Asian state or UN status, making its
sovereignty ambiguous. This lack of
recognition is believed to have given
Singapore and Southeast Asian countries a
justification for not choosing sides in the
Taiwan Strait conflict.
Although ASEAN is not designed to face
external security threats or prevent
aggression outside its member states, it can
call on all parties to act with restraint in the
event of a crisis. If China loses hope of
peaceful unification and implements the
decision to use military force on Taiwan, it
will undoubtedly create negative political,
economic and security risks for Southeast
Asia. The Taiwan cross-strait military
conflict undermines ASEAN's most
fundamental foundations. Peaceful
resolution of disputes rather than violence,
as outlined in Article 13 of the 1976 Treaty of
Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia
(TAC), is the foundation of ASEAN.
It is possible that ASEAN will call on all
parties to exercise restraint and avoid
violence, not excluding China. But Beijing's
threat of force against Taiwan will raise
strategic concerns among ASEAN member
states, especially those that have their own
the terms of any contract.
The Kremlin has indicated that without
these "special economic measures," Russia's
military campaign in Ukraine risks grinding
to a halt. After being adopted by the Duma
on July 5, the bills now await further review
before they can be signed by Putin into law.
These measures are part of Russia's
continuing attempts to stabilize its economy
amid rising global economic instability.
Despite Western efforts to isolate Russia's
large foreign-currency reserves, the Kremlin
is also still able to access about half of the
US$600 billion it built up to protect itself
since 2014, after the annexation of Crimea.
Russia has attempted to develop rival
payment systems and trade networks with
China, promoted "a new reserve currency"
for international trade to erode the
dominance of the US dollar, and supported
other similar measures to safeguard its
economy.
So far, however, the Kremlin's saving
grace has been the drastic increase in energy
prices since it invaded Ukraine in February.
Even compared with 2021, which saw
relatively high tax revenues for the Russian
government, collections were up more than
30% in April 2022 compared with April
2021, despite significant reductions in
European demand for Russian energy.
European leaders have called for a more
assertive response to the global economic
instability similar to the decisive actions
taken against Russia.
On June 13, French President Emmanuel
Macron declared that Europe required a
"wartime economy" to manage the
economic fallout from the conflict and to
reinforce its strategic autonomy. On July 6,
NAyeem ISlAm NIBIR
JohN P Ruehl
territorial disputes with China. If Beijing
starts a conflict, it will cause a lot of
confusion. There is also the fear of
eventually becoming a victim of Chinese
military coercion over their own disputes.
The security situation in the Philippines will
suffer the most if conflict breaks out. The
'Bashi Channel' is a strategically important
check point for Chinese naval vessels,
especially PLA naval submarines in the
South China Sea.
In battle, commanders will seek to
dominate the areas in and around the
Channel. Philippine territorial air and sea
boundaries will undoubtedly directly affect
the conflict. US and Chinese naval and air
A conflict or minor skirmish would not only disrupt supply chains and
economic activity on Taiwan. But Taiwanese-invested companies in
China will likely reduce their operations, including paying mainland
workers. Relying on integrated manufacturing bases in both China and
Taiwan will further disrupt Southeast Asian and global supply chains.
forces are unlikely to confine hostilities to a
war zone around Taiwan. Taiwan's crossstrait
conflict will undoubtedly involve
Southeast Asia, albeit reluctantly. Countries
that want a sustained U.S. military presence
in the region may find themselves
confronting Beijing. Smaller countries will
be more actively pressured to reject the US
military or to reduce its activities in the
region. Military success in Taiwan would
establish China a sphere of influence in
Southeast Asia. This is a very difficult
matter.
Resisting an emboldened China, the use
of military force to successfully occupy
Taiwan will force China's adversary, the US,
to adopt a different strategy. Furthermore,
China's dominance of the South China Sea
and its sea lanes will affect the security and
economy of all Southeast Asian states as
well as states dependent on sea lanes in the
South China Sea. If China unites the PLA to
annex Taiwan and fails. But it will make
China fall like a dark cloud into a pit of
misery like Russia. Taiwan's economy is
large, ranking 23rd in the world by GDP,
behind only Indonesia in Southeast Asia. Its
industries are integrating into regional
supply chains and Taiwan is a major source
of foreign direct investment in Southeast
Asia.
A conflict or minor skirmish would not
only disrupt supply chains and economic
activity on Taiwan. But Taiwanese-invested
companies in China will likely reduce their
operations, including paying mainland
workers. Relying on integrated
manufacturing bases in both China and
Taiwan will further disrupt Southeast Asian
and global supply chains. More
importantly, economic activity across China
the French government announced it was
nationalizing its nuclear company,
Électricité de France (EDF).
On July 22, the German government
provided a multibillion-euro bailout to the
major gas-importing company Uniper,
which was the first energy company in the
country.
However, these maneuvers are merely a
reflection of Europe's wider economic
vulnerability through energy. After the US
and China, the 27 states of the European
The second bill, which will introduce changes in the federal labor
law, permits the government to overcome potential labor shortages
by allowing it to make employees work overtime, at night, and on
weekends and holidays. even after agreements are signed, the
government will be able to alter the terms of any contract.
Union form the third-largest energy market
in the world. Much of their energy supply
comes from non-member states, notably
Russia.
And even though the West's economic
strength far outstrips Russia's, money alone
cannot solve the issue of dwindling energy
supplies stemming from sanctions and
Kremlin initiatives to cut energy exports.
In Germany, the "complete and
permanent shutoff of the remaining Russian
natural-gas supplies to Europe" could result
in a GDP loss of 4.8% between 2022 and
2024 in comparison to the 2021 gross
domestic product, states a working paper by
the International Monetary Fund.
The German government already
escalated from Level 1 ("early warning") of
its three-tier emergency gas plan to Level 2
("alarm") on June 23. Level 3 ("emergency")
would allow the government to impose
rationing and to seize control over the
allocation of natural gas countrywide.
Austria, Denmark, Sweden, the
Netherlands and other countries have also
recently raised emergency gas measures.
The EU has sought to introduce collective
energy-saving measures to alleviate pain
will be disrupted by massive military
mobilization efforts. Commercial aviation
and maritime trade will be affected; Aircraft
and ships would be re-routed away from
conflict zones and wartime risk insurance
would increase, while hoarding and
uncertainty would increase costs, fueling
inflation.
Another concern is labor mobility
between Taiwan and Southeast Asia, which
is both a political and economic issue.
According to Taiwan's Ministry of Labor,
before the Covid-19 pandemic, Taiwan had
a large number of workers from Southeast
Asia, namely Vietnam, Indonesia and the
Philippines. This number is expected to
increase after the government's
immigration policy reforms. Taiwan is
therefore an important source of
remittances in Southeast Asia. A large
number of citizens of Southeast Asian
countries stationed there will face threats in
the Taiwan conflict. Southeast Asian
countries are supposed to have a red line on
peaceful resolution of disputes, just as
ASEAN has a policy.
ASEAN is a cooperative and inclusive
Indo-Pacific concept. Also its center point
needs to be stronger for dispute resolution.
As such, many believe that ASEAN needs to
be equipped like NATO. ASEAN and
Southeast Asian countries have shown little
enthusiasm to directly intervene and
contribute to efforts to dissuade Putin. A
military conflict in Europe undoubtedly has
an impact on Southeast Asia, in the form of
economic disruption and inflationary
pressures. At the start of the Cold War in
1956, US Secretary of State John Foster
Dulles declared neutrality an 'immoral and
short-sighted concept' as he sought to unite
America's allies in competition with the
Soviet Union.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower,
rejecting this claim, recognized India's and
other countries' commitment to nonalignment,
noting that the United States
itself had once remained neutral and
avoided involvement in European conflicts.
The question is not how Southeast Asian
countries can choose to avoid Taiwan
conflict, remain neutral, or side with the
three largest economies. The question is,
can they assess that the war on their
doorstep is a distant problem and one they
must stay away from at all costs? Or they
will move toward a peaceful settlement of
the dispute with all parties, pressuring
Beijing to contribute to efforts to deter
China from using force. It is important to
assess how far they are prepared to protect
core Southeast Asian interests.
Nayeem Islam Nibir is a young generation
political leader and columnist in
Bangladesh. He can be reached :
nayemulislamnayem148@gmail.com.
among member states and increase
institutional solidarity.
The meeting of the European Commission
on July 19 saw the EU attempt to introduce
the right to impose compulsory gas
rationing among member states. But such
proposals have faced significant resistance
from both the more pro-Russian elements
within European politics and the wider
political class.
On July 13, for example, Hungary
announced an energy emergency plan that
included restricting the flow of gas and other
energy sources to other countries in the
European energy market. The decision
prompted criticism from European Energy
Commissioner Kadri Simson.
On July 21, Spain and Portugal
announced they would not support the EU
initiative to reduce the bloc's natural-gas
usage by 15%.
The suggestion by a German
parliamentarian in July that Eastern
European countries could share gas with
Germany also resulted in pushback from
several Polish politicians who have
previously criticized Germany's increasing
purchases of Russian natural gas since the
country's annexation of Crimea in 2014 until
2022.
As energy concerns push European
countries into pursuing self-preservation
policies over solidarity, the EU has
suggested ambitious price-relief initiatives.
Alongside the US, the EU unveiled a push
for a price cap on Russian oil in early July.
Among other issues, however, this would
require cooperation with major buyers like
China and India, which have already been
receiving Russian oil at below-market value,
as well as coordination with the
Organization of the Petroleum Exporting
Countries, which has little reason to take
steps to lower oil prices.
John P Ruehl is an Australian-American
journalist living in Washington, DC. He is a
contributing editor to Strategic Policy and a
contributor to several other foreign-affairs
publications. He is currently finishing a
book on Russia to be published in 2022

TueSdAY, AuGuST 9, 2022
5
FionA hArVeY
Leaders of African countries are likely to
use the next UN climate summit in
November to push for massive new
investment in fossil fuels in Africa,
according to documents seen by the
Guardian.
New exploration for gas, and the
exploitation of Africa's vast reserves of
oil, would make it close to impossible for
the world to limit global heating to 1.5C
above pre-industrial levels.
However, soaring gas prices have
made the prospect of African supplies
even more attractive, and developed
countries, including EU members, have
indicated they would support such
developments in the current gas
shortage.
The Guardian has seen a technical
document prepared by the African
Union, comprising most of Africa's
states, for the "second extraordinary
session of the specialised technical
committee on transport,
transcontinental and interregional
infrastructure and energy committee", a
meeting of energy ministers that took
place by video conference from 14 to 16
June.
The five-page document, and
accompanying 25-page explanation,
indicates that many African countries
favour a common position that would
inform their negotiating stance at the
Cop27 UN climate summit, scheduled
for this November in Egypt, which
would entail pushing for an expansion
of fossil fuel production across the
continent.
The document states: "In the short to
medium term, fossil fuels, especially
natural gas will have to play a crucial
role in expanding modern energy access
in addition to accelerating the uptake of
Africa ramping up its fossil fuel output
renewables."Member states of the
African Union will meet again, in Addis
Ababa, this week to confirm the stance
to be taken. They are expected to argue
that Africa must be allowed to benefit
from its fossil fuel reserves, as rich
countries already have done, and that
developed countries by contrast must
take the lead on sharp cuts to their
emissions.
However,
environmental
campaigners from across the continent
fear that the exploitation of gas and oil in
Africa would bust global climate targets,
prevent the development of renewable
energy in Africa, and instead of being
used for the benefit of ordinary people,
would enrich multinational
corporations, investors and the elite in
some countries.
Mohamed Adow, the director of the
thinktank Power Shift Africa, said it
would be a mistake for Africa to opt for
fossil fuels instead of moving straight to
renewable energy. "Africa is blessed
with abundant renewable energy, in sun
and wind. Africa should not be shackled
to expensive fossil fuels for decades," he
said.
Lorraine Chiponda, the coordinator of
the Africa Coal Network, said: "The
prospect that African leaders are
presenting and pushing for gas
developments and investment is
overwhelming and reckless given the
climate impacts that threaten the lives of
millions of people in Africa having seen
worsening droughts and hunger,
recurring floods and cyclones. Fossil
fuel projects have neither solved energy
African countries are moving towards a common position that they need to expand fossil fuel production
to meet their energy needs.
Photo: AFP
poverty in Africa where 600 million
people still live in energy poverty nor
brought any socio-economic justice to
African people."
The International Energy Agency
warned last year that no new fossil fuel
developments could take place if the
world was to stay within 1.5C of preindustrial
levels. Recent extreme
weather, including heatwaves and
wildfires in Europe and North America,
has intensified fears that the climate
crisis is progressing faster than had been
anticipated.
African countries are also expected to
be among the most damaged by the
impacts of the climate crisis. Drought is
already afflicting a large swathe of the
Horn of Africa at present, and millions
of people are "marching toward
starvation", the World Food
Programme has warned.
But the soaring price of gas, driven by
war in Ukraine and the recovery from
the Covid pandemic, has spurred many
countries to see a potential bonanza in
the unexploited reserves remaining in
Africa. Research by the Guardian earlier
this year revealed scores of "carbon
bombs" - fossil fuel reserves that if
exploited could put the global climate
targets well out of reach.
Fatima Ahouli, regional coordinator
of Climate Action Network Arab World,
said leaders seeking new fossil fuel
exploitation were contributing to a new
form of colonialism.
"Calling for more and new
exploitation of fossil fuels in Africa is
driven by the same hungry countries
who only see Africa as a goldmine," she
said.
Gas in Africa is set to become of the
flashpoints of the Cop27 climate talks.
The EU has indicated it would support
the production of gas in Africa, as it
urgently seeks new sources of gas
following Vladimir Putin's invasion of
Ukraine and subsequent threats to gas
exports from Russia.
Mary Robinson, the chair of the
Elders group of former statespeople and
high-ranking business leaders, has also
weighed in on the issue, controversially
telling the Guardian earlier this year that
African countries must be allowed to use
their gas, though she insists it must be
for domestic use, for electricity and as a
clean cooking fuel, rather than being
exported to the EU.
About 580 million people in Africa
still lack access to electricity and modern
energy.
Adow said exploiting gas in Africa
would merely lock countries into a highcarbon
future. He called for rich
countries to make funds and support
available for poorer countries to move to
renewable energy instead. "There is
plenty of opportunity for renewable
energy in Africa, but countries need help
to construct the infrastructure."
The silent spread of myrtle
rust fungus
GrAhAM reAdFeArn
An invasive fungus
attacking some of
Australia's most
ecologically important tree
species has spread to
Western Australia while
also flourishing in damp
conditions along the
country's east, driving a
"silent extinction" and
prompting urgent calls for
a national response.
Experts warn if the
myrtle rust fungus detected
in the east Kimberley
reaches the state's
biodiversity-rich southwest,
the consequences
could be disastrous for
those ecosystems.
Since being detected in a
New South Wales nursery
in 2010, the fungus -
recognisable for its bright
yellow spots and rusting on
leaves - has established all
along the east coast and
been detected in every state
except South Australia.
One 2021 study predicted
myrtle rust could claim at
least 16 rainforest plants
within a generation in an
extinction event of
"unprecedented
magnitude".
The fungus affects plants
in the myrtaceae family - a
diverse group that includes
rainforest species,
paperbarks, eucalypts and
myrtles. The once
widespread native guava
has been almost wiped out
by the fungus.
A team led by WA's
Department of Primary
Industries detected the
fungus on nine broad- and
narrow-leafed paperbarks
in the east Kimberley in late
June. The exact species of
melaleuca affected isn't yet
known.
The department is
surveying tourist hotspots
and nurseries, with no new
detections so far. The
potential impacts were "yet
to be determined", a
department spokesperson
said, but the disease could
cause tree death, dieback,
species loss and
compromise ecosystems.
Dr Louise Shuey, a forest
pathologist at Queensland's
Department of Agriculture
and Fisheries, travelled to
the Kimberley to help with
the detection effort.
"Myrtle rust can travel
hundreds of kilometres on
the wind and that's why it's
spreading so far," she said.
The location was
searched after modelling
pointed to isolated wetland
as a likely location,
spreading from affected
plants in the Northern
Territory to the east.
Alyssa Martino, a
research scientist at the
University of Sydney, has
begun testing 25 WA
melaleuca species for their
susceptibility to the fungus,
which originated in South
America. The first three
tested have shown high
susceptibility.
Martino said the rust was
sending plant species to
extinction,
so
understanding how
different plants reacted
would help the
conservation effort.
Shuey said keeping the
rust out of WA's
biodiversity hotspot in the
south-west would be
crucial, as it was the
planet's most diverse area
for myrtaceae - with almost
half the world's species.
Myrtle rust can travel hundreds of kilometres on the wind and that's why it's spreading so far.
Photo: Louise Shuey
Bob Makinson, a
conservation botanist,
coordinated a national
action plan - developed
voluntarily by concerned
scientists and wild plant
managers - through the
Australian Network for
Plant Conservation.
About 350 Australian
species have been
identified as fungus hosts.
Makinson said the
myrtaceae in the state's
south-west were intrinsic
parts of the ecosystem.
"Many of them are part of
the spring wildflower
communities that attract
tourists from all over
Australia and the world,"
he said.
"If it establishes there, we
are likely to see a large
increase in the number of
host species and in the
number of native species
threatened with decline or
extinction. That could be a
biological disaster."
The fungus especially
likes humidity and fresh
vegetation, and so thrives
in new growth after rain or
post-bushfire, meaning wet
conditions in the country's
east had provided the
perfect environment.
The national action plan
was finalised in 2020 but
hasn't been formally
adopted by governments.
"While some agencies
and researchers are being
heroically active on it, their
efforts need to be
broadened, stitched
together and better
resourced," Makinson said.
James Trezise,
conservation director at the
Invasive Species Council,
said myrtle rust was driving
a "silent extinction" among
Australia's diverse plant
life.
"It's clear the system for
dealing with this major
environmental threat isn't
working," he said.
"Australia already has the
inglorious title as a world
leader on mammal
extinctions. If we do not
strengthen our threat
abatement and biosecurity
systems, we may find
ourselves as a world leader
in plant extinctions also."
The federal environment
minister, Tanya Plibersek,
agreed that a coordinated
response was needed and
said the government was
working to implement a
national action plan.
"There've been targeted
investments to do a
national stocktake of
myrtle rust-susceptible
species and deliver specific
myrtle rust training to
Indigenous rangers and
landowners in NSW and
Queensland," she said.
The rediscovered Santa Marta sabrewing.
GrAeMe Green
A rare hummingbird has
been rediscovered by a
birdwatcher in Colombia
after going missing for
more than a decade.
The Santa Marta
sabrewing, a large
hummingbird only found
in Colombia's Sierra
Nevada de Santa Marta
mountains, was last seen
in 2010 and scientists
feared the species might be
extinct as the tropical
forests it inhabited have
largely been cleared for
agriculture.
But ornithologists are
celebrating the rediscovery
of Campylopterus
phainopeplus after an
experienced local
birdwatcher captured one
on camera. It is only the
third time the species has
been documented: the first
was in 1946 and the second
in 2010, when researchers
captured the first photos of
the species in the wild.
Yurgen Vega, who
spotted the hummingbird
while working with the
conservation organisations
Selva, ProCAT Colombia
and World Parrot Trust to
survey endemic birds in
Sierra Nevada de Santa
Marta, said he felt
"overcome with emotion"
when he saw the bird.
"The sighting was a
complete surprise," he
said. "When I first saw the
hummingbird I
immediately thought of the
Santa Marta sabrewing. I
couldn't believe it was
waiting there for me to
take out my camera and
start shooting. I was
almost convinced it was
the species, but because I
felt so overcome by
emotion, I preferred to be
cautious; it could've been
the Lazuline sabrewing,
which is often confused
with Santa Marta
sabrewing. But once we
saw the pictures, we knew
it was true."
The Santa Marta
sabrewing is listed as
critically endangered on
the IUCN red list of
threatened species and
features in the Top 10
"most wanted" list in the
conservation organisation
Re:wild's Search for Lost
Birds, a worldwide effort to
find species that have not
been seen for more than 10
years. The bird is so rare
and elusive that John C
Mittermeier, the director
of threatened species
outreach at American Bird
Conservancy, likened the
sighting to "seeing a
phantom".
The hummingbird Vega
saw was a male, identified
by its emerald green
feathers, bright blue throat
and curved black bill. It
was perched on a branch,
vocalising and singing,
behaviour scientists think
is associated with
courtship and defending
territory.
The Sierra Nevada de
Photo: Yurgen Vega
The sighting of a rare
hummingbird
Santa Marta in northern
Colombia is home to a
wealth of wildlife,
including 24 bird species
not found anywhere else.
But scientists estimate that
only 15% of the mountains'
forest is intact. It is hoped
the surprise sighting of the
Santa Marta sabrewing
will help to protect their
remaining habitat,
benefiting many different
species found there.
"This finding confirms
that we still know very little
about many of the most
vulnerable and rare species
out there, and it is
imperative to invest more
in understanding them
better," said Esteban
Botero-Delgadillo, the
director of conservation
science with Selva:
Research for Conservation
in the Neotropics. "It is
knowledge that drives
action and change - it is not
possible to conserve what
we do not understand.
"The next step is going
out there and searching for
stable populations of this
species, trying to better
understand where it does
occur and what the most
critical threats are in situ.
Of course, this must
involve people from local
communities and local and
regional environmental
authorities, so we can
begin a research and
conservation programme
together that can have real
impact."

TUeSDAy, AUgUST 9, 2022
6
A discussion meeting and gift giving ceremony was held on Sunamganj on Monday on the occasion of the
92nd birth anniversary celebration of Bangamata Begum Fazilatunnesa Mujib. Photo: Ak Milon
Bangamata's 92nd birthday
celebrated in Rajoir
SUjon HoSSAin RiFAT, RAjoiR
CoRReSPonDenT:
Bangamata Begum
Fazilatunnesa Mujib's birth
anniversary was celebrated
by the Directorate of
Women's Affairs in Rajoir
Upazila of Madaripur.
92nd birth anniversary of
Bangamata Begum Fazilatunnesa
Mujib and Bangamata Begum
Fazilatunnesa Mujib medal
awarding ceremony was held
through video conference of Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina from
Dhaka's Ganobhaban.
Bangamata Begum Fazilatunnesa
Mujib's philosophy of life is an
inspiration to all new generations.
The young generation believes that
if we follow her philosophy, we will
be stronger in the future.
On this occasion, crest and
certificate were awarded to the
students who won the first
place in the painting
competition of Rajoir Kishor
Kishori Club at Asmat Ali Khan
Auditorium of Rajoir Upazila
Parishad of the district. At this
time, seven trained women
who were poor and needy were
given sewing machines.
Rajoir upazila executive officer
Md Anisuzzaman presided over
the doa mahfil and discussion
meeting on the occasion of the
birthday and under the
supervision of Sujan Hossain
Rifat, a working member of
District Chhatra League, Vice
Chairman of Rajoir Upazila
Parishad Sheikh Fazlul Haque
Babul, Upazila Agriculture Officer
Farhadul Miraj, Secondary
Education Officer Fazlur Haque,
Liberation War Commander
Mir Abdul Qayoum, Upazila
Jubo League convener
Redwanul Haque Rizon Miah
and others were present.
Discussion and gift giving ceremony
held on Bangamata's birthday
AK Milon, SUnAMgAnj CoRReSPonDenT:
On the occasion of the 92nd birth
anniversary celebration of Bangamata
Begum Fazilatunnesa Mujib, a documentary
film based on the biography of Bangamata
Begum Fazilatunnesa Mujib was enjoyed
online and a discussion meeting was held
with the theme "Mahiyasi Bangmatar
Chetona, Adommo Bangladesh er prerona".
Deputy Commissioner Md. Jahangir
Hossain presided over the discussion
meeting in the conference room of the
Deputy Commissioner of Sunamganj while
Superintendent of Police and promoted
Additional DIG Md. Mizanur Rahman BPM,
Civil Surgeon Dr. Dr. Ahmad Hossain,
General Editor of Sunamganj District Awami
League, barrister M. Enamul Kabir Iman,
Additional District Commissioner Sarbik
Anwar-ul-Halim, President of Sunamganj
Reporters Unit Latifur Rahman Raju along
with officials of various departments at the
district level, district Awami League leaders,
public representatives, brave freedom
fighters, representatives of various sociocultural
organizations, women
representatives and various print and
electronic media workers were present on
the occasion.
At the end of the discussion meeting,
sewing machines were distributed among
20 poor women and relief items from
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina were
distributed among 200 helpless and
distressed women.
92nd birth anniversary of Bangamata Begum Fazilatunnesa Mujib and
Bangamata Begum Fazilatunnesa Mujib medal awarding ceremony was
held in Rajoir on Monday.
Photo: Sujon Hossain Rifat
Barishal University held a meeting on the occasion of Bangamata's 92nd birthday on Monday.
Professor Dr. Md. Sadequl Arefin, VC of Barishal University was present as the chief guest and
Treasurer Professor Dr. Md. Badruzzaman Bhuiyan was present as special guest. The meeting was
conducted by Hosney Ara Dalia, Assistant Professor, Department of Public Administration and
Resident Teacher, Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib Hall.
Photo : Courtesy
Generating volunteer
to reduce disaster
losses stressed
RAJSHAHI: Generating
more volunteers from the
public in general,
particularly the students
and youths, can be the best
way of reducing losses
caused by different types of
disasters, reports BSS.
To decrease the loss of
lives and properties from
disasters, including
earthquake, Fire Service
and Civil Defence, Rajshahi
Division has decided to
form volunteer teams who
will work to rescue the
possible earthquake hit
people.
The observation came at a
daylong community
volunteers intensifying
training workshop hosted
by the divisional office of
Fire Service and Civil
Defense (FSCD) held at its
training room here on
Sunday.
FSCD Deputy Director
Wahidul Islam, Sub
Assistant Director Jakir
Hossain, Senior Station
Officer Abdur Rouf and
Staff Officer Rashed Ahmed
conducted the training
sessions as resource persons
disseminating their
expertise on the issue.
Wahidul Islam said many
of the volunteers extend
their support during the
time of any disaster side by
side with the FSCD people.
At present, many modern
equipment and machinery
were added to the FSCD. So,
time has come to
disseminate ideas about the
operation of modern
machines to the volunteers.
In addition to the daylong
training, follow-up and
refreshers training for the
volunteers is very
important.
He mentioned that many
of the buildings in the city
are vulnerable to
earthquakes as those were
not built following the
earth-quake resistance rule.
An earthquake measuring
7.0 magnitudes on the
Richter scale would destroy
those.
To decrease the loss of
lives and properties from
the earth quake, FSCD has
decided to form volunteer
teams who will work to
rescue the possible
earthquake hit people.
Fishermen list to
be edited excluding
non-fishermen
TAyABUR RAHAMAn TUHin,
CHARFeSSion CoRReSPonDenT:
Persons who are not
fishermen shall be excluded
from the list of fishermen,
genuine fishermen will be
included and fishermen
representatives will
participate during making of
the list. Initiatives will be
taken to ensure life safety
equipment on every fishing
trawler going to sea. To find
out the correct position of
seagoing fishermen
experimental ultrafast
device Global System for
Mobile Communication
(GSMC) will be provided
through which their location
can be easily identified.
Under the initiative of Coast
Foundation Charfession, a
seminar was held at the
Upazila Administration
Conference Room titled
"Access to government
protection services for
climate-vulnerable coastal
fishing communities and
challenges" Charfession
upazila senior Fisheries
officer Md. Maruf Hossain
Minar said those in the
president's speech at the
seminar.
MA Hasan of Coast
Foundation conducted the
seminar where Assistant
Commissioner (Lands),
Abdul Mateen Khan
attended the seminar as the
chief guest. President of
Climate Forum and Senior
Vice-President Charfession
Press Club, President of
Charfession Upazila
Fishermen's Association Md
Nannu Mia, journalist of
Kaler Kantho Kamrul Sikder
etc were present at the
seminar.
First trial run ship from India
arrives at Mongla port
KHULNA: As per an agreement signed
between Bangladesh and India to strengthen
transit facilities, the first trial run ship from
India arrived at Mongla port here yesterday,
reports BSS.
"The ship "MV Rishad Rayhan" anchored at
the port this morning carrying 16.38 tonnes of
iron pipes in a container and 8.5 tonnes of prefoam
in another container, said secretary of
Mongla Port Authority (MPA) Md
Makruzzaman. Assistant High Commissioner
of India to Khulna Indrajit Sagar, MPA
BAPA holds tree plantation and
saplings distribution program
ABUl KASHeM, KUTUBDiA CoRReSPonDenT:
Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA)
Kutubdia Upazila branch has organized a
tree planting program and distributed
saplings to create a green belt along the
coast. On Monday morning, the tree
plantation program was inaugurated at
Citizen Park of Upazila Sadar.
Besides, 500 saplings of different species
of fruits and forests were distributed among
the students of various educational
institutions of the island.
Assistant Headmaster of Kutubdia Model
School and College Master Md Yunuch,
Deputy Inspector (SI) of Kutubdia Police
chairman Rear Admiral Mohammad Musa and
high officials of MPA were present.
The container carrying iron pipes will be
unloaded at the port while another container
carrying 8.5 tonnes of pre-foam will be
transported to Assam through the Mongla-
Bibirbazar-Srimontopur route.
The trial runs are being implemented under
the 'Agreement on the Use of Chattogram and
Mongla Port for Movement of Goods To and
From India (ACMP)' signed in 2018 between
the two countries.
Station Raihan Uddin and Abu Hasnat
Majed, Assistant Teacher of Kutubdia
Government Girls High School Master
Khademul Islam, Bapa Kutubdia President
M Shahidul Islam and General Secretary
Abul Kashem, Master Mizanur Rahman,
Yusuf Nabi and other leaders of BAPA
Kutubdia Upazila were present on the
occasion.
At this time, BAPA Kutubdia Upazila
President M Shahidul Islam said that trees
are friends of the environment. Kutubdia
invited everyone to come forward to plant
trees from their respective locations with the
aim of building a green belt by planting trees
along the coast of the island.
Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA) Kutubdia Upazila branch has organized a
tree planting program and distributed saplings to students. Photo: Abul Kashem
Generating volunteer to reduce
disaster losses stressed
RAJSHAHI: Generating more volunteers
from the public in general, particularly the
students and youths, can be the best way of
reducing losses caused by different types of
disasters, reports BSS.
To decrease the loss of lives and properties
from disasters, including earthquake, Fire
Service and Civil Defence, Rajshahi Division
has decided to form volunteer teams who
will work to rescue the possible earthquake
hit people.
The observation came at a daylong
community volunteers intensifying training
workshop hosted by the divisional office of
Fire Service and Civil Defense (FSCD) held at
its training room here on Sunday.
FSCD Deputy Director Wahidul Islam, Sub
Assistant Director Jakir Hossain, Senior
Station Officer Abdur Rouf and Staff Officer
Rashed Ahmed conducted the training
sessions as resource persons disseminating
their expertise on the issue.
Wahidul Islam said many of the volunteers
extend their support during the time of any
disaster side by side with the FSCD people.
At present, many modern equipment and
machinery were added to the FSCD. So, time
has come to disseminate ideas about the
operation of modern machines to the
volunteers.
In addition to the daylong training, followup
and refreshers training for the volunteers
is very important.
He mentioned that many of the buildings
in the city are vulnerable to earthquakes as
those were not built following the earthquake
resistance rule. An earthquake
measuring 7.0 magnitudes on the Richter
scale would destroy those.
To decrease the loss of lives and properties
from the earth quake, FSCD has decided to
form volunteer teams who will work to
rescue the possible earthquake hit people.
Islam said it is quite impossible to rescue
the victims after a massive earthquake by
existing firefighting equipment and the man
power. For this reason, the FSCD has
decided to train 6,000 community
volunteers in the city.
Under this arrangement, two hundred
volunteers will be trained in each ward, he
added. At the first stage of the training, the
most vulnerable areas to earthquakes will be
identified.
Fishermen list is going to be edited excluding the non-fishermen in
Charfession.
Photo: Tayabur Rahaman Tuhin

TueSdAY, AuGuST 9, 2022
7
Smoke rises after Israeli airstrikes on a residential building in Gaza, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022.
Cease-fire between Palestinians,
Israel takes effect in Gaza
GAZA CITY :A cease-fire between killed in an airstrike on an apartment Israel's Defense Ministry said
Israel and Palestinian militants took building in the Rafah refugee camp in mortars fired from Gaza hit the Erez
effect late Sunday in a bid to end nearly southern Gaza late Saturday, which border crossing into Israel, used by
three days of violence that killed dozens also killed two other militants and five thousands of Gazans daily. The mortars
of Palestinians and disrupted the lives civilians.
damaged the roof and shrapnel hit the
of hundreds of thousands of Israelis, Mansour, the Islamic Jihad hall's entrance, the ministry said. The
reports UNB.
commander for southern Gaza, was in crossing has been closed amid the
The flare-up was the worst fighting the apartment of a member of the fighting.
between Israel and Gaza militant group when the missile struck, The Rafah strike was the deadliest so
groups since Israel and Hamas fought flattening the three-story building and far in the current round of fighting,
an 11-day war last year, and adds to the badly damaging nearby houses. which was initiated by Israel on Friday
destruction and misery that have "Suddenly, without warning, the with the targeted killing of Islamic
plagued blockaded Gaza for years. house next to us was bombed and Jihad's commander for northern Gaza.
The Egyptian-brokered cease-fire everything became black and dusty Israel said it took action against the
took effect at 11:30 p.m. (2030 GMT; with smoke in the blink of an eye," said militant group because of concrete
4:30 p.m. EDT). Israeli strikes and Wissam Jouda, who lives next to the threats of an imminent attack, but has
militant rockets continued in the targeted building.
not provided details. Caretaker Prime
minutes leading up to the beginning of Ahmed al-Qaissi, another neighbor, Minister Yair Lapid, who is an
the truce, and Israel said it would said his wife and son were among the experienced diplomat but untested in
"respond strongly" if the cease-fire was wounded, suffering shrapnel injuries. overseeing a war, unleashed the
violated.
To make way for rescue workers, al- offensive less than three months before
Israeli aircraft have pummeled Qaissi agreed to have part of his house a general election in which he is
targets in Gaza since Friday, while the demolished.
campaigning to keep the job.
Iran-backed Palestinian Jihad militant As a funeral for Mansour began in the In a statement Sunday, Lapid said the
group has fired hundreds of rockets at Gaza Strip on Sunday, the Israeli military would continue to strike
Israel in response. The risk of the crossborder
military said it was striking suspected targets in Gaza "in a pinpoint and
fighting turning into a full-
"Islamic Jihad rocket launch posts." responsible way in order to reduce to a
fledged war remained as long as no Smoke could be seen from the strikes as minimum the harm to
truce was reached. Israel says some of thumps from their explosions rattled noncombatants." Lapid said the strike
the dead were killed by misfired Gaza. Israeli airstrikes and rocket fire that killed Mansour was "an
rockets.
followed for hours as sirens wailed in extraordinary achievement."
Gaza's ruling Hamas group remained central Israel. As the sunset call to "The operation will continue as long
on the sidelines, possibly because it prayer sounded in Gaza, sirens wailed as necessary," Lapid said.
fears Israeli reprisals and undoing as far north as Tel Aviv.
U.S. President Joe Biden said he
economic understandings with Israel, Israel says some of the deaths during welcomed the ceasefire between Israel
including Israeli work permits for this round were caused by errant rocket and Gaza-based militants.
thousands of Gaza residents, that fire, including one incident in the "Over these last 72-hours, the United
bolster its control.
Jebaliya refugee camp in northern States has worked with officials from
Israel launched its operation with a Gaza in which six Palestinians were Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Egypt,
strike Friday on a leader of the Islamic killed Saturday. On Sunday, a projectile Qatar, Jordan, and others throughout
Jihad, and followed up on Saturday hit a home in the same area of Jebaliya, the region to encourage a swift
with another targeted strike on a killing two men. Palestinians held resolution to the conflict," he said in a
second prominent leader.
Israel responsible, while Israel said it statement.
The second Islamic Jihad was investigating whether the area was The U.N. Security Council scheduled
commander, Khaled Mansour, was struck by an errant rocket.
an emergency meeting for Monday on
Photo: AP
China keeps up
pressure on Taiwan
with 4th day of drills
BEIJING : China said Sunday
it carried out its fourth
consecutive day of military
drills in the air and sea around
Taiwan in the wake of U.S.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's
visit to the self-ruled island,
despite international calls to
calm the tensions, reports
UNB.
The People's Liberation
Army said the exercises
focused on testing its longrange
air and ground strikes.
It did not say if it will continue
the drills after Sunday.
Taiwan said that it
continued to detect several
batches of Chinese aircraft,
ships and drones operating
around the Taiwan Strait,
which separates the island and
mainland China, and
"simulating attacks on the
island of Taiwan and our ships
at sea." Taiwan's defence
ministry said it detected a total
of 66 Chinese aircraft and 14
Chinese warships conducting
joint naval and air exercises
around the Taiwan Strait. In
response, Taiwan deployed air
reconnaissance patrols, naval
ships, and shore-based
missiles.
Ukraine grain headed for Lebanon
under wartime deal delayed
BEIRUT : The scheduled arrival Sunday of the
first grain ship to leave Ukraine and cross the
Black Sea under a wartime deal has been
delayed, a Lebanese Cabinet minister and the
Ukraine Embassy said, reports UNB.
The cause of the delay was not immediately
clear and Marine Traffic, which monitors
vessel traffic and the locations of ships at sea,
showed the Sierra Leone-flagged Razoni at
anchor in the Mediterranean Sea near Turkey.
Lebanon's transportation minister, Ali
Hamie, tweeted the ship "that was supposed,
according to what was rumored, to reach
Tripoli port in Lebanon" changed its status.
Hamie refused to comment further when
contacted by The Associated Press.
The ship left Odesa last Monday carrying
Ukrainian corn and later passed inspection in
Turkey. It was supposed to arrive in the
northern port of Tripoli at about 10 a.m.
Sunday. According to Marine Traffic, the ship
Saturday changed its status to "order" meaning
the ship was waiting for someone to buy the
corn. The Ukrainian embassy in Beirut said the
arrival of the ship has been postponed adding
that an "update for the ceremony will be sent
later when we get information about exact day
and time of the arrival of the ship."
The shipment that was supposed to arrive in
Lebanon comes at a time when the tiny
Mediterranean nation is suffering from a food
security crisis, with soaring food inflation,
wheat shortages and bread lines. The ship is
carrying some 26,000 tons of corn for chicken
feed.
The passage of the vessel was the first under
a breakthrough deal brokered by Turkey and
the United Nations with Russia and Ukraine.
The four sides signed deals last month to create
safe Black Sea shipping corridors to export
Ukraine's desperately needed agricultural
products as Russia's war upon its neighbor
grinds on.
Lebanon's worst economic crisis in its
modern history that began in late 2019 has left
three-quarters of its population living in
poverty while the Lebanese pound has lost
more than 90% of its value.
The economic meltdown rooted in decades
of corruption and mismanagement was made
worse by a massive blast in August 2020 that
destroyed Beirut's port and the country's
main grain silos inside the sprawling facility.
Large parts of the silos collapsed in recent
days after fire caused by remnants of grain
that started fermenting and ignited in the
summer heat last month.
Lebanese officials said last week that the
Razoni was supposed to leave Ukraine and
head to Lebanon on Feb. 24 but the departure
was delayed by the war that broke out days
later. On Friday, three more ships carrying
thousands of tons of corn left Ukrainian ports
and traveled through mined waters toward
inspection of their delayed cargo, a sign that
the international deal to export grain held up
since Russia invaded Ukraine was slowly
progressing.
Police break up Muslim gathering
in Kashmir, dozens detained
SRINAGAR: Police on Sunday detained
dozens of people in Indian-controlled
Kashmir as they dispersed Shiite Muslims
who attempted to participate in processions
marking the Muslim month of Muharram,
reports UNB.
Scores of Muslims defied severe security
restrictions in parts of the main city of
Srinagar and took to streets chanting
religious slogans. The restrictions include a
ban on the Shiite religious procession.
Muharram is among the holiest months
for Shiites across the world and and includes
large processions of mourners beating their
chests while reciting elegies and chanting
slogans to mourn the death of the Prophet
Muhammad's grandson Hussein and 72
companions in the battle of Karbala in
present-day Iraq.
Sunday's procession marked the eighth
day of Muharram, two days before its peak
on the day of Ashura.
In 2020, dozens were injured as Indian
forces fired shotgun pellets and tear gas to
disperse the procession.
Some main Muharram processions have
been banned in the Indian-controlled
portion of Kashmir since an armed
insurgency broke out in 1989 demanding the
region's independence from India or its
merger with neighboring Pakistan. Tens of
thousands of civilians, rebels and
government forces have been killed in the
conflict.
Kashmiri Muslims have long complained
that the government is curbing their
religious freedom on the pretext of
maintaining law and order while promoting
an annual Hindu pilgrimage to the
Himalayan Amarnath Shrine in Kashmir
that draws hundreds of thousands of visitors.
The ongoing Hindu pilgrimage has drawn
hundreds of thousands of visitors from
across India amid massive security with tens
of thousands of soldiers guarding the routes
leading to the cave shrine.
Senate Democrats pass budget
package, a victory for Biden
WASHINGTON : Democrats pushed
their election-year economic package
to Senate passage Sunday, a hardfought
compromise less ambitious than
President Joe Biden's original domestic
vision but one that still meets deeprooted
party goals of slowing global
warming, moderating pharmaceutical
costs and taxing immense
corporations, reports UNB.
The estimated $740 billion package
heads next to the House, where
lawmakers are poised to deliver
on Biden's priorities, a stunning
turnaround of what had seemed a
lost and doomed effort that
suddenly roared back to political
life. Cheers broke out as Senate
Democrats held united, 51-50,
with Vice President Kamala
Harris casting the tie-breaking
vote after an all-night session.
"Today, Senate Democrats
sided with American families
over special interests," President Joe
Biden said in a statement from
Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. "I ran for
President promising to make
government work for working families
again, and that is what this bill does -
period."
Biden, who had his share of long
nights during his three decades as a
senator, called into the Senate
cloakroom during the vote on
speakerphone to personally thank the
staff for their hard work.
The president urged the House to
pass the bill as soon as possible.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi said her chamber
would "move swiftly to send this bill to
the president's desk." House votes are
expected Friday.
"It's been a long, tough and winding
road, but at last, at last we have
arrived," said Senate Majority Leader
Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., ahead of final
votes.
"The Senate is making history. I am
confident the Inflation Reduction Act
will endure as one of the defining
legislative feats of the 21st century," he
said.
Senators engaged in a round-theclock
marathon of voting that began
Saturday and stretched late into
Sunday afternoon. Democrats swatted
down some three dozen Republican
amendments designed to torpedo the
legislation. Confronting unanimous
GOP opposition, Democratic unity in
the 50-50 chamber held, keeping the
party on track for a morale-boosting
victory three months from elections
when congressional control is at stake.
The bill ran into trouble midday over
objections to the new 15% corporate
minimum tax that private equity firms
and other industries disliked, forcing
last-minute changes.
Despite the momentary setback, the
"Inflation Reduction Act" gives
Democrats a campaign-season
showcase for action on coveted goals. It
includes the largest-ever federal effort
on climate change - close to $400
billion - caps out-of-pocket drug
costs for seniors on Medicare to
$2,000 a year and extends
expiring subsidies that help 13
million people afford health
insurance. By raising corporate
taxes and reaping savings from
the long-sought goal of allowing
the government to negotiate drug
prices for Medicare, the whole
package is paid for, with some
$300 billion extra revenue for
deficit reduction.
Barely more than one-tenth the size
of Biden's initial 10-year, $3.5 trillion
Build Back Better initiative, the new
package abandons earlier proposals for
universal preschool, paid family leave
and expanded child care aid. That plan
collapsed after conservative Sen. Joe.
Manchin, D-W.Va., opposed it, saying
it was too costly and would fuel
inflation.
Nonpartisan analysts have said the
755-page "Inflation Reduction Act"
would have a minor effect on surging
consumer prices.
Republicans said the new measure
A People's Liberation Army member looks through binoculars during military exercises as Taiwan's
frigate Lan Yang is seen at the rear, on Friday, Aug. 5, 2022.
Photo : AP
Ship carrying grain from
Ukraine arrives in
Istanbul
ISTANBUL : The first of the
ships to leave Ukraine under a
deal to unblock grain supplies
and stave off a potential global
food crisis arrived at its
destination in Turkey on
Monday, reports UNB.
The Turkey-flagged Polarnet
docked at Derince port in the
Gulf of Izmit after setting off
from Chornomorsk on Aug. 5
laden with 12,000 tons of corn.
"This sends a message of
hope to every family in the
Middle East, Africa, and Asia:
Ukraine won't abandon you,"
Ukrainian Foreign Minister
Dmytro Kuleba tweeted. "If
Russia sticks to its obligations,
the 'grain corridor' will keep
maintaining global food
security."
A total of 12 ships have now
been authorized to sail under
the grain deal between
Ukraine and Russia, which
was brokered by Turkey and
the United Nations - ten
outbound and two headed for
Ukraine.
GD-1337/22 (5x3)
e-Tender Notice

TUESDAY, AUGUST 9, 2022
8
Dhaka Bank Limited has signed an agreement on August 04, 2022for providing cash management services
to Omera Petroleum Limited at Dhaka Bank Limited's Gulshan Head Office.Mr. Mustafa Husain,
SEVP & Manager, Gulshan Branch, Dhaka Bank Limited and Md. Atiar Rahman, Head of Finance &
Accounts, Omera Petroleum Limited signed and exchanged the agreements on behalf of their respective
organizations in presence of Emranul Huq, Managing Director & CEO, Dhaka Bank Limited. Senior officials
of both the organizations were also present at the signing ceremony. Under the agreement, Dhaka
Bank Ltd will provide cash management services to the client.
Photo : Courtesy
With an understanding the need and importance to develop and grow and to ensure the new joiners
can contribute in the best possible ways, Premier Bank Limited arranged a week-long Foundation
Training program on Credit Module for the Trainee Junior Officers starting from 7th August 2022.
Managing Director & CEO of the bank M. Reazul Karim, FCMA was present as the chief guest and inaugurated
the training program. DMD & CFO Sayed Abul Hashem FCA, FCMA; SEVP & CCO Anisul
Kabir, SEVP and Head of Corporate Banking Mohd. Jamil Hossain CMA and SEVP & Chief Risk Officer
Khondaker Rahimuzzaman also graced the inauguration session with their presence. Photo : Courtesy
Japan's SoftBank
reports Q1 net
loss of $23.4b
TOKYO : Japan's SoftBank
Group on Monday reported
a huge net loss of $23.4
billion in the first quarter,
after central bank interest
rate hikes worldwide caused
tech shares to tank.
The telecoms firm that has
turned into an investment
behemoth posted a net loss
of 3.16 trillion yen, nosediving
from a net profit of
761.5 billion yen in the same
April-June period the
previous year.
A weaker yen and the
"global downward trend in
share prices due to growing
concerns over economic
recession driven by inflation
and rising interest rates"
contributed to the slump, it
said.
Among its portfolio
companies that suffered
large losses for the quarter
were South Korean e-
commerce giant Coupang
and US meal delivery
platform DoorDash,
SoftBank added.
SoftBank's big stakes in
global tech giants and
volatile new ventures have
made for unpredictable
earnings, and it has lurched
between record highs and
lows in recent years.
Markets struggle as
strong US jobs boost
Fed rate hike bets
HONG KONG : Asian markets struggled
Monday and the dollar held big gains as a
blockbuster US jobs report ramped up bets that
the Federal Reserve will announce more sharp
interest rate hikes as it tries to tame runaway
inflation.
While the employment reading-which was
more than twice as high as expected -- indicated
the world's top economy remained resilient
despite rising prices and borrowing costs, it will
complicate the bank's plans to tighten monetary
policy.
Traders have hoped that with several
indicators pointing to a slowdown, including
GDP figures showing a technical recession,
policymakers could begin to ease back on their
pace of rate hikes.
Now, speculation is growing that the Fed will
have to announce a third successive 75 basispoint
increase next month, particularly as
officials have said their decisions will be datadependent.
"Friday's payroll report indicates an
overheated labour market that continues to
tighten further," said SPI Asset Management's
Stephen Innes.
"Hence at minimum, the markets expect
another 100 basis points of Fed funds rate
increases over the next three meetings... with
risks skewed towards significant increases."
All eyes are now on the release this week of
US July inflation data, which is expected to
show a slight slowdown from June but still at
four-decade highs.
The "report seems very unlikely to offer
'compelling evidence' of a slowdown needed for
the Fed to pull away from its aggressive
inflation-fighting mode." Innes added.
The jobs figures left Wall Street's main
indexes mixed Friday, and Asia followed suit
with markets fluctuating in early trade.
However, there was some relief that tensions
had calmed since Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan
last week sparked a furious reaction from China
that saw it conduct days of live-fire military
drills around the island.
Hong Kong dipped along with Sydney, Seoul,
Singapore, Taipei, Manila, Jakarta and
Wellington.
Tokyo edged up and Shanghai was flat, with
better-than-expected Chinese trade data offset
by fresh worries about Covid lockdowns in the
country that threaten the economic recovery.
The prospect of higher interest rates sent the
dollar surging, and it held on to those gains in
Asia. Bets on a recession across leading
economies continued to weigh on oil prices as
investors worry about the impact on demandfigures
last week indicated Americans were
driving less now than in summer 2020 at the
height of the pandemic.
A rise in US stockpiles was partly responsible
for a 10 percent drop in the commodity last
week, pushing WTI below $90 for the first time
since February.
Prime Bank & DESCO (Dhaka Electric Supply Company Limited) has partnered up for online prepaid
electricity bill collection. The agreement was signed at a ceremony held at the DESCO head office situated
at Nikunja in Dhaka where officials from both organizations were present. The agreement
between Prime Bank & DESCO will allow customers of DESCO to pay their prepaid electricity bills at
their nearest Prime Bank branches and other alternative delivery channels. Through this agreement
the transaction will be realized and updated in DESCO database in real time. Engr. Md. Kausar Ameer
Ali, Managing Director, DESCO; KhZoherul Islam, Joint Secretary & Executive Director (Finance),
DESCO, Engr. A.K.M Mahiuddin, Executive Director (Procurement), DESCO; Shams Abdullah
Muhaimin, DMD & Head of Transaction Banking Division, Prime Bank, Mohammad Farhan Adel,
Senior Vice President & Head of Cash Management, Prime Bank along with other high officials from
both the organizations were also present during the ceremony.
Photo : Courtsy
Markets sink as talk of Pelosi Taiwan
trip fans China-US tension
HONG KONG: Asian
markets tumbled Tuesday
on geopolitical fears after
reports that House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi would visit
Taiwan fanned China-US
tensions, reports BSS.
Traders were already
skittish after a string of
data showed economies
beginning to take a hit
from surging inflation and
central bank interest rate
hikes aimed at taming
prices.
A possible meeting
between Pelosi and
Taiwanese President Tsai
Ing-wen is sure to anger
Beijing, which views the
island as its territory and
has said the White House
was playing "with fire".
While observers do not
think the move will spark a
conflict, US officials said
China was preparing
possible military
provocations that could
include firing missiles in
the Taiwan Strait or "largescale"
incursions into
Taiwan's airspace.
White House National
Security Council
spokesman John Kirby
World's biggest
chocolate plant
restarts after
health scare
BRUSSELS : A factory in
Belgium billed as the
world's biggest chocolatemaking
plant said it
restarted operations
Monday after closing for six
weeks to clean up a
salmonella contamination.
Three of the 24
production lines at the
plant in the town of Wieze
resumed and the first
delivery took place, said
Barry Callebaut, the Swiss
company that runs the
factory.
The plant-which supplies
industry giants such as
Hershey, Nestle and
Unilever but not to
consumers directly-was
shut down at the end of
June after salmonella
bacteria was found in one
lot.
Zurich-based Barry
Callebaut said it halted
shipments and informed
clients in time to prevent
contaminated chocolate
making its way to shops.
It identified lecithin,
added to smooth food
textures, as the source of
the contamination,
prompting weeks of
extensive cleaning.
"We remain cautious
because this operation is
unprecedented, the process
of cleaning and disinfection
takes a lot of time," a Barry
Callebaut spokesman,
Korneel Warlop, told AFP.
He said that while the
factory was currently turning
out only a "fairly low volume",
it planned to reactivate more
production lines "in the weeks
to come". Belgium's food
health agency said it was
continuing to monitor
production from the plant.
FRANKFURT : German industrial
production rose gently in June, official
figures published Friday showed, as
analysts worried about the outlook for
Europe's largest economy.
Factory output was up 0.4 percent from
the previous month, federal statistics
agency Destatis said in a statement.
The agency revised down its estimate
for May, showing a small 0.1 percent drop
in production instead of a 0.2 percent
increase as first reported.
Production in Germany was being held
back by an "extreme shortage" of
components as the war in Ukraine and
the lasting impact of the coronavirus
told reporters there was
"no reason for Beijing to
turn a potential visit
consistent
with
longstanding US policies
into some sort of crisis".
Still, the spike in tensions
between the world's two
superpowers has sent
shivers through trading
floors, compounding
worries that Russia's
invasion of Ukraine could
escalate into a wider war.
Reports of the visit hit US
stocks, with all three main
indexes reversing an early
rally to end in negative
territory.
And Asia followed suit.
Hong Kong and
Shanghai led losses,
shedding around three
percent, while Taipei was
off about 1.8 percent.
Tokyo was more than one
percent lower, while
Sydney, Seoul, Singapore,
Wellington and Jakarta
were also well down.
And on currency
markets, the safe-haven
yen jumped to a twomonth
high against the
dollar, and the Taiwan
dollar dropped 0.7 percent.
"Risk is mounting," said
Stephen Innes of SPI Asset
Management.
"As Pelosi is almost sure
to visit Taiwan on Tuesday,
now it is in China's hands
to see if the situation
escalates," he said, adding
that while "it could be little
more than a tempest in a
teapot still, international
and Taiwan investors are
pretty concerned".
"No party wants a real
war, but the risk of mishap
or even aggressive war
game escalation is real,
which could always lead to
a tactical mistake."
The flare-up in tensions
comes less than a week
after Biden and Xi Jinping
held phone talks during
which the Chinese
president warned the
United States not to "play
with fire" regarding the
island.
However, Ayako
Yoshioka, at Wealth
Enhancement Group, told
Bloomberg Radio the crisis
may be another "shortterm
dislocation" for
investors but "it's always
concerning when they do
happen".
The selling on markets
comes as investors try to
assess the outlook for the
global economy as leaders
try to bring down inflation
by lifting rates while at the
same time maintaining
growth.
Data this week showed
the US economy was in a
technical recession, China
was being battered by
Covid lockdowns around
the country, and Europe
was on the brink as an
energy crisis caused by the
Ukraine war compounded
its own inflation problems.
Traders will be keeping a
close eye on the Friday
release of US jobs data,
which will give fresh
insight into the state of the
economy, with a weak
reading providing the Fed
some room to ease back on
its rate hikes.
On oil markets, both
main contracts extended
Monday's sell-off on falling
demand expectations as
economies slow.
Mercantile Bank Limited recently signed an Agreement with SME Foundation
to avail cost free revolving Fund of Govt. Stimulus Package for supporting
small and medium entrepreneurs who were affected by Covid-19 pandemic.
Dr. Mofijur Rahman, Managing Director of SME Foundation and Md.
Quamrul Islam Chowdhury, Managing Director & CEO of Mercantile Bank
signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organizations. In an occasion
arranged at capital's Pan Pasific Sonargaon Hotel Adil Raihan, DMD &
CSBO of Mercantile Bank and Managing Director of SME Foundation
exchanged the covenant. Mohammad Faruque Ahmmed, SVP & Head of SME
Financing Division of Mercantile Bank along with senior officials from both
the organizations were also present.
Photo : Courtesy
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Bangladesh
Investment Development Authority (BIDA) and Grameenphone, jointly
launched Graduate Employment in Private Sector Programme under an
alliance called "FutureNation" 07 August, Sunday at a hotel in Dhaka, to
create economic opportunities for all and accelerate the journey towards a
smart Bangladesh by 2041. Future Nation, an alliance of the private, public,
and development sectors, is created to accelerate the Nation's future
economic growth by enhancing the skills and potential of youth by identifying
opportunities for development, employment, entrepreneurship, and
investment in the post-pandemic situation.
Photo : Courtesy
German industrial output up in
June despite sombre outlook
pandemic scrambled businesses' supply
chains.
Almost three-quarters of companies
surveyed by Destatis reported
bottlenecks and problems procuring raw
materials and components.
A sector-wide breakdown showed that
production of capital goods increased by
one percent in June. The output of semifinished
goods increased by 0.3 percent
and that of consumer products was up 1.1
percent.
The June increase was "not enough to
reverse declines earlier in the year and
left output well below pre-pandemic
levels", said Andrew Kenningham, chief
Europe economist at Capital Economics.
Industrial output plunged by 3.7
percent in March as companies reeled
from the economic impact from Russia's
invasion of Ukraine in February.
The level of output was still 5.8 percent
below its pre-pandemic level,
Kenningham said.
"Things are going to get more difficult
in the second half of the year" as energy
prices rise and a dry summer made
Germany's commercially important
waterways hard to navigate, he said.
Output was "likely to contract" over the
second half, he said.

tUeSDAY, AUGUSt 9, 2022
9
Cristiano ronaldo started on the bench for Manchester United's 2-1 defeat to Brighton.
photo: Ap
Three talking points from the Premier
League’s opening weekend
SportS DeSk
Manchester City took an early lead in
the expected fight for the Premier
League title with Liverpool after the
first weekend of the season as Erling
Haaland's debut double gave the
champions a 2-0 win at West Ham.
Liverpool were held 2-2 by newlypromoted
Fulham a day earlier, but
could also take comfort in the impact of
their new striker Darwin Nunez, who
came off the bench to rescue his side a
point.
Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham
were all victorious in the early running
for the top four, but Manchester United
started as they ended last season in a
dispiriting 2-1 home defeat to Brighton
in Erik ten Hag's first match in charge.
AFP Sport looks at three talking
points from the opening games of the
Premier League season.
Haaland worth the hype
Manchester City took their time after
missing out on Harry Kane as the
successor to Sergio Aguero last
summer and were rewarded by beating
off the competition around Europe to
sign Haaland from Borussia Dortmund
for a bargain o51 million ($63 million).
Adding one of the world's most
feared strikers to a side that have won
back-to-back titles without a natural
goalscorer proved as fearsome a
prospect as it promised on the opening
weekend.
At a ground where City nearly threw
the title away in the penultimate game
of last season, West Ham barely got a
kick for the first-half.
Haaland's arrival is designed to
eradicate the days when City fail to
make their dominance show on the
scoreboard and he delivered straight
away as his acceleration lured Alphonse
Areola into committing a penalty for
the opening goal.
Scoring spot-kicks is another
problem the Norwegian wonderkid
could solve for his new club as he
slotted away the penalty and showed
his pace again to race onto Kevin De
Bruyne's pass to kill the game after the
break.
"It could have been more," Haaland
warned ominously for the other title
contenders.
Ten Hag's troubled start
Any hope that a new manager would
immediately herald a turnaround in
Manchester United's fortunes were
washed away with 45 minutes of the
Ten Hag era at Old Trafford.
Brighton did not manage the
humiliation they inflicted on the Red
Devils towards the end of Ralf
Rangnick's ill-fated caretaker spell with
a 4-0 win towards the end of last
season.
But the Seagulls did leave
Manchester with their first ever win at
Old Trafford thanks to a double from
Pascal Gross.
After the promise of some pre-season
performances, there was little to
distinguish United under the
Dutchman from the shambles that
finished sixth in the Premier League
last season.
A disorganised defence were not
helped by United's wide open midfield,
while they were blunt up front without
a natural striker.
Cristiano Ronaldo started on the
bench due to his lack of pre-season
training as the five-time Ballon d'Or
winner tries to engineer an exit out of
Old Trafford.
"The way they played today, sixth is
the highest they can finish this season,"
said former United midfielder Paul
Scholes.
Klopp happy sloppy Liverpool
punished
Jurgen Klopp did not try to sugercoat
Liverpool's unexpectedly poor start as
Fulham were well worthy of at least a
point on their return to the Premier
League.
The Reds had the same verve and
hunger of the side that came so close to
winning an unprecedented quadruple
last season in beating City 3-1 to lift the
Community Shield a week before.
South Korean Kim wins Wyndham
Championship to secure PGA playoff berth
SportS DeSk
South Korean Kim Joohyung
fired a stunning nineunder
par 61 on Sunday to
win the Wyndham
Championship, his first US
PGA Tour title, and secure
his spot in the seasonending
playoffs, reports
UNB.
Kim's outstanding effort at
Sedgefield Country Club,
where the 20-year-old
played the first nine holes of
the final round in eightunder,
capped a remarkable
week that opened with his
quadruple bogey eight at the
first hole on Thursday.
"It's definitely a week I'll
remember forever," Kim
said after his 20-under total
of 260 gave him a five-stroke
victory over fellow South
Korean Im Sung-jae and
American John Huh.
"I can't believe it - I'm
speechless right now," Kim
said, his emotions finally
showing after a round in
which he looked in supreme
control.
"I've worked really had to
get to this point," he said, his
voice cracking. "Just walking
off that 18th green, just
thinking about the behind
the scenes work.
"It was a hard day. I didn't
know golf was this stressful,"
added the player who goes
by the nickname Tom in a
nod to his childhood love of
Thomas the Tank Engine.
Kim roared through the
front nine like a locomotive.
His opening par was his lone
four to go with seven threes
and a birdie two.
He hit seven of nine
fairways and holed a total of
112 feet of putts in the first
nine holes, rolling in a 20-
footer at the second and a
24-footer at the par-three
third.
He rapped in a 12-foot
birdie at the fourth, and gave
himself a seven and a halffoot
eagle at the par-five
fifth.
At the sixth, he rolled in an
18-footer - over his playing
partner's ball marker - then
closed the front nine with a
seven-foot birdie at the
eighth and a 10-footer at
nine.
Joohyung kim of korea poses with the trophy after putting in to win on
the 18th green during the final round of the Wyndham Championship
at Sedgefield Country Club on August 07, 2022 in Greensboro, North
Carolina.
photo: Ap
He was in real trouble for
the first time at the par-four
10th, where he was in the
deep right rough off the tee.
His second shot left him
short of the green and his
third came up 50 feet short
of the pin.
He couldn't convert,
finally making a two-footer
for his first bogey of the day.
The birdies didn't come so
thick and fast on the back
nine, where a testing
downhill six-footer at the
12th missed left and a 21-
foot birdie attempt at the
tough 14th lipped out.
Back to back birdies at
par-five 15th and par-three
16th - where he landed his
tee shot less than three feet
from the pin - boosted his
lead back to four strokes and
again raised the tantalizing
possibility of a sub-60
round. That failed to
materialize as he closed with
two pars to add a US title to
his two precocious Asia Tour
trophies.
Given special temporary
PGA Tour membership last
month, Kim finished tied for
third at the co-sanctioned
Scottish Open then secured
his US PGA Tour card for
next year with a seventhplace
finish in Detroit last
week.
Now he's headed to the
FedEx Cup playoffs, which
start on Thursday with the
St. Jude Championship in
Memphis, Tennessee, his
points total putting him in
the top 35 in the standings
that decide the 125 players
eligible for the playoffs.
Australia win historic cricket gold at Commonwealth
Games as athletics wraps up
Sports Desk
Australia won the first women's
cricket gold medal in Commonwealth
Games history on Sunday as Scotland's
Laura Muir captured the 1500m title on
the final night of athletics, reports
UNB.
On the penultimate day of
competition in Birmingham, England's
women won hockey gold and Australia
beat Jamaica in the netball final.
With just a few events to go on
Monday, Australia lead the way with 66
golds, 11 ahead of hosts England.
Hot favorites Australia held their
nerve to beat India by nine runs in a
Twenty20 thriller in front of a big
Edgbaston crowd.
Opener Beth Mooney top-scored
with 61 as Australia made 161-8 in their
20 overs in the warm sunshine.
India appeared to be on course for a
shock win when they were cruising at
118-2.
But the dismissals of Jemimah
Rodrigues (33) and captain
Harmanpreet Kaur (65) sapped their
momentum and they fell frustratingly
short.
Australia partied on the pitch as the
lights went out around the stadium.
"It's absolutely huge," said left-arm
spinner Jess Jonassen.
"We are blessed enough to be part of
some winning World Cup teams but to
win the first gold medal for women's
cricket in the Commonwealth Games,
you're only ever going to do that once."
Victory underlines the dominance of
Australia's women, who are also world
champions in the 20-over and 50-over
formats.
In the bronze medal match earlier on
Sunday, New Zealand coasted to an
eight-wicket win over England.
Muir ended her Commonwealth
Games campaign with a flourish by
winning gold in the 1500m at the
Alexander Stadium.
The 29-year-old's team-mate,
10,000m champion Eilish McColgan,
just failed in her bid for memorable
double, finishing second behind
Kenya's impressive world silver
medallist Beatrice Chebet in the
women's 5,000m.
Muir, who won bronze in the 800m
on Saturday, kicked for glory before the
bell and ran a fairly moderate field -
lacking two-time Olympic champion
Faith Kipyegon - ragged, timing 4min
02.75sec. The Olympic silver medalist
was overjoyed, having failed to medal
in 2014 and missing the 2018 Games
due to veterinary exams.
"You learn from it and your time will
come," said Muir. "It sounds cheesy but
it's true. Eight years of
Commonwealths and it's been bugging
me so this means a lot."
Wyclife Kinyamal defended his men's
800m crown in a time of 1:47.52.
It was an impressive turnaround for
the 25-year-old, who finished last in the
final of the world championships in
July.
"Eugene (the world final) was
disappointing but it is just like any
race," he said. "Because if today you
win, tomorrow you lose.
"I guess because I failed there, I
looked forward to coming here to
defend my title."
New Zealand cyclist Aaron Gate won
the men's road race to collect his fourth
gold medal of the Commonwealth
Games.
"Three felt great and I was super
happy with that," said Gate, who won
three track events earlier in the Games.
"I came here today and managed to
help the team, and if the opportunity
arose to go for a fourth one I just had to
grab it with both hands."
In the women's race, Australia's
Georgia Baker won her third gold of the
games.
England won hockey gold for the first
time after holding off a fightback from
Australia to win 2-1.
Second-quarter goals from Holly
Hunt and Tess Howard ultimately
provided decisive 24 hours after the
men's team had suffered semifinal
despair at the hands of Australia.
Members of Australian team pose with their gold medals after their win in the women's cricket t20 final
match against India at edgbaston at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham Sunday. photo: Ap
Spain international
Isco agrees Sevilla
move
SportS DeSk
Spanish midfielder Isco,
out of contract with Real
Madrid since June, has
agreed a two-year deal with
Liga rivals Sevilla, his new
club announced on
Sunday, reports UNB.
"We have reached an
agreement in principle
with Isco to become our
third signing of the
window," the Andalusian
side said in a statement.
"He has already arrived
in Sevilla ahead of
undergoing his medical
tomorrow (Monday) and,
should all go well, sign a
two-year contract."
Sevilla have recruited
defenders Marcao from
Galatasaray and Alex Telles
on loan from Manchester
United this summer.
Capped 38-times for
Spain, Isco links up again
with former Spain and Real
Madrid coach Julen
Lopetegui as he bids to
reboot his career.
SportS DeSk
Russian re-elected head of chess body
FIDE, sees off Ukrainian challenger
SportS DeSk
Former Manchester United star Ryan
Giggs stands trial Monday on charges of
attacking and coercively controlling his
ex-girlfriend, in a case that has upended
his managerial career, reports UNB.
The 48-year-old, who until recently
served as coach of the Wales national
team, has pleaded not guilty to the
charges, which carry a maximum jail
term of five years.
The jury trial at a crown court in
Manchester was set to open at 10:30 am
(0930 GMT), presided over by judge
Hilary Manley. It is expected to last 10
days.
A Russian former deputy premier was reelected
as head of international chess body
FIDE by a landslide Sunday, seeing off a
Ukrainian challenger who said the
incumbent was part of Moscow's "war
machine", reports BSS.
A total of 157 out of 179 national chess
associations voted in India for Arkady
Dvorkovich as president, while Ukrainian
grandmaster Andrii Baryshpolets won just 16
votes, the federation said.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov called it
"clearly very good news and a very significant
victory", Russia's TASS news agency
reported.
A number of Russian officials have been hit
with sanctions since the invasion of Ukraine
in February, and Russian competitors have
been banned by numerous international
sports governing bodies.
But Dvorkovich, 50, who served under
President Vladimir Putin as deputy prime
minister from 2012-2018 when he was
elected FIDE president, has retained his
position.
Baryshpolets had said before the vote at the
FIDE general assembly in Chennai -- held
alongside the Chess Olympiad where
Russian, Belarussian and Chinese players
were absent-that Dvorkovich has
Giggs is charged with assaulting his
former girlfriend, PR executive Kate
Greville, causing her actual bodily harm
on Nov. 1, 2020, when police were
called to his home in the Manchester
area.
The Welshman is further charged
with common assault of her younger
sister, Emma Greville, on the same day.
He also faces a charge of controlling
and coercive behavior toward Kate
Greville throughout their relationship,
which began in 2017 and ended with the
alleged assault.
The charge specifies that his behavior
toward Greville, 36, included the use of
"isolation, belittling, humiliation,
"tremendous ties to the Russian
government".
"You Arkady are responsible for what
happened in Ukraine now. You are
responsible for building up the Russian
government and Russia's war machine. And
we as a chess world, how can we afford this?"
said the Ukrainian.
The 31-year-old was backed by Peter Heine
Nielsen of Denmark, coach of Norwegian
world champion Magnus Carlsen.
But Dvorkovich said that he took "a strong
position (on the) tragic events in Ukraine"
and that he had backed the scaling down of
Russian involvement in FIDE. In March,
Dvorkovich appeared to criticise the Russian
invasion, saying in an interview that his
"thoughts are with Ukrainian civilians".
"Wars do not just kill priceless lives. Wars
kill hopes and aspirations, freeze or destroy
relationships and connections," Dvorkovich
told US news site Mother Jones.
The comments drew flak in Russia and
Dvorkovich later seemed to row back, saying
there was "no place for Nazism or the
domination of some countries over others".
This was seen as coded support for the
Kremlin, which portrays Ukraine as being
run by Nazis and accuses Western countries
of seeking to take over Russia's neighbour by
stealth.
Former Man United star Giggs goes on trial for assault
harassment, degradation and abuse."
Giggs was arrested by police at his
home in November 2020 and released
on bail.
He has denied the allegations and
pleaded not guilty at an initial court
appearance in April last year.
His trial was due to be heard in
January but it was delayed due to a
backlog of court cases caused by the
Covid pandemic.
Giggs's lawyer, Chris Daw, has acted
for high-profile sports figures including
former England and Chelsea football
captain John Terry, who was found not
guilty of racially abusing fellow player
Anton Ferdinand in 2012.

TUEsdAY, AUGUsT 9, 2022
10
Chris Evans compares playing Buzz
in Lightyear to his Captain America
role. After retiring from his shieldwielding
role as the Marvel supersoldier
Steve Rogers/ Captain
America in Avengers: Endgame,
Evans is leading Disney Pixar's Toy
Story spin-off movie as the test
pilot/astronaut Buzz Lightyear.
Previously, Tim Allen voiced the toy
version of Buzz in the Toy Story
movies. But for Lightyear, which
Finding Dory co-helmer Angus
MacLane is directing in his solo
feature debut, Evans has taken over
the role to accommodate for the
story and world differences.
Lightyear is described as an origin
story for the titular space ranger,
and it tracks the hero's adventure as
he finds his way back home through
time and space from a hostile,
faraway planet.
Following Avengers: Endgame,
Evans has played against type in
Puja’s ‘Hridita’ to hit
theaters on Oct 7
TBT REPORT
Puja Cherry's upcoming
government grant film titled
'Hridita' is all set to hit theaters on
October 7. The film with a
storyline adapted from a novel by
fiction writer Anisul Haque is
produced by duo director
Ispahani- Arif Jahan.
On Saturday Aug 6, the first look
of the film was revealed and the
release date was announced.
Earlier, on March 17, the movie
was allowed to be released without
any censor cuts and also received a
government grant of Tk 55 lakh in
the financial year 2019-20.
Regarding the context Puja said,
"The duo Ispahani- Arif Jahan is
one of the best directors in our
industry. This will be the first time
I am going to work for a storyline
adapted from a novel.
I will try my best to portray the
character Hridita just as the book
and reach the hearts of the
audience.
'Hridita' will not disappoint the
audience. I believe the audience
will like it and I am very optimistic
about the film.''
Puja Cherry will be seen playing
the lead role as Hridita in the film,
apart from her the film will also
feature 'Dhaka Attack' famed actor
ABM Sumon opposite her.
It is learnt that writer Anisul
Haque wrote the dialogues of the
film and the screenplay was done
by the director himself. The trailer
and songs of the movie will be
released soon before the release of
the film. It has two songs sung by
Chandan Sinha and Sinthi Saha.
Evans compares ‘Captain
America’ to ‘Buzz Lightyear’
some of his projects, taking on
antagonistic roles in movies such as
Knives Out and The Gray Man.
Audiences have had fun seeing that
side of Evans' range, but they'll soon
get to see him play another wellmeaning
hero. When hearing Evans
voice Buzz in the Lightyear trailers,
it's hard to not think back to his
Steve Rogers, and now Evans has
compared the two.
Speaking with THR, Evans
discussed his experience playing
both Captain America and Buzz
Lightyear. As the actor points out,
there are both, parallels and
dissimilarities, between the
characters, and portraying each was
a uniquely rewarding experience. As
the Knives Out star puts it, Both
Buzz and Steve are responsible and
competent leaders, but as people,
they just have different personas. So
Evans borrowed the qualities from
Steve that would be applicable to his
role as Buzz, otherwise, he left the
distinguishing features to secure
Cap and Buzz's originality. Read
what Evans said below.
"The characters themselves have a
lot of similar overlap in terms of
their sense of responsibility and
leadership. But they're very different
men, so you take the things that are
useful and you leave the things that
make Cap, Cap."
As Evans had explained earlier,
the actor took a minute before he
could find his own version of Buzz
for Lightyear. His natural instinct
when he approached the role was to
do a "shameless Tim Allen
impression," and he found
Lightyear's iconic "To infinity and
beyond" line very intimidating at
first. But ultimately, with MacLane's
help, Evans was able to discover his
own Buzz voice, and come into his
own for the role.
Source: Collider
Shafiq,
Salma's
‘Bondhu’
released
TBT REPORT
National Film Award-winning singer
and composer Shafiq Tuhin's new song
'Bondhu', featuring poem by Salma
Sultana was released on Saturday.
The friendship day special track has
been released on Gaanchill Music's
YouTube channel.
The song, depicts the emotions of
two long-lost friends, has been
beautifully composed by Shafiq Tuhin
and penned by Salma Sultana.
Some lyrics of the song are-'Akaron
Obhimaner Shei Dingulo Koi', 'Smriti
Niye Ajo Ami Bibhor Hoye Jai',
Bondhu Kothai Re Tu?...
The music of the track has been
arranged by Rafi Mohammad while
Arnab has choreographed the music
video.
‘Aat Ta Baje Deri Korish Na’: hidden
gem of ‘Hawa’ soundtrack released
After releasing two
chartbuster tracks 'Shada
Shada Kala Kala' and 'E
Hawa' which are still
grooving the entire nation,
the much-hyped superhit
film 'Hawa's third official
song was released on
Saturday night, reports UNB.
Acclaimed musician and
composer
Emon
Chowdhury, who also
arranged music for the film's
song 'Shada Shada Kala
Kala', revealed the new song
on Saturday titled 'Aat Ta
Baje Deri Korish Na.'
Soulfully sung by Basudeb
Das Baul, a renowned
Bengali Baul singer and
musician from Bolpur in
Birbhum district, West
Bengal, India, the song is a
traditional folk song which
was collected and
remastered for the film.
Sharing the song, 'Hawa'
director Mejbaur Rahman
Sumon wrote on his
Facebook status: "The song
is an old song that aged well
and Basudeb Das Baul has
been singing the song since
his youth. I heard this song
about five or six years ago."
"We used to listen to this
song a lot while writing the
script for 'Hawa.' It can be
said that Hawa's screenplay
was written while listening to
this song. Emon Chowdhury
arranged the music for this
track."
The track and its music
video showcase multiple
scenes from the film while
representing the vibrant
chemistry between the
characters, at the same time
tremendously visualizing the
fishing lifestyle of the
fishermen living in the
trauler, which was used as
the ultimate setting of the
film.
The song was briefly used
in the film during a scene,
while the full version got
released last night. Basudeb
also played dotara in the
track, while percussionist
Mithun Chakra played
dubki, soroj was played by
Oishshorjo Mallik and
sarengi was Shounak Deb
Nath Wreek.
Aside from playing the
bass, Emon also mixed and
mastered the track while
Ripon Kumar Sarkar (Boga
Taleb) coordinated the
arrangement and the
additional voice was
provided by Maati Rahman.
Dhanush officially announces Avik
San's return in The Gray Man sequel
Dhanush confirmed on
Saturday that he will be back as
assassin Avik San aka The Lone
Wolf in the sequel to Netflix hit
The Gray Man. The actor made
his Hollywood debut with the
Anthony and Joe Russodirected
action spectacle,
which premiered on Netflix on
22 July.
Dhanush posted an audio
clip on Instagram, in which he
delivers a stern warning to
Hollywood star Ryan Gosling's
CIA mercenary Court Gentry
aka Sierra Six. "Six, This is Lone
Wolf. I hear we are both
looking for the same man. I
want to offer you some advice.
Stop looking. You are wasting
your time. Because if I find him
first, there will be nothing for
you to look for. And if you find
him first, then I will find you.
Nothing personal," he said in
the clip.
Alongside the audio clip,
Dhanush wrote, "The Gray
Man universe is expanding and
the sequel is coming… Lone
Wolf is ready, are you?"
The Gray Man is based on
Mark Greaney's 2009 novel of
the same name. It follows CIA
mercenary spy Sierra Six,
played by Ryan Gosling, being
searched by his former
colleague Lloyd Hansen (Chris
Evans). The spy action
entertainer featured Ryan
Gosling, Dhanush, Chris
Evans, Ana de Armas, Rege
Jean Page and Jessica
Henwick.
Netflix and The Russo
Brothers have announced a
spin-off movie as well which
will explore different elements
of the original film's universe.
"The audience reaction to The
Gray Man has been nothing
short of phenomenal. We are
so appreciative of the
enthusiasm that fans across the
world have had for this film.
With so many amazing
characters in the movie, we had
always intended for the Gray
Man to be part of an expanded
universe, and we are thrilled
that Netflix is announcing a
sequel with Ryan, as well as a
second script that we're excited
to talk about soon," the Russo
Brothers said in a joint
statement. The filmmaker duo,
known for Marvel blockbusters
like Captain America: Winter
Soldier, Captain America: Civil
War, Avengers: Infinity War
and Avengers: Endgame, will
return as directors for the
sequel, which will be penned by
Stephen McFeely. The spin-off
film will be written by
screenwriters Paul Wernick
and Rhett Reese.
Source: Variety
H O R O s c O P E
ARIEs
Today your intellectual and
expressive abilities should receive a
boost from the planets. It's an
excellent time to organize your thoughts about
presenting a project to a possible collaborator,
engage in trade, or write. In terms of your
private life, it's also a good time to examine the
latest events, certain aspects of which are still
partially misunderstood.
TAURUs
Overall, the forecast for today is fairly
good. The aspects seem to favor figuring
out the meaning of all that's transpired
over the past several weeks. It's an
opportunity for you to take a leisurely look at the
distance you've covered moving toward your goals.
Since it's an auspicious day for social activities, why not
get together with friends and discuss the latest events
with them?
GEMINI
Have you felt somewhat lost for the past
few days? The fog may lift today and
enable you to situate yourself at last.
You're probably eager to settle a
question that has nagged at you and interfered with
your judgment. However, you should be patient,
especially if it has to do with emotional matters. Try
to understand, but don't take immediate action.
You'll be more objective beginning tomorrow.
cANcER
You may have been feeling somewhat
disillusioned. Perhaps you lost sight of
your goals or misplaced your faith in
yourself. You'll feel some relief
beginning today. This is an opportunity to end what
has been a somewhat apathetic and moody phase
and begin a new one that's based on work and
meditation. As you can imagine, this new phase will
be much more fulfilling!
LEO
You might be tempted to settle certain
matters by radical means. The
visionary part of you means you're
painfully aware of the world's wrongs.
You see no reason not to take action to correct them.
But the forces in play are so powerful that you can't
expect to institute a new order in one day. If you
have an emotional question to resolve, it would be
better to wait a few days before making a decision.
VIRGO
Today will be fairly calm in terms of
outside events, but your inner world is
likely to be in a rush of activity. Today you
wish you could find the solution to your
heartaches as well as your career predicaments. You'd
like to achieve some supreme understanding of the
events that took place over the past month. First you
must force your brain to slow down. Haste makes
waste, as you know!
LIBRA
You have a lot of thinking to do about
your professional goals, Libra. You'll go
over the elements to see if there isn't
some way to approach things differently.
Are there new paths you could try or ways to improve
things? Your mind will go a thousand miles a minute
today. Those who spend time with you may be totally
exhausted by the end of the day because of all the
questions you ask!
scORPIO
You just can't do everything at once,
Scorpio. How do you expect to reduce
your stress and recuperate while at
the same time continue to be a
superstar performer in every area of your life?
Don't pressure yourself to perform today. If you do,
you're likely to deplete your reserves even further.
Take it easy, rest, and relax! You've earned this
little break.
sAGITTARIUs
This is a good moment to adapt your logic
and reason to reality, Sagittarius. If you
don't, you're going to run into some
intellectual problems. Everyone knows that you find new
ideas plentiful, but unless you have plans to be a novelist,
link your thinking to reality. The "pie in the sky" thinking
that you engage in isn't particularly useful to the rest of
us living here in the real world.
cAPRIcORN
It's going to be a little difficult talking
to you today, Capricorn. You, who can
be easily influenced by others, will be
listening to and criticizing everything
that people say. Nothing emotional or vague is
going to get into your head. It's as if you've installed
an extremely fine filter that lets in only what you
allow. You're going to appear to be a real expert.
Don't show off too much!
AQUARIUs
Have you been reviewing your family
history lately, Aquarius? Of special
interest is your cultural background.
What educational, social, and religious
environment were you born into? What are its
values? In the end, do you feel a strong affinity with
them now or are those views different from the ones
you hold? These are interesting avenues of thought
for you today.
PIscEs
It's time to elevate your sense of self,
Pisces. You're just as good as anyone
else, so why don't you believe it? The
problem is that you're very sensitive
about having an ego. Even though you know
everyone does, you punish yourself for its existence!
This is a noble idea, but it doesn't do you any good.
You'll never be perfect and neither will anyone else.
What are you worrying about?

tuesDAy, AuGust 9, 2022
11
France's going through
its most severe
drought ever, PM says
PARIS : French Prime
Minister Elisabeth Borne
warned that France is facing
the "most severe drought"
ever recorded in the country
and announced the
activation of a government
crisis unit.
Borne said in a written
statement on Friday that
many areas in France are
going through a "historic
situation" as the country
endures its third heatwave
this summer.
"The exceptional drought
we are currently
experiencing is depriving
many municipalities of
water and is a tragedy for
our farmers, our ecosystems
and biodiversity," the
statement said.
Weather forecasts suggest
that the heat, which
increases evaporation and
water needs, could continue
for the next 15 days, possibly
making the situation even
more worrying, the
statement stressed.
The government's crisis
unit will be in charge of
monitoring the situation in
the hardest-hit areas and
coordinate measures like
bringing drinking water to
some places.
It will also monitor the
impact of the drought on
France's energy production,
transport infrastructure and
agriculture. The drought
may force French energy
giant EDF to cut power
production at nuclear plants
which use river water to cool
reactors.
World stock markets
mixed ahead of US
jobs data
BEIJING : Global stock
markets and Wall Street
futures were mixed Friday
ahead of an update on the
U.S. jobs market while the
Federal Reserve weighs
whether more rate hikes are
needed to cool surging
inflation.
London, Paris and
Frankfurt were lower while
Shanghai and Tokyo
advanced. Oil prices fell back.
Investors were looking
ahead to monthly U.S.
employment numbers for
possible signs of weakness
that might prompt the Fed to
decide it needs to ease off on
rate hikes to cool inflation.
Other data suggest the
economy is slowing, which
should reduce pressure for
prices to rise.
"Consensus is looking for a
softening in the labor market
for July," said Stephen Innes
of SPI Asset Management in
a report.
GD-1338/22 (4x3)
A doa mahfil was held at the meeting room of Director General of Family Planning on the occasion
of 92nd birth anniversary of Bangamata Begum Fazilatunnesa Mujib.
Photo : Courtesy
Shift in war's front seen as grain
leaves Ukraine; plant hit
KYIV: Six more ships carrying agricultural
cargo held up by the war in Ukraine received
authorization Sunday to leave the country's
Black Sea coast as analysts warned that
Russia was moving troops and equipment in
the direction of the southern port cities to
stave off a Ukrainian counteroffensive,
reports UNB.
Ukraine and Russia also accused each
other of shelling Europe's largest nuclear
power plant.
The loaded vessels were cleared to depart
from Chornomorsk and Odesa, according to
the Joint Coordination Center, which
oversees an international deal intended to
get some 20 million tons of grain out of
Ukraine to feed millions going hungry in
Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia.
Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United
Nations signed the agreements last month to
create a 111-nautical-mile sea corridor that
would allow cargo ships to travel safely out of
ports that Russia's military had blockaded
and through waters that Ukraine's military
had mined. Implementation of the deal,
which is in effect for four months, has
proceeded slowly since the first ship
embarked on Aug. 1.
Four of the carriers cleared Sunday to leave
Ukraine were transporting more than
219,000 tons of corn. The fifth was carrying
more than 6,600 tons of sunflower oil and
the sixth 11,000 tons of soya, the Joint
Coordination Center said.
Three other cargo ships that left Friday
passed their inspections and received
clearance Sunday to pass through Turkey's
Bosporus Strait on the way to their final
destinations, the Center said.
However, the vessel that left Ukraine last
Monday with great fanfare as the first under
the grain exports deal had its scheduled
arrival in Lebanon delayed Sunday,
according to a Lebanese Cabinet minister
and the Ukraine Embassy. The cause of the
delay was not immediately clear.
Ukrainian officials were initially skeptical
of a grain export deal, citing suspicions that
Moscow would try to exploit shipping
activity to mass troops offshore or send longrange
missiles from the Black Sea, as it has
done multiple times during the war.
The agreements call for ships to leave
Ukraine under military escort and to
undergo inspections to make sure they carry
only grain, fertilizer or food and not any
other commodities. Inbound cargo vessels
are checked to ensure they are not carrying
weapons.
In a weekend analysis, Britain's Defense
Ministry said the Russian invasion that
started Feb. 24 "is about to enter a new
phase" in which the fighting would shift to a
roughly 350-kilometer (217-mile) front line
extending from near the city of Zaporizhzhia
to Russian-occupied Kherson.
That area includes the Zaporizhzhia
Nuclear Power Station which came under
fire late Saturday. Each side accused the
other of the attack.
Ukraine's nuclear power plant operator,
Energoatom, said Russian shelling damaged
three radiation monitors around the storage
facility for spent nuclear fuels and that one
worker was injured. Russian news agencies,
citing the separatist-run administration of
the plant, said Ukrainian forces fired those
shells.
Russian forces have occupied the power
station for months. Russian soldiers there
took shelter in bunkers before Saturday's
attack, according to Energoatom.
Rafael Grossi, director general of the
International Atomic Energy Agency,
recently warned that the way the plant was
being run and the fighting going on around it
posed grave health and environmental
threats.
For the last four months of the war, Russia
has concentrated on capturing the Donbas
region of eastern Ukraine, where pro-
Moscow separatists have controlled some
5 killed, 9 injured in
fiery multi-vehicle
crash in Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES : At least
five people were killed and
nine others injured
Thursday afternoon in a
fiery multi-vehicle crash in
Los Angeles, authorities
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said.
The Los Angeles County
Fire Department said in a
tweet that the agency
responded to the crash at
about 1:41 p.m. local time
(2041 GMT) at La Brea and
Slauson avenues.
Five people were
pronounced died at the
scene. Eight of the nine
injured were transported
to area hospitals, said the
department.
The crash was caused by
a Mercedes coupe that was
speeding south on La Brea
Avenue and ran a red light,
slamming into several cars
at Slauson Avenue,
reported KABC-TV, the
West Coast flagship station
of the ABC network, citing
the California Highway
Patrol. At least six vehicles
were involved in the crash
and three of them burst
into flames after the
impact, the report said.
The Los Angeles County
Fire Department said the
incident is still under
investigation.Palestine
calls for help to stop Israeli
settlement expansion,
protect two-state solution.
Berlin forest fire
contained but ammo
dump still a problem
BERLIN : A fire
accompanied by explosions
at a police ammunition
dump in a Berlin forest was
contained and large parts of
it were extinguished on
Friday, but authorities were
still waiting to get access to
the dump itself.
The fire broke out in the
early hours of Thursday in
the Grunewald forest on the
western edge of the German
capital. The site is far from
the nearest homes and no
one had to be evacuated, but
authorities declared a 1,000-
meter (more than half-mile)
exclusion zone and a nearby
highway and railway line
remained closed on Friday.
GD-1336/22 (10x4)
China extends threatening military
exercises around Taiwan
BEIJING: - China said Monday it was
extending threatening military exercises
surrounding Taiwan that have disrupted
shipping and air traffic and substantially
raised concerns about the potential for
conflict in a region crucial to global trade,
reports UNB.
The exercises would include antisubmarine
drills, apparently targeting U.S.
support for Taiwan in the event of a potential
Chinese invasion, according to social media
posts from the eastern leadership of China's
ruling Communist Party's military arm, the
People's Liberation Army.
The military has said the exercises
involving missile strikes, warplanes and ship
movements crossing the midline of the
Taiwan Strait dividing the sides were a
response to U.S. House Speaker Nancy
Pelosi's visit to the self-ruled island last week.
China has ignored calls to calm the
tensions, and there was no immediate
indication when it would end what amounts
to a blockade.
Taiwan's defense ministry said Sunday it
detected a total of 66 aircraft and 14 warships
conducting the naval and air exercises. The
island has responded by putting its military
on alert and deploying ships, planes and
other assets to monitor Chinese aircraft,
ships and drones that are "simulating attacks
on the island of Taiwan and our ships at sea."
Meanwhile, Taiwan's official Central News
Agency reported that Taiwan's army will
conduct live-fire artillery drills in southern
Pingtung County on Tuesday and Thursday,
in response to the Chinese exercises.
The drills will include snipers, combat
vehicles, armored vehicles as well as attack
helicopters, said the report, which cited an
anonymous source.
China claims Taiwan as its own territory
and has threatened to annex it by force if
necessary. The two sides split in 1949 after a
civil war, but Beijing considers visits to
Taiwan by foreign officials as recognizing its
sovereignty.
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen has called
on the international community to "support
democratic Taiwan" and "halt any escalation
of the regional security situation." The Group
of Seven industrialized nations has also
criticized China's actions, prompting Beijing
to cancel a meeting between Foreign
Minister Wang Yi and his Japanese
counterpart, Yoshimasa Hayashi. China
has cut off defense and climate talks with
the U.S. and imposed sanctions on Pelosi
in retaliation for her visit.
The Biden administration and Pelosi say
the U.S. remains committed to the "one-
China" policy that extends formal
diplomatic recognition to Beijing while
allowing robust informal relations and
defense ties with Taipei.
The U.S. however criticized Beijing's
actions in the Taiwan Strait, with White
House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre
calling them "fundamentally
irresponsible."
"There's no need and no reason for this
escalation," Jean-Pierre said.
In Washington, Taiwan's de facto
ambassador Bi-khim Hsiao said China had
no reason to "be so furious," over Pelosi's
visit, which follows a long tradition of
American lawmakers visiting Taiwan.
"Well, you know, we have been living
under the threat from China for decades,"
Hsiao told CBS News on Sunday. "If you
have a kid being bullied at school, you
don't say you don't go to school. You try to
find a way to deal with the bully.
No reported damage in Philippines
from Chinese rocket debris
MANILA : There was no reported damage in
a western Philippine region where debris
from a rocket that boosted part of China's
new space station reportedly fell, a Filipino
official said Monday, reports UNB.
Philippine Space Agency official Marc
Talampas said authorities have been advised
to be on the lookout for the rocket debris,
which may have splashed down into
seawaters off Palawan province.
"We are monitoring the situation and have
also issued an advisory to the public to be
vigilant, avoid contact with any suspected
floating debris and to report to local
authorities immediately," Talampas told The
Associated Press.
The China Manned Space Agency reported
Sunday that most of the final stage of the
Long March-5B rocket burned up after
entering the atmosphere. It said the booster
would be allowed to fall unguided.
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Tuesday, Dhaka : August 9, 2022; Srabon 25, 1429 BS; Muharram 10, 1444 Hijri
Bangladesh-India ties
incomparable to any other
relation : Hasan Mahmud
DHAKA : Information and Broadcasting
Minister Hasan Mahmud
said the level of relationship between
Bangladesh and India is incomparable
to that of any other country and
relation with any another country
won’t affect it.
The minister said this while talking
to reporters at the ministry on Monday.
Bangladesh inked several cooperation
documents with China during the
visit of the Chinese Foreign Minister
on Sunday.
When asked whether the visit will
affect ties with India he said, “Our relationship
with India is written in blood.
India and its people’s assistance during
our Liberation War will remain as long
as Bangladesh’s exists.”
He said China is a friendly country
to Bangladesh and is country’s development
partner.
“They (China) have assistance in
A man set his motorcycle on fire following a dispute with a police
officer in the Court Hargram area of Rajshahi on Monday.
Photo : Star Mail Juldha-Dangarchar
Vegetable markets in Jashore
hit by fuel price hike
JASHORE : The price of vegetables in
Jashore kitchen markets shot up due
to the hike in fuel price, adding woes to
the fixed-income people who are already
overburdened with the soaring prices of
daily essentials, reports UNB.
The traders have claimed that the
hike in fuel price, coming into effect
from Friday last, directly affected the
vegetable markets as the price of all vegetables
rose from Tk 5 to Tk 10 per kg.
The customers expressed dissatisfaction
over the price hike of vegetables in the
local markets, including the retail shops.
Jashore vegetables account for a lion
share of supply in the country.
During a recent visit to the Satmaile
retail market on Sunday, this UNB correspondent
learnt that many local traders
have purchased vegetables from the
market and supplied these to different
parts of the country.
The traders said following the hike
in fuel price, the price of vegetables also
shot up ranging from Tk 10 to Tk 15 per
kg and they feared suffering a loss. Babu,
a vegetable wholesale trader, said “The
transport cost has also increased from
Tk 5000 to Tk 7000 and the truck drivers
took an extra Tk 5 for per kg vegetables
and I don’t know how much profits
our development projects and their officials
work in our country. We follow
our foreign policy of ‘Friendship towards
all, malice towards none’ and as
a friendly nation China can make any
proposal they want,” he added.
Regarding BNP’s reaction on fuel
price hike Hasan Mahmud urged the
party to look at global situation and
abstain from the politics of misleading
people.
“Last year the government provided
subsidy of Tk 53,000 crore in energy
and power sector. It is not possible for
Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation
(BPC) to provide Tk 100 crore daily
subsidy anymore and it is impossible
for any other country,” he said.
“It takes a month or two to see the
result after prices of fuel decline in
global market. After that we will readjust
the prices in our country,” said
Hasan Mahmud.
I would earn after selling my products.”
Abdul Sobhan, the owner of the market,
said a vegetable-laden truck demanded
more money as the transport
cost rose from Tk 5000 to Tk 7000 to
go to Dhaka from Jashore and the price
of per kg vegetables including eggplant,
bean, pointgourd, bottlegourd, papaya,
snake bean, radish, bitter gourd also
were up from Tk 5 to Tk 7 per kg. After
reaching Dhaka, the price of vegetables
increases three times. Abdul Khalek, a
farmer of Satmile area, said the production
cost of one kg of eggplant is Tk 30.
“I have sold these Tk 31-32 per kg. But
now the transport cost has also risen,
prompting us to raise the price of vegetables
too,” he said.
Zico, a vegetable trader in Boro Bazar
of Jashore district town, said “we are
badly affected by the price hike of vegetables
and the number of customers in
retail markets is very poor.”
Ali, a resident of Police Line, said one
kg of eggplant was being sold at Tk 50
which days ago was available at Tk 30,
one Kg Yam was being sold at Tk 50
which was available at Tk 35 and one
kg green chili was being sold at Tk 200
compared to Tk 150 before fuel price
hike.
Scrap warehouse
blast : Death
toll rises to 4
DHAKA : The death toll from the explosion
in a scrap godown at Rajabari
of Kamarpara in the city rose to four
as another injured victim died at a city
hospital early Monday.
The deceased was identified as Md.
Mizan, 35. Mizan, who sustained 95
percent burn injuries, breathed his last
at Sheikh Hasina National Institute of
Burn and Plastic Surgery around 1:30
am, said Dhaka Medical College Hospital
(DMCH) police outpost in-charge
Md Bacchu Mia.
On Sunday, three injured- Gazi
Mazharul Islam, 48, Md Alam Mia, 20,
and Md Nur Hossain, 60- died at the
same hospital. Eight people suffered
burn injuries in the blast occurred
around 11:45 am on Saturday in the
godown, said Officer-in-Charge of Turag
Police Station Mehedi Hasan.
The other injured -Masum, 35, Md.
Al-Amin, 30, Shafiqul and Md. Shaheen,
25- are undergoing treatment at
the hospital with severe injuries.
Among them, Masum received 95
percent burn injuries while Shafiqul received
80 percent, Al-Amin 75 percent
and Shahin received 35 percent, said
the hospital’s Resident Surgeon Dr SM
Ayub Hossain.
Now Rajshahi
motorcyclist sets
his bike on fire after
dispute with cop
RAJSHAHI : A man set his motorcycle
on fire following a dispute with a police
officer in the Court Hargram area of
Rajshahi on Monday.
The biker, Ashiq Ali,30, set fire to
his motorcycle out of frustration after a
traffic sergeant wanted to see his driving
license and registration documents
to penalize him for a traffic rule violation,
according to the police.
Witnesses said Ashiq Ali was crossing
the area riding with two others
around 1:45 pm. The traffic sergeant
stopped them at the checkpoint and
wanted to see his papers.
Ashiq failed to provide his papers
as he left these at his home. However,
Ashik wanted to bring his papers but
the police approached to file a case.
Later, he got disappointed and at
one stage set his bike on fire.
Moushumi Akhter, Sub-Inspector
of Kashiadanga Police Station was on
patrol duty in the Court Railway Station
area at that time. On information,
she visited the spot and said that there
were three men on the motorcycle.
None of them had helmets and there
were no documents of the motorcycle.
Anirban Chakma, deputy commissioner
of police (Traffic) of the city, said
they interrogated the biker and talked
to his father.
Ashiq was mentally upset over the
financial issue and he might have done
this over mental sickness, added the officer.
“Legal action will be taken in this
regard,” he said.
Writ petition
challenges legality of
raising fuel prices
DHAKA : A writ petition was filed with
the High Court on Monday challenging
the legality of the latest hike in fuel
prices in the country.
Supreme Court Advocate Md Eunus
Ali Akond filed the writ petition.
The writ petition sought the HC’s
directive to stay the gazette issued by
the Ministry of Energy and Mineral
Resources raising fuel prices.
The HC bench of Justice Md Mojibur
Rahman Mia and Justice Kazi
Md Ejarul Haque Akondo may hear the
writ petition on Wednesday.
Lawyer Eunus Ali said Bangladesh
Energy Regulatory Commission
(BERC) has the authority to raise the
fuel price according to the law. But the
fuel prices were increased through issuing
a gazette by the ministry.
According to that gazette, this decision
was taken as per the order of the
President. But the constitution does
not give the president the authority to
raise the fuel prices and for this reason
the writ petition was filed, he added.
The government hiked the price sof
fuel by a big margin on Friday.
Diesel price has been increased by
Tk 34 to Tk 114 per litre while octane
price hiked by Tk 46 to Tk 135 and petrol
by Tk 44 to Tk 130.
Street children and teenagers have become addicted to this readily available drug called Dandy. Dandy is
seen consuming openly on the streets. The photo was taken from the New Market area of the port city of
Chattogram on Monday.
Photo : Star Mail
Eyewitness revisits August 15
episode at 32 Dhanmondi
road
hampering public life
Shafiul Azom, Karnaphuli Correspondent
The Juldha-Danga Char road of Karnaphuli
Upazila has turned into a paddy
land. The road from Jamtola Bazar to
Dighir Par Mosque is full of potholes
for about 7 km. Thousands of people
from South Chattogram’s Patia,
Chandanish, Boalkhali, Karnaphuli,
Satkania and Lohagara upazilas travel
to Chattogram Shah Amanat Airport
through ghat number 11. The people
of south Chattogram and different upazilas
have to suffer constantly through
this almost impassable road.
Although there is carpeting from
Dighirpar Mosque to Ward 2 Harun
Bhandari’s house, the 3 km road from
there to Dangarchar 1 Ward Saltgola
Ghat has almost disappeared due to
potholes. From there 1225 feet RCC
work is currently underway. If you
see the current condition of the 10 km
road, anyone’s eyes will be raised. Locals
said that in the development of
Bangladesh, Juldha is waking up with
an underdeveloped and neglected image
like a neglected paddy field; and
this road is the proof of that.
Former president of Juldha Union
Chhatra League and former UP member
of Ward No. 9 Md. Nurul Haque
Chowdhury told ‘The Bangladesh Today,
“The road from Fakiranirhat to
Dangarchar is the most important and
DHAKA : It was early hours of August
15, 1975, the blackest chapter of the nation’s
history.
“I’m President Sheikh Mujib. What
do you want? Where do you want to
take me?”- These were Bangabandhu’s
last words while assailants sprayed the
burst of bullets in response, according
to eyewitness Abdur Rahman Sheikh
Rama, a domestic aide at 32 Dhanmondi.
Rama was in his early teenage years
during the country’s worst carnage that
killed Father of the Nation Bangabandhu
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman along with
most of his family members.
He virtually hid himself for years
thereafter and during the delayed
Bangabandhu Murder Trial, decades
later, Rama appeared as a key-prosecution
witness in the court to describe
what he saw on the early morning of
August 15.
He is now a grown up man in his late
50s but emotion and a sense of horror
still appears to chase him as he revisited
the event of the day while talking to
this BSS correspondent in 2022.
The assailants began their killing
spree first gunning down Bangabandhu’s
eldest son and Liberation War
veteran Captain Sheikh Kamal on the
downstairs of the house.
The bloodthirsty killers’ wrath was
not pacified until they killed the other
members of the family including
10-year-old Sheikh Russell.
Rama said he started staying at the
residence since 1969 and continued to
stay with Bangabandhu’s family until
the August 15 carnage when he was
sleeping with another domestic staff
Md Selim aka Abdul at the veranda
outside Bangabandhu’s room.
“I still cannot stay steady whenever
the horrific scene reappears in my
mind . . . the darkest memory of my
life,” he said adding that the execution
of some of the August 15 killers, however,
partly soothed him.
Rama recalled as the assailants
were approaching the house creating
loud noises Begum Mujib asked him
to go downstairs to see what happened
and “I went down, came out of main
gate and saw some army personnel approaching
Bangabandhu’s house”.
“Then I returned inside the house
and found Bangabandhu coming down
in his lungi and sando-genji (nightwear),”
Rama said adding that at that
point the killers announced their emergence
with volley of gunshots and firing
artillery shells.
He recalled that as soon as the
guards of Bangabandhu’s house started
hoisting the national flag at 5:30
am, the assassins started their attack
directly from the south.
“When I ran upstairs, I saw Begum
Mujib was scared and rushing around.
Then I went on the second floor and
woke up Sheikh Kamal vai and his wife
Sultana Kamal,” Rama said.
Sheikh Kamal then quickly went to
ground floor wearing a shirt and trousers
and Sultana Kamal went down to
first floor and woke up Sheikh Jamal
and his wife Rosy Jamal.
“Then they quickly went to Begum
Mujib’s room,” Rama went on saying.
Meanwhile, Begum Mujib sent
Bangabandhu his punjabi and spectacles
through domestic aide Abdul and
after a while, when the firing stopped,
Bangabandhu took the punjabi and
glasses from him.
Rama said Bangabandhu he now
believes Bangabandhu quickly grasped
the situation and kept calling different
places.
He recalled traumatized Sheikh
Russell was initially kept in the queue
in front of the house along with the
staff when he hugged Rama and then
Bangabandhu’s personal aide Mohitul
Islam and said, “Brother, will they also
kill me?”
In reply, Mohitul said “no brother,
they will not kill you” and then Russell
wanted to go to his mother.
One of the killers sacked lieutenant
colonel Aziz Pasha asked a soldier to
take him to the first floor where he too
was shot dead.
The Juldha-Danga Char road of Karnaphuli Upazila has turned into a paddy land. Photo : TBT
the only road in Juldha. The work is ha area is the most neglected.
going on from the head of Fakirani Hat When asked about these issues,
road to Jamtala Bazar, but after that Juldha UP Chairman Nurul Haque
there is no way to understand the condition
of the road unless you see it with industries are responsible for this bad
told The Bangladesh Today, Local big
your own eyes.
condition of the road.
The Juldha-Dangarchar road has The plight of the road today is due
been in a dilapidated state for the past to the heavy traffic used to bring goods
5/6 years or more due to lack of capacity
to carry heavy industrial vehicle Upazila Parishad and other offices so
to their factories. I have applied to the
loads. Although there is development that the renovation work of the road
work everywhere in Karnaphuli, Juld-
can be started very soon.