20-10-2022

THURSDAY

DHAKA : October 20, 2022; Kartik 4, 1429 BS; Rabi-ul Awal 23, 1444 Hijri www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www.bangladeshtoday.net Regd. No. DA~2065, Vol. 20; No.153; 12 Pages~Tk. 12.00

INTERNATIONAL SPORTS ART & CULTURE

Pro-Kremlin officials

Tatum, Brown shine

Abanti Sithi's

say will evacuate

as Celtics down Sixers

‘Bhorer Akash’

50,000 from Kherson

in season opener

released

Zohr

>Page 7

HSC, equivalent exams

begin from Nov 6

Coaching centres to remain

closed from Nov 3 to Dec 14

DHAKA : All coaching centres across

the country will remain closed from

November 3 to December 14 as the

Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC)

and equivalent examinations will begin

on November 6,

Education Minister Dipu Moni said

at a press briefing at the secretariat on

Wednesday.

The coaching centres will remain shut

in an effort to conduct the examinations

smoothly, check question leak bid and

prevent copying, she said.

Dipu Moni said all public examinations

will be held maintaining schedule

from next year if there is no disaster, reports

UNB.

The examinations will end on December

13 while the practical examinations

will begin on December 15 and end on

December 22.

This year, a total of 12,03,407 examinees

will sit for the examinations. Of them,

6,22,769 are boys and 5,80, 611 girls.

The number of examinees decreased

by 1,96,283 this year comparing to the

previous year.

The examinations will be held at

2,649 centers and 9,181 institutions. The

number of exam centres increased to 28

comparing to the previous year.

Besides, the examinations will be held

at eight overseas centres and a total of

222 examinees will appear the examinations

from abroad.

No one will be allowed to carry mobile

phone sets or any other devises expect

the in-charges of the exam centres. Incharges

of the exam centres will be allowed

to carry mobile phone sets.

Bangladesh to become

9th largest consumer

market globally

by 2030 : HSBC

DHAKA : Bangladesh is expected to

overtake the UK and Germany and

thus become the world's ninth-largest

consumer market globally by 2030, according

to the proprietary demographic

database of HSBC Global Research.

As per the report, Bangladesh is expected

to see the fastest growth in its

consumer market - that is, the population

earning more than US$20 per day

in constant PPP terms - in the current

decade.

It is followed by India, the Philippines,

Vietnam, and Indonesia, the report

mentioned.

Korea and Japan will see a drop in

the overall market by 2030 and in terms

of size, mainland China is expected to

retain its dominant position as being the

biggest consumer market in the world

with more than 800m consumers by

2030 and 820m by 2040.

As one of the world's largest banking

and financial services organisations,

HSBC combines unparalleled local

insights, global connectivity and professional

integrity to deliver the best

investment opportunities to the clients

and HSBC stakeholders through fundamental

analysis and thought-provoking

ideas. HSBC Global Research plays a key

role in this regard.

04:44 AM

11:50 PM

03:53 PM

05:32 PM

06:50 PM

5:58 5:28

Transit : Regular movement

of goods using Ctg, Mongla

ports at final stage

DHAKA : Bangladesh and India are now

at the final stage of operationalization of

the agreement to use Chattogram and

Mongla ports for transit of goods to and

from India. The agreement was signed

between Bangladesh and India in 2018.

Following completion of trial runs,

necessary permanent standing order or

notification would now be issued by the

government of Bangladesh for the operationalization

and regular movement

of goods under this agreement, officials

said.

This is a “step forward” in realizing

the commitment reiterated at the level

of the two prime ministers during Prime

Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to India in

September 2022.

A vessel named ‘M/v Trans Samudera’

departed Chattogram port yesterday,

carrying Indian transit container that

was transported from the northeastern

Indian state Meghalaya via Bangladesh.

This movement of cargo is part of the

trial run being undertaken for the operationalization

of the agreement, reports

UNB.

The trial run is being undertaken by

Tata Steel and CJ Darcl Logistics Ltd. on

the Dawki-Tamabil-Chattogram route,

said the Indian High Commission in

Dhaka.

There are eight approved routes for

Suspension of Gaibandha-5

by-polls was right : Former

commissioners

DHAKA : Chief Election Commissioner

Kazi Habibul Awal said on Wednesday

that former chief election commissioners,

election commissioners and secretaries endorsed

the Election Commission’s decision

over the suspension of the Gaibandha-5

parliamentary seat by-polls. He made the

remarks at the EC headquarters in Dhaka

after a meeting with the former officials to

discuss the election process.

“The decision to cancel the election at

Gaibandha-5 was correct,” he said of the

outcome of a closed-door discussion with

them. “We invited them to discuss if the decision

regarding the Gaibnadha-5 by-polls

was fine in line with law. Everybody said it

was correct,” he said.

The CEC said that the former election

commissioners and secretaries advised the

EC to maintain “continuity” of its work and

action. He said that the former election

commissioners also told the EC that use

of the CCTV cameras and the EVMs are

helpful in holding a free and fair election,

reports UNB.

But former Election Commissioner

Recently, the

demand for

candles has also

increased due to

the increase in

load shedding

in the country.

In this, candle

making factories

have started to

operate again.

The picture was

taken from Kamrangirchar

area.

Photo : Star Mail

transit of goods under the agreement,

namely, Chattogram/Mongla Port to

Agartala via Akhaura, Chattogram/

Mongla Port to Dawki via Tamabil, Chattogram/Mongla

Port to Sutarkandi via

Sheola, Chattogram/Mongla Port to Srimantapur

via Bibirbazar and vice versa

on all four routes.

During the visit of Prime Minister of

Bangladesh to India in 2019, an SOP was

signed to operationalize the agreement.

The first trial movement under this

agreement on the Chattogram-Akhaura-Agartala

route was successfully

conducted in July 2020, wherein four

containers, two each of TMT steel and

pulses, were delivered at ICP Agartala

from Kolkata through Chattogram, said

the High Commission. The transit or

transhipment of goods under this agreement

will reduce both cost and time for

transport of goods to north-eastern states

of India.

It will also create economic gains for

the Bangladesh logistics and services industry

(insurance, transport and finance

industry etc.) as only Bangladeshi trucks

will be used for transhipment, said the

Indian side. The latest trial for transit of

Indian goods marks the completion of all

trial runs on all approved routes under

the agreement between Bangladesh and

India.

Sakhawat Hossain told reporters that he

advised the EC to use the CCTV cameras

more instead of EVMs.

“Good or bad, there is controversy about

EVMs. More use of CCTV cameras will be

better with the (same) budget meant for the

EVMs at 150 parliamentary seats,” he said.

“Where EVMs are needed, use them.

(But) ballot papers are possible to find out

if they are taken (snatched by someone).

Subtle manipulation is possible with EVMs.

There is no chaos outside, nothing, but

what was going on inside in Gaibandha that

we saw,” he said.

Sakhawat said that the Election Commission

must maintain the continuity of

what it has done regarding Gaibandha-5

by-polls.

Otherwise, he said, people would think

that the EC cancelled the election in Gaibandha

to just demonstrate a scenario for a

different reason.

“So far so good, don’t skip the next steps.

If you do, then a different message will be

sent to the nation that you have done this to

show,” he said.

>Page 9 >Page 10

A meeting was held between Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal and former

election officials to discuss the election process.

Photo : Star Mail

Munia rape, murder

PBI finds no evidence

against Bashundhara

MD, 8 others

DHAKA : The Police Bureau of Investigation

(PBI) has said it has not found any

evidence against Bashundhara Group

Managing Director Sayem Sobhan Anvir

and eight other accused in college

student Mosarat Jahan Munia rape and

murder case. It also recommended their

acquittal from the charges.

The PBI submitted the report to the

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court of

Dhaka on Tuesday, said Deputy Inspector

Saifur Rahman, the general recording

officer of the court. Munia’s sister Nusrat

Jahan filed the case with Dhaka Women

and Children Repression Prevention

Tribunal-8 against the eight people on 6

September, 2021.

The other accused in the case are - Anvir’s

father Bashundhara Group Chairman

Ahmed Akbar Sobhan, his mother

Afroza Begum, wife Sabrina, Sharmin,

Saifa Rahman Mim, Faria Mahbub Piasha

and Ibrahim Ahmed Ripon.

Later, the case was handed over to the

PBI for investigation.

Earlier on August 19, Dhaka Metropolitan

Magistrate Rajesh Chowdhury

relieved Anvir of the charge of incitement

to suicide of the college student.

On July 19, the investigating officer

of the case, Gulshan Police Station officer-in-charge

Abul Hasan, submitted

a final report to the court giving a clean

chit to Anvir.

Anvir was not found culpable in the

suicide incitement case of Munia in the

final report submitted by the investigating

officer and asked for his name to be

dropped.

On April 26, police recovered the

hanging body of Munia from a flat in the

capital’s Gulshan area.

BNP ready to defy ‘curfew’

even to hold Khulna

rally : Mirza Fakhrul

Dengue death toll climbs to

106 with 7 more deaths

Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir

DHAKA : BNP Secretary General Mirza

Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said on Wednesday

that his party was ready to defy a curfew

even to make their upcoming anti-government

rally in Khulna a success.

He made the remarks in the wake of a

decision by transport owners and workers

in Khulna to suspend bus services ahead

of their party’s rally

in the southwestern

region’s biggest city

on Saturday.

“They (govt)

also stopped vehicle

movements in

Mymensingh, but

they failed to stop

people. In the same

way, you’ll see people

will join the

rally in Khulna to

push their demand

for democracy, no

matter whether the

transport service is

suspended or not,”

he told reporters at

BNP Chairperson’s

Gulshan office after

talks with two political parties, reports UNB

He said people came to their Mymensingh

rally by trawlers, boats, rickshaws and

on foot.

“Even, many rickshawpullers did not

take fare from them (BNP leaders and activists).

This is called people’s participation.

Even, we won’t concede to any hartal, curfew

as we’ll be present there (Khulna) by

braving all obstacles,” he said.

As his attention was drawn to the Prime

Minister’s previous comment that BNP

would be allowed to hold political programmes,

Fakhrul said Awami League still

could not live up to its any word or promise.

“They do the opposite of what they say.

So, there’s no reason

to believe Awami

League.”

About Awami

League general secretary

Obaidul Quader’s

remark that BNP

is daydreaming of

another 1/11 like political

changeover,

he said the Awami

League has the habit

of doing that.

“That’s why they

think like that.” “We

don’t daydream. We

dream of seeing a

democratic Bangladesh,

restoring people’s

voting rights,

and establishing true

democracy,” the BNP leader observed.

Replying to a question, he said BNP has

no objection if the ruling party takes to the

streets exercising their democratic rights.

“At the same time, the democratic rights of

all the opposition parties also must be ensured.

As government, it’s their responsibility

to do.”

DHAKA : With seven more deaths from

dengue confirmed in the 24 hours to

Wednesday morning, the official death

toll from the disease rose to 106 in 2022

- the second-highest on record after the

179 deaths recorded in 2019.

In 2021, Bangladesh reported 28,429

dengue cases and 105 deaths, previously

the second-highest number. The total

number of cases this year stood at 27,802

as of Wednesday, reports UNB.

However, the reported figures do not

include those who chose not to receive

hospital treatment. All the patients who

died in the last 24 hours were from Dhaka,

taking Dhaka division’s tally to 63,

according to the Directorate General of

Health Services (DGHS).

During this time, 864 more patients,

including 565 in Dhaka city, were hospitalised

with the mosquito-borne disease.

A total of 3,304 dengue patients, including

2,242 in the capital, are now receiving

treatment at hospitals across the

country.

There have been 51 deaths from dengue

in just the first 19 days of October,

making it the second-deadliest month

on record after August 2019, when 90

deaths occurred due to dengue.

Apart from the ones in October, this

year’s deaths include 1 in June, 9 in July,

11 in August, and 34 in September, according

to the latest figures reported by

the DGHS.

The numbers reveal a seasonal shift

in the incidence of dengue. Since dengue

became endemic in Bangladesh in

2000, the highest number of dengue

cases and high density of Aedes mosquitoes,

the vector that carries the disease,

were found during the monsoon season

(July-September), with cases gradually

declining from October.

THrUsdAY, OCTOBer 20, 2022

2

On the occasion of the 33rd death anniversary of late Yunus Ali, a Freedom

Fighter who hoisted the national flag as second person of Bangladesh on

March 12, 1971, and the organizer of the liberation war, a memorial meeting

and Milad Mahfil was held at Phulbari, Kurigram yesterday. Hasen Ali,

President of Naodanga Union Awami League and the Chairman of the Union

Parishad is addressing in the program.

Photo : Courtesy

DU alumni celebrate

university's centenary

in United Kingdon

DHAKA : Dhaka University

Alumni Association UK

(DUAAUK) has celebrated

the university's centenary in

London of United Kingdom

(UK) with colorful

programmes.

More than 800 alumni of

the University of Dhaka along

with their family members

from the UK and beyond

attended the grand

programme on Sunday,

according to a press release

received.

The programme began with

welcome speech by the

DUAAUK

president

Muhammad Enamul Huq,

secretary Anwar Kabir Khan

and DU centennial

celebrations convener Bulbul

Hasan.

Among others, renowned

economist Dr Selim Jahan,

senior alumnus Dolly Islam,

DU Alumni Association

president Anwar-ul Alam

Chowdhury (Parvez), former

secretary general Ranjan

Karmakar, DUAA executive

Anupam Roy were present as

guests.

Speakers said Dhaka

University has been offering

higher education to a cross

section of people in our

society over the last 100 years

and left an indelible imprint

in a nation's path to

independence.

For next 100 years, the

university has to be set for the

fourth industrial revolution

and can play a unique role in

overcoming the challenges

ahead, they said.

The formal inauguration of

the event began through

playing a documentary on the

glorious past of the university.

Later, a multi-instrumental

performance also had taken

place that conjures a whole

spectrum of memories of the

university days.

A special publication was

launched during the event to

mark the 100 years journey of

DU edited by the DUAAUK

founding alumni Syeda

Saima Ahmed.

The cultural segment of the

event includes performances

by noted musician Shafin

Ahmed and the alumni

themselves ranging from

1960s until recent years.

The enthusiast audience,

featuring a great number of

both young and middle-aged

fans of Miles, seemed very

much captivated by Shafin

Ahmed's performance.

Earlier, 15 children of the

DU alumni members were

awarded for their outstanding

results in GCSE and A level

exams.

Bangladesh mission in

New Delhi celebrates

Sheikh Russel Day

DHAKA : Bangladesh High

Commission in New Delhi

has celebrated "Sheikh

Russel Day" in a befitting

manner marking the 59th

birthday of Father of the

Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh

Mujibur Rahman's youngest

son Shaheed Sheikh Russel.

To mark the day, the High

Commission organised an art

competition along with

screening of a documentary

on Tuesday. A discussion on

the life of Sheikh Russel was

held after reading out

messages issued by President

Abdul Hamid and Prime

Minister Sheikh Hasina

marking the day, said a

media release on

Wednesday.

Newly appointed High

Commissioner of Bangladesh

to India Md. Mustafizur

Rahman and Minister

(Press) Shaban Mahmood

took part in the discussion.

Later, the High

Commissioner along with his

spouse and children of

officers, employees and staff

cut a cake marking the day.

High Commissioner

Mustafizur Rahman said that

on August 15, 1975 the

assassins also killed the

infant Russel with their

brutal bullets, which is the

tragic history of Bangali

Nation.

ASM Fakhrul Islam made

new VC of BSMRAAU

Air Vice Marshal ASM Fakhrul Islam, OSP,

GUP, ndc, afwc, psc, GD(P) has been

appointed as the new Vice Chancellor of

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

Aviation and Aerospace

University (BSMRAAU) -

country's first specialised

public university for aviation

and aerospace studies. The

outgoing Vice Chancellor along

with Pro-VC and other senior

officials of BSMRAAU

welcomed him on his arrival to

the University campus, a press

release said. The new VC sought the

cooperation of all concerned and urged them

to continue working with sincerity,

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Air Vice Marshal ASM Fakhrul Islam

commitment and devotion to make

BSMRAAU a centre of excellence for aviation

and aerospace studies and research. A fighter

pilot by profession, Air Vice Marshal A S M

Fakhrul Islam has been associated

with the military aviation and

aerospace sector of Bangladesh for

more than three decades. He has

shouldered progressively broader

responsibilities within the military

with proven records of team building,

enhancing new capabilities,

encouraging innovations while

leading large formations. He has

logged more than 3000 flying hours in various

types of fixed wing aircraft. He is a qualified

flying instructor and CAT-A fighter pilot.

Madhumati Bridge:

Tk 23,34,000 toll

collected in 7 days

GOPALGANJ: The

government has collected Tk

23,34,000 as toll revenue

from various vehicles

crossing Madhumati Bridge

in the last seven days, reports

BSS.

As many as 25,587 vehicles

crossed the bridge during the

period, said Mohammad

Zahid Hossain, Executive

Engineer of Gopalganj Roads

and Highways Department.

Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina inaugurated the sixlane

bridge virtually on

October 10 and it was opened

to traffic the next day.

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THRUSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2022

3

DU VC Prof. Dr. Md. Akhtaruzzaman visiting a stall of science carnival after inaugurating it at DU

Udyan School.

Photo : Courtesy

Global Youth Climate

Summit set to kick off in

Bangladesh on Oct 20

Global Youth Leadership

Center, an international

non-profit organisation, is

all set to embark on its

journey from Bangladesh on

October 20 with the

inauguration of its first

programme-the Global

Youth Climate Summit. The

three-day summit will be

held at Ava Center in

Khulna, one of Bangladesh's

most climate vulnerable

regions, bringing together

650 youths from 70

countries to explore how

today's youth can lead the

fight against climate change,

a release said.

Some 150 people between

18 and 24 years of age are

expected to participate

directly and 500 virtually.

Addressing the media in

Dhaka on Tuesday, Ejaj

Ahmad, the founder and

chief executive officer of

Global Youth Leadership

Center, said, "Climate

change is the biggest crisis

facing humanity today. To

address a complex challenge

like climate change, we will

all have to work globally and

at scale."

"Our mission is to expand

the youth's knowledge about

climate science, equip them

with leadership skills to take

individual and collective

action, and enable them to

launch businesses that

contribute to climate

mitigation or adaptation,"

he said.

To empower the youth to

take climate action, he said

10 delegates at the summit

will receive a grant of 1,000

US dollars each to

implement their climate

mitigation or adaptation

project.

The organisation's

chairman, Neal Walker,

said, "Young people not only

demand climate change

action, they lead the way."

Bangladesh Embassy in

Washington DC observes

‘Sheikh Russel Day’

DHAKA : Bangladesh

Ambassador to the USA,

Muhammad Imran, has

called upon youths to

develop themselves as

good citizens and work for

establishing a prosperous

Bangladesh imbued with

the ideology of

Bangabandhu, reports

UNB.

The Bangladesh

Embassy in Washington

DC on Tuesday observed

"Sheikh Russel Day",

marking the 59th birthday

of Father of the Nation

Bangabandhu Sheikh

Mujibur Rahman's

youngest son Sheikh

Russel in a befitting

manner.

The embassy arranged

programmes in memory

of Sheikh Russel at the

Bangabandhu Auditorium

in the afternoon.

Taking part in the

discussion, Ambassador

Imran highlighted

Shaheed Sheikh Russel's

unique virtues which he

demonstrated in his short

life.

In spite of being a child,

Shaheed Sheikh Russel

had great love in his heart

for the people,

Ambassador Imran noted.

The Ambassador also

paid deepest homage to

the Father of the Nation

and other members of his

family who were brutally

assassinated in the 15

August 1975 carnage.

Sheikh Russel, the

youngest brother of Prime

Minister Sheikh Hasina,

was born on October 18 in

1964 at the historic

Bangabandhu Bhaban on

Dhanmondi Road 32 in

the capital.

He was brutally

assassinated along with

most of his family

members, including his

father Bangabandhu, on

August 15, 1975 when he

was a student of class four

at University Laboratory

School.

The programmes of the

Embassy included placing

of floral wreaths at the

portrait of Sheikh Russel

and organising a painting

competition for children.

The programmes began

with laying of floral

wreaths at the portrait of

Shaheed Sheikh Russel by

the Bangladesh

Ambassador to the United

States Muhammad Imran.

Officials and employees of

the Embassy were present

at that time.

Then, messages from

the President and Prime

Minister on this occasion

were read out by Defence

Attache? Brig Gen Md

Shahedul Islam and

Minister (Press) AZM

Sajjad

Hossain

respectively.

The programmes ended

with distribution of prizes

by the Ambassador among

the winners of the

painting competition.

Earlier, a documentary

on the life of Shaheed

Sheikh Russel was

screened.

A special prayer was

offered, seeking eternal

peace for the departed

soul of Shaheed Sheikh

Russel and others

martyred on the fateful

night of 15 August 1975.

Counsellor Mohammad

Moniruzzaman conducted

the programmes.

Apart from officials and

employees of the Mission,

their family members

were also present at the

function.

India's experiences

in SME can be used

in Bangladesh:

Speakers

DHAKA : Bangladesh may

use the Indian experience

in the development of their

Small and Medium Enterprises

(SMEs).

Speakers opined this at a

discussion meeting held on

Wednesday morning with

CII and FMC delegation at

the Federation of

Bangladesh Chambers of

Commerce and Industry

(FBCCI), said a press

release.

For developing cooperation,

SME Foundation

Managing Director Md

Mafizur Rahman called for

signing an MoU between

SME foundation and its

counterpart in India.

While chairing the meeting,

FBCCI President Md

Jashim Uddin said,

"Bangladesh has huge

potential in the clusterbased

SME. Both the countries

can benefit if

Bangladesh can harness

the Indian experience in

flourishing SMEs."

Eighty percent of the

businesses operating in

Bangladesh are SMEs, he

added.

Hence, he said, there is

no alternative to SME

development to keep the

economic pace afloat.

He urged the banks to

come forward to disburse

more loans to SMEs.

The Federation chief recommended

implementing

a "one district, one product"

campaign and developing

clusters based on

raw materials available in

the districts.

Senior advisor of the

Foundation of MSME

Cluster (FMC) in India Dr.

Tamal Sarkar made a power

point presentation highlighting

the development of

Indian SMEs.

Veteran Freedom Fighter, Former Secretary and PSC Member Siraj Uddin Ahmed addressing as the

chief guest at the discussion session 'Sheikh Russel Nirmalatar Protik Duranta Pranbanta Nirvik'

organized by Daffodil International University.Professor Dr. M Lutfar Rahman, Vice Chancellor,

Professor Dr. M A Rahim, Adjunct Professor of Department of Nutrition and Food Engineering, Dr.

Nadir Bin Ali, Registrar and Md. Anowar Habib Kazal, Senior Assistant Director (Public Relations),

Daffodil International University are also seen in the picture.

Photo : Courtesy

Govt providing

facilities to investors

in Bangladesh: Tipu

DHAKA : Commerce

Minister Tipu Munshi

yeseterday informed that the

government is providing all

facilities and ensuring

securities to the investors in

Bangladesh, reports UNB.

"About four billion people

live in the Asia Pacific

region. The Asian Trade

Promotion Forum (ATPF)

can play an important role in

the economic development

of the region," he said while

speaking as the chief guest at

the two-day long 35th Chief

Executive Officer (CEO)

meeting of the ATPF in

Sonargaon hotel in the city,

said a press release.

In his speech, Tipu

informed that under the

instruction of Prime

Minister Sheikh Hasina, the

work of establishing 100

Special Economic Zones

(SEZs) in important places

of the country is progressing

rapidly.

"Bangladesh is

progressing rapidly. The

development of Bangladesh

is now visible," he added.

He said Bangladesh has

sufficient skilled manpower

and the country is a big

market of about seventeen

crore people.

Call to ensure safe migration

to avoid human trafficking

in economic interest

DHAKA: Terming remittance sent by

migrant workers as greatly helpful to the

country's economy, speakers at a

programme called for ensuring their safe

migration to avoid human trafficking in

economic interest.

Vulnerable migrants are often the target of

traffickers and find themselves in situations

that can result in debt bondage, forced

labour, sexual exploitation, forced and illegal

marriages, losing lives and other forms of

modern slavery, they observed.

Bangladesh is a source, transit, and

destination country for men, women, and

child victims of human trafficking. All

concerned particularly those at the

grassroots level need to focus their efforts

aimed at preventing exploitation of

individuals by trafficking networks, they

said.

"If the safe migration of migrants is not

ensured, it would be a great setback to our

economy", they remarked while addressing a

opinion exchange meeting titled "Counter-

Trafficking Committee (CTC) Orientation" at

No. 1 Hazratpur union parishad bhaban in

Keraniganj Model thana of Dhaka district.

With the support of U.S Department of

State, INCIDIN Bangladesh, a rights-based

organization, and TdH Netherlands, a

Netherlands-based development

organization, jointly organized the event on

Tuesday afternoon.

Md. Anwar Hossain Aynal, Chairman of

Hazratpur Union Parishad; attended as the

chief guest, while A.K.M. Masud Ali,

Executive Director of INCIDIN, chaired it.

As part of an anti-trafficking programme

supported by U.S. Department of State,

under the guidance of National Plan of

Action to combat human trafficking in

Bangladesh, Hazratpur Union Parishad

recently formed a 35-member CTC

comprising people from different

professions, including public

representatives.

Sophia Meulenberg, Political Officer, U.S.

Embassy in Dhaka, Bangladesh; Andrew

Grimmer, Foreign Affairs Officer, State

Department's Office to Monitor and Combat

Trafficking in Persons; who came here

shared their views with the new CTC at the

meeting.

Both Sophia and Andrew hoped that CTC

will perform their due role in combating

trafficking.

Terming human trafficking as a serious

human rights violation, other speakers said,

all concerned must join their hands as the

fight against trafficking and smuggling of

migrants requires multi-stakeholder

engagement. Mahmudul Kabir, Bangladesh

Country Director of Tdh Netherlands; Md.

Ishtiak Ahmed, a lawyer; Rabindranath Das,

Principal of Hazratpur High School; among

others, spoke at the event.

INCIDIN Bangladesh, a rights-based organization, and TdH Netherlands, a Netherlands-based

development organization, jointly organized an event titled titled "Counter-Trafficking Committee

(CTC) Orientation" on Tuesday afternoon.

Photo : Courtesy

Family, friends remember artist

Kalidas on 3rd death anniversary

DHAKA : Kalidas

Karmakar, the

internationally acclaimed

painter and printmaker

who significantly

advanced Bangladeshi art

through his fascinating

art, shocked the world

with his sudden demise

on October 18, 2019, at

the age of 73, reports

UNB.

The artist was

remembered on the third

anniversary of his death

in an exclusive

commemorative event on

Tuesday night at his

Bangla Motor residence

in the capital.

In remembrance and

celebration of the beloved

artist - fondly called "Kali

Da" - several acclaimed

artists and renowned

personalities joined the

event, discussing the

majestic life of Kalidas

Karmakar.

The vibrant list of

speakers and guests

included WildTeam

Chairman Enam Ul

Haque, veteran artist

Biren Shome, Ekushey

Padak winning

Bangladeshi artist Dr

Farida Zaman, Assistant

Professors of Dhaka

University Faculty of Fine

Arts Drawing and

Painting Department

Kamal Uddin and

Bishwajit Goswami, New

York-based eminent artist

Khurshid Alam Saleem,

legendary artist

Hamiduzzaman Khan,

Gallery Cosmos Executive

Artistic Manager Sourav

Chowdhury and others.

"Kalidas Karmakar is

my classmate from

Faridpur High School and

has been a lifelong friend

of mine. He and I shared

so many memorable

incidents, and because of

his inspiration, I

showcased my

photographs in three

exhibitions, including my

expedition to Antarctica.

He had always been an

unimaginably cheerful

man, aside from being a

legend in the Bangladeshi

art scene," Enam Ul

Haque said at the event.

Freedom fighter and

veteran artist Biren

Shome said, "Right after

the Liberation War in

1971, Kalidas Karmakar

was one of the pioneers

bringing the energy in our

art sphere. He was a man

who always embodied

freedom

and

youthfulness."

Kalidas Karmakar's

eldest daughter Dr Konka

Karmakar reminisced

about her father, saying,

"Everyone knows him as a

legendary artist, but I

have been fortunate to get

his love as his elder

daughter. He was a larger

than life soul, a great

cook, a traveller; a

complete role model - not

only as an artist but also

as a father."

At the event, Dr Konka

Karmakar and Biren

Shome alongside, Gallery

Cosmos Executive Artistic

Manager Sourav

Chowdhury, jointly

handed over the

certificates and prize

money to two young and

promising artists, Fakhrul

Islam Mazumder and Md

Rafiqul Islam, as

recipients of the 'Kali

Artist Residency Grant.'

The yearly grant was

launched on the second

death anniversary of

Kalidas Karmakar last

year, allowing its

recipients Tk 2,00,000

and access to practice at

the Cosmos Atelier71 for

three months, along with

other artistic facilities.

The recipients have

recently rounded up their

working projects at the

Atelier71.

Handing over the grant,

Sourav Chowdhury said,

"For our Gallery Cosmos

and Cosmos Atelier71,

Kalidas Karmakar has

always been a family

member and a guardian

angel since its inception.

Though his sudden

departure has left us with

a void, we are glad to

honour his legacy by

presenting these tokens of

our appreciation to these

two amazing artists, and

we know that Kali da is

always with us in spirit."

A maestro of

printmaking, especially

viscosity printing, Kalidas

Karmakar's diverse

artworks featuring

metallic and other

objects, handmade paper,

and oil on canvas prints

have been widely

exhibited throughout

South Asia, the Middle

East, Europe, the United

States and many other

places across the world.

His maiden solo art

exhibition was held at

Bangladesh Shilpakala

Academy on August 7,

1976.

Throughout his

acclaimed career, he

received multiple

prestigious scholarships

and fellowships including

the Polish Government

Scholarship in Graphic

Art at the Warsaw

Academy of Fine Art,

Warsaw University; the

French Government

Superior Scholarship in

Fine Arts for research in

multicolour etching at

Atelier-17, in Paris; Japan

Foundation Fellowship

on Japanese Woodblock

Printing at Tokyo

National University of

Fine Arts and Music;

ICCR Special Scholarship

for research in

Contemporary Modern

Sculpture, West Bengal

Lalit Kala Academy

Studio; and Asian

Cultural Council New

York, Fellowship with

Artist Residency program

in the US.

For his remarkable

contribution to the

Bangladeshi fine arts,

Kalidas Karmakar was

awarded the Shilpakala

Padak in 2016 and the

Ekushey Padak in 2018.

tHurSDay, octoBer 20, 2022

4

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam

e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com

thursday, october 20, 2022

Saving precious

agricultural lands

T

here

should not be any doubt or hesitations as regards

the necessity of taking appropriate measures to save

agricultural lands in a land short densely populated

country like Bangladesh. Bangladesh with an area of 147,570

sq. km. in total possesses about 20.16 million acres of cultivated

area for 160 million people.

But in reality the scale at which agricultural land is being

wasted every year there will remain nothing to be surprised

for one if agriculture meets very serious setbacks in

Bangladesh some day. An estimate shows that the gradual

decline of arable land in Bangladesh now is by 1 percent per

annum because of its increased use for commercial purposes

and the establishment of different kinds of mills and factories

together with new residential areas.

This percentage of agricultural land decline is supposed

to be increasing with the increasing pace of non-agricultural

economic progress of the country. If this trend continues

and not minimized or stopped the prices of food

and other necessary agricultural commodities will go

beyond control as increasing domestic agricultural commodity

production will be impossible under limited land

use for agricultural purposes.

Considering all these the government has undertaken a

master plan to build multistoried residential buildings on

cooperative basis for the accommodation of rural and urban

people to save agricultural land. The concerned officials have

claimed that through this scheme the gobbling up of agricultural

lands will be minimized and side by side the maximum

utilization of biological resources of the country will be

ensured. The concerned officials have already discussed the

matter in the ECNEC meetings.

But it is true that the reasons behind the harming, misuse

and loss of agricultural lands do scarcely catch the attention

of the quarters who ought to be concerned. The productivity

of agricultural land is decreasing because of the repeated

excessive use of chemical fertilizers every year. Industrial

wastes are being thrown in unplanned and reckless manner

on agricultural lands and adjacent rivers. Building of

unplanned residential accommodations, roads and highways,

bridges and culverts, industrial establishments, brickfields

et cetera are on the increase and causing serious damage

to and decrease of agricultural lands.

Moreover, the reckless activities that are going on in the

private sector to establish housing estates for residential purposes

throughout the country by occupying agricultural

lands has raised the apprehensions that the possibility of the

availability of agricultural land will become precarious in the

near future. But no one, it seems, is ready to realize that an

agriculture dominated and dependent country could one day

face a great peril from such a development.

In a country inhabited by 160 million people or 32 million

households the peasant community of Bangladesh consisting of

8.73 million households (rural areas only) or 34.44 percent of

agricultural labour households out of 58.66 percent total farm

households are toiling hard to produce necessary food and other

agricultural products. About 80 percent of the people of the

country still depend directly or indirectly on agriculture. Though

there are no special social facilities in the countryside for the

peasant community to enjoy, yet they are achieving unparalleled

successes every year in agricultural productions only because

there are still sufficient fertile agricultural lands for use.

It goes without saying that not only agricultural but industrial

development is also necessary in the country for creating jobs,

income and raising of the standard of living of the people. But to

improve both of these sectors what is needed is harmonious

development of these two sectors with courage, sincerity of purpose,

patriotism and well planned concerted efforts. But if the

political leadership and the government officials fail in the

implementation of this plan to check unchecked encroachment

on limited agricultural lands, then its results will be unfortunate

for the country even in the near future.

The plan to meet the habitation problems of the rural population

by constructing multistoried buildings and other measures

to preserve agricultural land will be laudable if its result becomes

visible through its implementations in the true sense of the term.

If a sincere effort is made to achieve a harmonious balance

between agricultural and industrial development in the country,

then overall economic progress will be accelerated on the one

hand and likewise domestic food grain production and production

of other agricultural produces will also increase.

The development of agro-based industry in the country

may help to preserve agricultural land. The countries

where agricultural land is meager, they have given

emphasis on industrializations of the economy to meet

the overall demand of their people. But in a country like

ours where the Creator has blessed us with fertile agricultural

lands, we need to industrialize and export but

after giving proper and due importance to agriculture.

Only then it will be possible for us to adequately and effectively

rescue agricultural land and make its appropriate

use and benefit the country in the practical sense.

We are to remember that agriculture is still the life line of

the Bangladesh economy with its tremendously hard working

peasant society. Their demand for existence is bare minimum

but contributions to the economy are enormous. To be

honest the urban population will be rooted out if the agricultural

sector stops supplying their daily necessities. From this

point of view the urban sector is totally dependent on the

rural agricultural sector but scarcely vice versa. And this is a

long lasting reality to continue. Bangladesh as a whole cannot

go on without keeping its agricultural sector in good health .

So, the imperative to preserve agricultural land is irrefutable.

Thus, our national policy makers will have to give urgent and

active attention to this issue without wasting any time.

Western hegemony

and liberal policy have

contributed to

widespread issues

worldwide, as I detailed

in my earlier piece on

this subject. This piece

is a follow-up to a

previous one. It maintains that, despite its

potential benefits to society and humanity,

Western liberalism has been a net negative

since the fall of the Soviet Union. Liberty,

progress, individualism, and equality are all

tenets of Western liberalism as a political

theory. This liberalism originated in the

Enlightenment era of the Western world,

around the year 1800. Liberalism in the West

was shaped by theorists like John Locke and

Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who advocated for

individual rights and a social compact with

the state. The ideals of freedom and equality

advanced by the French Revolution of 1789

also significantly impacted the development

of western liberalism. During the 19th

century, liberals in the West pushed for free

markets, constitutional government,

individual rights, and capitalism. John

Maynard Keynes and other 20th-century

liberals like him pushed for government

action to alleviate economic distress,

unemployment, and poverty. Progressive

taxation systems, healthcare reform, and

combating climate change are popular causes

among modern liberals in the West.

Various theories can be found regarding

the seed from which western liberalism

sprouted. Liberal thought can be traced back

to the Enlightenment, according to some

academics, or the Reformation, according to

others. Others view liberalism as an offshoot

of both of these historical currents. Western

liberalism, whatever its specific beginnings,

has undeniably changed the course of

history. It is not just Western societies that

Western liberal principles have influenced,

but all societies around the globe. Whether

we like it or not, western liberal principles

have been the norm in international politics

and cultural production in the last few

centuries. Nothing can be said with certainty

about liberalism's future, but its influence

will undoubtedly remain widespread for

decades. Despite the rise of socialism and

fascism in the 20th century, liberalism has

persisted as a significant political ideology.

There is no simple answer to whether

Western liberalism is good or bad for global

social progress and peace. It all depends on

who you ask and their particular set of life

experiences. Some claim that the spread of

western liberal principles has led to more

liberty and equality for all. In contrast, others

believe they have led to cultural imperialism

that has repressed minority communities.

There's no simple solution butweighing each

option's pros, and disadvantages is critical.

However, given the current global social,

economic, and political structure, it appears

that, while most components of liberalism

are excellent, adopting this in different

contexts through force and excessive use can

be harmful to society, as we have seen over

the past 30 years. In the past few years, the

topic of Western liberal ideals' hegemonic

influence has received a great deal of

attention. While some say these ideals are

necessary for a harmonious and equitable

society, others claim they are detrimental to

communal harmony. To be sure, Western

liberalism has been credited with bringing

about many of the advantages of

contemporary life. Examples of liberal ideals

include the protection of free speech and the

right to practise one's religion without

interference from the government. More

people now than ever are able to improve

their socioeconomic standing, largely thanks

to liberalism's facilitation of such upward

mobility. Liberal ideas from the West have

been praised for spreading freedom and

human rights to countries all over the globe.

Nonetheless, there are several issues with

Western liberalism that need to be taken into

account. Individualism and competitiveness,

two liberal virtues, are cited as reasons for the

rise of inequality. Furthermore, many of the

liberties praised by liberals can be exploited

to promote discrimination and hate (such as

hate speech). Again, there is an opinion that

Western liberal democracies are highly

vulnerable and liable to collapse (as we have

seen in recent years with the rise of

populism). Nonetheless, I am convinced that

Western Liberalism is to blame for the

current international crisis, particularly the

war in Ukraine. That is true for several

different reasons.

First, the concept of the rational individual

serves as the cornerstone around which

liberalism is built. This premise is erroneous

because humans are not rational beings.

Because we are primarily emotional beings,

with rationality coming in second, liberalism

typically results in adverse outcomes in most

circumstances. Second, an open society is

fundamental to the liberal worldview. This

concept is also incorrect. People are good, and

they can use their freedom to act in a morally

commendable way. This is the premise upon

which open societies are built. Individuality is

the birthright of man. Therefore, it is the

responsibility of each individual to make

decisions regarding everything. This

philosophical doctrine contains its own set of

errors as well. Because, on the one hand, people

are required to interact with others and

undergo socialisation as part of society.

Therefore, individual choices shouldn't

result in negative consequences for other

people. On the other hand, it is true that not

all people are good, that many do not have the

conscience, knowledge, or foresight to

evaluate good and bad, and that there are

certainly many people in society who, if given

the opportunity, will make destructive use of

their freedom. The current situation in

Ukraine demonstrates how dangerous and

unstable free democracies can be. In addition,

liberalism shields individuals from the state's

authority and fosters a social climate in which

the government is held accountable to the

people it serves. In recent years, we have

observed that liberals emphasise the

individual's rights while simultaneously

displaying an insufficient concern for the

greater good. Opponents argue that this

emphasis on individual rights has contributed

to a decline in social cohesion and a rise in the

number of social problems.

In addition, the liberal economic strategy is

fraught with many difficulties and is frequently

condemned for pursuing unequal economic

practices. Some people think these policies have

led to a greater concentration of wealth and

power in the hands of a smaller number of

people, while the rest of the population has been

left behind. In the context of the situation in

Ukraine, several observers have suggested that

the liberal economic policies of the EU are to

blame for the current instability in the region.

Some people believe that because of the openborder

policies of the European Union, oligarchs

and other corrupt officials in Ukraine have been

able to steal Ukraine's riches, which has

contributed to the country's current economic

catastrophe. Additionally, widespread poverty

and social inequality have been brought about

due to the European Union's reliance on

neoliberal economic changes. The political

unrest in Ukraine may be traced back to

November 2013, when the country's then-

President Viktor Yanukovych refused to sign an

association agreement with the European

Union. This resulted in demonstrations, which

ultimately developed into a full-scale revolution.

Russia's displeasure with Ukraine's new pro-

Western government's swift acceptance of

Ukraine's interest in partnerships with the

European Union and NATO-led to the rapid

escalation of the current situation.

The current situation in Ukraine can serve

as a helpful example for illustrating how

Western liberalism is deeply broken. First,

there is a reluctance on the part of Western

nations to take military action to safeguard

their interests. The United States and its

allies have not directly waged war against

Russia other than through economic

penalties since Russia grabbed Crimea and

sponsored separatist insurgents in eastern

Ukraine. Simply because a conflict with a

superpower would almost certainly end in

disaster. Even agreeing to send Ukraine

heavy weaponry was not something it

decided to do. This stance by the United

States stood in stark contrast to the approach

Dr. MD. rakIBul Hoque

that NATO took toward Serbia in 2008. In a

televised address, Russian President

Vladimir Putin stated that if the

independence of Kosovo can be considered

genuine, then the independence of Abkhazia

and South Ossetia can also be regarded as

acceptable. This dualistic approach to

liberalism is a genuinely horrible and weak

philosophical system.

Numerous academics, such as Noam

Chomsky, political scientist John

Mearsheimer, and former President Richard

Nixon of the United States, have voiced harsh

criticism of the EU's position towards

Ukraine crisis. There is a widespread

perception that the European Union's

backing of Ukraine's neoliberal economic

reforms contributes to the country's

downward spiral towards extreme poverty,

corruption, and social inequality. The current

situation in Ukraine has brought into stark

relief the significant ideological chasm

between Western liberalism and Russian

conservatism. Even though the West has

taken a tough stance against Russian

aggression, some detractors have

characterised the European Union's (EU)

support and promotion of democracy and

human rights as hypocritical and insane. The

people of Ukraine, who had corrupt

administrations governed for many years,

did not have the best interests of their

country at heart when the democratic and

libertarian values that the West promoted. As

a result of the modern aspects of liberalism,

many people believe that liberalism places

excessive importance on the individual's

freedom at the price of the common good.

Their position is that liberalism is harmful to

society because it destroys traditional values,

which contributes to the breakdown of social

cohesion. It promotes a consumerist culture

that is centred on the individual and material

goods. It is generally agreed that liberalism is

the root cause of many of the issues that

plague modern society, such as the decline of

morality, the proliferation of social crime,

and the instability of the economy.

Opponents of liberalism blame free

markets and unrestricted movement of

people and ideas for contributing to a decline

in moral standards and increased criminal

activity. We have been observing the tell-tale

signals of instability in the world today for the

better part of the past three decades. This

kind of neoliberal philosophical model does

not work well in many cultures. Not a

consumerist philosophy but an aesthetic

spirituality based not on the free market, but

a balanced economic doctrine is required. A

distinct approach or philosophy that is

adapted to the local situation and emphasises

not the individual, but the universal good is

needed. In the alternative, this pernicious

concept of liberalism will give rise to a

fragmented and unstable society.

Individualism will be celebrated, and people

will be preoccupied with their wants and

needs all the time, which will be detrimental

to the general well-being of humankind.

The writer is Educator, Author, and

Researcher and Executive Chair, Centre for

Business & Economic Research, UK

Bangladesh-Brunei bilateral ties to a new level

Diplomatic relations between Brunei

and Bangladesh were established

on 5 May 1984. Bangladesh

immediately recognized Brunei and

opened a residential diplomatic mission in

1985. Brunei opened its High Commission

in Dhaka in 1999. Since then, the two

countries have maintained excellent

diplomatic relations.The main areas of

cooperation between the two countries are

the labour, defence, education, trade, and

energysectors.

Brunei, a small country in Southeast

Asia, is projected to have a population of

439,338, a GDP of $12.02 billion and a per

capita income of about $31,501.The

economic freedom score of Brunei is 64.8,

and it is ranked 9th among 39 countries in

the Asia-Pacific region. Its overall score is

above the regional and world

averages.Meanwhile, Bangladesh's per

capita income is $2,554, and its GDP is

$409 billion. Therefore, bilateral progress

is essential, given the current situation.

The year 2019 represented a new

chapter in Brunei-Bangladesh bilateral

relations.In April 2019, Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina visited Brunei and signed

severalmemoranda of understanding

(MoUs)in different sectors such as

agriculture, fisheries, livestock, gas supply,

art and culture and youth and sports to

strengthen bilateral ties between the

friendly countries.Brunei and Bangladesh

expressed satisfaction with the

longstanding relations between the two

countries and reiterated their commitment

to leverage existing relations for mutual

benefit.

On 16 October, 2022, Bangladesh and

Brunei signed four documents, including

an air service agreement, taking bilateral

ties to a new level. After official talks,

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina,

Why western liberalism is perilous

and Brunei Sultan Haji HassanalBolkiah

signed the bilateral agreement at the prime

minister's office. The three bilateral

agreements are: "MoU on Employment

and Recruitment of Bangladeshi

Workers,""Memorandum

of

Understanding on Areas of Cooperation in

Supply of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)

and Other Petroleum Products,""MoU on

the recognition of Certificates Issued under

the provision of International Convention

on Standards of Training, Certification

Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978 as

amended".

Bilateral trade is still insignificant in

volume and value,although Bangladesh

and Brunei enjoy cordial and friendly

relations and excellent understanding and

cooperation. In 2021, Bangladesh'sexports

to Brunei were US$1.83 Million,and

Bangladesh's imports from Brunei

wereUS$23.56 Million. Bangladesh mainly

exports apparel, flour, dairy products, eggs,

honey, vegetables, and tea. On the other

hand, Bangladesh mainly imports mineral

fuels, oils, chemicals, and articles of iron

and steel.

If the two nations can mutually expand

bilateral trade relations, there are

possibilities of immense mutual benefits.

In that context, Brunei and Bangladesh

continueexploring various trade and

investment options, such as increasing

Dr P r Datta

In addition, the liberal economic strategy is fraught with

many difficulties and is frequently condemned for pursuing

unequal economic practices. Some people think these

policies have led to a greater concentration of wealth and

power in the hands of a smaller number of people, while

the rest of the population has been left behind.

active exchanges between local businesses

and exploring cooperation and

partnerships to harness their strengths by

capitalizing on export opportunities.

For the common good, both countries

encourage mutual investment. In this

regard, Brunei is keen to participate in the

global halal food market through

Bangladesh's special economic zone and

Brunei's proven expertise in the halal food

industry. In 2021 the global halal food

market reached a value of US$ 1,978

billion andis expected to reach US$ 3,907.7

billion by 2027. The progress of its halal

industry is encouraging. Bangladesh has

Brunei, a small country in Southeast asia, is projected to

have a population of 439,338, a GDP of $12.02 billion and a

per capita income of about $31,501.the economic freedom

score of Brunei is 64.8, and it is ranked 9th among 39

countries in the asia-Pacific region.

recently become a member of the

Standards and Metrology Institute, an

affiliated institution of the OIC that gives

halal certificationto member countries.

Although Bangladesh produces all halal

goods, some countries,including

Brunei,demand halal certification on the

products.Givenjoint membership, OIC and

the Commonwealth, the two nations can

depend on each other to continue mutual

interests.

Brunei is one of the oldest labour

markets for Bangladeshis, as it began

trading in 1992. Today, Brunei is an ideal

workplace for Bangladeshi migrant

workers hosting more than 100,000

foreign workers, among which 30% are

Bangladeshi. According to the Bureau of

Manpower Employment and Training

(BMET), Brunei hired 75,435 Bangladeshi

workers from 1992 to August this year.

Brunei's government plans to recruit more

workforce from Bangladesh. To grasp the

opportunity, Bangladesh cansend

demand-driven skilled workers toincrease

remittances. The governmentscanprovide

technical and vocational training to

outbound migrant workers and create an

online database for migrants.

Brunei and Bangladesh can continue to

work together to explore ways to

strengthen cooperation to elevate their

relationship to a higher level. Brunei

welcomes cooperation with Bangladesh

in agriculture, aquaculture, fisheries and

livestock, food processing, ICT,

shipbuilding, manufacturing, tourism

infrastructure, defence, labour, blue

economy, and the jute industry. In

addition, Bangladesh will continue to

explore the possibility of extensive

cooperation in the energy sector through

Government-to-Government (G2G)

arrangements, including the supply of

liquefied natural gas (LNG) to

Bangladesh. The two countries can

mutually expand bilateral trade relations

and identify opportunities in multiple

areas of mutual interest.Brunei is

estimated to be ninth largest LNG

producer in the world and third largest oil

producer in Southeast Asia. Looking to

the future, like Bangladesh, the focus is

on diversifying the economy. Bilateral

trade between the two countries is

currently well below its potential, but

increased cooperation would benefit both

countries.

The writer is Professor, Department of

Management Information Systems,

University of Dhaka

thurSdaY, OctOBer 20, 2022

5

Childhood TB course can

be cut to four months

One fifth of settlements globally emitted no nighttime radiance.

Satellites chart unlit territory

and poverty hotspots

daNN OkOth

Almost one in five of the world's

settlements are entirely unlit at night,

according to satellite imagery which

researchers say can be used to target

development aid and infrastructure.

About 770 million people on the

planet live without electricity, mostly in

Africa and Asia, according to the

International Energy Agency. It says

COVID-19 has halted progress on

access and worsened energy

purchasing power of households in

developing countries.

New analysis by the International

Institute for Applied Systems Analysis

(IIASA), published in Nature

Communications, used satellite data

from unlit areas to map poverty and

wealth levels in almost 50 countries.

Ian McCallum, a research leader at

IIASA who co-authored the study, told

SciDev.Net: "Africa and Asia tend to

show the least amount of human

settlement lighting.

"This is not unexpected, but we now

quantify this. As both regions have very

rural populations they tend to contain

significant portions of unlit settlements

infrastructure."

Africa accounted for 39 per cent and

Asia for 23 per cent of unlit settlements,

with these numbers rising to 65 per

cent and 40 per cent respectively when

only rural infrastructure was

considered.

Several countries in the Middle East

were also found to have large areas of

unlit infrastructure.

Researchers have for decades used

satellite images of earth at night -

commonly referred to as nighttime

radiance or night lights - to map out

economic growth, poverty and

inequality, especially in places where

data is lacking. This has shown a link

between lit infrastructure and gross

domestic product.

But data analysis using this method

has traditionally focused on lit areas

while ignoring unlit areas, say the

researchers.

"We found that it actually works the

other way around and that focusing on

the unlit areas is a good indicator of

poverty," McCallum said.

"In this study we turned attention to

those areas using the most accurate

dataset available of building footprints.

In particular we wanted to quantify the

amount of human settlements that do

not have associated lighting."

The researchers used a geospatial

wealth index compiled by the

Demographic and Health Surveys

programme to map out the economic

status of around 2.4 million households

for 49 countries across Africa, Asia and

the Americas.

They combined this data with

satellite images of global nighttime

lights and found that 19 per cent of the

total settlement footprint had no

associated, detectable artificial

radiance. Overwhelmingly, there was a

clear link between increasing

percentages of unlit communities in a

country and decreasing economic

wellbeing, according to the study,

"We have to caution here that it does

not mean these communities don't

have any light," McCallum said. "Just

that they're not detectable via satellite.

Solar power, kerosene, generators may

all be providing light in these

settlements, but will likely be shut off

when satellite passes overhead after

midnight, or simply not generate

Photo: NaSa

enough light to be detected.

"Nonetheless, it is important to try to

demonstrate in numbers the amount of

infrastructure that has no or little

associated lighting."

Low-income countries suffer

disproportionately from lack of access

to electricity and clean energy for

cooking, heating, and lighting. And

access to electricity is seen as vital to

achieving many of the UN's sustainable

development goals.

The researchers say their findings

could be useful to non-profit

organisations and aid agencies to

strengthen their cause for funding for

rural regions, as well as governments

and industry to prioritise areas for

development.

But Alexander Valeton, director at

Yielder, an information

communication and training platform

for agribusiness in East Africa, says

governments and power suppliers

already know where the coverage gaps

are.

He believes the problem goes beyond

power supply. "Electricity does not

mean being connected. Connectivity is

the big game changer and that comes

with cheap power and cheap access to

the web and understanding how to use

[the] internet," Valeton said.

"Power is expensive so people with

ambitions will move to places where

power is cheap. Hence rural-urban

migration, especially among the

youth."

This trend is making wealth creation

and development in rural areas all the

more difficult, says Valeton. "There is

now a deep divide between the poor

and old up-country and [the] relatively

rich and young in cities," he added.

SaNJeet Bagcchi

Short duration treatment -

four months instead of the

standard six - is as effective

in combating most cases of

childhood tuberculosis

(TB), says a study carried

out in India and some

African countries.

Shortening the treatment

duration could reduce the

burden on families and

health systems around the

globe, note the researchers

in a study published March

in the New England

Journal of Medicine, and

released in time for the

World TB Day observed

annually on 24 March.

Anna Turkova, an author

of the study affiliated with

the Medical Research

Council Clinical Trials Unit

at University College

London, says that of the

more than one million

children who fall ill with TB

each year only half are

diagnosed.

"We know that the

majority of those who are

diagnosed have non-severe

TB," Turkova tells

SciDev.Net. Non-severe TB

includes features like

confinement of TB to one

lobe of lungs with no

formation of cavities.

According to the study,

TB, in its not severe form,

could be treated with a

shorter duration course,

although the data is

limited. The World Health

Organization has now

updated its guidance to

recommend the fourmonth

regimen for

children and adolescents

with non-severe forms of

drug-susceptible TB in line

with the said study.

In the study, researchers

from various countries

looked at 1,204 children

aged two months to 15

years with TB which was

not severe and responded

to standard drugs. The

children were from India,

South Africa, Uganda and

Zambia, and South Africa.

They were randomly

assigned to two equal

groups, one of which was

placed on specific anti-TB

drugs for four months

while the other group

underwent the same

treatment for six months.

All children were followed

for 18 months after

enrolment to see whether

their treatment had been

successful.

The researchers found

that four months of anti-

TB treatment was as good

as the six months of

treatment among the

children, discounting their

country, age group and

HIV status as 11 per cent of

the children in the study

had HIV infection along

with TB.

Turkova said that the

trial showed that treatment

for children with nonsevere

TB can be safely

reduced from six months

to four months. "Reducing

the length of treatment

makes treatment easier for

children and carers and

improves treatment

completion, as well as

reduces costs to patients

and the health system," she

said.

According to Turkova,

saving US$17 per child

from the shorter course

translates into substantial

cost-saving on a country

scale which can be used to

improve TB screening and

diagnosis.

Madhukar Pai, associate

director of McGill

International TB Centre, in

Montreal, Canada, tells

SciDev.Net that the trial is

welcome news for children

with TB. "Since most

children have non-severe

TB, it is great that

treatment duration can be

reduced from six to four

months in such

individuals," he said.

"However, greater access

to molecular TB tests and

chest X-rays will be needed

to implement this regimen

in the real world."

Swapan Jana, secretary

of the Kolkata-based nongovernment

organisation

Society for Social

Pharmacology, says

reducing the treatment

duration for childhood TB

is welcome if implemented

properly. He tells

SciDev.Net that the study

supports a basic teaching

point in pharmacology that

if a disease is optimally

treated through a shorter

duration of drug therapy it

may be beneficial.

"Longer duration of

treatment with anti-TB

drugs - apart from other

problems like motivating

children to take the drugs

and complete the full

course and more visits to

treatment centres - is

associated with more

adverse effects, compared

to shorter duration of

treatment," Jana said.

a new study reports that a four-month-long childhood tuberculosis treatment works just as well as a

six-month course.

Photo: J P davidson

NeeNa BhaNdari

Almost one billion children and adults with

disabilities, and older people, are unable to

access the assistive technology they need,

according to a UN report, which calls for more

investment in these life-changing products.

Access to assistive technologies such as

glasses, hearing aids, mobility or

communication devices is as low as three per

cent in some low-and middle-income countries,

according to the report by the World Health

Organization (WHO) and United Nations

Children's Fund (UNICEF), launched on 16 May.

It says more than 3.5 billion people will need

one or more assistive products by 2050 due to

population ageing and the increase in incidence

of non-communicable diseases. At present, the

figure is 2.5 billion.

"Denying people access to these life-changing

tools is not only an infringement of human

rights, it's economically short-sighted."

WHO director-general Tedros Ghebreyesus

The report, which is the first ever global

snapshot of the need for and access to assistive

technology, calls on governments, industry and

civil society to fund and prioritise access to these

products.

Almah Kuambu, technical advisor to the

National Orthotic and Prosthetic Services

(NOPS) in Papua New Guinea's (PNG)

Department of Health, knows the difference

access to assistive technology can make to a

child's development, education, participation in

sports and community, and future employment

prospects.

"I had lost my lower limb in an accident at the

age of 11. It was devastating for me and my

family," Kuambu told SciDev.Net. "It took nearly

a year before I could be fitted with a prosthetic

limb. I remember feeling over the moon to be

able to stand on both legs again. It changed my

life and inspired me to work in this space and

help de-stigmatise disability in our

communities."

There are globally 240 million children living

with one or more disabilities, according to

UNICEF. "One of the biggest barriers for

children with disabilities is stigma among peers

and the non-inclusive school settings that

prevent them from accessing or using assistive

technology," Rosangela Berman-Bieler,

Access to disability aids

need to expedited

Majority of people who would benefit from assistive technology lack access

UNICEF's lead on disability, told a virtual media

briefing on Friday.

"Children who are unable to access technology

are even less likely to access health care and other

social services, further exacerbating their

disabilities and excluding them from

participating in everyday life. Their families are

often also affected due to reduced income as a

result of increased caretaking requirements," she

added. In developing countries, people have to

travel long distances to access assistive

technology and the cost is often prohibitive,

which can be a major barrier to access. Around

two-thirds of people with assistive products

reported making out-of-pocket payments for

them. Others reported relying on family and

friends to support their needs financially, the

report notes.

When Anna Kwemeling, 39, lost her leg seven

years ago in a car accident in Kimbe, PNG's West

New Britain province, she had to quit her bank

job. "I had two young children. There were no

assistive technology services available nearby. It

took a while before we could save enough

resources to pay for travel and accommodation

to access the service in Port Moresby. With the

prosthetic leg, I feel normal again and I am

hoping to re-enter the workforce," Kwemeling

told SciDev.Net. The report calls on governments

to include assistive technology as part of

universal health care coverage packages and

employ a people-centred, rights-based approach,

actively engaging users in all aspects of assistive

technology.

"Denying people access to these life-changing

tools is not only an infringement of human

rights, it's economically short-sighted," said

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom

Ghebreyesus. "We call on all countries to fund

and prioritise access to assistive technology and

give everyone a chance to live up to their

potential." "This report gives us an

understanding and some evidence that to get the

most efficient and effective outcome, it's about

more than just the assistive product. As an

occupational therapist, I see the power of the

right assistive product that enables people to do

the occupations of their daily life," said Natasha

Layton, senior research fellow at Monash

University in Melbourne and a board member of

the Australian Rehabilitation and Assistive

Technology Association.

"The new data on the rapid Assistive

Technology Assessment (rATA) tool in the

report, for the first time, will tell us about unmet

needs and where the most impact can be had,

particularly in developing countries. I am hoping

that it will change access to assistive technology

from a small charitable provision to a systematic

scaling and improving of in-country provision

that is fit-for-purpose," Layton told SciDev.Net.

"There are many learnings from frugal

innovation that are culturally and

environmentally appropriate and worked very

well in low-and-middle income countries,"

added Layton, who is also a contributing author

to the report.

thurSday, oCtoBer 20, 2022

6

Joypurhat Zilla Parishad

election held peacefully

health protection items and food aid have been distributed among 1850 families of four unions in

tahirpur upazila of Sunamganj on Wednesday.

photo: jahangir alom Bhuiya

Two go missing

in River Chhoto

Jamuna

JOYPURHAT: Two youths

went missing today in the

River Chhoto Jamuna in the

district this noon during Kali

idol immersion, reports BSS.

The youths were identified

as Shonjit Bashfor, 21, and

Tonmoy Razok, 16. They

were the residents in Rail

Colony in Joypurhat town.

Joypurhat Fire Service

sources said the incident

occurred in Chak Shaym

Ghat area in the river. On

information fire fighters

rushed to the spot and

started rescue operation,

said Deputy Assistant

Director of Joypurhat Fire

Service Showkot Ali Joarder.

Shonjit was a degree level

student under Open

University while Tonmoy

used to study at Kashiabari

High School in the town.

good neighbors Bochaganj mahila Samabay Samity (gnBmSS) limited held their 1st annual general

meeting on Wednesday.

photo: Suman Chandra

GD-1696/22 (6x3)

Upazila World

Visions distributes

aid in Tahirpur

jahangir alom Bhuiya, tahirpur CorreSpondent:

Health protection items and food aid have been distributed

among 1850 families of four unions in Tahirpur Upazila of

Sunamganj who were affected by floods.

On Wednesday afternoon, organized by Upazila World

Vision and with the assistance of Hong Kong government, it

was distributed to Tahirpur Sadar, Balijuri, Badaghat and

Uttar Baradal Union.

As the chief guest, Tahirpur Upazila Parishad Chairman

Karuna Sindhu Chowdhury Babul handed over food and safety

items to the beneficiaries among the flood-affected families.

Meanwhile, Upazila Women Vice Chairman Khaleda

Begum, Upazila Assistant Commission (Land) Md.

Asaduzzaman Roni, Ward Vision Operations Director Sagar

Marandi, Deputy Direct Manzoor Maria Palma, ACO Kajal

Dong, Tahirpur Sadar Union Parishad Chairman Junab Ali,

Upazila Press Club President Ramendra Narayan Boishakh,

Joint General Secretary Jahangir Alam Bhuiyan, World Vision

AP Manager Bivudhan Biswas, Upazila Program Officer Md.

Golam Saklain, Field PQ Specialist Pranab Dey and others

were present.

3060

GNBMSS holds

1st annual general

meeting

Suman Chandra, BoChaganj

CorreSpondent:

1st Annual General Meeting

organized by Good Neighbors

Bochaganj Mahila Samabay

Samity (GNBMSS) Limited at

Bochaganj, Dinajpur. On

Wednesday, the 1st annual

general meeting was

organized at the ground

premises of Good Neighbors

Bochaganj Mahila Samabay

Samity Limited at Bochaganj,

No. 1 Nafanagar Union of the

Upazila.

Upazila Chairman Advocate

Md. Zulfikar Hossain spoke as

the chief guest under the

chairmanship of Pratima

Rani, President of Good

Neighbors Bochaganj Mahila

Samabay Samity. Chairman

of No. 1 Nafanagar Union

Shahnewaz Parvez, Upazila

Cooperative Officer Zainal

Ahmed, Good Neighbors

Bangladesh Bochaganj CDP

Project Manager Bipul Rema

and others were present as

special guests.

maShrakul alom, joypurhat

CorreSpondent:

Zilla Parishad elections were held

peacefully in Joypurhat amidst great

enthusiasm and tight security.

Joypurhat District Awami League

Advisory Council Member Principal

(Retd.) Khaja Samsul Alam was elected

Chairman by getting 391 votes in

pineapple symbol. His closest rival

District Jasod President Abul Khair Md

Sakhawat Hossain got 96 votes in palm

tree symbol.

District Election Officer Muhammad

Aminur Rahman Mia said that 5 booths

(polling centers) were set up in 5

Upazila Parishad auditoriums of the

district. Voting is done through

Electronic Voting Machine (EVM)

from 9 am to 2 pm.

The voting process is monitored

round the clock through the CC

cameras of each polling station.

Executive Magistrate and Judicial

Magistrate Team on behalf of Election

Commission along with full-time law

and order forces Police, DB, BGB.

Sabina Chowdhury, General

Secretary of Joypurhat District

Women's Awami League, Kalai, Khetlal

and AkkelpurUpazila (Reserved Ward

No. 2) Ratna Rashid has been elected in

the reserved seats (female members) of

Joypurhat. Apart from this, the elected

Youth sentenced to

death for killing school

girl after rape in Ctg

CHATTOGRAM: A

Chattogram court here

today awarded death

penalty to a young man for

killing a school girl after

raping her in 2018.

The judge of the Speedy

Trial Tribunal Abdul Halim

handed down the verdict

convicting Shahnewaz Siraj

alias Munna, son of

Shahjahan Siraj, of Photika,

Shahjalalpara village under

Hathazari upazila of the

district.

The court also acquitted

convict's father Shahjahan

Siraj and mother Niger

Sultana from the charges as

it was not proved during the

trial.

The court also fined Taka

one lakh to the young man

for the same crime.

The prosecution story in

brief was that Munna raped

and murdered a student of

class eight forcibly taking

her to the fourth floor of

Salam Mansion of the area

on September 14 in 2018.

Later, the victim's elder

brother filed a murder case

against Shahnewaz Siraj

Munna and his parents with

Hathazari Thana over the

incident.

DNCRP unearths fake

sanitary manufacturing

factory in Rajshahi

RAJSHAHI: A team of the Department of National

Consumers Right Protection (DNCRP) has unearthed a fake

sanitary napkin manufacturing factory in the city yesterday,

reports BSS.

DNCRP Deputy Director Hassan Al Maruf said they

conducted a drive in Terakhadia Mathurdanga area under

Rajpara Police Station and found the factory manufacturing

unhygienic sanitary napkins and pads.

They also found the factory functioning unlawfully and

without permission of any legal authority. The napkins were

being manufactured with substandard cotton, garments and

abandoned clothes.

Maruf said the produced napkins are totally harmful to

female health.

Subsequently, the DNCRP team fined the factory owner

Taka 20,000 for the irregularities, he added.

One held with 2,950 litres

local liquor in C'nawabganj

CHAPAINAWABGANJ: Members of Rapid Action Battalion

(RAB) arrested an alleged drug peddler with 2,950 litres of

locally made liquor from Shibganj upazila of the district

yesterday morning, reports BSS.

The arrested person is Md. Bairul Islam, 42, a resident of

Chandshikari Moddhyopara area of the upazila.

On a tip-off, an operation team of RAB-5 from

Chapainawabganj camp conducted a raid at Chandshikari

village at around 6.30 am and arrested Bairul with the liquor,

RAB sources said.

Later the elite force handed him over to the police of

Shibganj Police Station.

Zilla parishad elections were held peacefully in joypurhat amidst

great enthusiasm and tight security. photo: mashrakul alom

general members are- Panchbibi

Upazila (1st Ward) Abu Saeed Al

Mahbub Chandan, Joypurhat Sadar

(2nd Ward) Ramzan Ali, Kalai Upazila

(3rd Ward) Md. Rafiqul Islam, Khetlal

Upazila (4th Ward) Abdul Hannan

Mithu and Akkelpur Upazila (Ward No.

5) Mazharul Anwar Liton.

The total number of voters of

Joypurhat District Parishad was 492

people. Among them 375 were men

RANGPUR: Responding to the call of Prime

Minister Sheikh Hasina to bring every inch of

land under crop farming, enthusiastic farmers

have begun cultivation of winter vegetables on

their croplands and homesteads in Rangpur

agriculture region, reports BSS.

Officials of the Department of Agricultural

Extension (DAE) said steps have been taken to

inspire farmers and rural people in cultivating

vegetables on their croplands, fallow lands and

homesteads to enhance crop production.

"A production target of 9,61,170 tonnes of

winter vegetables has been fixed from 40,470

hectares of land for the region during this current

Rabi season," said Additional Director of the

DAE for Rangpur region Mohammad Shah

Alam.

Farmers have already brought 2,000 hectares

of land under cultivation of early varieties of

winter vegetables in Rangpur, Gaibandha,

Lalmonirhat and Kurigram districts of the

region. Sowing of winter vegetable seeds

continues in the region where rural people,

including women, are also cultivating vegetables

on their homesteads, nearby abandoned and

fallow lands.

"Following the call of the Prime Minister to

enhance food production in the wake of global

crises caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and

GD-1697/22 (7x3)

and 117 were women. Out of this, 490

votes were cast. Elected public

representatives of five upazilas, five

municipalities and 32 unions of

Joypurhat exercised voting rights in the

Zilla Parishad elections.

2 candidates for the post of chairman,

8 candidates for reserved (female) seats

and 25 candidates for general

membership posts contested in the

ZillaParishad elections in Joypurhat.

Enthusiastic Rangpur farmers begin

winter vegetable cultivation

Russia-Ukraine War, farmers are cultivating

vegetables with huge enthusiasm," Alam said.

Deputy Director of the DAE for Rangpur

region Md. Mahbubar Rahman said farmers are

showing interest in farming winter vegetables

after getting repeated bumper productions with

fair prices in recent years.

"Farming of winter vegetables will get full

momentum when harvest of the traditional

varieties of Aman rice will continue in full swing

from the third week of November," Rahman

said. Deputy Director (Leave Reserved) of the

DAE at Khamarbari in Dhaka Abu Sayem said

farmers are expected to bring more lands in the

mainland, riverine char areas and fallow

homesteads under cultivation of winter

vegetables. Many farmers started farming early

winter vegetables soon after the recession of

floodwater from their submerged croplands in

low-lying char areas this year.

Besides, farmers are also cultivating winter

vegetables after harvesting short duration

varieties of Aman rice from the first week of the

current month in Rangpur region.

"As a result, some early varieties of winter

vegetables have already appeared in local

markets following early cultivation of those by

farmers adopting newer cropping patterns amid

changing climatic conditions," Sayem said.

ThUrSdAY, OcTOber 20, 2022

7

Hamas in first Syria visit in

decade as relations thaw

DAMASCUS : A Hamas delegation

arrived in Damascus Wednesday for

talks with President Bashar Al-Assad

in the first such visit since the

Palestinian Islamist group severed

ties with Syria a decade ago.

Hamas, which controls the Gaza

Strip, was one of Assad's closest allies

but left Syria in 2012 after

condemning his government's brutal

suppression of peaceful protests in

March 2011, which triggered the

country's descent into civil war.

"The Hamas delegation arrived in

Damascus on a two-day visit," during

which Palestinian factions will meet

Assad, said Palestinian Popular

Struggle Front leader Khaled Abdel

Majid.

The meeting will be followed by a

news conference at 1:30 pm (1030

GMT).

The visit by the Hamas delegation,

headed by Arab relations chief Khalil

al-Hayya, comes after the Islamist

group signed a reconciliation deal

with its Palestinian rival Fatah in

Algiers last week, vowing to hold

elections by next October in a bid to

settle a 15-year rift.

It also comes after Hamas

announced it wanted to normalise

with Damascus citing "rapid regional

and international developments

surrounding our cause and our

nation".

Analysts said that was a reference to

the growing number of Arab

governments that have normalised

ties with Hamas's arch-enemy Israel

in recent years.

A Hamas leader told AFP the group

plans to reopen its Damascus office

but that it was "too early" to talk

about relocating its headquarters to

the Syrian capital.

The thaw between Hamas and

Damascus was brokered by Tehran

and Lebanese militant group

Hezbollah, a senior Hamas source

said.

Moscow-installed authorities in Ukraine's southern Kherson region on Wednesday said they

planned to evacuate some 50,000 civilians due to a Ukrainian counter-offensive. Photo : Internet

US citizen jailed in Saudi

for tweets on Khashoggi,

Yemen: Son

DUBAI : A US citizen jailed in

Saudi Arabia is being

punished for "mild" Twitter

posts on topics including the

war in Yemen and the 2018

killing of journalist Jamal

Khashoggi, his son told AFP

on Wednesday.

Saad Ibrahim Almadi, a 72-

year-old of Saudi origin, was

this month sentenced to 16

years in prison, the latest in a

spate of what human rights

groups describe as draconian

sentences for social media

criticism of the government.

The case risks further

ratcheting up tensions

between Riyadh and

Washington, longtime

partners currently at odds

over oil output cuts approved

by the OPEC+ cartel, which

the White House says amount

to "aligning with Russia" in

the Ukraine war.

Almadi was detained on

arrival in Saudi Arabia in

November last year for what

was meant to be a two-week

trip, said his son Ibrahim, who

went public with the case this

week, criticising US officials

for failing to do more to secure

his release.

The State Department said

on Tuesday it had

"consistently and intensively

raised our concerns regarding

the case at senior levels of the

Saudi government", and that

"exercising freedom of

expression should never be

criminalised".

On Wednesday, Ibrahim

shared with AFP a list of

Twitter posts he said had been

used in evidence against his

father-information he said

had been confirmed by the

State Department.

They include posts on taxes

as well as controversial

demolition work in the Red

Sea city of Jeddah.

One post questions why

Saudi Arabia is unable to

prevent attacks by Huthi

rebels in war-wracked Yemen,

where the kingdom heads a

military coalition in support of

the internationally recognised

government.

Another refers to the

"sacrifice" of Khashoggi,

whose killing by Saudi agents

in the kingdom's Istanbul

consulate sparked global

outrage.

Saudi officials also found an

unflattering caricature of

Crown Prince Mohammed

bin Salman, the kingdom's de

facto ruler, on Almadi's

phone, Ibrahim said.

Almadi was charged in part

with supporting and funding

terrorism and trying to

destabilise the kingdom,

Ibrahim said.

Ibrahim accused the State

Department of having

"mishandled" his father's

case, including by not sending

a representative to the

October 3 sentencingsomething

the State

Department acknowledged on

Tuesday, saying Saudi Arabia

originally gave a later date for

the hearing before moving it

up.

"My father should be their

biggest worry from day one,"

Ibrahim said, referring to US

officials.

"The problems and the

tensions between Saudi and

the US shouldn't start because

of oil. It should start because

senior American citizens are

detained over tweets."

Ibrahim also expressed

concern for his father's health.

"They prevent him from

sleeping. They make him

stand up. He's 72 years old

and his health condition is just

decreasing," Ibrahim said by

phone from the US, where he

lives."He had back problems.

A US citizen jailed in Saudi Arabia is being punished for "mild" Twitter

posts on topics including the war in Yemen and the 2018 killing of journalist

Jamal Khashoggi, his son told AFP on Wednesday. Photo : Internet

Pro-Kremlin

officials say

will evacuate

50,000 from

Kherson

MOSCOW : Moscowinstalled

authorities in

Ukraine's southern Kherson

region on Wednesday said

they planned to evacuate

some 50,000 civilians due to

a Ukrainian counteroffensive.

"We are expecting to

evacuate between 50,000

and 60,000 people to the left

bank of the Dnieper," pro-

Kremlin official Vladimir

Saldo said on the Telegram

channel "Solovyov Live".

Saldo said he expected the

evacuation to take six days

and RIA Novosti news

agency reported that

evacuations by boat had

already begun.

Citing another pro-

Russian official, it said that

the evacuees could travel to

Russia.

RIA Novosti said local

residents had received text

messages urging them to

evacuate "before the

Ukrainian army begins

bombing".

Russia's military

commander for Ukraine

operations said on Tuesday

that Russian forces were

planning a "safe

evacuation".

The city of Kherson and

the surrounding region were

captured by Russian forces

at the beginning of the

conflict in the spring.

Ukraine mounted a

counter-offensive in the

south at the end of the

summer and has been

pushing closer to Kherson.

Ukrainian advances have

been on the right bank of the

Dniepr, where Kherson is

located, and Ukrainian

strikes have targeted bridges

to the left bank to disrupt

supply lines.

Russian general Sergey

Surovikin said on Tuesday

on Russian state channel

Rossiya 24 that the Russian

army "will above all ensure

the safe evacuation of the

population".

Surovikin said Ukrainian

strikes targeting civilian

infrastructure "create a

direct threat to the lives of

residents".

1142

Brazil challenger Lula says Neymar

supports Bolsonaro over debt woes

SAO PAULO : Brazilian

presidential candidate Lula

da Silva criticised football star

Neymar's support of far-right

incumbent Jair Bolsonaro,

accusing the player of being

motivated by a debt

"pardon".

Last month, Neymar

endorsed hardline

conservative Bolsonaro as he

fights to win reelection in his

October 30 runoff battle

against leftist ex-leader Lula.

"Neymar has the right to

choose whoever he wants to

be president. I think he is

afraid that if I win the election

I will find out what Bolsonaro

pardoned from his income

tax debt," Lula said in a

YouTube interview on

Tuesday."I think that's why

he's afraid of me," Lula

added, laughing, when asked

about Neymar's support for

the president.

Expectations of a close

contest have pushed both

sides to intensify their attacks

before the runoff, with Lula

the frontrunner after the

first-round election on

October 2.

"Obviously, Bolsonaro

made a deal with (Neymar's)

father. He now has an income

tax problem in Spain," Lula

said, alluding to a favorable

ruling the player obtained in

a tax evasion trial in Brazil, as

well as the charges he faces in

Barcelona for alleged

irregularities in his 2013 club

transfer.

Lula added that it was

ultimately a problem for the

country's tax collection

agency, and not him.

This week, Lula secured the

backing of another football

legend.

Former Brazilian player

and Paris Saint-Germain star

Rai gave Lula a silent shoutout

at a gala awards

ceremony in Paris,

mentioning his country's

elections before flashing an

"L" sign with his right hand.

GD-1703/22 (15x4)

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2022

8

Recently, B.M. College Road branch located at Lutfor Rahman Road in Nothullabad (Holding No. 1582) was

officially inaugurated by Mohd. Jamil Hossain, CMA, Senior Executive Vice President and Head of

Corporate Banking of the Premier Bank Limited attending the ceremony on behalf of Nahyan Haroon,

respected Director of the bank as the chief guest. Shaheed Abdur Rob, President of Barishal Press Club

joined the ceremony as the special guest. Rukshan-Ara Islam, Senior Executive Officer and Deputy

Manager of B.M College Road branch led the ceremony where Md. Reaz Uddin, Associate Vice President

and Manager of B.M. College Road branch; Golam Kibria Khan, Professor of B.M. College in Barishal; K.

M. Shafiqur Rahman, Vice President and Manager of Barisal Branch; Dr. Mohammad Nurul Islam,

Agriculturist and Director of Islamic Foundation; Md. Amir Hossain, Director of Infra Polytechnic

Institute; Md. Akter Hossain, Director of Chamber of Commerce; Mir Ahsan Uddin Parvez, Joint

Secretary-General of the central committee of Bangladesh Petrol Pump Owners Association; Local eminent

business personalities and dignitaries were also present in the inauguration ceremony. Photo:

Online process enables faster insurance

claims settlement within 72 hours

Due to convenience and

faster settlement compared

to paper-based process,

MetLife Bangladesh

customers are increasingly

using the company's easyto-use

online claims

submission platform, a

press release said.

Now 2 out of every 3

individual customers are

submitting their insurance

Tokyo stocks

open higher

extending

US rallies

TOKYO : Tokyo stocks

opened higher Tuesday as

investors took heart from

rallies on Wall Street on eased

worries over corporate

earnings, reports BSS.

The benchmark Nikkei 225

index was up 1.54 percent, or

413.56 points, at 27,189.35 in

early trade, while the broader

Topix index was up 1.29

percent, or 24.25 points, at

1,903.81.

"Japanese shares are seen

starting with gains following

US stocks rallies", where

concerns over corporate

earnings eased, senior market

analyst Toshiyuki Kanayama

of Monex said in a note.

Overnight, all three main

indices on Wall Street

rebounded, with the S&P 500

jumping 2.7 percent.

Bank of America became

the latest US financial

heavyweight to top estimates

following the reporting of

solid results by JPMorgan

Chase and other banks on

Friday.

Analysts have been hopeful

that a successful third-quarter

earnings season could reset a

market that has tumbled in

2022 due to worries over

inflation and Federal Reserve

interest rate hikes.

Meanwhile, Britain's fourth

finance minister in as many

months sensationally ripped

up a tax-cutting budget that

had spooked markets.

"Another big UK fiscal U-

turn and positive earnings

from BofA (Bank of America)

boosted global risk appetite,"

senior analyst Tapas

Strickland of National

Australia Bank said in a note.

claims online. MetLife's

state-of-the-art online

platform enables customers

to receive their claims

amount within 24-72 hours.

MetLife's Corporate

customers are also enjoying

the benefits of this online

claims submission platform

with 4 out of every 5

corporate medical claims

submitted online.

Most Salvadorans think

making Bitcoin legal

tender was ‘failure’

SAN SALVADOR : - More

than a year after Bitcoin

became legal tender in El

Salvador, a new poll

Tuesday showed most

people in the country

consider the controversial

move by President Nayib

Bukele as a "failure."

According to the poll by

the University of Central

America (UCA), 75.6

percent of respondents

said they never used

cryptocurrency in 2022,

and 77 percent consider its

adoption 14 months ago as

legal tender, alongside the

dollar, "to have been a

failure."

Bitcoin, whose value has

tumbled over the past year,

"is the government's most

unpopular measure, the

most criticized and the

most frowned upon," said

UCA rector Andreu Oliva,

commenting on the results

of the study, reports BSS.

Bukele's idea was to

promote crypto money

transfers from some three

million Salvadorans living

overseas, mainly in the

United States, to their

relatives back home,

thereby saving on bank

charges.

The president's decision

was a strategic one, given

that these remittances

make up more than a

quarter of El Salvador's

gross domestic product.

Commenting on the

benefits of online claims

submission, MetLife

Bangladesh's Chief

Executive Officer, Ala

Ahmad, said, "Getting

claims from insurance fast

and without any hassle is

one of the most important

experiences for customers

as it helps build confidence

on insurance. At MetLife,

But according to data

from the Salvadoran

Central Bank in early

September, a year after the

introduction of Bitcoin,

"less than two percent" of

remittances from

emigrants were made

using the cryptocurrency.

In September 2021,

Bitcoin was hovering

around $45,000. By

November it soared to

$68,000, but after a steep

drop it is currently trading

below $20,000.

Taking advantage of the

plummeting prices, Bukele

bought 80 Bitcoin with

public funds in July,

bringing El Salvador's total

reserves to 2,381 units.

According to the UCA

study, 77 percent of

Salvadorans believe their

president "should not

continue to spend public

money to buy Bitcoin."

The survey also looked

into an emergency regime

in place since March as

part of the "war" on gangs

decreed by Bukele, which

led to the arrest of 55,000

suspected members of

criminal gangs, the

dreaded "maras."

The population still

overwhelmingly approves

of it, at 75.9 percent, but

that figure was down nine

points from May, when it

was 84.8 percent.

we are investing in

advanced technology to

bring more people under

the protection of

insurance."

MetLife Bangladesh has a

strong track record of a

claims settlement. In the

first half of 2022, the

company has settled 1,279

Crore Taka of insurance

claims.

US, Mexican

presidents

discuss

migration,

security

MEXICO CITY : Mexican

President Andres Manuel

Lopez Obrador said he

discussed migration,

security and economic

development with his US

counterpart Joe Biden on

Tuesday, amid a simmering

trade dispute between the

neighbors, reports BSS.

Biden confirmed he would

attend the so-called "Three

Amigos" summit in Mexico

with Lopez Obrador and

Canadian Prime Minister

Justin Trudeau, the Mexican

leader said.

A date has yet to be

announced for the threeway

talks, which are

expected to be held

sometime in December.

"We had a cordial

conversation with President

Joe Biden on migration,

security and development

cooperation," Lopez

Obrador tweeted after the

telephone call.

"He confirmed to me that

he will visit Mexico to

participate in the North

American Summit," he

added.

Mexico faces a formal

trade complaint from the

United States and Canada

under a North American

trade deal, the US-Mexico-

Canada Agreement.

Washington and Ottawa

say Lopez Obrador's push to

boost the state's role in the

energy industry hurts

foreign investors and

hinders development of

clean energy.

United Airlines

bullish on air

travel despite

inflation

NEW YORK : United

Airlines reported strong

third-quarter results

Tuesday and said it does not

expect inflation and other

macroeconomic headwinds

to derail the travel industry's

comeback, reports BSS.

The major US carrier

improved in key revenue

benchmarks compared with

the comparable prepandemic

2019 stretch,

making the period "by most

metrics, the best operational

quarter in our history," as

Chief Executive Officer Scott

Kirby put it.

Compared with the 2019

quarter, United had about

10 percent fewer passengers

and also about 10 percent

lower seat capacity in the

just-finished quarter.

But revenues were about

13 percent higher, thanks to

lofty ticket prices in the wake

of torrid consumer demand.

"Despite growing concerns

about an economic

slowdown, the ongoing

COVID recovery trends at

United continue to prevail

and we remain optimistic

that we'll continue to deliver

strong financial results in

the fourth quarter, 2023 and

beyond," Kirby said.

Profits for the quarter

ending September 30 were

$942 million, about double

the year-ago level, with

revenues jumping 66

percent to $12.9 billion.

United pointed to three

"durable" industry-wide

trends that it expects to

override economic

headwinds: continuing

pent-up travel demand after

the coronavirus pandemic;

the beneficial impact of

hybrid work on travel

demand; and "external

supply challenges" that will

limit industry supply.

Obituary

Anwara Begum, wife of Exim

Bank's Business Director and

Chief Executive Mohammad

Feroz Hossain, passed away

on Wednesday, October 19,

2022 at 7:30 am at the

Bangladesh Specialized

Hospital in Dhaka. Innalillahi

wa Inna Ilaihi Raziun. He was

suffering from cancer for a

long time. His family prays for

the forgiveness of the soul of

the deceased.

UK unions seek final nail

in coffin of PM Truss

LONDON- As the sun beat down on Tuesday

on the English seaside resort of Brighton,

gathering union leaders warned of mass winter

strikes in the face of Britain's cost-of-living

crisis, reports BSS.

The Trades Union Congress (TUC)

conference kicked off with demands that

embattled Prime Minister Liz Truss step down.

That coincided with news that coffin makers

are the latest UK workers set to strike as their

pay fails to keep up with decades-high inflation.

In Brighton, on England's south coast, the

National Education Union's joint leader was

categorical.

"It's inevitable that Liz Truss will go," Kevin

Courtney told AFP, as the prime minister

battled to stabilise her position after an

economic crash forced her into humiliating U-

turns on tax cuts.

"The total loss of credibility she's had means

that there's no way the Conservative party will

have her as their leader when they go into the

next general election," he predicted.

"They should call an election now."

In a packed Brighton conference hall,

outgoing TUC general secretary Frances

O'Grady also demanded that the prime

minister step down.

"I have a message for Liz Truss: Working

people are proud of the jobs we do. We work

hard. We work the longest hours in Europe,"

she told delegates, who responded with loud

applause. "Yet thanks to your party's 12 years in

government, millions are struggling to make

ends meet."

Keir Starmer, leader of the main opposition

Labour party, is due to address the TUC on

Thursday, when the conference wraps up.

While unions are traditionally allied to the

Labour party, Starmer is expected to face a

frosty reception after refusing to support the

latest strike action and banning MPs in his

senior team from joining picket lines.

It comes as tens of thousands of teachers and

state-employed health workers are being

balloted on possible walkouts.

Should they strike, they will join tens of

thousands of railway and postal staff carrying

out some of Britain's biggest stoppages in

decades.

"If I was the government, I would be very

worried about it," Courtney said.

He dismissed suggestions that teacher strikes

would harm children already having to catchup

on learning because of earlier Covid

lockdowns. "We really do not want to go on

strike but we'll be harming children by not

going on strike.

"Having held down pay for so long, we have

real problems with recruiting young people to

come into teaching and we're losing loads of

people out of teaching," the union leader

insisted.

The TUC conference had been due to take

place last month but was delayed following the

death of Queen Elizabeth II. That also triggered

the postponement of strikes as a mark of

respect.

Across the Channel, France faced disruptions

on Tuesday after unions there called a

nationwide transport strike.

At the entrance of the Brighton conference

centre looking out toward France, chanting

conference attendees made their feelings

known, urging the TUC umbrella group to also

call a general strike.

Arif Quadri, Managing Director & CEO, United Commercial Bank Limited is

inaugurating the 222nd Sadarpur, Faridpur Branch of United Commercial Bank

Limited as the Chief Guest along with Deputy Managing Director & Company

Secretary of UCB ATM Tahmiduzzaman FCS and Executive Vice President and

Head of Brand Marketing & Corporate Affairs Division Abul Kalam Azad and

other officials.

Photo: Courtesy

UCB inaugurates 222nd

Sadarpur Branch

The 222nd Sadarpur Branch of United

Commercial Bank Limited (UCB) was

inaugurated on 19 October 2022 at

Sadarpur, Faridpur. Arif Quadri, Managing

Director & CEO, United Commercial Bank

Limited inaugurated the Branch as the Chief

Guest, a press release said.

Among others Deputy Managing Director

& Company Secretary of UCB ATM

Tahmiduzzaman FCS and Executive Vice

President and Head of Brand Marketing &

Corporate Affairs Division Abul Kalam Azad

along with other officials of the Bank were

present at the event.

Managing Director stated, 'UCB is firmly

contributing as catalyst to the enhancement

of entrepreneurship and everybody's

assistance is highly desired to broaden our

service more.'

United Commercial Bank Limited, one of

the largest private commercial banks of the

country is committed to give the best service

to clients with a wide range of branch

networks all over the country since 1983.

Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited organized exchange of views program with Bangladeshi Expatriates at a Hotel

of Rome, Italy recently. Mohammed Monirul Moula, Managing Director & CEO of the Bank was present in the

program as the Chief Guest. Presided over by J Q M Habibullah, FCS, Additional Managing Director, Md.

Habibur Rahman, Executive Vice President addressed the welcome speech. Iqbal Hasan Jony, General

Manager, National Exchange Company SRL, Md. Hamid Alam, Manager, First Security Islami Exchange Italy

SRL, Nico Tomi, CEO of Placid Express SRL, Kazi Md. Mizanur Rahman, Managing Director, Janata Exchange

Company SRL along with other business leaders and members of the Bangladeshi community living in Rome

were present on the occasion.

Photo: Courtesy

thUrSDAY, oCtoBer 20, 2022

9

rayo Vallecano's Colombian forward radamel Falcao (2nd-r) shoots and scores a penalty kick past

Atletico Madrid's Croatian goalkeeper Ivo Grbic (C) during their Spanish league match at the Wanda

Metropolitano stadium in Madrid.

photo: Ap

Late Falcao goal for Rayo Vallecano

halts Atletico's winning streak

SportS DeSk

Radamel Falcao converted a penalty

kick two minutes into stoppage time as

Rayo Vallecano pulled off a 1-1 draw

with Atletico Madrid to end the rival's

three-game winning streak in the

Spanish league on Tuesday, reports

UNB.

Falcao, a former Atletico player,

struck the top of the net at the

Metropolitano Stadium after a

handball by Jose Maria Gimenez inside

the area.

"It feels like a victory," Falcao said.

"We never gave up and kept pushing

until the end and got rewarded with the

goal."

Alvaro Morata had opened the

scoring in the 20th for Atletico, which

was looking to move closer to

Barcelona and Real Madrid at the top

of the standings. It stayed two points

behind second-place Barcelona and

five behind leader Real Madrid. Madrid

and Barcelona are yet to play this

round.

Rayo, winless in three straight games,

Prosecutors

nab CEO of

ad firm ADK

over Tokyo

Olympics

SportS DeSk

Tokyo prosecutors today

arrested the president and

two former employees of

Japanese advertising firm

ADK Holdings Inc over

suspected bribery related

to the Tokyo 2020

Olympics, Japanese media

said, reports UNB.

The arrests mark the

latest widening of a

corruption scandal

involving Olympic

sponsors that has centred

on a former member of the

Tokyo 2020 Olympics

board, but has spread

across corporate Japan.

Prosecutors arrested

Shinichi Ueno, 68, the

president and CEO of

privately held ADK, and

raided the company's

headquarters over

suspicions it and a maker

of stuffed toys paid a bribe

of about ¥54 million

related to the Olympics,

Kyodo said.

Sun Arrow Inc, the

stuffed toy maker, could

not immediately be

reached for comment.

A spokesman at ADK

said the company had no

immediate comment.

In August, prosecutors

arrested a former member

of the Tokyo 2020

Olympics board, Haruyuki

Takahashi, on suspicion of

receiving bribes.

Separately, media

reported that prosecutors

had decided to arrest

Takahashi again today,

meaning he faces longer

detention so prosecutors

can question him further.

stayed in 10th place.

Atletico was trying to leave behind its

struggles in the Champions League,

where it is in danger of elimination

after a three-game winless streak in the

group stage. Diego Simeone's team sits

in third place in Group B, two points

behind second-place Porto and six

behind leader Club Brugge.

"We have to stay positive and get

back to work as soon as possible," said

Morata, who put the hosts on the board

with a low shot from close range after

an assist by Antoine Griezmann.

Morata and Griezmann started again,

with João Félix relegated to the bench

one more time.

Griezmann had a goal disallowed for

offside in the 81st.

CAVANI NETS AGAIN

Edinson Cavani scored again but

Valencia couldn't earn a win after

defender Jose Luis Gaya missed a

penalty kick 12 minutes into secondhalf

stoppage time.

Cavani gave the visitors the lead in

the sixth minute for his third goal in

two matches after enduring a scoreless

start to his stint with Valencia. Erik

Lamela equalized for Sevilla in the

86th, and Gayà had his penalty shot

stopped by Sevilla goalkeeper Yassine

Bono deep into injury time.

Sevilla defender Kike Salas was sent

off for the foul that prompted the late

penalty.

Sevilla, coached by newly hired Jorge

Sampaoli, was coming off a win at

Mallorca to end a six-match winless

streak in all competitions. Eighth-place

Valencia had drawn with last-place

Elche at home in the previous round.

ATHLETIC HELD

Athletic Bilbao reached three games

without a win after being held to a 2-2

draw at Getafe.

Athletic twice relinquished the lead,

with Iñaki Williams scoring two

minutes into the match and Raul

García in the 62nd.

Getafe got on the board with Carles

Aleñá in the 27th and Munir El

Haddadi in the 76th.

Athletic, which next visits Barcelona,

stayed in sixth place, while Getafe,

winless in four games, stayed 15th.

Tatum, Brown shine as

Celtics down Sixers in

season opener

SportS DeSk

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen

Brown scored 35 points

each as the Boston Celtics

brushed off their pre-season

woes with an impressive

126-117 opening night

victory over the

Philadelphia 76ers on

Tuesday, reports UNB.

Tatum - roundly criticized

after a series of

disappointing

performances in Boston's

NBA Finals defeat to

Golden State last season -

led from the front in a

dazzling display at the TD

Garden.

The 24-year-old Tatum

went 13-of-20 from the field

while Brown's 35-point

salvo came from 14-of-24

with four three-pointers.

Malcolm Brogdon (16

points), Grant Williams (15)

and defensive linch pin

Marcus Smart (14) also

made double figures as the

Celtics handed interim head

coach Joe Mazzulla the first

win of his reign.

Mazzulla only took over as

head coach last month after

the stunning season-long

suspension of Ime Udoka.

Udoka, one of the rising

coaching stars of the NBA,

was banned for the entire

2022-2023 campaign after

details emerged of an

improper relationship with

a female member of the

Celtics staff.

But while the scandal

upended the Celtics' preseason

preparations, there

was no sign of it on Tuesday

as the new campaign got

under way with an

emphatic win over one of

the teams expected to be

one of their main Eastern

Conference rivals.

After the Sixers started

brightly to lead 29-24 after

the first quarter, Boston

roared back to level it at 63-

63 at the halftime break.

The Celtics then pulled

away late in the third

quarter with Smart

punishing a sloppy Joel

Embiid turnover to make it

87-78 before a Tatum threepointer

gave the team a 12-

point cushion.

The Celtics held onto the

lead for the remainder of

the game, going 16 points

clear later in the fourth

before comfortably closing

out the win.

James Harden led the

Sixers scorers with 35

points, while Embiid added

26 and Tyrese Maxey 21.

Boston Celtics forward Jayson tatum shoots after going past philadelphia 76ers forward

p.J. tucker during the third quarter of their NBA game at tD Garden. photo: Ap

Messi picks

France, Brazil

as favourites

for World Cup

SportS DeSk

Argentina captain Lionel

Messi has said defending

champions France and

Brazil are the favourites to

win the World Cup in Qatar

as they have a core group of

players who have played

together for a long time,

reports UNB.

Messi said Brazil,

Germany, France, England

and Spain are always

labelled favourites to win

but the 35-year-old forward

feels France and Brazil are

the best two teams going

into the Nov 20 to Dec 18

tournament.

"We always say the same

great teams … but, if I have

to choose, Brazil and France

are the two great candidates

to win the World Cup,"

Messi told DIRECTV

Sports.

"They've had the same

group (of players) for a long

time, working well. France,

aside from the last Euros

when they were eliminated

(in the last 16) and did badly,

they have some impressive

players.

"They have a clear idea

and the same coach (Didier

Deschamps). Brazil is a bit

the same (under Tite)."

Messi did not mention

Argentina, who are

unbeaten in 35 matches,

among the favourites even

though Lionel Scaloni's side

won the Copa America last

year by beating Brazil in the

final.

But Argentina have been

recently hampered by

injuries to key players Paulo

Dybala and Angel Di Maria.

Scaloni described club

football's fixture congestion

in October as "terrible" but

urged his players not to hold

back to avoid the risk of

injury ahead of the World

Cup.

"We are in quite a difficult

stage. The players are

playing a lot of games,"

Scaloni told AFAestudio.

German Reichart

appointed CEO of

company promoting

Super League

SportS DeSk

German businessman

Bernd Reichart has been

appointed CEO of the

company promoting the

Super League, a dissident

European football

competition aimed at

supplanting the lucrative

UEFA Champions League,

reports BSS.

The 48-year-old former

boss of the RTL media

group in Germany,

Reichart takes control of

A22 Sports Management,

the European commercial

sports development

company announced on

Wednesday.

Reichart's "initial focus

will be to initiate an active

and extended dialogue

with a comprehensive

group of football

stakeholders including

clubs, players, coaches,

fans, media and policy

makers," A22 Sports

Management said in a

statement.

"The aim is to facilitate

the development of a

sustainable sporting model

for European club

competitions that reflects

the long-term and mutual

best interests of fans and

the broader football

community."

Launched by 12 major

European clubs, the plan to

supplant the Champions

League in the spring of

2021 fizzled out amid the

fury of many supporters

and the threat of political

action.

US star Frances Tiafoe

to debut in Abu Dhabi

this December

SportS DeSk

Frances Tiafoe, the 2022 US

Open semifinalist, will make

his Mubadala World Tennis

Championship debut at Abu

Dhabi's International Tennis

Centre in Zayed Sports City

from Dec. 16 to 18,

organizers have revealed,

reports UNB.

Tiafoe, 24, currently the

top-ranked player in the US,

is the latest addition to the

lineup of A-list players,

including world No. 1 Carlos

Alcaraz, No. 3 Casper Ruud,

and defending champion

Andrey Rublev. Born in

Sierra Leone and raised in

Maryland, US, Tiafoe

reached his highest world

ranking of No. 19 last month

after becoming the first

American since 2006 to

reach the final four at

Flushing Meadows.

As a prodigious 15-yearold,

Tiafoe scooped the 2013

Orange Bowl championship,

widely regarded as being the

sport's most prestigious

junior international

competition.

In doing so, he created

Frances tiafoe celebrates a break point against Carlos Alcaraz of Spain at

the 2022 US open.

photo: Ap

Host Qatar’s World Cup

‘carbon neutral’ claims

under fire

SportS DeSk

Organisers have promised a carbon neutral

World Cup next month in Qatar but

environmental groups are warning that the

tournament will be far more polluting than

advertised, reports BSS.

Hassan al-Thawadi, secretary general of Qatar

2022, said organisers will achieve net-zero

emissions for the tournament as a whole "by

measuring, mitigating and offsetting all our

greenhouse gas emissions".

This promise has failed to convince sceptics,

however. Former Manchester United ace Eric

Cantona recently slammed what he called an

"ecological aberration", pointing to the carbon

footprint of what will be eight air-conditioned

stadiums.

Julien Jreissati, programme director of

Greenpeace Middle East, has accused organisers

of "window dressing", insisting that claims of netzero

emissions from the tournament "could be

considered greenwashing/sportswashing".

Gilles Dufrasne, a researcher for Carbon

Market Watch and author of a report into Qatar

2022's climate credentials, said that carbon

neutrality claims were "misleading and dishonest

about the true climate impact that the event will

have."

Organisers of football's marquee event said it

will generate 3.6 million tonnes of CO2

equivalent, compared with 2.1 million generated

by the previous edition, in Russia in 2018.

The vast majority of these emissions, some 95

percent, are indirect from things like transport,

infrastructure building and housing.

But Carbon Market Watch says that the hosts'

estimate is incomplete. It says that Qatar has

underestimated the footprint of constructing

eight new stadiums, for example, by a factor of

eight, generating 1.6 million tonnes of CO2

instead of the 200,000 tonnes disclosed.

Some of this difference can be explained by

methodology. Qatar deems that most of the new

stadiums will be used well after the tournament is

over, meaning that their environmental impact

shouldn't be tied specifically to one event.

history by becoming the

youngest champion in boys'

singles - eclipsing the

achievements of John

McEnroe and Roger

Federer.

In 2015, he became the

youngest American in 26

years to appear in the main

draw of the French Open. By

2018 he had won his first

ATP title at the Delray Beach

Open and in 2019 he made it

to the quarterfinals of the

Australian Open.

In 2021, he secured his

biggest career victory with a

win over Stefanos Tsitsipas

at Wimbledon, before

beating Rafael Nadal and

Andrey Rublev a year later

en route to the US Open

semifinals.

"I'm super excited to travel

to Abu Dhabi and compete

at the Mubadala World

Tennis Championship," said

Tiafoe. "Playing in such a

competitive tournament

before the holidays and at

the start of the new season is

something I am really

looking forward to. It's going

to be a terrific experience

against an elite field, and I

can't wait to get out there."

John Lickrish, CEO, Flash

Entertainment, added:

"Frances Tiafoe is one of the

most brilliant and brightest

tennis stars right now and

one to watch as the next

generation of tennis

superstars emerge. He had

an outstanding season this

year and excelled at this

year's French Open and US

Open. He is considered one

of the most talented young

players and has developed a

strong fan base around the

world. I have no doubts at all

he will prove a highly

popular addition to this

year's Mubadala World

Tennis Championship."

Celebrating its 14th

edition this year, the annual

championship features six of

the world's top male players

and two of the best players in

the women's game, who will

contest on the tournament's

opening day on Dec. 16. Ons

Jabeur, the World No. 2,

2022 US Open finalist and

defending champion, will

face 2021 US Open winner

and British No. 1 Emma

Raducanu.

Carbon Market Watch differs, pointing out that

banking on continued use of eight massive

sporting venues in a country of just 2.4 million

inhabitants is risky.

Stadium air conditioning in Qatar, contrary to

popular belief, is expected to only contribute a

minimal amount to the tournament's climate

impact.

"It's relatively minimal compared to total

emissions from constructing stadiums or from

air transport," said Dufrasne.

Given the vast amounts of infrastructure Qatar

has had to build in order to accommodate the

world's largest sporting event, some experts

believe the tiny Gulf nation was destined to

struggle to keep emissions down.

"The huge error was made in December 2010

at the moment the World Cup wasn't awarded to

a country that already had all the infrastructure,"

said Giles Pache, a specialist in logistics at

France's Aix-Marseille University, referring to the

United States, which missed out on FIFA voting

to Qatar.

"In Qatar we were starting with nothing,

hosting a global event built on sand," said Pache.

"The US was really well equipped" in terms of

stadiums and hotels, he said.

To achieve carbon neutrality, tournament

organisers have promised that emissions will be

offset in the form of carbon credits. These, in

theory, balance out the emissions produced by

saving emissions elsewhere in the world.

With Qatar, organisers are working on

renewable energy projects in Turkey as part of

this scheme.

Jreissati said these carbon credits constituted a

"distraction".

"They give the impression that a solution that

doesn't necessitate efforts to reduce greenhouse

gas emissions through ambitious political

decisions is possible," he said.

"We need to reduce emissions at source as soon

as possible."

For future tournaments Dufrasne said he

hoped for a "systemic reflection" in how World

Cups are organised.

THURsdAY, OcTOBER 20 2022

10

Best Actor Shakib Khan, Best Actress Puja Cherry

TBT REPORT

27 artists and craftsmen from the

country and abroad have received

the New York Dhallywood Awards

this time. In terms of popularity,

Shakib Khan, the superstar of the

Dhallywood, has won the best actor

and Puja Cherry, the popular

actress, has won the best actress.

The Dhallywood Awards were

held at the Amazura Auditorium in

Jamaica, Queens on Sunday night

(October 16) local time. However,

neither Shakib nor Puja went to

New York to collect their award.

Alamgir Khan Alam, owner of

New York's Showtime Music,

announced the names of 27 artists

and crew one by one. Apart from

Bangladeshi artists and craftsmen,

American model and Bollywood

actress Nargis Fakhri received the

International Icon Award.

Several patrons have also received

Dhallywood Awards in New York.

New York's biggest entertainment

program Film and Music Awards

winner this year are - Best

Television Actor Afran Nisho, best

television actress respectively -

Mehjabin Chowdhury (Redram),

Tanzin Tisha, Tasnia Fareen (New

Sensation), best supporting Actress

Shahnaz Khushi, best male singer

Tahsan Khan, best female singer

Dilshad Nahar Kona, best film actor

Shakib Khan (Popular) and

Chanchal Chowdhury (Hawa), best

film award 'Hawa', best film actress

Vidya Sinha Meem (Poran), best

film actress (Popular) Puja Cherry,

best actor comedy Ziaul Haque

Palash, best drama director Mustafa

Kamal Raj.

Apart from this, American model

and Bollywood actress Nargis

Fakhri received the International

Icon Award. Faria Shahreen, folk

singer Kala Mia, best TV news

reader Rumana Afroz, best

expatriate singer Shah Mahbub,

Rano Newaz, received special

awards.

Halloween Ends director defends Michael

Myers’ minimal screen time

Halloween Ends director David

Gordon Green defends Michael

Myers' minimal screen time in the

newly released horror trilogy

conclusion.

David Gordon Green defends the

decision of limiting Michael Myers'

(James Jude Courtney) screen time

in Halloween Ends. Set four years

after the events of Halloween Kills,

the movie sees Laurie Strode (Jamie

Lee Curtis) confronting The Shape

one last time as he comes out of

hiding during Halloween night in

Haddonfield. Meanwhile,

granddaughter Allyson (Andi

Matichak) starts to fall in love with

Corey Cunningham (Rohan

Campbell), who trains with Myers to

become Haddonfield's next "Shape."

In a surprising turn of events,

Michael Myers and Laurie Strode

take a massive backseat as Halloween

Ends devotes its focus to Corey

Cunningham, the newest character of

the franchise. After being attacked by

a group of teenagers, Cunningham

accidentally meets Michael Myers in

a sewer. The Shape initially strangles

him, but sees darkness lurking inside

of Cunningham, choosing to then

spare his life. The two of them start

wreaking havoc on Haddonfield, as

Cunningham starts to grow closer to

Michael Myers, causing Laurie to

worry given his relationship with

Allyson. Myers only appears in

Haddonfield during the final

confrontation, where Laurie awaits

his return, so she can finish him off

for good.

Now, in a recent interview with

Collider, David Gordon Green

explains why Michael Myers has a

limited screen presence during

Halloween Ends. The director

defends the choice, stating that it

would've felt wrong had he done the

film differently, while also admitting

limiting Myers' screen time was one

of the movie's biggest risks. Check

out what he said on the matter below:

"It's still a controversy today. I just

watched the movie outside of a

technical format, meaning in a sound

mix or a color correction, for the first

time two days ago. We really just

finished this movie. [Laughs] So two

days ago, and I'm watching it, and

I'm like, 'We're asking a lot.' But then

when we were in the editing room,

and we would do [it] differently, it felt

wrong. And so if you don't have an

intuition, if you don't have a vision,

you shouldn't be making this movie.

And I think there's obvious

challenges and things that you would

bring to discussion with editors, with

producers and say, 'This is what feels

right,' and at a point we all just looked

at each other and said, 'We're taking

a big risk here, but it does feel right,

and we know we're getting into. Let's

go for it.'"

Source: Collider

Sajal in new drama

series ‘Nayok er

Naam Kobi’

TBT REPORT

Popular model and actor Abdun Nur

Sajal will be starring in a new drama

series 'Nayok er Naam Kobi'.

Written by Imdadul Haque Milon and

directed by Lutfar Rahman Robin,

filming for the series began on 16 October

at various locations in Tejgaon, Dhaka,

and will feature 26 episodes.

The series will air on Bangladesh

Television (BTV) soon. However a

release date or details about the plot has

not been revealed at the time of writing.

Sajal will be starring as the protagonist

Abanti Sithi's

‘Bhorer Akash’

released

TBT REPORT

Abanti Sithi, who won many hearts

with her melodious voice and engaging

performances on stage, released a new

song titled 'Bhorer Akash'. On the

occasion of the 59 birth anniversary of

Sheikh Russel, the song was released on

the 'Sujan Hajong Official' YouTube

channel on Tuesday. Written by Sujan

Hajong, the song is tuned and

composed by Suman Kalyan.

With the lyrics 'Tomar Hasite Prithibi

Hase Dukkho Muche jay, Tomar

Chokhe Swapno Agamir Shishura

Dekhte Pai' the recording of the song

was completed at D Station Studio in

Moghbazar on October 16.

Regarding the song, lyricist Sujan

Hajong said, "Sheikh Russel is a name

of passion and love for us. It is our

prayer that the children live happily,

dreaming of a better future. In the song,

I presented Russel as the morning sky

to the children. I believe children will

grow up in the light of the world by

of the show, a man who belongs to a

wealthy family. He travels and enjoys

writing poetry.

"Imdadul Haque Milon is one of my

seeing this morning sky."

Abanti Sithi said, "This is my first

song about Sheikh Russel. The lyrics

and melody of the song are excellent. I

sang the song with joy and enthusiasm.

I hope everyone can sing the song

easily."

Before this, Abanti Sithi was well

appreciated for singing two songs titled

favourites! It's an honour to play the hero

of his story. It was the quality of script

that lured me in. I hope viewers will enjoy

it," said Sajal.

'Muktir Sangram' about Bangabandhu

and 'Amader Bangamata' about

Bangamata written by Sujan Hajong.

On the other hand, four songs about

Sheikh Russel written by Sujan Hajong

have already been published. These

four songs have been sung by Fahmida

Nabi, Muhin Khan, Suman Kalyan and

Sushmita Saha.

Katrina praises Siddhant, Ishaan

Katrina Kaif in a recent

chat shared about working

with the three Khans and

her Phone Bhoot co-stars

Siddhant Chaturvedi and

Ishaan Khatter.

Katrina Kaif is one of the

most loved actresses in

Bollywood. All eyes are on

her as her film Phone Bhoot

is about to release. The film

also stars Siddhant

Chaturvedi and Ishaan

Khatter in pivotal roles. The

trailer has been released and

fans are going gaga over it.

Well, we have seen the

camaraderie between

Siddhant, Katrina and

Ishaan in several BTS videos

and now a new video of the

trio has been released and

we bet it will leave you in

splits. In the chat, the

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

actress has revealed her

experience of working with

Salman Khan, Shah Rukh

Khan and Aamir Khan.

Katrina Kaif on working

with Shah Rukh Khan,

Salman Khan and Aamir

Khan vs Siddhant


Khatter In the video, Katrina

Kaif was asked how was it

working with Siddhant


Khatter after working with

Salman Khan, Shah Rukh

Khan and Aamir Khan. In

response, Katrina called the

three Khans icons. She

revealed that they elevate

every film they are in. "They

see the picture in totality,

they see the picture in

totality. So every suggestion

that they give helps your

character, helps your story.

Being on sets in those kinds

of films is absolutely

wonderful," added the

actress. Talking about

working with Ishaan and

Siddhant, Katrina said that

they are very enthusiastic

and they are always working

so hard. "The fact that they

could bring so much energy

is wonderful and they love

what they do," quipped the

actress.

Directed by Gurmmeet

Singh and written by Ravi

Shankaran and Jasvinder

Singh Bath, 'Phone Bhoot' is

produced by Excel

Entertainment, headed by

Ritesh Sidhwani and

Farhan Akhtar. The film is

all set to be released on 4th

November, 2022.

Source: Hindustan Times

H O R O s c O P E

ARIEs

Your head should be quite clear today,

Aries, and your witty comments will

be met with appreciation and

laughter. Your smile will delight

everyone you encounter. Don't be afraid to let your

feelings out to those who need to hear them. Focus

your energy on the ones you love. Your heart is

warm and generous, so share it with other people

today.

TAURUs

Don't worry about probing too deeply

today, Taurus. Trust people more than

you normally would. You will find that

things go much more smoothly if you

approach them from a neutral or positive and not

accusatory position. Listen to the people you care about

the most. They're trying to convey important

information. You might not want to hear it now, but in

the long run, it's in everyone's best interests that you do.

GEMINI

You might consider taking a short trip

today, Gemini. Perhaps you need to get

out of the house and go across town.

Whatever it is, introduce your brain to a

new reality. It's time to expand and explore. You itch

to see new places and experience new things, either

physically or mentally. Perhaps a religious sanctuary

or quiet place in grove of trees is what you need in

order to quench this inner thirst.

cANcER

Your mind might be stimulated today,

Cancer, so stay alert and open to new

information. If you feel tired, take a

short nap. It's better to operate at top

speed and full capacity than go through your day

only half present. Don't rely on external stimulants

like caffeine to pick you up. These things will

deceive your body and do damage to your nervous

system.

LEO

Communication is flowing smoothly

today, Leo, so take advantage of this

and get the word out. It's important

for you to make connections with

other people now. Run with your instincts and

feel free to enter into debates. Your words and

tone of voice are very convincing. You could sell

anything to anyone today.

VIRGO

Don't let fear of failure or fear of

success hold you back, Virgo. Even

though you may feel a natural

tendency to want to shrink into the

background and take the easiest route, you might

be sacrificing your true purpose when you do.

Become the leader instead of following the leader.

Rid yourself of all fear and take control of your

destiny.

LIBRA

Powerful thoughts are running

through your brain. You will find that

this information can be transforming,

Libra. The key is to learn from others

and incorporate opposing viewpoints into your state

of mind. Don't automatically disregard the opinion

of another just because it contradicts your own

beliefs. Teamwork is the name of the game on a day

like today.

scORPIO

Information coming your way today

might be unreliable, Scorpio. It could be

hard for you to take a solid hold on the

messages you get. Keep in mind that

there are important answers waiting to be heard. These

answers will come to you when you least expect them.

Keep your mind open to new possibilities and the path

will open up and become clear. Don't compromise your

consciousness with abusive substances.

sAGITTARIUs

Be careful about being manipulated by

another person today, Sagittarius. It's

possible that someone is putting words

in your mouth in order to get you to act

a certain way. Don't fall into this trap. Be your own

person and think for yourself. Your mind is

susceptible and vulnerable now. Use your eyes and

ears as a filter and don't let people unload their

garbage on you.

cAPRIcORN

Information you receive today may get

you stirred up, Capricorn. Remember

that it takes two to start an argument.

You play an equal part in any

disagreement. If you want to promote peace and

harmony, your words and body language must

show this. If peace and harmony aren't your

ultimate goal, you may need to look inside yourself

to explore the reasons why.

AQUARIUs

There's a great deal of power to your

words today, Aquarius, so be careful

how you use them. You may end up

manipulating another's choices if you

aren't careful with your conduct. Make sure you give

others the freedom and empowerment to decide

things for themselves. Be open and honest about all

the facts that might influence their decisions in any

way.

PIscEs

Answers may not be crystal clear

today, Pisces. They probably won't be

laid out in a neat and organized

manner. Get out in the open air and join friends

for a long bike ride. Fly a kite or feel the wind blow

through your hair on top of a mountain peak. The

answer is flowing through the air around you.

Stop looking down at the ground for the

information you seek.

Ahsania Mission Cancer and General Hospital, Mirpur and UniMed

limited jointly organized a free blood sugar test camp at the

hospital premises yesterday. Director of the hospital Kazi Forhad

Alvi inaugurated the daylong camp.

Photo : Courtesy

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19

Free blood glucose

test camp held

Ahsania Mission Cancer and General Hospital Mirpur and

Unimed Limited organized a day-long free blood glucose test

camp on Wednesday in the hospital premises. The day-long

camp was inaugurated by the director of Ahsania Mission

Cancer and General Hospital, Mirpur, Kazi Farhad Alvi.

Deputy Director Dr. Subrata Mistry was present at the

ceremony. Besides, Md. Shahjahan, Mahidul Islam and

Ward Master Md. Idris were present on behalf of

Administration and Accounts Department. The activities of

the Free Broad Glucose Test Camp started with the blood test

of the hospital director. The day-long camp is open for

doctors, consultants, nurses, hospital staff at various levels,

patients, attendants and local public.

Tourist killed in Rangamati

road accident

RANGAMATI : A tourist was killed and six others were

injured when a 'Chander Gari'( a vehicle that usually carries

tourists) fell into a ditch while returning from Sajek on

Wednesday.

The deceased was identified as Mohammad Sagar Ahmed,

32. According to Atulal Chakma, Chairman of Sajek Union

Parishad, the accident occurred around 11:00am when the

Chander Gari reached House Para from Sajek's Ruilui Para,

overturned and fell into a ditch, reports UNB.

"Upon receiving information from the locals, a team of

Bangladesh Army and police rescued the injured people and

took them to Dighinala Upazila Health Complex for

treatment. Sagar died while undergoing treatment there,"

Atulal said.

Officer-In-charge (OC) of Sajek Police Station Nurul

Haque confirmed the matter saying that all the victims of the

road crash were residents of Dhaka city.

Terrorist activities

of BNP-Jamaat will

be resisted: Nanak

DHAKA : Awami League (AL) Presidium Member Jahangir

Kabir Nanak yesterday urged the party leaders and activists

to resist unitedly any kind of terrorist activities of BNP-

Jamaat.

"We will not bow down to anti liberation forces," he said.

Nanak said this while speaking at a discussion as the chief

guest organized by the Bangladesh Krishak League marking

59th birth day of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh

Mujibur Rahman's youngest son Shaheed Sheikh Russel at

central office of Bangabandhu Avenue in the city.

He said BNP-Jamaat alliance wants to pull back the

country to turn Bangladesh into a new Pakistan, but people

won't let that happen.

He also said anti liberation forces on August 15 in 1975 had

killed the great leader of history and architect of

independence Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman along

with his family members.

Later, General Ziaur Rahman seized the state power and he

had blocked trial of killers of Bangabandhu through the

passage of indemnity ordinance, Nanak said.

AL Joint General Secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim said

anti liberation forces had perpetrated the killing mission on

August 15 in 1975. They are hatching conspiracy against the

present government, he said urging the party leaders and

activists to be united under the leadership of AL President

and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

President of Bangladesh Krishak League Krishibid Samir

Chanda presided over the discussion and acting General

Secretary Krishibid Biswanath Sarkar Bitu conducted it

while AL Agriculture and Cooperative Affairs Secretary

Faridun Nahar Laili, Office Secretary Barrister Biplob Barua,

Krishak League Vice-President Sakhawat Hossain Sweet,

Shorif Asraf and Abdul Latif, among others, spoke.

Brutal murder on Aug

15, a 'rare' in human

history: Dr Razzaque

DHAKA : Expressing deep respect to the memory of Shahid

Sheikh Russel, marking his 58th birth anniversary,

Agriculture Minister Dr M Abdur Razzaque has said, the

brutal killing on August 15 in 1975 is a 'rare one' in the human

history."August 15 carnage was a brutal assault in the human

history where Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and

most of his family members were assassinated at his

residence as part of a coup d'état", he said while addressing a

function marking the 58th birth anniversary of Shahid

Sheikh Russel at Bangladesh Embassy in Italian capital

Rome on Tuesday.

Dr Razzaque who is now visiting Rome to join a five-day

meeting of the World Food Forum (WFF) at the

headquarters of Food and Agricultural Organization of the

United Nations (FAO).

The meeting was started on October 17 that will continue

up to October 21.

Highlighting Russel's simple life, the minister, however,

said that such heinous killing would not happen again

nowhere in the world.

He recalled the sacrifices made by Bangabandhu's family in

all remarkable events in the history of the country including

the War of Liberation.

At the outset of the function, Dr Razzaque along with the

embassy officials placed floral wreaths at the portrait of

Shahid Sheikh Russel at the Embassy premises.

They offered doa and munajat seeking eternal peace of

Sheikh Russel's departed soul.

A documentary based on the life of Shahid Sheikh Russel

was also displayed during the function.

Chaired by Ambassador Shamim Ahsan, the function was

also attended among others, by the officials and employees of

the Embassy.

11

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Thursday, Dhaka : October 20, 2022; Kartik 4, 1429 BS; Rabi-ul-Awal 23 , 1444 Hijri

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday inaugurated the installation of the reactor pressure

vessel (RPV) at Unit-2 of the 2400MW Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP). Photo : PID

People getting electricity

despite rationing amid

global crisis: PM

DHAKA : Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

on Wednesday said that the people are

getting electricity even though the government

has imposed some austerity measures

amid global crisis.

"People are getting electricity and will

get it, but all have to maintain austerity,"

she said.

"We are also maintaining austerity in

some cases. we are compelled to do so for

the present situation," she said while inaugurating

the installation of a reactor pressure

vessel at the second unit of the 2,400

MW Rooppur nuclear power plant

(RNPP).

She joined the programme virtually

from her official residence Ganabhaban

while it was held at Ishwardi of the northern

district of Pabna. The prime minister

said her government has fulfilled its promise

of providing electricity to all.

"We have kept our promise. We have

been able to reach electricity to every

house of Bangladesh," she said.

Court frames charges against contractor

Shamim, mother in graft case

DHAKA : A Dhaka court on Wednesday

framed charges against "influential"

contractor GK Shamim and his mother

Ayesha Akter in a disproportionate

assets case.

Judge Sheikh Nazmul Alam of the

Dhaka Special Judge Court-4, framed the

charges against the mother-son duo for

corruption and fixed November 7 as the

next date for hearing the testimonies of

witnesses in the case, said Belal Hossain, a

court official, reports UNB.

Framing of charge is vital to a criminal

case as it gives the accused precisely what

the prosecution intends to prove against

them. Shamim and his mother have been

charged with graft for acquiring excessive

assets-worth over Tk 298 crore-by corrupt

means, the court official said.

Earlier, on December 22, 2020, the

Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC)

approved the chargesheet against

Rohingya repatriation

DHAKA : Bangladesh is likely to seek an

update from the Chinese side on Thursday

regarding its efforts to find ways for repatriation

of the Rohingya refugees to

Myanmar.

Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li

Jiming is scheduled to meet Foreign

Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen at his office

at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on

Thursday morning where the Rohingya

issue is likely to be raised, a senior official

told UNB.

Brokered by China, Bangladesh and

Myanmar signed an agreement for starting

repatriation of the Rohingya refugees

to Myanmar under a tripartite mechanism,

but the process remained stalled.

The idea of a tripartite mechanism

among Bangladesh, China and Myanmar

came four years ago in New New York to

evaluate the situation on the ground and

In this connection, she that the current

problem has arisen due to a war like situation

in the world and COVID-19 pandemic.

"...prices have gone up in everything

including transportation. As a result the

developed countries are suffering from

various problems," she said.

She went on saying that the developed

countries also have focused on savings in

every spheres of life. We are also doing

that.

"Because the world is now a global village

one is dependent on another. When

the world is suffering from economic

recession that blow also comes to us," she

said. As a result, she went on, "We have

also started maintaining austerity."

"That does not mean, people of the

country will not get electricity," she said.

She once again blamed the Russia-

Ukraine war and subsequent sanctions for

compounding the problems.

"I hope that the world will get relief from

this situation very quickly," she added.

Shamim and his mother in the graft

case.

He was arrested with illegal firearms

and a huge amount of money from his

Niketan office on September 20, 2019,

during a drive against illegal casinos and

other businesses. Seven of his bodyguards

were also arrested during the raid.

Rab members seized Fixed Deposit

Receipts (FDRs) worth Tk 165 crore, Tk

1.81 crore in cash and a huge amount of

foreign currencies.

A foreign-made pistol, seven shotguns

and a huge cache of bullets were also

seized from the office of 'GKB and

Company Pvt Limited'.

The elite force lodged three complaints -

one under the narcotics control act, another

under the money-laundering prevention

act, and the third under the arms acts

- against Shamim with Gulshan police the

next day.

take steps for the early repatriation and

there had been few meetings.

Ambassador Jiming at a recent event

indicated that they are going to formally

share the "feedback" with the Ministry of

Foreign Affairs in Dhaka based on what

they talked with the Myanmar side. "I am

not going to disclose it right now."

Despite assurance from Myanmar, not a

single person was taken back over the last

five years. Bangladesh is hosting over 1.1

million Rohingya in Cox's Bazar and

Bhasan Char.

On October 13, the Chinese envoy said

the key to the Rohingya issue is building

confidence between the stakeholders, not

the unilateral efforts from a certain country.

He said China has been working on

Bangladesh and Myanmar to help to

resolve the Rohingya issue through talks

because both Bangladesh and Myanmar

BNP public rally

Bus services in

Khulna to remain

suspended Oct 21, 22

KHULNA : Khulna bus-minibus owners

association and motor workers'

union have decided to keep bus services

suspended on October 21 and 22

due to the Bangladesh Nationalist

Party's divisional rally on October 22,

reports UNB.

They took the decision on Wednesday

night. General secretary of motor workers'

union Jakir Hossain said movement of all

buses from Khulna will remain suspended

on October 21 and 22. The BNP will

organize the rally on Sonali Bank premises

in the city.

District unit BNP general secretary

Monirul Hasan Bappi alleged that the

decision was taken to restrict the BNP

leaders and activists of different upazilas

of Khulna district and nine districts of

Khulna division from joining the rally.

"We apprehended the matter earlier

and have taken preparations accordingly,"

he said. The BNP activists were asked to

come to the city few days ahead of the rally

and stay in hotels or relative's houses, he

added.

DSA an additional threat

for Bangladeshi

journalists : Envoy

DHAKA : Canadian High Commissioner

to Bangladesh Lilly Nicholls on

Wednesday said the Digital Security Act

(DSA) puts additional threat for journalists

in Bangladesh. She said the media

plays a vital role to ensure democracy and

transparency in a country.

"Media freedom is deteriorating all

around the world including Bangladesh.

Media also plays a key role to hear from

different sections of the people and represents

the voice of the unheard," said the

Canadian envoy while speaking at a dialogue

on safety of women journalists,

reports UNB.

Discussants also included Barrister Sara

Hossain, President of Bangladesh Nari

Sangbadik Kendro Nasimun Ara Huq

Minu and Coordinator of Women

Journalists Network Bangladesh Angur

Nahar Monty. Faruq Faisel, Regional

Director for ARTICLE 19 South Asia,

moderated the dialogue session.

Rumky Farhana, Senior Program

Officer of ARTICLE 19, presented the

keynote paper pointing out the objectives

and scope of these upcoming series of dialogues.

Dhaka may seek updates on Beijing's efforts

are China's friendly neighbors.

The envoy said though the present

domestic condition of Myanmar is still

facing uncertainty, the communication

between the two sides is not interrupted

under the "mediation of China" and

actually, the incumbent authority of

Myanmar is showing a positive attitude

to this issue.

Thus, he said, the Chinese side hopes

Bangladesh and Myanmar could work in

the same direction so that the repatriation

could start at an early date.

On October 17, Momen said Myanmar

"should keep their promise" for the repatriation

of the Rohingya to "their place of

origin in Rakhine State."

"We are ready to send them back.

Myanmar should keep their promise.

They should come forward and do their

part of the job," he said.

Legal experts think CC

camera at secret booth

violates privacy:Hasan

DHAKA : Information and

Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan

Mahmud yesterday said legal experts

and specialists are of the view that to see

who is voting for whom by installing CC

camera at secret booth is the violation of

personal privacy.

"As per the legal experts, the Election

Commission has interfered with the

fundamental rights of citizens by doing

that in Gaibandha-5 by-polls. I also saw

the issue at social platforms and different

online portals which published news

and articles criticizing it," he said.

The minister said this to reporters,

replying to a query at the meeting room

of his ministry at Secretariat in the capital.

Hasan said, "It is not my own statement.

The opinions of people at social

platforms, journalists of mass media

and other intellectuals are that the secret

booth is secret and people will cast their

vote secretly. This is his or her right. The

secret booth will not be secret if anyone

sees who is voting for whom by

installing CC camera and if the scene is

shown to others. So, the legal experts are

saying that it is 'infringement of privacy'

or violation of personal privacy. The

opinions of common people and legal

experts are that it is interference with

the fundamental rights of people."

DHAKA : The government on

Wednesday approved separate proposals

to procure some 90,000 metric

tons of fertilizer and 1.65 crore

litre soybean oil in line with the

growing demand of the country.

The approvals came from the 31st

meeting of the Cabinet Committee

on Government Purchase (CCGP) in

this year held yesterday virtually

with Finance Minister AHM Mustafa

Kamal in the chair.

Briefing reporters after the meeting

virtually, Cabinet Division additional

secretary Md Rahat Anwar

said that the day's CCGP meeting

approved a total of six proposals.

He informed that Bangladesh

Agricultural Development

Corporation (BADC) under the

Ministry of Agriculture would procure

some 50,000 metric tons of

MOP fertilizer from Canadian

Commercial Corporation, Canada

under the 6th lot under state-level

agreement with around Taka 437.06

crore. Under such agreement, per

ton of fertilizer would cost $821.

Anwar said the BADC under the

Ministry of Agriculture would procure

another 40,000 metric tons of

DAP fertilizer under the 9th lot

under state-level agreement from

OCP, SA, Morocco with around Taka

The minister said once Shamim

Osman had shown in front of the media

whom he voted for. As a result, the EC

gave him a notice and said that 'you cannot

show it before the mass media or

people', said Hasan, also Awami League

joint general secretary.

He said it is 'infringement of privacy' if

the Election Commission, which served

notice earlier, see it themselves.

He said there might be CC camera at

polling centers to see any untoward situation

and there is no obligation if the EC

think that it will be helpful. But the

experts are claiming that it interfered on

the fundamental rights to see who is voting

for whom by installing CC camera.

He said the field level officers of that

election are telling that the polls were

held in a fair manner. On the other

hand, the EC, by seeing CC camera

footage, thought that there were other

people in polling centers, he added.

He said, "I'm voting for long, but didn't

vote by EVM. I should have known

how to vote with EVM. And the people

of village normally ask 'how to vote'.

That time, agents of candidates or

polling officers help those people. The

Election Commission watched it by telescope.

I don't know how they identified

who is agent, who is officer or who is

outsider."

Govt to procure 90,000

MTs fertilizer, 1.65 cr

litre soybean oil

302.38 crore.

The Cabinet Division additional

secretary said that following a proposal

from the Ministry of

Commerce, Trading Corporation of

Bangladesh (TCB) would procure

some 1.10 crore litres of soybean oil

from Meghna Edible Oil Refinery

Limited, Dhaka with around Taka

189.03 crore with per litre soybean

oil costing Taka 171.85 while the previous

price per litre was Taka 185.

He informed that the TCB would

procure another 55 lakh litres of soybean

oil from Super Oil Refinery

Limited with around Taka 87.97

crore with per litre soybean oil costing

Taka 159.95.

The state-run corporation would

also procure some 8,000 metric tons

of lentil from a Turkish company

with around Taka 70.98 crore where

the price of per KG lentil would be

Taka 88.73.

Meanwhile, the day's CCGP meeting

approved a proposal from the

Ministry of Primary and Mass

Education under which 24 suppliers

would ensure printing, binding and

supply of s ome 2,48,35,990 copies

of textbook to the National

Curriculum and Textbooks Board

(NCTB) with around Taka 78.68

crore.

First non-Gandhi president in 24 yrs

India's Congress elects

Mallikarjun Kharge

NEW DELHI : India's main opposition

Congress party on Wednesday

elected 80-year-old Mallikarjun

Kharge as its first non-Gandhi president

in over 24 years.

Kharge, considered close to the Gandhi

family, defeated a relatively young Shashi

Tharoor, a former UN diplomat, by a huge

margin, reports UNB.

"Of the over 9,000 votes cast in the

party's internal election held on

Monday, Kharge bagged nearly 8,000,"

a spokesperson for the party told the

media in Delhi. Kharge will take over the

reins of the grand old party from interim

Congress president Sonia Gandhi soon.

After the results were announced at

2pm (local time), former Congress chief

Rahul Gandhi congratulated Kharge.

"Congress president is the supreme

authority," he said.

Earlier in the day, Tharoor alleged

"extremely serious irregularities" in the

party's internal election process.

The Congress held the election on

Monday, where 96% of the 9,915 eligible

Congress delegates, representing all

Indian states and Union territories, cast

their votes.

Govt cheating nation

in name of dev before

democracy, says

GM Quader

DHAKA : Jatiya Party Chairman GM

Quader on Wednesday alleged that the

nation is being deceived in the name of

development before democracy.

"Acceptable elections are the gateway to

democracy. Democracy cannot be practised

without free, fair and acceptable elections,"

he said.

Speaking at a programme at Jatiya

Party Chairman's Banani office, GM

Quader also said the main objective of

their party's politics is to establish democracy

and ensure people's rights, reports

UNB.

He alleged that some people want to

misinterpret democracy in the name of

development as they say development

should be given the priority over democracy.

"In fact, there is no such thing as developmental

democracy. The nation is being

cheated in the name of such democracy,"

the Jatiya Party chief observed.

He said that the country's development

and good governance will be ensured if

democracy is established. "All the rights of

people will be ensured only if democracy is

guaranteed."

At the programme, renowned physician

Manjur-A-Khoda joined Jatiya Party by

presenting a bouquet to the party chairman.

GM Quader welcomed the physician

and urged him to play a role in strengthening

the organisational capacity of Jatiya

Party. Jatiya Party presidium members

Advocate Md Rezaul Islam Bhuiyan,

Mostafa Al Mahmud and Office Secretary-

2 MA Razzak Khan, among others, were

present at the programme.

A drive was conducted at the site of construction of illegal settlements which was done by cutting a hill of

5 acres of government land. Cox's Bazar Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer Mohammad Zakaria has directed

the Forest Department and Environment Directorate to take legal action against those involved in cutting

hills, felling trees and selling government hills. The drive was carried out on Wednesday afternoon in

Paschim Larpara area west of Cox's Bazar bus terminal.

Photo : Star Mail

20-10-2022

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