09-06-2021

wedneSday

DhaKa: June 9, 2021; Jaistha 26, 1428 BS; Shawal 27,1442 hijri

www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www.bangladeshtoday.net

Regd.No.Da~2065, Vol.19; N o. 63; 12 Pages~Tk.8.00

international

Suu Kyi appears in

Myanmar court

for 2nd time

>Page 7

SPortS

Germany warms up

for Euro 2020 with

7-1 rout of Latvia

>Page 9

Third party's involvement

behind vaccine crisis: TIB

art & culture

Pori Moni in

Chayanika's

first web film

>Page 10

Inflation declines

to 5.26 in May

DHAKA : The inflation rate declined by

0.30 percent in May, 2021 as it came

down to 5.26 percent from 5.56 percent

in April 2021, reports UNB.

"The general point-to-point inflation

rate in May 2021 fell to 5.26 percentage

point," said Planning Minister MA

Mannan on Tuesday while briefing

reporters after the Ecnec meeting.

He said the inflation rate decreased by

0.30 percent. "It's good news. We're happy,"

he added. The food inflation declined to

4.87 percent in May, 2021 from 5.57 percent

in the previous month, according to the BBS

data provided during the press briefing.

Zohr

03:44 AM

12:05 PM

04:37 PM

06:49 PM

08:14 PM

5:10 6:45

DHAKA : The current vaccine crisis in

Bangladesh has been created as the

government depended on a single

source for it through a third party on

political considerations bowing down to

the pressure of a business quarter,

alleged TIB Executive director Dr

Iftekharuzzaman on Tuesday.

Dr Iftekhar came up with the remark

while presenting the findings of a study of

Transparency International Bangladesh

(TIB) in an online press conference along

with the members of its research team.

The study titled 'Tackling

Coronavirus Pandemic: Governance

Challenges in COVID-19 Vaccine

Management' was conducted following

both the qualitative and quantitative

methods and by analysing data in the

light of different indicators of good governance.

The TIB Executive Director said they

tried to portrait the challenges in Covid

vaccine activities in the light of good

governance in their research.

"We found the deficit in the indicators

of good governance in vaccine management

activities. Especially, a third party

was given the scope to get benefited by

procuring vaccines in an ambiguous

process by violating rules and laws," he

said.

Iftekhar said as the public representatives

are involved with the third party, it

cannot have any business relationship

with the government since it is prohibited

by the law. "Despite that, it happened

and we still don't get any explanation

of it."

"There's a strategic deficit in procuring

the vaccine. Especially, the current

vaccine crisis has created dependence

on a single source or institution in

procuring vaccine jabs on political considerations

due to the influence of a

business quarter, causing stagnation in

vaccine activities," he said.

Iftekhar said the government

announced to give vaccines to around

14 crore people or the 80 percent population,

but no specific strategy and

pragmatic framework has so far been

formulated to accomplish the big

challenging job.

Covid-19

Bangladesh logs

2,322 new cases,

44 deaths

DHAKA : Bangladesh registered 44

more Coronavirus-related deaths and

2,322 fresh cases in 24 hours till

Tuesday morning as the situation continues

to worsen with the detection of

its Deltavariantin different parts of the

country, reports UNB.

Although district administrations

have imposed lockdowns or partial

restrictions in most of the frontier districts

to bring the situation under control,

the rates of infections and deaths

are on the rise.

The latest death toll pushed up the

fatalities to 12,913. The Covid-19 death

toll crossed 12,000-mark in

Bangladesh on May 11.

With the new cases, the total caseload

rose to 8,15,282, said a handout of the

Directorate General of Health.

Incessant rain causing danger on roads. Small and medium cracks under the water becoming the

main cause of accident.

Photo : Star Mail

US to honour Bangladesh's request for

AstraZeneca vaccine:FM hopes

DHAKA : Foreign Minister Dr AK

Abdul Momen on Tuesday hoped that

the US will honor Bangladesh by providing

AstraZeneca vaccine apart from

other vaccines saying Bangladesh

sought 20 lakh doses of the vaccine

from the country, reports UNB.

"The US government told us that they

will give us vaccines. They are yet to

decide how many doses of vaccine they

will be able to provide us. Naturally,

there'll be a push to that end so that we

get it at the earliest," he said.

While talking to a small group of journalists

at his office, the Foreign Minister

said Bangladesh needs at least 15 lakh

doses of AstraZeneca immediately but

sought around 20 lakh doses from the

US. "I think they will honour us. Let's

see."

The US reportedly wants to give

Moderna and Pfizer vaccines for

Bangladesh and Bangladesh is in discussion

with China and Russia over vaccine

procurement.

On June 3, the White House

announced its plan to share vaccines

directly with Bangladesh as part of a

framework to provide 80 million U.S.

vaccine doses globally by the end of the

month. This includes 7 million doses

destined for Asia.

Dr Momen said he will visit New York

soon to attend the General Assembly

Plenary and related meetings.

A senior official at the Ministry of

Foreign Affairs tod UNB that the

Foreign Minister is likely to leave here

for New York on June 13.

Asked whether he will travel to

Washington too, the Foreign Minister

said it is not decided yet.

wednesdAY, june 9, 2021

2

WHO: High vaccination rates

can help reduce risk of variants

GENEVA : A top World Health

Organization official estimated Monday

that COVID-19 vaccination coverage of at

least 80% is needed to significantly lower

the risk that "imported" coronavirus cases

like those linked to new variants could

spawn a cluster or a wider outbreak.

Dr. Michael Ryan, WHO's emergencies

chief, told a news conference that

ultimately, "high levels of vaccination

coverage are the way out of this

pandemic."

Many rich countries have been moving

to vaccinate teenagers and children - who

have lower risk of more dangerous cases

of COVID-19 than the elderly or people

with comorbidities - even as those same

countries face pressure to share vaccines

with poorer ones that lack them.

Britain, which has vastly reduced case

counts thanks to an aggressive

vaccination campaign, has seen a recent

uptick in cases attributed largely to the socalled

delta variant that originally

appeared in India - a former British

colony.

Ryan acknowledged that data wasn't

fully clear about the what percentage of

vaccination coverage was necessary to

fully have an impact on transmission.

"But ... it's certainly north of 80%

coverage to be in a position where you

could be significantly affecting the risk of

an imported case potentially generating

secondary cases or causing a cluster or an

outbreak," he said.

"So it does require quite high levels of

vaccination, particularly in the context of

more transmissible variants, to be on the

safe side," Ryan added. Maria Van

Kerkhove, WHO's technical lead on

COVID-19, noted the delta variant is

spreading in more than 60 countries, and

is more transmissible than the alpha

variant, which first emerged in Britain.

She cited "worrying trends of increased

transmissibility, increased social mixing,

relaxing of public health and social

measures, and uneven and inequitable

India's COVID-19

death toll crosses

350,000

NEW DELHI : India's COVID-19 death

toll surpassed the 350,000-mark,

reaching 351,309 on Tuesday, confirmed

the country's health ministry.

As many as 2,123 people died due to

the pandemic during the past 24 hours.

Besides, as many as 86,498 new

COVID-19 cases were registered since

Monday morning, taking the total tally to

28,996,473.

This is the lowest single-day spike in

more than two months.

There are still 1,303,702 active cases in

the country, as there was a decrease of

97,907 cases in the past 24 hours. The

number of daily active cases has been on

the decline over the past several days,

after a continuous surge since mid-April.

A total of 27,341,462 people have been

cured and discharged from hospitals so

far across the country, showed the latest

data from the federal health ministry.

vaccine distribution around the world."

WHO Director-General Tedros

Adhanom Ghebreyesus, meanwhile,

called on leaders of the developed Group

of Seven countries to help the U.N.-

backed vaccination program against

COVID-19 to boost access to doses in the

developing world.

With G-7 leaders set to meet in England

later this week, Tedros said they could

help meet his target that at least 10% of

the populations in every country are

vaccinated by the end of September - and

30% by year-end.

"To reach these targets, we need an

additional 250 million doses by

September, and we need hundreds of

million doses just in June and July," he

said, alluding to the summit involving

Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy,

Japan and the United States.

"These seven nations have the power to

meet these targets. I'm calling on the G-7

not just to commit to sharing those, but to

commit to sharing them in June and

July."

At a time of continued tight supply of

vaccines, Tedros also called on

manufacturers to give the "first right of

refusal" on new vaccine volumes to the

U.N.-backed COVAX program, or to

commit half of their volumes to COVAX

this year.

He warned of a "two-track pandemic,"

with mortality among older age groups

declining in countries with higher

vaccination rates even as rates have risen

in the Americas, Africa and the Western

Pacific region.

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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 9, 2021

3

uS delivers emergency medical supplies

to Bangladesh to combat COViD-19

Air Chief Marshal Mashiuzzaman Srniabat paid a courtesy call on Navy Chief Admiral M Shaheen Iqbal

yesterday.

Photo : Courtesy

Corona prevention action plan to be

implemented as Pm's policy: Palak

NaTORE : State minister for

information and Communication

Technology (iCT) Zunaid ahmed Palak

has said action plan for preventing

novel corona virus must be prepared

and implemented coordinating live and

livelihood policy introduced by Prime

minister Sheikh hasina.

"We have to implement action plan

for subduing the novel corona virus by

integrating live-livelihood of the people

as per instructions given by the Prime

minister," he said at the district

committee's virtual meeting on latest

COViD-19 situation on monday night.

The meeting has taken decision to

impose weeklong strict lockdown in

Natore municipality and Singra

municipality areas from today in

apprehension of risk of spreading

corona virus's indian variant at the

indian bordering district.

Palak, however, told the meeting that

further extension and non-renewal of

lockdown depends on overall corona

situation in the district.

Chaired by Deputy Commissioner of

Natore m Shah Riaz, district awami

league (al) president Professor abdul

quddus mP, general secretary m

Shafiqul islam Shimul mP, m Shahidul

islam Bakul mP, municipalities

mayors and other district and upazila

officials attended the online meeting.

Regarding Prime minister's steps on

corona virus prevention, the state

minister said, "The policy introduced

by Prime minister Sheikh hasina for

preventing the COViD-19 has already

been appreciated throughout the

world."

But the recent corona virus spread

due to the indian variant has made the

situation risky, he said adding that now

infection is quickly spreading.

Even the children are also being

infected with this virus variant, he said.

"So, we have to implement action plan

to this end," the state minister told.

assuring people of providing food

assistance by the government, Palak

said food aid is available for the people

and anyone can get this after making a

phone at 333 national call centre.

DhaKa : The united States, through

the u.S. agency for international

Development (uSaiD), on monday

night delivered to Bangladesh its latest

shipment of emergency medical

supplies to save lives, stop the spread of

COViD-19, and meet the urgent health

needs of the Bangladeshi people.

This latest delivery brings the

financial value of u.S. pandemic

assistance to Bangladesh to more than

$84 million, tweeted u.S. ambassador

to Bangladesh Earl R miller, reports

uNB.

ambassador miller, Toufiq islam

Shatil, Director General, americas,

ministry of foreign affairs; Kabir

ahmed, Joint Secretary, Economic

Relations Division (ERD), ministry of

finance; Professor Dr. mohammad

Robed amin, line Director, Non-

Communicable Disease Control

(NCDC); Dr. md. Zahidul islam,

Deputy Director, hospitals from the

Directorate General of health Services

(DGhS); and Dr. moinul ahsan, Civil

Surgeon, Dhaka were present during a

handover ceremony.

The emergency medical supplies,

including critical personal protective

equipment for healthcare professionals

and other frontline workers, as well as

fingertip pulse oximeters, which by

measuring patients' blood oxygen

levels, help better manage and

determine timely critical care

interventions.

"for 50 years, the united States has

stood shoulder to shoulder with the

people of Bangladesh. We will continue

to fight this pandemic with Bangladesh

until the crisis is over," said

ambassador miller.

On June 3, the White house

announced its plan to share vaccines

directly with Bangladesh as part of a

framework to provide 80 million u.S.

vaccine doses globally by the end of the

month.

This includes 7 million doses

destined for asia.

also this month, uSaiD sent two

more flights, one of which was also

supported by the u.S. Department of

Defense, with additional personal

protective equipment to Dhaka to

support Bangladesh's response efforts.

Together, these deliveries build on

the united States' ongoing efforts to

mitigate the challenges posed by the

pandemic in Bangladesh.

The united States has worked closely

with Bangladesh since the beginning of

the pandemic to strengthen the

government's response to prevent and

respond to COViD-19, contributing

more than $84 million to date in

development and humanitarian

assistance from uSaiD, the u.S.

Department of Defense (DOD), the

u.S. Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention (CDC), and the u.S.

Department of State (State).

The recent shipments added over $2

million to the total u.S. government

contribution to Bangladesh.

This assistance has helped save lives

and treat individuals infected with

COViD-19; strengthened COViD-19

testing capacity and surveillance;

enhanced COViD-19 case management

and infection prevention and control

practices; improved both the supply

chain and logistics management

systems; helped protect front line

workers; and increased public

knowledge about COViD-19.

additional u.S. COViD response

assistance includes supplying 100

state-of-the-art u.S. manufactured

ventilators; gas analyzers to allow

Bangladesh to produce its own

ventilators; tens of thousands of pieces

of locally-produced personal protective

equipment (PPE; KN95 surgical masks,

face shields, haZmaT suits, full body

gowns, medical-grade hand sanitizer,

surgical gloves, medical goggles) to

medical treatment facilities, law

enforcement, first responders, and

customs inspectors; and mentoring

and training for thousands of doctors

and other front line workers to improve

the care given to COViD-19 patients

across Bangladesh.

This support builds on the more

than $1 billion in u.S. health

assistance the u.S. has provided

Bangladesh over the past 20 years

and underscores the long-term u.S.

commitment to ensuring access to

quality, lifesaving health services for

the people of Bangladesh, said the uS

Embassy in Dhaka.

fire affected slum dwellers need

permanent housing: mirza fakhrul

Shafiqul iSlam

BNP secretary general mirza fakhrul

islam alamgir has demanded

permanent accommodation for slum

dwellers. he made the remarks while

inspecting the fire-hit area of the sevenstorey

slum in mohakhali around 11:30

am on Tuesday (June 8). mirza fakhrul

said, my point is that the first priority of

the government should be to provide

accommodation to them. adequate

compensation must be paid to those

who have suffered and losses here. This

incident needs to be properly

investigated, what caused the fire and

why? The government must plan for

what can be done in the long run. he

said that, some of the people floating

here work as housemaids, some drive

rickshaws, some polish their boots.

absolutely displaced people live in this

type of slum.

BNP secretary said that, it's been 50

years today, but the basic human right

is to provide housing for every human

being. food, clothing, shelter are basic

human rights. unfortunately, even in

50 years of independence, we have not

been able to do that. Today the

government is doing mega projects

worth thousands of crores of Taka. 10

thousand taka project is going to 50

thousand. But no one is taking any

effective action for these uprooted

people. Though this is not hard work.

The lands of the government in

Bangladesh can be allocated.

addressing to the affected slum

dwellers, he said, we declare our

solidarity with you. We have with you

the mayoral candidate of this area

Tabith awal. Though the government's

election commission has lost him. Even

then the people elected mayor is

Tabith. i hope that in the next 2/1 days,

even if it is a little for the victims, the

country's leader Khaleda Zia and BNP's

acting chairman Tareq Rahman will

help. i once again declare my solidarity

with the victims and demand their

permanent accommodation.

in response to a question, he said,

there must be a democratic system. if

the democratic system is not

introduced, then such incidents will

continue to happen. The job of those of

us who are working for society, for

democracy, is to establish a people's

government immediately.

mirza fakhrul was accompanied by

BNP Organizing Secretary Shama

Obaid, BNP mayoral candidate Tabith

awal of Dhaka North City elections,

munshi Bazlul Basit anju senior vicepresident

of mahanagar uttar BNP,

abdul alim Naki acting general

secretary and S m Jahangir hossain

president of Juba Dal Dhaka

mahanagar north, secretary Shafiqul

islam milton and the leader of the local

BNP and its affiliates.

Mosa: Rezia Akhter, a UK expatriate, held a press conference at the National Press Club yesterday in

the hope of a brutal attack on Bonya and her sister and justice.

DNCC Mayor Atiqul Islam distributed relief among the slum dwellers who are victimized of fire

incident.

Photo : Courtesy

Dhaka, Vienna

ink key air

services pact

DhaKa : Bangladesh and

austria have inked a key

pact to boost bilateral

aviation business and

increase air connectivity

between the two countries,

reports uNB.

Bangladesh ambassador

to austria muhammad

abdul muhith and

ambassador andreas

Riecken from the austrian

ministry of European and

international affairs signed

theair Services agreement

(aSa) on behalf of their

respective countries in

Vienna on monday.

The aSa between

Bangladesh and austria is

expected not only to boost the

aviation business for the two

countries, but also to increase

the business-to-business and

people-to-people connectivity,

according to the Bangladeshi

side.

The agreement will also

help turn Vienna into a

regional hub for Central,

Eastern and Northern

European countries,

including Scandinavia,

thanks to its unique location,

for transportation of goods

and passengers between

Bangladesh and the region, a

release said. in particular,

both the countries expect

that this agreement will

expedite the process of

passenger and cargo flights

to and from Dhaka in near

future and expand business

opportunities between the

two countries.

76th UNGA session

Bangladesh elected vice-president

DhaKa : Bangladesh has been elected vicepresident

of the upcoming 76th session of

the united Nations General assembly

(uNGa) from the asia-Pacific Region for a

one-year term starting September this year.

The election was held at the uNGa

monday where Bangladesh was elected

unanimously, reports uNB.

along with Bangladesh, Kuwait, the lao

People's Democratic Republic and the

Philippines were also elected as vicepresidents

from the asia-Pacific.

Bangladesh last served as vice-president

during the 71st session of the uNGa in

2016-2017.

after the election, Permanent

Representative of Bangladesh to the uN

ambassador Rabab fatima said:

"Bangladesh is a flag bearer of

multilateralism and believes in the

leadership of the uN in addressing the

complex challenges facing the current

world." "The country maintains principled

and constructive position in various global

discourses in the field of development, peace

and security and human rights. Today's

election demonstrates the trust reposed by

the international community in Bangladesh

at the multilateral fora" she added.

meanwhile, maldives foreign minister

abdulla Shahid was elected president of the

same session of the uNGa.

The 76th session of the uN general

assembly will be of particular significance as

the world recovers from the Covid-19

pandemic and its multidimensional impacts,

said the Bangladesh mission at the uN

Tuesday.

The uNGa consists of all the 193

member states and serves as the main

deliberative, policy-making, and

representative organ of the uN for

multilateral discussion of the full spectrum

of international issues covered by the uN

Charter. The uN organ meets under its

president in annual sessions, which

generally starts from September at

headquarters in New York.

World accreditation Day today

DhaKa : The World accreditation Day-

2021 will be observed in the country like

elsewhere in the world today.

This year, the theme of the day is

'accreditation: Supporting the

implementation of the Sustainable

Development Goals (SDGs)', said a press

release.

On the eve of the day, President m abdul

hamid and Prime minister Sheikh hasina

gave separate messages wishing success of

the day.

in his message, President abdul hamid said

accreditation, metrology, standardization,

conformity assessment, and market

surveillance have pivoted roles to develop

the quality infrastructure of a country.

"i am very glad that all the above

components exist in our country and they

are playing vital roles in implementing 17

SDGs with 169 associated targets in the

country and all over the world," he added.

Through accreditation, the president said,

"We can easily solve the technical and

operational foundations of a critical

situation. it helps and supports in areas of

cross-border trade, food safety, health and

environment protection, and industrial and

infrastructural development for the

policymakers."

WEDNESDAY, JuNE 9, 2021

4

Why is the US desperate to blame China for the origins of Covid-19?

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam

e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com

Wednesday, June 9, 2021

The case for agriculture's

diversification

Traditional agriculture- centering mainly on the

production of food grains-has served a purpose, no

doubt, in feeding the growing population of

Bangladesh. But this singular emphasis on food grain

production is also costing dear the country in different

ways. It has created the necessity or urgency of crop

diversification.

Monocropping or production of only food grains in the

same land round the year causes loss of soil fertility.

However, such fertility loss can be avoided if rotation of

crops or planting different crops at different times on the

same land is practiced. Besides, the singular pursuit of

food grain production leads to under production of cash

crops and increases the country's import dependence of

their products. For example, from an exporter of spices,

Bangladesh turned into a net importer of the same in the

last decade as croplands progressively were used less and

less for spice cultivation. Oilseeds are imported or in their

crushed form to meet the needs of cooking oil. But once

upon a time, Bangladesh was self sufficient in producing

oilseeds to meet its entire consumption requirements.

Besides, there are important crops-such as cotton and

rubber-the cultivation of which can substantially reduce

import dependence. Experiments established that cotton

of the finest quality can be produced in Bangladesh. The

soil of this country is well suited for cotton cultivation. The

country's main export commodity at present is readymade

garments (RMG). But value-addition in the RMG

sector at present is only 25 per cent. But the same can

climb to 70 per cent or above, fairly soon, if only cotton in

increased quantities is locally produced to be used for

making yarn and fabric. In that case, foreign exchange

earnings from the RMG sector will also rise substantially.

Extension of rubber cultivation to the same end is also

possible.

Similarly, stepped up production of oilseeds and spices

can lead to a substantial saving of foreign currency by

much reducing the import needs of these commodities.

The cumulative effect of the wider and successful

production of these cash crops will translate into vital

balance of payments support for the country by reducing

imports and increasing export values. Furthermore,

production of these within the country will also aid

crucially in their price stabilsation when the higher import

costs of these kitchen items are tormenting the consumers

nowadays.

Understandably, the pressure of the country's huge

population for food creates the compulsion for using lands

very extensively for food production. But this problem can

be circumvented considerably by going for higher yields of

food grains from limited lands to set free considerable

lands for the cultivation of cash crops. This strategy might

ensure continued high production of food grains while

also freeing up farmlands for planting the commercial

crops. One study has found that improved or high yielding

food grain seeds are being sowed in only 20 per cent of the

cultivated areas. If only the rate of application of improved

or higher yielding seeds can be increased to 50 or 60 per

cent, then production can more than double. In that case,

more than self sufficiency in food grains production can be

achieved that would also create conditions for using a

sizeable part of the farm lands for producing non food

crops.

It might also be assessed whether expanding acreage

under non food crops and achieving import substitution

means a greater saving of resources even if import of food

grains increase somewhat as more lands are devoted to the

non food crops. It is very likely that even increasing food

imports to some extent to release lands for the cultivation

of non food crops might effect a greater saving of resources

at some stage than the present scenario of near self

reliance in food but growing import dependence of other

agricultural products.

Then, there are other products to be derived from lands

which have much prospects namely baby corn, gherkin,

cut flowers, orchids and condiments. All of these and more

can be grown in the country especially with an eye for

export. Thus, these soil derived commodities can open up

a rich new field of export. However, to successfully

diversify into these areas of production, it will be

necessary to build capacities at all levels in respect of

technology, standardisation, infrastructural and

institutional facilities right from the start of production

stages to export.

Government declared diversfication of agriculture and

export of new agriculture oriented products as its thrust

policy some years ago. Venture capital and other forms of

patronisation to this end were also declared. But evidences

of vigorous implementation of the policy or its notable

bearing of fruit, is not visible. If the policy has been

faltering, then it needs serious investigations why it is not

creating the desired impact. After such an assessment and

identification of the bottlenecks, it can be recast with

emphasis amended or increased in different areas, as

required, and also increases in support activities

accordingly.

Diversification of agriculture in support of the above

objectives is a pressing need indeed for the national

economy.

US President Joe Biden has recently

ordered intelligence officials to

investigate the Wuhan lab-leak

theory of the origins of Covid-19. The

presidential order came just after the Wall

Street Journal (WSJ) had published a report

fanning the speculation, propagated by

former US President Donald Trump?that

coronavirus might leak from the Wuhan

Institute of Virology, China.

Biden's prompt order was based on

prejudice against China. Because the WSJ

published the report sourcing an

undisclosed US intelligence report.

Besides, White House spokeswoman Jen

Psaki said the information came from a

foreign entity, and that the US needed

additional information to independently

verify the report. Even the WSJ report

itself mentioned that there isn't yet

enough evidence for establishing the lableak

theory.

Some mainstream media and politicians

from the US and its allies have merrily

joined the chorus against China. They are

running widespread propaganda portraying

that China is liable for the origins of the

deadly virus. In doing so, they are

purposefully rejecting all the scientific

evidence and logical points.

However, the world knows that the US

and its allies have a long history of using

baseless and fabricated intelligence reports

to crush their opponents. The US invaded

Iraq based on such intelligence reports that

mentioned that Iraq was very close to

getting nuclear weapons and had enough

dry anthrax to fill tens upon tens upon tens

of thousands of teaspoons.

The US never found such weapons and a

single spoon of anthrax in Iraq but

destroyed the entire country based on the

fake reports. Michael R. Gordon has written

the recently published report in the WSJ

about Wuhan lab-leak theory. It's the same

journalist who wrote the lies about Weapons

of Mass Destructions (WMS) in Iraq that

PARLIAMENT has become so

incidental to our politics, we rarely

notice small but significant changes

taking place within its hallowed halls. This

isn't just because of our parties and their way

of doing governance, though they share a

greater responsibility than others.

Another reason for this has been television

channels - controversial statements,

ambiguous bayans which lead to headlines

and breaking news, and fights between

politicians are now brought to our homes

every night, seven days a week. With these

daily bulletins, few are interested in the

speeches being made on the floor of

parliament or the confrontations taking

place there. (Even the parties themselves

prefer those who can frequent talk shows

over those who can carry out legislative work

or deliver meaningful speeches on the floor).

As a result, parliamentary happenings

have been reduced to the bits and pieces -

mostly statements - appearing in news

stories, which pale in front of the shorter,

spicier talk shows (with a variety of

politicians). No wonder then that the star

journalists of the olden days, the reporter in

the press gallery, assigned to report the

proceedings, has now been replaced by the

anchor with a prime-time show. It is the

latter who the politicians now woo.

There is, however, another result of this

transition to television - in times of print, the

various committees of parliament provided

much fodder to the hacks. Most of us in the

business always knew that even if

parliament was not in session, the

committee meetings meant a nugget or two

could always be found in a dusty meeting

room here and there. And sometimes ever

more. For example, in 2010, the health

secretary told a Senate health committee

that relief operations for the flood survivors

paved the way for the

invasion of Iraq by the

US in 2003.

Gordon's

involvement in the socalled

report itself

speaks volumes of its

falsehood. People

don't need further

proof to disbelieve the

report written by a poodle journalist like

him. Moreover, the WSJ report itself

mentioned that the World Health

Organization's (WHO) report on the origins

of Covid-19 said the chances of it having

started in a lab were 'extremely unlikely'.

The WSJ report has also mentioned that

Anthony Fauci, President Biden's chief

medical adviser, has also maintained that he

believes the virus was passed from animals

to humans. International experts have

repeatedly rejected the Wuhal lab-leak

theory and commented positively on China's

openness and transparency on different

occasions.

The Australian representative on the

WHO's investigation into the origins of

coronavirus has defended the team's

findings after President Joe Biden ordered

US intelligence agencies to carry out extra

investigations into the source of the

pandemic.

Speaking to the ABC, NSW Health

medical virologist and infectious disease

physician Dominic Dwyer, who spent four

weeks in Wuhan in January and February,

said there was no evidence to back up the

lab-leak theory.

"The US intelligence forces were asked to

MD ENAMuL HASSAN

show if they had any

information that

might be helpful. They

haven't done that yet,"

Professor Dwyer said,

adding that "The fact

that President Biden

says he's getting

conflicting reports

from his intelligence

Speaking to the ABC, NSW Health medical virologist and

infectious disease physician Dominic Dwyer, who spent

four weeks in Wuhan in January and february, said

there was no evidence to back up the lab-leak theory.

agencies, to me, suggests there is no clear

evidence, otherwise it would be obvious

what was going on."

Analysts are of the view that the US and its

allies are trying to smear China to hide their

failures to help the world amid the

coronavirus pandemic. As the only

superpower, the US is supposed to assist the

world to fight the deadly virus. But it has

failed to save the lives of their people, let

alone offer any assistance to other countries

in the gloomy days of the pandemic.

The true color of the US has been revealed

as people come to know that the superpower

has stockpiled far more doses of vaccines

than it needs. Though the US has 330

million people, only four percent of the

global population, it alone has purchased

about 2.6 billion doses, a quarter of the

global total, far over its need. Up to one

hundred million doses are sitting in US

warehouses gathering dust.

On the contrary, China has successfully

defeated the virus at home and returned its

economy to the time before the pandemic. It

was the first to pledge to make its vaccines a

global public good and it has been honoring

this commitment. China is working hard to

contribute to realizing the accessibility and

CHriS DoYLE

affordability of vaccines in developing

countries.

The country has so far provided vaccine

assistance to over 80 developing countries

and exported doses to more than 50

countries. China has already supplied

medical equipment to more than 150

countries and 13 international organizations

to fight the virus. It is also working with

developing countries through technology

transfer and joint production.

China has also offered to provide an

additional $3 billion in international aid

over the next three years to support COVID-

19 response and economic and social

recovery in other developing countries. It is

likely to supply around three billion doses of

vaccines to the world this year.

The country has already supplied 300

million doses of vaccines to the world, and it

will provide still more vaccines to the best of

its ability. China supports its vaccine

companies in transferring technologies to

other developing countries and carrying out

joint production with them.

Such massive contributions of China to

save the world from the virus have driven

the US insane. Therefore, the US doesn't

care about facts and scientific truth about

the pandemic. Just to save its face as the

superpower, the US gets desperate to make

the Chinese contributions questionable and

conceal its failure to manage the pandemic

at home and help the world.

However, just like adding insult to injury,

the widespread propaganda against China

by the US and its allies has also fallen on deaf

ears. People around the world, except for the

US and its allies, disbelieve the propaganda.

Hence more and more countries are turning

to China to forge ahead cooperation in the

fight against the contiguous disease.

Md Enamul Hassan is a news

editor and broadcast journalist at

China Media Group (CMG) in Beijing,

China.

Occupation and apartheid is no way forward for Israel

Palestinians will be reflecting on the

54th anniversary of the occupation of

the West Bank and Gaza Strip this

week. Nothing will encourage even the most

optimistic among them that they are even

one inch closer to seeing the end of this

"temporary" occupation. Looking at the

likely new Israeli coalition government will

certainly not give any cause for hope.

Many Palestinians will declare that it

matters not a jot who is in Beit Aghion, the

Israeli prime minister's residence. The new

Israeli coalition will, therefore, not cause

joyous celebrations in Gaza, Ramallah or

Haifa. Palestinians know that the

settlements have expanded under every

shade of Israeli government. All that alters is

the focus of where they should be expanded.

So, for Palestinians, this Israeli "change"

coalition is not going to mean change for

them.

Human rights - a short story

were not possible in Jacobabad because the

Shehbaz airbase was with the Americans.

The story echoed for days in Islamabad. And

in the heady days after 2008, the Public

Accounts Committee, led by Chaudhry

Nisar, whose vocal cords needed no rest, led

the charge against the Musharraf regime

much to our delight. But since then it too has

become rather lacklustre.

This time around, the Ganges is flowing in

reverse but no one has any answers.

And this is why perhaps, us oldies who still

remember the good ol' days were happy with

Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, who allowed us a

brief trip down memory lane. Heading the

human rights committee of the Senate, he

highlighted issues close to us bleedin' heart

types. He allowed stories about the people to

resonate in a building which has become

rather distant from the citizens it is

supposed to represent. And apart from the

angry speeches in parliament, stories about

the people began in parliament and then

made their way to the screen.

He called in young students who had been

charged with sedition for their sin of

protesting for their rights on the roads of

Lahore. He invited over young Baloch

students who told us how they were

pressured by the staff of their educational

institutes. He took up cudgels for Sarmad

Khoosat's film, Zindagi Tamasha, when it

This "nothing will change" attitude has

some merits, but it is slightly more complex

than that. The probable 13th prime minister

of Israel, Naftali Bennett, is no liberal. If

anything, he is even further to the right than

Benjamin Netanyahu. He was, for a time,

the head of the Yesha Council that

represents Israeli settlers. Bennett even

boasted: "I've killed lots of Arabs in my life -

and there's no problem with that." He will

perhaps be restrained by his coalition

partners on the left, like Labor and Meretz,

but he will also be aware that they will not

wish to see the coalition crashing. Parties

such as Labor and Meretz have very few

opportunities to be in any coalition, given

the plummeting levels of support the left in

Israel has had this century.

But Bennett is in a strange situation for a

man whose party gained just 6.2 percent of

the vote. He too will be reluctant to head into

ArifA Noor

ran into trouble with the righteous lot.

Detractors say he cherry-picked issues and

left out X,Y,Z but at least A, B, C got

highlighted. And in Pakistan, every little bit

matters. In all of this, he was supported by

the rest of the committee. Most people on

the Senate human rights committee seemed

to feel equally strongly about such issues.

As a result, parliamentary happenings have been reduced to the bits

and pieces - mostly statements - appearing in news stories, which pale

in front of the shorter, spicier talk shows (with a variety of politicians).

No wonder then that the star journalists of the olden days, the

reporter in the press gallery, assigned to report the proceedings, has

now been replaced by the anchor with a prime-time show.

But times have changed; parliament is now

a sideshow, and human rights have always

been one.

And so it seems we are going back to

normal - in the dust kicked up by the Senate

elections in March, Khokhar's relationship

with his party leadership was also a casualty.

Even before the Senate committees were

finalised, few expected him back.

But what we didn't expect was that the

committee would go back to the government

because the PML-N exchanged it for

defence! Senior members of the Senate say

that the human rights committee

traditionally goes to the opposition, while

defence goes to the government. Yet this

time around, the Ganges is flowing in

reverse but no one has any answers.

From the PPP, Senator Sherry Rehman is

the only one who has bothered to offer some

explanation. "Lot of opposition to PPP

holding chair of HR in both houses so it

[chairmanship of the Senate Committee on

Human Rights] was given to PML N. But

another election, at least until he has given

the last rites to his predecessor's political

career and, preferably, seen him disappear

into a prison cell. Bennett will need the

coalition to work. This may be his one

opportunity as prime minister - the chance

to establish his credentials as the long-term

leader of the Israeli right. He will have to

demonstrate he can deliver and appeal to

various factions in the Likud party that do

not worship at the altar of the cult figure that

is Netanyahu.

However, the man who has held that torch

for the last decade and more is not going to

go quietly into the sunset. Netanyahu may

have to pack his bags, but he will do

absolutely anything to break this coalition

and get back into power. Rattled, Netanyahu

has engaged in a series of explosive rants,

largely against Bennett, whom he accused of

"selling the Negev to Ra'am," the Palestinian

after N traded it for defence directly [with]

Govt, Sen Reza Rabbani and I spent the

whole day trying to get the committee back

from Govt in a trade for IPC [Interprovincial

Committee] once N had given it to them. But

told no." The government is probably

relieved that the committee will no longer be

embarrassing them for its poor human

rights record.

The PML-N is quiet. Not a peep from

them, even if asked. The party can hold forth

eight hours a day on all things principled

such as 'vote ko izzat do' and an executive's

constitutional rights but it has offered no

explanation for choosing defence over

human rights. Perhaps, it is going to use this

platform to point the guns at its chosen

enemy or to underline its pragmatism. We

don't know and neither do we know if this

exchange was a party decision or the choice

of a lone ranger. Mushahid Hussain is now

heading the defence committee.

But to be fair, the PML-N is not alone in its

disinterest. A cursory glance at the channels

over the weekend showed the usual debates.

The growth rate, the politics of the

opposition and who said what and what it

could have meant - all the usual masala was

there but little about this small, side story

about a Senate committee.

And in this silence lies the real story about

how important human rights are to us, as a

people. No wonder, the previous Senate

committee and its proceedings may end up

as an aberration. The short story some of us

will remember while the majority is

transfixed by the saga about elections, the

establishment, growth rates and other hefty

themes. Perhaps the big shots feel that once

the saga ends in a happily ever after, the

short story will also, automatically, get a

happy ending.

Source: Dawn

Islamist party that has agreed to join the

coalition. Bennett fired back, saying: "We

are allowed to choose a government that you

are not the leader of. One that is 10 degrees

more right wing than yours." Netanyahu

also took a leaf out of his friend Donald

Trump's playbook by insisting: "We are

witnessing the greatest election fraud in the

history of the country, in my opinion in the

history of any democracy."

To smash this coalition, Netanyahu will

detonate a host of hand grenades, starting

by raising the temperature in Jerusalem.

Extreme right-wing groups will hold a

march through the city on Thursday - an act

designed to foment clashes, not least when

the marchers head through the Damascus

Gate, the main entry point to the Muslim

Quarter of the Old City.

Source: Arab news

WednesdAY, JUne 9, 2021

5

How a coronavirus variant

became so powerful

CArl ZiMMer

In December, British researchers

discovered that a new variant was

sweeping through their country. When

it arrived in other countries, the

variant, now known as Alpha, tended to

become more common in its new

homes as well. By April, it had become

the dominant variant in the United

States, and it has remained so ever

since.

Alpha's swift success has left

scientists wondering how the variant

conquered the world. A new study

points to one secret to its success:

Alpha disables the first line of immune

defense in our bodies, giving the variant

more time to multiply.

"It's very impressive," said Dr.

Maudry Laurent-Rolle, a physician and

virologist at the Yale School of

Medicine who was not involved in the

new study. "Any successful virus has to

get beyond that first defense system.

The more successful it is at doing that,

the better off the virus is."

The report was posted online on

Monday and has not yet been

published in a scientific journal. Alpha

has 23 mutations that set it apart from

other coronaviruses. When the variant

started to surge in Britain, researchers

began inspecting these genetic tweaks

to look for explanations as to why it was

spreading faster than other variants.

A lot of researchers focused their

attention on the nine mutations that

alter the so-called spike protein that

covers the coronavirus and allows it to

invade cells. One of those mutations

helps the virus bind more tightly to

cells, potentially improving its chances

of a successful infection.

But other scientists have focused on

how Alpha affects the human immune

response. Gregory Towers, a virologist

at the University College London, and

his colleagues grew coronaviruses in

human lung cells, comparing Alphainfected

cells with those infected with

earlier variants of the coronavirus.

They found that lung cells with Alpha

made drastically less interferon, a

protein that switches on a host of

immune defenses. They also found that

in the Alpha cells, the defensive genes

normally switched on by interferon

were quieter than in cells infected with

other variants.

Somehow, the immune system's

most important alarm bells were barely

ringing in the presence of the Alpha

variant. "It's making itself more

invisible," Dr. Towers said.

To investigate how Alpha achieved

this invisibility, the researchers looked

at how the coronavirus replicated

inside of infected cells. They found that

Alpha-infected cells make a lot of extra

copies - some 80 times more than other

versions of the virus - of a gene called

Orf9b.

"It's off the chart," said Nevan

Krogan, a molecular biologist at the

University of California, San Francisco,

and a co-author of the new study. In

previous research, Dr. Krogan and his

colleagues had found that Orf9b makes

a viral protein that locks onto a human

protein called Tom70. And it just so

happens that Tom70 is essential for a

cell's release of interferon in the face of

an invading virus.

Putting all of the evidence together,

Dr. Krogan and his colleagues argue

A patient getting transferred to a Hospital in Britain.

that the Alpha variant carries a

mutation that forces the production of

a lot more Orf9b proteins. Those

proteins swarm the human Tom70

proteins, dampening the production of

interferon and a full immune response.

The virus, protected from attack, has

better odds of making copies of itself.

An infected cell can gradually remove

the Orf9b proteins from its Tom70

molecules, however. By about 12 hours

after infection, the alarm system starts

coming back online. And because of

that immune response, Dr. Towers

said, "all hell breaks loose."

Dr. Towers speculated that when the

delayed immune response finally

happens, people infected with Alpha

have a more robust reaction than they

would with other variants, coughing

and shedding virus-laden mucus from

not only their mouths, but also their

noses - making Alpha even better at

spreading.

"What they're showing makes sense,"

Dr. Laurent-Rolle said. But she would

like to see more lines of evidence in

support of their conclusion. For

example, the scientists did not run a

standard test to measure the number of

Orf9b proteins.

"That's one thing that could be

concerning," she said. Dr. Krogan said

he and his colleagues were developing

that test now. Dr. Krogan's team has

also started similar experiments on

other variants, including the variant

first identified in South Africa, known

as Beta, and the one first identified in

India, known as Delta. The preliminary

results surprised them.

photo: Hollie Adams

Adolescents were hospitalized with Covid three times as often as with flu,nearly one-third

wound up in i.C.U.s.

photo: Aaron nesheim

Teens too bear the risk

of severe Covid

ApoorvA MAndAvilli

Since the start of the pandemic, very

few adolescents have become ill

enough with Covid-19 to be

hospitalized. But of those who did,

about one-third were admitted to

intensive care units, and 5 percent

required ventilators, the Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention

reported on Friday.

These findings underscore the

importance of vaccinating children

against the coronavirus, experts said.

"Much of this suffering can be

prevented," Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky,

the C.D.C. director, said in a

statement. "Vaccination is our way out

of this pandemic."

The data also run counter to claims

that influenza is more threatening to

children than Covid-19, an argument

that has been used to reopen schools

and to question the value of

coronavirus vaccines for children.

The number of hospitalizations

related to Covid-19 among adolescents

in the United States was about three

times as high as hospitalizations linked

to influenza over three recent flu

seasons, the study found.

"There's a very strong case to be

made for preventing a disease that

causes hospitalizations and deaths, not

to mention contributing to community

transmission," said Dr. Yvonne

Maldonado, chair of the committee on

infectious diseases at the American

Academy of Pediatrics.

Children have a much lower

likelihood overall of becoming severely

ill or dying from Covid-19, compared

with adults, but the risks are thought

to increase with age. According to the

most recent data collected by the

academy, nearly four million children

have tested positive for the

coronavirus since the pandemic

began, compared with about 30

million cases among adults.

Still, about 16,500 children have

been hospitalized for Covid-19 since

the pandemic began, and at least 322

have died, making it one of the leading

causes of death among children, Dr.

Maldonado noted.

"It sounds like it's not a lot of

deaths," especially compared with

600,000 dead in the United States,

she said. But "it should still be

horrifying that 300 to 600 kids are

dying because of something that is

preventable."

The new C.D.C. report focused on

hospitalizations from Covid-19 among

children ages 12 to 17. The rate of

hospitalizations in that group was a

small fraction of that among adults,

but still higher than the rate seen in

children ages 5 to 11, the report found.

The researchers also tallied Covid-19

hospitalizations among children ages

12 to 17 from March 1, 2020, to April

24, 2021. The data came from Covid-

Net, a population-based surveillance

system in 14 states, covering about 10

percent of Americans.

The number of adolescents

hospitalized with Covid-19 declined in

January and February of this year, but

rose again in March and April. From

Jan. 1, 2021, to March 31, 204

adolescents were likely hospitalized

primarily for Covid-19. Most of the

children had at least one underlying

medical condition, such as obesity,

asthma or a neurological disorder.

The rate may have increased this

spring because of the more contagious

variants of the coronavirus in

circulation, as well as school

reopenings that brought children

together indoors, and looser

adherence to precautions like wearing

masks and social distancing, the

researchers said.

None of the children died, but about

one-third were admitted to the

intensive care unit, and 5 percent

required invasive mechanical

ventilation. Roughly two-thirds of the

hospitalized adolescents were Black or

Hispanic, reflecting the greater risk

posed by the virus to these

populations.

The researchers compared the

numbers for Covid-19 with

hospitalizations for flu in the same age

group during the 2017-18, 2018-19

and 2019-20 flu seasons. From Oct. 1,

2020, to April 24, 2021,

hospitalization rates for Covid-19

among adolescents were 2.5 to 3 times

the rate for seasonal flu in previous

years.

The data lend urgency to the drive to

get more teenagers vaccinated, said

Dr. Walensky, who added that she was

"deeply concerned" by the numbers.

The Food and Drug Administration

approved the Pfizer-BioNTech

coronavirus vaccine for children ages

12 to 15 on May 12. The vaccine was

approved for anyone older in

December. Of the 24 million children

ages 12 to 17 in the United States,

about 6.4 million have received at least

one dose of the vaccine, and only 2.3

million are fully vaccinated.

CHristinA CAron

Haven't we all been Naomi Osaka at some point in our lives?

OK, we may never know what it's like to be the secondranked

woman in tennis, or the world's highest-paid female

athlete.

But like the sports star, many of us have been stuck in

situations that were detrimental to our mental health - at

work or in our personal lives - feeling torn between societal

expectations and self-preservation.

Ms. Osaka chose to care for herself ahead of the French

Open, when she announced she would not "do any press"

because the news conferences could be damaging to the

mental health of the players. True to her word, after winning

her first-round match on Sunday, she skipped her postmatch

news conference. As she later explained in an Instagram

post, she was feeling vulnerable and anxious, and press

events give her "huge waves of anxiety."

Her decision to avoid the press did not go over well with

tennis officials. Ms. Osaka was fined $15,000, and the

leaders of the four Grand Slam tournaments - the Australian,

French and United States Opens, and Wimbledon -

threatened to expel her from the French Open.

Instead, Ms. Osaka announced she would withdraw from

the tournament. "The truth is that I have suffered long bouts

of depression since the U.S. Open in 2018 and I have had a

really hard time coping with that," she wrote in her social

media post.

Regardless of the type of work you do, your job can affect

your mental health and vice versa. And like Ms. Osaka, you

have choices when it comes to preserving and improving

your well-being.

"We would not fault her if she had a sprained ankle," said

Benjamin F. Miller, the chief strategy officer for Well Being

Trust, a national foundation focusing on mental health and

well-being. "But when it comes to mental health - which we

know is equally, if not more, important than your physical

health - we have this arbitrary standard of what's acceptable

and what's not."

A survey of over 5,000 employees conducted last year by

the advocacy group Mental Health America found that 83

percent of respondents felt emotionally drained from work

and 71 percent strongly agreed that the workplace affects

their mental health. While the respondents were not

representative of the general population - they most likely

found the survey when visiting the organization's mental

health screening tools - their responses show just how

What to do if job harms mental health

naomi osaka advocated for her well-being at work. Here's how you can too.

anxious some workers have become.

Women and people of color may shoulder a

disproportionate amount of emotional stress both in and

outside of the workplace. Women are at least twice as likely

to have had depression as men, according to federal data.

And Black people are less likely than non-Hispanic white

people to receive treatment for depression or prescription

medications for mental health. A 2020 report from Lean In

and McKinsey & Company noted that Black women were less

likely to get the support they needed to advance in their fields

than white women.

Ms. Osaka, who is of Black and Asian descent, acted

admirably when she stood up for her needs, several mental

photo: Getty images

health experts said. It can benefit all of us to be on the lookout

for signs that we might need to make changes at work or get

professional help, they added.

"Everyone has some awareness of their baseline

functioning at work," said Dr. Jessi Gold, a psychiatrist at

Washington University in St. Louis. So if you start to notice

you're losing interest in your job or your productivity

plummets, it's an indication that something is off, she said.

For example, you might notice that you dread starting

work each day, or you feel so anxious that you have trouble

thinking about everything that you're supposed to do.

Perhaps your emails are piling up and you aren't

communicating with people as much as you typically would.

If you're feeling ineffective in your job, you may also start to

engage in more negative self-talk, like: "I'm no good at my job

anyway. I'm useless," Dr. Gold said.

An even bigger warning sign that work is affecting your

mental health is if work tanks your mood to the point that it

starts to damage your personal relationships, she added. For

example, you might find that you're picking more fights with

your partner, becoming more irritated by your children or

avoiding social activities in ways that you normally wouldn't.

Think about what might be causing these feelings. Is there

one aspect of your job responsibilities that is causing most of

your distress? Do you have an underlying health problem like

depression that has not been treated? Is it some combination

of the two?

Once you realize you need help, seek out a trusted friend,

mentor, co-worker, peer group or therapist, said Inger

Burnett-Zeigler, an associate professor of psychiatry and

behavioral sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg

School of Medicine who researches Black women's mental

health.

This should be a place "where you can feel seen, heard and

validated, a place where you are able to be your fully

authentic self without fear of judgment or negative

repercussions," she added.

Many employers also offer employee assistance programs

that have a variety of services, including short-term

counseling from licensed therapists or referrals to outside

experts who can help with the specific problem you're

having. (These services are often touted as confidential, but

even so, some employees may feel uncomfortable using

them.)

Your company may also have partnerships with other

organizations that provide wellness classes or free career

coaching. It's worth investigating all the options, the experts

said.

"Employers have become much more aware and frankly

progressive in how they've been managing and treating

issues of mental health over the last several years," said

Michael Thompson, president and chief executive of the

National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions. "The

pandemic has actually reinforced that in spades."

Mr. Thompson's organization recently did an online survey

of 151 employers who buy health care services and found that

72 percent were seeking to improve mental health access for

their employees and 16 percent were considering doing this

in the next one to two years.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 9, 2021

6

On Tuesday, Coast Guard Station Teknaf conducted an operation in the area

adjacent to Teknaf Land Port under Teknaf Police Station and arrested 01 yaba

smuggler along with 14 thousand pieces of yaba.

Photo : Courtesy

GD-980/21 (5 x 3)

GD-984/21 (5 x 3)

K…DK-303

GD-985/21 (5 x 3)

Govt too much active

to protect river erosion:

Shameem MP

GAIBANDHA : Barrister Shameem Haider Patwary, MP

from Gaibandha-1 constituency (Sundarganj upazila),

yesterday said the government led by Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina is so much active and cordial to protect the vulnerable

areas here anyhow from the erosion of rivers.

"River bank protection work has started and it is going on

in full swing at vulnerable Kasimbazar and its adjoining areas

of Horipur union under Sundarganj upazila of the district in

order to save the homestead and arable lands of the

locals,''he said.

Barrister Patwary made the comments while exchanging

views with the people of Kasimbazar and its adjoining areas

after visiting the erosion affected areas and witnessing the

river bank protection work by Bangladesh Water

Development Board, Kurigram.

The local lawmaker urged the affected people to wait with

patience and instructed the officials of BWDB and the

contractors to do the work timely and properly without any

criticism.

During the visit, Executive engineer of BWDB, Kurigram

Md. Ariful Islam, Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO)

Mohammad Al-Maruf and Horipur Union Parishad

Chairman Md. Nafiul Islam accompanied him.

"As the large portion of left side of the Teesta river is located

under Kurigram district, that's why, BWDB, Kurigram is

implementing the river bank protection work there,"

Moklasur Rahman, executive engineer of the BWDB,

Gaibandha told BSS.

Local people are happy and expressed their satisfaction

over the work being done by the BWDB, said Md. Nafiul

Islam, chairman of Horipur union under Sundarganj upazila.

Litchi business reaches

peak in Rangpur region

RANGPUR : Litchi business reached the peak now in

Rangpur agriculture region where harvesting of the most

popular, fleshy and juicy seasonal fruit is nearing completion

with excellent yield rate making farmers happy.

Hundreds of labourers are engaged in harvesting and

marketing of litchi braving the Covid-19 pandemic in

Rangpur, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat and

Nilphamari districts across the region.

"Because of favourable climatic conditions, farmers are

getting bumper output of big-sized litchi this season," Deputy

Director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE)

at its regional office Agriculturist Bidhu Bhushan Roy told

BSS.

Farmers have cultivated litchi on 1,947 hectares of land and

the production might cross 20,000 tonnes worth Taka 180

crore this year as the tender fruits grew superbly following

frequent rainfalls.

"More than 95 percent of litchi trees in orchards and

homesteads bloomed massively this season in the region

where the fruit formation process continued smoothly amid

favourable weather conditions," Roy added.

The DAE officials and market sources said harvest of the

'Bombay', 'Mozaffarpuri' and 'Madrazi' and China-2 variety

litchi is nearing completion with plenty of supply and better

market price making both growers and traders happy this

season.

The 'Bombay', 'Mozaffarpuri', and 'Madrazi' varieties of

litchi are being sold at rates between Taka 180 and 200 for

every 100 pieces while China-2 varieties at Taka 300 to 350

for every 100 pieces in the local markets.

However, harvest of the aristocratic litchi varieties like

'Bedana', 'Kanthali' and China-3 just began and the price for

every 100 pieces of these superior litchi varieties is remaining

between Taka 500 and 900.

Fruit traders Babu Mian and Fazlur Rahman at Rangpur

City Bazar said supply of litchi remains plenty in the local

markets following bumper production even after trading

huge quantities of the fruit daily from the region to other

areas.

Talking to BSS, litchi grower Hasanul Haque of Balapara

Dilalpur village in Badarganj upazila of Rangpur said he has

been cultivating litchi on a commercial basis on his orchard

for the past 12 years and never incurred any loss.

Covid-19 infection rate

crosses 28pc mark in

Rangpur division

RANGPUR : The daily coronavirus (Covid-19) infection rate

crossed the 28 percent mark on Monday in Rangpur division

where the infection and casualty rates are showing harshly

rising trends in recent days.

"The number of Covid-19 cases climbed to 19,592 as 114

more patients were reported positive after testing 396

samples at the infection rate of 28.79 percent on Monday,"

Focal Person of COVID-19 and Assistant Director (Health)

for Rangpur division Dr ZA Siddiqui said.

Earlier, the daily infection rates were 23.98 percent on

Sunday and 23.66 percent on Saturday against 15.57 percent

on Friday, 17.74 percent on Thursday, 20 percent on

Wednesday and 20.63 percent on Tuesday last.

The daily infection rate crossed the 10 percent mark on

March 24 last for the first time since December 26 last year

in the division after remaining below the five percent mark

for over a month previously and again crossed the 10 percent

mark on May 8 last.

"The district-wise break-up of 19,592 patients now stands

at 5,122 in Rangpur, 844 in Panchagarh, 1,596 in

Nilphamari, 1,125 in Lalmonirhat, 1,267 in Kurigram, 1,782

in Thakurgaon, 6,068 in Dinajpur and 1,788 in Gaibandha,"

he said.

Since the beginning, a total of 1,36,060 collected samples

were tested till Monday, and of them, 19,592 were found

Covid-19 positive with an average infection rate of 14.40

percent. Meanwhile, the total number of healed patients rose

to 18,093 with recovery of 47 more infected patients on

Monday in the division where the average recovery rate

stands at 92.35 percent.

3 die, 189 more test

positive for COVID-19

in C'nawabganj

CHAPAINAWABGANJ : Three more

persons died of Covid-19 during the last 24

hours raising the total number of deaths to

59 in the district.

"The number of Covid-19 cases climbed

to 2,753 as 189 more patients were

detected positive after testing 647 samples

in the district during the period at the

infection rate of 29.21 percent," sources of

the Civil Surgeon Office in

Chapainawabganj confirmed. Among the

Upazila Nirbahi Officer Bipin Chandra Biswas distributed jute bag among

farmers after day-long training in Gournadi.

Photo : TBT

GD-986/21 (5 x 3)

GD-977/21 (7 x 3)

newly detected patients, 130 are from

Sadar upazila, seven from Shibganj

upazila, nine from Gomostapur upazila,

40 from Nachole upazila and three from

Bholahat upazila.

A total of 1,233 patients in which 50 in

dedicated Covid-19 hospital and others in

home quarantine are undergoing treatment

in the district while 1,464 patients have so far

been recovered from the deadly disease here,

the sources added.

2058 07/06/2021

WedNeSdAY, JUNe 9, 2021

7

Myanmar's ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been hit by criminal charges one after another,

appeared in person in court for a second time on Monday in the coup-hit country's capital

Naypyitaw.

Photo : AP

Suu Kyi appears in Myanmar

court for 2nd time

YANGON : Myanmar's ousted leader

Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been hit by

criminal charges one after another,

appeared in person in court for a

second time on Monday in the coup-hit

country's capital Naypyitaw, reports

UNB.

Her lawyers said the five cases being

dealt with by the Naypyitaw court will

enter the full-scale trial phase next

week, and verdicts could be handed

down as early as August.

Suu Kyi has been prosecuted for six

offenses, among which five minor

ones-such as the illegal import of

Carbon dioxide

levels hit 50pc

higher than

preindustrial time

WASHINGTON : The

annual peak of global heattrapping

carbon dioxide in

the air has reached another

dangerous milestone: 50%

higher than when the

industrial age began, reports

UNB.

And the average rate of

increase is faster than ever,

scientists reported Monday.

The National Oceanic and

A t m o s p h e r i c

Administration said the

average carbon dioxide level

for May was 419.13 parts per

million. That's 1.82 parts per

million higher than May

2020 and 50% higher than

the stable pre-industrial

levels of 280 parts per

million, said NOAA climate

scientist Pieter Tans.

Carbon dioxide levels peak

every May just before plant

life in the Northern

Hemisphere blossoms,

sucking some of that carbon

out of the atmosphere and

into flowers, leaves, seeds

and stems. The reprieve is

temporary, though, because

emissions of carbon dioxide

from burning coal, oil and

natural gas for

transportation and

electricity far exceed what

plants can take in, pushing

greenhouse gas levels to new

records every year.

walkie-talkies and violation of

coronavirus restrictions-are being

collectively tried at the special court.

The sixth and most serious charge is

for leaking state secrets, a felony

punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

That case will be tried separately in the

capital. The Naypyitaw court has not

conducted any substantive hearings so

far, but they are expected to start in

earnest on June 14 and wrap up by July

26.

The specific date for handing down

the verdicts is undecided, but Khin

Maung Zaw, leader of the defense

US pullout from

Afghanistan half done,

but questions remain

WASHINGTON : The U.S. withdrawal from

Afghanistan is more than half done, and U.S.

officials say that while it could be completed by

July 4, the final exit of equipment and troops

more likely will be later in the summer.

As early as this week, the top U.S.

commander for the Middle East, Gen. Frank

McKenzie, will give Defense Secretary Lloyd

Austin a range of military options for securing

the U.S. embassy in Afghanistan and providing

counterterrorism support from outside the

country once the withdrawal is complete,

officials said. The number of American troops

needed for the overall security missions inside

Afghanistan will depend on a variety of

requirements, and could range from roughly a

couple hundred to a bit less than 1,000,

officials said.

McKenzie's deliberations are a reminder that

much about U.S. postwar support for

Afghanistan remains uncertain, including how

to protect Afghans who worked with the U.S.

government from reprisals and how to avoid an

intelligence void that could hamper U.S. early

warning of extremist threats inside

Afghanistan. At stake is not just a political

verdict on President Joe Biden's judgment

about the risk posed by renewed instability in

Afghanistan, but also the legacy of an American

war that was launched 20 years ago in response

to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and that

imperceptibly morphed into what Biden calls

"this forever war."

McKenzie is expected to provide options on

the amount of aerial surveillance and drones

needed to keep an eye on any potential

resurgence of al-Qaida, Islamic State or other

lawyers team, said it could happen as

early as mid-August if things proceed

smoothly.

But he added that everything might

not go as planned. For example, if

either side raises objections, a higher

court might get involved, he said.

Another defense lawyer, Min Min

Soe, who also met Suu Kyi on Monday

morning with other lawyers, said she

asked them to arrange some money for

herself, her staff and their family

members who are living with her to

purchase items such as food and

medicine.

militant groups. Those options will involve U.S.

aircraft from ships at sea and air bases in the

Gulf region, such as Al Dhafra air base in the

United Arab Emirates. And they could range

from persistent U.S. overwatch to a more

minimal presence. The officials, who spoke on

condition of anonymity to discuss planning

details, said there are no options yet for basing

U.S. troops or aircraft in nations neighboring

Afghanistan, because those possibilities require

diplomatic negotiations. Any agreements with

countries such as Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan or

Uzbekistan would be difficult because there

would be Russian opposition.

McKenzie told reporters Monday that the

withdrawal from Afghanistan is on pace and

"continuing very smoothly." He said it was

"about halfway finished," but provided no

details. Other officials, speaking on condition of

anonymity, said the pullout was more than half

completed but provided no specifics.

Officials acknowledge that the withdrawal so

far has largely involved removing or otherwise

disposing of the mountain of equipment,

gadgetry, aircraft and other war materials that

accumulated in Afghanistan over the years -

not the departure of troops. Officials say the

troops - who are needed to secure and execute

the withdrawal - will be among the last to leave.

McKenzie will give Austin estimates on how

many troops will be needed to secure the

embassy and the airport. Turkish troops have

provided security at part of the airport, and

negotiations are underway to determine if that

will continue. At least some American troops

are likely to be needed - at least in the near term

- to ensure that diplomats can come and go

safely from the airport.

The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan is more than half done, and U.S. officials say that while it

could be completed by July 4, the final exit of equipment and troops more likely will be later in the

summer.

Photo : AP

Harris turns focus to Mexico

on trip to address migration

MEXICO CITY : Vice President

Kamala Harris is closing out her first

foreign trip Tuesday with a visit to

Mexico and a meeting with President

Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, a key

but complicated ally in the Biden

administration's efforts to curb the

spike in migration at the U.S. border.

While Lopez Obrador committed in a

previous virtual meeting with Harris

that the U.S. can "count on us" to help

address the issue of irregular

migration, the Mexican president has

in the past blamed President Joe Biden

for the increase in migration at the

border. And he was chummy with his

predecessor, President Donald Trump,

despite Trump's hardline polcies

towards migrants.

Early last month, he also accused the

U.S. of violating Mexico's sovereignty

for giving money to non-governmental

organizations that were critical of his

government.

But Harris, in her role dealing with

the root causes of increased migration

from the Northern Triangle countries

of Guatemala, El Salvador and

Honduras, as well as Mexico, has

sought to strengthen diplomatic

relations with the Mexican president.

She's held multiple phone calls and a

virtual bilateral meeting with him, and

Tuesday will provide the latest

indication of whether her efforts will

bear fruit for either nation.

"We have a partnership, a

longstanding partnership. Other than

Canada, we are the closest neighbors to

each other," Harris told reporters

Monday night. "That is the basis of the

conversation I will have with him - is

with that spirit, that we have to be

partners."

The meeting follows Harris' Monday

visit to Guatemala, where she met with

President Alejandro Giammattei. To

coincide with their meeting the Biden

administration announced a number

of new commitments to combat

trafficking, smuggling, and corruption,

as well as investments in economic

development in the country. But on

Tuesday, her meeting with Lopez

Obrador isn't expected to deliver as

many concrete commitments.

The two will witness the signing of a

memorandum of understanding that

will establish greater cooperation

between the two nations on

development programs in Guatemala,

El Salvador and Honduras. Harris

aides say they'll discuss vaccine

sharing, the economic and security

relationship between the two nations,

and dealing with the root causes of

migration from other countries in the

region. Harris speaks frequently of the

need to improve economic conditions

for residents of the region, so they don't

feel compelled to make the trek to the

U.S. border.

The memorandum of

understanding, according to special

envoy Ricardo Zuniga, who traveled

with Harris on the trip, marks a new

level of cooperation, and is important

because the two nations have "some of

the same issues" when it comes to

irregular migration.

Vice President Kamala Harris is closing out her first foreign trip Tuesday with a visit to Mexico and

a meeting with President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, a key but complicated ally in the Biden

administration's efforts to curb the spike in migration at the U.S. border.

Photo : AP

State media : Kim

has plans to stabilize

N. Korean economy

SEOUL : North Korean leader

Kim Jong Un presented

economic plans to senior

ruling party officials before an

upcoming meeting to review

efforts to overcome hardships

brought about by the

pandemic, state media said

Tuesday.

The Korean Central News

Agency said Kim held his

consultations Monday in

preparation for a meeting of

the Workers' Party's powerful

Central Committee at which

they will discuss state affairs

for the first half of 2021. The

meeting was set for early June

and could take place as early

as this week.

Kim's plans were not

specified but were described

as intending to bring "tangible

change" to stabilizing the

economy and people's living

conditions.

The North Korean economy

has been crippled by decades

of mismanagement, U.S.-led

sanctions over Kim's nuclear

weapons program and the

coronavirus pandemic.

South Korean officials say

there are no signs North

Korea is easing the border

controls it imposed at the start

of the pandemic or importing

more industrial and

agricultural materials to boost

production.

The Workers' Party last held

a plenary meeting of Central

Committee members in

February, when Kim ripped

into state economic agencies

for their "passive and selfprotecting

tendencies" in

setting their annual goals.

Earlier in the year, at the

party's first congress since

2016, Kim urged his people to

be resilient in the struggle for

economic self-reliance and

called for reasserting greater

state control over the

economy, boosting agricultural

production and prioritizing the

development of chemicals and

metal industries.

FDA approves much-debated

Alzheimer's drug panned by experts

WASHINGTON :

Government health officials

on Monday approved the

first new drug for

Alzheimer's disease in nearly

20 years, disregarding

warnings from independent

advisers that the muchdebated

treatment hasn't

been shown to help slow the

brain-destroying disease.

The Food and Drug

Administration approved the

drug from Biogen based on

study results showing it

seemed "reasonably likely" to

benefit Alzheimer's patients.

It's the only therapy that U.S.

regulators have said can

likely treat the underlying

disease, rather than manage

symptoms like anxiety and

insomnia.

The decision, which could

impact millions of Americans

and their families, is certain

to spark disagreements

among physicians, medical

researchers and patient

Canadian police say Muslim family

targeted by deadly attack

TORONTO : A driver plowed a pickup truck

into a family of five, killing four of them and

seriously injuring the other in a deliberate

attack that targeted the victims because they

were Muslims, Canadian police said Monday.

Authorities said a young man was arrested in

the parking lot of a nearby mall after the

incident Sunday night in the Ontario city of

London. Police said a black pickup truck

mounted a curb and struck the victims at an

intersection.

"This was an act of mass murder

perpetuated against Muslims," Mayor Ed

Holder said. "It was rooted in unspeakable

hatred."

The extended family issued a statement

identifying the dead as Salman Afzal, 46; his

wife Madiha, 44; their daughter Yumna, 15;

groups. It also has farreaching

implications for the

standards used to evaluate

experimental therapies,

including those that show

only incremental benefits.

The new drug, which

Biogen developed with

Japan's Eisai Co., did not

reverse mental decline, only

slowing it in one study. The

medication, aducanumab,

will be marketed as Aduhelm

and is to be given as an

infusion every four weeks.

Dr. Caleb Alexander, an

FDA adviser who

recommended against the

drug's approval, said he was

"surprised and disappointed"

by the decision.

"The FDA gets the respect

that it does because it has

regulatory standards that are

based on firm evidence. In

this case, I think they gave

the product a pass," said

Alexander, a medical

researcher at Johns Hopkins

University.

The FDA's top drug

regulator acknowledged that

"residual uncertainties"

surround the drug, but said

Aduhelm's ability to reduce

harmful clumps of plaque in

the brain is expected to help

slow dementia.

"The data supports

patients and caregivers

having the choice to use this

drug," Dr. Patrizia Cavazzoni

told reporters. She said the

FDA carefully weighed the

input of people living with

the "devastating, debilitating

and deadly disease."

Under terms of the socalled

accelerated approval,

the FDA is requiring Biogen

to conduct a follow-up study

to confirm benefits for

patients. If the study fails to

show effectiveness, the FDA

could pull the drug from the

market, though the agency

rarely does so.

and a 74-year-old grandmother whose name

was withheld. The hospitalized boy was

identified as Fayez.

"Everyone who knew Salman and the rest of

the Afzal family know the model family they

were as Muslims, Canadians and Pakistanis,"

the statement said. "They worked extremely

hard in their fields and excelled. Their children

were top students in their school and

connected strongly with spiritual their

identity."

A fundraising webpage said the father was a

physiotherapist and cricket enthusiast and his

wife was working on a PhD in civil engineering

at Western University in London. Their

daughter was finishing ninth grade, and the

grandmother was a "pillar" of the family, the

page said.


8

Social Islami Bank Limited (SIBL) arranged a day-long seminar on "Leadership Development

Program" for its all Divisional Heads, Branch Managers and Subbranch In-Charges through virual

platform recently. Quazi Osman Ali, Managing Director & CEO of the Bank inaugurated the seminar.

Professor Dr. Shah Md. Ahsan Habib of Bangladesh Institute of Bank Management (BIBM) conducted

the day-long seminar. Abu Naser Chowdhury, Md. Sirajul Hoque, Md. Shamsul Hoque, Mohammad

Forkanullah, Deputy Managing Directors; Abdul Hannan Khan, Company Secretary of the Bank were

also attended the seminar.

Photo: Courtesy

Markets wobble

in Asia as

blockbuster data

fan taper fears

HONG KONG: Asian

markets fluctuated Friday

after another set of bumper

US economic data

reinforced recovery

optimism but added fuel to

concerns that the Federal

Reserve will be forced to

tighten its ultra-loose

monetary policies sooner

than expected, reports BSS.

Wary traders were also

keeping tabs on China-US

relations after Joe Biden

almost doubled the number

of firms included on an

investment blacklist, in the

latest move to show he has

no intention of easing

pressure on Beijing despite

Donald Trump's exit.

Closely watched figures

Thursday showed the US

created almost a million

new private-sector jobs in

May, far more than forecast,

while claims for

unemployment benefits last

week fell below 400,000 for

the first time since the

pandemic started.

On top of that, a gauge of

the crucial US services

sector expanded for the 12th

straight month and hit a

record high.

The readings come after a

string of strong reports on

the world's top economy

and reinforced the view that

the recovery is motoring

along.

Small Sri Lanka harbours

big maritime ambitions

COLOMBO: The dramatic recent fire on a

container ship off Sri Lanka highlighted the

risks involved in the island nation's

ambitions to become one of the world's

busiest maritime transport hubs, reports

BSS.

The MV X-Press Pearl burned for 13 days,

releasing tonnes of chemicals and plastics.

The sinking ship's nearly 300 tonnes of fuel

oil may now leak into the Indian Ocean.

Thanks to its geographical location,

around 200 container ships and oil tankers

sail past every day on the busy routes

between Asia, the Middle East and Europe.

But Sri Lanka is also the biggest so-called

transhipment hub in South Asia, meaning

that some of the world's biggest ships dock in

Sri Lanka to load and unload containers.

Colombo, four days by ship from

Singapore and four and a half to Dubai, is the

only port between those two places deep

enough to handle ships with more than

18,000 containers.

Colombo Port now hopes to double its

annual handling capacity of 7.2 million

containers in four years.

"We are strategically located and we are

strategically important," Sri Lanka Ports

Authority (SLPA) chairman Daya Ratnayake

told AFP.

"But, we have a serious problem here, the

problem is (lack of) capacity."

India is developing a deep-water port at

Vizhinjam on its southwest tip and is

planning another in the Nicobar Islands in

the Bay of Bengal, both of which may steal

some of Colombo's trade.

Two-thirds of the transhipment cargo

going through Sri Lanka is goods going from

or to India, and New Delhi has traditionally

seen Colombo as an ally.

However, since a big chunk of what passes

through the Indian Ocean is Chinese-made,

Beijing has also shown a keen interest in

developing Sri Lanka as a key link on its Belt

and Road Initiative (BRI).

Since 2014, Colombo Port has been home

to a $500-million Chinese-run deep sea

terminal. To pacify New Delhi, Sri Lanka this

year allowed India to build another new

terminal right next door.

"This is how we are balancing," Ratnayake

said. "We as a country must take all this

competition to our advantage."

Sri Lanka has also built a second deep-sea

port at Hambantota on its southern tip, even

closer to the ships steaming between the

Malacca Strait and the Suez Canal.

After Sri Lanka failed to service its debts to

build the port, Hambantota has since 2017

been leased to China, alarming Western

countries as well as India.

China wants Hambantota one day to

resemble Shanghai, and aims to develop it as

a container port able to service and refuel

monster container ships 400 metres (1,300

feet) long.

Currently the port does a lucrative

business as a transhipment centre for

hundreds of thousands of cars every year

made in India and South Korea on their way

elsewhere.

Plastic pellets that escaped the MV X-Press

Pearl have blanketed beaches on Sri Lanka.

Fishing in the area has been suspended,

hitting the local economy hard.

Hemantha Withanage from the Centre for

Environmental Justice (CEJ) has petitioned

the Supreme Court to force the government

to get ready for more disasters as the ports

get busier.

"We don't have the equipment and the

skills to deal with another catastrophe like

this,".

Hopes for 'historic' global corporate

tax deal as G7 meets

LONDON: Finance ministers from

wealthy G7 nations are on Saturday

expected to announce support for a

minimum global level of corporate tax,

aimed at getting multinationals -

especially tech giants - to pay more into

government coffers hit hard by the

pandemic, reports BSS.

According to a draft communique

seen by AFP, the finance chiefs and

central bankers of the world's seven

richest nations will express "strong

support" and a "high level of ambition"

over the US-backed tax plans.

French economy minister Bruno Le

Maire told journalists on Friday

evening: "If we have an agreement

tomorrow, it will be a historic step

forward".

It will also "give considerable

momentum to the G20", scheduled to

hold a finance meeting in July, he said.

British finance minister Rishi Sunak

on Friday chaired the first of two days

of meetings, held in person after an

easing of Covid-19 restrictions and

attended by counterparts from Canada,

France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the

United States. The talks were preparing

the ground for a broader summit of G7

leaders in Cornwall, southwest

England starting on June 11.

US President Joe Biden is set to

attend on his first foreign tour since

taking office in January.

Momentum is growing behind the

US-led plans to limit the ability of

multinationals like tech giants to game

the system to boost profits, especially at

a time when economies around the

world are reeling from the impact of the

coronavirus pandemic.

"Before the crisis, it was difficult to

understand," a European source told

AFP. "After the crisis, it is difficult to

accept."

Corporate tax is one of two pillars in

efforts for global fiscal reform, the other

being a "digital tax" to allow countries

to tax the profits of multinationals

headquartered overseas.

"It is increasingly clear that in a

complex, global, digital economy, we

cannot continue to rely on a tax system

that was largely designed as in the

1920s," Sunak said in opening remarks.

"And I would just say this: the world

has noticed. And I believe they have

high expectations for what we all can

agree over the coming days."

According to the draft communique,

ministers also plan to commit to

"sustain policy support", or stimulus,

for "as long as necessary" to nurture

economic recovery, while addressing

climate change and inequalities in

society. Furthermore, they will urge

"equitable, safe and affordable access to

Covid-19 vaccines" everywhere.

The thorny topic of the regulation of

digital currencies such as bitcoin will

also be on the agenda.

Biden has called for a unified

minimum corporate tax rate of 15

percent in negotiations with the

Organisation for Economic Cooperation

and Development (OECD)

and G20.

His proposal has so far won broad

support from countries such as France

and Germany, as well as the

International Monetary Fund. A deal is

"within sight", finance ministers from

France, Germany, Italy and non-G7

member Spain declared Friday.

"We have a chance to get

multinational businesses to pay their

fair share," France's Le Maire,

Germany's Olaf Scholz, Italy's Daniele

Franco and Spain's Nadia Calvino said

in The Guardian newspaper.

"For more than four years, France,

Germany, Italy and Spain have been

working together to create an

international tax system fit for the 21st

century," added the four ministers.

"Now it's time to come to an

agreement." France's Le Maire told

journalists in London that Biden's

proposed 15 percent is "a minimum.

For us, it's a starting point".

Along with its G7 and G20 partners,

France wants "a more ambitious level

of taxation," the minister said, with the

current pandemic crisis showing that

"tax evasion, the race towards the

lowest possible level of taxation, is a

dead end".

LankaBangla raises $15m from Blue

Orchard Microfinance Fund where Green

Delta Capital was the lead arranger

LankaBangla Finance Ltd,

one of the leading NBFIs in

Bangladesh, has received a

loan of USD15 million from

BlueOrchard Microfinance

Fund managed by a

Switzerland based impact

fund manager BlueOrchard

Finance Limited. This is the

second cross border debt

transaction for Lanka Bangla

after it received its maiden

foreign funding in 2019 from

Islamic Corporation for the

Development of the Private

Sector (ICD), a press release

said.

BlueOrchard seeks to

contribute to economic,

environmental, and social

development and to improve

access to financial services to

those at the bottom of the

pyramid as well as small and

medium enterprises, mainly

in emerging markets. For

BlueOrchard, this is their first

entry in the Bangladesh

market and LankaBangla is

the first Bangladeshi recipient

institution of their financing.

The loan proceeds will be

utilized to cater to the

financing needs of small and

medium enterprises (SMEs)

and green and sustainable

projects as LankaBangla will

focus on assisting SMEs to

recover from the effects of

pandemic. It would be a great

help for them to expand their

businesses and create new

jobs economic development

takes place post pandemic.

Normunds Mizis - Chief

Credit Officer of BlueOrchard

Finance said, "It has been a

great pleasure to execute

transaction in Bangladesh

with LankaBangla Finance

Limited, one of the leading

financial institutions in the

country for the benefit of

SME sector in the country

and thus contribute towards

economic development and

employment. BlueOrchard

Finance will continue to

support financial institutions

catering to the needs of micro,

small and medium businesses

and to economic,

environmental and social

development more broadly."

Khwaja Shahriar,

Managing Director & CEO of

LankaBangla Finance

Limited said, "Obtaining

foreign currency loans is a

part of our corporate strategy

to widen the borrowing mix,

which will definitely help us

to arrest our cost of funds to

some extent. As we received

the fund at a competitive rate

of interest, we will be able to

shift the same benefit to our

end-clients, especially SMEs

and emerging sectors."

The transaction has been

arranged by Green Delta

Capital Limited, which is also

acting as the security agent on

behalf of BlueOrchard

Microfinance Fund in this

transaction. Md. Rafiqul

Islam, Managing Director &

CEO of Green Delta Capital

told, "Green Delta Capital

Limited has always been

enthusiastic about reaching

newer heights and it has

brought BlueOrchard on

board for the first time ever in

Bangladesh where entire duediligence

were done digitally.

He also said that Investment

in LankaBangla from

investors like Blue Orchard

will also help to unlock more

foreign financing in

Bangladesh."

South Korea to Invest US$

4.15m in Mongla EPZ

South Korean company M/s PH

Creative (BD) Ltd. has signed an

agreement with Bangladesh Export

Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA)

to establish a Camping items,

Garments, Tent & Garments

Accessories manufacturing industry in

Mongla EPZ with an investment of US$

4.15 million, a press release said.

Member (Investment Promotion) of

BEPZA Md. Mahmudul Hossain Khan

and Chairman of PH Creative (BD) Jin

Ho Bae signed the agreement at BEPZA

Complex, Dhaka on behalf of their

respective organizations recently. The

Executive Chairman of BEPZA Major

Miami, looking to be

next crypto hotspot,

hosts huge bitcoin event

MIAMI: Thousands of people

have descended on Miami for

a massive two-day bitcoin

conference that opened

Friday - a sign that the US city,

in the midst of a tech boom, is

hoping to become the next

cryptocurrency hub.

"I don't think there's

anything more important in

my lifetime to work on" than

bitcoin, given the flexibility it

offers,

billionaire

entrepreneur Jack Dorsey, the

co-founder of Twitter and

payments firm Square, told a

crowded auditorium.

"We don't need the financial

institutions that we have

today. We have one that is

thriving, that is sound, that is

owned by the community,

that is driven by the

community," said Dorsey, one

of the keynote speakers at

Bitcoin 2021.

Dorsey tweeted Friday that

Square was considering

making a hardware wallet for

safely storing bitcoin.

General Md Nazrul Islam, SPP, ndu,

afwc, psc, G witnessed the signing

ceremony. It may be mentioned that

BEPZA is receiving many investment

proposals from both local and foreign

investors even amid the pandemic.

BEPZA is extending various facilities

for the investors to cope with the

pandemic and also working for a better

economic recovery of the country.

This fully foreign owned company

will produce annually 5 million pieces

of Camping items like steel, aluminum

& iron frame, tent, trolley bag, hand

bag, sleeping bag, camping chair etc,

shirt, jacket and Garment Accessories

Asian markets lower on rate

fears, G7 tech tax plan

HONG KONG : Asian markets were

mostly lower Monday as comments by US

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen stoked

concerns over a hike in interest rates while

investors also mulled the impact of the G7

global tax plan on tech giants, reports BSS.

Yellen told Bloomberg News that

President Joe Biden should push ahead

with his $4 trillion recovery plan for the

world's top economy even if it triggers

inflation and leads to higher interest rates.

While optimism about the global

economic recovery and vaccine rollouts

have spurred markets, trading floors

remain worried that the rebound will stoke

inflation and in turn force central banks to

hike interest rates.

Yellen said any rise in prices due to

Biden's massive plan to revitalise the US

economy would be transitory and that

higher interest rates would actually be

positive.

"If we ended up with a slightly higher

interest rate environment, it would

actually be a plus for society's point of view

and the Fed's point of view," the former

Federal Reserve chair said in an interview

Sunday with Bloomberg.

"We've been fighting inflation that's too

G7 tax deal 'in sight':

France, Germany,

Italy, Spain

LONDON : A G7 deal on a

minimum corporate tax rate

is "within sight", finance

ministers from France,

Germany, Italy and Spain

said Friday before a meeting

of the world's richest

nations, reports BSS.

"We have a chance to get

multinational businesses to

pay their fair share,"

France's Bruno Le Maire,

Germany's Olaf Scholz,

Italy's Daniele Franco and

Spain's Nadia Calvino said

in The Guardian newspaper.

British finance minister

Rishi Sunak starts a two-day

meeting on Friday with

counterparts from Canada,

France, Germany, Italy,

Japan and the United States,

before a leader summit next

week including US President

Joe Biden.

The spotlight is on

ambitious plans for a

minimum level of corporate

tax, as global powers seek to

make multinationals pay

their way.

"For more than four years,

France, Germany, Italy and

Spain have been working

together to create an

international tax system fit

for the 21st century," the

four ministers wrote in a

joint opinion piece.

like PVC weir cover, PVC cap, Chair

Patch, Hanger, J-hook, Cord Lock, SR

Buckle, DB Buckle, Hammer, Peg,

Carry Bag Board etc. They will create

employment opportunity for 990

Bangladeshi nationals.

Among others, Member

(Engineering) Mohammad Faruque

Alam, Member (Finance) Nafisa Banu,

Secretary Md. Zakir Hossain

Chowdhury, General Manager (Public

Relations) Nazma Binte Alamgir and

General Manager (Investment

Promotion) Md. Tanvir Hossain of

BEPZA were present at the signing

ceremony.

low and interest rates that are too low now

for a decade," she said, adding she wanted

them back to a normal level.

Yellen was speaking after returning from

a meeting of G7 finance ministers in

London which endorsed a global

minimum corporate tax rate of at least 15

percent, rallying behind a US-backed plan

targeting tech giants and other

multinationals accused of not paying

enough.

Wall Street posted solid gains, with all

three main indexes closing higher Friday

after a tepid jobs report eased concerns the

expanding economy would force the Fed

to pull back on stimulus.

The optimism faded in Asia, with

markets mostly lower in Monday trade.

Hong Kong was down 0.80 percent,

Shanghai slipped 0.2 percent and Sydney

was also off 0.2 percent.

Tokyo and Seoul were both up 0.2

percent.

"Japan's Nikkei was the big

underperformer last week, but the solid

lead from the US suggests Japan is likely to

enjoy a positive start to the new week,"

said Rodrigo Catril, senior FX market

strategist at National Australia Bank.


9

Germany's Thomas Mueller celebrates after scoring his side's third goal against Latvia'a keeper Roberts

Ozols during the international friendly match between Germany and Latvia in Duesseldorf, Germany,

Monday.

Photo: AP

Germany warms up for Euro 2020

with 7-1 rout of Latvia

SPORTS DESK

Germany warmed up for the European

Championship with a 7-1 rout of Latvia

on Monday in its last friendly game

before the tournament, reports UNB.

Kai Havertz was involved in three of

Germany's five first-half goals before

making way for Chelsea teammate

Timo Werner for the second half, and

Thomas Müller also scored - his first

since he was recalled to the team in

time for the tournament that starts on

Friday.

Latvia reported a positive result for

the coronavirus among the team hours

before kickoff.

Germany will face tougher opposition

in its opening game against world

champion France in Munich on June

15. Germany also faces Portugal and

Hungary in Group F.

But Germany coach Joachim Löw

can't have asked for more from his side

as it produced a complete and

concentrated performance before the

team leaves Tuesday for its tournament

base in Herzogenaurach in Bavaria.

"It will be difficult to play against us,"

said captain Manuel Neuer, who

became the first Germany goalkeeper

to reach 100 appearances. He was

applauded before the game by some

1,000 spectators permitted amid

coronavirus restrictions.

Löw started with his strongest

available team in the absence of the

injured Leon Goretzka. Toni Kroos was

back after recovering from the

coronavirus, partnering ?lkay

Gündo?an in midfield, with Bayern

Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich

moving over to the right wing.

Atalanta's Robin Gosens started on the

left.

Antonio Rüdiger, Mats Hummels

and Matthias Ginter formed the

defense, while there were three up

front, too, with Müller and Havertz

supporting striker Serge Gnabry.

Havertz flashed a shot just wide as

the hosts began with intent. Gnabry

and Müller had good chances before

Gosens made the breakthrough in the

20th. It was the Atalanta player's first

goal for Germany and went in off the

underside of the crossbar after he

played a one-two with Havertz.

Havertz was involved again as

Gündo?an made it 2-0 a minute later,

but there was no let-up with Löw's

players pressuring and harrying their

opponents on the rare occasions they

didn't have the ball.

Kimmich hit the post before Müller

scored. Havertz then forced an own

goal from Roberts Ozols and there was

still time before the break for Hummels

to set up Gnabry to score Germany's

fifth with the outside of his boot.

Werner got the sixth five minutes into

the second half before Germany's

intensity dropped amid more changes

with half an hour to play.

Aleksejs Saveljevs capitalized on the

drop in concentration to score Latvia's

consolation with a shot inside the left

post in the 75th, but Leroy Sané replied

a minute later for Germany.

EASY FOR UKRAINE

Andriy Yarmolenko scored twice -

including a penalty - as Ukraine eased

to a 4-0 win over 10-man Cyprus in its

final warm-up game for the

tournament.

The visitors' hopes of an upset were

effectively ended when Antreas

Panayiotou was sent off after conceding

the first of two penalties in the 36th

minute. Oleksandr Zinchenko scored

the other penalty and Roman

Yaremchuk got the other goal.

Ukraine is in Group C with Austria,

the Netherlands and North Macedonia.

Also, the Faeroe Islands routed

Lichtenstein 5-1 and Andorra drew

with Gibraltar 0-0.

In Paris, Rafael Nadal is the same

as always, and yet he's different

SPORTS DESK

His hair is thinning on top. His knees

can be shaky. In January, he came

down with a balky back that almost

forced him to withdraw from the

Australian Open, reports UNB.

And yet, with his win Monday over

Jannik Sinner of Italy, a 19-year-old

rising star, Rafael Nadal surged into

the final eight once again at the

tournament he has essentially owned

since 2005. It's just that he owns it in a

different way than he used to.

Nadal was not perfect Monday in his

7-5, 6-3, 6-0 win. He was down 5-3 in

the first set before winning four

straight games. He coughed up a 4-0

lead in the second. But as he nearly

always has on the clay at Roland

Garros, he made all the necessary

shots, joy-sticking Sinner around the

court as though he had a metal rod

inserted into his chest.

"At some point he was playing and I

was only running," Sinner said.

Nadal has won the French Open 13

times. France's tennis federation

unveiled a statue of him on the

grounds here before the tournament

began, a steel abstraction of the final

moments of his powerful forehand

shot. Monday's win was his 104th at

Roland Garros.

The victory moved Nadal, seeded

third because of his current ranking

despite all his success in Paris, closer to

a semifinal showdown with Novak

Djokovic, the world No. 1. Djokovic

beat 19-year-old Italian upstart

Lorenzo Musetti in one of the more

bizarre matches of this tournament.

Djokovic appeared lost for the first two

sets, missing his targets and

uncharacteristically dropping two

tiebreakers.

Then he took a bathroom break and

returned a steadied player, winning 12

of the next 13 games to knot the match

at two sets each. He won four more

games before Musetti retired down 4-0

in the fifth set.

But the 35-year-old version of Nadal

looming in the semifinals for Djokovic,

34, is plenty different from the Nadal

who started winning in Paris long ago.

Back then, Nadal was a defender of

the first order. He hunkered down

behind the baseline, chased down

every ball and, especially on the red

clay he loves so much, turned his

matches at Roland Garros into wars of

attrition.

That was not the Nadal whom Sinner

met Monday in the round of 16, or the

one Cam Norrie of Britain ran into in

the third round over the weekend. The

Nadal of today, who knows there are

only so many five-hour marathon

matches a veteran player can survive,

targets speed and efficiency nearly as

much as victories. "I do what I can in

every moment of course," he said. "If I

can win quicker, better."

By now, several years into this latter

era of Nadal dominance on clay,

opponents have become accustomed

to what to expect but still come away

staggered from the experience.

Rafael Nadal grips his racket during his fourth round victory over Jannik Sinner at the French Open tennis

tournament in Paris on Monday.

Photo: AP

One more England player under

scanner for his old racist tweets

SPORTS DESK

One more current England player is

being investigated by the country's

cricket board for his allegedly racist

remarks on Twitter as a teenager after

Ollie Robinson was suspended for

similar conduct, reports UNB.

The old tweets of the player in

question were unearthed by

wisden.com, which did not reveal the

identity of the cricketer since he had

not reached the age of 16 at that time.

The website posted screenshots of the

tweet without revealing the player's

identity.

"…….your going out with a asian," the

player seem to have posted with

hashtags

of

#asianthroughhandthrough # hweollo

#chinky.

The England and Wales Cricket

Board (ECB) is now investigating the

matter.

"It has been brought to our attention

that an England player has posted

historic offensive material on their

social media account. We are looking

into it and will make a further comment

in due course," an ECB spokesperson

was quoted as saying by the website.

The offensive posts came to fore

hours after the ECB suspended

Robinson pending a investigation into

his racist tweets in 2012 and 2013.

Robinson, who scored 42 runs and

took seven wickets on his Test debut

against New Zealand, has already

apologised for his behaviour after his

old tweets emerged.

England's Culture Secretary Oliver

Dowden, howevere, criticised the ECB's

decision to suspend Robinson, calling it

"over the top". The country's Prime

Minister Boris Johnson also agreed

with him.

Dowden contended that Robinson's

tweets were a decade old, "written by a

teenager" but agreed that they were

offensive and wrong.

England head coach Chris

Silverwood earlier emphasised on the

need of proper education in fight

against discrimination.

"We all get things wrong at times. It's

what we do and how we act. That's

where the education comes in," he said.

England head coach Chris Silverwood earlier emphasised on the need of proper education in fight

against discrimination.

Photo: AP

US seeks 'common

approach' on

possible China

Olympics boycott

SPORTS DESK

Washington reiterated its

desire Monday to forge a

"common approach" with

allies over a possible boycott

of next year's Beijing Winter

Olympics, as called for by

growing numbers of US

lawmakers, reports BSS.

"With regard to the

Olympics, we're consulting

very closely with allies and

partners to look at the

common concerns that we

have, and ideally to establish

a common approach,"

Secretary of State Antony

Blinken told a congressional

hearing in Washington.

There will be "more on

that in the weeks to come,"

he added.

President Joe Biden's

administration has declined

for months to present its

position on a possible

boycott.

Blinken said a united front

with allied nations would be

"much more effective than

doing something on our

own."

Republicans are calling for

an outright boycott of the

Beijing Games over alleged

human rights violation by

the Chinese government, in

particular its repression of

Uyghur Muslims in the

Xinjiang region - treatment

that has been described by

Washington as a "genocide"

despite Beijing's protests.

SPORTS DESK

Syria joined Japan in the third round of

World Cup qualifying from Asia after a

first-half double by Mardak Mardikian

helped them beat Guam 3-0 and

confirm their top position in Group A

on Monday, reports BSS.

Syria's seventh win in as many

matches ensured they would be among

the 12 teams competing in the next

phase of qualifying for four confirmed

spots from Asia in next year's

tournament in Qatar. A fifth team from

the continent could make the cut via an

intercontinental play-off.

Top Japanese virologist warns

of risks of Tokyo Games during

pandemic-paper

SPORTS DESK

A top Japanese virologist and government

adviser has warned of the risks of spreading

Covid-19 infections during the Tokyo

Olympics, the Times of London reported on

Tuesday, the latest high-profile caveat about

the global sporting showpiece, reports UNB.

Tohoku University professor Hiroshi

Oshitani was an architect of Japan's "Three

Cs" approach to the pandemic, which advises

avoiding closed spaces, crowds and close

contact situations.

"The government and the organising

committee, including the IOC (International

Olympic Committee), keep saying they're

holding a safe Olympics. But everybody

knows there is a risk. It's 100 per cent

impossible to have an Olympics with zero

risk...of the spread of infection in Japan and

also in other countries after the Olympics,"

the Times quoted Oshitani as telling the

newspaper.

"There are a number of countries that do

not have many cases, and a number that

don't have any variants. We should not make

the Olympics (an occasion) to spread the

virus to these countries," he added, noting

most countries lack vaccines.

Already postponed from last year because

of the pandemic, a scaled-down version of

the Games with no foreign spectators is set to

start on July 23 despite public fears the event

could spread the coronavirus and drain

medical resources.

However, a former Olympian turned

public health expert said she believed the

Games can be pulled off with an acceptable

level of risk.

"There will be cases, but having one case or

a couple of cases doesn't mean that it was a

Mardikian took advantage of a poor

headed clearance by Alexander Lee to

slam the ball past Guam goalkeeper

Dallas Jaye in the sixth minute to put

the Syrians ahead at the Sharjah

Stadium.

The 29-year-old striker doubled his

side's lead just three minutes later with

a spectacular flying volley from a

Khaled Kerdagli cross that found the

top corner of Jaye's net.

Mahmoud al-Mawas, who scored a

hat-trick against the Maldives on

Friday, then made it 3-0 late in the

match as it was mission accomplished

for Nabil Maloul's men.

failure," Tara Kirk Sell, a professor at the

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public

Health, told Reuters on Tuesday.

Playbooks from event organisers detailing

testing regimes and movement restrictions

for athletes and other visitors "outline a good

strategy" for minimising contagion, she

added.

Japan has not suffered the explosive

outbreak seen elsewhere but has recorded

nearly 760,000 cases and more than 13,500

deaths. Tokyo and other regions are under a

state of emergency as it battles a fourth wave

which is straining hospitals.

The government's top medical adviser,

Shigeru Omi, said last week medical experts

planned a statement on the Games by June

20, when the state of emergency is set to be

lifted.

A labour union in the northern island of

Hokkaido, where the Olympic marathon will

be held, petitioned its governor on Monday

calling for the Games to be cancelled, media

said.

Japanese Olympic Committee board

member Kaori Yamaguchi, a judo bronze

medallist at the 1988 Games, said on Friday

Japan had been "cornered" into pressing

ahead with the Games. read more

Japan's public remains divided about

holding the Games, although opposition

appears to be easing somewhat. A poll by

broadcaster TBS this week showed 55%

wanted the Games either postponed or

cancelled - down 10 points from last month.

Sell, a silver medalist swimmer at the 2004

Games in Athens, said accelerating

vaccinations and ebbing case numbers in

Japan are positive signs the Olympics can go

on, but not without the risks involved in any

type of international travel.

Syria join Japan in next phase

of World Cup qualifying

Also in Group A, China beat the

Philippines 2-0 for their fourth win in

six matches but with 13 points they trail

Syria by eight and can only hope to

make the grade as one of the four best

second-placed teams.

In Group C, Iraq thrashed Cambodia

4-1 to go top with 14 points from six

matches, while Iran hammered

Bahrain 3-0 to climb to second, two

behind the leaders.

Mohannad Ali, Bashar Rasan and Ali

Adnan struck in the first half for Iraq

and Safaa Hadi finished off

proceedings with a goal in second-half

stoppage time.

WeDNesDAY, JUNe 9, 2021

10

Kumar Biswajit praises

'Priyo's song

TBT RepoRT

Tawfiq Ahmed Priyo, musicians

of this generation. Priyo also

sings songs at the request of

family chat. Just like that, Priyo

recently took part in a private

chat at the invitation of some of

his favorite people. From the

very beginning, Kumar

Biswajit, a well-known

musician of Bangladesh, sang

the popular song

Pori Moni in Chayanika's

first web film

TBT RepoRT

Smrity Shamsunnahar , known

by her stage name Pori Moni, is

a Bangladeshi actress and

model. Her notable films

include AroBhalobashboTomay,

Rokto, Pure Jay Mon and

Swapnajaal.

Pori Moni is currently passing

her busy time. She is working in

her own rhythm. Although she is

sometimes criticized about her

personal life, she is quite like

herself, ignoring them all the

time. This time she will be seen

playing the role of a

fundamentalist Hindu family's

wife . Director Chayanika

Chowdhury is going to make her

first web film with Pori, she will

be seen in such a character in

that web film titled 'Antarale'.

The web film is written by

PanthShahriar.

Pori Moni and Chayanika

Chowdhury are associated with

'Bishwoshundori'. Not only did

the audience respond to this

movie, but their relationship also

took on a new look. Pori Moni

addresses Chayanika

Chowdhury as 'Maa'. So there is

no need to explain their

relationship.

In the web film titled 'Antrale',

Pori Moni will be seen in the role

of Arpita, the wife of a

fundamentalist Hindu family.

Her husband is a businessman.

At one point, the mystery of the

murder was added to their love

story. Where the situation is due

to a murder in middle class life, it

will come up here.

Regarding the web film,

Chayanika Chowdhury said, 'I

had Pori in my first film.

Interestingly, she is also in my

first web film. She is beautiful to

look at, knows how to dance, can

act well. We share a very good

relationship. Our relationship is

so beautiful that I can finish the

job with a smile without any

break.'

Meanwhile, the filmmaker

Chayanika said that the shooting

of 'Antarale' will start this month.

Bollywood actor Salman Khan

on Monday filed an application

before a court here demanding

that contempt action be

initiated against actor Kamaal R

Khan for continuing to make

defamatory remarks despite an

undertaking not to do so.

The application was

submitted in a defamation suit

filed by Salman seeking to

restrain Kamaal R Khan from

directly or indirectly making

and uploading videos or any

other content on the actor, his

business ventures and

films/projects.

When the defamation suit was

heard last month, Kamaal R

Khan's advocate ManojGadkari

told the court that his client

would not make any further

defamatory posts or remarks

against Salman till the next date

of hearing.

Salman had filed a defamation

complaint against Kamaal R

Salman Khan seeks contempt action

against Kamaal Khan for defamation

Khan over the latter's review of

the just-released Hindi film

Radhe.

On Monday, Salman's

advocate PradipGhandy told

Additional Sessions Judge C V

Marathe that despite the

assurance, Kamaal R Khan

continued to publish

defamatory tweets.

"This is contempt of

court,"PradipGhandy argued.

An application was then

submitted seeking contempt

action against Kamaal R Khan.

The court heard arguments on

the application and posted it for

further hearing on June 11.

The court said till then the

earlier statement made by

Kamaal R Khan's advocate

ManojGadkari will continue.

Source: Indian Express

Kornia, Sadi's duet song 'Ichchhe Hole'

TBT RepoRT

Zakiya Sultana Kornia is a popular stage

show performer singer of present

generation. She impressed the audience by

virtue of her exceptional rendering style.

For this reason, she has a lot of fans in and

outside the country. Kornia always thinks

about topresent new songs for her fans

duringcorona pandemic. Kornia and

Sheikh Sadi, promising singer of present

generation,rendered a duet song titled

Ichchhe Hole for the first time. The song

will be released on YouTube channel of

Kornia on June 10. Robiul Islam Jibon

wrote lyrics of the song, while

ShahriarAlam Marcel composed tunes and

music. Saiful Islam Roman has made

music video of the song.

While talking about the song Kornia said,

"For many days, I had planned to render a

soft romantic duet song. After hearing this

song first time, I liked it. In fact, I like Jibon

Bhai written lyrics. His written first song

was rendered by me. My friend

ZooelMorshed told me that among

newcomer singers, Sheikh Sadi is doing

well now. For this reason, I showed my

keen interest to render the song with him.

Overall, it has become a nice and

melodious song. Its music video also

became nice. I am optimistic about this

duet song."

Sheikh Sadi said, "Ichchhe Hole is my

first rendered duet song. It was my first

song rendering with KorniaApu.

Therefore, for the first time, I rendered a

song which lyrics were written by Jibon

Bhai. It is no doubt KorniaApu is a

talented singer. She has co-operated me a

lot while rendering the song. Overall, it

has become a beautiful song. I really

enjoyed to lend my voice for the song and

also took part in shooting of its music

video. I hope everybody will like this

romantic song. Within very soon my

written a new song will be released on my

YouTube channel."

Meanwhile, Kornia is passing happy life

with her husband Nabil Salauddin. During

corona pandemic, despite staying at home

Kornia is trying to connect with her fans

and music-lovers through social media

releasing new songs for them. She first

lent her voice for play-back song for movie

Ranga Mon.

'Conjuring 3' tops 'A Quiet Place

2' as moviegoing returns

The domestic box office is getting

back to normal, with moderate

wins and sizable second weekend

drops. After its triumphant first

weekend, "A Quiet Place Part II"

fell 59% at the North American

box office leaving room for the

third movie in the "Conjuring"

franchise to take first place.

Warner Bros.'"The Conjuring:

The Devil Made Me Do It" earned

an estimated $24 million,

according to studio estimates

Sunday, making it the biggest R-

rated opening of the pandemic.

Paramount's "A Quiet Place"

sequel meanwhile earned $19.5

million in ticket sales, bringing its

domestic total to $88.6 million.

"You normally don't see two

horror movies at the top of the

chart. But it was a solid weekend

for both movies," said Paul

Dergarabedian, the senior media

analyst for Comscore. "The movie

theaters are coming back and

Memorial Day was no flash in the

pan ... It feels like summer again."

"The Conjuring 3" has Patrick

Wilson and Vera Farmiga

returning as paranormal

investigators Ed and Lorraine

Warren. Although there's a whole

extended universe set around

these films that have thus far

grossed over $1.8 billion, this is the

first "Conjuring" since 2016, and

the first to be helmed by someone

other than James Wan (Michael

Graves directed). With an

additional $26.8 million from

international territories, globally,

the R-rated pic has grossed over

$57.1 million.

"It's a terrific result," said Jeff

Goldstein, the head of domestic

distribution for Warner Bros.

"We're continuing to see a ramp up

of return to life outside of our

homes. It was never going to be a

light switch."

In a pre-pandemic world, "The

Conjuring 3" might have been

considered a bit disappointing-the

previous installments both opened

around $40 million. But, as

Goldstein noted, the third films in

a horror franchise often take a hit.

It has another caveat too: The film

is also currently streaming free for

subscribers on HBO Max. Warner

Media did not say how many

people watched it on streaming

over the weekend or how many

new customers signed up for the

service. It has become more

normal than not for films to

embrace a hybrid day-and-date

release strategy, with the major

studios using their biggest titles to

drive potential subscribers to their

streaming services. "A Quiet Place

Part II" had the rare distinction of

being exclusively in theaters, but

even so it will be a shorter stint

than usual before it hits

Paramount+. The Walt Disney

Co.'s "Cruella," which opened in

theaters last weekend, was also

made available to rent on Disney+

for $29.99. The Emma Stone and

Emma Thompson pic added $11.2

million from 3,922 theaters this

weekend to take third place.

Disney also did not say how much

it earned from streaming rentals,

but the company did note the drop

from last weekend was only 48%.

Globally, "Cruella" has earned

$87.1 million thus far.

Source: Times Of India

H o Roscope

ARIes

(March 21 - April 20) : You may feel

nostalgic as you look through photo

albums, rearrange furniture, and

remember past times, Aries. Your mind will touch on

emotional events that you may not have fully dealt

with at the time they happened. Old feelings that you

thought were gone could well up and bring tears to

your eyes. Honestly face these feelings now instead of

stuffing them back down for another decade.

TAURUs

(April 21 - May 21) : You could

be operating based on an

assumption that's only a partial

representation of the truth. In

your effort to think about only the good side of

the situation, Taurus, you may not see the

entire truth. There's a downside to everything.

Feelings of anger, frustration, and even

loneliness may go along with it.

GeMINI

(May 22 - June 21) : If you're

experiencing emotional upheaval,

Gemini, you may take heart in

knowing that other people are

going through their own emotional turmoil as

well. You will know that you aren't alone in your

quest for emotional stability. Share your feelings

with others instead of shutting them up inside. It

will help you feel better.

cANceR

(June 22 - July 23) : You may

feel like someone's giving you

the third degree, Cancer. You

sense that you're being accused

of something and that you need to defend

your feelings and actions. Try not to fall into

this trap. Don't let self-doubt sneak into the

situation just because someone else questions

your way of life. No one but you fully

understands your situation.

Leo

(July 24 - Aug. 23): Today may

be filled with "I told you so!" You

could find fault with others who

haven't dealt with the truth of a

situation. Be careful about

accusing someone of the very thing that you're

guilty of, Leo. Penetrating emotions will cut to

the heart of the matter, and there will be no way

to escape the hole you dig for yourself. Don't

criticize others when until you take an honest

look at yourself.

VIRGo

(Aug. 24 - Sept. 23): Most of the time

you deal with the facts, Virgo. Facts

are things you can grasp, categorize,

and make rational sense of.

Unfortunately, today some of your facts may be

challenged by one of the things you fear most -

intense emotions. The ensuing friction is like

dealing with apples and oranges.

LIBRA

(Sept. 24 - Oct. 23): It will be

hard to deal with emotional

issues that arise. A strong

misleading force is feeding the illusion that

things are fine when they really aren't. Stop

pretending that everything is going well,

Libra. The sooner you face the truth, the

sooner it will stop plaguing you. Confront

the deception directly.

scoRpIo

(Oct. 24 - Nov. 22): Don't automatically

assume that people are going to

understand your needs, Scorpio. Your

emotions may be powerful today, and

you could end up scaring people away instead of

drawing them closer simply because you act

irrationally and emotionally instead of reasonably and

civilly. Be careful about targeting your frustration at the

people who can help you the most.

sAGITTARIUs

(Nov. 23 - Dec. 21): You're in a

difficult position. Things aren't

exactly what they seem,

Sagittarius. Your emotions run the

show today, and you may jump from one extreme

to the other. There's a good chance that much of

what you experience is based on misinformation.

Don't get so caught up in the drama that you fail

to recognize the truth of the situation.

cApRIcoRN

(Dec. 22 - Jan. 20): When faced

with an emotionally intense

situation, you're likely to flee,

Capricorn. You'd rather change

the subject to something more lighthearted.

This form of escapism is doing nothing to

solve the problem. In fact, by avoiding the

emotional topic, you're only creating more

friction than if you just approached the

problem directly.

AQUARIUs

(Jan. 21 - Feb. 19) : With your

psychic abilities, you're liable to

shed some light on issues in

which the truth has been unclear

for quite a while, Aquarius. You

can use your sensitivity to cut to the heart of the

matter and expose the truth. This kind of

behavior probably won't come without friction

from others. You can almost guarantee that it

will. Don't let it faze you. It's important to reveal

the truth.

pIsces

(Feb. 20 - Mar. 20) : Control issues in

your home are apt to be of concern today,

Pisces. Be careful about feeding into

others' misconceptions of the situation.

You're dealing with powerful, opinionated forces that

aren't going to want to budge. Someone may have a

warped view of the true issue at hand. Lay all the facts on

the table before you start drawing any conclusions.

wednesdAY, june 9, 2021

11

Last of Soviet soldiers

who liberated Auschwitz

dies at 98

BERLIN : David Dushman,

the last surviving Soviet

soldier involved in the

liberation of the Nazi death

camp at Auschwitz, has

died. He was 98.

The Jewish Community

of Munich and Upper

Bavaria said Sunday that

Dushman had died at a

Munich hospital on

Saturday.

Train barrels into another in

Pakistan, killing at least 51

GHOTKI : An express train

barreled into another that

had derailed in Pakistan

before dawn Monday, killing

at least 51 people and setting

off a desperate effort to

search the crumpled cars for

survivors and the dead,

authorities said, reports

UNB.

More than 100 other

people were injured. Cries

for help pierced the night as

passengers climbed out of

overturned or crushed rail

cars. The pleas continued to

echo throughout the day at

the scene in the district of

Ghotki, in the southern

province of Sindh.

Heavy machinery arrived

to cut open some cars, and

more than 15 hours after the

crash, rescuers carefully

removed wreckage as they

looked for anyone who

might remain trapped -

though hopes were fading

for survivors. The military

deployed troops, engineers

and helicopters to assist.

The Millat Express train

derailed around 3:30 a.m.,

and the Sir Syed Express

train hit it minutes later, said

Usman Abdullah, a deputy

commissioner of Ghotki. It

was not immediately clear

what caused the derailment,

and the driver of the second

train said he braked when he

saw the disabled train but

did not have time to avoid

the collision.

About 1,100 passengers

were aboard the two trains,

rail officials said.

"The challenge for us is to

quickly rescue those

passengers who are still

trapped in the wreckage,"

said Umar Tufail, a police

chief in the district.

The death toll steadily rose

through the day, and the

chances of finding survivors

were diminishing, said

Rizwan Nazir, a district

administration official.

Authorities brought in

lights so rescuers could work

through the night. Relatives

of some of the missing

passengers waited nearby.

Passengers with critical

injuries were to be brought

by helicopter to a nearby

hospital.

Engineers and experts

were trying to determine

what caused the collision,

said Azam Swati, the

minister for railways who

headed to the scene of the

crash. He told The

Associated Press that all

aspects would be examined,

including the possibility of

sabotage.

The segment of the railway

tracks where the crash took

place was old and needed

replacing, Habibur Rehman

Gilani, chairman of Pakistan

Railways, told Pakistan's

Geo News TV. He did not

elaborate.

Aijaz Ahmed, the driver of

the Sir Syed Express, told

the station that on seeing the

derailed train, he tried his

best to avoid the crash by

braking but failed. Railway

officials said Ahmed was

slightly injured, and villagers

pulled him from the train's

engine after the crash.

Pakistani Prime Minister

Imran Khan expressed his

deep sorrow over the

tragedy, saying on Twitter

that he asked the railway

minister to supervise the

rescue work and ordered a

probe into the crash.

According to local media,

some of the passengers on

the Millat Express were

heading to a wedding party.

Mohammad Amin, one of

the passengers on the Millat

Express who had minor

injuries, told the AP from a

hospital that before the

train departed from the

southern port city of

Karachi, he and his brother

saw mechanics working on

one of the cars.

That led them to believe

there was something wrong

with it, but they were

reassured all was fine. Amin

said he believed the car that

was being worked on was

the one that later derailed.

Railway officials said they

were recording statements

of survivors, including the

drivers.

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Unnayan Shamannay

suggests restructuring

of health sector

DHAKA : Unnayan

Shamannay and Bangladesh

Health Watch yesterday

jointly organized a postbudget

virtual press

conference with emphasize

on restructuring the health

sector to ensure

comprehensive and effective

response to the ongoing

pandemic.

Former Governor of

Bangladesh Bank and Chair

of Unnayan Shamannay- Dr.

Atiur Rahman presented the

keynote paper, said a press

release.

Dr. Atiur Rahman, in his

remarks, said that the

policymakers have been

rightly cautious about

increasing budget allocations

for health- considering the

spending efficiency.

Yet, he added, they could

have been a bit braver

considering the current

situation.

He also pointed out that

because of the strong

macroeconomic base

Bangladesh currently

enjoying, the country need

not worry too much about

deficit financing, growth rate

etc.

Rather the focus now

should be on collecting

adequate vaccines so that 60

to 70 percent of the

population can be vaccinated

within the next fiscal year, he

said.

He opined that getting the

vaccines in time will require

smart diplomacy and

support from the

international development

partners.

The session was

moderated by Bangladesh

Health Watch Convener- Dr.

Mushtaque Raza

Chowdhury. In the opening

remarks, Dr. Chowdhury

pointed out that share of

health in the total budget has

been hovering around 5

percent of the total budget,

which needs to be

significantly higher.

More concerning is the fact

that the responsible

authorities are not managing

to efficiently spend the

subpar allocations.

Wednesday, Dhaka, June 9, 2021, Jaistha 26, 1428 BS, Shawal 27, 1442 Hijri

Corona infection has been increased in the bordering district Satkhira tremendously.

Administrative strictness to prevent the spread of the virus witnessed. Photo : Star Mail

Bangladesh can earn at least $ 2bn more

exporting non-cotton products: BGMEA

DHAKA : Bangladesh Garment

Manufacturers and Exporters Association

(BGMEA) President Faruque Hassan on

Tuesday said Bangladesh can add at least

US$ 2 billion in its export earnings annually

by grabbing the growing global market

of man-made fibre (MMF) textiles.

"There's huge opportunity. Market is

there. If we can grab the opportunity, we

can add additional exports worth US$ 2

billionat least," he told a small group of

reporters at his office in the city.

The chief of the country's apparel sector's

apex body reiterated its request to the

government to provide a 10 percent cash

incentive for non-cotton based garment

exports for a certain period so that

Bangladesh remains competitive in the

global market.

Faruque said such efforts will help create

employment and boost investment in

the sector contributing to the overall economy

of the country.

He said the demand for man-made fibre

(MMF) textiles all over the world is on the

rise with annual growth of 3 to 4 percent as

a substitute for cotton amid changes in

global fashion trends.

Currently MMF dominates global textile

DHAKA : The Executive Committee of

the National Economic Council (Ecnec)

on Tuesday approved a Tk 1400-crore

project to construct 30 modern silos,

aiming to increase the overall paddy

storage capacity by 1.5 lakh metric tons

in the country, reports UNB.

The approval came from an Ecnec

meeting held virtually with its

Chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina in the chair.

Hasina joined the meeting from

Ganobhaban, while ministers and officials

concerned attended it from the

NEC conference room.

The meeting approved a total of 10

projects involving the overall estimated

cost of Tk 6,651.34 crore, said Planning

Minister MA Mannan while briefing

reporters after the meeting.

"Of the cost, Tk 5,219.81 crore will

come from the state coffer while Tk

794.03 crore from the own funds of the

organisations concerned and Tk 637.50

crore from foreign sources," he said.

About the silo project, he said 30 steel

silos would be constructed initially and

later its number will be increased.

Paddy drying and preservation and

other relevant facilities will be there in

each 5000-MT modern silo, according

to the factsheet provided by the

Planning Commission.

The main objectives of the project are to

raise the storage capacity by 1.5 lakh metric

tons under the government management,

provide farmers with fair prices

through direct procurement of their rice,

incorporate modern technology in the

government's food management, maintain

the nutritious standard of grains for

fibre consumption with around 75 percent

non-cotton fibre (64 percent MMF) while

the cotton share is only 25 percent.

The share of MMF has been steadily

increasing due to the inherent limitations

of growth of cotton and other natural

items.

The BGMEA President said they did not

ask for reduction of any tax this time but

only wanted continuation of those facilities

that are already in place.

He said MMF-based textile trade volume

stood US$ 150 billion in 2017 while

Bangladesh's share was only 5 against

Bangladesh's competitor Vietnam's share

of 10 percent.

The BGMEA President said though

there was investment in the non-cotton or

MMF sector in the past, it was mainly capital

investment and technology-based

investment.

He said it will encourage investment

and exports in the non-cotton sector if 10

percent incentive is given on export of

non-cotton products.

Faruque said they did not see that much

investment in the sector in the last couple

of years which is required for employment

generation.

Govt to construct 30 modern

silos for paddy storage

2-3 years without using pesticide.

The Directorate General of Food

under the Food Ministry will implement

the project in 30 upazilas under 24 districts

at an estimated cost of Tk 1400.22

crore by June 2023.

The selected upazilas or pourashavas

where these silos will be constructed are

Katiadi, Mirzapur, Tangail Sadar,

Faridpur Sadar, Haluaghat, Melandah,

Sreebardi, Brahmanbaria Sadar,

Noakhali Sadar, Cumilla Sadar,

Dinajpur Sadar, Birol, Thakurgaon

Sadar, Boda, Hatibandha, Shibpur,

Raninagar, Ishwardi, Nandigram,

Sherpur, Khetlal, Kanaighat,

Shayestaganj, Sunamganj Sadar, Narail

Sadar, Kumarkhali, Charfashion,

Patuakhali Sadar and Kalapara.

Mannan said the Prime Minister

directed the authorities concerned to

construct such modern silos in the country's

southern region, especially in

Bhola, Patuakhali and Barguna as the

production of food grains is high there.

The Prime Minister emphasised the

practice of tissue culture in the country on

potato seeds, vegetables and other crops to

improve the quality of production and

thus attain self-sufficiency in food.

During the approval of the 1st revision

of BPATC's Enhancing Training

Capacity with an additional cost of Tk

348.61 crore, the Prime Minister

stressed the need for extending the

length of foundation (training) courses

to 10 months instead of 2 to 3 months.

In reply to a question, the planning

minister said the government is likely to

conduct a perception survey again to

determine the impacts of Covid-19.

McKinseyin its recent report said the

ready-made garment (RMG) industry is a

mainstay of this economic success story

and Bangladesh is today one of the world's

largest garment exporters, with the RMG

sector accounting for 84 percent of

Bangladesh's exports.

However, it said, the pandemic has

stalled the sector's progress at a crucial

moment, just as global shifts in fashion

sourcing threaten Bangladesh's position in

industry supply chains.

Referring to the report, the BGMEA

President said over the past decade,

Bangladesh's RMG sector has made

impressive progress in tackling the challenges

of growth-particularly in diversifying

customers and products, improving

supplier and workforce performance, and

strengthening compliance and sustainability.

"We'll remain transparent," he said and

referred to the report that says

Bangladesh's RMG sector is today a frontrunner

in transparency regarding factory

safety and value chain responsibility.

The BGMEA President said they, within

the next three months, will launch "Centre

of Innovation and Efficiency."

DU teacher's

termination: HC

questions legality

of action

DHAKA : The High Court on Tuesday

asked the Dhaka University authorities

to explain in four weeks why its decision

to terminate Professor Morshed Hasan

Khan from his job should not be

declared illegal.

The bench of Justice M Enayetur

Rahim and Justice Sardar Md Rashed

Jahangir issued the rule on Wednesday

following a writ petition filed byProf

Morshed, a teacher at the marketing

department.

Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua stood for

the writ while Deputy Attorney General

Arvind Kumar Roy represented the

state.

Earlier last year, the university sacked

Prof. Morshed on charges of distorting

the country's history and defaming

Father of the Nation Bangabandhu

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

The professor made some remarks on

Bangabandhu in an article titled

"Jyotirmoy Zia", published in a national

daily on March 25, 2018 prompting

strong objections and condemnation

from the DU wing of Bangladesh

Chhatra League.

After the ruling, Jyotirmoy told the

media that the DU authorities sent a termination

letter to his client on Oct 6. On

Oct 11, Prof Morshed submitted an

appeal to the DU vice-chancellor against

his termination, but the VC did not act

in seven months.

"So we have filed a writ petition with

the HC challenging the authorities.

Today, the court delivered a verdict

challenging the legality of the termination,,"

he added.

HC rejects writ

challenging

gazette on

Papul's MP post

DHAKA : The High Court on Tuesday

rejected a writ petition filed by ex-

Laxmipur-2 lawmaker Shahid Islam

Papul's wife challenging the gazette

notification that declared the MP's seat

vacant.

The bench of Justice Md Mojibur

Rahman Mia and Justice Md Kamrul

Hossain Mollah passed the order after

hearing a writ filed by Papul's wife

Selina Islam, said deputy attorney general

Nouroz M Russel Chowdhury.

On January 28, a Kuwait court sentenced

Papul to four years' jail in a case related to

human trafficking, residency visa trading

and money laundering. He was also fined

around 1.9 million Kuwaiti dinars.

On 6 June last year, Papul was arrested

in Kuwait.

On August 16 of the same year, Abul

Fayez Bhuiyan, an independent candidate

from the Laxmipur-2 constituency,

filed a writ petition challenging the legality

of Papul's parliament membership as

he had been accused of providing fake

documents and submitting fake education

certificates.

On February 22 this year, parliament

declared the Lakshmipur-2 constituency

vacant following the conviction of

Papul on charges of human trafficking

and money laundering by a court in

Kuwait.

ACC seeks wealth

information of Rajuk

engineer, 4 others

DHAKA : The Anti- Corruption

Commission ( ACC) has issued a

notice seeking asset statements of five

government officials including the

chief engineer ( implementation) of

Rajuk.

Deputy director of ACC public relations

office Muhammad Arif Sadeq

told UNB on Monday that they were

asked to submit their asset statements

within 21 working days.

The five government officials are

additional chief engineer of Public

Works Department of Dhaka metropolitan

area Pradeep Kumer Basu, his

wife Taposhi Das, supervising engineer

of Roads and Highways department

of Khulna Zone, councillor of

Ward number-9 of Tarabo

Municipality of Rupganj Upazilla of

Narayanganj Atiqur Rahman, chief

engineer of Rajuk ( implementation)

and Project Director of Urban

resilience project of Rajuk part Abdul

Latif Helali , his wife Rozina Begum,

and former office assistant of Rajuk

Abdul Jalil Akanda and his wife

Jahanara Begum.

They have been directed to submit

to the Commission statements of

their all movable and immovable

property, liabilities, sources of income

and their acquisition in the name of

themselves and their dependents, the

spokesperson said.

The notice further said that if they

fail to submit the statements of asset

within the stipulated time or submit

false statements, action would be

taken against them as per sub-section

(2) of section 26 of the Anti-

Corruption Commission Act.

Multinational companies

plan to cut suppliers who

fail to curb carbon emission

DHAKA : Some 78 per cent multinational

companies plan to remove by

2025 suppliers that endanger their carbon

transition plan according to a study

by Standard Chartered, reports UNB.

According to Carbon Dated, which

looks at the risks and opportunities for

suppliers in emerging and fast-growing

markets as large corporates transition to

net zero, MNCs expect to exclude 35 per

cent of their current suppliers as they

transition away from carbon.

The study also found that-Supply

chain emissions account for an average

of 73 per cent of MNCs' total emissions

and More than two thirds (67 per cent)

of MNCs say tackling supply chains

emissions is the first step in their netzero

transition, rather than focusing on

their own carbon output.

It also said that Suppliers in 12 key

emerging and fast-growing markets can

share in USD1.6 trillion worth of business

if they can remain part of MNC

supply chains.

According to the study the MNCs are

increasing the pressure on their suppliers

to become more sustainable, with

companies based in emerging and fastmoving

markets facing the biggest challenge.

Some 64 per cent of MNCs believe

emerging market suppliers will struggle

Fresh food markets play key role

to fight food insecurity: experts

DHAKA : Experts at a dialogue today

said fresh food markets are a key

resource in the effort to increase nutritious

intake and fight food insecurity.

Citing the findings of a recent study by

the Food and Agriculture (FAO), they

said 95 percent of the urban poor in

Dhaka purchase most of their food from

these markets, reports UNB.

As part of preparations for the first

ever United Nations Food Systems

Summit (UNFSS) later this year, an

independent dialogue was held today on

the future of the country's fresh food

markets.

The dialogue was coorganised by

FAO, the World Bank, Global Alliance

for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), BSAFE

Foundation, British Council's PROKAS,

and Bangladesh Food Safety Authority

(BFSA), a FAO press release said.

Md Abdul Kayowm Sarker, Chairman

of Bangladesh Food Safety Authority;

Dr Shaikh Azizur Rahman, Director

General, Department of Livestock

Services; Md Asadullah, Director

General of Department of Agricultural

Extension; Farid Ahmed, Chief

Executive Officer of Dhaka South City

Corporation; Md Bablu Kumar Saha,

Director General, Directorate of

National Consumer Rights Protection;

and Dr Shaikh Mohammad Bokhtiar,

Chairman of Bangladesh Agriculture

Research Council spoke at the dialogue.

more than developed market suppliers

to meet their emission reduction targets,

with a further 57 per cent prepared to

replace emerging market suppliers with

developed market suppliers to aid their

transition.

MNCs are concerned that emerging

market suppliers are failing to keep pace

with for two key reasons; insufficient

knowledge and inadequate data. Some

56 per cent of MNCs believe that the lack

of knowledge among emerging market

suppliers (41 per cent for developed

market suppliers) is a barrier to decarbonisation.

With MNCs struggling with the quality

of data, two-thirds are using secondary

sources of data to plug the gap left by

supplier emissions surveys. A further 46

per cent say that unreliable data from

suppliers is a barrier to reducing emissions.

The study also reveals that the current

approach taken by MNCs could create a

USD1.6 trillion opportunity for the netzero

club: those businesses reducing

emissions in line with MNC net-zero

plans.

This represents a major opportunity

for net-zero-focused suppliers across the

12 markets in this study, but also quantifies

the potential losses to companies

not embracing net-zero transition.

Khaja Abdul Hannan, Additional

Secretary of Ministry of Food; Dr Shaikh

Azizur Rahman, Director General,

Department of Livestock Services

(DLS); John Taylor, Chief Technical

Adviser of Dhaka Food System, FAO;

Gerry Fox, Team Leader of PROKAS,

British Council; Reza Siddique of

BSAFE Foundation; delivered the opening

speeches at the dialogue.

John Taylor, Chief Technical Advisor

of FAO's Dhaka Food System project,

said fresh food markets have a pivotal

role to play in improving access to safe,

affordable, and nutritious food.

Fresh food markets can really

improve the diets of community members

who are food insecure, Taylor said,

adding that those suffering from food

insecurity have little money for or access

to food, particularly nutritious food.

"This can negatively affect their learning

and development, family life, productivity,

and physical and mental health. Fresh

markets are beneficial not only for the

poor though but a great resource for everybody

since they sell a great variety of fresh

food that is important to keep healthy," the

FAO adviser said.

FAO is supporting the government of

Bangladesh to hold a series of UNFSS

dialogues that will result in a set of policy

recommendations and actions necessary

for a more sustainable and inclusive

food system.

Due to carelessness, MA Aziz stadium adjacent outer stadium in Chattogram has

turned into a abandoned place.

Photo : Star Mail

09-06-2021

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