25-09-2022

SUNDAY

DHAKA : September 25, 2022; Ashwin 10, 1429 BS; Safar 28, 1444 Hijri www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www.bangladeshtoday.net Regd. No. DA~2065, Vol. 20; No.128; 12 Pages~Tk. 8.00

INTERNATIONAL SPORTS ART & CULTURE

Russian men seek refuge

Roger Federer’s last

abroad, fearing call-up

match is doubles loss

Mim meets flood

to fight in Ukraine

with Rafael Nadal

affected children

Zohr

>Page 7

Bangladesh reports

4 more Covid deaths,

350 new cases in 24 hrs

DHAKA : Bangladesh reported four more

Covid-linked deaths with 350 fresh cases

in 24 hours till Saturday morning.

With the new numbers, country’s total

fatalities rose to 29,351 while the total

caseload to 2,021,118, according to the

Directorate General of Health Services

(DGHS). The daily case test positivity

rate declined to 13.12 per cent from Friday’s

15.38 per as 2,668 samples were

tested. Of the latest deceased, three were

men and another was woman. Of them,

two were from Sylhet division and one

each from Rajshahi and Dhaka divisions.

The mortality rate and recovery rate

remained unchanged at 1.45 per cent and

97.10 per cent respectively.

In August, the country reported 32

Covid-linked deaths and 6,689 cases.

Bangladesh registered its highest daily

caseload of 16,230 on July 28 last year

and daily fatalities of 264 on August 10

the same year.

Three footballers

of SAFF Women’s

Champions team

get compensation

DHAKA: Chairman of the BFF Women’s

Football team and FIFA Council member

Mahfuza Akhter Kiron today (Saturday)

compensated the three footballers of the

SAFF Women’s Champions team who lost

money on their arrival from Kathmandu to

Dhaka on Thursday, report UNB.

After getting a grand reception at the

airport and joining the parade in the open

deck double decker bus from airport to

BFF office in Motijheel, three Bangladeshi

footballers--Krishna Rani Sarkar, Shamsun

Nahar Sr and Sanjida Akhter – found their

money stolen from their luggage.

Their bags were found unlocked and

some of their dollars missing. Krishna lost

US dollars 900 and cash Tk 50,000 that

included a part of Sanjinda while Shamsunahar

lost 400 US dollars, who saved it for

buying an IPhone and others.

It was not sure from where the money

was lost.

Mahfuza Akhter Kiron reimbursed the

money from her personal fund to the players

not from BFF fund, BFF President Kazi

Salahuddin disclosed this to the media after

a meeting of the professional league committee

on Saturday.

It was reported that Sanjida got an IPhone.

The three players also received additional

Tk 50,000 each.

Moldova agrees to

recruit Bangladeshi

workers: FM

DHAKA : After long negotiations with

different stakeholders in Moldova, they

have agreed to take Bangladeshi workers.

In the first batch 28 Bangladeshi

workers were issued Moldovian visa,

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen

told UNB on Saturday.

They will work in an aluminum window

making factory and 40 more are in

pipeline, Momen said.

Moldova stopped hiring workers from

Bangladesh more than a decade ago.

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11:58 PM

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07:12 PM

5:47 5:53

Combatting Pandemic Globally, Locally

“More remains to be done

around the world”

NEW YORK : COVID-19 has had a profound

impact on all countries, with more

than 6.5 million dead worldwide, disrupting

the health and well-being of billions,

ravaging the global economy and

local livelihoods, and threatening peace

and stability. Since the “COVID-19 Prioritized

Global Action Plan for Enhanced

Engagement (GAP)” was established in

early 2022, GAP participants have supported

enormous progress combatting the

COVID-19 pandemic, globally and locally.

Working with international partners

and national governments, they

have helped increase vaccination rates

in less prosperous countries from low

double digits to more than fifty percent,

provided last mile support for

over 100 countries needing assistance

moving safe and effective life-saving

vaccines to their most at-risk populations,

established regional hubs for

mRNA vaccine development and vaccine

and medical supply production,

and are rolling out pilot treatment programs

around the world.

Recognizing that more remains to be

done around the world, U.S. Secretary

of State Antony Blinken as represented

by United States Representative to

the United Nations Ambassador Linda

Thomas-Greenfield, Bangladesh Foreign

Affairs Minister Dr. A.K. Abdul Momen,

MP, Botswana Minister of Foreign Affairs

Dr. Lemogang Kwape, and Spain Minister

for Foreign Affairs Jose Manuel Albares

Bueno, on September 23, convened a

COVID-19 Global Action Plan Ministerial.

Foreign Ministers from Jamaica, Japan,

Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, and Thailand

participated, as well as the World Health

Organization Director General, the acting

head of the Africa Centres for Disease

Control and Prevention (Africa CDC),

and policy leaders from twenty-one other

countries and organizations.

Ministers and leaders of the countries

and organizations involved in the

GAP discussed the state of the global

response to COVID-19, and the role of

foreign ministries to enhance political

will and coordination.

They underscored the importance of

enhanced coordination among GAP partners

to fill remaining gaps in the pandemic

response, and build better health security

to prevent, prepare for, and respond to

future health threats.

Police arrest BRUR student on

the charges of spreading negative

comments against religion

Rangpur Bureau

Police in Dinajpur have arrested Sujan Pal,

a first year student of Bengali Department

of Begum Rokeya University for making

offensive comments about Islam on Facebook.

The student was arrested from his

home in Dinajpur’s Birganj in the early

hours of Saturday (September 24).

Rangpur Metropolitan’s Tajhat Police

Station Acting Officer-in-Charge (OC) AKM

Nazmul Qadi confirmed the matter, saying

that the tension was created due to allegations

of offensive comments on Islam on

Facebook. Later he (Sujan Pal) was arrested.

And in this incident Md. Kamruzzaman,

a final year student of public administration

department in the university, filed a complaint

as a plaintiff. The case was recorded

and the accused was sent to court.

And the arrested is a 1st year student

of Bangla Department of Sujan University.

He is the son of deceased Badhiram

Pal (Chamatkar Pal) of Barahat Palpara

village, No. 10, Mohanpur Union, Birganj

Upazila, Dinajpur.

The proctor of the university, Golam

Rabbani, said, “Religion is a sensitive issue.

The student made offensive comments on

Facebook. Police arrested him on Friday

night when tension arose over the matter.

The police arrested him to keep him

safe. If he had not been arrested, the situation

might have been different in the university

yesterday.

The chairman of the Bengali department

of the university. Tuhin Wadud

said, “I heard that Sujan Pal, a first-year

student of the Bengali department of the

university, made a mockery of Islam on

Facebook, and commented on his friend,

Sejuti Mumu’s post. And then a tense

situation is created in the university. Because

of this he has been arrested.”

It is known that his (Sujan Pal) friend

Sejuti Mumu, a student of the same department

of Begum Rokeya University, posted a

tolerance post on Islam and Hindu religion

on her Facebook wall. And in the comment

section of that post, Sujan Pal made offensive

comments against Islam.

And the screenshot of this comment was

spread on various social media platforms.

Instantly that screenshot went viral. This

led to widespread criticism and mounting

tension in the campus. To deal with the situation,

he was immediately arrested by the

Tajhat police station on Saturday morning.

>Page 9 >Page 10

Even after two and a half months of flood water receding, the broken road has not

been repaired. Hundreds of people in Habiganj suffered another loss due to flood

scars.

Photo : Star Mail

Hindus to

celebrate

Mahalaya today

DHAKA : The Hindu community across the

country will celebrate Mahalaya, the auspicious

occasion of heralding the advent

of Goddess Durga. With the beginning of

‘Devipaksha’, Mahalaya is observed six days

before Durga Puja, the biggest religious

festival of the Bangalee Hindu community.

Usually, the Devi Paksha commences with

Mahalaya Amavasya.

According to Hindu mythology Mahalaya

marks the last day of ‘Krishnapaksha’,

which is a dark fortnight of the month of

Ashwin. In the Indian state of West Bengal,

Mahalaya is depicted in a show-tell manner,

with songs, enactments and dances on

regional television channels. The television

show is also viewed by a lot of people specially

children in Bangladesh at dawn.

The most popular rendition of it, however,

has been in the sonorous recorded voice

of Birendra Krishna Bhadra, whose collection

of songs and mantras called Mahishasura

Mardini are played customarily on the

day of Mahalaya in every Bengali household

mostly in West Bengal as well as in Bangladesh

early in the morning.

Although Durga Puja will formally begin

on October 1 through ‘Shasti’ puja, the

advent of Durga will be herald from today.

The nine-day festival of Navratri dedicated

to Goddess Durga in the month of Ashwin

usually commences soon after Pitru Paksha

ends. Mahalaya marks an invitation of sorts

to goddess Durga to begin her journey from

Kailash to her paternal home (earth), along

with her children.

This invitation is extended through the

chanting of mantras from Sri Sri Chandi

and singing of devotional songs. Countdown

of Durga Puja begins with the celebration

of Mahalaya. On October 1, the

Durga Puja will begin with various rituals

on the day of Maha Shashthi.

PM calls ‘tragic’ rich nations

response to climate issue

NEW YORK : Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

has termed as a “tragedy” the richer

nations’ meaningful response to the crucial

climate issue despite their blustering

words saying the urgency of the situation

was not being matched by actions of

countries responsible for emissions.

“They don’t act. They can talk but they

don’t act,” she told French news agency

AFP in New York on the sidelines of

the United Nations General Assembly

(UNGA) session, adding that those countries

were “the responsible ones for these

damages”.

Sheikh Hasina added: “The rich countries,

the developed countries, this is

their responsibility. They should come

forward. But we are not getting that much

response from them. That is the tragedy.”

“I know the rich countries; they want

to become more rich and rich. They don’t

bother for others.”

Supplementing her concerns AFP

commented that “fertile, densely populated

deltas, low-lying” Bangladesh was

among the most vulnerable nations in the

world to climate change.

Bangladesh, it said, produced a miniscule

amount of the greenhouse gas emissions

that have already contributed to the

warming of the planet by an average of

Momen in New York

nearly 1.2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial

levels, reports BSS.

The Paris accord called for US$100

billion a year by 2020 from wealthy nations

to help developing nations cope

with climate change. That year, $83.3

billion was committed, including through

private sources, according to Organization

for Economic Co-operation and Development

figures.

The French news agency predicted

that one key issue facing the next UN

climate summit, to take place in Egypt

in November, is whether wealthy nations

also need to pay for losses and damages

from climate change—not just to pay for

adaptation and mitigation.

“We want that fund to be raised. Unfortunately

we didn’t get a good response

from the developed countries,” Sheikh

Hasina said in her interview with AFP,

which noted that wealthy nations agreed

only to discuss the loss and damage issue

through 2024.

The UNGA this year featured repeated

calls for climate justice with the leader

of tiny Vanuatu urging an international

treaty against fossil fuels while Pakistan’s

prime minister warned that floods that

swamped one-third of his country could

happen elsewhere.

BD open to sharing its COVID-19

management experience

NEW YORK : Foreign Minister Dr AK

Abdul Momen has laid emphasis on sustained

and significant funds injected for

capacity-building of the health sector, especially

in lower income countries.

He welcomed the formation of the financial

intermediary fund at the World

Bank to complement investments in

prevention, preparedness and response

(PPR).

Dr Momen stressed on devising a

global health strategy that will prepare

the world better for any future pandemic.

He underscored the need to create

a playbook where the countries will be

ready to respond immediately to future

health threats.

Dr Momen was speaking at the opening

session of the COVID-19 Global Action

Plan (GAP) Ministerial held in New

York on Friday, September 23.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken,

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel

Albares Bueno and Botswana Foreign

Minister Dr. Lemogang Kwape jointly

convened the Ministerial, aiming at

bringing together partners to maintain

and strengthen political will to address

COVID-19 challenges.

The Foreign Ministers from several

countries, including from Japan, Saudi

Arabia and Thailand, and the Director

General of WHO participated in the

meeting. High level delegates from a

number of countries, including France,

Indonesia, Germany, UK, India, Norway,

Italy, and South Korea also joined.

Dr Momen highlighted that under the

visionary leadership of Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh was a standout

success in COVID-19 response.

He said that Bangladesh was open to

sharing its COVID-19 management experience,

which had been centered around

saving lives, supporting livelihoods - especially

of the most vulnerable, and posting

quick economic recovery.

Stressing further on the global partnership

and concerted efforts, Foreign

Minister lauded the multilateral processes,

including initiatives like ACT-A

and COVAX under WHO that played an

important role in making vaccines and

other COVID materials available.

However, he reminded that the pandemic

was not over yet, and vaccination

needed to continue. To this effect, the

Foreign Minister reiterated that vaccines

should be declared global public goods

and distributed without discrimination.

A joint statement was issued at the end of

the Ministerial with concrete recommendations

and ways forward, according to

the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

When the Durga

Puja comes, the

Puja Mandaps

resound with

the sound of

dhak-dhol. So

before that, the

makers of musical

instruments have

to spend a busy

time. The photo

was taken from

Patharghata

area of

Chattogram city.

Photo : TBT

SundAy, SePTeMBer 25, 2022

2

Amber, one of the country's industry groups, congratulated the Bangladesh women's football team

for winning the SAF Women's Championship 2022. Amber group issued 1 check of TK.10 Lakhs on

22/09/2022 as a commemoration to motivate and encourage them more. Choton, the successful

coach of Bangladesh women's team, captain Sabina and senior officials of Amber Group were present

at the check presentation ceremony.

Photo: Courtesy

Khulna: Young

woman sedated,

raped by 4

KHULNA : A 19-year-old

woman has alleged that

she was raped by four men

in the Arangghata area of

Khulna city on Thursday

afternoon, reports UNB.

Based on her complaint,

an FIR for rape has been

lodged at Arangghata

police station on Friday,

said Wahiduzzaman, the

officer-in-charge.

In her complaint, the

woman alleged that an

acquaintance, named

Fazlur Rahman Shaon of

Khalishpur Nayabati,

called her to the

Phulbarigate area and

offered her a cup of tea

laced with sedatives.

Later, Shaon took her to

the house of a person,

named Azgarh Sardar,

where the two and two

others violated her.

"We have already

arrested one of the

accused and efforts are on

to nab others," said the

OC.

The girl was sent to

Khulna Medical College

and Hospital for a medical

test.

GD-1560/22 (8x3)

Ray of hope in Water

Chestnut cultivation in

fallow lands of Satkhira

Satkhira Correspondent

Lands that were waterlogged for years are

now covered with green. Due to higher

profits, its range is increasing every year.

Employment has been created for many

men and women. However, due to lack of

timely rains, this year, the farmers are

extracting water with the help of machine to

cultivate Water-chestnut. As a result, the

cost per bigha has almost doubled

compared to other times. Farmers are afraid

of losing in Water-chestnut cultivation if

they do not get fair price.

Now a day's, many farmers have been

successful by cultivating Water-chestnut for

last few years. As a result this nutritious

Water-chestnut is being cultivated in

Satkhira commercially. This fruits now

cultivate in different upazilas including

Kaliganj, Debhata, Sathkhira sadar and

Kalaroa vigorously. Especially across the

canal-beel-reservoir of both sides of Kalaroa

upazila of Satkhira road are now being

adorned with Water Chestnut. This fruit

produced in Satkhira is being met the

demand of the people different parts of the

country including the capital. Farmers work

hardly to turn the waterlogged land into

golden crops. Now days this familiar Water

chestnut is now available in the fruits

market of footpath including village. In

Whole sale market, Water Chestnut is sold

Tk 50-60 per kg and every maund is sold

2250 taka. That's why this fruits have been

cultivating commercially for few years. This

fruit looks like a Singara. This is why, people

called it Singara fruits. This fruit can be

eaten raw and by cooked also.

Shahinur Rahman, wholesaler of Water

Chestnut of Kamta village of Debhata

upazila said "I have engaged more than half

a hundred farmers before the season of

Water Chestnut cultivation. I am collecting

the fruits from those farmers."

Yakub Ali, Gopinathpur village of the

Kalaroa has cultivated Water Chestnuts in

current season in Saven Bighas of land. He

said `there was flooding in the area for

several years. Because of that I have started

cultivating Water Chestnut in waterlogged

land for the last few years. I am getting extra

profit. Cost is low and production and sales

are high. I hope that this year I will be able

to sell more than two and a half lakh takas

Water Chestnuts.'

Nutritionists say that this fruit is very

beneficial for the body. It is also delicious to

eat. This fruit removes the lack of nutrients

in the body, helps to control blood pressure.

Farmers of Water Chestnut said that if they

get loan, they will able to cultivate fruits.

It will be possible to contribute to the

rural economy as well as being selfsufficient.

In-laws held over

death of woman

in Sirajganj

SIRAJGANJ : Police

detained parents-in-laws in

connection with murder of a

housewife in Tarash upazila

in Sirajganj Saturday

allegedly by her husband.

The deceased was Nasima

Khatun, 22, from Chak

Jhurjhuri village.

According to neighbours,

Nasima before her death

alleged her husband Sumon

and three of his associates

tried to kill her.

Nasima and Sumon were

married seven years ago and

they have two children. Due

to Nasima's feud with her inlaws

Sumon took her to

Dhaka few days ago but they

returned home on Friday

evening.

Around 3 am Saturday,

neighbor Somej Ali and

others spotted Sumon and

some people trying to strangle

Nasima beside a pond.

Sumon and his associates

fled the spot immediately

seeing them. Later

neighbours rescued Nasima

and took to her husband's

house but no one opened the

gate. At that time Nasima

breathed her last.

Later, locals locked

Sumon's father Sarwar

Hossain,55, and mother

Firoza Begum,50, in their

house and informed police,

said Officer-in-Charge of

Tarash police station.

The body has been sent for

an autopsy and Sumon's

parents have been taken into

police custody for

questioning, said OC

Shahidul Islam.

A FIR was lodged at Tarash

police station and efforts are

on to arrest the absconding

accused, he said.

440 more

hospitalised with

Dengue in 24 hrs

DHAKA : Another 440

patients were hospitalised

with dengue 24 hours till

Saturday morning amid a

rise in the viral fever cases.

This year's death toll from

the mosquito-borne disease

in Bangladesh rose to 50 on

Friday with two more deaths

reported from Dhaka.

Of the total deaths, 23 were

reported from Dhaka

division, 23 from

Chattogram and four from

Barishal division.

Of the new patients, 325

were admitted to different

hospitals in Dhaka and 115

outside it.

A total of 1,628 dengue

patients, including 1,272 in

the capital, are now receiving

treatment at hospitals across

the country.

On June 21, the DGHS

reported the first death of the

season from the viral

disease.

Lightning kills

2 farmers in

Habiganj

HABIGANJ : Two farmers

were killed after being struck

by lightning in the Pithabari

area of Habiganj's Baniachang

upazila on Saturday morning.

The deceased were

identified as Abdul Karim, 65,

and Nur Uddin, 50, both

residents of Majlishpur

village.

The tragedy occurred

around 9am when the duo

was working on a paddy field,

said locals.

Both of them died on the

spot, said upazila project

implementation officer Moloy

Kumar Das.

Hotel Agrabad celebrated its Golden Jubilee by unveiling a three-day long program. Photo : Courtesy

GD-1559/22 (7x4)

Hotel Agrabad pioneered hospitality

industry in Chattogram: Mahbub Ali MP

S M Akash, Chattogram Bureau

Hotel Agrabad celebrated its Golden Jubilee by

unveiling a three-day long program. The

program of the third day organized by the hotel

authority included Chattogram's tradition and

culture based food and product fair, voluntary

blood donation, award distribution, discussion

meeting, honoring, guest entertainment and

cultural programs.

Mahbub Ali MP, Minister of Civil Aviation and

Tourism of the Government of the People's

Republic of Bangladesh, was present as the chief

guest at the golden jubilee of Chattogram's first

five-star hotel.

In the speech of the chief guest, the minister

said that "the government is carrying out

comprehensive development activities with

short, medium and long term plans to exploit the

tourism potential of Bangladesh. Chattogram's

historical structures, natural diversity,

mountains, rivers, seas are making Chattogram a

multi-faceted communication system to make it

attractive for tourists. Chattogram Airport

expansion work is in progress. Construction of

Karnaphuli Tunnel, Dewan Hat Elevated

Expressway from Airport, Dohazari to

Ghumdhum Rail Extension, Airport

Modernization and Expansion, Outer Ring

Road, Bayezid Link Road, will further enrich

Chattogram's tourism industry. The traffic of

domestic and foreign tourists and business

representatives will increase. Therefore, it is

necessary to build international standard hotels

and motels at a higher rate. It is not possible to

promote tourism only through government

initiatives. The government will formulate

policies and plans. Along with the government,

private entrepreneurs should come forward to

implement the plan. In this regard, Hotel

Agrabad is working as a pioneer in Chattogram's

hotel-motel business and I believe it will

continue to do so in the future."

The minister also said that the beauty of

Chattogram has attracted foreign travelers and

tourists since the beginning of time. Ibn Battuta,

Hiuen Tsang, Vasco da Gama came to this

Indian subcontinent and Chattogram after

accepting many hardships and sacrifices from far

away for the beauty of Chattogram The

Portuguese came here to trade and were

attracted by the environment of Chattogram and

started living here. Father of the nation

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was

fascinated by the beauty of Chattogram. He took

a comprehensive plan to promote the tourism of

Bangladesh including Chattogram to the world

standard. But unfortunately, when

Bangabandhu's family was killed in 1975, its

implementation did not progress.

Bangabandhu's daughter Sheikh Hasina came to

power and is working day and night to

implement all the dreams and plans of

Bangabandhu.

In the speech of the special guest Chattogram

Divisional Commissioner Md. Ashraf Uddin

said, healthy and beautiful environment, safety

and comfort are very important to attract tourists

and investors. In this regard, the industrial police

and tourist police are being strengthened day by

day.The editor of Azadi, the first daily newspaper

of independent Bangladesh, M. A Malek said in

his special guest speech that many memories of

Hotel Agrabad are connected with the history of

the Great War of Liberation. Red Crescent

operated from Hotel Agrabad. Hotel Agrabad

was once a dream for the people of Chattogram.

Many activities in the cultural development of

Chittagong have been conducted from the

Ichamati Hall room of this hotel. Foreign heads

of state, ambassadors, high-level government

ministers, MPs, local and foreign players, highlevel

officials of government and private

organizations have stayed at Hotel Agrabad

when they come to Chattogram.

HM Hakeem Ali, Managing Director of Hotel

Agrabad Limited, said that establishing Hotel

Agrabad fifty years ago with the highest facilities

was a bold and visionary step of the late Alhaj

Sabdar Ali. Our sincere gratitude and best wishes

to all those who have been by the side of this hotel

during the difficult and glorious journey.

Chattogram Women Chamber of Commerce

and Industry President, Director of Bangladesh

Tourism Board and First Vice President of

FBCCI, Manoara Hakim Ali and the director of

FBCCIA, Munal Mahabub spoke in the meeting.

Besides, former woman MP Sabiha Mucha,

CWCCI first vice-president Abida Mostafa, hotel

AGM Hasanul Islam, human resource and

administrative manager Saifur Rahman, room

division manager Rayhan Kaiser, senior food

and beverage manager Monirul Alam Sarkar,

senior account manager Jamal Hossain, front

desk manager A.K.M Shahriar.

Admission test for 'MS in Renewable Energy Technology (MRET) course of Dhaka University Energy

Institute for the academic year 2020-2021 was held yesterday.

Photo : Courtesy

Workshop

on 'OBE

Curriculum

Preparation'

held at IU

IU COrrEsPOndEnt:

A day-long workshop on

'Outcome Based Education

(OBE) Curriculum

Preparation for theology &

Islamic studies Faculty' was

held at Islamic University in

Kushtia on saturday.

IU Institutional Quality

Assurance Cell (IQAC)

organized the program at

the IQAC seminar room on

the campus.

Professor M Mohabbat

Hossain, director in-charge

of IQAC, presided over the

program while IU Vicechancellor

Prof shaikh

Abdus salam was present as

a chief guest. IU Pro Vicechancellor

Prof M

Mahbubur rahman and

treasurer M Alamgir

Hossain Bhuiya attended

here as the special guest. dr.

nizam Uddin, professor of

the Arabic department of

rajshahi University was the

resource person at the event.

the speakers, at the event,

emphasized on the

modernization of the

curriculum

and

customization of the

syllabus as per the demand

of the current situation.

More than 50 teachers of

theology and Islamic studies

faculty of the university took

part here.

nOVOAIr wins

'Best On time

Performance'

award

dHAKA : Leading private

airline nOVOAIr has

received the "Best On time

performance of the Year-

2022" Gold award in

domestic flight operation.

the airline has also won a

silver award in the "Best

domestic Airline" category.

the award-giving ceremony

was held at a hotel in the

capital on Friday. Mes-Bah-Ul

Islam, Head of Marketing and

sales of nOVOAIr, received

the awards from Mahbub Ali

MP, state Minister of Civil

Aviation and tourism during

the event.

the awards were given

based on the online survey of

regular passengers organized

by travel and tourism

publication "the Bangladesh

Monitor".

speaking at the program,

Mes-Bah-Ul said that this

recognition will encourage

nOVOAIr to provide quality

service in the future.

"nOVOAIr is committed to

provide the highest level of

service since its beginning.

nOVOAIr has earned

passengers' trust for safe air

travel and on time flight

operation. Our commitment

to provide passenger

satisfaction and superior

service will continue at all

levels of our operations," the

marketing head said.

A day-long workshop on 'Outcome Based Education (OBE) Curriculum

Preparation for Theology & Islamic Studies Faculty' was held at Islamic

University in Kushtia on Saturday.

Photo : Courtesy

Elections will not be held

under govt's control: nanak

rAnGPUr : Awami League (AL)

Presidium Member and former state

minister Advocate Jahangir Kabir nanak

recently said the elections in the country will

not be held under the control of the

government.

"the elections will be conducted under

control of the independent Election

Commission. Why is BnP so reluctant to

take part in the elections under control of the

impartial Election Commission? If so, are

they involved in a deep conspiracy?" he

asked.

nanak said Jatiya Party is playing the role

of the responsible opposition party in the

Jatiya sangsad.

"If Jatiya Party decides to take part in the

elections in all 300 parliamentary

constituencies, we welcome them. Jatiya

Party is not a part of the Grand Alliance and

is not with us," he said.

nanak said this while talking to journalists

after laying the foundation stone of nasim

Khan Mother and Child Hospital at

Muslimpara area of the city marking the 17th

death anniversary of the chief patron of

stranded Pakistani General repatriation

Committee (sPGrC) leader late Alhaj nasim

Khan.

Earlier, nanak visited the grave of nasim

Khan, the chief patron of sPGrC-

Bangladesh, an organization of Urduspeaking

people living in Bangladesh, at

Muslimpara railway Graveyard, paid tribute

dhaka’s air quality

remains ‘moderate’

dHAKA : dhaka's air

quality continued to be in

the 'moderate' zone on

saturday.

With an air quality index

(AQI) score of 85 at

8.40am, the metropolis

ranked 16th in the list of

world cities with the worst

air quality.

An AQI between 50 and

100 is considered

'moderate' with an

acceptable air quality.

However, there may be a

moderate health concern

for a very small number of

people who are unusually

sensitive to air pollution.

the United Arab

Emirates' dubai, Pakistan's

Lahore and saudi Arabia's

riyadh occupied the first

three spots in the list, with

AQI scores of 171, 152 and

151, 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.

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.

Air pollution consistently

to nasim Khan by placing wreaths and

offered Fateha there.

Later, nanak attended a memorial

discussion and the 17th annual council of

sPGrC-Bangladesh arranged marking the

17th death anniversary of late Alhaj nasim

Khan at rangpur Zilla Parishad Community

Center in the afternoon as the chief guest.

General secretary of sPGrC-Bangladesh

M. shawkat Ali presided over the memorial

discussion and 17th annual council while its

Joint secretary and Councilor of rangpur

City Corporation Md. Harun Or rashid gave

the welcome address.

President of rangpur city Awami League

safiur rahman safi, its General secretary

tushar Kanti Mandal, Geneva Camp

Chairman sK Golam Jelani, sPGrC-

Bangladesh's Publicity secretary Md.

shahid, sports secretary Md. Chhoto,

sPGrC-Chittagong Joint secretary sohel

Ashrafi, sPGrC-Khulna General secretary

Humayun Kabir and sPGrC-Adamji

President Liakat Hossain addressed as

special guests.

President of sPGrC-rangpur Md.

sharfuddin, its General secretary Md.

salahuddin, Office secretary Md. tayeb Ali,

treasurer Md. nasim, regional secretary

Mostaq Ahmed, representatives of different

units of sPGrC from dhaka Mirpur,

Mohammadpur, Adamji, Geneva Camp,

Chittagong, Khulna, saidpur, Bogura

Jessore were present.

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.

two held with

1.7 lakh Usd

at Benapole

check-post

BEnAPOLE : two India

returnees have been

detained at Benapole checkpost

after 170,000 Us

dollars was found in their

possession, Customs

officials said Friday.

thedetainees are sagar

Hossain, 40, son of shah

Alam of Kamalghat area of

Munshiganj district and

Jasim dhali, 35, son of

Amjad Hossain of

tongibeed village in the

same district.

tipped off, a Customs

team detained them as they

were waiting in the port

terminal area after

completing the immigration

procedure around 7pm, said

Moniruzzaman Chowdhury,

assistant director of

Benapole Customs House.

After checking their

baggage, Customs officials

seized 1.7 lakh Us dollars

and detained them, he

added.

A case was filed against the

detainees with the Benapole

Port Police. "they have also

been handed over to the

cops," the official said.

Maintain communal

harmony during

durga Puja -KCC

Mayor

KHULnA : Mayor of

Khulna City Corporation

(KCC) talukder Abdul

Khaleque yesterday stressed

the need for maintaining

communal harmony to

ensure peaceful celebration

of durga Puja, the biggest

religious festival of the

Hindu Community.

He also hoped that the

celebration of durga Puja

will be ended amid great

enthusiasm in the city and

all nine upazilas of the

district with the cooperation

of masses.

KCC Mayor said these

while speaking at a meeting

of Khulna Zila samajik

samprity Parishad at the

Zila shilpokola Academy

here as chief guest.

Aiming at strengthening

social fastening and inter

religion relations, Khulna

district Administration

organized the meeting with

deputy Commissioner (dC)

of Khulna Md

Moniruzzaman talukder in

the chair.

religion is everyone's but

festival is universal, KCC

Mayor said that Bangladesh

is an example of religious

harmony across the world,

the chief guest said.

during the last 14 years

under the leadership of

Prime Minister sheikh

Hasina, all religious festivals

like Eid, Puja, Buddha

Purnima and Christmas

were observed peacefully,

the mayor said adding that

durga Puja this year will also

be celebrated peacefully.

He urged everybody to

cooperate for peaceful

celebration of the durga

Puja and maintain

communal harmony.

Khulna divisional

Commissioner Md Zillur

rahman, Metropolitan

Police Commissioner Md

Masudur rahman Bhuiyan,

superintendent of Police Md

Mahbub Hossain, Khulna

city and district unit Awami

League general secretaries

MdA Babul rana and

Advocate sujit Adhikary,

Principal of Government

Brojolal College sharif

Atiquzzaman and former

president of Khulna Press

Club Mokbul Hossain

Mintu, among others,

addressed as special guests.

Freedom Fighters,

Leaders of Muslim, Hindu,

Christian and Buddhist

Community, teachers and

students, scholars of

different religions, women

leaders, Upazila Chairman,

UnOs, KCC Councilors,

Journalists, members of law

enforcement agencies,

among others, attended the

meeting.

SUnDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2022

3

BnP wants to create

anarchic situation in

country: Amu

dHAKA : Awami League (AL) Advisory

Council Member and 14-party Alliance

spokesperson Amir Hossain Amu recently

said strict action will be taken if BnP tries to

create anarchic situation in the name of

movement in the country.

"We don't want to see anarchic situation in

the country anymore, but if they (BnP) tries

to create any sorts of such situation we would

not stay at home," he said.

He told a discussion organized by 14-party

alliance against the subversive act carried out

by BnP and their followers at the Institution

of diploma Engineers, Bangladesh.

Amu said AL leaders and activists will

resist all sorts of BnP's conspiracies

together. "We will vanguard the state and the

property of its people," he added.

He also said the main target of BnP is not

election, rather they will create unstable

situation as the party wants to establish

undemocratic government in the country.

the veteran AL leader Amu said BnP

wants to turn Bangladesh like Pakistan.

talking in favour of Pakistan by BnP

secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam

Alamgir Pakistani it has been proved, he

added.

Amu said it's not clear in BnP's statement

whether they want election as sometimes

they talk about national government and

sometimes they talk about caretaker

government.

He said BnP is now isolated from the

people and that's why they are searching

option how to escape from the upcoming

general elections.

AL Liberation War Affairs secretary

Mrinal Kanti das moderated the function.

Workers Party President rashed Khan

Menon, AL Presidium Members Mofazzal

Hossain Chowdhury Maya Bir Bikram and

Advocate Kamrul Islam, samyabadi dal

General secretary dilip Barua, Chairman of

Bangladesh tarikat Federation syed najibul

Bashar Maizbhandari, General secretary of

Ganatantri Party dr. shahadat Hossain,

nAP acting General secretary Ismail

Hossain, BAsOd Convener rizaur rashid

Khan and JAsAd Joint General secretary

nader Chowdhury, among others, spoke.

KOICA, POsCO, Inha University

promoting vocational training

in Matarbari

dHAKA : the Korea International

Cooperation Agency (KOICA), POsCO and

the Inha University are supporting a skills

training programme in Matarbari of Cox's

Bazar's Maheshkhali to promote vocational

training and employment for youth and

strengthen the income-generating capacity

of the local labour force.

Under this project, a fourth training

completion ceremony was held Friday.

KOICA Country director Young-ah doh,

POsCO Vice-President Park Chul Ho and

Center for International development

Cooperation and Innovation of Inha

University director of Yoo Hong sung were

present.

KOICA is implementing the programme

under inclusive business solution, which

refers to an approach that addresses the

challenges faced by low-income people in

partner countries while providing

employment and business opportunities for

them.

As of 2022, 427 youths have graduated

from the programme. Of them, 290

graduates have been recruited by POsCO at

the construction sites in Matarbari,

according to a media statement.

A seminar titled 'Metaverse in Education : Obstacles and Opportunity'

was held at Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University yesterday.

Photo : Courtesy

Joint view exchange meeting between officials of Bangladesh Inland

Waterways (Passenger Carrier) Association-BIWPCA and Dhaka Ahsania

Mission was held at Purana Paltan on Saturday. Photo : Courtesy

Fear grips border areas as Myanmar

fighter jets fire towards Bangladesh

COX's BAZAr : Within days of firing

mortar shells, fighter jets of Myanmar army

have fired bullets towards Bangladesh this

time, which have created panic among

people living at the border.

According to dil Mohammad Alam, a

local union parishad member of tombru

area under naikhongchhari's Ghumdhum

union, Myanmar fighter jets fired 10-15

bullets between border pillar number 34

and 35 on Friday at about 10:45pm.

"Besides firing, sporadic sounds of

explosions were also heard throughout the

day," dil Mohammad said.

Amir Hamza, a local trader, said that

although sounds of firing bullets and

mortar shells between other pillars of

naikhongchhari remained suspended for

the time being, this hasn't been the case for

pillar number 34 and 35.

"It seems like the latest round of firing is

taking a permanent shape with the passing

of time. All of us living in this part of the

border are fearing for our lives as the

intermittent sound of firing isn't showing

any sign of stopping," Amir said.

According to sources, the locals also

heard the sounds of a total of four

explosions at 8:00am, 5:10pm, 5:28pm

and 6:00pm.

SuNDAy, SePTeMbeR 25, 2022

4

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam

e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com

Sunday, September 25, 2022

Bangladesh’s

performance

against poverty

A

study

report of UK's Oxford

University has found enough

evidence of the poverty

situation in Bangladesh as improving.

In fact, it certified Bangladesh as a

star performer against poverty among

other developing countries. This

study comes in the wake of a similar

report from the UN about significant

decline in poverty worldwide among

developing countries with

Bangladesh included in this positive

phenomenon.

The government in Bangladesh also

has been supporting such views for

quite some time. The official

Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS)

provided the information from its

research in 2011 that poverty rate of

Bangladesh had dropped to 31.5 per

cent in 2010, reflecting an 8.5

percentage point decline in the last

five years.

Some analysts are even suggesting

that poverty would be a thing for the

museum for the future generations of

Bangladeshis. But to the more careful

observers, the signs of fast receding

poverty are probably not so much in

evidence .

At least they would say that

'sustainable' poverty reduction may

not be happening. Sometimes some

groups of people are rising above the

poverty line. But not all of them

probably retain their poverty free

existence. From natural calamities to

indebtedness and the bites of

inflation, many of them again slip

down below the poverty line. A

reputed think tank came up with its

own research-sometime ago-that

some 30 to 40 million people may

have, contrary to otherwise glowing

reports, actually relapsed back into

poverty from shrinking economic

opportunities and the ravages of high

inflation in the last couple of years.

As it is, creating conditions for

sustainable poverty alleviation are

hardly noted. The incomes of certain

sections of people are no doubt rising.

But in many cases these are not the

results of productive ventures.

Bangladeshis from overseas are

sending monies in greater amounts

to their families. The recipient

families of such monies at home are

experiencing greater purchasing

power.

But on the other side there is also

the poor getting poorer from less

opportunities to increase their

income. Middle class families in many

cases are being forced to live out of

their savings as their incomes are not

going up any and current incomes are

too inadequate in the face of runaway

inflation. Income disparities are

rising along with wealth

concentration in a few hands.

Thus, it is still not appropriate to

say definitively about large scale

poverty reduction in Bangladesh. The

whole issue deserves far greater study

to ascertain both the extent of poverty

alleviation as well as the means to

attain 'sustainable poverty

alleviation.'

TALKING to the media outside the

Islamabad High Court recently, Imran

Khan said he would get more

dangerous. He has lived up to his words,

turning himself into a nightmare for his

erstwhile patrons.

The former prime minister has challenged

the security establishment in way not done

before. Matters have gone beyond the

bitterness of being dumped.

Khan has now taken the battle to the

citadel. His latest public speech has put to rest

all speculations about a possible

reconciliation. The security establishment

now finds itself pitted against a powerful

populist force and a cult that it once itself

propelled. A lethal mix of popular support

and Khan's imperiousness has indeed made

the PTI chief extremely dangerous. The

project has gone wrong and diminished the

establishment's role as the final arbiter of

power.

Moreover, a breakdown of democracy may

mark the unravelling of the existing political

order. A weak political set-up cannot

withstand this worsening crisis of state.

Like other populist leaders, Khan has

successfully built a narrative that political

elites are corrupt and that the people need

better representation, but has made very few

policy commitments beyond this criticism.

He has managed to cover up the

misgovernance of his four years in power with

his populist rhetoric for change.

Khan has cleverly exploited the increasing

public distrust of political parties and

politicians, especially given the various

corruption scandals involving the top

leadership. The failure of other mainstream

political parties to meet public concerns and

respond with distinct policies has also

contributed to the public's alienation. The

public sees most political parties as family

enterprises only serving the interests of their

members.

Indeed, the military establishment too had

THE recent flood disaster in the country

has triggered an unprecedented interest

in Pakistan's climate crisis and global

climate injustice. It is now commonly said

that whereas Pakistan's share in global

carbon emissions is miniscule, an unfair

burden has fallen on the country's economy

and poor population.

The scale and magnitude of economic and

non-economic losses, two core concerns of

the 'loss and damage' concept, have brought

to the forefront the demand for reparations.

The present policy discourse in the country

is, however, out of sync with the international

climate diplomacy we have traditionally

pursued since 1992 when Pakistan signed the

United Nations Framework Convention on

Climate Change (UNFCCC). The present

debate offers a rare opportunity for us to

revisit some of our decades-old assumptions

and reset the direction of many undeclared

policy actions and inactions.

'Loss and damage' is a fairly precise

technical term used in international climate

negotiations. The term fundamentally refers

to climate impacts that exceed the adaptive

capacity of countries, communities and

ecosystems. This concerns those losses and

damage that cannot be reversed or restored, a

measure of post-adaptation and postmitigation

scenarios.

In other words, the concept is about the

consequences of climate change that go

beyond what people can adapt to, be it a slow

onset of the process or extreme weather

events. The concept is entangled in such

vexing issues as climate justice, reparations

and compensation.

Nothing divides the Global South and

Global North more in climate negotiations

than this. The divide has been widening since

the Earth Summit in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro

where the principle of 'shared but

differentiated responsibility' was first

adopted. The international climate finance

institutions that have emerged since then

have diluted the principle, ero ding its

centrality to climate change negotiations.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos

Jr's speech at the United Nations

General Assembly (UNGA) on

Wednesday was an opportunity to outline his

country's foreign-policy roadmap and

highlight how his government perceives the

geopolitical shifts taking place in the

Philippines' immediate and extended

geographical neighborhood.

One of the most important themes

discussed by Marcos at the UNGA was his

evaluation of the established order and how

the Philippines perceives it in the context of

the brewing power competition between the

United States and China.

Marcos emphasized that the Philippines

seeks to preserve and work within the US-led

rules-based international order. As a country

Populism vs the establishment

a role in building this perception against

politicians and projecting Khan as an

alternative. A hybrid arrangement tried to

prop up a weak coalition. But all efforts failed

to provide political stability, and instead,

caused the weakening of the democratic

political process in the country.

Now the experiment has come back to

haunt the establishment. The unpredictable

cricketer-turned-politician could not be

controlled. The Khan government fell, with

the establishment withdrawing its support.

It's not surprising to hear that many

establishment assets used in the past to

project Khan's 'messiah' image have now

turned against their former masters with the

institution changing tack. It's an old game

that has been played many times in our

political history. But no lesson has ever been

learnt.

With his charisma and mass support, Khan

has proved to be a deadlier adversary after

being driven out of power. He has not only

targeted the new incumbents but has also

taken the military leadership head on,

accusing it of being part of the so-called

foreign conspiracy aimed at regime change.

He has weaponised ultra-nationalist rhetoric,

mixing it with religion.

Like other populist leaders, he has managed

to mobilise support across the board - from

the educated urban population to the lower

middle class and conservative religious

elements. He is in a unique political position;

The demands for a compensatory

mechanism were first aired in Rio by the

Alliance of Small Island States (ASIS). Over

the years, Pakistan and other countries have

realised that they too are affected by climate

change that was beyond their coping

capacities.

Pakistan was, however, determined to keep

itself aloof. It distanced itself not only from

the debate but also from the processes that

began to unfold at the annual climate

summits, formally starting with the Nairobi

Work Programme (2005), and progressing

on to the Bali Action Plan (2009), Cancun

Adaptation Framework (2010), Warsaw

International Mechanism (2013) and the

Santiago Network (2019). Pakistan's

engagement in these processes was

negligible, as it hardly served on their working

groups or drafting committees. In fact, its

technical participation in these negotiations

rarely exceeded tokenism. We should seek

finance for loss and damage, instead of

seeking liability and compensation.

As the demand for financial support from

the developing countries became louder, loss

and damage was taken up as an issue by

several northern organisations - think tanks,

universities, international NGOs, networks,

and rights-based organisations, often

providing research and technical

backstopping to developing countries'

negotiators. These groups in fact, in many

ways, shaped and informed the negotiations

and enhanced the capacities of their southern

counterpart think tanks and CSOs. Pakistan,

wittingly or unwittingly, distanced itself from

that adheres to democratic principles, norms

and institutions, the Philippines considers

the stability of the existing order a necessity

to serve and complement its short-term and

long-term interests.

Given the asymmetry of material power in

the East and Southeast Asian regions, in

addition to the exacerbating security

conditions in the South China Sea between

China and its smaller Southeast Asian

neighbors, the role of international law is a

crucial instrument that Manila can leverage

to secure its claims and maintain a legitimate

position against the continuous

militarization of disputed territories and the

growing assertiveness of China.

It is in this context that the emphasis of the

1982 United Nations Convention on the Law

ZAHID HuSSAIN

Loss and damage

ALI TAuqeeR SHeIKH

while being in opposition, his party controls

power in the country's most powerful

province, Punjab, and also in KP. That gives

him the kind of advantage which no ousted

leader had before. It is a unique phenomenon

in Pakistan's political history.

Most worrisome is that he has discredited

formal institutions thus undermining the

democratic process. Like other populist

leaders, he has an authoritarian mindset that

wants to see all state institutions subservient

to his whims. His so-called antiestablishment

rhetoric is also driven by his

desire to control the institution.

It is apparent that Imran Khan doesn't want

There is a tangible sense of frustration in Khan's tenor,

with no indication yet of the government conceding to

his demand for early elections. His worries seem to have

increased with the sword of disqualification dangling

over him in the contempt case. The Islamabad High

Court is set to formally charge him in the case.

the security establishment out of politics but

to intervene in his support. His opposition to

the current government appointing the new

army chief shows a desire for a 'loyal' military

chief - not taking any lesson from history that

a military chief serves only the institutional

interest. By making the appointment of army

chief issue controversial, Khan has made his

own position weaker.

By upping the ante, Khan sought to bring

the establishment under pressure but it

doesn't seem to be happening.

Notwithstanding its diminishing power, the

establishment is still strong enough to

undermine Khan's bid to return to power. In

fact, his recklessness has caused the

establishment to close ranks.

In the appointment of a new chief, any

campaign to make the process controversial is

these non-state actors and loss and damagerelated

formal processes.

Instead, it followed an undeclared threetrack

policy of avoiding closer relations with i)

those who argued for climate justice and

climate rights and had rights-based

constituencies, ii) vulnerability-based groups,

most notably the 48-member Climate

Vulnerability Forum of Most Vulnerable

Countries, presumably because most of its

members were least developed countries and

the policymakers did not always find it

convincing to engage with them, and iii)

The demands for a compensatory mechanism were first

aired in Rio by the Alliance of Small Island States (ASIS).

Over the years, Pakistan and other countries have realised

that they too are affected by climate change that was beyond

their coping capacities.

island countries organised under the rubric of

the 48-member ASIS. These three

constituencies often overlapped, but were

always at the centre of negotiations on loss

and damage.

This is how Pakistan missed an opportunity

to engage on the substance and processes of

loss and damage, failed to augment its

capacities and competences, and was unable

to project and strengthen its soft power.

Pakistan is a large country with a fairly

elaborate infrastructure and institutions that

indeed had plenty to contribute to the global

climate discourse, as it had done at the Earth

Summit in 1992.

This is not to imply that the negotiations are

complete. Far from it. In fact, after three

decades, it's only now that the issue is

becoming part of the main negotiating

agenda. With the inclusion of Article 8 of the

Paris Agreement, loss and damage is now

embedded as a thematic pillar under the

UNFCCC, together with mitigation and

adaptation. It is important for Pakistan to

of the Sea, among other components of

international law, figured at the beginning of

Marcos' address.

Given its desire to preserve the rules-based

order, it is inevitable for Manila to stand

strongly by its commitments under the treaty

alliance with Washington; moreover, against

this backdrop, the US will be expected to

continue gaining prominence in Philippine

foreign policy.

Hence the planned meeting between US

President Joe Biden and Marcos on the

sidelines of the UNGA indicates that stronger

Philippines-US relations will remain central

to Manila's development and security

agenda.

However, it is important to note that the

Philippine president included important

taken very seriously by the establishment.

There is a tangible sense of frustration in

Khan's tenor, with no indication yet of the

government conceding to his demand for

early elections. His worries seem to have

increased with the sword of disqualification

dangling over him in the contempt case. The

Islamabad High Court is set to formally

charge him in the case.

Things could turn more serious with no

indication yet of Khan extending an

unqualified apology.

Khan has threatened to march on

Islamabad early next month to force the

government to call elections. He also wants

the appointment of the army chief deferred

till the new government is formed after

elections. It's an unprecedented demand that

has no constitutional provision. He has also

indicated that he may agree to extending Gen

Bajwa's term. Such contradictory statements

show a confused mind.

There must not be any talk about an

extension for the army chief. Dragging the

military deeper into politics is damaging not

only to the country but also the institution.

The ongoing crisis has brought to the surface

the fault lines inherent in our system. The

establishment's involvement in the power

game and political manipulation has cost the

country hugely. What's happening now is also

the result of the game the establishment has

been playing.

There is certainly no winner in this game of

thrones, with no viable political recourse

available. It's questionable whether even fresh

elections in this highly volatile and polarised

atmosphere can bring stability. The country is

moving towards complete anarchy with the

erosion of authority of most state institutions.

A meaningful dialogue among political forces

is the only way out of the situation. The

perception that democracy has failed only

helps the forces of authoritarianism.

The writer is an author and journalist.

recognise that under the adopted guidelines

for implementation of the Paris Agreement,

vulnerable countries will report a) climaterelated

losses, b) what they are doing to deal

with them, and c) include the information on

the help they would need. Also, reviewing and

assessing data on loss and damage will be

included in a five-yearly exercise of

estimating progress on the Paris Agreement.

The Paris Agreement does not refer to

finance related to loss and damage. Instead,

the decision states that loss and damage "does

not involve or provide a basis for any liability

or compensation".

The developed countries are averse to the

idea of compensating for losses and damage

caused by adverse climate impacts. They are

apprehensive that it may be seen as an

admission of legal liability, triggering

litigation and compensation claims. An

argument for Pakistan, therefore, is to seek

finance for loss and damage, instead of

seeking liability and compensation.

Developed countries could possibly provide

these funds not because of legal liability but

because supporting vulnerable countries

facing unavoidable threats from climate

change is the right thing to do.

Pakistan needs solidarity at this moment.

Participation in UNGA and COP-27 provides

an opportunity to cultivate a spirit of

solidarity.

The present wave of disasters provides us

with a chance to revisit our level of interest

and devise a new engagement strategy. To

begin with, Pakistan has a narrow window of

opportunity to embed loss and damage in the

third edition of its Nationally Determined

Contribution and submit it to the UNFCCC

Secretariat prior to COP-27 in November. It

will help create a momentum for

international support and solidarity with

Pakistan. It is a particularly opportune

moment since Pakistan is presently chairing

the all-important Group of 77.

The writer is an expert on climate change

and development

Geopolitical significance of Marcos Jr's speech at UN

DON MCLAIN GILL

variables in his evaluation toward the current

order. That is, it must not only be free and

open, but also inclusive and fair.

This comes against the backdrop of the

ongoing US-China power competition,

particularly in the Western Pacific.

Strategically located at the juncture of greatpower

politics, the Philippines continues to

face myriad traditional security challenges

driven by the shifting distribution of power in

the region.

Don McLain Gill is a Manila-based

geopolitical analyst and author with more

than 100 publications on Asian security and

Philippine amd Indian foreign policy. He is

also regularly interviewed by international

news channels

SunDay, SePTemBer 25, 2022

5

Fitbit pulls 1.7m Ionic smartwatches

Joanna ParTrIDGe

The fitness-tracking device

maker Fitbit is recalling

1.7m of its Ionic

smartwatches after reports

of the battery overheating

and burning some users.

The company, which was

acquired by Google in 2021,

had sold about 1m of the

model in the US and nearly

700,000 internationally.

The US Consumer

Product Safety Commission

announced the recall,

warning that the watch's

lithium-ion battery can

overheat, causing a "burn

hazard".

The watch was recalled

after Fitbit received 174

reports of its battery

overheating, including cases

of 118 people being burned.

Many users wear the devices

in bed to monitor them

while sleeping.

Two of the people injured

by the watch had thirddegree

burns, while four

others reported less severe

second-degree burns.

The commission told

Ionic owners to stop using

the recalled device

immediately and contact

Fitbit's Ionic smartwatch tracks the wearer's activity, heart rate and sleep.

Photo: Fabrizio Bensch

Fitbit to return the device

and receive a refund.

Customers in the US can

contact Fitbit for pre-paid

packaging. Fitbit will also

provide any consumers who

return their Ionic watch

with a code for a discount on

certain new devices.

The Ionic smartwatch,

which features a 3.5cm

colour LCD screen and a

polyurethane band available

in several colours, tracks the

wearer's activity, heart rate

and sleep. The brand name

Fitbit is printed on the front

of the Taiwanmanufactured

watch, which

was originally sold for

between $200 (£150) and

$330.

The company said the

watch was manufactured

between 2017 and 2020,

and is no longer sold

through its website,

fitbit.com or authorised

retailers.

However, Fitbit added

that it did "not control thirdparty

or aftermarket

sellers". The company was

bought by Google for $2.1bn

in January 2021 after

regulatory scrutiny in the

US and the EU over

concerns about customers'

health and fitness data and

whether it could be used for

advertising purposes. As

part of the deal, Google

agreed it would not use

Fitbit for ads for at least a

decade.

The Ionic smartwatch is

the not the first product

Fitbit, which was founded in

San Francisco in 2007, has

recalled. In 2014 it

voluntarily recalled its Force

device after some customers

developed an allergic

reaction. Fitbit said

independent test results

showed this was likely to be

allergic contact dermatitis as

a reaction to nickel in the

device's surgical-grade

stainless steel.

Microsoft’s Surface Duo 2 review

Samuel GIBBS

Microsoft's second attempt at its

interesting dual-screen Android

smartphone corrects some mistakes of

the original, but falls short of a

revolution due to a series of oddities

created by its physical laptop-like form.

Looking more like a tiny convertible

computer than a phone, the Surface Duo

2 starts at £1,349 ($1,499/A$2,319), a lot

for a regular smartphone but slightly

cheaper than folding-screen rivals.

It opens like a book, with each half just

5.5mm thick, and a hinge that allows it to

fold all the way over. Inside are a pair of

90Hz OLED screens each measuring

5.8in on the diagonal. They can be used

on their own or combined as one display

measuring 8.3in - a similar size to an

iPad mini. Both screens are covered in

traditional scratch-resistant smartphone

glass and have large, old-fashioned

bezels top and bottom.

Having two separate displays rather

than one that folds in half creates a

major drawback: a gap in the middle of

the screen big enough that you can see

through it, which is much harder to

ignore than the crease in the middle of a

flexible display as found on the Samsung

Galaxy Z Fold 3.

You can use two different apps at the

same time on the two screens. The

theory is sound, but I found few pairings

were useful beyond simple messaging

apps and a browser. More useful was

using one screen for a note-taking app

and the other for a full keyboard like a

mini laptop.

Some apps spanned across both

displays, like Outlook, can put different

information on each screen, such as your

inbox on one side and an open message

on the other. Some games, including

Asphalt 9 and Microsoft's Xbox Game

Pass streaming service, put controls on

one screen and the action on the other.

But there are very few apps and games

optimised for this setup.

The Duo 2 has last year's top

Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chip with

8GB of RAM, matching the performance

of top-flight Android smartphones from

2021 and capable of running two apps

running side-by-side without slowdown.

Battery life is more variable than a

traditional phone. It lasts about 32 hours

between charges, with both screens used

for about four hours with a variety of

messaging, browsing and work apps. It

lasts about a third longer if you mostly

use only one screen. That's a

considerably shorter battery life than a

regular smartphone and behind the Z

Fold 3.

Microsoft does not provide an

expected lifespan for the Duo 2's battery;

those in similar devices typically

maintain at least 80% of their original

capacity for in excess of 500 full charge

cycles. Microsoft charges an out-ofwarranty

service fee of £593.94 to repair

devices and £568.44 to replace the

battery. The previous generation Surface

Duo scored only two out of 10 on iFixit's

repairability scale.

The phone contains no recycled

materials, but Microsoft operates

recycling schemes for old devices,

publishes a company-wide sustainability

report and a breakdown of each

product's environmental impact.

The Duo 2 runs Android 11 - not the

latest Android 12 - and generally behaves

like a standard Android smartphone or

tablet with a few small additions that

make it easier to use each screen

separately. One of the best is the ability

to drag the gesture bar at the bottom of

an app to move it between screens or to

drop it on to the gap between the screens

to span it across both displays.

The software can be a bit

unpredictable at times, such as opening

the keyboard or text box of an app on

another screen or hiding a second app

from the screen when you try to type.

But it is generally a fast and responsive

experience given how unusual the device

is.

The Duo 2 will receive three years of

software updates from release, including

monthly security patches, which is

The camera would be blocked if you fold one of the screens over.

disappointingly at least a year short of

what rivals, including Samsung and

Apple, offer. Microsoft's last planned

update for the Duo 2 will be 21 October

2024.

The Duo 2 has a triple camera on the

back and a 12-megapixel selfie camera

above the right-hand screen.

The rear main 12MP camera and 2x

telephoto cameras are good, capable of

producing detailed shots in a range of

lighting conditions. The 16MP ultrawide

camera is reasonable, but a bit soft

on detail and struggles with challenging

scenes. The camera app has most of the

features you'd expect, such as portrait

mode, night mode and slow-mo video,

and can shoot regular video at up to 4K

at 60 frames a second.

The 12MP selfie camera is capable of

shooting detailed photos even in

middling light, and has access to the

dedicated night mode when it gets dark.

The Surface Duo 2 is an improvement on

its predecessor, but is still a very odd

proposition that's neither a good phone

nor a good tablet.

The individual screens are short and

stout, forcing lots of scrolling in apps

when using it like a phone and making

one-handed use very difficult. The gap at

the hinge makes combining them into

one big tablet screen awkward too.

Using two apps side-by-side works

well, but few combinations proved

useful or faster than just quick switching

between two apps on one screen on a

normal phone. There is more potential

in apps like Outlook that provide a

multi-pane view, but few apps or games

are optimised for the dual-screen

system.

Microsoft is only offering a

disappointing three years of software

and security updates from release for the

Duo 2, too, losing it a star.

It is good to see Microsoft trying

something different. But ultimately the

Duo 2's two screens are just not yet as

good or useful as either a single phone

screen or a bigger folding screen, making

it an expensive halfway house.

Photo: Samuel Gibbs

DomInIk DIamonD

Idon't like co-operative

gaming. I am too much of a

control freak to let another

player screw up my good

work. But I really wanted to

try It Takes Two because, first,

it was in every single top

games of 2021 list and,

second, the game is about a

couple on the verge of divorce

who must find a way to work

together. And a little over a

year ago, my wife and I were

in the same situation.

In It Takes Two, the spouses

become tiny dolls who must

work their way through their

suddenly gigantic house,

solving puzzles to reunite with

their weeping daughter. In

real life, we did family

therapy.

Family therapy is great.

Everyone sits in a room and

says how bad their life is

because of Dad. In our case,

they were right. I had

switched roles with my wife to

become the worst stay-athome

parent ever. Stay-athome

parents are the ones

who have to problem-solve. I

am quick at solving problems

but even quicker to get cross

when people don't accept the

solution I offer. One therapist

said it could be Asperger's.

Another said it was inherited

Scottish Dad DNA: we like to

shout problems into

submission. Others closer to

me suggested I was just

arrogant.

There is no grey area with

me. Things are black or white,

right or wrong. This is why I

like platform games: there is

only one solution. I remember

playing Manic Miner at 10

years old, and I would just see

the path and timing of jumps

appear, like pure maths in A

Beautiful Mind. But trying to

explain that to someone else is

a nightmare.

Family therapy made me

realise all this and made me a

better person, I thought. What

better way to prove that than

by playing this game with

Phoebe, a black belt at Crash

Bandicoot?

For me, the most

challenging thing about the

first couple of levels was the

world's most irritating

character, a talking book.

Don't ask. For my wife, the

only thing more irritating

mark Sweney

In the days after Vladimir

Putin's invasion of his

country, Ukraine's president,

Volodymyr Zelenskiy, used

his Telegram channel to send

a defiant video message from

the centre of the capital, Kyiv,

calling on the nation to unite

and resist the Russian attack.

The WhatsApp-like

messaging service, cofounded

by exiled Russian

billionaire brothers Pavel and

Nikolai Durov, has become a

key weapon in a digital

propaganda battle that will

ultimately boost its usage and

investor profile ahead of a

possible $50bn stock market

flotation next year.

Ukraine's 44-year-old

president, a former TV actor

and comedian who

campaigned over Telegram in

the run-up to his landslide

victory in the 2019

presidential election, used the

service to refute claims that

the army had been told to lay

down arms, that an

evacuation had been ordered -

and to galvanise the populace

by proving he would not be

leaving the capital.

Telegram, which has more

than 550 million monthly

users globally, is already

Ukraine's most popular

messaging app. The service's

much-hyped encryption and

its ability to disseminate

messages to groups of up to

200,000 - the limit on

Facebook-owned WhatsApp

is 256 members - has seen it

dubbed the "app of choice" for

terrorists.

Telegram was banned in

Russia in 2018 after Pavel

Durov refused to give the

authorities access to its user

data. However, the

crackdown, which included

blocking IP addresses, was

easy to circumvent, and the

service continued to grow.

Russia gave in and lifted the

ban in mid-2020.

The app has been adopted

as a leading source of news

outside state-controlled

Playing a video game as

family therapy?

The world's most irritating character.

than this patronising,

monologuing self-help guide

was me. Early in the game a

broken hammer asks for help

because the wife in the game,

May, has been neglecting the

tools. "That's the same

problem as our marriage," I

chirped. "If only you'd pay

more attention to my tool."

GamesMaster fans found

my shtick hilarious on TV for

six seasons in the 90s but my

wife has had to suffer this

childishness for 26 years.

Cracks appear when the

game morphs from a

platformer into a homage to

other video game genres. As

good as my wife is at platform

games, she cannot aim a gun.

She has never played topdown

RPGs such as Diablo,

and crashes around like Leroy

Jenkins while I sit back and

calculate the best path. We

started falling into old roles,

with me barking things such

as: "Three red rings. Beetle

coming for you. One red. Hole

filled with sap!" This was fine

when Phoebe used her elite

platform game skills to react

accordingly but when that

didn't happen, the anger

started to emerge.

Anger is the fuel for all

platformers. It's the flipside to

the joy. That one linear

solution makes it the most

frustrating of all game genres

when your fingers don't do

what the brain tells them to.

Especially if, in my wife's case,

that brain is 54 years old, has

already done a full day's

proper job and would rather

have a glass of wine and a

bath.

The levels got harder. She

grew more tired. I grew more

determined. "I need to go to

bed, I've got to be at the shop

for eight tomorrow morning,"

she said. "But we need to

complete this game so I can

write about it!" I replied, a

sheen of sweat on my face and

the look of a zealot in my eyes.

We reached a level inside a

clock tower which required

me to reverse time, so that

platforms would appear and

disappear while my wife

jumped across them. She kept

missing a particular leap. I ran

the gamut of passiveaggressive

sharp intakes of

breath, then proceeded to tell

her exactly what she should be

doing. It only took one slip off

a swinging rope to make me

crack. The inside of my brain

exploded like an open can of

Irn-Bru thrown into a moving

car.

Photo: Internet

"Oh my giddy aunt, how am

I ever going to show Guardian

readers how great my

marriage is if you keep

messing up It Takes Two for

me?" (NB. This is translated

from the original Scottish Dad

words.)

I had reverted to the control

freak I used to be. Because of a

game. My wife gave me a look

of utter disdain and left the

room. I sat there for a while.

Then I put the pad down,

stood up, pulled the lead out

of the back of the Xbox and

went upstairs to apologise.

As admirable as It Takes

Two is in trying to show a

version of marriage therapy, it

doesn't feature the truly

horrible, heartbreaking,

crushing-pressure stuff you

have to deal with in real

marriages: chronic child

illnesses, job losses,

emigration, addiction, mental

health problems, making sure

the kids have equally valuable

Christmas gifts. It was ironic

that having worked through

all of those, I was now getting

angry at my wife because we

couldn't lure mechanical

beetles into cartoon sap traps.

I think we'll stick to playing

Wordle together over

morning coffee.

Telegram's role in Ukraine’s

propaganda battle

Telegram is regarded as a safe haven for resistance movements. Photo: Pavlo Gonchar

media, and in the Ukrainian

war it has become a 24-hour

news lifeline for civilians,

incites ethnic hatred," Durov

posted on Sunday.

Hours later, he changed his

mission to make his second

tech venture the success story

that was ultimately wrested

journalists and even the mind, following mass from him first time around.

military.

It has become the go-to

requests from users, who said

it was their only source of

During anti-Putin protests

in 2012, Durov became

platform for protest groups of information. "Double-check hugely popular for refusing

all kinds, from Extinction and do not take on faith the to close down groups that

Rebellion to anti-vaccination data that is published in were using the social media

groups, from the US Capitol Telegram channels during site to organise marches.

rioters to pro-democracy this difficult period," Durov Two years later, he was on

campaigns in states including advised.

the receiving end of a hostile

Russian-allied Belarus, Hong Jamie MacEwan, media

investor coup that saw VK

Kong and Iran.

analyst at research service

appropriated by Mail.Ru

But Telegram's role in the Enders, said. "This is another

dissemination of unverified example of Telegram being

group, headed by Russian

information alarmed the 37- linked to resistance

billionaire and Putin ally

year-old Durov - who has movements. It has very much Alisher Usmanov. In

been called the Russian Mark been part of its reputation December, the Kremlin

Zuckerberg, after he founded over the past couple of years strengthened its grip on the

what is still by far the as it has boomed. It is company when Russian

country's most popular social associated with being a safe insurance company Sogaz,

network, VKontakte (VK), in

2006.

haven."

Durov is known for

founded by giant Gazprom,

took control of VK.

Last weekend, he said he occasional eccentric Durov sold up and left the

was considering shuttering

the service in the "countries

involved" for the duration of

the conflict.

"We do not want Telegram

behaviour - he once threw

paper aeroplanes made from

bank notes out of VKontakte's

office windows, causing fights

in the street below, and he

business as well as the

country, becoming a citizen of

St Kitts & Nevis in the

Caribbean, after resisting

Kremlin pressure to release

to be used as a tool that publicly offered Edward the data of Ukrainian protest

exacerbates conflicts and Snowden a job. He is now on a leaders.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2022

6

Meena Day was celebrated with a rally, discussion meeting at Dighinala Upazila Parishad square on

Saturday.

Photo: Md Sohanur Rahaman

Maintain communal harmony

during Durga Puja -KCC Mayor

KHULNA : Mayor of Khulna City

Corporation (KCC) Talukder Abdul

Khaleque yesterday stressed the need

for maintaining communal harmony

to ensure peaceful celebration of

Durga Puja, the biggest religious

festival of the Hindu Community,

reports BSS.

He also hoped that the celebration

of Durga Puja will be ended amid

great enthusiasm in the city and all

nine upazilas of the district with the

cooperation of masses.

KCC Mayor said these while

speaking at a meeting of Khulna Zila

Samajik Samprity Parishad at the

Zila Shilpokola Academy here as

chief guest.

Aiming at strengthening social

fastening and inter religion relations,

Khulna District Administration

organized the meeting with Deputy

Commissioner (DC) of Khulna Md

Moniruzzaman Talukder in the chair.

Religion is everyone's but festival is

universal, KCC Mayor said that

Bangladesh is an example of religious

harmony across the world, the chief

guest said.

During the last 14 years under the

leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina, all religious festivals like Eid,

Puja, Buddha Purnima and

Christmas were observed peacefully,

the mayor said adding that Durga

Puja this year will also be celebrated

peacefully.

He urged everybody to cooperate

for peaceful celebration of the Durga

Puja and maintain communal

harmony.

Khulna Divisional Commissioner

AL committed to provide

state security for all

religions: Manoranjan

Uttam Chandra Shorma, Birganj

Correspondent : Dinajpur-1 Constituency

Member of Parliament and Senior Vice

President of Hindu Religious Welfare Trust,

Manoranjan Shill Gopal said, Awami

League is committed to providing state

security for all religions. Those who do not

respect other religions do not trust their

own religion. Religious precepts make

people beautiful but those who are bigots

are a terror to the common people of every

country. Bangladesh built in communal

spirit is now an example of friendship to the

world. People's leader Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina is taking Bangladesh forward

on the path indicated by Bangabandhu,

holding the spirit of the liberation war.

He said these things while speaking as the

chief guest at the distribution of cheques for

religious institutions, monasteries, temple

renovations and poor Sanatan religious

people through the Hindu Religious Welfare

Trust given by the Prime Minister on the

occasion of the upcoming Sharadiya

Durgotsav at Birganj Upazila Parishad hall

in Dinajpur on Saturday.

Under the chairmanship of Upazila

Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Zinat Rehana,

Upazila Vice Chairman Rabindranath

Gobin Barman, Assistant Director of

Temple-based Child Mass Education

Program Dinajpur, Moshiur Rahman,

Mohammadpur UP Chairman Gopal Dev

Sharma, Sujalpur UP Chairman Md. Nurul

Islam, Shivrampur UP Chairman Satyajit

Roy Karthik, Upazila Awami League former

Youth and Sports Affairs Secretary Md.

Yasin Ali.

Manoranjan Shill Gopal giving cheques for religious institutions,

monasteries, temple renovations and poor Sanatan religious people

through the Hindu Religious Welfare Trust given by the Prime Minister

on Saturday.

Photo: Uttam Chandra Shorma

Meena Day celebrated in Bhuapur

Masudul Hasan Masud, Bhuapur

Correspondent : 24 September is

celebrated as Meena Day in Bangladesh.

Rally, discussion meeting, award

distribution and cultural programs were held

in Bhuapur of Tangail on the occasion of

Meena Day 2022 with the slogan "quality

education in a safe and happy environment".

The day was celebrated at Bhuapur in

Tangail organized by the Education Office.

Upazila Parishad Chairman Nargis

Begum, Upazila Assistant Commissioner

(Land) Amit Dutta, Upazila Primary

Education Officer AGM Izdani, Primary

Teachers Association President Md Abdur

Rahman, General Secretary Md

Arifuzzaman Arju, Primary School teachers

and students were present. Earlier, various

pictures of Mina cartoon were shown among

the young children of primary school. At the

end of the cultural program, prizes were

distributed among the participants in

various events including rhymes, poems,

songs.

Md Zillur Rahman, Metropolitan

Police Commissioner Md Masudur

Rahman Bhuiyan, Superintendent of

Police Md Mahbub Hossain, Khulna

city and district unit Awami League

general secretaries MDA Babul Rana

and Advocate Sujit Adhikary,

Principal of Government Brojolal

College Sharif Atiquzzaman and

former president of Khulna Press

Club Mokbul Hossain Mintu, among

others, addressed as special guests.

Freedom Fighters, Leaders of

Muslim, Hindu, Christian and

Buddhist Community, Teachers and

Students, Scholars of different

Religions, women leaders, Upazila

Chairman, UNOs, KCC Councilors,

Journalists, members of law

enforcement agencies, among others,

attended the meeting.

Two-day

science fair

begins at RU

RAJSHAHI: A two-day

science fair titled "Rajshahi

University (RU) Science

Club National Science

Fiesta- 2022" began on its

campus here today aimed at

disseminating and

expanding ideas related to

science and technology,

reports BSS.

RU Science Club is hosting

the fair at its Teachers

Students Cultural Centre for

the sixth consecutive time in

association with the

National Science and

Technology Museum.

The main objective of the

fair is to encourage the

young scientists towards

more innovation alongside

flourishing their latent

talents and building a

science-minded and

knowledge-based society.

RU Vice-chancellor (VC)

Prof Golam Sabbir Sattar

attended and addressed the

opening ceremony as chief

guest, while president of RU

Science Club Abid Hassan

was in the chair.

VC of Rabindra University

Prof Shah Azam, VC of

Barishal University Prof

Sadequl Arefin, RU Pro-VC

Prof Sultan-Ul-Islam and

funder president of RU

Science Club Prof Tariqul

Hassan also spoke on the

occasion.

VC Prof Golam Sabbir

referred to various aspects of

expanding science education

towards the doorsteps of the

students both in rural and

urban areas saying there is

no alternative to acquiring

scientific knowledge to take

forward the nation

technologically.

Educational institutions

should take more

responsibility for expanding

science education among

the students, he said.

In addition to the

inaugural ceremony, various

events, including science

Olympiad, programming

contest, project show

competition, poster

presentation and wall

magazine are being held on

the opening day.

Meena Day

celebrated

in Dighinala

Md Sohanur Rahaman,

Dighinala Correspondent:

Meena Day was celebrated

with a rally, discussion

meeting and cultural

program at Dighinala in

Khagrachari. On the

occasion of the day, a rally

was held at Dighinala

Upazila Parishad square on

Saturday. After that, in the

discussion meeting and

cultural program organized

at the Upazila Parishad

Auditorium, under the

direction of Head Teacher

of Kabakhali Government

Primary School of the

Upazila, Badiuzzaman

Jibon, Upazila Primary

Education Officer Sushmita

Tripura presided over the

occasion where, Upazila

Executive Officer (UNO)

Muhammad Arafatul Alam

gave a speech as the chief

guest.

Upazila Parishad Vice-

Chairman Mostafa Kamal

Mintu, Upazila Primary

Assistant Education Officer

Sonamitra Chakma,

Upazila Press Club

President Jahangir Alam

Raju, Upazila Former

Freedom Fighter

Commander Enamul

Haque Chowdhury and

other principals, assistant

teachers and students of

various schools were

present. After the

discussion, interesting

cultural program was

performed.

Cleanliness campain

start in Mongla

Md.Anamul Huq, Mongla

Correspondent : Two people have

been diagnosed with dengue in the

upazila health complex in the last two

weeks in Mongla. With this, dengue fear

has spread among the public.

Meanwhile, instead of panicking, the

hospital authorities are advising to be

careful and keep the courtyard of the

house clean. The government hospital

authorities have started a precautionary

campaign and cleaning work.

Upazila Health and Family Planning

Officer Dr. Md. Shaheen said that on

September 10, the first dengue was

detected in Alauddin (25), son of Md.

Amzad of South Chila village of Chila

Union of the upazila. Then on September

21, Rafiqul, son of Ah Hai, a resident of

Manpura Bridge area of the city, was

diagnosed with dengue. They came to

the hospital suffering from dengue

symptoms. Later, they were diagnosed

with dengue. Both of them were

admitted to the hospital after treatment

Two people have been diagnosed with dengue in the upazila health complex in

the last two weeks in Mongla and so government hospital authorities have

started a precautionary campaign and cleaning work. Photo: Md.Anamul Huq

Gopalganj Sheikh Fazilatunnessa Mujib Eye Hospital and Training Institute

participants in the primary eye treatment workshop have a mountain of

complaints. The journalists who participated in the workshop held in the

conference room of the eye hospital on Saturday expressed their anger citing

numerous complaints against the hospital in an open discussion. The

workshop also drew widespread criticism for not providing government

lenses to patients, forcing them to go to the doctor's chamber, giving wrong

information about the disease, not having a doctor, absenteeism of staff,

and the quality of service has dropped to zero. Director of the organization

Nahid Ferdausi assured everyone that all the complaints of the journalists

will be properly resolved.

Photo: S M Nazrul Islam

Anti-drug discussion meeting

held in Kurigram

Md.Aminul Islam, Phulbari

Correspondent : An anti-drug

discussion meeting and cultural program

was held in Kurigram's Phulbari with the

aim of increasing the awareness of the

students about the ill effects of drugs.

On September 22 at noon, a discussion

meeting and cultural program was held in

the college hall organized by the Narcotics

Control Department Kurigram and

Phulbari Degree College.

The discussion was chaired by Principal

Aminul Islam Riju. Upazila Nirbahi

Officer Suman Das, Narcotics Control

Directorate, Kurigram Assistant Director

Abu Zafar, District Arts Academy General

Secretary Rasheduzzaman Babu, Phulbari

Police Station OC Fazlur Rahman, Vice

Principal Noor Islam Sheikh spoke at the

program.

Besides, President of Upazila Chhatra

League Taukir Hasan Tamal, General

Secretary Muchabbir Rahman Havon,

students Nasibur Rahman, Umme Ruhani

Labanya, print and electronic media

journalists and many others spoke. At the

end of the discussion meeting, an

interesting cultural program was

organized under the joint performance of

district and upazila art academy.

and returned home.He said that due to

the detection of dengue, cleaning work

has been started in all areas of the

hospital since Saturday morning.

Hospital cleaners are cleaning all areas

inside and outside the hospital. Apart

from that, those who are coming for

indoor and outdoor treatment of the

hospital every day are also being given

caution and awareness advice about

dengue. May they all keep their house

and yard clean.

Meanwhile, upazila health and family

planning officer Dr. Md. Shaheen

inaugurated the cleaning and cleanliness

campaign in the hospital premises to

prevent dengue infection in monsoon on

Saturday morning. Dr. Sheikh Sirajul

Islam, Dr. Nurjahan Nishat, accountant

Md. Sohail Mollah, OT attendant

Mohiuddin Khan and pharmacist Sheikh

Farhaduzzaman along with senior staff

nurses, supervisors, cleaners and third

and fourth class employees were present

in this campaign.

Grandfather and

grandson killed

in Joypurhat

road accident

JOYPURHAT : Grandfather

and grandson were killed

and three others injured in

a road accident at

Molamgari-Panchshira

road in Molamgari area

under Kalai upazila of the

district last night, reports

BSS.

The deceased were

identified as Nazrul Islam,

55, son of Achir Uddin and

Sakib Hossain, 5, son

Mahmudul Hossain,

residents of Poont Shikta

Uttarpara village in Kalai

upazila of the district.

The accident occurred,

when Grandfather and

grandson were returning to

their home in Kalai upazila

on charger auto van from

Dupchanchia upazila in

Bogura district, at that time

a potato laden truck hit

their charger auto van

coming from the opposite

direction in the area around

8.30pm, grandfather and

grandson fell under the

truck and both dead on the

spot and two other

passengers and van driver

were seriously injured,

officer-in-Charge (OC) of

Kalai Police Station S M

Moinuddin said.

The injured were taken to

Kalai Upazila Hospital.

Police seized the truck but

its driver and helper

managed to flee the scene,

OC said.

An unusual death case

has been registered in this

incident, the OC added.

On September 22 at noon, a discussion meeting and cultural program was held in the college hall organized by

the Narcotics Control Department Kurigram and Phulbari Degree College.

Photo: Md.Aminul Islam

SUnDAy, SePteMBeR 25, 2022

7

Military-aged men fled Russia in droves Friday, filling planes and causing traffic jams at border crossings to avoid being

rounded up to fight in Ukraine following the Kremlin's partial military mobilization.

Photo : Internet

Russian men seek refuge abroad,

fearing call-up to fight in Ukraine

ISTANBUL : Military-aged men fled

Russia in droves Friday, filling planes

and causing traffic jams at border

crossings to avoid being rounded up

to fight in Ukraine following the

Kremlin's partial military

mobilization, reports UNB.

Queues stretching for 10 kilometers

(6 miles) formed on a road leading to

the southern border with Georgia,

according to Yandex Maps, a Russian

online map service.

The lines of cars were so long at the

border with Kazakhstan that some

people abandoned their vehicles and

proceeded on foot - just as some

Ukrainians did after Russia invaded

their country on Feb. 24.

Meanwhile, dozens of flights out of

Russia - with tickets sold at sky-high

prices - carried men to international

destinations such as Turkey,

Armenia, Azerbaijan and Serbia,

where Russians don't need visas.

Among those who reached Turkey

was a 41-year-old who landed in

Istanbul with a suitcase and a

backpack and plans to start a new life

in Israel.

"I'm against this war, and I'm not

Boy dies as car

swept away in

Australian floods

SYDNEY : Australian police

on Saturday located the body

of a five-year-old boy

trapped in floods west of

Sydney, the latest death from

a prolonged period of heavy

rainfall.

The boy and four other

people had been travelling in

a car that was swept into

floodwaters late Friday.

Police said four of the

occupants, a 37-year-old

man, a 28-year-old woman

and another young boy and a

girl, managed to escape the

vehicle and clung to a tree

until help arrived.

"However, a five-year-old

boy became trapped in the

car before it submerged,"

New South Wales police said.

After a desperate overnight

search, the boy's body was

recovered from the vehicle.

The incident occurred in

the town of Tullamore, a fivehour

drive from Sydney.

A swathe of eastern

Australia has endured

repeated flooding in the last

two years.

Several people have died as

back-to-back La Nina

weather events pummelled

the area with rainfall and

caused rivers to burst their

banks.

Earlier this year hundreds

of thousands of people were

told to leave their homes in

already flood-hit areas as the

waters rose again.

La Nina is the large-scale

cooling of surface

temperatures in the central

and eastern equatorial

Pacific Ocean.

The phenomenon has

widespread impacts on

weather around the world.

A rare third consecutive La

Nina event has now been

declared, prompting

warnings of more rain and

floods.

going to be a part of it. I'm not going

to be a murderer. I'm not going to kill

people," said the man, who identified

himself only as Yevgeny to avoid

potential retribution against his

family left behind in Russia.

He referred to Russian President

Vladimir Putin as a "war criminal."

Yevgeny decided to flee after Putin

announced a partial military call-up

on Wednesday. The total number of

reservists involved could be as high as

300,000.

Some Russian men also fled to

neighboring Belarus, Russia's close

ally. But that carried risk.

The Nasha Niva newspaper, one of

the oldest independent newspapers in

Belarus, reported that Belarusian

security services were ordered to

track down Russians fleeing from the

draft, find them in hotels and rented

apartments and report them to

Russian authorities.

The exodus unfolded as a Kremlinorchestrated

referendum got

underway seeking to make occupied

regions of Ukraine part of Russia.

Kyiv and the West condemned it as a

rigged election whose result was

A man release the anchor of a yacht.

preordained by Moscow. German

government officials voiced a desire

to help Russian men deserting

military service, and they called for a

European solution.

"Those who bravely stand up to

Putin's regime and thereby put

themselves in great danger can apply

for asylum in Germany on the

grounds of political persecution," the

spokesman for German Interior

Minister Nancy Faeser said.

The spokesman, Maximilian Kall,

said deserters and those refusing to

be drafted would receive refugee

status in Germany if they are at risk of

serious repression, though every case

is examined individually.

But they would first have to make it

to Germany, which has no land

border with Russia, and like other

European Union countries has

become far more difficult for

Russians to travel to.

The EU banned direct flights

between its 27 member states and

Russia after the attack on Ukraine,

and recently agreed to limit issuing

Schengen visas, which allow free

movement across much of Europe.

Photo : Internet

Hurricane Fiona heads for Canada

after whipping at Bermuda

CAGUAS : A hurricane expected to

transform into a huge post-tropical storm

will bring hurricane-strength wind, heavy

rain and big waves to Atlantic Canada,

meteorologists said Friday in warning

that it has the potential to be one of the

most severe storms in the country's

history.

Hurricane Fiona, which had weakened a

bit to a Category 3 storm, was forecast to

make landfall Saturday morning.

The Canadian Hurricane Centre issued

a hurricane watch over extensive coastal

expanses of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward

Island and Newfoundland. The U.S.

National Hurricane Center said Fiona

should reach the area as a "large and

powerful post-tropical cyclone with

hurricane-force winds."

"This is is definitely going to be one of,

if not the most powerful, tropical cyclones

to affect our part of the country," said Ian

Hubbard, meteorologist for the Canadian

Hurricane Centre in Dartmouth, Nova

Scotia. "It's going to be definitely as

severe and as bad as any I've seen."

Fiona was a Category 4 hurricane when

it pounded Bermuda with heavy rains and

winds earlier Friday as it swept by the

island on a route heading for

northeastern Canada. Authorities in

Bermuda opened shelters and closed

schools and offices ahead of Fiona.

Michael Weeks, the national security

minister, said there had been no reports

of major damage.

The U.S. center said Fiona had

maximum sustained winds of 125 mph

(205 kph) early Friday evening. It was

centered about 215 miles (345 kilometers)

southeast of Halifax, Nova Scotia,

heading north at 46 mph (74 kph).

Hurricane-force winds extended

outward up to 115 miles (185 kilometers)

from the center and tropical storm-force

winds extended outward up to 345 miles

(555 kilometers).

Hubbard said the storm was weakening

as it moved over cooler water and he felt

it highly unlikely it would reach land with

hurricane strength. Hurricanes in Canada

are somewhat rare, in part because once

the storms reach colder waters, they lose

their main source of energy. and become

extratropical. But those cyclones still can

have hurricane-strength winds, though

with a cold instead of a warm core and no

visible eye. Their shape can be different,

too. They lose their symmetric form and

can more resemble a comma.

Bob Robichaud, Warning Preparedness

Meteorologist for the Canadian

Hurricane Centre, said the center of the

storm was expected to arrive in Nova

Scotia on Saturday morning, but its winds

and rains would arrive late Friday.

India: 10 dead

in rain-related

tragedies

NEW DELHI : As many as

10 people have died in

separate rain-related

tragedies in the past 24

hours in India's Uttar

Pradesh state, officials said

Saturday.

Incessant showers have

been lashing the northern

stats and neighbouring

Delhi since Thursday

morning, reports UNB.

"All the 10 died after walls

collapsed on them due to

heavy showers across the

state's Etawah district. Of

them, seven were children,"

a police officer told the

media.

An elderly couple was

among the three other

deceased, the officer added.

Uttar Pradesh Chief

Minister Yogi Adityanath on

Friday conducted an aerial

survey of the flood-hit areas

and asked authorities to do

the needful. Wall collapses

are common in India,

particularly during the

monsoon season.

Qatar Airways scores

Airline of the Year

Award for 7th time

DHAKA : Qatar Airways has

won the Airline of the Year

award, known as "the Oscars

of the aviation industry," for a

record seventh time at the

Skytrax World Airline

Awards 2022.

At the event in London

Friday, the airline also took

home three additional

awards, including World's

Best Business Class, World's

Best Business Class Lounge

Dining, and Best Airline in

the Middle East.

The awards covered the 12

months from September

2021 to August 2022 with

over 14 million eligible

entries counted in the results,

a period when Qatar Airways

increased its global network

back to over 150 destinations.

Earlier, Qatar Airways was

named Airline of the Year in

2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2019,

and 2021, according to a

media statement.

Qatar Airways Group Chief

Executive Akbar Al Baker,

said: "To be named as the

World's Best Airline was

always a goal when Qatar

Airways was created, but to

win it for the seventh time

and pick up three additional

awards is a testament to all

the hard work of our

incredible employees."

"To win these awards in the

same year that we celebrate

our 25th anniversary is even

more rewarding and I want

to offer a sincere thanks to all

our passengers who voted for

us," he added.

Edward Plaisted of

international air transport

rating organisation Skytrax

said: "Qatar Airways were the

largest airline to have flown

consistently throughout the

Covid-19 pandemic, with

their network never falling

below 30 destinations, and

that determination has been

well recognised by customers

with this award as Airline of

the Year 2022."

Amended autopsy: Black man

died due to sedative, restraint

DENVER : A Black man died after a police

encounter in a Denver suburb in 2019

because he was injected with a powerful

sedative after being forcibly restrained,

according to an amended autopsy report

publicly released Friday, reports UNB.

Despite the finding, the death of Elijah

McClain, a 23-year-old massage therapist,

was still listed as undetermined, not a

homicide, the report shows. McClain was put

in a neck hold and injected with ketamine

after being stopped by police in Aurora for

"being suspicious." He was unarmed.

The original autopsy report that was

written soon after his death in August 2019

did not reach a conclusion about how he died

or what type of death is was, such as if it was

natural, accidental or a homicide. That was a

major reason why prosecutors initially

decided not to pursue charges.

But a state grand jury last year indicted

three officers and two paramedics on

manslaughter and reckless homicide charges

in McClain's death after the case drew

renewed attention following the killing of

George Floyd in 2020. It became a rallying

cry during the national reckoning over

racism and police brutality.

The five accused have not yet entered pleas

and their lawyers have not commented

publicly on the charges.

In the updated report, completed in July

2021, Dr. Stephen Cina, a pathologist,

concluded that the ketamine dosage given to

McClain, which was higher than

recommended for someone his size, "was too

much for this individual and it resulted in an

overdose, even though his blood ketamine

level was consistent with a 'therapeutic'

blood concentration."

He said he could not rule out that changes

in McClain's blood chemistry, like an

increase in lactic acid, due to his exertion

while being restrained by police contributed

to his death but concluded there was no

evidence that injuries inflicted by police

caused his death.

"I believe that Mr. McClain would most

likely be alive but for the administration of

ketamine," said Cina, who noted that body

camera footage shows McClain becoming

"extremely sedated" within a few minutes of

being given the drug.

Cina acknowledged that other reasonable

pathologists with different experience and

training may have labeled such a death,

while in police custody, as a homicide or

accident, but that he believes the appropriate

classification is undetermined.

Qusair Mohamedbhai, attorney for

McClain's mother, Sheneen McClain,

declined a request for comment.

Dr. Carl Wigren, a forensic pathologist in

Washington state, questioned the report's

focus on ketamine, saying all the available

evidence - including a highly critical

independent review of McClain's death

commissioned by Aurora last year - point to

McClain dying as a result of compressional

asphyxia, a type of suffocation, from officers

putting pressure on his body while

restraining him. He was struck by one

passage in the city's review citing the

ambulance company's report that its crew

found McClain lying on the ground on his

stomach, his arms handcuffed behind his

back, his torso and legs held down, with at

least three officers on top of him.

That scene was not captured on body

camera footage, the report said, but much of

what happened between police was not

because the officers' cameras came off soon

after McClain was approached. The cameras

did continue to record where they fell and

captured people talking.

Just because McClain, who said he

couldn't breathe, could be heard making

some statements on the footage, does not

mean he was able to fully breathe, Wigren

said. Ketamine, which slows breathing,

could have just exacerbated McClain's

condition, but Wigren does not think it

caused his death.

However, another pathologist, Dr.

Deborah G. Johnson of Colorado, said

McClain's quick reaction to ketamine

suggests that it was a cause of McClain's

death, but she said its use cannot be

separated from the impact that the police

restraint may have had. McClain may have

had trouble breathing because of the

restraint and having less oxygen in your

system would make the sedative take effect

more quickly, she said.

A Black man died after a police encounter in a Denver suburb in 2019

because he was injected with a powerful sedative after being forcibly

restrained, according to an amended autopsy report publicly released

Friday.

Photo : Internet

Arizona judge: State can enforce

near-total abortion ban

PHOENIX : Arizona can enforce a near-total

ban on abortions that has been blocked for

nearly 50 years, a judge ruled Friday,

meaning clinics statewide will have to stop

providing the procedures to avoid the filing

of criminal charges against doctors and other

medical workers.

The judge lifted a decades-old injunction

that blocked enforcement of the law on the

books since before Arizona became a state.

The only exemption to the ban is if the

woman's life is in jeopardy.

The ruling means the state's abortions

clinics will have to shut down and anyone

seeking an abortion will have to go out of

state. The ruling takes effect immediately,

although an appeal is possible. Planned

Parenthood and two other large providers

said they were halting abortions.

Abortion providers have been on a roller

coaster since the U.S. Supreme Court in June

overturned the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade

decision guaranteeing women a

constitutional right to an abortion. At first

providers shut down operations, then reopened,

and now have to close again.

Planned Parenthood had urged the judge

not to allow enforcement, and its president

declared that the ruling "takes Arizonans

back to living under an archaic, 150-year-old

law."

"This decision is out of step with the will of

Arizonans and will cruelly force pregnant

people to leave their communities to access

abortion," said Alexis McGill Johnson,

Planned Parenthood Federation of

America's president and CEO, said in a

statement. Republican Attorney General

Mark Brnovich, who had urged the judge to

lift the injunction so the ban could be

enforced, cheered.

"We applaud the court for upholding the

will of the Legislature and providing clarity

and uniformity on this important issue,"

Brnovich said in a statement. "I have and will

continue to protect the most vulnerable

Arizonans."

The ruling comes amid an election season

in which Democrats have seized on abortion

rights as a potent issue. Sen. Mark Kelly,

under a challenge from Republican Blake

Masters, said it "will have a devastating

impact on the freedom Arizona women have

had for decades" to choose an abortion.

Democrat Katie Hobbs, who is running for

governor, called it the product of a

decadeslong attack on reproductive freedom

by Republicans that can only be fended off by

voters in November.

Masters and Kari Lake, the Republican

running against Hobbs, both back abortion

restrictions. Their campaigns had no

immediate comment.

Pima County Superior Court Judge Kellie

Johnson ruled more than a month after

hearing arguments on Brnovich's request to

lift the injunction.

The near-total abortion ban was enacted

decades before Arizona secured statehood in

1912. Prosecutions were halted after the

injunction was handed down following the

Roe decision. Even so, the Legislature

reenacted the law in 1977.

Assistant Attorney General Beau Roysden

told Johnson at an Aug. 19 hearing that since

Roe has been overruled, the sole reason for

the injunction blocking the old law is gone

and she should allow it to be enforced. Under

that law, anyone convicted of performing a

surgical abortion or providing drugs for a

medication abortion could face two to five

years in prison.

SUnDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2022

8

Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited has achieved the 'Best Bank in Bangladesh' Award in the South Asian

Business Excellence Awards 2022 presented by South Asian Partnership Summit. M A Mannan, MP

Minister for Planning handed over the award as the Chief guest to Mohammed Monirul Moula,

Managing Director and CEO of the bank on Thursday at Pan Pacific Sonargaon hotel in Dhaka.

Morshed Alam, MP, Asha Jayamanne, Founder & Chairperson, South Asian Partnership Summit &

Business Excellence Awards, Muhammad Qaisar Ali & J Q M Habibullah, FCS, Additional Managing

Directors and Miftah Uddin, Senior Executive Vice President of Islami Bank along with officials of different

organizations were present on the occasion.

Photo : Courtesy

Pay Mastercard credit card bill through

Nagad get up to BDT 400 cashback

Nagad, the mobile financial

service of Bangladesh Postal

Department, has brought a

cashback offer of up to BDT

400 on Mastercard credit card

bill payments. To get this offer,

the consumers must save their

Bangladesh Bank-approved

Mastercard credit cards in the

Nagad app, a press release said.

The Nagad app has the

facility to pay bills by adding

Bangladesh Bank-approved

debit or credit cards. This time,

Nagad brings exciting news for

the credit card users.

A credit card bill can be paid

instantly by going to the "Bill

Pay" option of Nagad and

clicking on the "Credit Card

Bill" payment option. In this

way, a customer will get 1.5

percent cashback on two cycles

or up to a maximum of BDT

400.

This benefit will be available

for both the newly saved cards

and cards that were saved

previously in the Nagad app.

This cashback will be

disbursed in two cycles. The

first cycle, which started on 21

COLOMBO : Crisis-hit Sri

Lanka pleaded on Friday

for a swift agreement with

its international creditors to

clear the way for a

desperately needed $2.9

billion IMF bailout.

The International

Monetary Fund's board

needs to ratify this month's

staff-level agreement on the

tentative $2.9 billion

lifeline conditional on

Colombo striking a deal

with creditors to

restructure its debt.

After running out of

foreign exchange to finance

even the most essential

imports, Sri Lanka in mid-

April defaulted on its

external debt. China is its

largest single creditor.

The unprecedented

foreign exchange crisis led

to the fall of then-president

Gotabaya Rajapaksa in

mid-July after months of

street protests.

His successor, Ranil

Wickremesinghe, has taken

a tough line against

protesters, and has also

eased some of the shortages

by implementing fuel

rationing.

He has also secured an

agreement with the World

Bank to divert funds meant

for poverty relief to finance

imports of life-saving

of this month, will continue till

October 20, 2022.

A 1.5 per cent or a maximum

of BDT 200 cashback will be

available if one saves or pays

medicines and equipment.

The country's 22 million

people have endured

galloping inflation,

prolonged blackouts and

acute shortages of food, fuel

and medicines since late

last year.

Sri Lanka's central bank,

in its first virtual meeting

with creditors on Friday,

asked them for "financing

assurances"-code for a

reduction to the debt-but

did not indicate how much

was expected.

A presentation to

creditors showed that the

Central Bank of Sri Lanka

expects "financing

assurances from public and

private partners" by mid-

November.

The bank hopes final IMF

board approval for the

bailout can be obtained by

mid-December, and urged

creditors to organise

themselves into an ad hoc

group to negotiate

collectively.

The creditor response

was not immediately clear

following the virtual

meeting.

Official data showed that

Sri Lanka's bilateral debt

was $9.86 billion, with 52

percent of it owned by

China, followed by Japan at

19.5 percent and India at 12.

the bill from a newly saved

Mastercard credit card.

Later, the second cycle will

run from October 21 to

November 30, 2022. During

Bankrupt Sri Lanka

pleads with creditors

for quick debt deal

International sovereign

bonds amounted to $19.2

billion. The island's total

foreign currency

denominated debt was

$46.6 billion, with some of

it owned by local banks.

The IMF, however, has

estimated Sri Lanka's total

external debt, including

that of state-owned

enterprises, to be around

$51 billion.

While announcing the

staff-level agreement at the

start of this month, the IMF

said it was in the interest of

creditors to help Sri Lanka

extricate itself from the

"deep crisis" and return to

servicing its debt.

"It really is in the interest

of all creditors to work with

Sri Lanka on this front," the

IMF head of mission to Sri

Lanka, Peter Breuer, told

reporters after nine days of

talks with Colombo.

"If creditors are not

willing to provide these

assurances, that would

indeed deepen the crisis in

Sri Lanka and would

undermine its repayment

capacity."

China has so far not

publicly shifted from its

offer of issuing more loans

instead of taking a cut on

outstanding ones.

this time, if you pay the bill

from a MasterCard credit card,

you will get 1.5 percent

cashback or a maximum of

BDT 200.

A consumer can get cashback

only once from one bank card

in a cycle. But they will get this

benefit again in the new cycle.

Customers can avail of this

facility from multiple banks'

Mastercard cards in the same

cycle and in that case the

consumer will get a maximum

cashback of BDT 200.

To activate the offer, the

consumer must first select "Bill

Pay" from the Nagad app. Then

they have to select "Credit

Card".

In the next step, select

"Mastercard Credit Card Bill".

Then select "Remember Me"

and select "Proceed". Select

"MasterCard Credit Card Bill"

from the next list. Set the bill

amount and press next with the

PIN.

Finally, tap and hold the

bottom of the screen to

complete the transaction.

US can fight inflation

without sinking job

market: Yellen

WASHINGTON : It is

possible to bring down

record-high inflation in the

United States while

maintaining a healthy labor

market, US Treasury

Secretary Janet Yellen said

Thursday.

Her comments come a day

after the Federal Reserve

hiked interest rates by 75

basis points for the third

straight time, with Fed Chair

Jerome Powell warning that

cooling inflation would be

painful for the US economy.

But "I believe there is a

path through this that can

succeed in bringing down

inflation while also

maintaining... a strong labor

market," Yellen said. "And I

very much hope that the Fed

will be able to succeed in

doing that."

Speaking at the Atlantic

Festival, Yellen said there is

likely "some inflationary

pressure" caused by the

shortage of workers in the

labor market, which has

driven wages up.

It's also the Fed's job to

"address demand-supply

imbalances," she said.

The Fed also updated its

economic forecasts at the

end of its monetary policy

meeting Wednesday. It

anticipates a slowdown in

activity caused by the rate

hikes, leading to a slightly

higher increase in

unemployment than

previously predicted.

The unemployment rate is

expected to average 3.8

percent in 2022, up from a

forecast of 3.7 percent.

World Bank chief

Malpass says won't

quit over climate

denial row

WASHINGTON : World

Bank President David

Malpass said Friday he had

no plans to stand down, as

he battles charges of climate

denial for dodging questions

on the role of man-made

emissions in global

warming.

Climate activists had

previously called for

Malpass to be removed for

what they say is an

inadequate approach to the

climate crisis-and the chorus

grew louder after his

appearance at a New York

Times-organized conference

this week.

Pressed on stage to

respond to a claim by former

US vice president Al Gore

that he was a climate denier,

Malpass declined multiple

times to say whether he

believed man-made

emissions were warming the

planet-responding, "I'm not

a scientist."

Under mounting fire,

Malpass has moved to clarify

his position and did so again

on Friday, as he rebuffed

suggestions he might quit

over the uproar.

"Not resigning," Malpass

said in an interview with

Politico, when asked if he

had envisaged quitting over

the firestorm. "Nor have I"

considered it, he said,

affirming that none of the

bank's member countries

had asked him to leave.

"Look, it's clear that

greenhouse gas emissions

from human activity are

adding to, are causing

climate change," he told

Politico. "And so the task for

us, for the world, is to pull

together the projects and the

funding that actually has an

impact."

In an interview with CNN

a day earlier, Malpass had

likewise acknowledged that

climate-warming emissions

were "coming from

manmade sources,

including fossil fuels,

methane, agricultural uses

and industrial uses."

UK fights inflation with

tax-cutting budget

LONDON : Britain's new government on Friday unveiled a

multi-billion-pound package to support households and

businesses hit by the highest inflation in decades, cutting taxes

as the nation heads for recession, reports BSS.

Finance minister Kwasi Kwarteng, fresh from being

appointed by new Prime Minister Liz Truss, said caps on

soaring energy bills would cost o60 billion ($68 billion) in the

first six months.

The costly plan aims to boost economic growth-but sterling

collapsed to its lowest level against the dollar since 1985 as

traders fretted over its impact on public finances.

"The PM has acted with great speed to announce one of the

most significant interventions the British state has ever made,"

Kwarteng told parliament in a so-called mini budget.

"People need to know that help is coming."

In a controversial move as millions of Britons face a cost-ofliving

crisis, Kwarteng axed an EU-inherited cap on bankers'

bonuses following Brexit to bolster the financial services sector.

He brought forward a plan to cut the lowest rate of income

tax, and reduced the highest to 40 percent from 45.

The chancellor of the exchequer also reversed a planned

increase in tax on company profits signed off by Truss's

predecessor Boris Johnson.

He had announced Thursday that he would scrap a tax on

salaries, reversing a 1.25-percentage-point rise in National

Insurance implemented by predecessor Rishi Sunak.

It comes as economists warned that Britain was likely already

in recession, with rocketing fuel and food prices taking their toll.

Opposition politicians slammed the budget for rewarding the

rich.

"The chancellor has made clear who his priorities are todaynot

a plan for growth, a plan to reward the already wealthy,"

said Rachel Reeves, finance spokeswoman for the main

opposition Labour party.

In an ominous sign, the pound tanked to $1.0897 -- the

lowest level since 1985 -- and London's stock market sank more

than two percent as recession fears mounted.

"Sterling is in the firing line. There is a creeping feeling the

extra government borrowing that is in the pipeline will severely

weigh on the UK economy," said IG analyst David Madden.

Kwarteng also lifted the point at which tax is levied on

purchases of residential properties, as soaring interest rates put

the brakes on the housing market.

Britain will meanwhile reintroduce VAT refunds to tourists, a

scheme which had previously been scrapped following Brexit.

Kwarteng released his plan a day after the Bank of England

suggested the country was slipping into recession as it hiked

interest rates again to tame red-hot inflation.

With prices soaring, Britain on Wednesday announced a sixmonth

plan to pay about half of energy bills for businesses.

Truss had already launched a two-year household energy

price freeze. The caps will not kick in, however, until Britons

face another large hike in gas and electricity bills from October.

The average household will have their annual energy bill

capped at o2,500 until 2024 but many are expected to spend

above that to keep homes warm over the winter.

Wholesale electricity and gas prices for companies-as well as

charities, hospitals and schools-will also be capped.

Yet UK energy firms including BP and Shell will not get the

cap, as their profits jumped after Russia's war in Ukraine sent

oil and gas prices soaring.

World markets plunge on

growing recession fears

NEW YORK : Stock markets

tumbled, the pound crashed

against the dollar and oil

prices slumped Friday on

growing recession fears after

central banks this week

ramped up interest rates to

fight decades-high inflation.

With price rises showing

no solid sign of letting up,

monetary policymakers

have gone on the offensive,

warning that short-term hits

to economies are less painful

than the long-term effects of

not acting. There were

similar moves by central

banks in other countries

including Britain, Sweden,

Norway, Switzerland, the

Philippines and Indonesiaall

pointing to a dark outlook

for markets.

Union Insurance

Company MD’s

trip to Japan

"4th Investor B2B Japan

2022" conference under the

United Nations Industrial

Development Organizations

"UNIDO" is going to be held

on 25-30 September 2022 at

Tokyo and Osaka, Japan for

the business interests of

Japan and Bangladesh, says a

press release.

As invitation of the

coordinator organizations, the

MD and Chief Executive

Officer of Union Insurance

Co. Ltd. Talukdar Md. Zakaria

Hossain left Dhaka on

24.09.2022 to participate as a

representative of the

company. The high-ranking

officials of Bangladesh

government

and

representatives of some

famous

business

organizations of the country

will attend the conference.

Social Islami Bank opened fifteen new agent banking outlets through virtual platform on 22

September at its head office. Dr. Md. Mahbub Ul Alam, Chairman of SIBL, inaugurated the

agent outlets as the chief guest while Zafar Alam, Managing Director and CEO of the Bank,

presided over the program. Abu Reza Md. Yeahia, Additional Managing Director, delivered welcome

speech at the event. Md. Shamsul Hoque and Mohammad Forkanullah, Deputy Managing

Directors, Head of HRD Kazi Obaidul Al-Faruk, Chief Remittance Officer Md. Mosharraf

Hossain, Head of Marketing and Brand Communication Md. Moniruzzaman, Head of Agent

Banking Md. Mashiur Rahman, were also present. Managers of different branches, Agents, and

local dignitaries also joined the program virtually.

Photo : Courtesy

Mercantile Bank Limited has been awarded South Asian Business Excellence Award-2022 as

`Best Bank in the Private Sector' by South Asian Partnership Summit. Md. Quamrul Islam

Chowdhury, Managing Director and CEO of Mercantile Bank Limited received the award from

Abdul Mannan, MP, Minister of Planning of Bangladesh at a function organized by the SAPS at

Hotel Sonargaon on Thursday. Morshed Alam, MP, Chairman of Mercantile Bank Limited was

present on the occasion as the Special Guest. Shamim Ahmed, DMD, Tapash Chandra Paul,

PhD, CFO of Mercantile Bank and other distinguished guests and senior officials from different

organizations were present.

Photo : Courtesy

SuNDAY, SeptemBer 25, 2022

9

Brazil's richarlison celebrates scoring their third goal with teammates during their international friendly

against Ghana at Stade oceane, Le Havre, in France on Friday.

photo: Ap

Richarlison scores twice as

Brazil ease past Ghana

SportS DeSk

Richarlison struck twice as Brazil

showcased their World Cup credentials

by putting on an attacking masterclass

in a 3-0 victory over Ghana in Friday's

friendly in Le Havre, reports UNB.

Marquinhos headed Brazil in front

from a corner and Richarlison doubled

the lead before the half-hour. The

Tottenham Hotspur striker nodded in a

third on 40 minutes.

Unbeaten throughout World Cup

qualifying, Brazil's only competitive

loss since going out to Belgium in the

2018 quarter-finals in Russia came

against Argentina in last year's Copa

America final.

Brazil coach Tite fielded a strong,

attack-minded side that could well start

their opening game of the World Cup

against Serbia in Lusail on November

24. Ghana lost Arsenal midfielder

Thomas Partey to injury in the warmup,

on what was a challenging night for

the Black Stars.

Five-time world champions Brazil hit

their stride right away, Neymar

unhindered by the small cut during

Wednesday's training session that

required minor treatment.

In red-hot form to start the season

with Paris Saint-Germain, Neymar

quickly began to threaten down the left

in tandem with Vinicius Junior.

Richarlison blazed over from Lucas

Paqueta's cutback, the new West Ham

signing also fizzing a shot just past the

post. Brazil were soon in front though

as Marquinhos powered in from

Raphinha's inswinging corner in the

ninth minute.

Raphinha should have scored himself

when Vinicius' audacious cross with the

outside of his right boot picked the

Barcelona man out at the far post.

Neymar created Brazil's second goal,

allowing Thiago Silva's pass to run

beyond him before rolling it toward

Richarlison, who swept a first-time

shot low into the corner of Joseph

Wollacott's goal.

The PSG star was again the provider

as Brazil increased their advantage,

whipping in a free-kick that Richarlison

glanced home at the near post.

Ghana barely avoided conceding a

fourth before the break when Neymar

teed up Paqueta, whose effort was

saved by Wollacott before Raphinha's

follow-up was blocked.

Athletic Bilbao forward Inaki

Williams, who won one cap for Spain in

2016, and Southampton defender

Mohammed Salisu came on for their

Ghana debuts at half-time.

Bremer, the center-back who joined

Juventus from Torino in July, made his

first Brazil appearance, replacing

Thiago Silva.

Andre Ayew's header clipped the bar

on the hour as Ghana finally tested

Brazil, whose rhythm slowed as Tite

turned to his bench with the

introduction of Antony and Matheus

Cunha.

Former England Under-21

international Tariq Lamptey, another

of Ghana's new recruits, got his first

minutes for the four-time African

champions as Otto Addo emptied his

bench.

Neymar nearly capped off another

sparkling performance with a goal of

his own, but shot weakly at Wollacott

after a mesmerising run.

Roger Federer's last match is

doubles loss with Rafael Nadal

SportS DeSk

This day, this match, had to

come, of course, for Roger

Federer, and for tennis, just as

it inevitably must for every

athlete in every sport, reports

UNB.

Federer bid adieu Friday

night with one last contest

before he heads into

retirement at age 41 after a

superlative career that

included 20 Grand Slam titles

and a statesman's role. He

wrapped up his days as a

professional player with a loss

in doubles alongside his

longtime rival Rafael Nadal

for Team Europe in the Laver

Cup against Frances Tiafoe

and Jack Sock of Team World.

The truth is that the victors,

the statistics and the score

(OK, for the record it was 4-6,

7-6 (2), 11-9) did not matter,

and were all so entirely beside

the point. The occasion was,

after all, about the farewell

itself. Or, better, the farewells,

plural: Federer's to tennis, to

the fans, to his competitors

and colleagues. And,

naturally, each of those

entities' farewells to Federer.

"It's been a perfect journey,"

Federer said. "I would do it all

over again."

When the match, and with

it, his time in professional

tennis, ended, Federer hugged

Nadal, then Tiafoe and Sock.

And then Federer began

crying. As cascades of

clapping and yells of affection

came from the stands,

Federer put his hands on his

hips, his chest heaving. Then

he mouthed, "Thank you,"

while applauding right back

toward the spectators who

had chanted, "Let's go, Roger!

Let's go!" during the

concluding moments of a

match that lasted more than

two hours and ended at about

12:30 a.m.

The Swiss star announced

last week that the three-day

team event, which was

founded by his management

company, would be his final

event before retirement, then

made clear the doubles outing

would be his last match. His

surgically repaired right knee

- the last of three operations

came shortly after a loss in the

Wimbledon quarterfinals in

July 2021, which will go down

as his final official singles

match - is in no shape to allow

him to continue.

"For me, just personally, (it

was) sad in the first moment,

when I came to the conclusion

it's the best decision," Federer

said in an interview with The

Associated Press this week

about his emotions when

realizing it was time to go. "I

kind of held it in at first, then

fought it off. But I could feel

the pain."

A couple of hours before

Friday's match, Federer

tweeted: "I've done this

thousands of times, but this

one feels different. Thank you

to everybody who's coming

tonight."

He had said he wanted this

to feel more like a party than a

funeral, and the crowd

obliged, rising for a loud and

lengthy standing ovation

when Federer and Nadal -

each wearing a white

bandanna, blue shirt and

white shorts - emerged

together from a tunnel leading

out to the black court for the

last match on Day 1 at the O2

Arena. The spectators

remained on their feet for

nearly 10 minutes, through

the pre-match warmup,

holding aloft phone cameras

to capture the moment.

They came ready to roar for

him, some with Swiss flags,

some with homemade signs,

and they made themselves

heard with a wall of sound

when Federer delivered a

Federer announced last week his plan to retire.

forehand volley winner on the

match's second point. Similar

reactions arrived merely at the

chair umpire's announcement

before the third game of

"Roger Federer to serve," and

again when he closed that

game with a 117 mph service

winner.

Doubles requires far less

movement and court

coverage, of course, so the

stress on his knee was limited

Friday. Federer showed

touches of his old flair, to be

sure, and of rust, as to be

expected.

As his parents and wife sat

in front-row seats behind a

baseline, there were a couple

of early forehands that sailed

several feet too long. There

also was a forehand that slid

right between Sock and Tiafoe

and seemed too good to be

true - and, it turned out, was:

The ball traveled through a

gap below the net tape and so

the point was taken away

from Federer and Nadal.

photo: Ap

'Angry' Germany

eye redemption

against England

SportS DeSk

Germany manager Hansi

Flick said "it is better to be

angry now than at the World

Cup" as he promised his side

will learn from their 1-0

home defeat to Hungary,

reports UNB.

"I am absolutely

disappointed because as a

footballer you hate to lose,"

Flick said after Friday's

defeat in Leipzig, his first

since taking over the

Germany job.

Flick said the first-half

performance was the worst

of his 14 games in charge,

but took some responsibility

himself.

"I opted for a lineup that

just didn't work so well," he

said.

"The way we approached

the game, we can do much

better.

"The time for

experimentation is over."

Flick's "experimentation"

referred to putting attacking

midfielder Jonas Hofmann

at right back, which he

abandoned at half-time with

the home side trailing to

Adam Szalai's 17th-minute

goal.

"We wanted to try

something with Jonas at

right-back... we wanted to

see two attacking fullbacks,"

said Flick.

"As a result, we couldn't

get in flow. I have to take

some of the blame for that."

Next up for Germany, as

they build up to November-

December's World Cup in

Qatar, is a trip next week to

old rivals England.

Real Madrid defender

Antonio Rudiger, who will

miss the Nations League

clash after picking up a

second yellow card, said

Germany need to up their

standards to make an

impact at the World Cup.

"We wanted more today.

In the first half we lost the

battle against them,"

Rudiger told AFP.

"We have to definitely

learn our lessons from this

game."

Joshua Kimmich, clearly

the home side's best player

on a disappointing night,

said beating England was

the first step to a successful

World Cup.

"Listen... we wanted to win

the group at all costs, even if

you didn't see that in the first

half," Kimmich said, with his

side third in their Nations

League group, behind

Hungary and Italy.

"And now we can't do that

anymore, but we still want to

win the last game against

England to give us more

confidence."

Ronaldo charged

with improper

conduct after clash

with Everton fan

SportS DeSk

Manchester United forward

Cristiano Ronaldo has been

charged with improper

conduct by the Football

Association (FA) for smashing

a teenage fan's phone to the

ground following a defeat at

Everton last season, reports

UNB.

Ronaldo, 37, apologised to

the 14-year-old fan via social

media after the incident,

which took place after

United's 1-0 defeat at

Goodison Park in April.

"Cristiano Ronaldo has

been charged with a breach of

FA Rule E3 for an incident

that took place after

Manchester United FC's

Premier League match

against Everton FC on

Saturday, 9 April 2022," the

FA said in a statement.

"It is alleged that the

forward's conduct after the

final whistle was improper

and/or violent."

United said they would

support Ronaldo in his

response to the charge.

Ronaldo was cautioned by

the police in August regarding

the incident.

Kim, O'Toole among

six sharing LPGA

lead in Arkansas

SportS DeSk

Ryann O'Toole started hot and Sei-young

Kim finished strong on Friday to join a group

of six players sharing the first-round lead in

the LPGA NW Arkansas Championship,

reports UNB.

America's O'Toole exploded with six

straight birdies from the second through

seventh holes at Pinnacle Country Club and

finished with eight birdies in her 7-under par

64.

"It was one of those you just start

laughing," O'Toole said of her big birdie

burst. "As the fifth one poured in and the

sixth one poured in I'm, like, 'OK, I got it. I'm

just going to keep going.'"

And she needed all the birdies she could

get as the crowd got bigger atop the

leaderboard.

South Korean Kim's eight birdies included

four straight at her last four holes, the sixth

through the ninth.

"Pretty solid round today," Kim said,

adding that the soft greens made it possible

to attack the pins. "I'm very happy with the

strong finish today."

The leading group in the 54-hole event also

included South Korean Lee5 Jeong-eun,

Japan's Yuka Saso and Americans Megan

Khang and Lauren Coughlin.

Lee5 had seven birdies without a bogey

while Khang had eight birdies and a bogey

and Coughlin grabbed a share of the lead

with a 28-foot eagle putt at the par-five 18th.

O'Toole, who returned from a month-long

break to post a ninth-place finish at Portland

last week, said her round could have been

even better.

"I definitely felt like I left a lot out there

still," said O'Toole, who hit all 18 greens in

regulation. "Eight birdies, but I still felt like

there was a ton left out there, especially on

the back side."

Coughlin was in the first group off the tee

on Friday and was warming up before it was

really light.

The 29-year-old admitted she was nervous

coming into the week which she entered

94th in the Race to the CME Globe with only

three more full-field events remaining after

the tournament.

While the top 60 in the race will qualify for

the Tour Championship, for those ranked 85

to 110 the coming weeks are a battle to

maintain their exempt status without having

to go to the Q Series qualifier.

"I knew once I got in the groove of (the first

round) it would go away," she said of her

nerves, "and it did."

The leading bunch had a one-shot lead

over Taiwan's Vivian Hou and American

Lilia Vu, with another six players a further

stroke back.

Sei-Young kim of South korea during the first round of the Walmart NW

Arkansas Championship presented by p&G at pinnacle Country Club in

rogers, Arkansas.

photo: Ap

Tigers keen to get into winning

habit beating UAE

SportS DeSk

Bangladesh are eying to build up a winning habit, snapping

the perpetual failure in the T20 format when they take on

United Arab Emirates in the first of the two-match series at

Dubai International Cricket Stadium today (Sunday). The

match starts at 8 PM as per Bangladesh Time, reports BSS.

Creating a winning culture is imperative for Bangladesh as

they won just two of the nine T20Is they have played this

year. They lost six and witnessed one game washed out by

rain.

Therefore they are desperate to get back into the groove

ahead of the tri-nation series in New Zealand and T20 World

Cup in World.

The UAE series in fact was not in the plan initially.

Bangladesh was supposed to practice for some days before

leaving the New Zealand for tri-nation series. However the

team management pondered some International matches

will be more effective than practice at home but they didn't

get stronger team than the UAE because of other team's tight

International schedule.

Before the series was finalized, Bangladesh skipper Shakib

Al Hasan was granted NOC to play the Caribbean Premier

League (CPL). Shakib later chose CPL ahead of UAE series

and so vice-captain Nurul Hasan Sohan will lead the side.

"If we can win both the matches against the UAE, the

confidence gained from these wins will help us in the trination

T20I series in New Zealand and the T20 World Cup,"

Sohan said ahead of leaving the country.

Most recently, Bangladesh returned from the Asia Cup in

UAE having lost both group matches against Afghanistan

and Sri Lanka. Some luck against eventual champion Sri

Lanka might put Tigers in the Super Four but there's no

doubt that their approach was not dynamic what T20 cricket

demands.

Before the Asia Cup, they also surrendered their first ever

T20 bilateral series to Zimbabwe, having lost the threematch

series by 2-1.

"Even though we lost last few matches in this format, I

think there is chance to get back into the groove. If we can

create a habit of winning then the team combination and

overall outlook of the side will change. That will be our

target," Sohan added.

"We want to think in a big way and then follow a process. If

we can follow the process, results will come in our favour."

Opener Soumya Sarkar, pacer Shoriful Islam, and legspinner

Rishad Hossain, all of whom were named as standby

players for the T20 World Cup, have been included for the

UAE tour. Off-spinner Mahedi Hasan, who was dropped

from the Tigers' World Cup squad, took a leave from the tour.

Bangladesh earlier played just one match against UAE in

this format in 2016 and won that by 51 runs. Overall they

played 133 matches, winning 45 and losing 85 while three

matches ended in a no result.

Kamada and

Mitoma strike

as Japan breeze

past USA

SportS DeSk

Daichi Kamada and Kaoru

Mitoma were on target as

Japan continued their

preparations for November's

World Cup in Qatar with a 2-0

win over USA in Dusseldorf

on Friday, reports BSS.

Kamada's 24th minute

strike was given after VAR

overruled the onfield officials

who believed the Eintracht

Frankfurt forward was offside

while Mitoma added the

second for Hajime Moriyasu's

side with two minutes

remaining.

Jesus Ferreira's early

header had sailed over the bar

from Sergino Dest's cross in

an encouraging start for USA

but that was to prove a rare

sight of goal for Gregg

Berhalter's side.

Kamada was denied by

Matt Turner in the 13th

minute before giving the

Samurai Blue the lead 11

minutes later when he calmly

slotted home after Hidemasa

Morita's lay-off.

The goal had initially been

ruled out for offside before it

was confirmed by VAR that

Kamada had been in line with

the defence as he received the

ball.

Arsenal goalkeeper Turner

ensured USA were not on the

end of a heavier defeat with a

string of fine saves in the

second half.

The 28-year-old kept out a

55th minute effort from Junya

Ito before denying Kamada a

second of the game 10

minutes later. He then tipped

substitute winger Ritsu

Doan's shot over the bar.

But there was nothing

Turner could do to prevent

Mitoma from adding Japan's

second in the 88th minute.

sUNdAY, sEPTEMBER 25, 2022

10

Mim meets

flood affected

children

TBT REPORT

UNICEF Bangladesh National

Ambassador actress Bidya Sinha

Mim visited Sylhet and met children

whose lives were upended by floods

that wreaked havoc in north-eastern

Bangladesh in May and June this

year. The extensive flooding led to a

food, water and sanitation crisis and

disrupted the lives of 7.2 million

people, including 3.5 million

children.

"The stories I heard from children

and their parents in Sylhet are

heart-rending. They have shown

incredible resilience even as their

lives have been turned upside down

by the floods, and we must continue

to stand by them and support their

recovery," said Mim after speaking

to children at Gowainghat upazila.

During her two-day tour, Mim

saw first-hand how UNICEF

contributes to the restoration of

flood-damaged latrines, water

points, schools and health facilities.

Mim also met with social workers

who spoke about their support to

children and their families after the

floods.

"Mim's visit reminds us of that

even after the waters recede,

children remain at risk from

flooding and other emergencies

related to climate change in

Bangladesh. Today, Mim gives voice

Avatar star recalls baffled

reaction to Cameron's pitch

Sam Worthington remembers the

first time he heard the pitch for

Avatar, and how he was initially

overwhelmed by the scope of James

Cameron's vision.

Sam Worthington, best known as

Jake Sully in James Cameron's

Avatar films, reveals his initial

reaction to the idea for the original

movie. Avatar landed on the big

screen with a bang in December

2009, drawing in audiences with its

incredible visuals and state-of-theart

CGI. The film, which was

Cameron's long awaited follow-up

to then-current box office king

Titanic, broke many of Cameron's

own financial records, and thanks to

numerous re-releases has continued

to hold the #1 highest grossing title

worldwide. In addition to being a

moneymaker for 20th Century Fox,

Avatar also boosted the careers of

actors such as Worthington and Zoe

Saldaña, and jump-started a

franchise that will continue with this

winter's Avatar: The Way of Water.

One of the difficulties that

Cameron faced in creating Avatar

was bringing an entire cast and crew

onboard with the wild, unbelievable

visuals and lore of the world of

Pandora. Almost the entirety of the

production took place against blue

screen technology, with actors such

as Worthington, Saldaña, and

Sigourney Weaver doing motion

capture work, and the entire Na'vi

language being engineered to give

depth to a culture that didn't exist.

The production, as with the

subsequent sequels, took several

years, corresponding to growing

technologies and the depth of

Cameron's vision for the story.

Signing up for an Avatar movie

involved more information,

background and extraneous

elements than most projects, and for

some, the onset of entering Pandora

can be extremely daunting.

Speaking at a recent press

conference (via GamesRadar),

Worthington talks about the first

to the plight of children who -

months after the emergency - are

still facing difficulties and need

support," said Mr. Sheldon Yett,

UNICEF Representative to

Bangladesh.

Mim, who was appointed as

UNICEF's National Ambassador in

Bangladesh in May 2022, also

visited children and adolescents in

Sylhet, including in a tea garden and

a UNICEF-supported adolescent

club.

time he heard the pitch for Avatar,

and how he was initially

overwhelmed by the scope of

Cameron's vision for the project.

Worthington, who's promoting the

recent 4K theatrical rerelease of

Avatar, emphasizes the trust he and

his fellow cast members put in

Cameron in order to act alongside

visuals and creatures that didn't

entirely exist yet. Check out the full

excerpt below:

"Well, when I first read it, there

are things like floating mountains,

there are things like Thanators,

there are things when I have no idea

what this man's talking about. And

least of all, I had no idea how we're

gonna do this. My biggest memory

is when you're in that Volume was

the sense of play. That's how we did

this thing. It was Jim [Cameron]

every day saying, 'Look, I'm gonna

build something and create

something that will translate to be

the floating mountain, and I need

you to jump off it. And I'm gonna

have guys coming at you, attacking

you, and they're gonna symbolize,

later on, Viperwolves.' And you just

dove in."

Source: Collider

‘Beauty Circus’,

‘Operation

Sundarbans’

hits theatre

TBT REPORT

'Beauty Circus' and 'Operation

Sundarbans', the two much-talked movies

hit theatres across the country on Friday.

The films are 'Beauty Circus' and

'Operation Sundarbans' by Dipankar

Dipon.

Directed by Mahmud Didar, the film

'Beauty Circus' was released in a total of 19

theatres, including Star Cineplexes

(Bashundhara City, Bijoy Sarani, SKS

Tower, Sony Square), Blockbuster

Cinemas, Lion Cinemas in Dhaka, Grand

Sylhet Cineplex in Sylhet, Silver Screen

Chattogram and Sangeeta Cinema in

Khulna.

While Dipankar Dipon- directed

'Operation Sundarbans' was shown in a

total of 35 halls, including all branches of

Star Cineplex, Blockbuster Cinemas, Lion

Cinemas, Shyamoli Cinema, Modhumita

Cinema, CineScope Narayanganj, Grand

Sylhet Cineplex in Sylhet, Silver Screen in

Chattogram, Roots CineClub in Sirajganj,

Shonkho Cinema in Khulna, Monihar at

Jashore, Chayabani Cinema Hall in

Mymensingh, Shapla in Rangpur and

Abhiruchi in Barishal.

'Beauty Circus' is a government-granted

film. The movie has been produced by

Impress Telefilm and presented by

Bashundhara Gura Masala. The cast of the

star-studded film includes Jaya Ahsan,

Ferdous Ahmed, Tauquir Ahmed, ABM

Sumon, Shatabdi Wadud, Gazi Rakayet

and others.

The film got the government grant in the

fiscal year 2014-15.

In the film, Jaya Ahsan was seen as a

circus girl 'Beauty'. Three songs are used in

the film. The songs were sung by Sharmin

Sultana Sumi of Chirkutt Band, Evan and

Tuntun Baul of Ashes Band.

On the other hand, Operation

Sundarbans is a wildlife action thriller

movie. The film is co-written and directed

by Dipankar Sengupta Dipon. The film is

produced by RAB Welfare Cooperative

Society Ltd. Nazim-ud-Doula and Dipon

have written the screenplay.

The plot of the movie is based on real

operations of RAB during surrender of

robbers of Sundarbans as well as the

struggle of Sundarbans' natives.

Maria Mrittik: Uplifting women empowerment in Bangladesh with WLC

TBT REPORT

contributing to the country's socioeconomic

development. Women

'If women want something, they can do

Leadership Corporation organized The

everything,'- We have got proof of these

Majestic Affair Lifestyle & Bridal Industry

words several times. This era is for women

Awards & Expo 2021 with women

to come forward and glow with their own

entrepreneurs from different parts of the

talent. Bangladeshi women are also leading

country with the aim of encouraging

towards successful careers. Organizations

women. They have awarded 17 women for

like the Women Leadership Corporation

their innovative ideas and initiatives for the

(WLC) made this possible to inspire women

betterment of the society. This event helps

to be an entrepreneur and step forward in

women to get to know each other and build

their dream.

a strong community.

Women Leadership Corporation (WLC) massive achievement for her to be the Maria said, "We have been working for

started its journey in 2020, targeting to help winner of an international award. Though the past three years so that all the women

women entrepreneurs. Maria Mrittik, the many renowned organizations were entrepreneurs of the country can work

founder and president of WLC, always is a

make-up artist since 2018. She is an

individual with all the leadership qualities

and determined to do something for the

women who have the potential. From this

thought, she established her organization

WLC.

Maria Mrittik won the 'Asian Excellence

Award 2022' in the Best Women

Leadership category at Asia's biggest

lifestyle-based awards event in Mumbai,

India. Being a Bangladeshi woman, this is a

nominated for the award, Maria Mrittik

caught the attention of all for her strenuous

work in developing women's leadership in

Bangladesh. Maria said that this is an honor

for her to receive the award from Bollywood

star actress Madhuri Dixit.

Women Leadership Corporation has

been working in various ways to uplift

women who have the potential to bring

significant change. They are making efforts

to introduce Bangladesh to the world as a

unique model of women empowerment by

together to deal with the country's economic

imbalance after Corona."

Maria Mrittik is an international make-up

artist and social worker working for the

socio-economic development of women.

Also, she provides makeup training in the

country and internationally. She is

associated as a goodwill ambassador for

several prominent brands in the country.

The work of Maria Mrittik and her WLC is

determined to bring a massive change to

women's leadership in Bangladesh

‘Item songs’ can't make

one on actress: Gauahar

Gauahar Khan talked about

the norm when she started

working. She recalled it was

that if an actor doesn't feature

opposite a 'big actor or only

do item songs', they are never

going to be an 'actress'.

Actor Gauahar Khan has

spoken about the early days of

her career when there was a

norm that if an actor doesn't

feature opposite a 'big actor or

only does item songs, you're

never going to be an actress'.

In a new interview, Gauahar

said that she has been fighting

stereotypes and wants to

continue doing so.

Gauahar has featured in

dance numbers in several

movies such as Nasha from

Aan (2004), Parda from Once

Upon a Time in Mumbaai

(2010), Jhalla Wallah from

Ishaqzaade (2012) and

Jawaani Le Doobi from Kyaa

Kool Hain Hum 3 (2016). She

began her career as a model

and later appeared in a couple

of music videos including

Hawa Mein Udati Jaaye by

Bombay Vikings.

Speaking with News18,

Gauahar said, "I just hope I

can keep defying every kind of

stereotype. When I had

started out as an actor, there

was a norm that if you don't

star opposite a big actor or

only do item songs, you're

never going to be an actress.

I've been fighting these things

throughout my career and I'm

glad that I've been able to do

so successfully."

She also said, "I'm not a

rebel and I don't want to

prove something just for the

sake of it but if it comes my

way, I would definitely want

to fight the stereotypes. But

whenever people dissuade me

from doing something, I say,

'Bring it on!' I want to try and

prove them wrong. I've done

that in the past. In fact, my

entire career has been all

about that and I hope that I

can continue to do so in the

future as well."

Gauahar made her

Bollywood debut in 2009

with Rocket Singh with

Ranbir Kapoor. She has

participated in several reality

shows including Jhalak

Dikhhla Jaa 3, The Khan

Sisters, Bigg Boss 7, Khatron

Ke Khiladi 5, and I Can Do

That among others. She did

several films such as

Ishaqzaade, Fever, Badrinath

Ki Dulhania, Begum Jaan and

14 Phere. She was also a part

of the web series, Tandav.

She was recently seen in the

social thriller series Shiksha

Mandal alongside Gulshan

Devaiah, Pavan Raj Malhotra,

Rajendra Sethi and Iram

Badar Khan. Directed by Syed

Ahmad Afzal, Shiksha

Mandal reveals corruption,

fraud, cheating and criminal

conspiracy that affect

students in India. It aired on

MX Player on September 15.

Source: Hindustan times

H O R O s c O P E

ARIEs

Finances should be going well, Aries,

but your financial affairs aren't

something you want to talk about to

anyone now. Perhaps you want to

make a decision that's yours and not influenced by

others. Nonetheless, a close friend or lover is going

to find out. Maybe they'll guess or maybe you'll let

it slip. Don't panic. This person understands you

and won't try to exert undue influence.

TAURUs

You're likely to be in a solitary mood

today, Taurus, and probably want to

spend the evening reading or working

on a project of your own. However, it

isn't likely to work out that way. Family could drop

by or some equipment could go on the blink and

require repairs. Some unexpected calls could come

your way. Take a deep breath and summon your

good manners. You can be alone tomorrow.

GEMINI

Today you might have a strange feeling

that something is wrong, perhaps in the

neighborhood or with a friend or

relative. This is probably going to

bother you all day, Gemini, so it might be a good idea

to call this person or otherwise look into the matter.

There's probably nothing really wrong, but someone

close to you may have just experienced a shock of

some kind.

cANcER

An organization with which you're

affiliated may be having financial

problems, and this fact could come out

today. It might be a shock to you and

everyone else involved, Cancer, but it's good that it's

coming out now. This revelation might have a

profound effect on your goals, and may necessitate

some reevaluation. Some intense discussion with

those around you is definitely indicated.

LEO

Some unexpected changes that have

been kept under wraps at the

workplace could come out soon. They

may involve reorganization or a change

of ownership. This is going profoundly affect your

attitude toward your job. It could cause you to

consider making a change of your own. This isn't the

time to make a decision. Take a few days to consider

your options before making up your mind.

VIRGO

Some disconcerting revelations about

your past or the past of someone close

to you could come out today. This

might be a bit of a shock, Virgo, but it's

a positive development, nonetheless. It will shed

some light on how to deal with current issues in your

life or a relationship. Write down your thoughts,

meditate, talk to a friend, or otherwise try to make

sense of it.

LIBRA

Something you might have wanted to keep

between you and a few trusted friends

could inadvertently be revealed, perhaps to

the wrong people. Frustration and a sense

of betrayal could plague you, but don't turn against those

who knew. Even though this can be disconcerting, you

can learn from it. Benjamin Franklin said, "Two people

can keep a secret only when one of them is dead."nd of

the day because of all the questions you ask!

scORPIO

Demands placed on you by work

colleagues could have you stressed,

Scorpio. You might feel that your coworkers

are taking unfair advantage

of you. This could start you thinking of perhaps

going into business for yourself or with a partner.

This could well be a great idea, but today isn't the

day to make a decision this monumental. Wait a

few days and give it some serious thought.

sAGITTARIUs

Stress and job frustration might have

you thinking about breaking free,

walking out the door, and going

somewhere else. Another thought is

likely to concern going back to school and training

for a career in another field. You might need a

vacation, and returning to school could be a great

idea in the future, but don't decide today. Wait a few

days at least.

cAPRIcORN

A close friend or loved one might drop

out of sight today. You may panic

when he or she doesn't return your

phone calls. Don't jump to

conclusions. They're preoccupied with matters that

for the moment appear important and will contact

you in time. When you do finally connect, you could

hear some interesting news. Relax, go about your

business, and look forward to the call.

AQUARIUs

A household member might toy with

the idea of moving out or going away

for a while, Aquarius. This could stress

you out, but don't make yourself crazy.

Don't try to talk him or her out of it. Listen

sympathetically and let your relative get it out of

their system. This person is probably feeling

temporarily restricted by forces outside the home

and isn't really likely to go anywhere.

PIscEs

Stress could have you feeling

uncommunicative today. You probably

aren't going to want to talk to anyone,

even your dearest friend, Pisces. This

might prove difficult, as people around you are

going to ask for advice and help. Keep your cool.

This feeling will pass, and you won't want anyone to

think you're upset. Go to lunch alone, and tonight

crash into bed with a good book.

SUNDAy, SePTeMBeR 25, 2022

11

On the occasion of Meena Day in Morrelganj of Bagerhat, a story-telling session and rally was held on the role and characteristics

of Meena as a cartoon character for children. Upazila administration and upazila education office organized the event

held on Saturday, presided over by upazila executive officer Md. Jahangir Alam. Apart from this, rallies, poetry recitations,

song and dance competitions were held with the participation of children on the occasion of the day. Photo: M Palash Sharif

White House rebukes World

Bank chief in climate row

WASHINGTON : The White House on

Friday rebuked the head of the World

Bank David Malpass, who is battling

charges of climate denial for dodging

questions on the role of man-made

emissions in global warming.

Under mounting fire, Malpass has

rejected suggestions he might quit over

the uproar-and has moved to clarify his

position several times in recent days.

"Look, it's clear that greenhouse gas

emissions from human activity are

adding to, are causing climate change,"

he told Politico Friday, affirming that

none of the bank's member countries

had asked him to leave and that he was

"not resigning."

"The task for us, for the world, is to

pull together the projects and the

funding that actually has an impact," he

said.

Malpass is a veteran of Republican

US administrations and was tapped to

lead the bank in 2019 by then-president

Donald Trump, who famously and

repeatedly denied the science behind

climate change.

Climate activists have previously

called for Malpass to be removed for

what they say is an inadequate

approach to the climate crisis-but the

chorus grew suddenly louder after his

appearance at a New York Timesorganized

conference this week.

Asked on stage to respond to a claim

by former US vice president Al Gore

that he was a climate denier, Malpass

declined multiple times to say whether

he believed man-made emissions were

warming the planet-responding, "I'm

not a scientist."

"We condemn the words of the

president," Press Secretary Karine

Jean-Pierre told a White House

briefing in response to the incident.

"We expect the World Bank to be a

global leader" on the climate crisis

response, she said, adding that the US

Treasury Department "has and will

continue to make that expectation clear

to the World Bank leadership."

Malpass has been seeking to coursecorrect

since the row erupted earlier

this week, and in an interview with

CNN on Thursday he clearly

acknowledged that climate-warming

emissions were "coming from

manmade sources, including fossil

fuels, methane, agricultural uses and

industrial uses."

"I'm not a denier," he told the

network, saying his message had been

"tangled" and he was "not always good

at conveying" what he means.

But the uproar shows little sign of

dying down, with the Union of

Concerned Scientists the latest group to

call for him to be "replaced

immediately."

Pressed on whether President Joe

Biden still has confidence in Malpass

and media reports that some US

officials are seeking his removal, Jean-

Pierre said: "Removing him requires a

majority of shareholders, so that's

something to keep in mind."

"The US believes the World Bank

must be a full partner in delivering

on the aggressive climate agenda,

poverty reduction and

sustainability development. Again,

Treasury will hold Malpass

accountable to this position and

support the many staff working to

fight climate change."

Malpass's initial nomination

faced intense criticism but since

taking the role he has been a

staunch supporter of aid and debt

relief for the poorest nations, in

addition to consistently noting the

dangers from climate change.

In a speech in June where he

warned about the overlapping

crises facing the global community

amid soaring inflation and debt

distress, he emphasized the need to

"effectively address climate

change."

Constitution stops

Charles becoming

Britain's 'green' king

LONDON : On a blustery

November day last year

Britain's future king stood

before world leaders to

deliver a rallying cry that they

should "act with all despatch,

and decisively" to confront a

common enemy.

The clarion call - in the vast,

windowless hall of a Glasgow

convention center at the

opening of the U.N. climate

conference - concerned an

issue long dear to the heart of

the then-Prince Charles.

Climate change and loss of

biodiversity were no different

from the COVID-19

pandemic sweeping the

globe, he said.

Official held in Vegas

reporter killing

facing loss of job

LAS VEGAS: A local elected

official got court-appointed

attorneys during his

arraignment Tuesday in the

stabbing death of a Las Vegas

investigative journalist who

wrote articles critical of him

and his managerial conduct,

reports UNB. Robert Richard

Telles, the Clark County public

administrator, also was hit

with a lawsuit aimed at

stripping him of his elected .

77 migrants killed as boat

sinks off Syrian coast

ARIDA BORDER CROSSING : At least 77

people were killed when a boat carrying

migrants sank off Syria this week, the

country's health minister said Friday, amid

fears the death toll could be far higher.

The incident was deadliest so far as a

surging number of Lebanese, Syrians, and

Palestinians have been trying to flee crisis-hit

Lebanon by sea for a better future in Europe.

Tens of thousands have lost their jobs while

the Lebanese pound has dropped more than

90% in value, eradicating the purchasing

power of thousands of families that now live

in extreme poverty.

Syrian authorities said victims' relatives

have started crossing from Lebanon into

Syria to help identify their loved ones and

retrieve their bodies. The vessel left Lebanon

on Tuesday and news of what happened first

started to emerge on Thursday afternoon.

The boat was carrying Syrian, Lebanese and

Palestinians.

Syrian state-run TV quoted Health

Minister Mohammed Hassan Ghabbash as

saying 20 people were rescued and were

being treated at al-Basel hospital in Syria's

coastal city of Tartus. He added that medical

authorities have been on alert since

Thursday afternoon to help in the search

operations.

An official at al-Basel, speaking on

condition of anonymity under regulations,

told The Associated Press that eight of those

rescued were in intensive care. The official

also confirmed the 77 deaths. There were

conflicting reports on how many people were

on board the vessel when it sank, with some

saying at least 120. Details about the ship,

such as its size and capacity, were also not

clear. Lebanese Transport Minister Ali

Hamie said the survivors included 12

Syrians, five Lebanese and three

Palestinians. Eight bodies have been brought

back to Lebanon early Friday, according to

Lebanese Interior Minister Bassam

Mawlawi.

After sunset Friday, bodies of more

victims, including two Palestinians, were

brought to Lebanon. They were taken in

seven ambulances and headed south from

the Arida border crossing toward the

northern city of Tripoli.

Earlier in the day, Tartus governor Abdul-

Halim Khalil told the pro-government Sham

FM Radio that the search was underway for

more bodies off his country's coast. Khalil

said the boat sank on Wednesday.

Syria's state news agency, SANA, quoted a

port official as saying that 31 bodies were

washed ashore while the rest were picked up

by Syrian boats in a search operation that

started Thursday evening.

Wissam Tellawi, one of the survivors being

treated at al-Basel, lost two daughters. His

wife and two sons are still missing. The

bodies of his daughters, Mae and Maya, were

brought to Lebanon early Friday and buried

in their northern hometown of Qarqaf.

"He told me by telephone, 'I am fine' but

the children are lost," said Tellawi's father,

who identified himself as Abu Mahmoud.

The father told the local Al-Jadeed TV that

his son gave smugglers the family's

apartment in return for taking him and his

family to Europe.

In the aftermath of the disaster, the

Lebanese army said troops stormed Friday

the homes of several suspected smugglers,

detaining four in the northern city of Tripoli,

Lebanon's second-largest and most

impoverished. Three others were detained in

the nearby village of Deir Ammar.

Three Chinese dead

after Cambodia

boat sinking

SIHANOUKVILLE : The

death toll from a capsized

boat off Cambodia's coast

rose to three Chinese

nationals on Saturday, with

a further nine rescued in

Vietnamese waters and eight

still missing, Cambodian

authorities said.

The boat with 41 Chinese

people on board got into

difficulties off Sihanoukville

on Thursday.

Kheang Phearom, the

spokesman for Cambodia's

Preah Sihanouk provincial

administration, told AFP

rescue teams recovered two

more bodies on Saturday,

bringing the death toll to

three.

Eight people remain

missing, he said.

Cambodian authorities

had rescued 21 people on

Friday.

Meanwhile, a Vietnamese

border guard on duty at the

An Thoi station in Kien

Giang province told AFP

that a fishing vessel had

rescued nine Chinese

nationals in Vietnamese

waters near Phu Quoc island

on Friday.

The formerly sleepy

fishing village of

Sihanoukville in Cambodia

in recent years has been

transformed into a casino

hub following a Chinese

investment boom.

Germany nationalizes country's

biggest gas importer Uniper

BERLIN: The German government said

Wednesday that it has agreed to nationalize

the country's biggest gas importing company,

Uniper, expanding state intervention in the

industry to prevent an energy shortage

resulting from Russia's war in Ukraine,

reports UNB.

The deal with Uniper builds on a rescue

package agreed in July and features a capital

increase of 8 billion euros (dollars) that the

government will finance. As part of the

agreement, the government will gain a 99%

stake in Uniper, which until now was

controlled by Finland-based Fortum. The

Finnish government has the largest stake in

Fortum.

Germany's economy minister, Robert

Habeck, said the deal was necessary because

of the significance that Uniper plays in the

German gas market. It still needs to be

approved by the European Commission.

Uniper supplies about 40% of all gas

customers in Germany and before the war it

bought about half of its gas from Russia.

The company's losses mounted as Russia

has cut back natural gas supplies to European

countries supporting Ukraine. Prices have

soared for the fuel needed to heat homes,

generate electricity and power factories,

raising fears of business closures, rationing

and a recession as the weather turns cold.

European countries have scrambled to

counter the price spiral and prioritized

securing their energy supplies for winter,

including by filling their natural gas storage.

Just last week, Germany also moved to take

control of three Russian-owned oil refineries

before an embargo on Russian oil takes effect

next year. Habeck noted that Germany has

managed to fill its gas storage facilities to over

90% capacity in preparation for the winter

heating season despite Russia halting gas

deliveries through the Nord Stream 1

pipeline. Wholesale prices for gas have

almost halved since the summer, he said.

"This means that, as a whole, we have

coped quite well with the situation," said

Habeck. "But for Uniper the situation become

significantly more dramatic and significantly

worse."

Citing the importance of Uniper for the

German gas market, Habeck said the

government had chosen to nationalize the

company "in order to ensure security of

supply for Germany."

Chancellor Olaf Scholz has insisted that

Germany is well-placed to get through the

winter with enough energy, pointing to new

liquefied natural gas terminals expected to

start work in the coming months, among

other things.

In a separate move last Friday, his

government announced that German

authorities were taking control of three

Russian-owned refineries to ensure energy

security. Two subsidiaries of Russian oil giant

Rosneft are being put under the

administration of Mueller's Federal Network

Agency.

Rosneft accounts for about 12% of

Germany's oil refining capacity, importing oil

worth several hundred million euros (dollars)

every month, according to the government,

which said the trusteeship was initially due to

last for six months.

The network regulator already was put in

charge of Gazprom's former German

subsidiary in April, a decision that the

government said was necessary to bring

"order to the conditions" at the company after

the Kremlin-controlled parent company

abruptly cut ties with the unit.

The 39th Annual General Meeting of Sonar Bangla Cooperative Cotton Mills Limited, a traditional

business organization of Narsingdi, was held. On September 24 in the morning, this general meeting

was organized at the office of the cooperative society. Minister of State for Rural Development and

Cooperative Swapan Bhattacharjee was present as the chief guest in the event. Photo: Md Salim Mia

Blinken urges calm

on Taiwan in talks

with China

NEW YORK : US Secretary of

State Antony Blinken called

Friday for calm over Taiwan as

he met his Chinese

counterpart, as soaring

tensions showed signs of

easing a notch.

Blinken met for 90 minutes

with Chinese Foreign Minister

Wang Yi in New York on the

sidelines of the UN General

Assembly, in talks a US official

described as "extremely

candid" and focused largely on

Taiwan.

Blinken "stressed that

preserving peace and stability

across the Taiwan Strait is

critical to regional and global

security and prosperity," a

State Department statement

said.He "discussed the need

to maintain open lines of

communication and

responsibly manage the US-

PRC relationship, especially

during times of tension," it

added, using the acronym for

the People's Republic of

China.

Fiona rushes at Atlantic Canada

with strong rains and wind

HALIFAX : Strong rains and winds lashed the

Atlantic Canada region as Fiona closed in

early Saturday as a big, powerful post-tropical

cyclone, and Canadian forecasters warned it

could be one of the most severe storms in the

country's history.

Fiona transformed from a hurricane into a

post-tropical storm late Friday, but

meteorologists cautioned that it still could

have hurricane-strength winds and would

bring drenching rains and huge waves.

More than 207,000 Nova Scotia Power

customers were affected by outages by around

midnight, officials said.

The fast-moving Fiona was forecast to make

landfall in Nova Scotia before dawn Saturday,

with its power down from the Category 4

strength it had early Friday when passing by

Bermuda, though officials there reported no

serious damage.

The Canadian Hurricane Centre issued a

hurricane watch for coastal expanses of Nova

Scotia, Prince Edward Island and

Newfoundland.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said

Fiona should reach the area as a "large and

powerful post-tropical cyclone with

hurricane-force winds." "It's going to a bad

one," said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau,

who decided to delay his trip to Japan for the

funeral for assassinated Prime Minister

Shinzo Abe.

"We of course hope there won't be much

needed, but we feel there probably will be ...,"

Trudeau said. "Listen to the instructions of

local authorities and hang in there for the next

24 hours."

The U.S. hurricane center said Fiona was at

Category 2 strength late Friday, with

maximum sustained winds of 105 mph (165

kph). It was centered about 140 miles (220

kilometers) southeast of Halifax, Nova Scotia,

heading northeast at 46 mph (74 kph).

Hurricane-force winds extended outward

up to 185 miles (295 kilometers) from the

center and tropical storm-force winds

extended outward up to 345 miles (555

kilometers).

"This is is definitely going to be one of, if not

the most powerful tropical cyclones to affect

our part of the country," said Ian Hubbard,

meteorologist for the Canadian Hurricane

Centre in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. "It's going

to be definitely as severe and as bad as any I've

seen." Hubbard said the storm was weakening

as it moved over cooler water, and he felt it

highly unlikely it would reach land with

hurricane strength.

Sunday, Dhaka : September 25, 2022; Ashwin 10, 1429 BS; Safar 28 , 1444 hijri

"We very much value

and welcome tourists

from Bangladesh"

DHAKA : Acting Bhutanese Ambassador

in Dhaka Sherab Dorji has invited

Bangladeshi tourists to enjoy the best of

the experiences and bring back full of

beautiful memories after visiting Bhutan.

"We very much value and welcome

tourists from Bangladesh and other countries.

We are confident that every visitor

will enjoy the best of the experiences and

bring back full of beautiful memories after

visiting Bhutan," he said.

Announcing on Friday night that

Bhutan is formally reopened for tourists to

visit, the diplomat said with its raised

Sustainable Development Fee (SDF)

Bhutan believes that it will put them in

good stead to mitigate climate change and

maintain carbon-neutral tourism which

will not only benefit Bhutan, but also the

world as a whole.

"As the Covid-19 situation around the

world improved and with high coverage of

vaccination in the country, the Royal government

of Bhutan now feels confident,"

he said.

Explaining why the Sustainable

Development Fee (SDF) is being raised

from US$ 65 to US$ 200, the diplomat

said Bhutan introduced SDF of US$ 65 in

1991 and an increase in SDF was due a

long time back.

Secondly, he said, Bhutan is a carbon neutral

country and the country also sequesters

9.4 million tons of carbon against its emission

capacity of 3.8 million tons.

"With climate change, it is imperative

that Bhutan continues to conserve its environment,"

said Sherab, also the Head of

Chancery of the Royal Bhutanese

Embassy.

Secretary of the Ministry of Civil

Aviation and Tourism Md. Mokammel

Hossain spoke as the chief guest while

BIMSTEC Secretary General Tenzin

Lekphell attended as special guest at the

event held in a city hotel marking reopening

of tourism of the Kingdom of Bhutan.

President of the Tour Operators

Association of Bangladesh Shiblul Azam

Koreshi was also present.

The Bhutanese envoy said Bhutan will

endeavour to provide authentic experiences

supported by world class services

and personal care to the tourists.

He said tourism has been and will continue

to be an important economic sector

for Bhutan. "However, the renewed vision

for the tourism sector consciously and

deliberately places considerations for

Bhutan's future and its future generation

at the forefront."

WZPDC collects

3.5 crore from

outstanding bills

KhUlNA COrrESPONDENT

West Zone Power Distribution Company

Limited (WZPDC), a distribution company

under the power department, has collected

arrears of Tk three crore thirty-four

lakh twenty one thousand eight hundred

and ninety nine against 16 electricity connections.

The remaining 59 institutions

are owed several crores taka. In some

places, there are cases of violating the electricity

law and connecting the electricity by

themselves. According to the public relations

office of WZPDC, action will be taken

against illegal electricity connectors.

Sources said that despite WZPDC's

notice urging them to pay the outstanding

electricity bills, several companies are not

paying the bills. Of these, 75 city corporations

and municipalities have not paid

their outstanding electricity bills.

Already three crore thirty four lakh

twenty one thousand eight hundred

arrears have been collected against 16

electricity connections. Also, some city

corporations or municipalities are violating

the law and connecting the power lines

themselves without contacting WZPDC,

which is against the law.

According to the public relations office

of WZPDC, the electricity department or

its distribution company will not take any

responsibility for any accident or unexpected

situation in connection with the

violation of the electricity law. Later, illegal

connection and non-payment of outstanding

electricity bills will lead to legal

action.

It is to be noted that in the meeting of

the Executive Committee of the National

Economic Council (ECNEC) on June 1,

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina directed

that the connection should be disconnected

if the customer does not pay the outstanding

electricity bill even after giving a

notice. According to this directive, all the

distribution companies of the electricity

department have been instructed to take

necessary measures by issuing notices if

the electricity bills are arrears.

DU COrrESPONDANT

Former Chairman and Associate Professor of the Department of Oceanography of Dhaka University (DU)

and Acting Editor of The Bangladesh Today addressing a reception ceremony for freshers organized by

Nilphamari District Students' Welfare Association, 'Network of Young Nilphamarians'. Photo : TBT

In parallel to academic excellence,

students need to be good

human being:Jobaer Alam

In an event, Jobaer Alam, the Former

Chairman and Associate Professor of the

Department of Oceanography of Dhaka

University (DU) and Acting Editor of The

Bangladesh Today, emphasized the necessity

of being a good human being and the

practice of philanthropy by the students

along with pursuing excellent academic

credentials at the university.

He said, "Dhaka University, as an educational

institution, has played an outstanding

role in the creation of

Bangladesh. No other university in the

world has achieved such a feat. I applaud

all the students who have come to represent

the 25 lakh people of Nilphamari district

in the university on the basis of their

merit."

He was delivering these on Friday at a

reception ceremony for freshers organized

by Nilphamari District Students'

Welfare Association, 'Network of Young

Nilphamarians'.

The reception program was organized at

the Serajul Islam Chowdhury Auditorium

in the Arts Building of Dhaka University.

Parliament Member of Nilphamari-4

Constituency Ahsan Adelur Rahman was

present as the chief guest in the event.

The chief discussant of the program,

Jobaer Alam advised the new students

Mass awareness needed to

ensure safe use of digital

platforms:Speakers

DHAKA : Speakers at a policy dialogue

underscored the need for creating awareness

among the common people to ensure

digital safety and positive use of digital platforms.

"Due to lack of awareness, many

people are being victims of the cybercrimes,"

said North South University Vice-

Chancellor Professor Dr. Atiqul Islam while

speaking at the discussion at a hotel in the

city on Saturday.

Echoing the idea, Posts and

Telecommunications Minister Mustafa

Jabbar said there is no alternative to everyone

to acquire digital skills to ensure digital

security and positive use of digital platforms.

Bangladesh Enterprise Institute (BEI)

organised the discussion titled: Safe use

of digital platforms for promoting peace

and democracy in society" with BEI president

ambassador M Humayun Kabir in

the chair.

Mustafa Jabbar said the new generation

should lead the digital era and they need to

be empowered with digital technology.

"It is similarly important to increase the

digital capacity of the parents and teachers

so that they can guide the new generation in

the right direction," he added.

Humayun Kabir laid special emphasis on

the use of technology to build an inclusive

society and create equal participation

opportunities for all.

The event was also addressed youth and

enrolled in DU to join various socio-cultural

organizations based on TSC.

The event was more like an inter-generational

meetup as it brought the scholars

of Nilphamari under one roof. There were

activities like quiz competition in regional

language, speech, song and comedy presentation,

language competition in regional

dialect.

Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Public

Administration Abdur Rauf Souza,

Chairman of Modern Digitech Company

Limited Nafiul Karim Nafa, Chairman of

Kishoreganj Upazila Parishad Shah Md.

Abul Kalam Bari Pilot, Power Station CEO

Kabbo Ahmed, Bangladesh Awami Jubo

League Relief and Social Welfare

Secretary Saddam Hussain Pavel,

Bangladesh Bank Deputy Director Feroze

Ahmed Rokon, prominent businessman

and industrialist ABM Manjurul Alam

Siam, the editor of Zoombangla.com

Mahamudul Hasan and Global Insurance

Limited CEO Md. Mosharraf Hossain also

graced the event with their presence.

Bangladesh Chhatra League leader

Nazir Ahmed was in overall supervision

of the program. The president of Network

of Young Nilphamarians, Md Rakib Ul

Islam (Real) presided over while District

Student Welfare Association General

Secretary Sabbir Hossain Swadhin conducted

the program.

sports secretary Mejbah Uddin, Charles

Whiteley, Ambassador and Head of

Delegation of the European Union to

Bangladesh, and BEI board member and

Minhaz Group managing director Minhaz

Kamal Khan.

Mejbah Uddin said that many steps have

already been taken by his ministry to keep

the youth free from the negative effects of

information technology, especially social

media.

He, however, said only the government

initiatives are not enough to address the

issue. He called upon civil society to work on

this issue.

Charles Whiteley said that the European

Union is already actively working on digital

citizenship and other related issues in

Bangladesh and is interested to continue

the activities in the future.

It was informed at the function that in collaboration

with the National Endowment

for Democracy (NED), the BEI implemented

a 12-month project at the Sadar and Paba

upazilas in Rajshahi District to create public

awareness among the local youths and

other important stakeholders such as teachers,

journalists, religious leaders.

The project "Role of Technology in

Strengthening Democracy" played a major

role in creating awareness among the political

leaders and women to ensure the use of

digital platforms and digital security for

peace and democracy.

Vested quarters spread

misinformation by

distorting speech-DC

CHATTOGRAM : Saying that everyone

has access to the District Commissioner

(DC)'s office DC Mohammad Mominur

Rahman said it is not DC's business to see

who prayed Munajat among the crowd of

thousands of people, who read the Gita

and who read the Bible.

DC Mominur Rahman alleged that a

vested quarter is spreading misinformation

by distorting situation and his speech

by bringing his participation in Munajat.

He made this comment while exchanging

views with journalists at its office on

Saturday afternoon.

Centering the last day to submit nomination

papers for the Zilla Parishad elections

at DC office on September 15

Mominur Rahman said his office was

packed with many workers, supporters,

party leaders of various candidates on that

day. "There was also program of harmony

rally, preparatory special meeting for the

upcoming Durga Puja, distribution of

cheques to people killed and injured in

various accidents at the conference room

of the District Commissioner on the same

day," he added. During the preparatory

meeting for the harmony rally, the candidates

for the Zilla Parishad elections

entered the conference room together and

hurriedly submitted their nomination

papers to the District Commissioner, he

said. He also said that a chaotic situation

was created in the meeting hall due to

crowding of people.

It was decided to pray for the departed

souls of the people who died in the recent

fire at BM Container Depot, the people

who died in the railway crossing accident

in Mirsrai and the four people who died in

the road accident in Zorarganj on

September 14.

The DC said a man prayed with Munajat

in the crowd during the filing of nomination

papers. Many people who were present in

the conference room in a scattered manner

also took part in the Munajat prayer.

"The Munajat prays for the country's

development progress, communal harmony

and salvation of the departed souls of those

killed and injured in accidents. Nothing was

said about the Zilla Parishad election in the

prayer," he mentioned. Mominur Rahman

said no statement was made on that day to

solicit votes for any party or to influence the

Zilla Parishad elections.

AL hails PM for her UNGA

speech for world peace, stability

DHAKA : Awami League (AL) has congratulated

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for

her remarkable address at the United

Nations General Assembly (UNGA) for

establishing world peace through building

friendly and humanitarian relations stopping

war and conflicts.

In a statement today, AL General

Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges

Minister Obaidul Quader hailed the premier

for her speech in which she pledged to

build a knowledge-based developed

Bangladesh by 2041.

He said Bangabandhu's daughter

Sheikh Hasina has been taking up timebefitting

work-plan and implementing

those to build a welfare state for the future

generation.

Her speech at the UNGA also reflected it,

he said and again congratulated the premier

for giving message and presenting

directives as a successful statesman before

the world leaders.

"As a successful statesman, Sheikh

Hasina presented the formula to resolve

the crisis period before the world leaders at

the 77th session of the United Nations

General Assembly," he said.

She identified war, arms race, exercise of

power and conflict of interest are the main

impediments to establishing world peace

and ensuring emancipation of mankind, he

mentioned.

Quader said the premier called for building

a peaceful and sustainable world resolving

crisis and conflict through mutual talks

shunning the antagonist path of imposing

forceful economic sanction and counter

sanction.

The call of Bangabandhu daughter is the

vision for world peace and emancipation of

mankind as her speech echoed the essence

of establishing rights and dignity of

repressed and deprived people of the

world, he observed.

Alongside the Russia-Ukraine war, the

peace and stability, climate change, food

insecurity, Covid-19 pandemic, Palestine

and migration issues, among others, concerning

the global as well as Bangladesh

perspectives were prominently featured in

Sheikh Hasina's speech in the 77th session

of the UNGA, he mentioned.

The AL general secretary said the premier

delivered her speech in Bangla likewise

in all the previous periods following

the footprint of Bangabandhu and underscored

the need for complete disarmament,

including the non-proliferation of nuclear

weapons, he said.

Quader said as her address included

message of solutions to current crisis as

well as the directives for establishing a safe

and peaceful world for the future generation,

it enhanced the dignity of the people of

Bangladesh in the world stage.

BNP becomes crazy:Hasan

GAIBANDHA : Information and

Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud

yesterday said BNP has now become crazy

not getting any response after lodging complaints.

"BNP leaders were happy and they

started jumping when an organisation of the

USA issued sanction on some members of

RAB and the police chief. But, now they have

gone crazy as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

is holding meetings with the US President

Joe Biden and other world leaders," he said,

joining the Awami League district unit conference

at Gaibandha Stadium here.

Earlier, the minister said, the BNP leaders

lodged complaints at various places in the

day while they visited different embassies at

night. But, currently, the party has become

crazy, said Hasan, also Awami League joint

general secretary.

He said BNP is now holding rallies at different

areas on the country and fought each

other in the name of movement. Even, the

party carried out attacks on police and innocent

people Munshiganj, he added.

About the proclamation of independence,

the minister said that the proclamation of

independence was made by Bangabandhu

in the first hour of March 26 in 1971. The

then general secretary of Chattogram

Awami League MA Hannan made the

announcement on Swadhin Bangla Betar

Kendra from Kalurghat on March 26, 1971,

he said, adding Ziaur Rahman followed him

on the next day (March 27) as Awami

League leaders decided to involve an army

officer with the declaration.

He said the late office bearer of

Chattogram Awami League, Nurul Haque,

had pronounced the proclamation of the

independence through mike on March 26 in

Chittagong city after the declaration was

given by Bangabandhu. BNP tries to make

office bearer as the headmaster of a school,

he added.

He said Bangladesh is now marching

ahead under the dynamic leadership of

Bangabandhu's daughter Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina. There is no alternative to

Awami League to continue the pace of development

and democracy as well, said Hasan.

AL General Secretary and Road Transport

and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader

addressed the conference virtually as the

chief guest while AL Presidium Member

Ramesh Chandra Sen, MP, inaugurated it

by releasing balloons and pigeons in the sky.

Later, Abu Bakar Siddique and

Mojammel Haque Mondal were elected as

the president and general secretary of the

district AL respectively.

30 injured as

villagers clash

in Magura

MAGURA : At least 30 people were

injured in a clash between two groups of

villagers at Chhongacha village in Sreepur

upazila of the district on Saturday.

Of the injured, Ashraful,30, Khalil

Sardar,35, Milan Sardar,32, Akkach ,50,

Monirul Sheikh,30, Jewel Sheikh,30, Ruhul

Mondal,50, Sher Ali Mondal,40, Nurul

Mondal,42, Taijo Mondal,48, Rezaul

Mondal ,35, Shaheenur Mondal, 32, Pannu

Sheikh,40, Shaon Islam Shanto,12,

Swadhani Mondal ,13, were admitted to

Magura Sadar Hospital.

According to locals, Chand Ali, of

Chhongacha village of the upazila and Habibur

Rahman had been at loggerhead for a long

time over establishing supremacy in the area.

As a sequel to the rivalry, supporters of

Chand Ali locked into an altercation with followers

of Habib around 9am on Saturday.

Priton Sarkar, officer-in-charge (OC) of

Sreepur police station said the trouble began

when the supporters of both groups attacked

each other in the morning.

Both the groups used lethal weapons

during an hour-long clash over establishing

supremacy, leaving 30 people injured.

The injured were admitted to Magura

Sadar Hospital. The condition of Ruhul

Mandal was stated to be critical.

A clash took place in Pabna over sitting on the chair during the reception ceremony of Shamsul haque Tuku as

he was newly appointed as Deputy Speaker of the National Parliament.

Photo : Star Mail

25-09-2022

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