01-11-2022

TUESDAY

DHAKA : November 1, 2022; Kartik 16, 1429 BS; Rabi-us-Sani 5, 1444 Hijri www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www.bangladeshtoday.net Regd. No. DA~2065, Vol. 20; No.163; 12 Pages~Tk. 12.00

INTERNATIONAL SPORTS ART & CULTURE

Nearly 100 dead, dozens

Medvedev battles

‘Jhora Palok’ to

missing in stormravaged

Philippines

title of year

Int’l Film

back to win second

premiere at Dhaka

Festival

Zohr

>Page 7

PM urges all to

keep their houses

clean to prevent

dengue

DHAKA : Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

on Monday asked the people to

keep their houses and surrounding

areas clean to prevent dengue, reports

UNB.

She made the call at the Cabinet

meeting held at the Prime Minister’s

Office (PMO).

Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul

Islam said this while briefing

reporters after the meeting at the

Bangladesh Secretariat.

“The prime minister requested all

to pay special attention so that water

can’t remain stagnant there (to check

the breeding of aedes mosquito),” he

said.

Amid outbreak of dengue, the city

corporations and others concerned

especially the civil aviation were also

directed to intensify anti- mosquito

spray through fogging machines every

day, said the cabinet secretary.

addition, the city corporations

and health ministry were asked to

conduct awareness campaign about

dengue and aedes mosquito breeding

grounds in a coordinated manner, he

added.

This year some 36,000 dengue patients

were recorded and 136 died of

the viral disease in the country as of

Sunday, said Islam.

Of them, the highest 23,000 dengue

patients were recorded in Dhaka,

while 4,000 in Chattogram, 1,600 in

Khulna and 53 in Sylhet, he said.

But the dengue patients hit the

record in 2019 when more than one

lakh were infected with dengue diseases,

said the Cabinet Secretary.

Two Addl DIGs

sent on compulsory

retirement

DHAKA : Two police officers of the

rank of Additional Deputy Inspector

General have been sent on compulsory

retirement, reports UNB.

Public Security Division, under

the Home Ministry, has issued separate

notifications in this regard,

signed by its senior Secretary Md

Aminul Islam Khan on Monday.

According to the notices, Md

Alamgir Alam, Additional DIG of

Police (crime investigation department),

and Md Mahbub Hakim, Additional

DIG of Tourist Police, have

been sent on compulsory retirement

according to section 45 of Public Service

Act, 2018.

The order will be in effect immediately

“in public interest”, the notification

said.

Earlier on October 18, three police

officers of the rank of Superintendent

of Police (SP) were sent on compulsory

retirement.

They were Muhammad Shahidullah

Chowdhury SP (TR) at Police

headquarters, Md. Delwar Hossain

Mia and Mirza Abdullahel Baki Special

Super (SS) in the Criminal Investigation

Department (CID).

04:48 AM

11:48 PM

03:44 PM

05:25 PM

06:40 PM

6:03 5:21

BD can raise up to $12.5b

in addl financing for

climate action : WB report

DHAKA : Bangladesh can raise up to $12.5

billion in additional financing in the medium-term

for climate action with the financing

options include budget prioritization,

carbon taxation, external financing and private

investment.

According to the World Bank Group’s

Country and Climate Development Report

for Bangladesh released today, Bangladesh

continues to face severe and increasing

climate risks, despite significant gains in

reducing the human toll from climate disasters.

The report said without urgent action,

including further adaptation and resilience

measures, the country’s strong growth potential

could be in risk.

The report outlines priority actions and

financing needs to help Bangladesh address

the climate crisis. It recognizes Bangladesh’s

successful experience with locally-led

climate adaptation and recommends

investments in infrastructure and services

to strengthen climate resilience while supporting

long-term growth.

Actions focused on improved agriculture

productivity, energy and transport efficiency

can lower future emissions while improving

air, soil and water quality.

Climate change will hit poor and vulnerable

people the hardest. Average tropical

cyclones cost Bangladesh about $1 billion

annually. By 2050, a third of agricultural

IMF wants to know BD

Bank’s strategic planning

for risk management

DHAKA : The visiting delegation of the

International Monetary Fund (IMF) on

Monday discussed with Bangladesh Bank

on banking supervision update, strategic

planning for the financial sector, and risk

management issues, said officials with

knowledge of the meeting.

Deputy governors AKM Sajedur

Rahman Khan, Abu Farah Md. Nasser

and senior officials of the central bank

joined the discussion.

The IMF team has recommended

that the definition of non-performing

loans be brought to international standards.

If not, there will be questions regarding

Bangladesh’s banking sector in

the international arena.

Besides, IMF has also asked to publish

the correct information on defaulted

loans. As per IMF, the ratio of defaulted

loans is much higher than the central bank

data, said sources close to the discussion.

According to international standards,

the default loan ratio is considered tolerable

up to a maximum of 3 percent. But in

GDP could be lost and 13 million people

could become internal climate migrants. In

case of a severe flooding, GDP could fall by

as much as 9 percent.

“Bangladesh has led the way in adaptation

and disaster risk management. Over

the past 50 years, it has reduced cyclone-related

deaths 100-fold. Other countries can

learn from this,” said Martin Raiser, World

Bank Vice President for South Asia.

“But with ever-increasing climate risks,

further adaptation efforts are vital, and a

low-carbon development path is critical to

a resilient future for Bangladesh,” he added.

At just 0.4 percent, Bangladesh’s current

contribution to global greenhouse gas

(GHG) emissions is not significant. But,

with its large population and fast economic

growth, if the country follows a ‘business-as-usual’

development pathway, GHG

emissions will increase substantially.

Bangladesh also faces a high level of air

pollution, which costs about 9 percent of

GDP annually.

Improved air quality standards across

multiple sectors will improve health and

increase climate resilience. The country’s

2021 Nationally Determined Contributions

(NDCs) commit to reducing emissions by

21.8 percent by 2030. With strong implementation,

technology development and

uptake, and regional collaboration, Bangladesh

can exceed these commitments.

Bangladesh, this ratio is about 9 percent.

This ratio is more than 20 percent in government

banks. IMF has raised several

questions in this regard. The organization

has also expressed concerns over suspicious

transactions and money laundering.

Bangladesh Bank’s spokesperson

GM Abul Kalam Azad said the central

bank’s discussion on Monday was

fruitful and discussions will continue

till November 9, 2022.

Under three schemes - Extended Credit

Facility, Rapid Financing Instrument,

and Rapid Credit Facility - a total of $4.5

billion has been sought from the IMF.

Bangladesh Bank is optimistic about getting

the loans.

The IMF delegation arrived in Bangladesh

on October 26 to discuss conditions

for releasing $4.5 billion loans for budget

support to the country. Bangladesh’s mission

chief and senior economist of Washington-based

international lender Rahul

Anand led the IMF team in the discussion

with Bangladesh.

>Page 9 >Page 10

On Monday, DU VC Prof Dr Akhtaruzzaman handing over a crest to visiting Edward M Kennedy Jr, son of late US Senator

Edward M Kennedy at Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate building of the University of Dhaka. Photo : Md Jakir Hossain.

Ban on cutting trees

in reserved forests

extended until 2030

DHAKA : The Cabinet on Monday approved

a proposal to extend the ban on

cutting trees in the country’s reserved

and natural forests until 2030 in a bid

to protect the biodiversity. The approval

came at the weekly cabinet meeting

chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

at her office here, reports UNB.

“Trees in the reserved forests can no

way be cut until 2030. But trees in social

forests can be cut,” Cabinet Secretary

Khandker Anwarul Islam said while

briefing reporters at the Bangladesh Secretariat.

The Environment, Forest and Climate

Change Ministry placed the proposal at

the meeting. As per the previous decision

taken by the cabinet in August, 2016,

there has been a ban on cutting trees in

in the country’s reserved and natural forests

till 2022. The cabinet also approved

the draft of the National Adaptation Plan

(2023-2030) in order to cope up with the

adversities of the climate change.

Besides, the meeting gave the final

approval to the draft of the Essential Services

Act, 2022 merging the two old laws

- the Essential Services (Maintenance)

Act, 1952 and the Essential Services (Second)

Ordinance, 1958.

“Since the existing laws are old ones.

The proposed law was placed (by the Labour

and Employment Ministry) aiming

to have a modernized and time-befitting

law in this regard,” said the Cabinet Secretary.

The cabinet approved the draft of the

Balumohal (sand quarry) and Soil Management

(Amendment) Act, 2022 to stop

the indiscriminate sand-lifting by.

Majority US people endorse

Bangladesh liberation

struggle : Ted Kennedy

DHAKA : While recalling his father Edward

M. Kennedy’s moral stand towards

right cause of Bangladesh’s freedom, his

son Ted Kennedy said most American

people supported the struggle of the Bangladesh’s

independence in 1971 despite

the then US administration’s tilled down

policy towards Pakistan.

“I think, It’s important for you all to

know that vast majority of the people

of US were on your (Bangladesh) side

during the struggle of the (your) independence,”

he said while delivering a

landmark speech at Nabab Nawab Ali

Chowdhury Senate Bhaban at the Dhaka

University here.

Edward (Ted) M Kennedy Jr, also

nephew of late US President John F.

Kennedy said that the Kennedy family

would always support the democracy and

prosperity of Bangladesh to build further

stronger ties between Washington and

Dhaka.

“Kennedy family feels special kinship

with the people of Bangladesh who suffered

bloodshed,” he said who arrived

here with his family members on Saturday

for a weeklong visit marking the 50

years Bangladesh-US bilateral ties.

Ted’s father, the then US senator

Edward M Kennedy took a bold stance

Consultant submits final draft on

review of renewable energy policy

DHAKA : Consultant of Sustainable and

Renewable Energy Development Authority

(Sreda) has submitted its final draft on

reviewing the “Renewable Energy Policy

of Bangladesh 2008” to make it more effective

in the changed energy and power

sector scenario.

“We submitted the final draft prepared

to revisit the renewable energy

policy on Monday”, an official of the

consultant firm- Development Technical

Consultants Pvt. Ltd (DTCL), told UNB.

Experts engaged in the review said

the most emphasis was put on revisiting

the existing policy targeting the government’s

goal for 40 percent of electricity

from renewable and clean sources by

2041.

“Against the backdrop of land scarcity,

use of rooftop of industries and urban

establishments for solar power, solar-run

irrigation pumps, floating solar, use of

non-agricultural land, wind power potentials,

biomass plants received the

highest priory in the final draft of the revised

policy”, said an expert involved in

against the genocide committed by Pakistan

during the Liberation War of Bangladesh

in 1971 despite the US government’s

tilled down foreign policy towards

West Pakistan.

The Pakistan military administration

under General Yahya Khan tried to suppress

information regarding the genocide

in Bangladesh launched on the night of

March 25, 1971. But Edward Kennedy

exposed the brutality of the Pakistani

occupation forces to the world communities

after his visit to the refugee camps in

India in August 1971.

After returning back from the refugee

camps, the junior Kennedy said his father

criticized the then Nixon administration

to support Pakistan and called upon that

“America to be the right side (in favour

of Bangladesh independence) of the history”.

Ted said that in his report his father

said that “American support of Islamabad

is nothing short of complicity in

human and political tragedy of (the then)

East Bengal”

In 1972, Edward Kennedy planted a

banyan tree at the famous “Bottola” on

the Dhaka University campus during his

visit to the newly born Bangladesh.

>(Contd. on page-11)

the process of the draft preparation, but

preferred anonymity.

“Hydrogen energy, net metering system,

use of Opex and Capex models for

large-scale solar plants are also the areas,

which received important focus in the review

of the policy”, he added.

He also informed that a national

workshop will be held on the final draft to

get the feedback of the stakeholders and

other relevant departments on the final

draft prior to giving a final shape of the

revised policy.

Official sources said, Sreda, the focal

organisation under Power Division of

the government, has moved to revise the

14-year-old existing renewable energy

policy, REPB-2008, to meet a new perspective

in the energy sector.

They said the initiative came from the

government as a follow-up of its statements

to the 26th meeting of the United

Nations Climate Change Conference

(COP26), held in Scotland, United Kingdom,

from October 31 to November 13

last year.

Dengue virus infection has increased throughout the country. Precautions are being taken all

over the country like the capital. Mosquito repellent is being sprayed. The picture is taken

from Patuakhali district yesterday. Photo : Star Mail

tueSDAy, nOveMBer 1, 2022

2

Jugantar Bangladesh Press Council Medal-2022 was awarded as the country's best media in the

institutional category. On Monday morning, on the initiative of Daily Jugantar Swajan rally, a colorful

procession came out from the municipal premises and met at the municipal auditorium after circling

the important roads of the municipal city.

Photo: Jabed Hossain Mamun

Sirajganj woman

sentenced to life in

prison for killing

mother-in-law

SIRAJGANJ : A 40-yearold

woman was sentenced

life imprisonment by a

Sirajganj court on Monday

for killing her mother-inlaw

in 2009, reports UNB.

Sirajganj District and

Session Judge Court judge

Fazle Khoda Md Nazir

pronounced the order

imposing Tk 10,000 fine

to the accused and

additional one year

imprisonment in failure to

pay it.

Mazziran Begum, wife of

Shah Alam from Naimuri

village in Ullapara upazila

in Sirajganj, was accused

of the murder of her

mother-in-law Amena

Begum in 2009.

GD-1755/22 (5x3)

CSR Centre launches

its Annual CSR Report

DHAKA : The CSR Centre has launched its

Annual CSR Report titled "Report on CSR

in Bangladesh 2022, Environment:

Safeguarding the Planet" yesterday at a

hotel in the capital, reports BSS.

The CSR Centre through its CSR Report

disseminates the innovative CSR practices

in Bangladesh. It highlights the ways

various stakeholders are engaged in

implementing the SDGs for socioeconomic

growth of the nation.

As Bangladesh is implementing the SDGs

at the national level, CSR provides the road

for sustainable business practices and

higher investment, said a press release.

This year's "Report on CSR in

Bangladesh 2022, Environment:

Safeguarding the Planet" reveals how

companies and organisations are trying to

mitigate the adverse effects on the

environment.

CSR benefits businesses as well as

society through engaging in strategic

corporate engagement through impactoriented

action which can be linked to the

SDGs. It features how businesses are using

sustainability knowledge from around the

globe.

The panel speakers at the event were

Gwyn Lewis, UN Resident Coordinator in

Bangladesh, Charles Whiteley,

Ambassador and Head of Delegation of the

European Union to Bangladesh, Rear

Admiral (retd) Khurshid Alam, Secretary

of the Maritime Affairs Unit, Ministry of

Foreign Affairs and Robert Chatterton

Dickson, British High Commissioner to

Bangladesh, Alexandra Berg Von Linde,

Ambassador, Swedish Embassy of

Bangladesh and Shahamin S. Zaman, CEO

of the CSR Centre.

The event was moderated by Farooq

Sobhan, Chairman of The CSR Centre

Board of Trustees.

The audience included representatives

from the corporate sector, government,

development partners, academia and

media.

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UN Special Rapporteur will

assess rights violation in

trafficking during official

visit to Bangladesh

DHAKA : UN Special

Rapporteur Siobhan Mullally

will assess the human rights

issue of trafficking in persons

during a ten-day official visit to

Bangladesh that began on

Monday. "I will pay particular

attention to the main challenges

to ensuring the human rights of

victims, and effective prevention

of trafficking," Mullally said.

The Special Rapporteur's will

present a comprehensive report

of her visit to the UN Human

Rights Council in June 2023.

A particular concern will be

the risks of trafficking in the

labour migration context, as

well as risks faced by refugees,

asylum seekers and stateless

persons, she said.

Trafficking for purposes of

sexual exploitation and

concerns in relation to child

trafficking for all forms of

exploitation will also be

examined.

Charge-sheet filed against 2

including ex-engr of Shohoz

over train ticket blackmarketing

DHAKA : Police has filed

charge-sheet against two

including former system

engineer of Shohoz.com in

a case filed over selling

train tickets in black

market.

Investigation officer FM

Shah Jahan, a subinspector

of Dhaka Railway

Police Station filed the

charge-sheet recently

against the main culprit

behind the train ticket

black-marketing Rezaul

Karim Reza, former system

engineer of Shohoz.com,

and his associate, Emranul

Haque Samrat, court

inspector Motiur Rahman

told BSS.

Police brought charges

under section 25 (1) of the

Special Powers' Act against

the duo. The investigation

officer also dropped names

of 2/3 unnamed accused as

he could not trace the

addresses of them.

According to the police,

Reza used to work as

system engineer of

Shohoz.com and was in

charge of selling train ticket

online from Kamalapur. He

used to block tickets online

for the general passengers

and sell those on high price

illegally. He used to hand

over those tickets to his

associate Samrat and he

along with others sell those

on black market.

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GD-1756/22 (6x4)

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Under-trial Indian citizen

dies in Gopalganj jail

GOPALGANJ : An Indian citizen, who had

been under trial for illegal entry into

Bangladesh, died of heart attack at the

central jail of Gopalganj on Sunday night,

jail authorities said.

The deceased was identified as Tareq

Bain, 60, son of Moran Bain of Sonar

village in West Bihar of India.

Tareq was suffering from various

diseases including breathing

complications for a long time, said Jail

Superintendent Md Obaidur Rahman,

reports UNB.

When Tareq fell sick around 8 pm on

Sunday, the jail authorities took him to

Gopalganj Sadar Hospital where doctors

declared him dead around 9pm, he added.

Police arrested Tareq on July 8, 2021

under section 4 of the Control of Entry

Act, 1952 when he was roaming

suspiciously at Jajira.

The law prohibits any Indian citizen

from entering Bangladesh without

passport or valid travel document. The

offence carries a maximum penalty of up

to one year in jail or fine up to Tk one

thousand.

Tareq was first sent to Shariatpur

district jail on July 9.

He was brought to Gopalganj central jail

on January 20, 2022.

His body has been kept in the hospital

morgue for autopsy. It will be handed over

to the Indian High Commission after the

due procedure, added the jail

superintendent.

Another 260 shops have been evacuated from the sandy beach of Cox's

Bazar. Cox's Bazar district administration and development authority

jointly conducted this operation from Sugandha beach to Labani from

Monday morning to noon.

Photo: Shafiul Alam

/1016 31

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TUESDAY, NoVEMBER 1, 2022

3

Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury addressing an inaugural program of five new service delivery

programs through online one stop service portal.

Photo : Courtesy.

Govt working for building green

Khulna city by 2030: Khaleque

KHULNA : Khulna City Corporation

(KCC) mayor Talukder Abdul Khaleque

yesterday said the government is

working tirelessly for building Khulna

as a green, clean and ICT based modern

city by 2030.

"Over the years KCC has taken up

several initiatives to combat the

impacts of climate change and attained

Sustainable Development Goals

(SDGs)", he said at a seminar on

'Strengthening Urban Climate

Resilience of Khulna' held in the city's

Shaheed Hadis Park as chief guest.

The government has already

allocated Taka 800 crore to implement

the project regarding climate change,

he said, adding that the project works

has already been started.

GIZ Bangladesh in partnership with

KCC arranged different programmes in

Khulna city today to mark the 50 years

of German Development Cooperation

in Bangladesh. The programmes

included rally, seminar, art,

photography and poster competition

with the theme "Towards a Resilient

Khulna by 2030".

Inaugurated by the KCC mayor

Talukder Abdul Khaleque, the

programmes were attended by the

visiting Parliamentary State Secretary

to the German Federal Ministry for

Economic Cooperation and

Development Dr. Barbel Kofler and

officials of the German Embassy

Dhaka.

Dr. Barbel Kofler highlighted

"German Development Cooperation

started its journey in Bangladesh in

1972. Over the last 50 years we have

worked in different sectors in excellent

cooperation with the government of

Bangladesh".

Students from different tiers of

educational institutions participated in

art, photography and poster

competitions which were aimed at

raising the awareness and

encouragement among the youth to

build a resilient and sustainable Khulna

city.

Chaired by Chief Executive Officer

(CEO) of KCC Laskar Tazul Islam,

deputy director (Local Government)

office of the deputy commissioner

Mohammad Yousuf Ali and Divisional

Director, Directorate of Social Service

Action if crimes committed in the name

of political programmes: DMP chief

DHAKA : Newly appointed Dhaka

Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner

Khandker Golam Faruq on Monday said

that the police have no headache about

political party's programmes, but if criminal

offences are committed in the name of

political programmes action will be taken

accordingly.

"Police have no role in the political

programmes of different parties and they

have no headache at all. Our work is to

maintain law and order. If any party

arranges meeting or brings out procession,

it's their political right," he said.

The DMP Commissioner came up with

the remarks replying to reporters' questions

during "Commissioner's meet the press" at

DMP media centre on Monday. This was

the first such programme the

Commissioner organised after he took over

on October 29.

But if someone vandalizes or sets a car

afire in the name of politics, blocks road by

placing tree logs, then these will be

considered as criminal offences, he added.

The DMP chief also said that as long as no

criminal offences are committed centering

political programmes, police will cooperate

with them, the DMP Commissioner said.

Regarding traffic congestions in the

metropolitan city, the police commissioner

said that Dhaka city was not developed in a

planned way and several mega projects are

underway in the capital which are reasons

behind the traffic jam." We are working on

how to reduce traffic jams," he said.

Besides, work will be done to prevent

illegal parking on roads at various places, he

added.

Responding to another question over

controlling drug abuse, the DMP

Commissioner said it cannot be stopped by

simply stopping the supply; it needs to curb

the demand as well.

The new police commissioner also

stressed the need for controlling cyber

crimes on priority basis. "The thing I want

to work on as a commissioner is controlling

cyber crimes. If we can control crimes in the

cyber world, many things will be

controlled."

(DSS) Md Abdur Rahman addressed

the event as special guests.

Pro-Vice Chancellor of Independent

University of Bangladesh Dr Niaz

Ahmed Khan presented the keynote

paper on "Localizing the SDGs to built

Urban Climate Resilience," while

Bayzid Khan, assistant professor of

Development Studies Discipline of

Khulna University presented on

"Building a Climate Resilient and

Migrant-Friendly Khulna City:

Challenges and Opportunities."

The day-long programme started

with a colorful rally in the city titled

"Clean Khulna, Green Khulna". The

rally ended at the city's Shahid Hadis

Park where different NGOs,

community organisations, civil society

organisations and Government

Departments showcased their activities

related to sustainable development.

Later, the chief guest distributed

prizes among the winners of the art,

photography and poster competition

along with the best stall of the

development fair were awarded with

prizes by the guests in the closing

ceremony.

Govt office hours

rescheduled to

9am-4pm

DHAKA : The government

has changed work hours for

all government and

autonomous offices in

Bangladesh, reports UNB.

The changed office timing is

9 am to 4 pm, which will be

effective from November 15

next.

The decision came at the

regular cabinet meeting

chaired by Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina in her office

here.

Cabinet Secretary

Khandker Anwarul Islam

briefed reporters after the

meeting at the secretariat.

However, the Supreme

Court and Bangladesh Bank

will fix their respective office

hours, he said.

On August 22, Bangladesh

government rescheduled

office timing, from 8am to

3pm, for all government and

autonomous offices and from

9am to 4pm for all banks to

save electricity amid the

energy crisis.

Shyam Sunder Shikder, Chairman of BTRC), Professor Dr. M. Lutfar Rahman, Vice-Chancellor of DIU,

Brig. Gen. Md. Nasim Parvez, Director(BTRC), Md. Ishaque Miah, Additional DIG (CID) of Bangladesh

Police, Kamrul Ahsan, Systems Manager, Bangladesh Bank, Prof. Dr. Touhid Bhuiyan, Head of the

Department of CSE, Md. Maruf Hasan, Director, Cyber Security Center of DIU and Abu Taher Khan,

Project Director of Industrial Innovation Center of DIUat the workshop on 'Cyber Security Awareness

among Internet Users' held at Daffodil International University.

Photo : Courtesy

DMP arrests

42 for selling,

consuming

drugs in city

DHAKA : The members of

the Detective Branch (DB)

of the Dhaka Metropolitan

Police (DMP) in several

anti-drug raids arrested a

total of 42 people on

charges of selling and

consuming drugs during

the last 24 hours till 6am,

Sunday, reports BSS.

The DB in association

with local police carried out

the drives simultaneously

at different parts of the

metropolis from 6am of

October 30 to 6am today,

according to a DMP

release. Police also seized

huge drugs from their

possessions.

During the anti-drug

raids, police seized 1,931

pieces of contraband yaba

tablets, 15.320 kilograms of

cannabis (ganja), 12 grams

of heroin, 12 bottles of

foreign made liquor and 15

drug injections from their

possessions, the release

added.

Police filed 31 separate

cases against the arrestees

in these connections with

respective police stations

under the Narcotics

Control Act.

15 receive Aga Khan

Music Awards at 2022

MUSCAT : Fifteen

musicians have received the

2022 Aga Khan Music

Awards at a ceremony held

at Royal Opera House

Muscat's House of Musical

Arts. The award-giving

ceremony marked the

culmination of a two-day

celebration in which

laureates performed live or

were presented in short

films.

The 2022 Aga Khan Music

Awards concluded on

Sunday night with the

presentation of awards to 15

laureates by Sayyid Bilarab

bin Haitham Al Said and

Prince Amyn Aga Khan

during a gala concert.

A special Award for

Lifetime Achievement was

presented to acclaimed tabla

player Ustad Zakir Hussain

during the Music Awards'

opening night concert on

October 29.

This evening's programme

featured performances by

Peni Candra Rini, an

Indonesian composer,

improviser, vocalist and

educator; Yasamin

Shahhosseini, an Iranian

oud player who is

reimagining the place of the

oud in Iranian music; the

Tehran-based Golshan

Ensemble, which performs

Iranian classical music; and

Soumik Datta, a sarod player

from the United Kingdom

who fuses his training in

Hindustani classical music

with pop, rock, electronica

and film soundtracks to

raise awareness about

urgent social issues,

including climate change,

refugees and mental health.

Laureates of the 2022

Music Awards were selected

by a Master Jury from a field

of close to 400 nominees

from 42 countries.

They share $500,000

prize money and will have

opportunities for

professional development.

These opportunities

include commissions for the

creation of new works,

contracts for recordings and

artist management, support

for pilot education

initiatives, and technical or

curatorial consultancies for

music

archiving,

preservation and

dissemination projects.

In her concluding

remarks, Fairouz

Nishanova, Director of the

Aga Khan Music Awards,

expressed gratitude on

behalf of the Music Awards

and the Aga Khan Trust for

Culture for the invitation

from the Sultanate of Oman

to hold the Awards

celebration in Muscat, and

for the collaboration of

Oman's Ministry of Culture,

Youth and Sports; Royal

Opera House Muscat and its

House of Musical Arts; and

the Royal Oman Symphony

Orchestra, which performed

in the programme of

October 29.

Quoting remarks

delivered by Prince Amyn

Aga Khan at the previous

evening's performance by

awards laureates in the

House of Musical Arts, she

added, "We couldn't have

hoped for a clearer

demonstration of the power

of music to unite us despite

our many apparent

differences, and to affect our

emotions and our dreams."

The performances of

laureates and the

presentation of awards took

place before a distinguished

audience that filled the

Royal Opera House

Muscat's House of Musical

Arts.

It included Omani

dignitaries and officials,

members of the diplomatic

corps, musicians and

academicians, international

guests of the Music Awards,

including the Awards

Master Jury and Steering

Committee,

and

representatives of many

AKDN institutions.

Army Chief General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed on Monday took part in the photo session with the young

army pilots at the concluding program of Aviation Basic Course-12.

Photo : Courtesy

Bangladesh

reports 4 more

Covid deaths,

115 cases

DHAKA : Bangladesh

reported four more Covid-19-

linked deaths and 115 fresh

cases in 24 hours till Sunday

morning.

With the new numbers, the

country's total fatalities rose

to 29,423 and caseload to

2,035,152, according to the

Directorate General of Health

Services (DGHS).

The daily case test positivity

rate decreased to 2.41 per cent

from Sunday's 2.84 per cent

as 3,649 samples were tested.

The mortality rate remained

unchanged at 1.45 percent

while the recovery rate rose to

97.33 per cent from

Saturday's 97.30 percent.

In August, the country

reported 32 Covid-linked

deaths and 6,689 cases.

Bangladesh registered its

highest daily caseload of

16,230 on July 28 last year

and daily fatalities of 264 on

August 10 the same year.

DHAKA : The High Court (HC) on

Monday granted interim bail to Sonia

Akter Smrity , a Mahila Dal leader of

Rajbari, in a case filed over posting

'offensive' content on facebook against

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Smrity, wife of Md Khokon Mia of No 3

Beradanga area of Rajbari Sadar, is a

member of Jatiyatabadi Mahila Dal's

Rajbari district unit and founder

president of Rajbari blood donors club.

The High Court bench of Justices Md

Akram Hossain Chowdhury and Shahed

Nuruddin passed the order.

Former Attorney General AJ

Workshop on 'Cyber Security

Awareness among Internet

Users' held at DIU

Department of Computer Science and

Engineering (CSE) of Daffodil International

University ( DIU) organized a workshop

yesterday on 'Cyber Security Awareness

among Internet Users' to raise the awareness

of cyber security issues among the students

of DIU. Shyam Sunder Shikder, Chairman of

Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory

Commission (BTRC) was present in the

workshop as the chief guest. Professor Dr. M.

Lutfar Rahman, Vice-Chancellor of DIU

presided over the event. Brig. Gen. Md.

Nasim Parvez, Director(BTRC), Md. Ishaque

Miah, Additional DIG (CID) of Bangladesh

Police, Kamrul Ahsan, Systems Manager,

Bangladesh Bank, Prof. Dr. Touhid Bhuiyan,

Head of the Department of CSE, Md. Maruf

Hasan, Director, Cyber Security Center of

DIU and Abu Taher Khan, Project Director

of Industrial Innovation Center of DIU were

also present as special guests in the

workshop, a press release said.

While addressing as the chief guest BTRC

Chairman Shyam Sunder Shikder said, we

are constantly making arrangements to

delete numerous contents from various

social media. This means we also need to

Mohammad Ali stood for the accused

during the hearing. Police arrested

Smrity on October 4 in a case filed under

the Digital Security Act (DSA) for making

posting offensive status on Prime

Minister Sheikh Hasina on Facebook .

Arefin Chowdhury, member secretary of

Rajbari district Bangabandhu Sangskritik

Jote, lodged an FIR against her.

On October 5, Judge Kaisun Nahar

Surma of Rajbari No 1 Judicial

Magistrate Court rejected Smrity's bail

plea and ordered to send her to jail.

On October 26, Rajbari Sessions Judge

Court also denied bail to Smrity which

know a lot about our users' internet usage. In

this regard, Daffodil students must come

forward, because I don't usually see such

excellent labs and facilities anywhere around

the country.

DIU Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. M.

Lutfar Rahman said, it is a big achievement

for us that students are learning from such

workshops; but our responsibility is to

spread the knowledge of this kind of

organization among the common people,

that responsibility should be taken by this

young society.

At present, out of about 12 crore internet

users in the country, a large number of

people are suffering from misuses of the

internet in various ways. As one of the main

reasons for these sufferings, most of the

studies have revealed the carelessness and

ignorance of people using the Internet.

Therefore, the CSE department of Daffodil

International University, as a first step to

increase the awareness of the common

people in this regard, looks at the knowledge

of its students and gradually encourages

them to spread this awareness among the

common people.

Defaming PM: HC grants bail to Rajbari Mahila Dal leader

prompted her to seek bail from the HC.

In her bail plea, Smrity requested the

HC to consider her as a woman and a

mother of two children.

According to the FIR, the accused BNP

activist made insulting remarks about

PM Sheikh Hasina, also president of the

ruling Awami League, from her personal

Facebook account in two separate

statuses on August 31 and September 28.

"In the statuses Sriti wrote Sheikh

Hasina threw abusive words to their

leader Khaleda Zia, also prime minister of

three times, while delivering speech,"

according to the FIR.

TUESDAY, NovEMBER 1, 2022

4

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam

e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com

Tuesday, November 1, 2022

BNP's fresh move

could create destability

From the looks of it, so far, the Bangladesh

Nationalist party (BNP) is shaking off its

relative isolation from mainstream politics

and getting ready to reassert itself as a major party

in Bangladesh. For a long time it seemed it was in

deep slumber caring little over issues of people's

interest that it should own and uphold as the

main opposition party.

Now, BNP feels freshly inspired to dabble in

politics. The party never forsake its claim that it

will not do anything that would give the ruling

party even quasi legitimacy. Now that the

countdown to the national election in December

2023 has already started, the party feels impulsive

to stake out its claim to power through that

election. To this end, BNP leaders are seen more

active to create an impression at field level that

they are preparing to create a mass upheaval to

push up their prospects of winning large scale

people's approval behind their plans.

The BNP is now engaged in mobilization at the

field level. It is contacting its grass roots level

leaders and workers and sending the message to

them that they should make a head start before

the national poll so that they can outpace their

rival Awami League in this regard. They have

plans to hold mass meetings and rallies at all

divisional and district levels and through such

events make people aware about their objectives.

There is a real danger showing up that in the wake

of its mobilization programme a situation full of

strife and street battles could erupt dragging the

country immediately into destability.

There is a perceptible difference though in the

politics of the BNP at present and now. In 2018

and 2019 the BNP leaders were seized by a frenzy

that they must achieve downfall of the ruling

party and government come what may and

whatever the costs to people and the country.

Obviously such reckless policies won for the BNP

no regard or support. Rather BNP's highly

destructive and ruinous programmes of hartals

and violence day after day only succeeded in

disillusioning the people about them. Such

thoughtless so called action programmes only led

the people away from BNP and they turned to

Awami League as a better choice. Thus, the

policies of the BNP in those two tumultuous years

when people's suffering in all respects reached a

peak sowed the seeds of its own setbacks for the

BNP in terms of people's support to it.

As a matter of fact, BNP leadership so realized

the negativity of their policies that they auto

restrained themselves and assumed a more

pacific character. It has been appearing as if the

BNP has given a free field to the Awami League.

However, they are seen stirring again.

Exceptionally higher inflation and consequent

fast rising costs of living have added to people's

discontent. Capitalizing on such discontent, the

BNP leadership could have judged that the

situation would be ripe now to try and fan another

round of movement in a bid to raise their

popularity.

Thus, it seems the BNP has hardly matured as a

party. It has learnt nothing and has no appetite to

restrategize itself to cope with the demand of the

times. BNP's inability to improve itself would not

matter but only for the fact that their

adventureism and rashness would likely once

more plunge the country into the throes of

destability. The challenges faced by the

Bangladesh economy are formidable. The

economic challenges are not going to suddenly

and remarkably improve. The same would

require everybody's cooperation to come out of

the woods. It would be deeply regrettable if a

major political party of the country like the BNP

remains blind to its serous responsibilities at this

juncture and keeps on practicing its old ways.

Sunak's job now is not about securing a Tory win, but merely avoiding an electoral disaster

As Rishi Sunak was pronounced

Conservative leader by the

backbench 1922 Committee this

week, few noticed a tantalising anniversary.

It was 100 years ago this month that Tory

MPs abandoned the coalition that David

Lloyd George had led since the end of the

first world war. The decision proved to be a

Tory triumph. The party won the resulting

election and, without knowing it yet, seized

control of 20th-century party politics. The

dauntingly successful Tory party of the

democratic era dates from that period. So

does the 1922 Committee's name.

Whether Sunak will be able to take that

record of Tory electoral dominance into a

second century is very much an open

question. History casts no light on the

future. The prime minister is focused not on

securing another Tory electoral triumph but

on avoiding an electoral disaster. A

Conservative resurgence like the one that

followed the realignment of 1922 remains a

long way off.

The most immediate evidence of that is

Sunak's decision to reappoint Suella

Braverman as home secretary, less than a

week after Liz Truss forced her to resign.

The issue dominated Sunak's first prime

minister's questions today, and it is not

going to disappear any time soon. It is not

the only potential abuse that may come to

haunt Sunak's leadership - the Boris

Johnson privileges inquiry is next month

and there are questions about the return to

government of Gavin Williamson, who was

sacked by Theresa May for leaking classified

documents. For now, though, Braverman is

the issue that could rattle Sunak's carefully

balanced cabinet soonest and most

dangerously.

At PMQs, Sunak tried to dismiss

Braverman's resignation as an error of

judgment. It was much more than that.

Braverman's offence was serious: she

shared an internal Home Office draft

document on immigration with rightwing

backbenchers. It was a breach of ministerial

responsibility, and a deliberate one. It is

conceivable - public details are sketchy - that

she was in the habit of doing such things.

What is certain is that, as a security minister

- the home secretary has responsibility for

MI5, borders and police - it was a breach

with big implications. Home Office officials

thought it was serious enough to report it to

the cabinet secretary, Simon Case. He

appears to have thought it grave enough to

advise Truss that Braverman should go.

Sunak may struggle to shut this story down

and prevent an inquiry that could force his

hand over whether she can continue in the

job. Even if he succeeds, the appointment

will do Sunak reputational harm. Rectitude

is one of his assets. He prides himself on

telling the truth. He resigned as Johnson's

chancellor saying that "the public rightly

expect government to be conducted

properly, competently and seriously". He

arrived back in Downing Street this week

promising "integrity, professionalism and

accountability". The reappointment of

Braverman does not square with any of that.

Why did he do such a thing? He did it

because he thought he had to. Partly that's

about policy. Sunak seems still to believe

that neoliberal economics can coexist with

restrictive immigration measures. Not

many economically informed politicians

believe the circle can be squared that way.

Truss certainly did not, and nor does

Jeremy Hunt. But Braverman's

reappointment was less an affirmation of

her views than a reminder of his weakness.

Her backing for Sunak at a critical stage in

MARTIN KETTLE

the contest last weekend is what has got

Braverman her job back, nothing else.

It is important not to be pious about this.

Given the dire situation facing the Tory

party, Sunak is surely right to try to unite the

party. He has to overturn Truss's preference

for a cabinet based on fidelity rather than

ability. It follows that this means giving jobs

to some people whom Sunak would prefer

not to have round the cabinet table. It is why

not just Braverman, but others such as the

foreign secretary, James Cleverly, the

environment secretary, Thérèse Coffey, and

perhaps even the defence secretary, Ben

Wallace, are still there. Hug your friends

close, but your enemies even closer. Sunak

Whether Sunak will be able to take that record of Tory

electoral dominance into a second century is very much

an open question. History casts no light on the future.

The prime minister is focused not on securing another

Tory electoral triumph but on avoiding an electoral

disaster. A Conservative resurgence like the one that

followed the realignment of 1922 remains a long way off.

is not going to be the Tory party's magic

bullet. The Braverman deal underlines that.

He is not as brilliant as his admirers claim.

He made bad and significant errors at the

Treasury. His commitment to Brexit is

bizarre for someone so economically literate

and who is committed to globalisation. He is

politically inexperienced - and it sometimes

shows. And he faces a task that is probably

beyond anyone anyway. That said, in the

torrid circumstances created by the falls of

Johnson and Truss, Sunak is definitely the

least-worse choice available. It is hugely to

the Tory party's credit that they have chosen

Britain's first Asian prime minister. But just

as Tory supporters should not overstate the

difference that the coronation of Sunak has

made, so also Tory opponents should not

understate it, either.

Consider what the Tory party managed to

achieve in the past week. Most strikingly of

all, it put a stake through the heart of

Johnson's attempt to make the party his

own. It was widely assumed by friend and

foe that he would win. The story of how that

was prevented will be fascinating. This

could nevertheless mark the end of the

Johnson era in British politics. If so, the

Tory party has done us all a favour, not just

itself. The good work does not stop there.

The party also managed to get rid of Truss

and all her fanatical advisers very efficiently,

to spare themselves a Penny Mordaunt

prime ministership that would surely have

ended badly, and to see the back of Jacob

Rees-Mogg. The 1922 Committee deserves

more gratitude than it has received for all

this. It devised rules that got the party out of

the hole it had dug for itself by electing

Truss, but without allowing the members to

vote Johnson back in. Labour has been

quick to dismiss the Sunak government as a

massive retread, and as the Johnson

government without Johnson. It is a strange

form of insult, since Johnsonism without

Johnson is what Sunak would want to offer

- a party cleaving to the 2019 manifesto but

no longer led by the chancer on the

manifesto's cover.

The Tory party's crisis is not over. In

some respects it has merely entered a new

phase that may be little more than a

holding pattern. Hunt's autumn

economic statement, postponed now until

17 November, will be the next decisive

moment. That's when they will have to

make a choice. They can cut spending,

raise taxes or, most likely, attempt some

combination of the two that will please

few people. Against the backdrop of

interest rate rises, inflation, energy price

rises, strikes and a winter crisis in the

NHS, it is a bleak season ahead for Sunak

and his party - whether they hold together

or not.

Martin Kettle is a Guardian associate

editor and columnist

Middle East faces fallout from Iran's drones in Ukraine

Iran's decision to supply Russia with

kamikaze drones and short-range

ballistic missiles for use against Ukraine

has brought the Islamic Republic's firepower

to the streets of European cities. The Iranian

drone technology being used against Kiev has

been in the hands of proxy militias across the

Middle East for a number of years, where

Tehran has tested and refined its weaponry.

Aside from showing off its drone arsenal and

cementing relations with Moscow, Iran's

involvement in Ukraine is Tehran's way of

putting the West on notice that were it to

squeeze the regime further through sanctions

and by failing to conclude a nuclear deal, Iran

has the capability to create problems far

beyond the Middle East.

Iran will closely study the extent to which

Western-made anti-missile systems have

been able to thwart the Shahed-136 drones

deployed by Russia against Ukraine.

Ukraine's Western backers have struggled

to come up with an integrated solution

against the kamikaze drones that combines

radars and electronic warfare systems with

sophisticated anti-missile systems like the

American Patriots, which the US has not yet

made available to Kiev.

Moreover, the Iranian drones are slower

and can fly at lower altitudes, making them

more difficult to detect, as existing air defense

systems are designed for bulkier airborne

weapons. Still, Ukraine claims to have shot

down 300 drones since mid-September, but

at the great cost of using expensive air

defenses and scrambling jets against a

relatively cheap weapon.

Iran has also reportedly sent technical

advisers to Crimea to assist Russian drone

operators. By inserting its own nationals into

the conflict, Tehran seems to have gone

beyond a supplier-buyer relationship.

Iran has probably realized that were Russia

to lose the war, that would imperil President

Vladimir Putin's hold on power. This is risky

for Iran, as Russia provides it with muchneeded

diplomatic support at the United

Nations and allows Tehran to maintain a

presence in Syria.

Russia is also a key partner for Tehran's

existing nuclear plants. Putin has already

signaled a break with the existing

international order by hinting at the use of

nuclear weapons on the battlefield. At this

point, it is quite possible that Moscow may

actively aid Tehran in the pursuit of a nuclear

weapons should discussions to revive the

2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action

(JCPOA) fail. Iran has thrown down the

gauntlet to its regional rivals, which have

sought to create a regional air defense system

as a byproduct of the Abraham Accords. The

regime in Tehran must be watching with glee

as Israel struggles to support Ukraine

wholeheartedly.

Indeed, just as Tehran has been publicly

ambiguous about supporting Russia because

Iranians have a skeptical view of Russia's

invasion of Ukraine, an Israeli government

heading into a general election is also

hamstrung by the fact that there is no

DNYANESH KAMAT

Moreover, the Iranian drones are slower and can fly at lower

altitudes, making them more difficult to detect, as existing air

defense systems are designed for bulkier airborne weapons.

Still, Ukraine claims to have shot down 300 drones since mid-

September, but at the great cost of using expensive air defenses

and scrambling jets against a relatively cheap weapon.

consensus within the Israeli public on

supporting Ukraine.

Nevertheless, Israel has chosen to help

Ukraine covertly and beneath the threshold

over which it would be seen as taking sides,

lest it further aggravate the recent turbulence

that has crept into its relations with Russia.

Some reports have suggested that private

Israeli companies have provided Ukraine

with satellite imagery of Russian positions,

while Israel has offered to share intelligence

about Iranian drones and air-attack alert

systems rather than the interceptors that Kiev

has requested.

Israel's fear may also be that if its antimissile

systems end up in Russian hands, it

may enable Iran to probe their weaknesses,

or it is seen that Israel's missile defense

systems are not fully capable of neutralizing a

barrage of Shahed-136 drones.

If Ukraine wants advice on how to repel

Iranian drone technology, it would also do

well to ask Saudi Arabia. Yemen's Iran-allied

Houthi militia have repeatedly used drones,

along with missiles, to target energy facilities

and, like in Ukraine, other civilian

infrastructure inside the kingdom. The militia

also attacked two sites in the United Arab

Emirates in January.

Much of the Houthis' drone arsenal has

been found to match Iranian drones or

include components found in Iranian

weapons elsewhere in the region. The

Houthis also paraded a version of the

Shahed-136 in Sanaa in September. The

Houthis' use of drones has allowed Tehran to

refine its technology and test their

effectiveness against systems like the USsupplied

Patriot missile air defense system

used in Saudi Arabia.

The combination of Israel's reluctance to

sell its Iron Dome system to Ukraine and the

patchy deployment of NATO air-defense

systems, whose efficacy against the Iranian

drones is yet to be tested, represents a clear

signal from Iran to its regional rivals.

There are also likely to be important

consequences for the revival of the JCPOA.

Western officials have stated that drone

transfers from Iran to Russia violate UN

Security Council Resolution 2231, and could

trigger a snapback mechanism leading to the

reimposition of Security Council sanctions on

Iran. This would end the nuclear deal.

Iranian conservatives close to Supreme

Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei have

suggested that Iran should exit the Nuclear

Non-Proliferation Treaty should this happen.

Indeed, the International Atomic Energy

Agency (IAEA) has already stated in a report

that it is not in a position to "provide

assurance that Iran's nuclear program is

exclusively peaceful."

While the world is transfixed on Iran's

entry into Russia's war in Ukraine, the graver

repercussions are likely to be felt in the

Middle East.

Dnyanesh Kamat is a political analyst who

focuses on the Middle East and South Asia.

Last nail in the coffin of Hezbollah's pretexts for existence

Last week's agreement establishing the

maritime border between Lebanon and

Israel was the fruit of 11 years of tortuous

diplomacy, but never has a deal been greeted with

such bashfulness by both sides. A signing

ceremony on the White House lawn? Far from it -

these two signatories, sworn enemies who are

technically at war with each other, could not even

bear to be in the same country.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the

agreement would generate "critically needed

foreign investment for the Lebanese people as they

face a devastating economic crisis." However, not a

drop of gas has so far been discovered in the

exclusively Lebanese Qana offshore field. Even if

hydrocarbons are found in meaningful quantities,

extraction will take years - and we only have to look

at Iraq, Venezuela and Libya to realize that such

wealth can be as much a curse as a blessing. There

are also concerns that oil and gas legislation may

have been designed to enable corrupt politicians to

make vast fortunes, while preventing the revenues

from reaching Lebanese citizens. Welcoming the

border agreement, Tehran's propagandist-in-chief

Hassan Nasrallah rambled on about the "strength

of the resistance," and fantasized about how

Hezbollah and its rag-tag alliance of Iran-financed

militias had somehow terrorized Israel into making

compromises. Even if there were a shred of truth in

this nonsense, is this how Nasrallah advocates that

diplomacy should be conducted in future? Perhaps

threatening to bomb the World Bank might

produce the loan offers that have so inconveniently

eluded Lebanon thus far; or attacking European

shipping could muster greater international

assistance for the country in its hour of need.

Nasrallah understands only the language of

force. It's easy to threaten drone attacks on a

BARIA ALAMUDDIN

neighbor's oil infrastructure as a means to achieve

short-term demands, but even the average fiveyear-old

knows that such tactics are the fastest

route to pariah statehood. We have been treated to

a masterclass in schizophrenic doublespeak from

Hezbollah: Nasrallah invited his supporters to view

the deal with "a patriotic spirit," but hard-liners

have reacted with anger and confusion to this

"betrayal": Aren't we at war with Israel and

committed to Israel's destruction? Shouldn't we be

arguing that the entire Palestinian coast is Arab

territory? What happened to "next year we'll be in

Jerusalem?"

In fact, as a senior Israeli official pointed out:

"The deal weakens Hezbollah and weakens Iran's

grip on Lebanon. Hezbollah would rather the deal

didn't exist, but once it was on the table and the

Lebanese public realized a deal was within reach, it

became impossible for Hezbollah to justify

preventing it."

With the maritime border deal, Hezbollah and its

"resistance" are rapidly running out of reasons to

exist. Some analysts have argued that with the

prospects of a revived Iran nuclear deal

disappearing over the horizon, Israel saw the

maritime border agreement as a means of reducing

the likelihood of a conflagration on its northern

borders. But Hezbollah remains the plaything of

Iran, and if Tehran choses the path of

confrontation, or if Israel launches preemptive

strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, nothing will keep

Lebanon out of the resultant bloodletting.

Nasrallah ignores the reality that in any such

conflict the US and its allies would not idly sit by.

One former UK minister told me that "of course"

Britain and other states would intervene in support

of Israel. This maritime border agreement

coincided with Michel Aoun's departure from

Lebanon's presidential palace. Many of his allies

hailed the deal as the "crowning achievement" of

his six years in office. In reality, his presidency has

been an unrelenting disaster, with the pinnacle of

his achievements being Lebanon's total economic

and political collapse. The smattering of supporters

bused in to camp outside his palace and bid the

departing president farewell was a cheap gimmick

that served only as a reminder of how little support

Aoun enjoys. His son-in-law Gebran Bassil still

fantasizes that he can be president, but even

Hezbollah no longer enthusiastically backs his

candidacy. The best he

Baria Alamuddin is an award-winning

journalist and broadcaster in the Middle

East and the UK. She is editor of the Media

Services Syndicate and has interviewed

TueSDay, NoVemBeR 1 , 2022

5

The growing threat of fish waste

emma BRyCe

In February 2022, a Dutchowned

fishing trawler

released a silvery stream of

100,000 dead fish, which

carpeted several thousand

square metres of ocean off the

coast of France. The vessel's

owners blamed the discharge

on a faulty net.

Environmental groups alleged

that the fish were

intentionally dumped.

Whatever the truth, that

spectacle of squandered sea

life was the tip of the iceberg:

figures from WWF show that

in 2019, at least 230,000

tonnes of fish were dumped in

EU waters. Most of the waste -

92% - is related to bottomtrawling,

a fishing method

that scrapes the seafloor,

indiscriminately scooping up

everything in its path.

But this figure is a small

fraction of an even larger

global issue. The UN Food

and Agriculture Organization

(FAO) estimates that 35% of

all fish, crustaceans and

molluscs harvested from

oceans, lakes and fish farms

are wasted or lost before they

ever reach a plate.

Fish are highly perishable

and fragile, which makes

them more vulnerable to

waste, a problem that is

compounded

by

haemorrhaging fish at every

step of the supply chain. Fish

waste is especially shocking,

says Pete Pearson, senior

director for food waste at

WWF, because they "are wild

animals, so we are harvesting

wildlife".

Fish populations are

already threatened by

overfishing, pollution, and the

climate crisis. With current

rates of fish consumption

projected to double by 2050,

waste is increasingly on the

radar of regulators. "We have

to do something about it,"

says Omar Peñarubia, a

fisheries officer at the FAO.

That begins, experts say,

with understanding exactly

what is driving waste between

harvest and plate. The task is

made difficult by fisheries'

notoriously opaque supply

chains, and incomplete

datasets that are also

inconsistent, although the

evidence is clear that most fish

waste starts at the point of

extraction.

Just under half of all fish

consumed by people is wildcaught

at sea. "There's such

abundance that we've grown

to be OK with certain loss

rates," Pearson says, although

noting that 34% of global

marine stocks are now

overfished. Bycatch

(unintentionally caught,

unwanted fish) is a growing

problem, too: roughly 10% of

wild-caught fish are discarded

worldwide each year,

representing 8.6m tonnes of

animals. The main culprits are

imprecise fishing gear and

policies that allow fishers to

discard non-target species.

There's an economic driver,

too. "I think there is a strong

connection between subsidies

and waste in the water," says

Rashid Sumaila, professor of

ocean and fisheries economics

at the University of British

Columbia. Although subsidies

were historically devised to

support small-scale fishers,

today 80% of $35.4bn

(£26.4bn) in annual fishing

subsidies goes to a handful of

industrial fleets, Sumaila's

research shows. These include

gargantuan bottom trawlers

that are uniquely equipped to

travel out to the high seas and

overfish, leading to discards

on an industrial scale.

The impact of illegal and

unreported fishing is also

important, says Sumaila, as it

is likely contributing tonnes

more bycatch to global fish

waste.

Fish waste is about more

than just the physical loss of

fish: for the 3 billion people

whose diets depend on fish, it

is a lost nutritional

Some of the 100,000 dead fish that were thrown into the sea off the coast

of La Rochelle, France, by a factory ship in February. Photo: aFP

Tom LeViTT

An H3N8 strain of bird flu

has been detected in humans

for the first time, in China's

central province of Henan.

The four-year-old boy

infected had been in contact

with chickens and crows

raised at his home, according

to reports from China's

National

Health

Commission.

Avian influenza or bird flu

as it is commonly known is a

highly contagious viral

disease with the first reports

of human cases in the 1990s.

Some strains of the bird flu,

such as with H3N8 now, have

been passed to humans but

this is currently very rare, and

usually occurs after very close

contact with infected birds or

animals.

H3N8 viruses circulate

widely in birds and in horses

and have also been detected

opportunity.

"The narrative is that we

have to produce more to feed

the growing masses, but the

greatest pathway to

[increasing] supply is

reducing loss and waste," says

Shakuntala Thilsted, global

lead for nutrition and public

health at World Fish and

winner of the 2021 World

Food Prize.

Many see controlled

aquaculture systems (or "fish

farms") - which generate

more than half our fish supply

- as a solution to the waste of

wild fishing. But Dave Love,

senior scientist at the Johns

Hopkins Center for a Livable

Future, says that various

factors, such as disease, are

driving considerable losses on

farms, too. "Mortality in fish

ponds is actually a significant

source of lost potential food,"

Love says.

Fish waste continues after

harvest - though how it

unfolds differs depending on

location. The FAO estimates

that 27% of all fish globally is

lost or wasted after landing,

but in low-income countries

the fish is more likely to be

unintentionally lost than

wasted, says Peñarubia.

One study showed that in

Ghana, Burkina Faso and

Togo, 65% of lost fish on land

was attributable to poor

handling, lack of storage and

cooling facilities on fishing

vessels and along the lengthy

supply chain.

Fish disappear after

distribution, too, but here the

culprits are retailers and

consumers, almost exclusively

in middle-and high-income

countries. In North America,

Oceania and Europe, fish

waste at consumption far

outstrips that of any other

region in the world.

Pearson thinks retailers in

the US partly contribute to the

problem by prioritising large,

fresh fish to sell at a premium,

which quickly spoil. "This is

the real tragedy, because it's

moved all the way through the

supply chain, and then we're

comfortable with a 10% to

30% loss rate in the grocery

store," he says.

When retailers prioritise

fresh fish, "the ripple effect is

that consumers are more

likely to waste that in their

homes," says Love, who

published research showing

that retailers were responsible

for about 16% of wasted

seafood in the US, while up to

63% comes down to

consumers putting uneaten

fish in the bin.

Solutions do exist to reduce

fish spoilage along the supply

chain. Increasing access to

cold-chain technologies in

low-income countries, along

with methods such as solarpowered

drying tents, could

extend the shelf life of fish.

Fishers and processors also

need training on better fish

handling and storage to limit

loss, Peñarubia says.

At the consumer end,

Pearson and Love argue that

we should encourage more

people to opt for frozen fish,

which could reduce demand

for fresh fish in grocery stores,

and limit the amount that is

lost in retail and people's

homes.

Thilsted suggests

diversifying our appetites

beyond the ubiquitous fish

fillet to smaller fish and

bivalves, which can be

consumed whole to reduce

waste. "If our notion of 'fish' is

a fillet on a pan, then we are

already far down the path of

loss and waste, because we

have reduced the edible part

to such a small portion of the

whole."

China detects first human case

of H3N8 bird flu strain

in dogs in North America.

"We often see a virus

spread to a human and then

not spread any further so a

single case is not a cause of

great concern," said Sir Peter

Horby, professor of emerging

infectious diseases and global

health, University of Oxford.

"There is no reason to think

it will go any further," said

Prof Paul Digard from the

Roslin Institute, University of

Edinburgh, adding that

Chinese authorities had not

reported any illness in the

immediate contacts of the

infected boy.

However, Horby and other

H3N8 viruses circulate widely in birds and horses.

disease experts said the

widespread transmission and

record number of outbreaks of

avian flu in birds across the UK,

US and Europe this year was a

cause of concern as it increased

the opportunity for avian

viruses to mix and mutate and

for human infection.

"I do generally believe we

need to be increasing

influence surveillance

globally quite concertedly

right now. Apart from H3N8,

we have seen a number of

other new spillover events of

influenza from poultry to

people over recent years

including H5N8 in Russia

Photo: VCG

and H7N9 and H10N3 in

China," said Alexandra

Phelan, assistant professor at

the centre for global health

science and security at

Georgetown University.

Marius Gilbert, an

epidemiologist at the

Université Libre de Bruxelles

in Belgium, said a novel virus

should always be looked at

very carefully, "especially

when it is a reassortant, as it

can have unpredictable

capacity in terms of

transmission and virulence in

human population".

Dr John McCauley, from

the World Health

Organization collaborating

centre for reference and

research on influenza, said

the case was an "unusual

one" and was being

investigated by the WHO and

its counterparts in the UN

Food and Agriculture

Organization.

In the UK, consumers can

no longer buy free-range

eggs, with birds not having

been allowed outdoors since

November due to close to 100

outbreaks of avian flu.

However, there have been

fewer than five cases of

transmission from an

infected bird to a human

recorded in the UK - most

recently in January, when a

man caught it from ducks he

kept inside his home.

maTT aNDReWS

The final days of April saw

further unbearable

temperatures recorded in

India and Pakistan.

Temperatures peaked at 49C

in Jacobabad, Pakistan on 30

April, with a high of 47.2C

observed in Banda, India. The

Indian Meteorological

Department confirmed that

average temperatures in April

were the highest for northern

and central parts of the

country since records began

over 100 years ago.

Heatwaves are a common

occurrence at this time of year

in India and Pakistan, but

scientists believe the

intensity, duration and arrival

time of the conditions

witnessed so far this year are

caused by rising global

temperatures. Despite a slight

respite in the extreme heat

over the past few days,

temperatures are set to

intensify once more this

a labourer in Delhi, india.

weekend and into next week

with maximum temperatures

expected to approach 50C in

parts of north-west India and

Pakistan.

In stark contrast to intense

heat across northern India

and Pakistan, tropical parts of

south-east Asia have seen

unusually low temperatures

for the time of year. On 2

May, the Hong Kong

Observatory reached 16.4C.

This was the lowest May

temperature recorded since

1917, and broke the previous

record set in 2013. The

southern Chinese city of

Guangzhou observed a

temperature of just 13.7C on

the same day, the lowest

temperature ever recorded

during May. On 4 May, a

minimum temperature of

13.6C was also recorded in the

Umphang district, Thailand.

This is the lowest

temperature ever recorded in

May in Thailand. The cool

weather was a result of a

north-east monsoon and

unsettled conditions, but

these low temperatures won't

come as any consolation to

northern India and Pakistan

with dangerous temperatures

expected to return over the

coming days.

Meanwhile, Australia has

seen its first cold outbreak of

the year after the seventh

warmest April on record. A

cold front brought a

significant drop in

temperature to south-eastern

parts of the country on

Wednesday

with

temperatures 4-8C below the

average for parts of South

Australia, Victoria, New

South Wales and Tasmania.

Heavy rain and strong winds

affected Tasmania on

Thursday and Friday thanks

to a deep area of low pressure.

Referred to as an "east coast

low" by meteorologists, these

features occur several times a

year and can bring some of

the most destructive weather

conditions, including heavy

rain, strong winds and flash

flooding.

Photo: manish Swarup

Is there any possibility of 'insectageddon'?

JaNe HiLL

In recent years, many of us

have come to appreciate the

huge importance of insects to

our natural ecosystems - from

the life-enhancing beauty of

butterflies to the vital role that

pollinating insects play in our

food supply. So it's hardly

surprising there is huge

concern over the so-called

"insectageddon".

A recent study adds to an

emerging narrative of severe

decline and builds on the

perception that there were

more insects in nature in

years gone by - and that things

were better in the past. One

often-cited memory is that car

windshields used to be

splattered with insects, and

this latest study uses a "splat

rate" to conclude that

numbers of flying insects have

plunged by almost 60% in

Britain between 2004 and

2021. But how reliable is this

conclusion, and how worried

should we be?

Understanding the severity

of insect decline requires

detailed and long-term

records of species changes.

Britain has a long history of

monitoring nature going back

Asia’s weather is hitting

extremes

many decades, so we can rely

on one of the best datasets in

the world to help us

understand these changes and

what might be causing them.

The "splatometer" joins other

established monitoring

initiatives including light

traps for moths and other

night-flying insects, and walkand-count

transects for

butterflies.

So if we have so much

information, why is there still

debate about the severity of

decline? An important finding

from recent analyses is that

patterns of change are more

complex than statements

pointing to catastrophic

declines would have you

believe. We know that nature

is dynamic, so there is often

considerable turnover in

which species occur at any

given site, and a constant

reshuffling of communities.

One 2020 study of more than

5,000 species in Britain

highlights winners and losers.

Analysis of nearly 50 years of

insect data reveals long-term

declines in moths but not

aphids, and that there is

evidence of shorter-term

periods of recovery - a

decidedly more optimistic

picture than you might

imagine.

It illustrates the complexity

of the landscape when

reporting on the wellbeing of

insect populations.

Understanding why some

species are losers but others

are winners is key for

developing action plans to

help all nature thrive.

Another problem is that the

types of datasets that are

analysed, such as the number

of species at a site or types of

species present, and the

measurements that are taken

may not always tell the same

story. Deciding which

historical baselines to

compare changes against is

also important, given that

short-term reporting may not

reflect long-term trends,

especially in insects whose

populations can respond very

quickly to their environment.

This high variability of insect

populations means we need

gold-standard data to

distinguish between longterm

trends and normal yearto-year

variation.

Let's be clear: most

researchers are concerned

about insect declines, but

most will also caution against

the increasingly common

hyperbole of impending

doom. Instead, we should be

focusing our efforts to ensure

the actions we are taking to

combat the climate crisis are

also benefiting biodiversity.

Given the current focus on

tree planting and increasing

woodlands in the UK, it is

concerning that moth declines

are worst in woodlands, for

instance.

Our appreciation of green

spaces together with

government commitments for

nature recovery are cause for

optimism. There are many

examples where careful

management and restoration

of sites can hugely boost

biodiversity, but we need to be

doing this over much more of

the landscape. The

introduction of butterflies into

the Cotswolds and

Rockingham Forest are

examples of success. For

many species, we already

know how to manage

landscapes to ensure their

success. And that, of course,

may mean more insects

splattered on car windscreens.

We should be focusing our efforts to ensure the actions we are taking to combat the climate crisis are also benefiting

biodiversity.

Photo: Dragomir Radovanovic

TUESDAY, NOvEMBER 1, 2022

6

Chattogram University (CU) Shah Amanat Hall students have protested with 6 point demands on

Monday.

Photo: Junaed Khan

CU Shah Amanat hall gate locked

due to 6-point demand

JUNAED KHAN, CU CORRESPONDENT:

Chattogram University (CU) Shah

Amanat Hall students who have been

suffering from various crises for a long

time have protested with 6 point

demands. At this time they locked the

gate of the hall.

The agitators locked the main gate of

the hall around 2 pm on Monday. Later

at 3 o'clock they opened the lock with the

assurance of the provost.

The six-point demands of the

agitators are:

Bangabandhu,

Bangamata primary

football tournament

begins in Rajshahi

RAJSHAHI: Bangabandhu

Gold cup and Bangamata

Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib

Gold Cup Football

Tournament- 2022 began

here yesterday, reports BSS.

Rajshahi divisional office of

the Department of Primary

Education (DPE) is hosting

the tournament for both the

boys and girls students at

Divisional Women Sports

Complex in the city.

A total of eight teams from

all eight districts under the

division are playing for the

Bangabandhu Gold Cup,

while another eight teams

for Bangamata Sheikh

Fazilatunnesa Mujib Gold

Cup. Final matches and

closing ceremony of the

tournament will be held on

November 2 (Wednesday).

Commissioner of Rajshahi

division AZM Zafarullah

attended and addressed the

opening ceremony as chief

guest, while Commissioner of

Rajshahi Metropolitan Police

Abu Kalam Siddique spoke as

special guest with Deputy

Director of DPE Sheikh

Raihan Uddin in the chair.

Additional Divisional

Commissioner

Moinul

Islam, Additional Deputy

Inspector General of Police

Joydev Kumar Bhadra and

District Primary Education

Officer Saidul Islam were

present on the occasion.

One killed in

Gopalganj road

accident

GOPALGANJ: A man was

killed in a road accident on

the Dhaka-Khulna highway

in Bijaypasha area in Sadar

upazila of the district

yesterday, reports BSS.

The deceased was

identified as Milan Molla,

45, son of Jalal Molla,

resident of Chandradighlia

village in Sadar upazila of

the district.

The accident occurred

when an unidentified

vehicle hit him and he was

lying on the road with

seriously injured around

4.30am, inspector of

Bhatiapara Highway Police

Station Tofazzel Haque

Abu Naeem said.

1. Solving the problem of water in the

hall

2. Increase in food quality

3. Increase internet speed

4. Renovation of classrooms

5. Hall room renovation and

6. Cleaning the toilet regularly

The agitating students said that there

is no regular water in the extended part

of the hall. Water supply has serious

problem. Many times there is no water

even for five consecutive days. We have

reported the matter many times, but it

has not been resolved.

They further said that the quality of

food is not good, the speed of internet

is not good, there is not enough space

in the reading room, the toilets are

unclean. The cleaning staff does not

work properly. That's why we

protested today.

Shah Amanat Hall Provost Professor

Nirmal Kumar Saha told The

Bangladesh today , "We have informed

this today. Hopefully, the problem will

be identified and resolved within a

week. He said, they did not inform us,

neither verbally nor in writing.

RAB arrest 20 people for

gambling in Joypurhat

MASRAKUL ALAM, JOYPURHAT CORRESPONDENT:

RAB arrested 20 people including General

Secretary of Joypurhat Sugar Mill Workers

Union Ahsan Habib Rumel in separate raids

during gambling in Joypurhat. They were

arrested from the city's railway station and

sugar mill area on Sunday night. The

arrested are from different areas of

Joypurhat district.

Senior Assistant Superintendent of Police

Masud Rana, deputy commander of

Joypurhat RAB 5 camp, said that the people

had been complaining to RAB that the

arrested persons had been gambling for a

long time in the railway station and sugar

mill area of the city. When it was reported

that gambling was going on there on Sunday

night as well, 20 people were arrested and

sent to Sadar police station along with

60,000 taka of gambling money and

gambling equipment.

Joypurhat Officer-in-Charge (OC) Sirajul

Islam said that when RAB filed a case against

the arrested persons under the Gambling Act

at the police station, when they were all sent

to court, the court judge ordered them to be

sent to jail.

RAB arrested 20 people including General Secretary of

Joypurhat Sugar Mill Workers Union Ahsan Habib Rumel in

separate raids.

Photo: Masrakul Alam

21 get life-term jail for killing

man in Pabna

PABNA : A court yesterday sentenced 21

persons to life imprisonment for killing a

farmer in Sadar upazila of the district in 1998

reports BSS.

Pabna Additional District and Sessions

Judge Court-2 Judge Israt Jahan Munni

pronounced the verdict yesterday afternoon.

The court also fined them Taka 10,000

each, in default, they will have to suffer more

three months imprisonment. The accused are

- Shahjahan Mollah, son of Sobahan Mollah

of Bhaduridangi village of Pabna Sadar

Upazila, Minhaj, son of Abdul Bashed Sheikh,

Nabi Mollah, Sultan Mahmud and Moktar

Molla, sons of Shaker Mollah, Bashed Sheikh,

son of late Choba Sheikh, Ayub Khan, son of

Inai Khan, Aslam, son of Amir Mollah, Latif

Mollah, son of Gafur Mollah, Chobai Mollah,

son of Rastam Mollah, Kalam, son of Bahai

Pramanik, Mahir Mollah, son of Akul Mollah,

Mohammad Ali Mollah and Rezaul Mollah,

sons of Hachen Mollah, Babu Mollah, son of

Gafur Mollah, Mokched Mollah and Barek

Mollah, sons of Karim Mollah of Char

Bhabanipur village of Sujanagar upazila,

Karim Molla, son of late Bashir Molla,

Khokon, son of Abdul Kuddush of

Bhavanipur Kachari Math Para, Rafiq, son of

Habibar of Manikdiar village and Bablu

Uddin, son of Moslem Uddin of Kolchuri

village of Sadar Upazila.

Of the convicts, Barek, Minhaj, Babul,

Based Sheikh, Latif Mollah, Chobai are

absconding.

Hanif Bangladeshi to give memorandum

to PM from 64 districts

AK MILON, SUNAMGANJ CORRESPONDENT:

Hanif Bangladeshi gave memorandum

to 43rd Sunamganj District

Commissioner and 296th Sadar Upazila

against bribery, corruption, misrule and

money laundering in the name of

governance. Hanif Bangladeshi gave a

memorandum to Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina through the Sunamganj District

Administrator and Sadar Upazila

Nirbahi Officer on October 31, at noon,

with the slogan "Change, change,

change" against the corruption and

misrule that has been going on for 50

years of independence. He will go

around 64 districts and 495 upazilas and

give the memorandum to the Prime

Minister through District

Administrators and Upazila Nirbahi

Officers. He started from Teknaf Upazila

of Cox's Bazar on 5th June and going

around 3 upazilas every day and will end

the program by going to Tetulia Upazila

of Panchagarh district in January 2023.

Hanif Bangladeshi said about the

program, there is an extreme

degradation of social and family, human

values in all areas of society and state

system, there has been naked

interference by those who were in the

previous government on the rule of law

and voting democracy, corruption and

money laundering, the degradation of

social and human family values are even

more extreme before now. Our country's

farmers are productive, workers are

hardworking, students and youth are

talented but corrupt politics, corrupt

politicians, corrupt government

bureaucrats, corrupt big businessmen

are disrupting all our achievements by

smuggling lakhs of taka abroad. Despite

having so much potential, the country is

not progressing as much as it should.

There is a lot of infrastructural

development in the country but human

values are declining. I hope to advance

this potential progress and to continue

the ongoing development process,

effective measures to stop bribery,

Five members of

robbery gang arrested

in Narayanganj

NARAYANGANJ: Police

say they have arrested five

members of an inter-district

robbery gang while they

were preparing to rob a

power sub-station in

Golakandail area under

Rupganj upazila of

Narayanganj, reports UNB.

Among the five arrested,

four are from Chattogram

and one is from Cumilla.

Police said that all of them

are involved with a

Chattogram-based robbery

gang and there are

numerous cases pending

against them with different

police stations across the

country.

According to Sheikh Billal

Hossain, Additional

Superintendent of Police of

Narayanganj district, a 15-

member robbery gang was

preparing to break into a

400/230kv power substation

operated under

Power Grid of Bangladesh

with locally-made weapons

on Sunday night.

"Upon receiving the

information, police

conducted a drive and

cordoned off the power substation.

Although most of

the robbers fled, police were

able to arrest five of them

from the spot. Besides, a

truck used in robbery was

also seized," said Billal.

corruption and money laundering, and

to bring back the money laundering, to

create self-employment among the

youth, to provide loans and employment

under easy conditions. If more

appropriate measures are taken to

improve the quality of the rule of law,

voting, democracy, Bangladesh will

stand tall as a self-dependent country in

the world. Hanif Bangladeshi also said, I

always protest about the country's

inconsistencies. Before this, I have also

campaigned for setting up public toilets

in the populated places of the country

including Dhaka city. When the arson

started in the country in 2013-2014, I

gave a memorandum to the two

leaderships. In March 2019, I marched

from Teknaf to demand voting rights,

protested by giving rotten apples to the

Election Commission. I circled the four

sides of the Parliament building 16 times

and gave the transcript to the speaker. In

2020, I circulated 64 districts and gave a

memorandum to the District

Commissioner's office against

totalitarian corruption. I marched with a

symbolic corpse to demand an end to

border killings in 2020. In 2021 for

nationwide March for Democracy I

collected signatures for democracy. I

protested by ringing a bell in front of the

parliament building, demanding

employment for the unemployed youth.

In 2021, I have submitted a

memorandum to His Excellency the

President through 64 Deputy

Hanif Bangladeshi gave memorandum to 43rd Sunamganj District

Commissioner and 296th Sadar Upazila. Photo: AK Milon

Commissioners with voting boxes on

their heads to demand legislation for

the formation of the Election

Commission. Now, I have started the

program with the initiative of

submitting a memorandum to the

Prime Minister demanding effective

measures against the corruption and

misrule that has been going on for 50

years. I am seeking the full cooperation

of the countrymen, law enforcement

forces and journalist brothers in this

program of mine.

In Mirzaganj of Patuakhali, a coordination meeting was held on the initiative

of the private organization BRAC Social Empowerment and

Legal Protection Program (SELP) Mirzaganj branch to ensure the legal

rights of women and underprivileged communities and to determine

integrated strategies to prevent child marriage. UNO Mst. Tanya

Ferdous presided over the meeting held in the Upazila Nirbahi officer's

meeting room on Monday morning. Upazila Parishad Chairman Khan

Md. Abu Bakar Siddiqui was the chief guest. Photo: Uttam Golder

BNP-police clash in Chandpur:

Over 500 sued, 22 arrested

CHANDPUR: A case has been filed against 186 named and 350 anonymous activists of BNP

for clashing with police and obstructing them from performing their duties in Chandpur,

reports UNB.

Abdul Aziz, sub-inspector of Hajiganj police station, filed the case with the police on

Sunday, said Zubair Syed, officer-in-charge of the police station. Police have arrested 22

people so far in this connection and they were also produced before a court this evening,

added the OC. On Saturday, five police personnel including the officer-in-charge of Hajiganj

Police Station were injured in an attack allegedly carried out by Jubo Dal activists from a

procession at Hajiganj Bazar in Chandpur. OC Zubair said a procession of Jubo Dal tried to

enter the Hajiganj East Bazar marking the 44th founding anniversary of Jubo Dal. "Brickbats

were hurled at police from the procession forcing them to fire several rounds of bullets and

teargas shells to bring the situation under control," the OC said.

Bandarban district administration has extended the temporary ban on tourism at Ruma,

Rowangchhari, Alikadam and Thanchi upazilas till November 4.

Photo: UNB

TUeSDAy, NOVeMbeR 1, 2022

7

Rescuers carry a body at Maguindanao's Datu Odin Sinsuat town, southern Philippines on Sunday Oct. 30, 2022. Victims of a huge mudslide

set off by Tropical Storm Nalgae in a coastal Philippine village that had once been devastated by a killer tsunami mistakenly thought a tidal

wave was coming and ran to higher ground toward a mountain and were buried alive, an official said Sunday.

Photo: AP

Nearly 100 dead, dozens missing

in storm-ravaged Philippines

MANILA : Nearly 100 people have died

in one of the most destructive storms to

lash the Philippines this year with

dozens more feared missing in a

mudslide-hit mountainside village,

while more than a million others were

swamped by floodwater in several

provinces, officials said Monday,

reports UNB.

At least 53 of 98 people who died -

mostly in flooding and landslides - were

from Maguindanao in the Bangsamoro

autonomous region, which was

swamped by unusually heavy rains set

off by Tropical Storm Nalgae. The

storm blew out of the country and into

the South China Sea on Sunday, leaving

a trail of destruction in a large swath of

the archipelago.

A large contingent of rescuers with

bulldozers and backhoes resumed

retrieval work in southern Kusiong

village in the hard-hit province of

Maguindanao, where as many as 80 to

100 people, including entire families,

are feared to have been buried by a

boulder-laden mudslide or swept away

by flash floods that started overnight

Thursday, said Naguib Sinarimbo, the

interior minister for a Muslim

autonomous region run by former

separatist guerrillas under a peace pact.

The government's main disasterresponse

agency also reported 69

people were injured in the onslaught

and at least 63 others remain missing.

More than 1 million people were

lashed by the storm, including more

'Houdini' cobra

returns to enclosure

at Swedish zoo

STOCKHOLM : After a week

of evading staff and

sophisticated customs

equipment in the nooks and

crannies of a Stockholm

aquarium, a king cobra

returned to its enclosure on

its own, officials said on

Sunday.

"We got him back!" the

Skansen Aquarium said in a

statement Sunday.

The snake, named Sir Vas

(Sir Hiss), slithered off last

weekend through a lamp

fixture in a terrarium where

he had been brought to a few

days earlier.

Following

the

disappearing act, the

venomous vagrant was

renamed Houdini, in

honour of the famed human

escape artist.

The aquarium's reptile

section was closed off and

staff spread flour and

deployed sticky traps to try

and capture the scaly

fugitive.

When that didn't work, the

aquarium deployed special

cameras and got help from

Swedish customs agents

who used handheld X-ray

machines.

The sneaky serpent was

finally found to be hiding

inside an interior wall.

"The clever Houdini

however moved several

times when we sawed open

several holes to get to him,"

the aquarium said.

At one point, the runaway

reptile even stuck his head

out of a hatch.

than 912,000 villagers who fled to

evacuation centers or homes of

relatives. More than 4,100 houses and

16,260 hectares (40,180 acres) of rice

and other crops were damaged by

floodwaters at a time when the country

was bracing for a looming food crisis

because of global supply disruptions,

officials said.

Sinarimbo said the official tally of

missing people did not include most of

those feared missing in the huge

mudslide that hit Kusiong because

entire families may have been buried

and no member was left to provide

names and details to authorities.

The catastrophe in Kusiong,

populated mostly by the Teduray

ethnic minority group, was particularly

tragic because its more than 2,000

villagers have carried out disasterpreparedness

drills every year for

decades to brace for a tsunami because

of a deadly history. But they were not as

prepared for the dangers that could

come from Mount Minandar, where

their village lies at the foothills,

Sinarimbo said.

"When the people heard the warning

bells, they ran up and gathered in a

church on a high ground," Sinarimbo

told The Associated Press on Saturday,

citing accounts by Kusiong villagers.

"The problem was, it was not a

tsunami that inundated them but a big

volume of water and mud that came

down from the mountain," he said.

In August 1976, an 8.1-magnitude

earthquake and a tsunami in the Moro

Gulf that struck around midnight left

thousands of people dead and

devastated coastal provinces in one of

the deadliest natural disasters in

Philippine history.

Lying between the Moro Gulf and

446-meter (1,464-foot) Mount

Minandar, Kusiong was among the

hardest hit by the 1976 catastrophe.

The village never forgot the tragedy.

Elderly villagers who survived the

tsunami and powerful earthquake

passed on the nightmarish story to

their children, warning them to be

prepared.

"Every year, they hold drills to brace

for a tsunami. Somebody was assigned

to bang the alarm bells and they

designated high grounds where

people should run to," Sinarimbo said.

"Villagers were even taught the sound

of an approaching big wave based on

the recollection of the tsunami

survivors."

"But there wasn't as much focus on

the geo-hazards on the

mountainside," he said.

Bulldozers, backhoes and

payloaders were brought to Kusiong

on Saturday with more than 100

rescuers from the army, police and

volunteers from other provinces, but

they were unable to dig at a spot where

survivors said the church lay

underneath because the muddy

mound was still dangerously soft,

officials said.

People carry the body of a female journalist during her funeral ceremony in

Lahore, Pakistan, Monday, Oct. 31, 2022. The female journalist was crushed to

death Sunday in Pakistan while covering a political march led by former Prime

Minister Imran Khan, a senior police officer said.

Photo: AP

Journalist crushed to death at

ex-Pakistan PM Khan's march

LAHORE : A female journalist was crushed to

death Sunday in Pakistan while covering a

political march led by former Prime Minister

Imran Khan, a senior police officer said, reports

UNB.

Sadaf Naeem, 36, a television journalist with

Channel 5 in Lahore, was crushed to death after

she slipped from the container truck Khan was

traveling in, said Salman Zafar, assistant

superintendent in Kamuke, one of the towns on

the march's path.

Khan's convoy was making its way through

Punjab province toward Islamabad on the

march's third day. The demonstrators were

challenging Khan's successor, Prime Minister

Shahbaz Sharif and his government,

demanding snap elections. It was the practice of

Khan's convoy team to invite a few journalists at

a time onto the top of the truck to speak to Khan.

"Shocked and deeply saddened by the terrible

accident that led to the death of Channel 5

reporter Sadaf Naeem during our March today,"

Khan said in a tweet. "I have no words to express

my sorrow. My prayers and condolences go to

the family at this tragic time. We have cancelled

our March for today." Sharif also expressed his

condolences to Naeem's bereaved family,

announcing a roughly $20,000 donation to her

relatives.

"Deeply saddened by the death of reporter

Sadaf Naeem after falling from a long march

container," Sharif said in a tweet. "Cannot feel

sad enough over this tragic incident. Heartfelt

condolences to the family. Sadaf Naeem was a

dynamic and hardworking reporter. We pray for

patience for the family of the deceased."

Naeem was the breadwinner for her family and

had worked as a journalist for 12 years. Pakistani

officials say they will bear the living costs and

educational expenses of her two children, aged 17

and 21. About 10,000 of Khan's supporters, many

of them piled into hundreds of trucks and cars, left

from Lahore on Friday. The convoy's journey,

expected to be capped with an open-ended rally in

Islamabad, could present a significant challenge

to the new administration.

S. Korea in shock, grief

as 153 die in Halloween

crowd surge

SEOUL : South Koreans

mourned and searched for

relatives lost in the "helllike"

chaos that killed more

than 150 people, mostly

young adults, when a huge

Halloween party crowd

surged into a narrow alley in

a nightlife district in Seoul,

reports UNB.

It remained unclear what

led the crowd to surge into

the downhill alley in the

Itaewon area on Saturday

night, and authorities

promised a thorough

investigation. Witnesses

said people fell on each

other "like dominoes," and

some victims were bleeding

from their noses and

mouths while being given

CPR.

Kim Mi Sung, an official at

a nonprofit organization

that promotes tourism in

Itaewon, said she

performed CPR on 10

people who were

unconscious, mostly women

wearing witch outfits and

other Halloween costumes.

Nine of them were declared

dead on the spot.

"I still can't believe what

has happened. It was like a

hell," Kim said.

As of Sunday evening,

officials said 153 people

were killed and 133 were

injured. Nearly two-thirds

of those killed - 97 - were

women. More than 80% of

the dead were in their 20s

and 30s, and at least four

were teenagers.

More than 150

killed in Halloween

stampede in Seoul

SEOUL : More than 150

people were killed in a

stampede at a Halloween

event in central Seoul,

officials said Sunday, with

South Korea's president

vowing a full investigation

into one of the country's

worst-ever disasters.

The crowd surge and

crush hit in the capital's

popular Itaewon district,

where estimates suggest as

many as 100,000 peoplemostly

in their teens and

20s-went to celebrate

Halloween Saturday night,

clogging the area's narrow

alleyways and winding

streets.

President Yoon Suk-yeol

declared a period of

national mourning Sunday,

telling the country in a

televised address that "a

tragedy and disaster

occurred that should not

have happened".

He said the government

"will thoroughly investigate

the cause of the incident

and make fundamental

improvements to ensure

the same accident does not

occur again in the future".

"My heart is heavy and it

is difficult to contain my

sorrow," he added, before

he visited the scene of the

disaster and spoke to

emergency workers.

Concerns rise as Russia resumes

grain blockade of Ukraine

KYIV - Russia resumed its blockade of

Ukrainian ports on Sunday, cutting off

urgently needed grain exports to hungry

parts of the world in what U.S. President Joe

Biden called a "really outrageous" act,

reports UNB.

Biden warned that global hunger could

increase because of Russia's suspension of a

U.N.-brokered deal to allow safe passage of

ships carrying grain from Ukraine, one of the

world's breadbaskets.

"It's really outrageous," Biden said

Saturday in Wilmington, Delaware. "There's

no merit to what they're doing. The U.N.

negotiated that deal and that should be the

end of it."

Biden spoke hours after Russia announced

it would immediately halt participation in

the grain deal, alleging that Ukraine staged a

drone attack Saturday against Russia's Black

Sea Fleet off the coast of occupied Crimea.

Ukraine has denied the attack, saying that

Russia mishandled its own weapons.

Ukraine's Infrastructure Ministry reported

Sunday that 218 ships involved in grain

exports have been blocked - 22 loaded and

stuck at ports, 95 loaded and departed from

ports, and 101 awaiting inspections.

One of the blocked ships, carrying 40,000

tons of grain bound for Ethiopia under a

U.N. aid program, could not leave Ukraine

on Sunday as a result of Russia's "blockage of

the grain corridor," Oleksandr Kubrakov,

Ukraine's minister of infrastructure, said on

Twitter. He didn't specify which Ukrainian

port the ship, the Ikraia Angel, was stuck in.

The grain initiative - an example of rare

wartime cooperation between Ukraine and

Russia - has allowed more than 9 million

tons of grain in 397 ships to safely leave

Ukrainian ports since it was signed in July.

U.N. chief Antonio Guterres had urged

Russia and Ukraine on Friday to renew the

deal when it expires Nov. 19. The grain

agreement has brought down global food

prices about 15% from their peak in March,

according to the U.N.

Traces of shrapnel from the Russian rockets cover a multi storey house in central

Slavyansk, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022. Photo:AP

Witnesses describe 'a hell' inside

South Korean crowd surge

SEOUL : In one moment, thousands of

Halloween revelers crammed into the narrow,

vibrant streets of Seoul's most cosmopolitan

neighborhood, eager to show off their capes,

wizard hats and bat wings, reports UNB.

In the next, a surge of panic spread as an

unmanageable mass of people jammed into a

narrow alley in Itaewon. Toppled revelers were

trapped for as long as 40 minutes, stacked on

one another "like dominoes" in a chaotic crush

so intense that clothes were ripped off.

A stunned Seoul was just beginning on

Monday to put together the huge scope of the

crowd surge on Saturday night that killed at

least 153, mostly people in their 20s and 30s,

including foreign nationals. The Ministry of the

Interior and Safety said it expected more

deaths because there were more than 130

injured, many in serious condition.

Witnesses described a nightmarish scene as

people performed CPR on the dying and

carried limp bodies to ambulances, while

dance music pulsed from garish clubs lit in

bright neon. Others tried desperately to pull

out those trapped at the bottom of the crush of

people, but often failed because there were too

many of the fallen on top of them.

"We were just stuck together so tightly we

couldn't even shift to call out and report the

situation," said one survivor, surnamed Lee.

"We were strangers, but we held each others'

hands and repeatedly shouted out, 'Let's

survive!'"

Kim Mi Sung, who works for a non-profit

organization in Itaewon, told The Associated

Press that nine out of the 10 people she gave

CPR to eventually died. Many were bleeding

from their noses and mouths. Most were

women who dressed as witches or were in

other Halloween costumes; two were

foreigners. "It was like a hell," Kim said. "I still

can't believe what happened."

In this ultra-wired, high-tech country,

anguish, terror and grief - as well as many of

the details of what happened - are playing out

most vividly on social media. Users posted

messages desperately seeking friends and

loved ones, as witnesses and survivors

described what they went through.

"I thought I was dying," one woman said in

posts on Twitter. "My entire body was stuck

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskky

expressed outrage at Russia's decision.

"Why is it that a handful of people

somewhere in the Kremlin can decide

whether there will be food on the tables of

people in Egypt or Bangladesh?" he said

Saturday in his nightly video address.

Two initiatives to revive the grain deal

were reported Sunday.

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar was

in talks with his counterparts to "solve the

problem and to continue the grain initiative,"

his agency said, adding that no more grain

ships would leave Ukraine but those already

waiting near Istanbul would be inspected on

Sunday or Monday.

At the United Nations in New York,

Guterres delayed a trip by a day to engage in

talks aimed at ending Russia's suspension of

the grain export deal. Russia also requested a

meeting Monday of the U.N. Security

Council to discuss the topic.

Analysts say Russia's withdrawal shows

that it sees the grain deal as yet another way

to pressure Ukraine.

"By leaving the deal now and putting the

blame on Ukraine, it aims to slow Ukrainian

attacks around the Black Sea," said Mario

Bikarski, a Economist Intelligence Unit

analyst. Russia could be hoping that

Ukraine's Western allies might ask it to focus

its forces elsewhere to save the grain deal, he

said.

More conflicting details emerged Sunday

about the alleged attack on Russia's Black

Sea Fleet.

The city council of Mariupol, a Ukrainian

port now controlled by Russia, claimed on

Telegram that Ukrainian special services had

destroyed at least three Russian warships

near the city of Sevastopol on the Russianannexed

Crimean Peninsula.

But an adviser to Ukraine's Interior

Ministry claimed that the Russians' "careless

handling of explosives" had caused blasts on

four Russian warships. Anton Gerashchenko

among everyone else, while people laughed

from a terrace and videotaped us. I thought I

would really die if I cried out. I stretched my

hands out to (others) who were above me and

I managed to get out."

An unidentified woman in her 20s wept as

she described the scene to the Yonhap news

agency: "It looked like the graves of people

piled upon one another. Some of them were

slowly losing consciousness and others seemed

to have already died."

A man, surnamed Kong, said he managed to

escape to a nearby bar with his friends after the

crush happened. He saw through the bar

windows that people were falling on top of

each other "like dominoes," Yonhap reported.

When a 27-year-old office worker who gave

only his surname, Choi, left the bar he'd been in

during the crush, he saw dozens of police and

paramedics. "It kind of looked like a war zone,"

he said.

The bodies of 10 to 15 people were lined up in

front of the King Kebab restaurant on the

asphalt and were being covered up with blue

tarps as he walked by.

"It looked like they were sleeping - eyes

closed, mouth opened. They looked like

mannequins," Choi said.

Friends and family members gathered at a

local government office to try to find news

about the missing.

One Twitter user posted a series of messages

asking for information about a 17-year-old

friend who had gone to Itaewon to celebrate

wearing a hairband that looked like cat ears.

"I lost contact with her. She's been a friend of

mine for 12 years, and we were like family.

Please help me," the message said.

Even after the crush, witnesses said they saw

some revelers not immediately making way for

emergency vehicles, rescuers and police

officers. One viral video clip on Twitter

showing a crowd of young people dancing and

singing near the carnage drew several insults

from South Koreans.

Ken Fallas, a Costa Rican architect who has

worked in Seoul for the past eight years,

watched stunned as a dozen or more

unconscious partygoers were carried out from

a narrow backstreet packed with youngsters

dressed like movie characters.

TUeSDAY, NOveMBer 1, 2022

8

LankaBangla Finance celebrates 25

years of its glorious journey

National Bank Limited is patronizing for making film 'Shayama Kabbo'. On the occasion, a

Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was singed between Heritage Films and Communication and

National Bank yesterday.

Photo : Courtesy.

An addition to Parkview Hospital is the "Special Mother and Child Care Unit". This special unit on

level nine with 50 beds is arranged in a completely different corporate style focusing only on uninterrupted

care of the maternity mother and child.

Photo : TBT

Reported suspicious financial

transactions up by 62.32pc

in FY22: BFIU

DHAKA : Despite strengthening monitoring

to stop money laundering, suspicious

transaction teport (STR) has increased by

62.32 percent in the fiscal year 2021-22.

According to a report of Bangladesh

Financial Intelligent Unit (BFIU), a concern

of Bangladesh bank, 8571 STR occurred in

FY22; it was 5280 in FY21. In a fiscal year,

STR has increased by 3291 or 62.32 percent.

Earlier in FY20, there were 3675

suspicious transaction reports while in FY19

such transactions were 3573, BFIU's latest

annual report said.

BFIU presented the details of the report

during a press conference at Bangladesh

Bank on Monday. The central bank's

Executive Director and BFIU head Masud

Biswas shared the information with media.

He said not all suspicious transaction

reports are crimes. "If there is evidence of

any crime, we take action," he said.

So far, action has been taken against

clients and related parties of many banks

and financial institutions, he said.

According to the BFIU report, banks have

submitted maximum of 7999 suspicious

transaction reports in the entire financial

year. In the previous financial year, the

banks submitted 4495 reports. Financial

institutions submitted 106 reports.

Exchange houses have submitted 457

reports.

Generally, STR means a formatted report

of suspicious transactions or activities where

there are reasonable grounds to believe that

funds are the proceeds of predicate offense

or may be linked to terrorist activity or the

transactions do not seem to be in usual

manner.

Central Bank Executive Director and

Spokesperson GM Abul Kalam Azad, BFIU

Director Rafiqul Islam, and Additional

Director Kamal Hossain among others were

present at the press conference.

Ghana president seeks to reassure

over economic 'crisis'

ACCRA : Ghana's President Nana Akufo-Addo

has sought to reassure the country his

government can manage an economic "crisis"

as it negotiates a loan agreement with the

International Monetary Fund.

Under pressure from his own lawmakers to

fire his finance minister, Akufo-Addo on

Sunday night gave a television address urging

Ghanaians to support his decision to reverse

his position and seek an IMF loan.

Hit hard by the global pandemic and fallout

from Ukraine's war, Ghana is seeking a $3

billion credit as the country faces 35 percent

inflation, a sharp fall in the cedi currency and

high debt service payments.

"We are in a crisis, I do not exaggerate when

I say so," he said in his speech. "I urge us all to

see the decision to go to the International

Monetary Fund in this light. We have gone to

the fund to repair, in the short term, our public

finances."

The IMF has opened talks with Ghana over a

deal and Akufo-Addo said they expected to

reach an agreement before the end of the year.

"This will give further credence to the

measures government is taking to stabilise and

grow the economy, as well as shore up our

currency."

The president said the IMF deal would not

mean any so-called "hair-cuts" to trim the value

of the country's debt, which would mean bond

holders would lose money.

He also said the government would review

import standards and support farmers in a bid

to reduce reliance on now more costly

imported goods.

The president also vowed to tighten

measures to "restore order" in the foreign

exchange markets such as controlling illegal

operators as a way to support the cedi.

"I know that this is putting intolerable

pressure on families and businesses. I know

that people are being driven to make choices

they should not have to make," the president

said of the economic situation.

Ghanaian ruling party lawmakers last week

demanded Akufo-Addo fire his finance

minister and another top ministry official,

adding pressure his government over the

country's economic woes.

Obituary

Suraiya Khandker Emy,

former Scientist of

Bangladesh Jute Research

Institute (BJRI) passed

away on 28th October 2022,

2.30 am Friday at Ever Care

Hospital. She left behind her

husband Dr. Tarek Al Naser,

son Engineer Dr Zoheb

Nasir, daughter Anika Nasir

(Economist) and three

grandchildren. Her age was

69.

Her namaz-e-janaza was

held at Bananin Baitul

Aman Jame Masjid. She was

buried at the Banani

Graveyard.

Visiting IMF team will

meet BSEC to discuss

capital market on Nov 7

DHAKA : The

International Monetary

Fund (IMF) will sit in a

meeting with the

Bangladesh Securities and

Exchange Commission

(BSEC) on November 7 to

discuss issues including the

current status of the capital

market and the imposition

of floor prices.

Bond

market

development, risk

management and control,

compliance infrastructure

and enforcement measures

in the market will also be

discussed in the meeting,

according to officials

involved with the process.

BSEC spokesperson

Mohammad Rezaul Karim

told UNB on Monday that

the regulator is making all

preparations for the

meeting.

Company "The IBN SINA

Natural Medicine Ltd." as a

"Special Resolution".

The Company had made a

significant contribution in the

year under reviewtowards the

National Exchequers by

paying Tk. 1,78,95,84,826/-

(One

Hundred

SeventyEightCrore Ninety

Five Lac Eighty Four

Thousand Eight Hundred and

Twenty Six) as Income Tax,

VAT and other applicable

Taxes.

LankaBangla Finance

Limited, the country's

leading financial institute,

which was established in

1997, celebrates 25 years of

its glorious journey through

a simple ceremony

organized at its Corporate

Office situated in the capital.

The program was attended

among others by Mr. A

Moyeen, Chairman; Board of

Directors, Mr. Khwaja

Shahriar, Managing Director

& CEO, LankaBangla

Finance Limited; Mr. Nasir

U Chowdhury, Managing

Director, LankaBangla

Securities Limited, Head of

Subsidierires, Senior

management

of

LankaBangla Finance

Limited; previous and

current employees.

LankaBangla Finance

Limited initiated its journey

in 1997 with the launch of

Vanik Credit Card. Soon

after, the organization

introduced customerfocused

financial products

and services and saw an

amazing growth in its service

beneficiary

base.

LankaBangla SME loans has

empowered thousands of

38th AGM of IBN SINA Pharmaceutical held

The 38th Annual General

Meeting of The IBN SINA

Pharmaceutical Industry PLC

is held through Digital

(Virtual) Platform. Janab Kazi

Harun or Rashid, Chairman of

the Company presided over

the meeting, a press release

said

A large number of

Shareholders, Managing

Director Prof. Dr. A. K. M

Sadrul Islam including other

Directors, Chairman Audit

Committee, Chairman NRC,

Statutory Auditors,

Compliance Auditors,

Independent Scrutinizer and

Company Secretary also

attended the virtual AGM. The

meeting started at 9:30 am by

recitation from the Holy

Quran.

The Directors' Report,

Auditors' Report and Audited

Financial Statements were

presented in the AGM for the

Financial Year, 2021-22.

The AGM approved 60%

Cash Dividend after

evaluating the financial report

for the Year-2021-22 of the

Company.

Prof. Dr. A K MSadrul

Islam, Managing Director

women through financial

self-sufficiency and made

them an integral part of

decision making in society.

Today, Shikha platform

stands as a torch bearer for

thousands of women

entrepreneurs, enabling

them make smarter financial

decisions and transforming

them into catalyst for social

reform.

Expressing his opinion on

the occasion Mr. A Moyeen,

Chairman; conveyed his

gratitude to Regulatory

bodies, Stakeholders,

delivered his speech and also

replied to the Hon'ble

Shareholders' various

questions. Mr.KaziHarun or

Rashid and Prof. Dr. AKM

Sadrul Islam were re-elected

as Director by rotation.

For better management and

to make ease of operation of

natural medicine production

and sustainable growth of the

Company, the AGM approved

the transfer of net asset of

natural medicine division of

the Company to the subsidiary

Employees, Media for

making this journey possible

Mr. Khwaja Shahriar,

Managing Director and

CEO, LankaBangla Finance

said, "I feel extremely

privileged for being a part of

this celebration. Our valued

customers are the ones who

has made this event possible.

Our customers are our

encouragement. My

gratitude also goes to our

valued employees, they have

demonstrated utmost

sincerity and dedication in

serving the organization.

They are our true asset for

future growth."

LankaBangla operates

through 27 branches across

the country. Embarking on

digitization, the organization

has been able to extend its

service to the doorstep of

each and every customer.

With trust and reliability of

thousands of customers,

LankaBangla successfully

manages a portfolio 9FUM)

of BDT 16,000 Crore,

ensuring secured,

sustainable return on

customers' investments."

As per Bangladesh Labour

Laws, Company has

transferred5% of the profit i.e.

Tk. 4,03,41,605/- (Four Crore

Three Lac Forty

OneThousand SixHundred

and Five) to the Workers'

Profit Participation Fund

(WPPF). The meeting was

ended with a vote of thanks to

and from the Chairman of the

Company by praying for the

blessings of the Almighty

Allah to the human being at

large.

CDIP customers can pay savings, loan

instalments via Nagad free of cost

The mobile financial service

of the Post Office, Nagad

Limited, and Centre for

Development Innovation

and Practices (CDIP) have

signed a memorandum of

understanding (MoU) to

help make microcredit

operations easy and

dynamic among the people

of lower income bracket.

From now on, the

customers of the CDIP will

be able to deposit the

instalments of their loans

and savings schemes free of

cost via Nagad app as per the

deal. Accordingly, the CDIP

service will be available at

Nagad app, USSD, and

NagadUddokta

(entrepreneurs).

The service under the

MoU will allow lowerincome

people all over the

country to pay instalments

of loans and savings

schemes by using their

mobile phones.

The agreement was signed

recently at Nagad head

office in Banani, Dhaka.

Nagad's Chief Business

Officer Sheikh Aminur

Rahman, Head of Payments

Division Mohammad

Mahbub Sobhan, Head of

IMI and Govt. Sales

Operation Department

Tanvir Chowdhury and Key

Account Manager Hasna

Mohsin were present there.

On behalf of the CDIP, its

Executive Director

MiftaNaim Huda, Finance

and Planning Department

Head SA Ahad, Director of

Micrifinance Programme

AKM Habibullah Azad,

Finance and Accounting

Department Head AKM

Shamsur Rahman, HR and

OD Head Md Ibrahim Miah

and Head of Digitisation

Amit Kumar Roy attended

the signing ceremony.

About the service, Nagad's

Chief Business Officer

Sheikh Aminur Rahman

said,"Nagad has always

been working to reach

digital services to the

doorstep of the people who

are lagging behind. Thanks

to this service, a major

portion of the unbanked

people will be encouraged to

save their moneyand also

get access to CDIP's

microcredit facilities."

tueSDAY, NoVeMBer 1, 2022

9

red Bull's Max Verstappen celebrates after qualifying in pole position in the Mexico City Grand prix.

Verstappen claims record 14th win

of season with Mexico GP triumph

SportS DeSk

Red Bull's Max Verstappen claimed a

record 14th victory of the Formula One

season by winning the Mexico Grand Prix

on Sunday, reports UNB.

World champion Verstappen finished a

comfortable 15.186 seconds ahead of

Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes while

Verstappen's Red Bull teammate Sergio

Perez finished third on home soil.

It was the second win inside a week for

Dutchman Verstappen, who also

triumped at the US Grand Prix in Austin,

Texas. Verstappen has now beaten the

record previously held by Michael

Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel for the

most wins in a single season.

"It has been an incredible year so far,

we are definitely enjoying it and we'll try

to go for more (victories)," said

Verstappen. Hamilton lamented his

team's decision to choose medium and

then hard tire compounds while

Verstappen went from softs to medium.

"I was close in the first stint, but the

Red Bulls were too fast today and they

probably had the right tire strategy,"

Hamilton said. Perez was cheered loudly

by a sell-out crowd.

"Unfortunately, it didn't work out

today, but it is great to get third place here

and be on the podium," Perez said.

George Russell finished a frustrated

Mercedes tells

Hamilton the seat is

his to race into his 40s

SportS DeSk

Mercedes have told Lewis

Hamilton he can be sure of a

seat if he wants to stay in

Formula One and believe he

can emulate NFL great Tom

Brady and compete into his

40s, reports UNB.

The seven-times world

champion and winner of a

record 103 races will be 38 in

January and has said he

intends to sign a multi-year

extension to the contract that

expires at the end of 2023.

"It's 100% his seat," team

boss Toto Wolff told

reporters at the Mexico City

Grand Prix when asked

whether Mercedes, who

have Britain's George

Russell in their other car,

might consider anyone else.

The Austrian said contract

talks had yet to start, despite

both championships now

being over.

Mercedes still harbour

hopes of overtaking Ferrari

for second place overall in a

year dominated by Red Bull

and Max Verstappen.

"We want to definitely

finish the season and then

find some quiet time over the

winter like we have done last

time around," said Wolff.

"He's much more than a

driver to us now.

"Although we are not

talking about a career end,

it's also important to speak

about his role as an

ambassador for Mercedes

and the many sponsors we

have and the implication he

can have in our wider

universe."

fourth for Mercedes, but clocked the

fastest lap ahead of the Ferraris of Carlos

Sainz and Charles Leclerc, both unable to

find the pace to make any impact on the

leading quartet.

Daniel Ricciardo was seventh for

McLaren, after a mid-race collision for

which he was given a 10-second time

penalty, ahead of Esteban Ocon of Alpine,

Lando Norris in the second McLaren and

Valtteri Bottas of Alfa Romeo.

As the lights went out, Verstappen

made a near-perfect start from pole

position while, behind him, Hamilton

fought his way past Russell to take

second. To the delight of his fans, Perez

also passed Russell to take third.

After lap one, the Dutchman held a lead

of 1.39 seconds which he gently extended

to 1.6 by lap 10 and 2.2 by lap 20 as the

leaders ran in consistent formation, the

race only punctuated by Stroll taking the

first pit stop on lap 18.

Verstappen reported his soft tires were

deteriorating shortly before Perez came

in after 23 laps to switch from soft to

medium compounds, but his stop was

hampered by a sticky rear wheel change

and took five seconds.

He re-joined sixth.

Two laps later, Verstappen came in and

out in 2.5 seconds, passing the lead to

Hamilton, who was 5.5 seconds clear of

photo: Ap

Russell as the Dutchman re-joined third

behind him.

Hamilton came in on lap 30 to switch

to hards and re-joined third, Russell

taking over as leader until lap 35, when he

also pitted to take hard tires. He came

back in fourth and the leading group were

back as they had been.

"This tire is not as good as the

medium," Hamilton said on team radio,

prompting Mercedes to reply suggesting

it would last longer than the medium, as

taken by Red Bull.

Hamilton, however, was struggling for

grip and impatient as he slipped 9.5

seconds adrift of the champion with

Perez, third and pressing, only 1.9

seconds behind.

By lap 40, both Mercedes men were

grumbling in unison about the hard tyre's

lack of performance.

Verstappen extended his lead to more

than 10 seconds by lap 50, but Hamilton

clung on.

"Are we on the wrong tyre?" Hamilton

asked his team. "No, Lewis, we think

we're on the right tire and it'll get to the

end. No sweat," replied his race engineer,

Pete Bonnington.

With six laps to go, Mercedes' hard tire

gamble appeared to have failed when

two-time champion Fernando Alonso

pulled off at turn one in his Alpine.

Medvedev battles back to win

second title of year

SportS DeSk

Daniil Medvedev celebrated

becoming a father for the first

time earlier this month with his

second ATP title of the year in

beating Canada's Denis

Shapovalov 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in

Sunday's final in Vienna,

reports UNB.

The 26-year-old former

world No. 1 dropped his first set

of the week as Shapovalov

produced some eye-catching

tennis by firing down 21

winners.

However, Medvedev - whose

wife Daria gave birth to a baby

girl on Oct. 14 - did not buckle

and stormed back to level the

match with some terrific shots

of his own.

The third set was a

procession as the Russian

broke Shapovalov several times

and eventually took the title

with his sixth match point.

"I am really happy," said

Medvedev, who had reached

the quarterfinals on the only

other occasion he played in

Vienna.

"This match was the best of

the week because Denis was

really playing unreal until

probably 4-3 in the second set.

"He dropped his level by

maybe two percent and I was

able to use it.

"This is one of the best

victories when you know your

opponent is on top of you, but

you try and stay there and do

what you can."

Medvedev's 15th career title

sets him up nicely for the final

two targets for him this season.

First up is the Paris Masters,

where he was runner-up to

Novak Djokovic last year,

which get underway on

Monday and the ATP Finals in

Turin on November 13-20.

Medvedev won that event in

2020.

"I like to play indoor hard

courts at the end of the season,"

said Medvedev.

"I feel that I do a great job

with my team not to arrive

burnt out. "I am looking

forward to the last two

tournaments of the year which

are really important and I

usually play well."

For Shapovalov, it was his

second loss in a final this month

after he was beaten by Japan's

Yoshihito Nishioka in Seoul

and the defeat leaves him with

just the one title, in Stockholm

in 2019.

russia's Daniil Medvedev celebrates with trophy after winning his

final match against Canada's Denis Shapovalov at the erste Bank

open Atp tennis tournament in Vienna, Austria. photo: Ap

Ten Hag hopes

‘magnificent’

De Gea stays

on at Man Utd

SportS DeSk

Manchester United

manager Erik ten Hag said

he hoped "magnificent"

goalkeeper David de Gea

would stay beyond this

season at the club after

seeing the Spaniard play a

starring role in his side's 1-0

win over West Ham United

yesterday, reports UNB.

De Gea produced three

stunning saves in the second

half to help United stretch

their unbeaten run to eight

in all competitions and earn

a victory that moved them

up to fifth in the Premier

League.

Widespread reports in the

British media, however,

have said that United are not

certain to extend the

Spanish keeper's contract,

which expires at the end of

the current campaign.

"This issue about

negotiating (contracts), we

said first we are focusing on

the games," Ten Hag said.

"When we come to an end

with this block, we have the

World Cup and then we

have to think about them.

"In the background we

have our strategies for how

to deal with it. It is clear

already and I have already

emphasised it several times,

I am really happy with

David. He is a great

goalkeeper.

"He is only 31. He is fit. He

can progress even more. He

was already impressively

good for Man United and I

think he will do that in the

future as well."

Marcus Rashford headed

the winner in the first half at

Old Trafford yesterday,

continuing his return to

form this term as he passed

100 goals for his club in all

competitions. "When you

have scored 100 goals before

you turn 25 you are already

there," Ten Hag added. "But

I think he won't be satisfied

just with that.

Congested calendar

raises injury risk for

World Cup players

SportS DeSk

As Manchester United

defender Raphael Varane

left the field in last

weekend's 1-1 draw with

Chelsea, the Frenchman's

face sank into his shirt to

hide his tears from the

cameras, reports UNB.

Within seconds of pulling

up at Stamford Bridge,

Varane was aware that his

appearance at the World

Cup was in jeopardy.

The former Real Madrid

centre-back may have gotten

lucky, with an initial diagnosis

of a small hamstring tear

giving him a chance of making

it to Qatar.

Many more have not been so

fortunate. N'Golo Kante will

not feature in France's defence

of the tournament. Uruguay

will be without Ronald Araujo

and Portugal shorn of Diogo

Jota. Germany have concerns

over the fitness of Bayern

Munich duo Manuel Neuer

and Leroy Sane.

Meanwhile, England

manager Gareth Southgate's

prediction of a catalogue of

injuries for the Three Lions is

proving prescient with Reece

James, Kyle Walker, and

Kalvin Phillips major doubts.

"What see is a really

packed schedule now with a

lot of players playing a lot of

minutes," said Southgate

earlier this month.

"I think realistically we will

lose more. It's so intense,

and the players are playing

so much football."

No time to prepare

The uprooting of football's

traditional calendar to fit in

a first ever mid-season

World Cup has resulted in

fixture congestion at club

level and little time to

prepare for international

managers.

Dustin Johnson claims

lucrative LIV Golf double

with team victory

SportS DeSk

American Dustin Johnson's 4

Aces squad won the inaugural

LIV Golf Series team

championship at Trump

National on Sunday to claim

the $16 million top prize,

reports UNB.

Johnson, who earned a

reported $150 million by

signing up to the Saudibacked

venture, pockets

another $4 million as his

share of the team prize money

to add to the rewards he

gained through winning the

debut season's individual title.

Between team prizes

throughout the season and

individual event wins, plus his

$18 million bonus for

claiming the year's individual

crown, Johnson ends the

inaugural LIV campaign with

an eye-watering $35 million

in earnings.

"Personally, my season,

yeah, you add up the numbers

and it was great, but I played

good - I didn't play my best, so

it always could be better, but

that's golf," Johnson said. "But

I'm just happy that the 4 Aces

just won this tournament.

That's all that matters," he

said after shooting a two

under-par 70 on the Doral

Blue Monster course.

Johnson's all-American

team - featuring Talor Gooch,

Any fears that the Gunners were beginning to feel the fatigue of a packed

schedule were blown away in a blistering opening.

photo: Ap

Five-star Arsenal back on

top of the Premier League

SportS DeSk

Reiss Nelson was the unlikely hero as Arsenal

retook top spot in the Premier League with a 5-0

thrashing of Nottingham Forest on Sunday,

reports UNB.

Nelson was introduced for the first time in the

Premier League this season after Bukayo Saka

was forced off with a concerning injury for

England boss Gareth Southgate just weeks

ahead of the World Cup.

Saka set up the opening goal for Gabriel

Martinelli after just five minutes before being

replaced due to an ankle injury.

Nelson struck his first Premier League goal

since July 2020 early in the second half to give

Arsenal breathing space.

He added a second just three minutes later and

then teed up Thomas Partey to curl into the top

corner.

Martin Odegaard rounded off a performance

that shrugged off doubts over Arsenal's ability to

contend for the title by firing high past Dean

Henderson 13 minutes from time.

Victory lifts Mikel Arteta's men a point above

Manchester City at the top of the table.

The Arsenal players came together to show

support to teammate Pablo Mari before kick-off.

Mari, who is on loan at Monza, was stabbed

during a knife attack in an Italian supermarket

this week that left one person dead.

That incident put Arsenal's bad week on the

field into perspective after a 1-1 draw at

Patrick Reed and Pat Perez -

shot a combined 7-under 281,

winning by a shot over

Cameron Smith's all-

Australian Punch GC.

British Open champion

Smith shot a superb 65 and

jousted with Johnson until the

death.

The winning team were

sprayed by champagne on the

final green on a day in which

$34 million in prize money

was distributed to the four

teams in the final.

While the celebrations were

genuine and the team format

certainly generated enthusiasm

from players and attracted a

decent crowd to the South

Florida course owned by

former US President Donald

Trump, the first LIV season

has caused division within golf

that shows no signs of ending.

Reports suggest LIV Golf is

looking to add more top

players to its lineup ahead of

an expanded 14-event second

season.

Johnson said LIV will go

from strength to strength.

"Just look at what happened

today," he said. "Obviously,

yeah, it was a team effort, but

coming down the 18th hole, it

ended up coming down to me

and Cam playing the 18th hole

to see who wins the team

championship.

"You couldn't have drawn it

up any better, but I think

that's what LIV is. Look at all

the fans. Look how much fun

they have. I think this season

went incredible and I think

next season is going to be even

better."

With legal cases heading to

courts, disputes over world

ranking points and Ryder Cup

eligibility issues for LIV

players, the rancour in the golf

world doesn't look to soon

fade, not to mention criticism

over the financial backing of

the Saudi sovereign wealth

fund PIF over human rights

issues in Saudi Arabia.

But on Sunday, LIV players

were in a bullish mood and

Perez used the occassion to

make his feelings clear about

criticism of the new circuit.

"All the pushback, all the

negative comments,

everything we've gotten, at

this point, I really don't care. I

mean, I don't care. I'm paid. I

don't give a damn," Perez said.

"My team played

unbelievable this year. I feel

like I'm really part of

something that I've never

been part of, other than me

and my caddie, we've just

been just us our whole life.

"To have these guys and

their caddies and families and

coaches and everybody, it's

just one big family now. I just

couldn't be any happier. It's

unbelievable."

Southampton last weekend was followed by a 2-

0 defeat to PSV Eindhoven in the Europa

League.

Any fears that the Gunners were beginning to

feel the fatigue of a packed schedule were blown

away in a blistering opening.

Martinelli ducked to meet Saka's inviting cross

with his head to open the floodgates.

The Brazilian saw another effort cleared off the

line, while Gabriel Jesus, Takehiro Tomiyasu

and Odegaard also had chances.

But Saka's departure is a major worry for

Arteta ahead of Arsenal's trip to Chelsea next

weekend.

Forest had begun to find some form on their

return to the top flight for the first time in 23

years in recent weeks, including a famous 1-0

win over Liverpool last weekend.

But only toward the end of the first half did

they ever threaten to cause the hosts problems as

Tomiyasu threw himself in front of Jesse

Lingard's effort.

Nelson quickly settled the game after the break

as he blasted past Henderson after his first effort

was saved and then turned in Jesus' cross at the

near post.

Partey made it four in style as caressed the ball

into the top corner from 25 yards.

Jesus was trying everything he could to end a

seven-game goal drought, but had to settle for a

second assist as from his pass, Odegaard found

the space to fire home the fifth.

TUEsdAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2022

10

‘Jhora Palok’ to

premiere at Dhaka

Int’l Film Festival

TBT REPORT

Acclaimed Bangladeshi actress Jaya Ahsan's much-appreciated film

'Jhora Palok' will be screened in Bangladesh at Dhaka International

Film Festival 2023 in January. This is the first time 'Jhora Palok' will

be premiered in Bangladesh.

Directed by Sayantan Mukherjee, 'Jhora Palok- The Epilogue' is

based on the life of eminent poet Jibanananda Das. The film was

released on June 24 in Kolkata this year.

The film was inspired by Jibanananda Das's autobiographical

novel 'Malyaban' which focuses on the relationship between the

author and his wife Labanya Das. The film attempts to show how he

achieves his position as a poet in the Bengali literary scene of the

future, by interpreting his repertoire of works and his interactions

with the so-called society of intellectuals.

In the film, Jaya played the role of Labanya while Bratya Basu and

Rahul Banerjee portrayed the renowned poet at different points in

his life.

Regarding her character, Jaya Ahsan said, "My character has the

shadows of other characters, which was in Jibanananda Das. I think

it is not easy to keep pace with a character like Jibanananda Das,

who is immersed in poetry from head to toe. He was not comfortable

in his life. So, playing this character was challenging for me."

The film also casts Devashankar Haldar in the role of poet

Sajanikanta Das, Kaushik Sen as poet Buddhadev Basu and Supriya

Dutt in the role of Kazi Nazrul Islam.

Dhaka International Film Festival will start on January 14, and

continue till January 22.

Dwayne Johnson film opens at 6 crore,

beats Doctor G, Goodbye

Dwayne Johnson-starrer Black Adam

was released in India on Thursday,

one day ahead of its global release on

October 21. The film opened to mixed

reviews but still managed to register a

decent opening at the box office.

While the numbers are lower than

some recent Marvel blockbusters,

they are higher than many recent

Bollywood films like Doctor G and

Goodbye.

As per trade sources, Black Adam

netted ?6 crore in India on Thursday

in all languages. The number is

substantially higher than the first day

collections of Ayushmann Khurrana's

Doctor G ( ?3.8 crore) and Amitabh

Bachchan's Goodbye (less than ?1

crore). It s also higher than the

previous big DC release The Batman,

which earned ?5.75 crore in India on

its opening day in March.

However, the numbers pale in

comparison to how some Marvel

Cinematic Universe films have done

of late. Doctor Strange in the

Multiverse of Madness, which was

released in May, earned ?27.50

crore in India on its day one. Spider-

Man: No Way Home set the

pandemic-era record for Hollywood

films in India with an impressive

haul of ?32 crore on its opening day.

Trade insiders say that Marvel

commands a greater craze in India

as compared to DC. In addition,

Black Adam is a relatively unknown

character in the country.

Black Adam is the origin story of the

DC Comics antihero Teth Adam. In

the comics, the character has been a

foe of Shazam and Superman. The

film is set within the DC Extended

Universe (DCEU). Directed by Jaume

Collet-Serra, the film also stars Aldis

Hodge, Noah Centino, Sarah Shahi,

and Pierce Brosnan. The film features

several actors from the DCEU

reprising their roles in cameos,

including Djimon Hounsou as

Shazam, Viola Davis as Amanda

Waller, and Henry Cavill as

Superman.

Source: Collider

Director, lead performer of 'Hawa' served legal

notice for 'breaching tobacco control law'

A Supreme Court lawyer Saturday sent

a legal notice to the creators and lead

performer of the film 'Hawa', including

director Mejbaur Rahman Sumon and

protagonist Chanchal Chowdhury, for

"violating tobacco control law", reports

UNB.

The film did not show anti-tobacco

messages while showcasing smoking

as per the rules, Lawyer Jewel Sarkar

said in his legal notice.

He sent the notice to the film's

director, producer, lead character and

chairman of the Censor Board.

Jewel said, "Even though the

producer and director of the movie

were warned verbally for several days,

they did not add anti-tobacco

messages in the movie as per the law."

According to the Smoking and Usage

of Tobacco Products (Control) Acts

2005, if the story of a movie requires

displaying any scene containing the

usage of tobacco products, it can be

shown by displaying a written warning

about the harmful effects of using

tobacco products.

A health warning message, "Smoking

or consuming tobacco causes death,"

will have to be displayed in the middle

of the screen, covering at least one-fifth

of the screen, in white letters against a

black background, in Bangla.

Also, such health warnings will have

to be displayed continuously as long as

the scene runs, according to the Act.

In case of a movie showing in a

cinema halls which has a scene of

usage of tobacco products, a health

warning message "Smoking or

consuming tobacco causes death" will

have to be displayed in full screen for

at least 20 seconds in Bangla before

Mehreen lends voice in Lucky

Akhand’s ‘She Gaaner Pakhi;

TBT REPORT

Popstar Mehreen has released her latest

single 'She Gaaner Pakhi'on Sunday, a

song originally written and composed

by the legendary late Lucky Akhand.

The track will include a music video and

will be available for streaming on

Mehreen's YouTube channel.

"I was working on this for a long

Samantha

opens up

on battling

Myositis

Samantha Ruth Prabhu opened up

about battling Myositis, with a recent

social media post. Jr NTR, Dulquer

Salmaan, Janhvi Kapoor, and others

wished her a speedy recovery.

Samantha Ruth Prabhu is

undoubtedly one of the most soughtafter

talents in the Indian film industry,

right now. The talented actress earned

global recognition with her debut OTT

project The Family Man 2. Her stellar

performance as Raji in the Amazon

Prime series put her right in the top

league. Samantha has a massive line-up

of highly promising projects in both

Telugu and Bollywood. Meanwhile, the

actress opened up about battling

Myositis, with a recent post on her

official social media handles.

Samantha Ruth Prabhu, who recently

made a comeback to social media

platforms after a short gap, took to her

official handles today and opened up

about her condition.

time. I am honoured to be able to sing

one of Lucky bhai's compositions. He

was everybody's favourite! His

untimely death was a big loss for our

music industry. I pray and hope that he

is in a better place right now, wherever

he may be," said Mehreen.

"I always take a bit of time when it

comes to producing new songs. I can't

"A few months back I was diagnosed

with an autoimmune condition called

Myositis. I was hoping to share this

after it had gone into remission. But it is

taking a little longer than I hoped. I am

slowly realising that we don't always

need to put up a strong front. Accepting

this vulnerability is something that I am

still struggling with. The doctors are

confident that I will make a complete

recovery very soon," reads her tweet.

The Yashoda actress's friends and

colleagues from the film industry,

including Jr NTR, Dulquer Salmaan,

Janhvi Kapoor, Kajal Aggarwal, Kriti

Sanon, Kiara Advani, and others took to

her post and wished her a speedy

recovery.

"Get well soon Sam. Sending you all

the strength," wrote Jr NTR, who has

shared the screen with Samantha Ruth

Prabhu in some popular films, including

the start of the movie, before and after

the break, and after the ending, the Act

says.

A gross violation of law was seen in

Hawa, where unnecessary smoking

scenes were used without any health

warning about the dangers of smoking,

the notice said.

However, Sumon said: "The issues

mentioned here were baseless; those

who have watched the movie know it

very well."

work when I'm rushed. This song of

Lucky bhai has always been a favourite

of mine," she added.

Brindavanam and Jantha Garage.

Dulquer Salmaan, who is reportedly

set to team up with Samantha for the

upcoming Malayalam action thriller

King Of Kotha, wrote: "More power to

you Sam! LIke you said, This too shall

pass."

Popular Bollywood actresses

including Janhvi Kapoor, Kriti Sanon,

Kiara Advani, and Sanya Malhotra

reacted to The Family Man 2 actress's

post with red heart emojis.

Kajal Aggarwal, who has shared the

screen with Samantha Ruth Prabhu in

many blockbuster films, commented:

"Speedy recoveries Sam… You're going

to bounce back much stronger!"

Akkineni Akhil, the popular actor, and

Samantha's ex-brother-in-law wrote:

"All the love and strength to you dear

Sam.""Sending you a big hug… this too

shall pass," wrote Hansika

Motwani."Love and light to you, you are

amazing always," wrote Samantha's

Manam co-star Shriya Saran.

The celebrated actress has an exciting

line-up of films including the survival

thriller Yashoda and the mythological

drama Shaakuntalam, in Telugu.

Samantha Ruth Prabhu is set to make

her Bollywood debut with the upcoming

Vicky Kaushal starring fantasy film, The

Immortal Ashwatthma. She is also

roped in to play the lead role in the

upcoming spy thriller series Citadel,

opposite Varun Dhawan.

Source: Hindustan Times

H O R O s c O P E

ARIEs

Some close friends could turn you on to a new

interest or perhaps a group you might want to join.

Intellectual stimulation through those closest to

you could open the way to new plans and

innovations. You might want to try combining artistic interests

with technology, Aries, perhaps expanding your knowledge of

photography, computer graphics, or filmmaking. Success and good

fortune through such activities are strongly indicated.

TAURUs

Sudden, unexpected news could arrive

today, perhaps by mail or phone. You

could host a virtual group meeting of

some kind. A lot of exciting information

and stimulating conversation could take

place, Taurus, bringing fresh ideas that spark new

interests. Expect a very busy but productive day,

looking ahead toward the future rather than back

toward the past.

GEMINI

Short journeys in your neighborhood,

perhaps connected with a group you're

associated with, could take up a lot of

your time today, Gemini. Fascinating

and stimulating emails or calls could

arrive. Books and magazine articles could provide

information that sends you in a new direction in

some way. Write down your ideas! You will want to

remember them all.

cANcER

Technology could pave the way for you to

greatly increase your income, possibly

through new skills or investments. This is

likely to be a very positive development,

setting the stage for future financial success. Some

unusual, interesting dreams could come your way,

bringing unexpected revelations about you and your past

- and possibly your future. Write them down! They could

hold important messages for you from your higher self.

LEO

A surprising revelation, either from

within or from sources like books, the

Internet, or communications from others

could set you in an entirely new direction.

You will have an increased sense of freedom, as well as

a clearer and more progressive outlook. You might

consider some pretty heavy changes in your life, Leo,

but don't make any final decisions or arrangements

today. Wait before putting your ideas into action.

VIRGO

Discoveries made through occult sciences

such as astrology or numerology could

see you embrace some rather

revolutionary ideas about yourself, the

world, and life. You could become involved with a

group associated with metaphysical studies or take an

online class or workshop of some kind. This could

mean a new direction for you in some way, Virgo. It

might greatly enhance your life and thinking.

LIBRA

Sudden lucky breaks could come your

way today, Libra, possibly through

friends or groups with which you're

involved. A long-term goal you've been

working toward might bring unexpected but

wonderful results. Virtual group activities,

particularly those involving social or political issues,

could take up a lot of your time. This promises to be

a busy, productive day. Expect the unexpected!

scORPIO

Today you might feel the desire to break

free from your daily routine, Scorpio,

particularly regarding career matters.

You might consider developing a

business of your own, one that would give you a lot

more freedom than you currently have. This is a good

day to start looking into it. You might find that there are

more possibilities out there than you expected.

sAGITTARIUs

A sudden and unexpected opportunity

to take a journey by air could come your

way today, Sagittarius. This might be

something you've wanted for a long

time finally manifesting. Certainly, adventure is in the

air, although it might be mental adventure as much as

physical. Some information could come your way that

catapults you into a new and exciting field of interest.

This promises to be a thoroughly stimulating day.

cAPRIcORN

Technology could pave the way for you to

greatly increase your income, possibly

through new skills or investments. This is

likely to be a very positive development,

setting the stage for future financial success. Some

unusual, interesting dreams could come your way,

bringing unexpected revelations about you and your past

- and possibly your future. Write them down! They could

hold important messages for you from your higher self.

AQUARIUs

The unexpected need to take a journey

by air or spend a lot of time working

could bring about an inconvenient

separation from your partner. While the

reasons for this situation and the projected outcome

are very positive, it can cause a temporary upset in

your relationship. Don't worry about it. The upset will

pass, particularly when the desired results are

attained. Concentrate on the matter at hand.

PIscEs

Is your workplace upgrading its

equipment? Are you in the process of

increasing your technology skills?

Today's planets show that success and advancement

through technology are definitely in the offing for

you, Pisces. If you've been thinking about purchasing

a computer, do it today if you can. Whatever your

goals, you can harness current innovations to help

them along. Give it some thought!

TueSDAy, noVeMBer 1, 2022

11

National

Youth Day

today

DHAKA : The National

Youth Day 2021 will be

observed through various

programmes across the

country today.

With the aim of building

'Sonar Bangla' as dreamt by

Father of the Nation

Bangabandhu Sheikh

Mujibur Rahman and

keeping in mind the

efficiency, creativity, selfconfidence

and enthusiasm

of the youths, this year's

theme of the day is

Proshikkhito Jubo Unnato

Desh,

Bangabandhu'r

Bangladesh'.

On the eve of the day,

President M Abdul Hamid

and Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina issued separate

messages greeting the

country's youth society and

wished all the programmes

of the day a success.

In his message, President

M Abdul Hamid said the

large part of the country's

population is youth aged

between 18 and 35, and the

trend will continue till 2043.

He said this demographic

dividend should be utilized

to attain UN declared

Sustainable Development

Goals (SDGs) by 2030 and

build Bangladesh a happy,

prosperous and developed

nation by 2041.

The Department of Youth

Development is providing

skill enhancement training

to the youths to make them

fully skilled, modern and

conscious while many of

them have already emerged

as successful ones, the

President added.

Noting that a society of

meritorious, skilled and

ideal youths is the backbone

of the nation, Hamid said

many of the trained up

youth have taken

employment opportunities

abroad and they are earning

remittance for the country.

3 dead as bus hits

auto rickshaw in

Cumilla

CUMILLA : Three people

were killed and four others

injured as a bus hit a CNGrun

auto rickshaw on Dhaka-

Chattogram highway in

Chandina upazila of Cumilla

on Monday noon.

The identities of the

deceased could not be

ascertained yet, reports UNB.

The Chattogram-bound

bus hit the auto rickshaw on

the highway in Dhamti area

around 12 pm, leaving two

female passengers dead on

the spot and four people

wounded, said Akul Chandra

Biswas, officer-in-charge

(OC) of Mainamati Highway

Police Station

The injured were later

rushed to Cumilla Medical

College and Hospital where

another died.

Police couldn't seize the

killer bus as it fled

immediately after the

accident, said the OC.

Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury (MP) inaugurated a tugboat built by Western Marine Shipyard for

Chittagong Port Authority called "Kandari-06" having 40 ton BP capacity in this year. File Photo

Trump Organization faces criminal

tax fraud trial over perks

NEW YORK : For years, as Donald

Trump was soaring from reality TV

star to the White House, his real

estate empire was bankrolling big

perks for some of his most trusted

senior executives, including

apartments and luxury cars, reports

UNB.

Now Trump's company, the Trump

Organization, is on trial this week for

criminal tax fraud - on the hook for

what prosecutors say was a 15-year

scheme by top officials to hide the

plums and avoid paying taxes.

Opening statements and the first

witnesses are expected Monday in

New York. Last week, 12 jurors and

six alternates were picked for the

case, the only criminal trial to arise

from the Manhattan district

attorney's three-year investigation of

the former president.

Among the key prosecution

witnesses: Trump's longtime finance

chief Allen Weisselberg, who pleaded

guilty and has agreed to testify

against the company in exchange for

a five-month jail sentence.

If convicted, the Trump

Organization could be fined more

than $1 million and could face

difficulty in securing new loans and

deals. Some partners and

government entities could seek to cut

ties with the company. It could also

hamper its ability to do business with

the U.S. Secret Service, which

sometimes pays the company for

lodging and services while protecting

Trump as a former president.

Neither Trump nor any of his

children who have worked as Trump

Organization executives are charged

or accused of wrongdoing. Trump is

not expected to testify or even attend

the trial.

Prosecutors have said they do not

need to prove Trump knew about the

scheme to get a conviction and that

the case is "not about Donald

Trump." But a defense lawyer,

William J. Brennan, said even if he's

not physically there, Trump is "ever

present, like the mist in the room."

That's because Trump is

synonymous with the Trump

Organization, the entity through

which he manages his many ventures,

including his investments in golf

courses, luxury towers and other real

estate, his many marketing deals and

his TV pursuits.

Trump signed some of the checks at

the center of the case. His name is on

memos and other company

documents. Witnesses could testify

about conversations they had with

Trump. They are even expected to

The 50th anniversary of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JaSad) was celebrated in

Moulvibazar. Various events were organized throughout the day, including

flag hoisting, colorful processions and discussions. Photo: Alok Kanti Dev

Witnesses: Journalist

killed after police in

Haiti open fire

PORT-AU-PRINCE: A

Haitian journalist died

Sunday after being shot in the

head when police opened fire

on reporters demanding the

release of one of their

colleagues who was detained

while covering a protest,

witnesses , reports UNB.

Reporters at the scene

identified the slain journalist

as Romelo Vilsaint and said

he worked for an online news

site.

enter Trump's personal general

ledgers as evidence.

Prosecutors say The Trump

Organization - through its

subsidiaries Trump Corp. and

Trump Payroll Corp. - is liable in

part because former Weisselberg

was a "high managerial agent"

entrusted to act on behalf of the

company and its various entities.

The Trump Organization has said

it did nothing wrong. The company's

lawyers argue that Weisselberg and

other executives acted on their own

and that, if anything, their actions

harmed the company financially.

Weisselberg, who has pleaded

guilty to taking $1.7 million in offthe-books

compensation, pinned

blame on himself and other top

Trump Organization executives,

including senior vice president and

controller Jeffrey McConney.

But he disagreed with the notion

that the company was harmed,

saying the perks actually saved the

company money because it avoiding

having to give raises.

Prosecutors have said they

expect to call 15 witnesses,

including Weisselberg and

McConney, who was granted

limited immunity to testify last

year before a grand jury.

In Xi's China, even

internal reports fall

prey to censorship

BEIJING : When the

coronavirus was first detected

in Wuhan in late 2019, reporter

Liao Jun of China's official

Xinhua News Agency told

conflicting stories to two very

different audiences, reports

UNB.

Liao's news dispatches

assured readers the disease

didn't spread from person to

person. But in a separate

confidential report to senior

officials, Liao struck a different

tone, alerting Beijing that a

mysterious, dangerous disease

had surfaced.

Her reports to officials were

part of a powerful internal

reporting system long used by

the ruling Communist Party to

learn about issues considered

too sensitive for the public to

know. Chinese journalists and

researchers file secret bulletins

to top officials, ensuring they

get the information needed to

govern, even when it's

censored. But this internal

system is struggling to give

frank assessments as Chinese

leader Xi Jinping consolidates

his power, making it risky for

anyone to question the party

line even in confidential

reports, a dozen Chinese

academics.

PM inaugurates one 60 ton BP tugboat

for Payra Port Authority, built by

Western Marine Shipyard.

Recenly, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

inaugurated and laid foundation stones of

several development schemes at the Payra

Seaport which includes one 60 ton Bollard

Pull Tugboat for port operation which has

been built by Western Marine Shipyard Ltd,

a press release said. The tugboat namely

"Tiakhali-01" is one of the highest capacity

tugboats for port use in Bangladesh. It is

expected to expedite Port activity from

operation of this tug through swift handling

of inbound and outbound ships in Payra

Port. The government has been able to save

huge amount of foreign currency by ordering

such tug from the domestic shipbuilding

industry of Bangladesh instead of importing

it by spending our hard earned foreign

currency at higher price.

To be mentioned this year January the

State Minister for Shipping, Khalid Mahmud

Chowdhury (MP), had also inaugurated

another tugboat built by Western Marine

Shipyard for Chittagong Port Authority

called "Kandari-06" having 40 ton BP

capacity.

In the past Western Marine delivered total

07 port utility vessels to Chittagong Port &

Mongla Port which includes 02 tug boats, 03

pilot vessels, 01 oily waste collection vessel &

01 fresh water tanker, making a remarkable

contribution in the country's maritime sector

& blue economy.

Majority US people

endorse

(From front page)

Ted Kennedy said visiting this banyan tree

was very "powerful and emotional"

experience to him as he had been heard

about the story of the tree in his entire life

from his father.

"Today, I felt my father's presence when I

was underneath the tree," he said

emotionally.

Ted said his father planted the banyan tree

on the same spot where the Pakistan army

blew the old banyan tree in 1971 as the tree

was famous for students' demonstration.

"50 years later, the tree still stands and it

is a beacon of resilience and beacon of

hope, I thing the US-Bangladesh

partnership is kind of like this tree," he

said.

Ted said Bangladesh and US are the key

partner in the world while the US

applauded Dhaka's contribution on world

peace and generosity to accommodate

such numbers of forcibly displaced

Rohingya people.

"You know while some governments do

not yet recognize you, the people of the

world do recognize you," Ted Kennedy said

quoting his father's speech that he

delivered in Dhaka in 1972,

"The real foreign policy of America is

citizen to citizen, friend to friend, people to

people, foreign bonds of brotherhood that

no tyranny can diminish. For in a sense, we

are all Bangladeshis, we are all Americans

and we all share the great alliance of

humanity," he quoted his father.

He said his father's foreign policy was

based on concept of humanitarianism that

Henry Kissinger found "so difficult to try

understand". "Humanitarianism is the

cornerstone of my father's view of foreign

policy," he added.

The Ted Kennedy put emphasis on free

press as it is a must for functional

democracy.

US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas

and Dhaka University Vice -Chancellor

Prof Dr Akhtaruzzaman also spoke.

The US envoy also said the American

people supported Bangladesh's

independence war while the then Nixon

administration supported Pakistan on the

issue.

The then US consul general in Dhaka

Archer Blood also took stand the American

policy wrote telegrams to Washington DC

through the official channel about the

brutalities of Pakistani authorities.

He said, it showed that people in the US

can speak freely and being critical of their

own administration.

The US Embassy in Dhaka termed the visit

as "historic" while Edward M. Kennedy is

accompanying family members included

Dr. Katherine "Kiki" Kennedy (wife), Dr.

Kiley Kennedy (daughter), Teddy Kennedy

(son), Grace Kennedy Allen (niece), and

Max Allen (nephew).

A leading healthcare regulatory attorney

for over 20 years, Ted helps healthcare

clients identify, understand, and navigate

the potential business impacts of key

federal and state legislative, regulatory,

and reimbursement changes.

He is also a staunch advocate for the selfdetermination

and civil rights of

individuals with disabilities.

GD-1752(8x3)

Tuesday, Dhaka : November 1, 2022; Kartik 16, 1429 BS; Rabi-us-Sani 5 , 1444 Hijri

Australia got their Twenty20 World Cup defence back on track with a 42-run win over Ireland at the Gabba

in Brisbane on Monday.

Photo : Espncric

T20 World Cup

Australia beat Ireland

by 42 runs

BRISBANE : Aaron Finch made another

scratchy start before breaking the shackles

in a half-century that set Australia on

course for a 42-run win over Ireland on

Monday in a crucial Group 1 match for the

defending champions at the Twenty20

World Cup.

Finch has been critical of his own form and

took a while to get going before posting 63

from 44 balls as Australia accelerated late to

reach 179-5 after being sent in to bat by

Ireland.

The Irish got away to a flyer in reply with

skipper Andy Balbirnie and veteran opener

Paul Stirling each hitting a six in the first

two overs before the Australian bowlers

struck back ruthlessly with five wickets in

13 deliveries to dismantle the top order and

leave them reeling at 25-5.

Lorcan Tucker's lone hand of 71 delayed

the inevitable, helping Ireland reach 137 in

18.1 overs. The win improved Australia's

net run rate and put the 2021 champion

back in contention for a spot in the semifinals

despite its heavy loss to New Zealand

in the opening match of the Super 12s.

New Zealand leads the group with five

points from two wins and a washout ahead

of Tuesday's game against England. The

English, after an upset loss to Ireland, are

tied with the Irish on three points.

Finch's first half century of the tournament

was tempered by a hamstring strain

that meant he could only field for seven

overs before handing the captaincy duties

over to wicketkeeper Matthew Wade and

DHAKA : The government is keen to

introduce a national social insurance

scheme in Bangladesh in phases with an

aim to enhance social safety of the factory

workers and common people, according

to an official document, reports UNB.

Officials with knowledge of the process

say a study has already been conducted on

this prospective scheme, initiated by the

Cabinet Division, by laying emphasis on

the gradual introduction of four types of

social insurance services in the country.

It envisages unemployment insurance,

maternity insurance, sickness insurance

and employment injury Insurance,

which is focused on the country's factory

workers, according to a document

obtained by UNB.

The Ministry of Labour and

Employment has already taken steps to

launch a pilot of the employment injury

scheme to protect factory workers from

injuries.

Officials involved with the process say

that ensuring workers' safety in line with

global standard is crucial as human

rights organisations and workers' rights

groups are more vocal than ever about

workplace safety and the workers' rights

at home and abroad. Global brands,

especially in the garment sector, are concerned

about compliance when it comes

going off for treatment.

The Australian skipper kept the innings

together, sharing a 52-run second-wicket

stand with Mitch Marsh (28), 24 for the

third wicket with Glenn Maxwell (13) and

70 for the fourth with Marcus Stoinis, who

scored 35 from 25 balls.

Barry McCarthy led the Irish attack with

3-29, dismissing opener David Warner with

his first delivery and breaking up the second-wicket

partnership by removing Marsh

with the first ball of his second over, the

ninth of the innings. He returned to have

Finch caught on the long-on boundary in the

17th.

Pace bowler Josh Little returned 2-21

and the spinners were economical but

seamer Mark Adair conceded 59 runs,

including 26 off one over - his third - which

included five wides.

Australia's bowlers dominated the power

play, with spinner Maxwell (2-14) taking

two wickets in the third over and left-arm

paceman Mitchell Starc (2-43) bowling

Curtis Camphers (0) and George Dockrell

(0) with full in-swinging balls in the fourth.

Pat Cummins (2-28) and legspinner

Adam Zampa (2-19) also took two wickets

apiece but the Australian attack couldn't

fully contain the innings as Tucker combined

with the lower order to add 112 for

Ireland and prolong the game at the Gabba.

Australia finishes the Super 12 stage

against Afghanistan on Friday. Ireland is

set to finish against 2021 runner-up New

Zealand.

Govt mulling introduction of

'nat’l social safety insurance'

to workers' welfare.

According to a 2021 survey by

Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies

(BILS), an NGO, a total of 1,053 workers

were killed and 594 others injured in

workplace accidents across the country.

BILS analyses that such casualties and

injuries took place mainly because of road

crash, electrocution, lighting, fires, toxic

gases, waterway accidents, wall or roof collapse

and explosion of gas cylinders.

According to the document, various

other steps have been taken and implemented

to use such insurance services as

"a disaster management tool."

It says steps have also been taken to

introduce crop insurance, livestock

insurance, and health insurance for both

the government employees and the common

people.

"Particularly, the government is

encouraging the introduction and widespread

expansion of crop insurance,"

reads the document.

It says there are initiatives to fully automate

the insurance sector to ease the

hassle of collecting the payouts of insurance

claims.

Steps will be taken to strengthen financial

inclusion and promote national savings

by increasing the coverage of insurance,

it says.

Protecting Sundarbans

is national priority,

says Shahab

DHAKA : Environment, Forest and

Climate Change Minister Md Shahab

Uddin yesterday said protecting the

Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove

forest, is one of the national priorities,

reports BSS.

So, he said, various programmes are

being implemented to save the

Sundarbans and its wildlife.

The minister was speaking at the

progress review meeting of the annual

development programme in the ministry's

meeting room here this afternoon.

He said effective steps will be taken to

save the mangrove forest by collecting necessary

patrol boats under the Sundarbans

Management Support Project and

Sundarbans Protection Project. The minister

said the environment of Barendra and

Haor areas will be improved once some

ongoing projects are completed.

Training is being provided to government

and private car drivers and related

parties under the integrated and partnership

project being implemented to check

noise pollution, he said.

Shahab Uddin said along with the government,

it is possible to achieve success if all

concerned work sincerely to check air pollution,

water pollution and noise pollution.

Government officials of the country have to

play a leading role in this regard, he said.

Railways Minister

updates House on

steps for rail security

SANGSAD BHABAN : Railways Minister

Nurul Islam Sujan on Monday told

Parliament that intelligence surveillance

for railways has been stepped up as part of

enhancing security of the trains, goods

and passengers, reports UNB.

"The intelligence surveillance has been

increased deploying plain cloth officers

and forces in different spots of the railways,

trains and railways stations to collect

information in advance (intelligences),"

he said, replying to a question

from ruling Awami League lawmaker

Mamunur Rashid Kiron (Noakhali-3).

The minister said the railway police are

kept alert to prevent violence, extortion

and sabotages in the railways, as well as to

ensure security for railway passengers.

He said special drives are conducted to

check theft, robbery and activities of different

criminal gangs like (Oggan Party and

Malom party) on the trains.

In order to stop stone throwing to running

trains by miscreants, public awareness

was raised through beat policing and

community policing meetings, he added.

Nurul Islam Sujan also focused on more

few steps taken to ensure security for the

railways and its passengers.

"Since the steps are being implemented,

public security is being ensured in the railways

and people can travel by trains comfortably,"

he said.

Meanwhile, Textiles and Jute Minister

Golam Dastagir Gazi told the House that

the annual demand for textiles is some

7000 million meters in the country.

He stated this while replying to a question

from Awami League MP Kazim

Uddin Ahmed (Mymensingh-11).

The minister said 100 percent of clothes

required to fulfill the local demand is now

being produced in the country.

BNP's dream of movement

will remain dream:Quader

DHAKA : Awami League General

Secretary Obaidul Quader yesterday said

the BNP's dream of movement will

remain dream. "Will those (BNP), who

could not wage a movement for 13 minutes

in the last 13 years, create a movement

now? The dream of their movement

will be evaporated like camphor," he told a

discussion here.

The discussion was organised at Central

Shaheed Minar this afternoon marking

the 50th anniversary of Jatiya

Samajtantrik Dal (Jasad), reports BSS.

Quader, also the road transport and

bridges minister, said now BNP secretary

general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir

wants to create a movement.

The BNP secretary general is dreaming

of government's fall on December 10 next

but his dream will be evaporated like camphor,

he said.

Stating that Bangabandhu's daughter

Sheikh Hasina must be elected once again

to protect Bangladesh, the AL general secretary

said a greater unity must be built

under the leadership of Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina.

He said BNP must be resisted through

the unity of all the pro-liberation forces.

NEW DELHI : At least 141 people,

mostly women and children, died after

a colonial-era cable bridge over a river

collapsed in the western Indian state of

Gujarat on Sunday evening, reports

UNB.

The tragedy occurred in Morbi district

of Gujarat, the home state of Indian

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, around

6.45pm.

"The death toll has risen to 141, with

the recovery of several bodies overnight.

Over 180 others have been rescued and

many of them hospitalised with serious

injuries," a police officer told the media

on Monday.

Over 500 people had thronged the

bridge to perform religious rituals when

it collapsed. The 140-year-old bridge

was repaired and reopened to the public

on October 26.

Officials said that rescue operations

by the Indian armed forces and the state

disaster management personnel "are

still on".

Money laundering through online gambling

platforms : 6 arrested in city

"Bangladesh will be defeated if Sheikh

Hasina loses. We cannot be beaten by the

anti-liberation forces," he added.

Criticising the Fakhrul's statement on

the AL's recent rally held in Dhaka,

Quader said Mirza Fakhrul is getting

burnt internally as the 14-party alliance

remains united.

He said the BNP is trying to bring son of

corruption and prince of Hawa Bhaban

Tarique Rahman back to the country on

December 10, which is nothing but a

colourful dream.

Calling upon all the pro-liberation forces

to build a greater unity as the spirit of liberation

war is under threat; Quader said if

none can halt the AL's victory if the proliberation

forces remain united.

Chaired by Jasad president Hasanul

Haque Inu, the meeting was addressed,

among others, by Bangladesher Workers

Party general secretary Fazle Hossain

Badsha, Bangladesher Samyabadi Dal

general secretary Dilip Barua, Jatiya Party

(JP) general secretary Sheikh Sahidul

Islam, Jasad general secretary Shirin

Akhtar, MP, Ganotantri Party general secretary

Dr Shahadat Hossain and BASAD

convener Rezaur Rashid Khan.

141 dead in India bridge collapse

State Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi

said that criminal proceedings under

the Indian Penal Code would be initiated

against the private firm that carried

out the renovation of the bridge.

"This is because the bridge was

reopened without obtaining a fitness

certificate from the local civic body," the

police officer said.

Immediately after the accident, the

state government was quick to accept

responsibility for the tragedy and set up

a five-member probe panel.

Modi also took to Twitter to condole

the deaths. "I am deeply saddened by

the tragedy at Morbi. Relief and rescue

operations are on in full swing and all

necessary assistance is being provided

to the affected," he wrote.

The PM announced a compensation

of Rs 2 lakh for the family of each

deceased. The Gujarat government also

announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh

for the family of each deceased and Rs

50,000 to the injured.

DHAKA : Members of Rapid Action

Battalion (Rab) have arrested six members

of an online gambling ring from the city for

laundering money through online gambling

platforms masquerading as gaming sites.

The arrestees were identified as the ring

leader Jamilur Rashid, CEO of Ulka Games,

Saimon Hossain 29, Md Redwan Ahmed,

29, Md Rakibul Alam, 29, Md Muntakim

Ahmed, 37 and Kayes Uddin Ahmed, 32.

Tipped off, a team of Rab arrested the ring

members from the city's Mohakhali and

Uttara areas on Sunday night, said

Commander Khandaker Al Moin, director

legal and media wing of the Rab headquarters

in a briefing at Karwanbazar media center

on Monday.

During preliminary interrogation, the

arrestees admitted to laundering huge

amounts of money abroad through online

gambling. The Rab Commander said the

ring leader of this gang is Jamilur Rashid,

CEO of Ulka Games Ltd.

He was appointed as Bangladesh representative

of an Indian gaming company

named 'Moon Frog Lab' in 2018, on a salary

of above Tk 1.5 crore. In 2019, he took

approval for running a gaming development

company by the name of Ulka Games Private

Ltd to spread and legalize the popular online

Lula defeats Bolsonaro

to again become

Brazil's president

SAO PAULO : Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva

has done it again: Twenty years after first

winning the Brazilian presidency, the leftist

defeated incumbent Jair Bolsonaro

Sunday in an extremely tight election that

marks an about-face for the country after

four years of far-right politics.

With 99.9% of the votes tallied in the

runoff vote, da Silva had 50.9% and

Bolsonaro 49.1%, and the election authority

said da Silva's victory was a mathematical

certainty. At about 10 p.m. local time,

three hours after the results were in, the

lights went out in the presidential palace

and Bolsonaro had not conceded nor

reacted in any way.

Before the vote, Bolsonaro's campaign

had made repeated - unproven - claims of

possible electoral manipulation, raising

fears that he would not accept defeat and

would challenge the results if he lost.

The high-stakes election was a stunning

reversal for da Silva, 77, whose imprisonment

for corruption sidelined him from

the 2018 election that brought Bolsonaro,

a defender of conservative social values, to

power.

"Today the only winner is the Brazilian

people," da Silva said in a speech at a hotel

in downtown Sao Paulo. "This isn't a victory

of mine or the Workers' Party, nor the

parties that supported me in campaign.

It's the victory of a democratic movement

that formed above political parties, personal

interests and ideologies so that

democracy came out victorious."

Da Silva is promising to govern

beyond his party. He wants to bring in

centrists and even some leaning to the

right who voted for him for the first

time, and to restore the country's more

prosperous past. Yet he faces headwinds

in a politically polarized society where

economic growth is slowing and inflation

is soaring.

gambling app 'Tin Patti Gold,' of Moon Frog

Lab in Bangladesh.

Tin Patti Gold is a mobile game controlled

by Moon Frog Lab. It became mostly popular

among youths and also among people of

different class and profession as it can be

played beside any work, said Khandaker Al

Moin.

After registration the gamers were provided

free chips at first and later they had to buy

chips paying through mobile banking. Every

day at least 50,000 crore chips were sold at

Tk 46 to 65 and the players were provoked to

buy more chips by defeating them using bot

players or robot players, he said.

On the

occasion of

Chhath puja,

arghya is

offered to the

setting sun.

The picture is

taken from

Fulbari

upazila of

Dinajpur

yesterday.

Photo :

Star Mail

01-11-2022

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