21-08-2019

wednesdaY 

DHAkA: August 21, 2019; Bhadra 6, 1426 BS; Zilhaj 19,1440 Hijri 

www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www.bangladeshtoday.net 

Regd.No.DA~2065, Vol.17; No.203; 12 Pages~Tk.8.00 

international 

Dengue cases in Philippines 

surge to more than 188,000, 

with over 800 deaths 

>Page 7 

art & culture 

Twitter Bans China Accounts 

for Misinformation Campaign 

Against 'Mulan' Boycott 

>Page 8 

sport 

Mashrafe boost for 

HP players ahead 

of 'do or die' clash 

>Page 9 

Dhaka, Delhi working on formulas 

to share 54 common rivers' water 

DHAKA : Visiting Indian External 

Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar on 

Tuesday said Bangladesh and India are 

working to find "mutually acceptable formulas" 

to share water from 54 shared 

rivers with keeping India's commitment 

to resolving Teesta issue unchanged, 

reports UNB. 

"We look forward to making a progress 

to find mutually acceptable formulas to 

share water from our 54 shared rivers," 

he told reporters adding that they are 

ready to make a start wherever it is possible. 

Asked about long-pending Teesta 

water-sharing matter, Jaishankar said 

there has been no change regarding their 

commitment to resolve the issue. "We've 

a position. You all are aware of it. We've 

a commitment onthat position. And 

there's no change in that regard." 

The Indian External Affairs Minister 

and his Bangladesh counterpart Dr AK 

Abdul Momen briefed the journalists 

after their bilateral meeting at state 

guesthouse Jamuna that lasted for over 

an hour from 11:10am. 

On Rohingya issue, Jaishankar said 

they agreed that the "safe, speedy and 

sustainable" return of Rohingyas to their 

Why Minni should not 

be granted bail: HC 

DHAKA : The High Court on Tuesday 

issued a rule asking the government to 

explain as to why Ayesha Siddika 

Minni should not be granted bail in a 

case filed over the murder of her husband 

Rifat Sharif, reports UNB. 

The HC bench of Justice M Enayetur 

Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman 

issued the rule and ordered the authorities 

concerned to respond to the rule within 

seven days. It also fixed August 28 for next 

hearing. The HC asked the investigation 

officer of the case to appear before it on the 

next hearing day with documents. 

Besides, the HC asked the superintendent 

of Barguna district to clarify 

the press briefing arranged by police 

over the confessional statement by 

Minni under section 164 of the CrPc. 

The High Court on Monday wants to 

know the details of when the police SP of 

Barguna briefed media that Ayesha 

Siddika Minni had given a confessional 

statement over the murder of her husband 

Rifat Sharif. 

Zohr 

04:17 AM 

12:08PM 

04:37PM 

06:33PM 

07:55PM 

5:34 6:30 

place of origin in Rakhine State is in the 

national interest of the three countries- 

Bangladesh, Myanmar and India. 

"We reaffirmed our readiness to provide 

more assistance for the displaced 

persons in Bangladesh and to improve 

socioeconomic condition in Rakhine 

State," he said. 

Responding to a question on National 

Register of Citizens (NRC) for Assam, the 

Indian External Affairs Minister said this 

is an "internal matter" for India. 

Jaishankar said India's partnership 

with Bangladesh remains an example of 

what neighbours can do if they work 

together as two partners. 

He said the government led by Indian 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is determined 

to ensure that this partnership is 

truly a role model in South Asia and for 

the world. 

The Indian minister said they would 

like to offer all possible support to realise 

Bangladesh's development agenda 

which is in India's interest as well. 

Terming the ties is now in "golden 

age", he said the two countries will benefit 

mutually if the partnership between 

Bangladesh and India grows. 

Jaishankar said the two countries have 

a very important shared history and they 

look forward to sharing Bangladesh's celebrations 

of birth centenary of Father of 

Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur 

Rahman and 50th anniversary of 

Bangladesh's independence in 2021. 

Through the visit, the Indian minister 

said they signal publicly the importance 

they attach to the relationship ahead of 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to 

India. "This is such an important relationship." 

Jaishankar said the improved 

partnership against crimes, extremism 

and terrorist groups will have direct benefits 

to the people of the two countries 

when it comes to security issue. 

In terms of connectivity, he said they 

will step up this partnership to realise all 

the potential of connectivity. 

"We've many energy-sharing projects 

which we're discussing, including private 

and public sector partnership," he added. 

On trade issues, Jaishankar said they 

are ready to move to the next stage of 

economic partnership as Bangladesh's 

economy develops and matures. "We'll 

make progress at a phase which is comfortable 

for Bangladesh." 

DNCC launches 'combing 

operation' to tackle dengue 

DHAKA : Mayor of Dhaka North 

City Corporation (DNCC) Md 

Atiqul Islam on Tuesday said 

owners will be 

fined if Aedes 

larvae are found 

in houses under 

his city corporation 

after 20 

days, reports 

UNB. 

He came up 

with the 

announcement 

while launching 

a combing operation 

to 

destroy breeding 

grounds of 

Aedes mosquito and cleanliness 

drive at Dr Fazle Rabbi Park in the 

city's Gulshan area in the morning. 

Renowned educationalist Prof 

Abdullah Abu Sayeed inaugurated 

the drive. 

The DNCC mayor said their 

inspection teams will visit houses 

in each area during the combing 

operation and if they find Aedes 

larvae in any of those, they will 

hang a notice which reads 'Aedes 

larvae were found at this house' 

there. 

Describing it as the initial warning, 

he said they will warn the 

house owners again if larvae are 

found there after 10 days. "And 

finally, they'll be fined if the situation 

is found to the same during 

the next visit after another 10 

days." 

The combing operation will be 

conducted in 36 wards first, 

Atiqul said, adding that the newly 

added 18 wards will be brought 

under it later. 

Inaugurating the operation, Prof 

Abdullah Abu Sayeed urged the 

city dwellers to be aware to prevent 

dengue. "Everybody should 

keep their residence clean." 

Visiting Indian External Affairs Minister Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar paid a courtesy call on Prime 

Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday. 

Photo : Star Mail 

DSCC working 

to control 

dengue by early 

Sept: Mayor 

DHAKA : Dhaka South City 

Corporation (DSCC) has been working 

with its full might, aiming to control 

dengue within the first week of 

September, said its mayor Syeed 

Khokon on Tuesday, reports UNB. 

"The outbreak of Aedes mosquitoes 

and the rate of dengue infections are 

declining due to the special drives taken 

for destroying the breeding grounds of 

the mosquitoes. The situation is now 

stable," he said. 

The mayor came up with the remarks 

while inaugurating a drive on the premises 

of Dhaka Medical College and 

Hospital to destroy larvae of Aedes 

mosquitoes. 

"All the government organisations 

have been working together at the 

directive of Prime Minister Sheikh 

Hasina to control dengue. Hopefully, 

the dengue will come under control 

within the targeted time," Khokon said. 

DNCC has already conducted drives 

at 58,748 houses to destroy Aedes larvae, 

and members of Bangladesh 

Scouts have inspected 1,11,000 houses 

and distributed leaflets to raise public 

awareness, he added. 

DNCC is also operating anti-mosquito 

drives at Nursing Institute of DMCH, 

Dr Fazle Rabbi Hall in Dhaka's Bakshi 

Bazar areas, he said. 

At least 1,572 patients were hospitalised in 24 hours till 8 am on Tuesday while 6,470 patients are 

currently undergoing treatment at different hospitals and clinics. 

Photo : Star Mail 

15th anniversary of Aug 21 

grenade attacks today 

DHAKA : The nation is set to observe the 

15th anniversary of the gruesome grenade 

attack on an Awami League (AL) anti-terrorism 

rally in the capital on August 21 in 

2004 today with heavy hearts. 

The nation's long wait seeking justice of 

the brutal grenade attack that killed 24 

people and wounded nearly 500 finally 

ended as a special court pronounced the 

verdict of a case filed over the attack on 

October 10, 2018. 

The court awarded death sentence to 19 

people including former junior home 

minister Lutfuzzaman Babar and life 

imprisonment to 19 including ex-premier 

Khaleda Zia's fugitive son Tarique 

Rahman in connection with the grenade 

attack. 

With the verdict pronounced by 

Dhaka's 1st Speedy Trial Tribunal Judge 

Shahed Nur Uddin, the nation was freed 

from stigma of committing most shocking 

crime in the political history. 

The gruesome grenade attack was carried 

out at an anti-terrorism rally of 

Awami League (AL) at Bangabandhu 

Avenue in the capital on August 21 in 

2004 aiming to bankrupt the party leadership 

during the BNP-Jamaat alliance 

government. 

With the grace of the almighty, the then 

opposition leader and incumbent Prime 

Minister Sheikh Hasina and other front 

ranking leaders of AL narrowly escaped 

the carnage. 

But, 24 people including the then 

DHAKA : At least 299 people lost their 

lives in accidents during Eid-ul-Azha 

journeys between August 6 and August 

18, the Jatri Odhikar Sangrakkhan 

Parishad said Tuesday. While unveiling 

its findings at the National Press Club, 

the organisation said at least 818 people 

were also injured during this period, 

reports UNB. 

At least 250 accidents took place on 

roads, rails and waterways, according to 

the report prepared by the organisation's 

accident research and monitoring 

cell. Brig Gen (retd) GM Quamrul Islam, 

the organisation's President, dubbed the 

statistics "horrific and alarming". 

The data were collected from 18 

national dailies, six local dailies and 10 

online news portals. 

Most of the vehicles involved in accidents 

on highways were buses and 

motorcycles. 

Mahila AL president and wife of late 

Bangladesh president Zillur Rahman 

were killed and over 500 others injured in 

the attack and many of them became crippled 

for life. 

Those other killed in the barbaric 

grenade attack included the then opposition 

leader's personal security guard 

Lance Corporal (retd) Mahbubur Rashid, 

Abul Kalam Azad, Rezina Begum, Nasir 

Uddin Sardar, Atique Sarkar, Abdul 

Kuddus Patwari, Aminul Islam 

Moazzem, Belal Hossain, Mamun 

Mridha, Ratan Shikdar, Liton Munshi, 

Hasina Mamtaz Reena, Sufia Begum, 

Rafiqul Islam (Ada Chacha), Mostaque 

Ahmed Sentu, Md Hanif, Abul Kashem, 

Zahed Ali, Momen Ali, M Shamsuddin 

and Ishaque Miah. 

Prominent among those suffered serious 

splinter injuries included Sheikh 

Hasina, Amir Hossain Amu, Abdur 

Razzak, Suranjit Sengupta, Obaidul 

Quader, Advocate Sahara Khatun, 

Mohammad Hanif, Prof Abu Sayeed, and 

AFM Bahauddin Nasim. 

Marking the anniversary, the ruling AL, 

its front and associate bodies and its leftleaning 

allies, and other political parties, 

social-cultural and professional organisations 

have chalked out elaborate programmes 

across the country. 

AL and its associate bodies will place 

wreaths at a makeshift altar in front of the 

party's central office at Bangabandhu 

Avenue at 9am today. 

'299 killed in accidents 

during Eid holidays' 

Meanwhile, 16 people were killed in 21 

accidents on waterways. Twenty-three 

people were injured while 51 remained 

missing. 

Thirty people lost their lives in rail 

accidents during the same period. 

An excessive rush of people, rundown 

roads, reckless driving, unskilled drivers, 

animal-laden trucks and pickups, 

among others, were identified as causes 

of road accidents. 

Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Detective 

Branch officer DA Tayeb, Bangladesh 

Sarak Paribahan Sramik League's 

Additional Secretary General Hanif 

Khokon, BUET's Assistant Professor 

Kazi Saifun Newaz, Bangladesh Sarak 

Paribahan Sramik Federation's 

Secretary General Mokhlesur Rahman 

and Driver Training Center's Chairman 

Nurun Nabi Shimu, among others, were 

present at the press conference.

NEWS 

WEDNESDAY, 

AUgUST 21, 2019 

2 

Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar placing a wreath at the portrait of Father of the 

Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in front of Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at 

Dhanmondi-32 on Tuesday, August 20, 2019. 

Photo: UNB 

Democrats spending millions to 

try to take back statehouses 

Democrats still shaken by the 2010 tea 

party wave that netted Republicans six 

governors' offices, flipped 21 statehouse 

chambers and drove nearly 700 

Democratic state legislators from office 

are mounting a comeback, pouring 

millions of dollars into state level races, 

reports UNB. 

In a longtime Republican district 

covering a wealthy enclave of Dallas, 

Democratic challenger Shawn Terry 

has raised $235,000, an eye-popping 

amount for a statehouse race that's 

more than a year away. In Virginia, 

where the GOP holds a slim majority, 

Democrats have outraised Republicans 

for the first time in years. Democrats 

are even putting some money in deeply 

Republican Louisiana. 

The cash deluge shows how the 

consequences of next year's elections 

run far deeper than President Donald 

Trump's political fate. The party that 

controls state legislatures will take a 

leading role in the once-in-a-decade 

redistricting process that redraws 

congressional maps. Newly 

empowered Republicans used that 

process to their favor following the tea 

party victories, and Democrats want to 

use the same playbook. 

"There is, especially for this cycle, a 

very strong focus on redistricting," 

Terry said. 

The stakes are particularly high 

following a recent Supreme Court 

ruling that decided federal courts have 

no business policing political boundary 

disputes in many cases. The ruling 

doesn't apply to districts 

gerrymandered along racial lines but 

otherwise gives states wide latitude to 

draw maps with little concern for an 

eventual judicial rebuke. 

"Everybody knows everything is at 

Chattogram 

road crash kills 

bank official, 

brother-in-law 

CHATTOGRAM : A truck 

crashed into a motorcycle 

at Amjurhat in Patiya 

municipality on Monday 

night, killing a bank 

official and his brother-inlaw. 

The deceased were 

identified as Rafiqul Islam, 

36, a junior officer of First 

Security Islami Bank Ltd 

and son of Abdul Malek of 

Kagojipara in Patiya 

municipality, and his 

brother-in-law (sister's 

husband) Shahjahan, 45, a 

rural medical practitioner 

and son of Jahir Ahmed of 

the same area, reports 

UNB. 

Sub-inspector Akhtar 

Hossain of Patiya Police 

Station said Rafiqul and 

Shahjahan fell into a pond 

by the Chattogram-Cox's 

Bazar highway after the 

truck knocked their bike 

from behind around 

10:30pm when the duo 

was returning from the 

city. 

Locals rescued them and 

took them to Patiya Health 

Complex where doctors 

declared them brought 

dead. 

stake," said Stephanie Schriock, 

president of the group EMILY's List, 

which recruits and trains women to run 

for office and plans to spend $20 

million on legislative races. "We just 

have to go in and win chambers." 

Organizations like EMILY's List, the 

Democratic Governors Association and 

the Democratic Legislative Campaign 

Committee have seen a sharp increase 

in donations, nearing parity with 

Republicans who almost always 

outraise and outspend them, according 

to an analysis of IRS data by The 

Associated Press. 

And Democratic donors who gave 

little to nothing to down-ballot races in 

the past are cutting large checks to 

groups focused on state races, the AP's 

analysis shows. Among them are 

billionaire George Soros (at least $5.4 

million), hedge fund billionaire Donald 

Sussman (at least $4.8 million) and 

billionaire investor and entrepreneur 

Fred Eychaner (at least $4.2 million). 

The numbers don't take into account 

the activities of nonprofit "dark money" 

groups that both Republicans and 

Democrats operate. They won't have to 

disclose their finances until next year at 

the earliest. 

But already the money is filtering out 

to the states. 

Priorities USA, the largest 

Democratic outside group, and 

EMILY's List recently announced they 

would spend $600,000 on voter 

mobilization for Virginia's fall elections. 

For the first time, the Democratic 

opposition research group American 

Bridge is digging into the pasts of 

Republican statehouse candidates. 

And the DLCC, which is 

spearheading efforts in Virginia, says it 

has collected $9 million since the 2018 

Joe Biden won't be among the parade of 

White House hopefuls in California this 

week, skipping the Democratic National 

Committee's summer meeting to campaign 

in New Hampshire instead, reports UNB. 

The former vice president will have the 

nation's first primary state essentially to 

himself as his top rivals jockey for attention 

from hundreds of Democratic officials 

gathered in San Francisco for the party's 

last national meeting before presidential 

voting begins in February. 

Biden's choice is partly a reflection of 

Democrats' new rules that strip DNC 

members of their presidential nominating 

votes on the first 2020 convention ballot. 

But it's just as much an indication of 

Biden's deliberate front-runner strategy as 

he continues to lead national and state 

primary polls: The 76-year-old candidate is 

choosing carefully when to appear 

alongside the candidates who are trying to 

upend him, and he's keeping a distance, at 

least publicly, from the party machinery 

that ultimately proved an albatross to 

Hillary Clinton in her 2016 loss to Donald 

Trump. 

"He has a real commitment to be in the 

early states," said Biden's campaign 

chairman, Cedric Richmond, pointing to 

Biden's recent four-day swing through 

Iowa, the first caucus state, along with 

upcoming trips to South Carolina and 

Nevada and a return to Iowa. "I wouldn't 

make any more of the scheduling decision 

than that." 

midterm elections, an off-year record, 

and is on pace to reach its $50 million 

fundraising goal for the cycle. 

New groups that are focused on state 

races have sprung up, including the 

National Democratic Redistricting 

Committee, which is led by former 

Attorney General Eric Holder and 

endorsed by former President Barack 

Obama. 

Yemeni separatists, 

government forces 

clash in the south 

Yemeni officials and local residents say 

clashes between forces loyal to the 

country's internationally recognized 

government and separatists, backed by 

the United Arab Emirates, killed at 

least three people in southern Abyan 

province, reports UNB. 

The fighting between the two - 

ostensible allies against the rebel 

Houthis - further complicates Yemen's 

civil war. 

The officials and residents say 

militiamen from the separatist 

Southern Transitional Council, trained 

by the UAE, are besieging a military 

camp and government buildings the 

provincial capital, Zinjibar. 

They say the clashes also wounded 

nine civilians. 

The officials spoke on condition of 

anonymity because they weren't 

authorized to talk to the media, while 

the residents spoke anonymously, 

fearing reprisal. 

The clashes come after separatists 

earlier this month wrested control of 

the port city of Aden, west of Abyan. 

As rivals head to California, Biden 

chooses New Hampshire 

Indeed, Biden has joined multicandidate 

"cattle calls" in Iowa; Nevada, the first 

Western state in the nominating process; 

and South Carolina, which hosts the 

South's first primary. 

The Biden campaign also isn't ignoring 

the DNC: Campaign manager Greg Schultz 

will be in San Francisco on his boss's behalf. 

Yet the national Democratic gathering is a 

notable absence for the candidate himself, 

given Biden's deep connections across the 

party as a two-term vice president and sixterm 

senator who's run for president twice 

before; and Biden aides have noted quietly 

that they are keenly aware of the criticism 

Clinton absorbed in 2016 as progressive 

activists who backed Bernie Sanders 

accused the DNC of favoritism. Biden's 

team doesn't want a repeat if he's the 

nominee. 

With Biden away, DNC members will 

hear from, among others, Sanders and his 

fellow senators Elizabeth Warren and 

Kamala Harris, the hometown favorite who 

served previously as a local prosecutor and 

California attorney general. Several 

candidates have scheduled their own 

events in California beyond the DNC 

sessions. 

California will be critical to the 

nomination after moving up its primary to 

join a Southern-heavy Super Tuesday 

lineup next March. The state will have 400 

pledged delegates at stake, the largest of 

any state and about a fifth of the total 

necessary to win the nomination. 

Seminar 

on study in 

Japan held 

in SUST 

DHAKA : The Embassy of 

Japan and Shahjalal 

University of Science and 

Technology (SUST) on 

Tuesday jointly organised a 

seminar on higher study in 

Japan. 

The seminar, 'Study in 

Japan Seminar 2019', 

provided useful information 

on the opportunities of 

higher education in Japan, 

including the Japanese 

government scholarship, 

study and life in Japan as 

well as its advantages and 

possible career perspectives 

afterwards, reports UNB. 

Two professors of SUST 

who received their doctoral 

degrees from Japanese 

universities spoke about 

their study experiences in 

Japan. 

Around 150 students of 

SUST participated in the 

seminar held in Sylhet, said 

the Japanese Embassy in 

Dhaka. 

Over the last five decades, 

Japan has been providing 

government scholarship to 

more than 4,000 

Bangladeshis, the Embassy 

said. 

In 2018 alone, more than 

120 Bangladeshi students 

newly received this 

government-funded 

scholarship and are now 

studying in Japan on various 

academic fields. 

The scholarship 

application opens twice a 

year in May (Embassy 

recommendation) and 

October (University 

recommendation). 

Jaishankar 

pays tributes to 

Bangabandhu 

DHAKA : Visiting Indian 

External Affairs Minister Dr S 

Jaishankar paid homage to 

Father of the Nation 

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur 

Rahman here on Tuesday. 

He placed a wreath at the 

portrait of Bangabandhu in 

front of Bangabandhu 

Memorial Museum at 

Dhanmondi-32 in the 

morning, reports UNB. 

The Indian External Affairs 

Minister arrived at the 

museum around 9:30am 

when State Minister for 

Foreign Affairs M Shahriar 

Alam welcomed him. He also 

took a tour to the museum and 

signed the visitors' book 

during his 45-minute stay 

there. Indian High 

Commissioner in Dhaka Riva 

Ganguly Das was also present. 

"Deeply moved by the visit 

to Bangabandhu Memorial 

Museum. Paid respects to 

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, 

Father of the Nation," 

Jaishankar tweeted after the 

visit. He arrived here on 

Monday night on a three-day 

official visit aiming to further 

strengthen the relations 

between Bangladesh and 

India. 

PM receives Modi's 

invitation letter 

DHAKA : Indian External 

Affairs Minister Dr S 

Jaishankar on Tuesday 

handed over a letter of 

invitation of Indian Prime 

Minister Narendra Modi to 

Prime Minister Sheikh 

Hasina for her bilateral visit 

to India in the first week of 

October. 

Jaishankar handed over 

the invitation letter when he 

met her at her official 

residence Ganobhaban, 

reports UNB. 

Sheikh Hasina extended 

her thanks to Modi for the 

invitation and greeted him. 

During the meeting, 

Jaishankar expressed their 

interest in enhancing 

cooperation in energy 

sector, especially in the 

hydroelectricity project, to 

meet the growing demand of 

the energy in the two 

neighbouring countries. 

Airstrikes target Turkish convoy 

in Syria, raising tensions 

Airstrikes targeted a Turkish army convoy 

inside a rebel-held part of northwestern 

Syria on Monday, killing three civilians and 

wounding 12 others, the Turkish Defense 

Ministry said, reports UNB. 

Syria said the Turkish convoy was 

carrying ammunition to rebels who have 

lost ground this month amid a government 

offensive to retake their last stronghold in 

the country. The incident ratcheted up 

tensions in the region, currently ground 

zero in the long-running Syrian civil war 

that has put Turkish, Russian, U.S. and 

Iranian interests at stake. 

The Turkish Defense Ministry said the 

convoy was attacked while heading to one of 

Turkey's observation posts in rebelcontrolled 

Idlib province, but did not say 

whether any Turkish people were killed. 

Syria's Foreign Ministry said the convoy 

of armored vehicles was delivering weapons 

to Khan Sheikhoun, a major rebel-held 

town that lies on the front line of fighting 

along the southern edge of the Idlib enclave. 

The town is a stronghold of al-Qaida-linked 

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the most powerful 

militant group in the area. 

It was not immediately clear whether the 

airstrikes were carried out by Syrian or 

Russian warplanes. The convoy consisted of 

several armored vehicles and flatbed trucks 

The "fundamentals" of the U.S. economy are 

solid, the White House asserted, invoking an 

ill-fated political declaration of a decade ago 

amid mounting concern that a recession 

could imperil President Donald Trump's 

reelection, reports UNB. 

Exhibiting no such concern, senior adviser 

Kellyanne Conway declared to reporters on 

Monday, "The fact is, the fundamentals of 

our economy are very strong." 

It's a phrase with a history. Republican 

John McCain was accused of being out of 

touch when he made a similar declaration 

during the 2008 presidential campaign just 

hours before investment bank Lehman 

Brothers filed for bankruptcy, setting off a 

stock market crash and global financial 

decline. 

A case can be made for the White House 

position. The U.S. job market is setting 

records for low unemployment, and the 

economy has continued uninterrupted 

growth since Trump took office. But growth 

is slowing, stock markets have swung wildly 

Madrasa student's headless 

body found in Chandpur 

CHANDPUR : Police recovered a headless body of a madrasa 

student from Piarikhola village in Matlab Dakshin upazila on 

Monday noon, reports UNB. 

The deceased was identified as Sohel Rana, 17, son of Jamir 

Hossain of the village. He was a student of Nandikhola 

Madrasa here. Locals found the body on the bank of his 

uncle's pond and informed the police. 

Swapan Kumar Aich, officer-in-charge of Matlab Dakshin 

Police Station, said police recovered the body but could not 

find the head of the body. However, the body was sent to 

Chandpur hospital morgue for autopsy. A case was filed with 

the police station, the OC added. 

Man beaten dead 

in gaibandha 

GAIBANDHA : A man who was beaten over having tea in 

Gobindaganj municipality here on Sunday night died early 

Tuesday, reports UNB. 

The deceased was identified as Akalu Sheikh, son of Koser 

Uddin of Buzruk-Boalia area in the municipality. Mehedi 

Hasan, officer-in-charge of Gobindaganj Police Station, said 

Akalu engaged in a brawl with a tea-stall owner at Hirak 

crossing of the municipality while taking tea on Sunday 

night. 

carrying tanks. 

The Turkish move into Idlib appears to be 

a message by Ankara that it won't allow 

Syrian forces to capture Khan Sheikhoun, 

which would cut the highway linking Idlib 

to northern parts of Hama province, home 

to one of Turkey's observation posts. 

Syrian government forces reached the 

town's outskirts earlier Monday. 

The Syrian Observatory for Human 

Rights, a war monitor, and Idlib-based 

opposition activist Mazen al-Shami 

reported that Syrian troops reached the M5 

highway north of Khan Sheikhoun. That 

would make it more difficult for rebels and 

civilians to move between Idlib and rebelheld 

areas in northern parts of Hama 

province. 

Just before midnight, the Observatory 

and other activists reported that Syrian 

troops entered Khan Sheikhoun from the 

northern part after the insurgents retreated 

amid intense clashes and heavy airstrikes. 

The town, one of the largest in Idlib 

province, has been emptied of residents 

who fled the violence. 

The town came under a suspected 

chemical attack on April 4, 2017 that killed 

89 people and triggered the first direct 

American assault on the Syrian 

government. 

White House insists 'fundamentals' 

of US economy are strong 

in recent weeks on recession fears, and 

indicators in the housing and manufacturing 

sectors have given economists pause. A new 

survey Monday showed a big majority of 

economists expecting a downturn to hit by 

2021 at the latest, according to a report from 

the National Association of Business 

Economics. Trump begs to disagree. 

"We're doing tremendously well. Our 

consumers are rich. I gave a tremendous tax 

cut and they're loaded up with money," 

Trump said on Sunday. "I don't think we're 

having a recession." 

Still, the Republican president took to 

Twitter on Monday to urge the Federal 

Reserve to stimulate the economy by cutting 

interest rates and returning to "quantitative 

easing" of its monetary policy, an indication 

of deep anxiety beneath his administration's 

bravado. And he backtracked last week on 

taking the next step in escalating in his trade 

war with China, concerned that new tariffs 

on consumer goods could hamper the critical 

holiday shopping season. 

A discussion meeting was held at LgED marking 44th death anniversary 

of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and National 

Mourning Day. 

Photo : Courtesy 

Russell viper 

caught from 

Chandpur 

pond 

CHANDPUR : Local people 

from a pond here have 

caught a Russell Viper, a 

species of venomous snake 

in the family Viperidae of 

venomous Old World vipers. 

The snake was caught 

yesterday from a pond in 

Kodalia of Chandpur 

municipality area, upazila 

officials said, reports BSS. 

One Apu Patwari kept the 

snake in his custody, and 

later handed it over to 

assistant commissioner 

(land) Imran Hossain. 

Imran Hossain said the 

snake has been sent to 

venom research centre of 

Chittagong Medical College 

yesterday afternoon. 

Another snake of same 

species was caught about 

one month ago. But it was 

beaten to death by locals.

METRO 

WEDNESDAY, AUgUST 21, 2019 

3 

An Ecnec meeting held at NEC conference room with Ecnec Chairperson and Prime Minister 

Sheikh Hasina in the chair. 

Photo: PID 

President, PM pay tribute to August 

21 grenade attack victims 

DHAKA : President M Abdul Hamid 

and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina 

yesterday paid rich tributes to the 

victims of August 21 grenade attack in 

2004 and prayed for eternal peace of 

the departed souls of the martyrs. 

In separate messages on the eve of 

the 15th anniversary of the heinous 

grenade attack, they urged all to work 

unitedly to turn the sorrows of August 

21 into strength by building a peaceful 

and democratic Bangladesh which will 

be free from terrorism and militancy. 

In his message, President Abdul 

Hamid termed the heinous grenade 

attack as another "black chapter" in the 

history of Bengali nation. 

The President said the history's most 

barbaric grenade attack was launched 

on August 21 during an Awami League 

rally at Bangabandhu Avenue as per a 

blueprint to kill Bangabandhu's 

daughter Sheikh Hasina. 

Though Sheikh Hasina escaped death 

by the grace of Almighty Allah, Awami 

Mahila League's former President Ivy 

Rahman and 23 other leaders and 

activists were killed and many others 

injured, he added. 

Abdul Hamid said many of the 

injured persons in the attack became 

crippled for life and now living in 

endless miseries. 

"The August 21 in 2004 grenade 

attack was aimed at making bankrupt 

the AL and Bangladesh in leadership 

and stopping democratic process and 

establishing autocracy and militancy," 

he said, adding that the people of the 

country did not let it happen. 

The President expressed his 

optimism that the pro-democratic and 

patriotic people will come forward 

being imbued with the spirit of the War 

Speakers for 

executing 

Bangabandhu's 

dream 

CHAPAINAWABGANJ : 

Speakers in a discussion 

meeting yesterday said, 

Father of the nation 

Bangabandhu Sheikh 

Mujibur Rahman dreamt of 

'Sonar Bangla' but he could 

not see his dream 

completed as he was killed 

along with his family 

members. 

Chapainawabganj district 

office of Islamic Foundation 

arranged the discussion 

meeting at its auditorium as 

part of its weeklong 

programmes to observe the 

44th martyrdom 

anniversary of the Father of 

the nation. 

The meeting was held 

with the deputy director of 

Islamic Foundation Md. 

Abul Kalam in the chair 

while deputy commissioner 

of Chapainawabganj AZM 

Nurul Hoque attended this 

as the chief guest. 

Among others, former 

Chapainawabganj sadar 

upazila chairman and vice 

president 

of 

Chapainawabganj district 

unit of Awami League Md. 

Ruhul Amin and Awami 

League leader Mahfuzur 

Rahman Benzu spoke as 

special guests. 

of Liberation to build a dignified, happy 

and prosperous Bangladesh. 

He said mutual respect and tolerance 

are a must to make the country's 

democracy meaningful. 

In a separate message, Prime 

Minister Sheikh Hasina said the 

barbaric grenade attack was carried out 

on that day in 2004 under the direct 

patronization of BNP-Jamaat alliance 

on an anti-terrorism rally of Awami 

League to kill me. 

Terming the grenade attack a 

'stigmatized day' in the political history 

of the country, she said, "Our party 

leaders and workers saved me from the 

series of grenade attacks by forming a 

human-shield." 

"I survived the attack due to immense 

blessings of the Almighty but some 23 

leaders and workers including 

president of Mahila Awami League Ivy 

Rahman embraced martyrdom, the 

Premier said, adding that more than 

500 leaders and activists, journalists 

and security personnel were injured. 

Sheikh Hasina said it was the moral 

obligation of a government to arrest the 

culprits involved with such a heinous 

attack. But, the then government of 

BNP protected the killers and helped a 

number of attackers to leave the 

country. 

They destroyed the evidence of the 

incidence and in the name of 

investigation, diverted the heinous 

incident to other direction, she said. 

"But truth can never be suppressed. 

Today, it has come out through 

investigation that many high-ups of the 

BNP-Jamaat alliance government were 

directly involved with the attack," said 

the Prime Minister. 

After 14 years, Dhaka's 1st Speedy 

ACC finds new ways to keep busy 

outside fighting corruption 

DHAKA : The Anti-Corruption Commission 

(ACC) has taken an initiative to carry out 

environmental cleanliness drives in all the 

metropolitan cities including Dhaka to 

prevent corruption, irregularities and 

negligence, reports UNB. 

The decision was taken at the meeting held 

with the participation of the section of the 

ACC concerned with prevention, with Anti- 

Corruption Commission (ACC) Chairman 

Iqbal Mahmood in the chair on Monday. 

There is an allegation that people are at 

health hazard due to corruption of some 

Trial Tribunal handed down the verdict 

of August 21 grenade attack case. The 

court awarded death sentence to 19 

people including former state minister 

for home Lutfozzaman Babar and 

former deputy minister Abdus Salam 

Pintu and life imprisonment to 19 

including ex-premier Khaleda Zia's 

fugitive son Tarique Rahman and Haris 

Chowdhury, said Sheikh Hasina. 

"Rule of law has been established 

through this verdict. We hope this 

verdict will be executed following all 

legal procedures," she said. 

Sheikh Hasina said whenever BNP- 

Jamaat alliance came to power, they 

intended to make the country a failed 

state by patronizing militants and 

terrorists. 

She expressed the hope that through 

the proper trials of the masterminds 

and perpetrators of August 21 grenade 

attack, the rule of law would be 

established in the country. 

The Prime Minister said the people of 

the country voted Awami League to 

power again through a landslide victory 

on the December 29 in 2008 general 

election to end all evil-attempts and 

conspiracies of BNP-Jamaat. 

She said her government started 

working to establish the country on a 

strong economic basement overcoming 

all impediments and Bangladesh was 

moving ahead. 

On January 5 in 2014 election, the 

people again voted Awami League to 

power to keep up the continuation of 

the Constitution, the Premier said. 

Sheikh Hasina said in the last nine 

years, the country has achieved 

expected progress in every sector and 

Bangladesh is now a "role model" in 

socioeconomic development. 

people responsible for preventing 

environmental pollution. Pollution in food, 

sanitation management, cleanliness, water, 

air and sound pollution are putting people at 

health risk, said the ACC Chairman. 

As part of the initiative, the ACC will hold a 

view-exchange meeting with the different 

government organisations tasked with 

taking action against or preventing 

environmental pollution. The commission 

will take effective measures as per the 

opinion of the authorities concerned after 

discussion. 

A rare photo exhibition on the familial, political and struggling life of 

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was held at the officers club of Dhanmondi, 

Dhaka campus of BCSIR was started from Tuesday. 


BD focus on 

'specially able' 

person: 

Nuruzzaman 

DHAKA : Social Welfare 

Minister Nuruzzaman 

Ahmed yesterday said 

people of the country who 

are differently abled, have 

come to the mainstream of 

the society as Bangladesh is 

working as a global leader 

for the development of the 

living standards of these 

people. 

"As per the sincere effort of 

Prime Minister Sheikh 

Hasina, Bangladesh is 

working as a global leader to 

improve the living standards 

of the neglected, depressed 

and helpless people with 

their disabilities in the 

country… As a result, they 

have now come to the 

mainstream of the society 

are now rather termed as 

'specially able'," he said. 

The Minister said this 

while addressing at a 

discussion meeting as the 

chief guest at the auditorium 

of the Neuro-Developmental 

Disability Protection Trust 

in city's Banglamotor area 

on the occasion of the 44th 

martyrdom anniversary of 

the Father of the Nation 


Mujibur Rahman and the 

National Mourning Day. 

With 

Neuro- 

Developmental Disability 

Protection Trustee Board 

Chairman Professor Dr 

Mohammod Golam 

Rabbani in the chair, the 

meeting was attended by 

State Minister for Social 

Welfare Sharif Ahmed and 

Social Welfare Secretary 

Zuena Aziz as special guest. 

There is no alternative to 

education to bring the 

special people to the 

mainstream of society, 

Nuruzzaman said, adding 

that institutions will be built 

for the quality education of 

these people as a draft of 

special education policy on 

Neuro-Developmental 

Disabilities has made 

already as per the Premier of 

the country. 

Experimental Campus 

Radio broadcast 

launched at BRUR 

RANGPUR : The authorities 

of Begum Rokeya 

University, Rangpur 

(BRUR) yesterday launched 

experimental broadcast of 

Campus Radio. 

Vice-chancellor of the 

university Professor Dr. 

Nazmul Ahsan Kalimullah 

formally inaugurated the 

campus radio at a function 

held at the administrative 

building on the campus. 

Experimental 

transmission of the Campus 

Radio could be listened 

through internet by loggingin 

at www.brucr.net, a 

BRUR press release said. 

The Campus Radio began 

its experimental broadcast 

with transmission of the 

historic March 7 speech of 

Father of the Nation 


Mujibur Rahman. 

On the occasion, the Vicechancellor 

said BRUR 

became the first among all 

public universities of the 

country to begin 

transmission of Campus 

Radio aiming at inspiring 

the young generations in 

turning the month of 

national mourning into 

strength. 

The Campus Radio would 

start regular transmission of 

various programmes on 

education, entertainment, 

culture, campus news 

broadcast and build social 

awareness on various issues. 

Dean of the Faculty of Arts 

Professor Dr. Parimal 

Chandra Barman, Head of 

the Department of Statistics 

Dr. Md. Rahidul Islam, 

Assistant Professor of the 

Department of Accounting 

and Information Systems 

Apel Mahmud, teachers and 

officials of the university 

were present. 

10 witnesses testify in Holey 

Artisan attack case 

DHAKA : Ten new witnesses including four 

doctors yesterday testified before an antiterror 

special court here in a case lodged over 

2016 terrorist attack at Holey Artisan Bakery 

in capital's Gulshan area. 

The witnesses are Dr Masum Billah, Dr 

Aminul Hasan, Dr Ershadullah, Dr AKM 

Abdullah Al Masud, additional 

superintendent of police Md Sattar, 

additional superintendent of police Abu 

Taher Faruki, inspector Jamal Uddin, 

inspector Sheikh Nazrul Islam, inspector 

Masud Siddiqui and CID assistant DNA 

analyst Nusrat Yasmin . The witnesses later 

were cross-examined by the defence 

counsels. Judge Md Mujibur Rahman of 

Dhaka Anti-terrorism Special Tribunal after 

that adjourned the hearing till August 27. 

A total of 97 witnesses out of 211 have so far 

testified in the case. Militants killed 20 

innocent people, most of them foreigners, in 

the grisly attack at the cafe on July 1, 2016. 

Two police officials valiantly laid down their 

lives while trying to save people there. Later, 

five militants were killed in a commando 

operation. Police filed the case under the 

anti-terror act with Gulshan Police Station. 

The trial initiated on November 26, 2018 

by framing charges against the eight 

accused-Jahangir Alam alias Rajib Gandhi, 

The Embassy of Japan and Shahjalal University of Science and 

Technology (SUST) on Tuesday jointly organised a seminar on higher 

study in Japan. 


BAF observed Birsrestho Matiur's 

martyrdom anniversary 

DHAKA : Bangladesh Air Force(BAF) 

yesterday observed the 48th death 

anniversary of Flight Lieutenant M Matiur 

Rahman Bir Shrestho with due solemnity, 

said an Inter-Services Public Relations 

(ISPR) release. 

On the occasion, a milad mahfil was held 

at the central mosques of all BAF Bases 

after Asr prayers where munajat were also 

offered seeking divine blessings for the 

departed soul and peace and prosperity of 

the country. 

Earlier, in the morning, Assistant Chief of 

Air Staff (Admin) Air Vice Marshal A K M 

Ahsanul Hoque and Air Officer 

Commanding of BAF Base Bangabandhu 

Air Vice Marshal M Sayed Hossain offered 

GD-1206/19 (6 x 3) 

Rakibul Hasan Regan, Rashedul Islam alias 

Rash, Sohel Mahfuz, Mizanur Rahman alias 

Boro Mizan, Hadisur Rahman Sagar, 

Shariful Islam and Mamunur Rashid. 

Carrying bags, sound system banned 

in Janmashtami procession 

DHAKA : Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) 

Commissioner Md Asaduzzaman Mia has 

said carrying bags and using sound system 

will not be allowed in Janmashtami 

procession to be brought out on August 23. 

He said DMP has taken special security 

measures for the holy Janmashtami, the 

birth celebration of Sri Krishna and one of 

the major festivals of the Hindu community. 

The DMP commissioner was addressing a 

coordination meeting on security and traffic 

management for Janmashtami procession at 

the DMP headquarters here on Monday. 

Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad 

leaders, representatives of fire service, power 

division, WASA, Dhaka North and South 

City Corporation, Director General of Health 

Services, Police Headquarters, SB, NSI and 

DMP senior officials were present in the 

meeting. 

munajat for the salvation of the departed 

soul of Shaheed Flight Lieutenant M 

Matiur Rahman at the Martyred 

Intellectuals' Graveyard at Mirpur and 

commemorated his contribution with great 

solemnity. 

Among others, Senior Officers and 

Airmen of Air Headquarters and BAF Bases 

in Dhaka area were present on the occasion. 

Besides, different programmes were 

arranged at different schools and colleges of 

Bangladesh Air Force where life time 

achievement of Birsreshto Flight 

Lieutenant M Matiur Rahman was 

highlighted and special munajat was 

offered for the salvation of his departed 

soul.

EDITORIAL 

WeDNesDAy, 

AuGusT 21, 2019 

4 

Need of moral education for building human values and virtues 

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam 

Telephone: +8802-9104683-84, Fax: 9127103 

e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com 

Wednesday, August 21, 2019 

Relations with India 

Many Bangladeshis overlook the fact that 

the reason for India's huge advantage in 

its bilateral trade with Bangladesh stems 

from the relatively superior abilities of its 

producers. Even where the items to be produced 

in the two countries are complementary, the 

Indian producers seem to be more efficient and 

can market their produce at notably cheaper 

prices with equal quality in relation to 

Bangladeshi products. Thus, it is no wonder that 

Indian goods find ready access to Bangladeshi 

markets and the trade gap for us grows. 

But there is also another way of looking at it. 

India has become Bangladesh's single biggest 

source for meetings its import requirements for 

various merchandise. One reason is proximity or 

freighting costs from India are cheaper or more 

competitive than from other countries for 

Bangladesh. So, there is a gainful aspect in this for 

Bangladesh even though India enjoys a huge 

upper hand in the bilateral trade. But to a large 

extent this is a natural relationship between a 

superior producer and exporter in relation with a 

significantly weaker party in these matters. 

But these issues are not seen with objectivity in 

Bangladesh but are presented to the gullible 

people as if India deliberately practices economic 

imperialism with us. In India also similar notions 

are spread that Bangladesh is an unreliable 

neighbour in many respects specially in areas 

that have implications for India's physical 

security. 

So, it is crucial for the leaderships in both 

countries to get rid of these hypes or discourage 

them effectively and build up their relationships 

based on trust and exact visualization of state of 

affairs between them as they stand and not on 

some highly exaggerated ones. 

It is supremely important for Bangladesh to 

realize that notwithstanding both countries 

needing each other, the onus is more on 

Bangladesh to have correct relations with India. 

India not only surrounds us on all three sides, it is 

overwhelmingly powerful in all respects. The 

lifeline of our economy, the river systems, all flow 

into Bangladesh through India. Thus, India has a 

mighty geographic advantage over us and we 

hardly have a similar or matching leverage to face 

up to India. 

Some may say that Bangladesh has the transit 

factor to bargain with India. But this is only one 

area where Bangladesh has a geographical or 

locational advantage whereas in all other 

geographical senses, India breathes down 

Bangladesh's neck or dominates. India is among 

the first four countries of the world in terms of 

military power. Bangladesh is inconsequential by 

comparison. 

Thus, we just cannot have our way with India 

through keeping alive discords or a 

confrontational stand. Governments will come 

and go in Bangladesh. But we must essentially 

have a united or consensual policy in response 

to India. The major political parties in 

Bangladesh must come to an understanding 

about what that policy will be so that there can be 

continuity of it regardless of changes in 

governance. 

And such a policy needs to be drawn up 

completely unemotionally and constructively 

minus mind-sets or phobias. Of course, the aim 

ought not to be to approach the formation of 

this policy with any prejudice but the goal 

ought to be firmly also not to make any 

concessions if the same is not similarly 

responded by the other side. 

Only villifying India or using anti-Indianism to 

whip up emotions in a bid to win elections may 

lead to short term gains for the perpetrators of 

such politics in Bangladesh. But the short, 

medium and longer term core interests of the 

country will not be helped any by such a stance. 

A more dynamic relationship with India is 

waiting to be defined and shaped seizing and 

exploiting every opportunity. Clearly we need to 

acquire better specialist capacities to support 

formulation of foreign policies specially vis-à-vis 

India. 

The aim of 

moral values 

inculcation 

h a s 

r e m a i n e d 

m o s t 

n e g l e c t e d 

one. The 

neglect has 

b e e n 

abundantly 

visible now 

in the present dismal picture of society, 

rampant with corruption, 

malpractices, flouting of rules, polluted 

minds, restlessness, lack of peace, 

frustration, mental depression, 

violence and crime, lack mutual faith 

and trust among people by and large. 

Undue importance to achievement in 

terms of marks, remarks, awards, 

honors, degrees, judgments passed for 

others in one cause of depleting moral 

values. Education without value is not 

only useless but also very harmful. The 

realization is particularly relevant at 

the present juncture of history, when 

social , moral, cultural and spiritual 

values are disintegrating, when the 

horizon of knowledge have been 

immensely widened and the media and 

the incident of scams, scandals 

threaten to disrupt value system and 

destabilize cultural base. 

Moral education is basically a 

training which shows us the right and 

just way to lead our lives. Being honest, 

just, legitimate, accommodative, 

generous, to share love and care, show 

consideration and sensitivity, human 

values and positive attitudes are basic 

principles of moral education. It is 

more of a practice which enriches the 

way of our lifestyle. Moral education 

can be rendered at home, school, by 

tutors, elders and parents. It is best 

taught by practicing what is right and 

just in front of the kid. It is an 

education for all and can be done at 

each and every time. It is not limited by 

geographical boundaries and skilled 

trainers. It is best taught by shown 

practical examples. Core human values 

like honesty, sincerity, morality, 

humanity, non violence are getting 

affected due to the evils of poverty, 

caste system, gender inequality, ill 

treatment to child, women and old 

people. To address to these problems 

In the highly entertaining Channel 4 drama 

about the 2016 referendum campaign 

"Brexit: The Uncivil War," Benedict 

Cumberbatch, playing the mastermind of 

the Vote Leave campaign, is sometimes 

found crouched in the narrow pantry where 

he retreats to think. It's not hard to picture 

the real Dominic Cummings doing just that. 

Cummings is no mere political curiosity. 

Though unelected and without a seat at the 

cabinet table, he is UK Prime Minister Boris 

Johnson's most important adviser. A 

master of the focus group and the targeted 

digital ad, he will play a critical role in any 

early election or second referendum on 

Brexit. 

The Johnson-Cummings pairing could be 

largely a matter of short-term expedience. 

Johnson wants a proven hand to carry out 

his "do-or-die" October 31 Brexit pledge and 

win an election. But it could also be about 

something beyond Brexit. At the heart of the 

new government are two ambitious men 

possessed by a sense of history, some would 

say grandiosity, and an appetite for taking 

big gambles. 

It's Johnson's confidence that gives 

Cummings' ideas wings. If he helps deliver 

Brexit and win an election that will no doubt 

secure him a sainthood among Brexiters. 

For Cummings, Brexit is a means to a 

greater end: a complete overhaul of the 

machinery of government. This might have 

been started long ago, but Margaret 

Thatcher, that icon of the British right, 

didn't go far enough in Cummings's view. 

She shied away from reforming the civil 

service, whose inefficiencies Cummings 

finds maddening. He wants to finish the job 

he started with Vote Leave by using insights 

from the world of computing, physics, 

warfare and sport. If he stays beyond Brexit, 

Cummings will have to prove his ideas 

aren't some utopian vision. 

But there's a paradox: The political 

upheaval caused by Brexit may have opened 

the door to change, but the chaos of a nodeal 

Brexit could make the very reforms he 

seeks impossible to implement. Cummings 

cannot be confused with your garden 

variety no-deal Brexiter. He notes in one of 

his many, lengthy blog posts that he is "not 

a Tory libertarian, 'populist,' or anything 

else." That explains his deep disdain for the 

GAzI MD. ABDuR RAsHID 

one must look at morals/ value 

education as integral part of education 

system as a whole. In the materialistic 

era of science and technology, 

everything except morality has reached 

its peak. 

The youth of today are caught in the 

vicious circle of crime and violence. 

They have lost their moral values to the 

new era of commercialism and 

modernization world. This is a great 

concern for our country. Moral values 

are needed for developing quantities 

such as humility, truthfulness, honesty, 

courtesy, tolerance, sacrifice etc among 

the youth. It will help in developing 

positive social attitude in new 

generation which prompts them to 

raise their voice against social evils. 

Moral values will inculcate sense of 

cooperation and fellow feeling among 

people. The need for moral education 

cannot be over-emphasized. The 

complete lack of moral embarrassment 

at the lack of work ethics, the lack of 

accountability and the pervasive 

corruption in our public life, the local 

and global escalation of violence, all 

mirror the moral state of our society. 

A morality of justice is about human 

rights-or more specifically, about 

respect for fairness, impartiality, 

equality, and individuals' 

independence. Morality of care, on the 

other hand, is about human 

responsibilities-more specifically, 

about caring for others, showing 

consideration for individuals' needs, 

and interdependence among 

individuals. Students and teachers 

need both forms of morality. Teachers 

are the source of inspiration for 

students. The relationship between 

student and teacher is very strong. 

Moral education can be taught at 

educational institutions. Our 

curriculum may include the study of 

life biographies of great personalities 

who followed the right path in life. It is 

true that textbooks and syllabus fulfill 

the needs of moral values but when a 

teacher wants to teach moral values he 

needs some other things also. 

Sometimes he uses moral sayings, 

moral stories, and different type's 

cultural activities to enhance the level 

of moral education. Cultural activities 

are very useful to manipulate and to 

teach the moral education lesson. 

Every young parent should be very 

attentive toward their children's 

The youth of today are caught in the vicious circle of crime 

and violence. They have lost their moral values to the new era 

of commercialism and modernization world. This is a great 

concern for our country. Moral values are needed for developing 

quantities such as humility, truthfulness, honesty, courtesy, 

tolerance, sacrifice etc among the youth. It will help in 

developing positive social attitude in new generation which 

prompts them to raise their voice against social evils. 

"narcissist-delusional" group of hardcore 

Brexiters in the party. For them, leaving the 

EU is an ideological necessity and a mark of 

tribal loyalty. He isn't one of that tribe, or 

any tribe. He even went so far, in a twitter 

exchange in 2017, as to say the referendum 

may have been a mistake. 

Most political advisers operate in the 

shadows, but Cummings is the subject of an 

endless stream of profiles; in a country that 

worships eccentricity, he is a journalistic gift 

that keeps on giving. He also invites 

inspection. His wide-ranging, occasionally 

breathless writings provide a dizzying tour 

of the innovators, historical figures, athletes 

and scientists who have informed his 

thinking. His political philosophy 

incorporates insights from Prussian Otto 

von Bismarck, interface design wizard Bret 

Victor, physicist and computer scientist 

Michael Nielsen, T.S. Eliot and many more. 

To imagine a Cummings-led takeover of 

the British state, visualise a room 

resembling a Nasa launch control centre in 

which Bismarck is huddled with, say, a 

crack team of designers and coders on loan 

from Apple. Bismarck, the "blood and iron" 

chancellor who distrusted democracy, is 

important. Cummings also singles out for 

praise the Chinese Communist Party for its 

"use of proven systems management 

techniques for integrating principles of 

effective action to predict and manage 

complex systems at large scale." For the 

cadres of civil servants orbiting Downing 

Street, some might find Cummings's own 

verdict of their world makes for 

uncomfortable reading: 

Critical institutions (including the senior 

civil service and the parties) are 

THeRese RApHAel 

requirement of moral education. 

Childhood is the most vulnerable 

period which impacts the overall 

development of an individual's 

personality. As a parent be attentive 

about what your kid is learning and 

from where. As a parent, you need to 

be careful about the peer and friends 

your child might have and take time 

out to make them understand what's 

right and wrong. Sexual abuse and 

murder of a minor girls, sexual abuse 

of students by a male teacher, neglect 

of parents by children, murder of 

children due to illicit affairs, violence 

exhibited by youngsters at school and 

college levels, school students 

consuming liquor, eve teasing, 

students beating teachers and 

teachers abusing girl students were 

some of the incidents mentioned by 

the court. 

Patience, fairness, respect, kindness 

towards others specially women and 

adolescents, personal responsibility, 

conflict resolution, better attendance, 

sharing, self-restraint, calm 

programmed to fight to stay dysfunctional, 

they fight to stay closed and avoid learning 

about high performance, they fight to 

exclude the most able people. 

His writings reveal strong views on 

education reform (he has written 

controversially that policymakers too easily 

discount the role of genetics in 

achievement), immigration (doesn't like the 

low-skilled type) and European agricultural 

subsidies (thinks them absurd although 

apparently a farm he co-owns benefits 

handsomely from them). 

We don't know much about what he 

thinks is the right fiscal policy in an ultralow 

interest rate borderline recessionary 

environment. He's said little about whether 

US-style regulations necessary for a trade 

agreement are an acceptable substitute for 

EU-style rules. 

Indeed, policy specifics seem less 

important to Cummings than design 

problems and engineering effective 

decision-making systems in government. 

He's a big fan of the OODA loop, the 

decision-making cycle developed by the late 

military strategist and Air Force fighter pilot 

John Boyd. The sequence - observe, orient, 

design and act - enables the practitioner, 

originally fighter pilots, to stay one step 

ahead of their opponents, constantly taking 

in new information and using it. Doing the 

OODA loop well requires clear-eyed 

awareness of your own blind spots, 

something Cummings sometimes seems to 

lack. In his blogging days, he would 

occasionally respond to reader comments. 

But when readers questioned whether his 

views smacked of utopianism, or asked for a 

few examples of where changes he proposes 

articulation, community contributions, 

compassion and honesty are the 

significant characteristics of a student 

by which they can reach highest peak of 

their desired destination to serve the 

country with a great honesty in future. 

Student has to learn different social 

habits like helping the people, 

gentleness, respect the elders and 

teachers and so many. These good 

habits make his a good social creature 

and he is known as a good person for 

others. When a student attains these 

qualities he becomes a responsible and 

a good students and he is able to 

behave gently within the society. When 

he learn these qualities within the 

school time, his homework and 

preparation become good. Considering 

a strong intersection between good 

characters and good students how 

improvements in each of these areas 

could resultantly produce a positive 

impact on a student's academic 

achievements as well as learning 

outcomes. 

Nowadays in our society, teenage 

gang culture has emerged - all of 

them below the age of 18-20. They 

are engaged in immoral social 

activities like teenage crime, robbery, 

extortion, drug trade, influence in the 

area. Besides, abduction, violence 

against women and children, 

trafficking, eve-teasing etc. is being 

observed. Psychologists believe that 

if they adhere to various social 

disciplines, no one will get involved 

in such crime. Unless moral values 

are sown in the minds of the 

students, we cannot have an orderly 

society and peace. Sadly, academic 

excellence alone is focused upon, 

ignoring human values and virtues. 

We are coming across so many 

heinous crimes committed by 

children, because of non-inclusion of 

individual moral education based 

subjects in syllabus. Undoubtedly it 

is most important to introduce 

individual moral education subject in 

every classes by which students get 

opportunities to know how to build 

morality in every steps of their life. 

Research Officer, District 

Education Office, Secondary and 

Higher Education, Munshiganj. 

The most important Brexiter isn’t Boris Johnson 

Indeed, policy specifics seem less important to Cummings than 

design problems and engineering effective decision-making 

systems in government. He's a big fan of the OODA loop, the 

decision-making cycle developed by the late military strategist 

and Air Force fighter pilot John Boyd. The sequence - observe, 

orient, design and act - enables the practitioner, originally fighter 

pilots, to stay one step ahead of their opponents, constantly taking 

in new information and using it. 

had been road-tested in government, he 

didn't reply. He cannot, however, be 

accused of thinking small. Think of him as a 

cross between Steve Bannon and Dick 

Cheney. Cummings would like to harness 

the extreme preparation and concentration 

of people like solo free climber Alex 

Honnold. This ideal of the super-athlete 

civil servant feeds into his view that 

selection for politics and government 

should be like winnowing the great from the 

also-rans in music or sport. That sounds 

appealing, but of course the French train up 

an uber-elite for government roles and still 

wound up with the gilets jaunes and 

stubbornly high levels of unemployment. 

Held in contempt of parliament earlier 

this year, he appears bent on undermining 

elected lawmakers by persuading his boss to 

ignore constitutional convention in 

pursuing a no-deal Brexit. He is not one to 

sacrifice his agenda on the altar of careerism 

either. Indeed, former prime minister David 

Cameron once called him a "career 

psychopath." So as long as Cummings is 

around, it's fair to say that the Johnson Plan 

is the Cummings Plan. 

His opponents, particularly on the left, 

paint him as self-important, hypocritical 

and a caricature of the mad genius rather 

than the real thing. After former Attorney 

General and anti-Brexit lawmaker 

Dominic Grieve said he was arrogant and 

didn't understand the British 

constitution, Cummings snidely replied, 

"Mr. Grieve, we'll see what he's right 

about." 

"Not since Homer Simpson sat on a sofa 

trying to get to grips with the mystery of his 

own obesity while simultaneously eating 

doughnuts, can any TV viewing audience 

have had irony spoon-fed to them with such 

generous ease," wrote the Independent's 

Tom Peck. 

The bigger Homerian irony is Brexit itself. 

Cummings's entire theory of remaking 

government is based on the criticism that, 

as he put it, "most of everybody's day is 

spent just battling entropy - it is not 

pursuing priorities and building valuable 

things. 

Source : Gulf news

ENVIRONMENT 

WEDNESDAY, 

AUGUST 21, 2019 

5 

Is plastic recycling is a myth? 

Oliver Franklin-Wallis 

An alarm sounds, the blockage is cleared, and the line at 

Green Recycling in Maldon, Essex, rumbles back into life. A 

momentous river of garbage rolls down the conveyor: 

cardboard boxes, splintered skirting board, plastic bottles, 

crisp packets, DVD cases, printer cartridges, countless 

newspapers, including this one. Odd bits of junk catch the 

eye, conjuring little vignettes: a single discarded glove. A 

crushed Tupperware container, the meal inside uneaten. A 

photograph of a smiling child on an adult's shoulders. But 

they are gone in a moment. The line at Green Recycling 

handles up to 12 tonnes of waste an hour. 

"We produce 200 to 300 tonnes a day," says Jamie 

Smith, Green Recycling's general manager, above the din. 

We are standing three storeys up on the green health-andsafety 

gangway, looking down the line. On the tipping floor, 

an excavator is grabbing clawfuls of trash from heaps and 

piling it into a spinning drum, which spreads it evenly 

across the conveyor. Along the belt, human workers pick 

and channel what is valuable (bottles, cardboard, 

aluminium cans) into sorting chutes. 

"Our main products are paper, cardboard, plastic bottles, 

mixed plastics, and wood," says Smith, 40. "We're seeing a 

significant rise in boxes, thanks to Amazon." By the end of 

the line, the torrent has become a trickle. The waste stands 

stacked neatly in bales, ready to be loaded on to trucks. 

From there, it will go - well, that is when it gets 

complicated. 

You drink a Coca-Cola, throw the bottle into the 

recycling, put the bins out on collection day and forget 

about it. But it doesn't disappear. Everything you own will 

one day become the property of this, the waste industry, a 

£250bn global enterprise determined to extract every last 

penny of value from what remains. It starts with materials 

recovery facilities (MRFs) such as this one, which sort 

waste into its constituent parts. From there, the materials 

enter a labyrinthine network of brokers and traders. Some 

of that happens in the UK, but much of it - about half of all 

paper and cardboard, and two-thirds of plastics - will be 

loaded on to container ships to be sent to Europe or Asia for 

recycling. Paper and cardboard goes to mills; glass is 

washed and re-used or smashed and melted, like metal and 

plastic. Food, and anything else, is burned or sent to 

landfill. 

Or, at least, that's how it used to work. Then, on the first 

day of 2018, China, the world's largest market for recycled 

waste, essentially shut its doors. Under its National Sword 

Plastic waste ready for inspection before being sent to Malaysia; the UK produces more refuse than 

it can process at home - about 1.1kg per person per day. 

Photo : AFP/Getty Images 

policy, China prohibited 24 types of waste from entering 

the country, arguing that what was coming in was too 

contaminated. The policy shift was partly attributed to the 

impact of a documentary, Plastic China, which went viral 

before censors erased it from China's internet. The film 

follows a family working in the country's recycling industry, 

where humans pick through vast dunes of western waste, 

shredding and melting salvageable plastic into pellets that 

can be sold to manufacturers. It is filthy, polluting work - 

and badly paid. The remainder is often burned in the open 

air. The family lives alongside the sorting machine, their 11- 

year-old daughter playing with a Barbie pulled from the 

rubbish. For recyclers such as Smith, National Sword was a 

huge blow. "The price of cardboard has probably halved in 

the last 12 months," he says. "The price of plastics has 

plummeted to the extent that it isn't worth recycling. If 

China doesn't take plastic, we can't sell it." Still, that waste 

has to go somewhere. The UK, like most developed nations, 

produces more waste than it can process at home: 230m 

tonnes a year - about 1.1kg per person per day. (The US, the 

world's most wasteful nation, produces 2kg per person per 

day.) Quickly, the market began flooding any country that 

would take the trash: Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, 

countries with some of the world's highest rates of what 

researchers call "waste mismanagement" - rubbish left or 

burned in open landfills, illegal sites or facilities with 

inadequate reporting, making its final fate difficult to trace. 

The present dumping ground of choice is Malaysia. In 

October last year, a Greenpeace Unearthed investigation 

found mountains of British and European waste in illegal 

dumps there: Tesco crisp packets, Flora tubs and recycling 

collection bags from three London councils. As in China, 

the waste is often burned or abandoned, eventually finding 

its way into rivers and oceans. In May, the Malaysian 

government began turning back container ships, citing 

public health concerns. Thailand and India have 

announced bans on the import of foreign plastic waste. But 

still the rubbish flows. 

We want our waste hidden. Green Recycling is tucked 

away at the end of an industrial estate, surrounded by 

sound-deflecting metal boards. Outside, a machine called 

an Air Spectrum masks the acrid odour with the smell of 

cotton bedsheets. But, all of a sudden, the industry is under 

intense scrutiny. In the UK, recycling rates have stagnated 

in recent years, while National Sword and funding cuts 

have led to more waste being burned in incinerators and 

energy-from-waste plants. (Incineration, while often 

criticised for being polluting and an inefficient source of 

energy, is today preferred to landfill, which emits methane 

and can leach toxic chemicals.) Westminster council sent 

82% of all household waste - including that put in recycling 

bins - for incineration in 2017/18. Some councils have 

debated giving up recycling altogether. And yet the UK is a 

successful recycling nation: 45.7% of all household waste is 

classed as recycled (although that number indicates only 

that it is sent for recycling, not where it ends up.) In the US, 

that figure is 25.8%. 

If you look at plastics, the picture is even bleaker. Of the 

8.3bn tonnes of virgin plastic produced worldwide, only 9% 

has been recycled, according to a 2017 Science Advances 

paper entitled Production, Use And Fate Of All Plastics 

Ever Made. "I think the best global estimate is maybe we're 

at 20% [per year] globally right now," says Roland Geyer, 

its lead author, a professor of industrial ecology at the 

University of California, Santa Barbara. Academics and 

NGOs doubt those numbers, due to the uncertain fate of 

our waste exports. In June, one of the UK's largest waste 

companies, Biffa, was found guilty of attempting to ship 

used nappies, sanitary towels and clothing abroad in 

consignments marked as waste paper. "I think there's a lot 

of creative accounting going on to push the numbers up," 

Geyer says. 

"It's really a complete myth when people say that we're 

recycling our plastics," says Jim Puckett, the executive 

director of the Seattle-based Basel Action Network, which 

campaigns against the illegal waste trade. "It all sounded 

good. 'It's going to be recycled in China!' I hate to break it 

to everyone, but these places are routinely dumping 

massive amounts of [that] plastic and burning it on open 

fires." 

Pesticides to cause the bees 

reduce in huge numbers 

Rodrigo de Oliveira Andrade 

With an estimated 75 per cent of human food dependent 

on the action of pollinating insects, bees are vital for 

global food production. But their very existence is under 

threat as they face chronic decline around the world. 

A major factor in this decline is the excessive use of 

pesticides in farming in some regions. And one country 

where this is increasingly evident is Brazil. While many 

European countries have restricted the use of 

agrochemicals because of the danger they pose to bees - 

as well as environmental and human health problems - 

in Brazil almost 300 pesticides have been approved for 

use on a wide range of crops since Jair Bolsonaro took 

over country's presidency in January 2019, the National 

Health Surveillance Agency reports. 

These decisions come amid pressure from Brazil's 

"ruralist caucus", a parliamentary group that advocates 

in the interests of landowners in the Brazilian congress 

and wants to see the requirements for registering new 

agrochemicals softened. 

Meanwhile, between December 2018 and March 2019, 

more than 500 million bees were found dead by 

beekeepers in four Brazilian states. Beekeepers' 

associations and agriculture authorities suspect this was 

caused by the widespread use of two classes of pesticides 

- fipronil and neonicotinoids - on flowering crops. 

Recent studies highlight several risks for bee 

populations associated with the use of these substances. 

Neonicotinoids are a class of insecticides derived from 

nicotine and commonly used to control agricultural 

pests. They are usually applied on seeds and can spread 

through the whole structure of the plant, including 

flowers, branches, roots, and even nectar and pollen. 

Many researchers have been studying the dangers of 

neonicotinoids for bee populations worldwide in recent 

years. And research published on 5 August in 

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 

confirmed that the effects extend to other pollinators 

indirectly through the food chain. The study found that 

hoverflies and wasps fed with the honeydew excretions of 

insects such as aphids that had been exposed to 

neonicotinoids can also be contaminated, dying within 

three days. There are around 20,000 species of bees 

worldwide that pollinate more than 90 per cent of the 

world's top 107 crops. Researchers say the value of 

pollination to agriculture provided by bees may exceed 

U$200 billion per year worldwide. 

Brazil is home to up to 5,000 of these species and 85 

out of the country's 141 crops depend on bees as 

pollinators. "Bees promote the cross-pollination of 

vegetables through pollen transportation from one plant 

to another, increasing genetic diversity in species and 

improving the production of fruit and seeds," explains 

Adna Dorigo, a biologist at São Paulo State University's 

Biosciences Institute. 

A study published in 2017 in Science analysed 33 sites 

across three European countries where neonicotinoids 

were used. It found that in Hungary the number of 

worker bees declined 24 per cent in colonies where 

nearby canola crops were treated with clothianidin, a 

type of neonicotinoid. 

A second study conducted independently by a 

Canadian research team and published in the same 

Science edition, found that western honey bee (Apis 

mellifera) colonies exposed to neonicotinoids in 

cornfields for up to four months also had fewer worker 

bees and sometimes no queen bee. 

Fipronil, meanwhile, acts on the nerve cells of insects 

and is commonly used against pests in apple, soybean 

and sunflower crops. It may cause behavioural changes 

in bees, including agitation, spasms, tremors and 

paralysis. This pesticide is highly toxic to African-derived 

adult honeybees (Apis mellifera L.), leading to impaired 

motor function in these pollinators, according to a study 

published last year in the Annals of the Brazilian 

Academy of Science.Breno Freitas, an agricultural 

engineer at Brazil's Ceará Federal University, says 

pesticides are just one of several factors affecting bees 

around the world. 

Beekeepers may see bees threatened by pesticides from nearby fields. Photo: Souss-Massa National Park 

Questions remain about nanotechnology's safety. 

Photo: Dean Simone 

Nanotechnology in agriculture: a blessing or a curse? 

Mi?o Tatalovi? 

Proponents of nanotechnology say it 

will revolutionise farming and global 

food systems, with applications being 

explored that could cut waste, make 

food safer and help create 'super crops' 

that escape the controversial label of 

genetically modified organisms 

(GMOs). 

If successful, it could help to 

overcome poor yields, malnutrition and 

opposition to GMOs - all of which are 

still large challenges in the global 

South. 

The science of nanotech is cuttingedge 

but simple enough to be 

affordable globally. And the 

development prospect is huge. So it's 

no surprise that many developing 

countries have already embarked on 

commercialising the technology. 

But the blossoming of this relatively 

new technology also raises concerns 

about its long-term safety to human 

health and the environment, with many 

scientists calling for better and more 

internationally coordinated regulation 

and oversight of the proliferating uses 

of nanoparticles. 

Developing nations have been left 

out of conversations about nanotech 

regulation, and there is still a need for 

better regulation of the technology at a 

national and global level to ensure the 

technology meets the needs of the poor 

with minimum risk to people. 

So, what are the latest ideas in using 

nanotech in food security, what can it 

do, and what are the safety fears 

surrounding it? The term 

nanotechnology generally refers to any 

use of nano-scale particles (between 1 

and 100 nanometres). Their tiny size 

gives them unusual properties that can 

affect texture, appearance and flavour 

of foods - and they are already used as 

food additives. 

New products containing these 

particles are also being explored to 

make biodegradable packaging, 

improve shelf life and prevent food 

poisoning and waste. For example, 

nano sensors in food packaging could 

soon tell you if food was exposed to 

sunlight and therefore degraded in 

quality. 

Some scientists are planning to use it 

to improve nutrition. They are studying 

the use of nano emulsions - oil in water 

mixtures with tiny droplets - as 

excipients (foods that improve the 

bioactivity of foods ingested with 

them). These could increase our intake 

of nutrients from fruit and veg - a use 

that is especially promising in tackling 

malnutrition and micronutrient 

deficiency. 

The idea is to spray these on food to 

allow us to extract more nutrients. 

Similar nano emulsions are being 

explored for their antimicrobial activity 

to protect crops and foods from going 

off. "Nanotechnology will be pretty 

ubiquitous in the coming decades in all 

sorts of products," says Markita del 

Carpio Landry, physicist at the 

University of California, Berkeley, in 

the United States. 

Scientists are even investigating use 

of nanomaterials to improve delivery of 

fertilisers and pesticides, and to create 

transgenic crops that would not be 

considered GM. Sonia Trigueros, a 

researcher at Britain's University of 

Oxford believes its "applications are 

limitless". 

Landry's team is exploring the use of 

carbon nanotubes - long, narrow, stiff 

tubes of carbon - to alter plant genes 

without foreign DNA being inserted 

into the plant genome itself, which 

would lead to gene-edited crops that 

would not be considered genetically 

modified. Given the large and ongoing 

public opposition to genetically 

modified crops in developing nations, 

this approach could be a more 

palatable way to deliver benefits such as 

drought or flood resistance. 

The team recently showed that 

carbon nanotubes can be used to 

deliver gene-editing machinery known 

as CRISPR/Cas9 inside plant cells - 

through the cell wall and the 

membrane - something that is 

otherwise tricky to do. 

Gene editing then allows precise 

genetic enhancement to create crops 

that are resistant to herbicides, insects, 

diseases and drought. It has the 

potential to make better crops without 

the kind of public fears surrounding 

genetic modification. 

Landry says that the approach would 

actually be cheaper than current 

methods used for genetic modification 

of crops, such as the gene gun - a device 

for delivering DNA to cells, or 

Agrobacterium bacteria used for gene 

transfer between cells. 

"We calculated the cost of 

nanoparticle-based transformations 

over gene gun or Agrobacterium," she 

says. "The costs are less for 

nanoparticles because they can be 

synthesised on a bulk scale." 

"Additionally," she says, "the 

nanoparticles do not require 

refrigeration, as does Agrobacterium, 

or advanced-tech laboratory 

equipment for use, as would a gene 

gun, so their use is possible in 

limited-resource environments."

NATIONAL 

WeDNeSDAY, AUGUST 21, 2019 

6 

Awareness meeting to prevent 

dengue held in Mirzaganj 

Moulvibazar Deputy Commissioner Nazia Shirin as the chief guest addressed a view exchange meeting 

at Sreemangal Upazila Parishad conference room on Tuesday. Photo: Syed Sayed Ahmed 

Moulvibazar DC assures to resolve 

various issues in Sreemangal 

syed sayed aHmed, sreemanGal 

Correspondent: 

moulvibazar deputy Commissioner 

nazia shirin held a view exchange 

meeting along with government 

officials, servicemen, public 

representatives, journalists and civil 

society members of the uapzila on 

tuesday. the meeting was held at 

sreemangal upazila parishad 

conference room. 

deputy Commissioner nazia shirin 

was present as the chief guest while 

sreemangal upazila nirbahi officer 

nazrul islam chaired the occasion. 

among others, sreemangal upazila 

parishad Chairman randhir Kumar 

deb, upazila vice Chairman 

premsagar Hajra, Women vice 

Chairman mitali dutta, upazila 

assistant Commissioner (land) 

Naogaon Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime) Md. Rakibul Akhter 

as the chief guest addressed a community policing assembly at 

Mohadevpur upazila on Tuesday. 

Photo: M Shakhawath Hossain 

2.8 tonnes of fingerlings released 

at waterbodies in Gaibandha 

GaibandHa: a total of 2.8 

tonnes of fingerlings worth of 

tK 7 lakh were released at 

institutional waterbodies 

including the ponds of 

adarsha Guchchagram here 

this month, reports bss. 

the fingerlings releasing 

activity started on august 08 

at the management of upazila 

fisheries offices and ended 

today amid much enthusiasm, 

office sources said. 

Concerned 

upazila 

chairman and upazila nirbahi 

officer inaugurated the 

fingerlings releasing activity 

in the waterbodies of the 

respective upazila as the chief 

guest and the special guest 

respectively. 

district fisheries officer 

abdud dayan and the 

concerned upazila fisheries 

officer, institutional chiefs, 

local elite including the media 

men were present on the 

occasion. 

each of the seven upazila 

fisheries offices released 400 

kgs of fingerlings of ruhi, 

Katla and mrigel fries after 

procuring them for taka one 

lakh from the revenue fund of 

2019-2020 fiscal. 

dFo abdud dayan said the 

fingerlings were released in 

the waterbodies and the 

ponds as part of the 

programmes of national 

Fisheries 

celebration. 

A public awareness view exchange meeting on fake, adulterated, expired 

drugs and dengue was held on Tuesday at the joint initiative of the Drug 

Administration and Tongi Drug Trader Welfare Association in Tongi of 

Gazipur. MA Latif presided over the meeting and Siddiqur Rahman conducted 

the meeting while Assistant Director of Gazipur Drug 

Administration Dr Md. Akhtar Hossain was present as the chief guest at the 

occasion. Among others, Drug superintendent Tahmid Jamil, Shahadat 

Hossain Kajal, Abdur Razzak, Jahangir Hossain Babul, Ahsan Ullah and 

Nasir Uddin Bulbul were also present at the occasion. Photo: TBT 

shahidul alam and sreemangal police 

station officer-in-Charge (oC) abdus 

saleq were also present at the occasion. 

deputy Commissioner nazia shirin, 

who was the chief guest at the meeting, 

listened to many of the speeches and 

allegations that came up at the 

occasion. later in her speech, she 

discussed various issues and 

possibilities of sreemangal and 

assured to resolve the issues. 

Week-2019 

Community policing 

assembly held in 

Mohadevpur 

m sHaKHaWatH Hossain, 

moHadevpur Correspondent: 

a community policing 

assembly was held at the 

mohadevpur police station on 

tuesday afternoon at 

mohadevpur upazila in 

naogaon. additional 

superintendent of police 

(Crime) md. rakibul akhter 

addressed the meeting as the 

chief guest chaired by 

mohadevpur police station 

officer-in-Charge (oC) md. 

sajjad Hossain. 

among 

others, 

representative of rajshahi 

range diG office si md. 

tarajul islam, upazila 

Women's vice Chairman 

rabia rahman poly, convener 

of Community policing 

Forum ajit Kumar mondal, 

member secretary md. 

masudur rahman, raigaon 

up Chairman md. munjurul 

alam, Khajur up Chairman 

md belal uddina and 

mohadevpur sadar up 

Chairman muhammad 

mahbubur rahman dohlu 

were also present at the 

occasion. 

the chief guest in his speech 

said that everyone should 

come forward to establish a 

beautiful society by building 

community policing members 

in every house. 

One held with 

700 yaba tablets 

in Narail 

Humaun Kabir, narail Correspondent: 

narail db police arrested 

a drug trader named 

aminur mollah along with 

700 pieces of yaba tablets. 

db police si Khairul alam 

said aminur mollah was 

detained while selling yaba 

tablets standing on the street 

in front of his house in 

mangalpur village of 

lohagara upazila on 

monday. 

during the time, 700 

pieces of yaba tablets were 

recovered from him. aminur 

is son of anisur molla of 

mangalpur village. during 

the raid, his drug dealer's 

brother fled the scene. 

superintendent of police 

mohammad Jasimuddin 

declared zero tolerance for 

drug and said that police 

operations in remote areas 

will continue. 

uttam Golder, mirZaGanJ 

Correspondent: 

an awareness meeting to 

prevent dengue cases, child 

lifting rumors, drugs and 

child marriage was held at 

the initiative of mirzaganj 

upazila administration on 

tuesday. patuakhali deputy 

Commissioner md. motiul 

islam Chowdhury was 

present as the chief guest at a 

meeting held at subidkhali 

rahman ishaq pilot 

secondary school 

auditorium. 

upazila nirbahi officer 

md. sarwar Hossain chaired 

the meeting while among 

others, upazila parishad 

Chairman Khan md. abu 

bakar siddiqui, upazila 

assistant Commissioner 

(land) md. manjur Hossain, 

upazila awami league 

convener md. Gazi atahar 

An awareness meeting to prevent dengue cases, child lifting rumors, drugs and 

child marriage was held in Mirzaganj upazila on Tuesday. Photo: Uttam Golder 

uddin ahmed, upazila vice 

Chairman md. Zahirul islam 

Jewel, mirzaganj police 

station officer-in-Charge 

mr shawkat anwar islam, 

mirzaganj Health officer dr. 

dilruba yasmin liza, 

subidkhali Government High 

In observance of the 44th martyrdom anniversary of Father of the 

Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and National 

Mourning Day, Islamic Foundation organized a discussion and doa 

mahfil in Joypurhat on Tuesday. 

Photo: Masrakul Alom 

raJsHaHi: department of Fisheries 

has released 4.5 metric tones of fish 

fries and fingerlings in open water 

bodies in the district during the current 

monsoon aims at boosting the fish 

production, reports bss. 

district Fisheries officer alok Kumar 

shaha revealed this while addressing a 

fish fry releasing ceremony at Harian 

area under paba upazila in the district 

yesterday afternoon. 

He also told the meeting that fish 

demonstration farm on 8.5 hectares 

and beel nursery on three hectares will 

be established side by side with fish 

habitat development on five hectares in 

the current 2019-20 fiscal year. 

around 2,200 fishermen, fish 

farmers and other entrepreneurs will 

be benefited from the promotional 

activities. 

ayen uddin, mp, addressed the 

ceremony as chief guest while upazila 

Chairman monsur rahman, Katakhali 

pourasava mayor abbas ali, senior 

upazila Fisheries officer abu bakkar 

siddique and youth development 

officer sayed ali reja spoke as special 

guests. 

on the occasion, 350 kilograms of 

fish fries were released at separate six 

points of a two-kilometer re-excavated 

canal area from Jagirpara to digor 

beel. barind multipurpose 

development authority (bmda) reexcavated 

12 kilometer derelict canal in 

the area. 

in his remarks, lawmaker ayen 

uddin said enhanced fish production 

can be the effective means to meet 

school Head teacher md. 

abdul Jalil and up Chairman 

md. Golam sarwar were also 

present at the occasion. 

Islamic Foundation 

holds discussion, 

doa mahfil marking 

Nat’l Mourning Day 

masraKul alom, JoypurHat Correspondent: 

islamic Foundation, district 

office held a discussion and 

doa mahfil marking the 44th 

martyrdom anniversary of 

Father of the nation 

bangabandhu sheikh 

mujibur rahman and 

national mourning day in 

Joypurhat on tuesday. 

deputy director abdul 

razzaq chaired the occasion 

while deputy Commissioner 

md Zakir Hossain was 

present as the chief guest at 

the dC's conference room. 

among others, assistant 

director Jahangir alam, field 

officer aminul islam, field 

supervisor rabiul islam, 

masud Karim and Golam 

rabbani were also present at 

the occasion. 

4.5 metric tones fish fries released in Rajshahi 

protein deficiency and poverty 

alleviation along employment 

generation. 

referring to the immense prospect of 

the fisheries sector he said fish 

production could easily be increased 

through the best use of existing natural 

resources. 

Conservation of the water resources 

and other wetlands has become 

indispensable for the sake of boosting 

fish production to meet up the national 

protein demands, he added. 

ayen uddin called for involving more 

people in the fish farming activities for 

the sake of meeting the protein 

demands as only the fish fulfill at least 

60 per cent need of the animal protein 

especially of the poor and marginal 

communities. 

Narail DB Police arrested a drug trader along with 700 pieces of yaba tablets on Monday. 

Photo: Humaun Kabir

7 

WEDNESDAy, AuguST 21, 2019 

The number of dengue cases in the Philippines in the first eight months of this year has surged more than 

188,000 with 807 deaths, the Department of Health (DOH) of the Philippines said on Tuesday. Photo : AP 

Dengue cases in Philippines surge to more 

than 188,000, with over 800 deaths 

The number of dengue cases in the 

Philippines in the first eight months of 

this year has surged more than 

188,000 with 807 deaths, the 

Department of Health (DOH) of the 

Philippines said on Tuesday, reports 

UNB. 

The DOH has tallied 188,562 dengue 

cases from Jan. 1 to Aug. 3 this year, 

according to its dengue surveillance 

report. This number is more than 

double the 93,149 cases recorded in the 

same period last year. 

Moreover, the DOH said there have 

been 807 deaths, which are higher than 

the 497 deaths recorded in the same 

period in 2018. 

According to the DOH, the regions 

now under the epidemic threshold level 

Dembele injury 

deepens Barca's 

injury problems 

in attack 

FC Barcelona's injury 

problems continue to 

worsen with the 

confirmation that French 

international winger 

Ousmane Dembele will be 

out of action for up to six 

weeks with a left hamstring 

injury, reports UNB. 

The winger ended Friday's 

1-0 opening day defeat to 

Athletic Bilbao in difficulty 

and the extent of the injury 

has now been confirmed by 

the club's medical staff. 

It is not the first time that 

Dembele has had problems 

with his leg, having missed 

several months of his first 

season at the club after 

tearing a tendon in his left 

hamstring against Getafe in 

2017. 

Dembele's injury leaves 

Barca coach Ernesto 

Valverde with problems in 

formulating his attack for 

Barca's next league game at 

home to Real Betis next 

weekend. 

Lionel Messi is still 

recovering from a calf injury 

he suffered in pre-season 

and may or may not be fit to 

face Betis, while Luis Suarez 

is out for around three to 

four weeks after suffering a 

calf injury in Bilbao, while 

Philippe Coutinho is no 

longer at the club after the 

confirmation of his loan deal 

to Bayern Munich. 

That leaves just summer 

signing Antoine Griezmann 

as a specialist striker for 

Valverde, who will be 

crossing his fingers that 

Messi recovers in time, but 

may opt to give a start to 

youngster Carles Perez, who 

made his league debut in the 

Bilbao defeat. 

Meanwhile, the Spanish 

press continue to speculate 

over whether or not Brazil's 

Neymar will return to 

Barcelona before the close of 

the transfer window, with 

some newspapers insisting 

the club will make a formal 

offer for the Paris Saint- 

Germain forward this week. 

Enditem . 

are mostly in the central and southern 

parts of the Philippines. DOH data also 

showed the age group mostly affected 

by dengue are those from five to nine 

years old, with 43,047 cases, or 23 

percent. 

"The dengue cases continue to rise," 

Health Undersecretary Eric Domingo 

said, appealing to Filipinos to heighten 

efforts to clean up and destroy 

mosquito breeding sites to contain 

dengue. 

On Aug. 6, the Philippines declared 

the country's outbreak of dengue to be 

a national epidemic to improve the 

response to the outbreak by allowing 

local governments to draw on a special 

quick response fund. The DOH has 

warned that the dengue cases will likely 

A court in Thailand on Tuesday sentenced 

a construction tycoon to six months in 

prison for illegal firearms possession in 

the latest case in a scandal that erupted 

when he was accused of poaching 

protected animals in a wildlife sanctuary, 

reports UNB. 

The Bangkok Criminal Court halved the 

one-year sentence for Premchai 

Karnasuta because he pleaded guilty. It 

rejected his lawyer's request that it 

commute the sentence to probation. 

Premchai and several employees of his 

Italian-Thai Development company were 

found with guns and the carcasses of a 

black panther and other animals when 

they were caught hunting in western 

Thailand in February last year. 

Premchai was already sentenced in 

March this year to 16 months' 

imprisonment for possessing the carcass 

of an endangered Kajij pheasant and 

firearms in public areas. He also received 

a one-year sentence in June for 

attempting to bribe a park ranger. He 

remains free on bail on all the charges, 

paying bail of 200,000 baht ($6,490) in 

the latest case. 

The arms that he was convicted of 

possessing illegally were found in a police 

raid on his Bangkok home after his arrest 

continue to rise until October because 

of the rainy season. 

Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral 

infection found in tropical countries 

worldwide. It can cause joint pain, 

nausea, vomiting and a rash, and can 

cause breathing problems, 

hemorrhaging and organ failure in 

severe cases. 

The global incidence of dengue has 

grown dramatically in recent decades. 

The World Health Organization 

(WHO) said the incidence of dengue 

has increased 30 fold over the last 50 

years. 

There is no specific treatment for 

dengue, but early detection and access 

to proper medical care lowers fatality 

rates below 1 percent. 

Thai tycoon in poaching scandal 

convicted on firearms charge 

in the wildlife sanctuary in Kanchanaburi 

province. 

Three other hunting companions were 

found guilty of possessing the panther 

carcass, but Premchai was acquitted of 

the charge. The case fueled public 

skepticism that justice would be done in a 

country that has seen the privileged 

prevail in high-profile cases. Wildlife 

activists wore black panther masks as a 

symbol of protest on several occasions 

and environmentalists have pledged to 

keep up pressure. 

Premchai has one case remaining in the 

A court in Thailand on Tuesday sentenced a construction tycoon to six 

months in prison for illegal firearms possession in the latest case in a 

scandal that erupted when he was accused of poaching protected animals 

in a wildlife sanctuary. 

Photo : AP 

courts, illegal possession of elephant 

tusks also found during the police raid on 

his Bangkok home. The verdict in that 

case is scheduled for Oct. 1. 

Premchai's lawyer asked the court to 

commute his client's sentence, with 

Premchai pledging to enter the Buddhist 

monkhood for 15 days to earn merit for 

those he had wronged. 

The lawyer also said Premchai would 

donate 3 million baht ($97,370) to be 

used for the public's benefit and would 

not involve himself with firearms again 

for the rest of his life. The court rejected 

the request because of his prior 

convictions. 

9 migrants jump 

into sea trying to 

reach Italy 

The humanitarian group 

Open Arms say another nine 

migrants have jumped into 

the sea "desperately trying to 

reach the coast of 

Lampedusa" - the Italian 

island only a few hundred 

yards away, reports UNB. 

Open Arms said Tuesday 

that both the Italian coast 

guard and its own crew are 

trying to rescue them, 

adding "the situation is out 

of control." 

Live video shows people 

wearing orange life vests 

floating in the sea, some in 

groups some individually, 

with a coast guard vessel 

nearby and rubber dinghies 

trying to reach them. 

The incident comes after 

another man threw himself 

into the sea earlier in the 

day. He was rescued by the 

Coast Guard but was 

refusing to return to the 

Open Arms ship. The 

standoff with Italy is in its 

19th day, as Italy's hard-line 

interior minister refuses to 

allow the Spanish ship 

access to a safe port even 

though other European 

nations have offered to take 

the migrants. 

The Spanish humanitarian 

rescue ship Open Arms says 

another man had to be 

rescued after jumping into 

the sea as the stand-off with 

Italy, which won't permit it 

access to a port, entered its 

19th day. 

Open Arms described the 

situation on board Tuesday 

as "desperate," saying that a 

man threw himself into the 

water, trying to reach land 

that is in plain view, while at 

the same moment a woman 

suffered a panic attack. 

The Open Arms captain 

previously informed Italian 

authorities that the crew of 

17 could no longer control 

the situation on board, as 

frustrated migrants resort to 

fighting. Italy's hard-line 

interior minister has refused 

port access to the ship, 

docked just off the island of 

Lampedusa, even though six 

other European countries 

have agreed to take the 

passengers. 

More migrants jump 

from rescue ship off 

Italian island 

More migrants jumped off the Spanish 

humanitarian rescue ship Open Arms 

Tuesday in a desperate bid to reach shore, 

tantalizingly near after 19 days blocked on 

board in deteriorating conditions by 

Italy's refusal to open its ports, reports 

UNB. 

Open Arms described the situation on 

board as "out of control" and "desperate." 

After one migrant jumped ship earlier in 

the day and was rescued by the Italian 

coast guard, nine more launched 

themselves into the sea wearing orange 

life vests 

A reporter with the Spanish public 

broadcaster TVE reporting from the NGO 

boat said that the earlier jumper refused 

to return to the Open Arms ship, and was 

brought to the Italian island of 

Lampedusa instead, apparently triggering 

the reaction of the nine who followed his 

lead. The reporter said that those jumping 

were "desperate and going mad" after 19 

days trapped on board. 

Open Arms said that the Italian coast 

guard managed to rescue all nine of the 

later group, but it was not immediately 

clear if they would also be taken to land. 

Live video showed people wearing life 

vests floating in the sea, some in groups 

some individually, with a coast guard 

vessel nearby and rubber dinghies trying 

to reach them. 

Open Arms confirmed that the first man 

who jumped, a Syrian national, was 

brought to Lampedusa. The group 

described the situation on board as 

"desperate," saying that a man threw 

himself into the water, trying to reach 

land that was in plain view, while at the 

same moment a woman suffered a panic 

attack. 

The NGO's spokeswoman, Laura 

Lanuza, said she heard from Open Arms 

crew members that "those who remain 

aboard are threatening with jumping as 

well." 

The Open Arms captain previously 

informed Italian authorities that the crew 

of 17 can no longer control the situation 

on board, as frustrated migrants resort to 

fighting. Italy's hard-line interior 

minister has refused port access to the 

ship, even though six other European 

countries have agreed to take the 

passengers. 

An Italian coast guard boat is seen next to migrants swimming after 

jumping off the Spanish rescue ship Open Arms, close to the Italian shore 

in Lampedusa, Italy August 20, 2019. 

Photo : AP 

Taiwan's Tsai expresses thanks 

over approval of F-16V sale 

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen 

thanked the United States on Tuesdsay 

for approving the sale of 66 advanced 

F-16V fighter jets and urged rival China 

to respect Taiwan's right to defend 

itself, reports UNB. 

President Donald Trump announced 

approval of the $8 billion deal on 

Sunday. The sale is expected to further 

inflame U.S. relations with China, 

which claims Taiwan as its own 

territory to be annexed by force if 

necessary. 

Tsai on Tuesday also applauded 

previous arm sales already announced 

by Trump's administration, saying 

those reaffirmed the United States' 

"long-standing commitment to helping 

maintain peace and stability in the 

Taiwan Strait." 

Trump's announcement begins a 

period of consultation with Congress, 

and a formal announcement of the sale 

could be made as early as next month 

unless lawmakers object. The State 

Department, which would ultimately 

authorize the sale, declined to 

comment, but members of Congress 

from both parties welcomed the 

proposal. 

China fiercely opposes all arms sales 

to Taiwan but has specifically objected 

to advanced fighter jets such as the F- 

16V, whose Active Electronically 

Scanned Array, or AESA, radar is 

compatible with the F-35 stealth 

fighters operated by the U.S. Air Force, 

Navy and Marines. The U.S. is also 

installing upgraded electronics, 

including AESA radars, on Taiwan's 

existing fleet of 144 older F-16s. 

While the U.S. cut formal diplomatic 

relations with Taiwan in 1979 in order 

to recognize Beijing, U.S. law requires 

Washington to ensure Taiwan has the 

means to defend itself. 

Since 2008, U.S. administrations 

have notified Congress of more than 

$24 billion in foreign military sales to 

Taiwan, including in the past two 

months the sale of 108 M1A2 Abrams 

tanks and 250 Stinger missiles, valued 

at $2.2 billion. The Trump 

administration alone has notified 

Congress of $4.4 billion in arms sales to 

Taiwan. Tsai has rejected Chinese 

pressure to unite Taiwan and China 

under a "one-country, two-systems" 

framework and soon after her 2016 

inauguration, Beijing cut contacts with 

her government over her refusal to 

endorse its claim that Taiwan is part of 

China. 

Beijing has sought to increase 

Taiwan's international isolation by 

reducing its diplomatic allies to just 17 

and stepped up military intimidation, 

including by holding military exercises 

across the Taiwan Strait and circling 

the island with bombers and fighters in 

what are officially termed training 

missions. 

On Monday, Chinese foreign 

ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said 

Beijing had "made solemn complaints" 

to the U.S. over the planned F-16V sale. 

Geng called on Washington to "fully 

recognize the serious dangers of the 

arms sale to Taiwan" and cancel it 

immediately or bear the consequences. 

"China will take necessary measures 

to safeguard its own interests according 

to the development of the situation," 

Geng said. 

Kenya to export 400,000 barrels 

of crude oil in 2019 

Kenya is expected to 

export 400,000 barrels of 

crude oil in 2019, 

becoming the first east 

African nation to export oil 

to the international 

market, a government 

official said on Tuesday, 

reports UNB. 

Andrew Kamau, 

principal secretary in the 

ministry of petroleum 

and mining told 

journalists in Nairobi 

that the oil sales are 

being conducted under 

the early oil pilot scheme 

(EOPS) which seeks to 

establish a market for 

Kenyan oil. 

"The first batch of 

200,000 barrels of oil will 

be exported in the third 

quarter of 2019 and 

second will be sold 

towards the end of the 

year," Kamau said. 

Kamau said that most of 

Kenya's oil will be sold in 

Asia. 

He revealed that under 

the EOPS, which is being 

undertaken jointly by 

Tullow Oil, Africa Oil and 

Total Oil, the country will 

be producing 2,000 

barrels of oil daily from its 

oil blocks in northwest 

Kenya. 

"However when the 

country attains full 

commercial production, 

output is expected to range 

between 70,000 and 

80,000 barrels of oil 

daily," he added. The 

government official said 

that Kenya will export its 

petroleum resources as its 

oil refinery has been shut 

down because it is 

inefficient. 

According to the 

ministry of petroleum, 

crude oil will be 

transported by road and 

until the proposed 

Lokichar to Lamu port oil 

pipeline is complete. 

Kenya discovered 

commercial oil deposits in 

2012 and are currently 

estimated at 750 million 

barrels of oil.

ART & CULTURE 

wEdNESdAy, 

AUGUST 21, 2019 

8 

Twitter Bans China Accounts for Misinformation 

Campaign Against 'Mulan' Boycott 

The company deleted nearly 1,000 

accounts it said were "deliberately 

and specifically attempting to sow 

political discord in Hong Kong, 

including undermining the legitimacy 

and political positions of the 

protest movement on the ground." 

Facebook and Twitter said 

Monday that they had deleted a network 

of fake accounts used by China 

to sow political discord over Hong 

Kong's pro-democracy, anti-police 

brutality protests. 

The accounts also were used to 

share pro-Beijing rhetoric in 

response to the Hong Kong-initiated 

boycott of The Walt Disney Co.'s 

upcoming film Mulan, some of the 

Michigan. Some of the accounts 

were set up years ago, and slowly 

amassed followers by tweeting about 

innocuous pop culture, such as 

NBC's hit show This Is Us - a common 

tactic used to cloak misinformation 

campaigns in credibility. 

Other accounts, such as 

@HKPoliticalNew, were attempting 

to pose as legitimate Hong Kong 

news outlets. 

Facebook responded to Twitter's 

move by pulling down 16 pages it 

said were linked to the same troll 

operation. 

One post highlighted by Twitter's 

public safety team read: "We don't 

want you radical people in Hong 

crime to be extradited to mainland 

China. Nearly two million Hong 

Kong residents took to the streets to 

contest the bill at the height of the 

protests in June, believing it would 

mark the end of the autonomy and 

rule of law Hong Kong was promised 

when the territory was handed back 

to China from Britain in 1997. 

After the Hong Kong police 

responded with heavy handed tactics 

- including firing tear gas into 

public subway stations and using 

rubber bullets against crowds - the 

protests have intensified and the 

movement's demands have morphed 

into calls for independent 

investigations of the police and 

ClOSE 

A female bodyguard and the heiress 

she is hired to protect go on the run 

from assassins. 

Genre 

Director 

Cast 

Writer 

: Action, Thriller 

: Vicky Jewson 

: Noomi Rapace, 

Sophie Nélisse, Eoin 

Macken, 

: Vicky Jewson, 

Rupert Whitaker 

: 94 min 

Runtime 

Release Date : 18 January, 2019 

STORyliNE : 

Close, an adrenaline-pumping 

action thriller written and directed 

by Vicky Jewson (Born of 

War), is inspired by the life of the 

world's leading female bodyguard, 

Jacquie Davis. The film 

stars Noomi Rapace as Sam, a 

counter-terrorist expert used to 

war zones, who takes on the job 

of protecting Zoe (Sophie 

Nélisse), a young and rich 

heiress - a babysitting job for her. 

But a violent attempted kidnapping 

forces the two to go on the 

run. Now they've got to take 

some lives - or lose theirs. 

-Netflix 

Billie Eilish beats 'Old Town Road' 

as 'Bad Guy' Hits No. 1 on Hot 100 

Billie Eilish has knocked Lil Nas X's 

"Old Town Road" from the No. 1 atop 

the Hot 100. 

Eilish's "Bad Guy" rose from No. 2 to 

No. 1, finally toppling the country rap 

song featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, which 

had a record-breaking 19-week run at 

the top of the Hot 100. 

"Bad Guy" is the first No. 1 hit for 

Eilish, who only rose to fame within the 

past few months after the release of her 

debut album, "When We All Fall Asleep, 

Where Do We Go?" The album has 

bounced around the Billboard 200 for 

months. 

A few weeks ago "Bad Guy" was rereleased 

with a verse by Justin Bieber, 

which helped give the song a fresh 

boost. 

"Gold teeth, my neck, my wrist is froze 

(So icy)/ I got more ice than, than the 

snow/ That guy, don't act like you don't 

know/ That guy, so critical (skrrt)," the 

verse begins. 

Eilish,17, is the youngest woman to hit 

No. 1 since 2009 when Demi Lovato 

debuted with "Here We Go Again" at 16. 

If Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus return 

to the top spot, they will become the first 

in US history to rule the Hot 100 for 20 

weeks. 

-CNN 

example tweets shared by Twitter 

reveal. 

The Mulan boycott was initiated 

late last week after the film's star, 

Crystal Liu Yifei, posted a message 

of support on Chinese social media 

for the Hong Kong police force. The 

post ignited a firestorm both within 

Hong Kong and among pro-democracy 

sympathizers overseas, given 

the many accusations by international 

human rights groups that the 

police have been using excess force 

in their confrontations with protesters 

and the public. 

Twitter said Monday that it pulled 

down 936 troll accounts, many of 

which pushed conspiracy theories 

about the Hong Kong protestors and 

their motivations. 

"These accounts were deliberately 

and specifically attempting to sow 

political discord in Hong Kong, 

including undermining the legitimacy 

and political positions of the 

protest movement on the ground," 

the company said in a statement. 

Twitter added that it has "reliable 

evidence to support that this is a 

coordinated state-backed operation." 

Many of the deleted accounts 

claimed to be users based in the 

United States, in places ranging 

from New York City and to small 

towns like Berrien Springs, 

Kong. Just get out of here!" 

A recent China-linked Facebook 

post compared the pro-democracy 

protestors to ISIS fighters. 

Another Twitter post said: "Are 

these people who smashed the Legco 

crazy or taking benefits from the bad 

guys?" (Legco is Hong Kong's legislature, 

which was briefly occupied by 

protestors earlier this month.) 

Central to Beijing's vast propaganda 

campaign within Mainland China 

is the allegation that the protests 

have been instigated by Western 

forces allied against China, including 

the CIA, rather than Hong Kong 

residents advocating for their own 

political concerns. China has offered 

no credible evidence for the claim. 

Shortly after the #BoycottMulan 

hashtag start trending on Twitter 

last Friday, users tweeting about the 

campaign began calling attention to 

accounts they suspected were being 

directed by the Chinese government. 

"You should come to Hong Kong 

to see the truth, not be misled by 

unscrupulous Western media and 

politicians," read one reply to 

#BoycottMulan from the account 

@shu_zhiyuan, which has since 

been removed by Twitter. 

The Hong Kong protests began 

nearly three months ago in response 

to a bill that would have allowed 

Hong Kong residents charged a 

direct democracy. An estimated 1.7 

million Hong Kong residents braved 

pouring rain in Hong Kong on 

Sunday to join a peaceful procession 

through the heart of the city - 

demonstrating that the movement is 

not fading away as the Beijing and 

Hong Kong authorities may have 

hoped. 

Liu pulled Disney into the fray last 

week when she shared an image with 

her 65 million followers on China's 

Twitter-like social media service, 

Weibo, reading: "I support Hong 

Kong's police, you can beat me up 

now," followed by, "What a shame 

for Hong Kong." The image had 

originally been created by the statebacked 

People's Daily. Liu added the 

hashtag "IAlso Support The Hong 

Kong Police" and a heart emoji. 

The post was widely praised in 

China - both by Beijing's vast social 

media propaganda apparatus and 

lay patriotic users - but outside the 

Middle Kingdom it has raised awkward 

questions about Disney's 

brand allegiances. 

Both Facebook and Twitter, as well 

as the websites of the BBC, The New 

York Times and Bloomberg, are 

banned in China, blocked by the so 

called "Great Firewall," a complex 

system of Internet censorship mechanisms. 

-The Hollywood Reporter 

Salman Khan will get banned 

if he works with Mika Singh 

Singer Mika Singh, who was banned 

by Federation of Western India Cine 

Employees association (FWICE) after 

he performed at a wedding in Karachi, 

awaits the final verdict which will be 

out after he meets the members of the 

film body. According to a report in 

Mid Day, the federation has said that 

if any artist works with Mika, then he 

or she too could get banned. He was 

reportedly speaking with reference to 

an upcoming six-city gig in the US 

where Salman Khan and Mika will 

perform in. 

Titled Up, Close and Personal With 

Salman Khan, the show has been 

scheduled for next week. Mika is 

expected to join them in the Houston 

leg of the programme, due to take place 

on August 28. Ashok Dubey, general 

secretary, FWICE, explained the technicalities 

of the ban. He told Mid Day, 

"If we impose a ban, it means all our 

technicians -- including actors, directors 

and even spot boys -- will not work 

with Mika. If someone works with Mika 

during this ban, say Salman or anyone 

else, then he to will be banned." 

Commenting on whether the ban 

applies to gigs held outside the country, 

Dubey said: "Whether it's an 

organiser from the US or any other 

country, we cannot stop anybody 

from conducting an event. Our policy 

is simple -- we will not work with the 

person who has been banned." 

The show has been put together by 

Sohail Khan's event management 

company in coordination with one 

Jordy Patel's company called JA 

Events in India and Bhavesh Patel in 

the US. The report quotes Jordy as 

saying, "We are only dealing with 

Bhavesh Patel as our contract is with 

him. Some local promoter in the US 

must have signed on Mika and added 

him to the line-up. Salman will have 

nothing to do with Mika at the event. 

They will not even interact on stage." 

Mika had on Sunday put out a video 

on Twitter, where federation member 

BN Tiwari mentioned that Mika has 

expressed a desire to apologise to the 

nation. 

-Hindustan Times 

H O R O S C O p E 

ARiES 

(March 21 - April 20) : Everyone 

knows that nothing can stop you 

when you're determined to get 

something done. As long as other 

people are on your side today, you will be 

amazed at all the things you can accomplish. 

But don't get too excited, Aries, because it's 

time to take care of those thankless tasks that 

no one wants to deal with. 

TAURUS 

(April 21 - May 21) : You may be considering 

taking a trip or planning a party 

with some friends, Taurus. You may 

find out today that it's up to you to do all the organizing. 

This won't bother you too much because you 

know you'll do it right. Why don't you think about 

really trying to outdo yourself and plan something 

special that your friends will never forget? 

GEMiNi 

(May 22 - June 21) : This could be 

the luckiest day of the month, 

Gemini. But astrology also takes 

your role into account. In other words, luck is 

something you have to work for. If you seem to 

have an incredible streak of luck today, it's 

probably because you did something earlier to 

make it happen! 

CANCER 

(June 22 - July 23) : If you get 

asked to lead a team in your personal 

or professional life, jump at 

the chance. Today you will get all the support 

you need, Cancer. Don't be afraid that 

you're not good enough. Things will come 

together without your having to do much at 

all. Besides, you already know that people 

are on your side! 

lEO 

(July 24 - Aug. 23) : You couldn't 

dream of a better day to deal with all 

the little problems in your daily life - 

broken washing machine, money problems, 

minor health issues. If your doctor has given you 

a prescription, you can expect it would work like 

a miracle drug. Leo, take care of the little things. 

It will take less time than you think! 

ViRGO 

(Aug. 24 - Sept. 23) : Perhaps 

you can't believe it, but it's time 

to say goodbye to your rigid 

attitude. A little pleasure 

among all that seriousness and responsibility 

won't do you any harm. This day 

could help you change your point of view 

on life. This will feel great! 

liBRA 

(Sept. 24 - Oct. 23) : Life is helping 

you out at the moment, 

Libra. You might chalk it up to 

some divine power. Whatever it is, your 

guardian angel is always by your side. 

Perhaps you'd like to begin something new 

in your life, like moving or changing 

lifestyles. At the moment you can do anything 

you want to do. 

SCORpiO 

(Oct. 24 - Nov. 22) : Have you ever 

thought about writing or working 

for a company in which you can 

use your excellent communication skills, 

Scorpio? The planetary alignment emphasizes 

writing and communication. It's time to show 

the world that you have a gift and that people 

can count on you to do a great job. 

SAGiTTARiUS 

(Nov. 23 - Dec. 21) : If you've been 

thinking of living somewhere else, 

Sagittarius, today will push you to 

really want to move far away from 

the place you're living now. Such a move could 

have consequences for your work situation or 

family life. It may be time to think seriously 

about what's holding you back. 

CApRiCORN 

(Dec. 22 - Jan. 20) : You have a 

great day ahead of you, 

Capricorn. Everything will 

work out like clockwork. By the end of the 

day, you'll still have the energy to do 

something fun with your evening. It's a 

wonderful day for group activities. If you 

aren't involved in any, why not try a sport, 

hobby, music, or art? 

AQUARiUS 

(Jan. 21 - Feb. 19) : You may have 

received some bad news concerning 

your finances, Aquarius. This is 

probably the best day you could ask for out of 

the whole month to deal with these problems. If 

you want to come out of this situation a winner, 

it may be necessary to approach things from a 

different angle than usual. 

piSCES 

(Feb. 20 - Mar. 20) : Today is a relatively 

calm day that's sure to please 

you, Pisces. You may even receive 

gifts from family and friends as marks of their 

esteem or love for you. This is just the kind of reassurance 

you need. Though you have a fairly subtle 

influence in your relationships with others, it's 

nevertheless essential to you to be a good friend.

9 

WEDNESDAy, AUgUST 21, 2019 

Mashrafe Bin Mortaza has given a motivational speech to the High Performance (HP) team players 

ahead of their 'do or die' clash against Sri Lanka HP team. 

Photo: BCB 

Mashrafe boost for HP players 

ahead of ‘do or die’ clash 

Sports Desk: Bangladesh ODI 

captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza has 

given a motivational speech to the High 

Performance (HP) team players ahead 

of their 'do or die' clash against Sri 

Lanka HP team, reports BSS. 

Considered as the future prospect 

of the country, the HP players 

suffered a humiliating 186-run 

defeat to Sri Lankan team on 

Sunday at BKSP in the first of the 

three-match series. 

The second match is on Wednesday 

(today), an important match which 

they will play to keep the series alive. 

More than the margin of the defeat, 

HP players' application in the ground 

raised a question when they were 

considered as the country's future 

players. The Sri Lanka HP team 

amassed 304-7 after which the hosts 

Abahani face 4.25 

SC in AFC Cup 

semi-tie today 

Sports Desk: Motivated 

Abahani Limited will 

favourites North Korean 

4.25 Sports Club in the AFC 

Cup Inter Zonal play off 

semifinal-2 scheduled to be 

held today (Wednesday) 

with both the teams express 

their high hope on winning 

the match, reports BSS. 

The match kicks off at 6.45 

pm at Bangabandhu 

National Stadium. 

Addressing at a pre match 

press conference held on 

Tuesday at conference room 

of Bangladesh Football 

Federation Bhaban, 

Abahani coach M Rio Lemos 

said the match against April. 

25 SC is very important for 

them and they are taking the 

match like a final. 

Abahani skipper Shahidul 

Islam, who was present in 

the press conference, said 

they want to win the match 

putting up their best effort in 

the field. 

The 4.25 SC are expected 

to be tough opponents for 

Abahani who have to fight 

their best to bring a good 

result. The Dhanmondi 

outfit has four quality 

foreign players in their 

squad while their opposition 

team only features homegrown 

players. 

North Korean's 4.25 

Sports Club head coach 

Choe Jong Hyok said they 

have no any experience 

regarding their rivals but 

they have come here to win 

the match. 

April 25 SC, the most 

successful club in North 

Korean football, has won 17 

national championships so 

far. The club also achieved 

an uncommon feat winning 

the national championship. 

On the other hand, Abahani 

Limited emerged top of 

Group E, also featuring 

Chennaiyin FC, Minerva 

Punjab and Manang 

Marshiyangdi Club, 4.25 SC 

got the better of two Hong 

Kong Clubs and one club from 

Taiwan in Group I. 

even couldn't play the full 50 overs 

quota as they were bowled out for 118 in 

just 28.3 overs. The performance was 

jaded and out-of-sort, something which 

created a huge uproar in the cricket's 

fraternity. 

When they were in cornered 

situation, Mashrafe, the most 

successful captain of the country came 

to them to have a discussion, said HP 

head coach Simon Helmut. 

"We have a good discussion on the 

last day [to how we can bounce back]" 

Helmut said. 

"Some of the national stars were in 

the discussion- Mashrafe spoke to the 

group for more than half an hour. He 

was very gracious to give his time. They 

are still learning, they still deviling the 

game sense and skills in a pressure 

situation against quality opposition. 

We want to see improvement in the 

next game in the three departmentswith 

the ball, bat and high intensity in 

the field." 

Sri Lanka HP team head coach 

Chaminda Vaas however expected 

Bangladesh to come back strongly but 

said his team is upbeat to win the 

series. "I am pretty sure the boys will 

do well when it comes to the second 

one-day. It is up to them to go to the 

middle and perform and enjoy the 

game and do the right thing for Sri 

Lanka cricket," Vaas, the Lankan's 

most successful fast bowler in 

history said. 

"Every team can go through bad time. 

I am pretty sure they [Bangladesh] will 

come back strongly. They are not taking 

things lightly. The best team will win 

the series." 

Jahurul eyes Test return 

after six years hiatus 

Sports Desk: Following his consistent 

performance in the domestic league and 

various level cricket, Jahurul Islam Omee 

has set a target to return to the national 

team, preferably in longer version format 

which he adores most, reports BSS. 

Basically the absence of Tamim Iqbal, who 

took a short break from cricket, gave Jahurul 

the chance to make a return to the Test 

cricket, a format which he played last in 2013 

against Zimbabwe in Harare. 

In the same year against same opponent, 

he also played his last ODI. Coincidentally 

his last T20 International match was also in 

that year. 

Having made his debut in all format of 

cricket in 2010, he played seven Tests, 14 

ODIs and three T20 Internationals before 

being discarded from the national team. 

Considered as one of the most elegant 

openers in the country, Jahurul then 

experienced some family troubles before his 

own form hit a low. 

However he overcame all the adversities 

and started performing at regular basis for 

the last three years. Recently he performed 

magnificently in the Dr. (capt)) K 

Thimmappiah Memoriral Tournament, 

known as Mini Ranji Trophy in India against 

some quality bowling attack. 

The performance there paved a way for 

him to return to Test fold and Jahurul saw a 

hope to revive his national team career. 

"Tamim is a high standard player and it's 

tough to fill his void. But still it's an 

opportunity for the likes of me, Shadman, 

Soumya, Imrul and others. So I think who 

will get the opportunity will try to make the 

most use of it," Jahurul said here on 

Tuesday. 

"Test cricket is always a big format. There 

is a saying that if somebody can play well in 

Test cricket, he can thrive in all format of the 

cricket. So even in the one-off Test against 

Afghanistan, I say, it's a big opportunity for 

the rest of us." 

Jahurul, who is now 32 years old, doesn't 

think the age can be barrier in performing if 

he remains fit and athletic in the ground. 

"It's good that I am still in BCB's radar. It's 

a good thing for the cricketers of my batch 

also. I always believe of not giving up the 

hopes. Age doesn't matter if you can keep 

yourself fit and perform well," he added. 

Jahurul was included in the 35-member 

conditioning camp after which his possibility 

to be included into the Test squad was 

reinforced. 

"After a quite long time, I got a call up in 

the preliminary squad. Every cricketer hopes 

to play in national team. I also started every 

season with a hope that I will be included 

into the national team. This season, I put up 

good performance in the Premier League 

and then got a call up in A team where I did 

well." "I am trying my best and working on 

my fitness. The rest is on selectors. If they 

think I can be good choice, they definitely 

will call me up. And if I am called up, I will 

give my best." 

Having made his debut in all format of cricket in 2010, Jahurul played 

seven Tests, 14 ODIs and three T20 Internationals before being discarded 

from the national team. 

Photo: AP 

Messi and Ibrahimovic 

nominated for FIFA 

goal of the year 

Sports Desk: Lionel Messi 

and Zlatan Ibrahimovic are 

the star names on the 10- 

player short-list announced 

on Monday by FIFA for its 

Puskas award for goal of the 

year, reports BSS. 

They are joined by three 

women and five men, with 

goals scored between July 

16, 2018 and July 19, 2019. 

There are nominees from 

the Bundesliga, Spanish 

Liga and women's World 

Cup and one, a jaw-dropping 

shot by Billie Simpson 

of Cliftonville Ladies, from a 

Northern Ireland women's 

league game played on what 

appears to be a public pitch 

in front of no spectators. 

Messi, who has yet to win 

the award, earned a seventh 

nomination with a delicate 

chip for Barcelona against 

Betis in Seville. Ibrahimovic 

netted with a balletic volley 

for LA Galaxy in Toronto in 

Major League Soccer. 

The award, which was 

established in 2009, is 

named after the legendary 

Hungary, Spain and Real 

Madrid striker Ferenc 

Puskas. Fans can vote until 

September 1 on the 10 candidates 

nominated by FIFA. 

The governing body of world 

football will then choose 

between the top three vote 

getters. The two other 

women candidates are Ajara 

Nchout for a dribble and 

shot for Cameroon against 

New Zealand in the World 

Cup and Amy Rodriguez of 

Utah for a dribble and longrange 

shot in the US National 

Women's Soccer League. 

The remaining five choices 

are: Brazilian Matheus Cunha, 

of RB Leipzig, for a spin 

and chip against Leverkusen 

in the Bundesliga, Italian 

veteran Fabio Quagliarella 

for a back-heeled volley for 

Sampdoria against his former 

club Napoli, Colombian 

Juan Fernando Quintero for 

a free kick for River Plate 

against Argentine rivals Racing, 

Andros Townsend of 

Crystal Palace for a volley 

against Manchester City. 

Pogba has penalty saved 

as Man United held 1-1 

by Wolves 

Sports Desk: Paul Pogba pulled his jersey 

over his face when the final whistle sounded, 

his latest spot-kick failure costing 

Manchester United two points and casting 

doubt over the wisdom of the team rotating 

its penalty-takers, reports UNB. 

The France midfielder saw his 68thminute 

attempt saved - his fourth penalty 

miss in the past year - as United had to settle 

for 1-1 at Wolverhampton Wanderers in the 

English Premier League on Monday. 

Pogba won the penalty after being tripped 

by Wolves defender Conor Coady and opted 

to take the kick himself after talking with 

Marcus Rashford, who converted a penalty 

in United's 4-0 win over Chelsea on the 

opening weekend of the season. 

"The two of them are designated penaltytakers," 

United manager Ole Gunnar 

Solskjaer said. "It's up to them, there and 

then. 

"Marcus scored last week but Paul was also 

confident. I like players with confidence." 

Rashford said Pogba "wanted to take it, it's 

that simple." 

"Anyone can miss a penalty," Rashford 

said. "He has scored so many penalties and it 

is normal to miss one. I took one last week, 

so for me it's no problem that he took it. It's 

unfortunate he didn't score but that's 

football." 

Anthony Martial put United into the lead 

at Molineux after running onto Rashford's 

pass and shooting first time with his left foot 

high into the net in the 27th. 

United handed Martial the No. 9 jersey for 

this season, with Solskjaer demanding more 

goals from the winger he has converted into 

a striker. It is two goals in two games for the 

Frenchman, who also netted from close 

range against Chelsea. 

Wolves was overrun in the first half, but 

improved in the second half - mainly after 

the halftime introduction of pacy winger 

Adama Traore - and equalized through a 

superb strike from Ruben Neves. 

The midfielder received the ball on the 

edge of the area from Joao Moutinho, took a 

touch, and curled a shot in off the crossbar. 

The video assistant referee checked the goal 

for offside against Moutinho but the goal 

stood. 

Wolves also drew its first game, 0-0 at 

Leicester. 

"First half was a mature performance. 

Second half was a bit sloppy," Solskjaer said. 

"We are improving. We are a young team 

who will learn. We learned on the pitch 

Paul Pogba (left) has missed four penalties for Manchester United in the 

Premier League since the start of last season. 

Photo: AP 

Steve Smith ruled out of Headingley 

Test with concussion 

Sports Desk: Steve Smith has been 

officially ruled out of the third Ashes 

Test at Headingley after having not 

recovered completely from the 

concussion he suffered after being 

struck on the neck by a Jofra Archer 

bouncer at Lord's last week, reports 

Cricbuzz. 

Smith did accompany the team to the 

ground for practice on Tuesday (August 

20) but didn't train. He was seen in a 

private conversation with coach Justin 

Langer on one side of the pith before 

doctor Richard Saw had a chat with 

him. The rest of the team continued to 

go through their routines when Mark 

Taylor, former captain turned 

commentator, joined Smith in the 

middle when the official confirmation 

came through from Langer about 

Smith's withdrawal. At one point it did 

look like he was being consoled by 

Langer who had his arm around 

Smith's shoulder. Smith then seemed 

to be in better spirits a while later as he 

spent around 20 minutes discussing 

slip catching with former captain 

Taylor and Usman Khawaja. 

Smith then ambled towards the 

nets clearly dejected but was quite 

involved, spending another 15 

minutes or so passing on some tips to 

Khawaja, who's had an up and down 

series so far. Smith's concussion 

substitute from the second Test, 

Marnus Labuschagne, was struck on 

the helmet again in the nets, this time 

by teammate Mitchell Starc. 

Fortunately, Labuschagne was fine 

after the doctor put him through a 

concussion test. Labuschagne, who 

made a match-saving 59 as Smith's 

substitute at Lord's, is most likely to 

replace the former Australia captain 

in the playing XI in Leeds. 

Smith, the leading run-getter in the 

series so far (378 runs from 3 innings) 

had initially retained hope of playing 

at Headingley. He had retired hurt on 

80 after being felled by that bouncer, 

but returned to continue his innings 

upon medical clearance, falling eight 

short of a third consecutive century in 

the series. His concussion symptoms, 

however, showed up on the fifth 

morning of the Lord's Test, a day after 

the incident, and put paid to the little 

chances of him making a full recovery 

in the short turnaround between the 

two Tests. 

Juventus gamble on Sarri delivering 

another style of Serie A title 

Sports Desk:Juventus begin 

their Serie A campaign this 

weekend under new coach 

Maurizio Sarri as the multiple 

Italian champions gamble on 

the veteran delivering another 

style of Serie A title, reports 

BSS. 

The Turin giants start their 

quest for a ninth consecutive 

title in Parma on Saturday but 

could be without Sarri on the 

bench after the 60-year-old 

was diagnosed with 

pneumonia on Monday. 

Sarri returns to Italy after 

one turbulent season in the 

Premier League with Chelsea, 

having previously coached his 

hometown team Napoli for 

three seasons. 

Chain-smoking Sarri's 

appointment, in place of the 

clean cut Massimiliano Allegri 

who had delivered the last five 

of their Serie A titles, is a break 

in tradition for Juventus. But 

after also ditching their iconic 

black and white striped jersey 

last season, the club are 

looking for a change in 

direction. 

Despite their success 

Juventus have often been 

criticised for their boring 

defensive style of play. 

Club bosses want a more 

attractive eye-catching style of 

football in an attempt to 

increase their fan base outside 

of Italy. 

While Sarri's only major title 

was the Europa League last 

season with Chelsea, he 

promises to give serial Italian 

champions Juventus a more 

dynamic style of play. 

Goalkeeper Gianluigi 

Buffon, returning to Turin 

after a season at Paris Saint- 

Germain, thinks the change of 

direction can pay off. 

"Those who follow the same 

path will always achieve the 

same results, so Juve are 

seeking the Champions 

League and wanted to try 

breaking away towards 

pastures new," said the 41- 

year-old. 

"Sarri is not a revolution, nor 

a gamble. He simply 

represents an untested path, a 

whole other story." 

Among Juventus's rivals this 

season will be Carlo Ancelotti's 

Napoli and Inter Milan, now 

coached by former Juventus 

boss Antonio Conte. 

But Juventus have spent big 

giving Sarri a stellar squad to 

target a 36th Scudetto and 

their first Champions League 

title since 1996.Cristiano 

Ronaldo, a player who Sarri 

insists "will make the 

difference", will again be 

central to attack with newlysigned 

Dutch star Matthijs De 

Ligt the jewel in defense 

alongside veterans Giorgio 

Chiellini and Leonardo 

Bonucci. 

De Ligt's Ajax sent Juventus 

crashing out of the Champions 

League last season. The 

midfield has been 

strengthened with PSG's 

Adrien Rabiot and former 

Arsenal star Aaron Ramsey, 

both acquired on free transfers 

but on large salaries.

ECONOMY & BUSINESS 

10 

WEDNESDAy, AUGUST 21, 2019 

To ensure automated reporting of foreign trade related transactions for secured customer service, 

Bank Asia Ltd. established Central Foreign Exchange Reporting Hub-Gulshan for its Dhaka North 

Zone Branches. From now onwards, customers will enjoy specialized services in foreign trade related 

transaction and related reporting will be faster, secured and error-free. Md. Arfan Ali, 

President & Managing Director of the Bank inaugurated the Reporting Hub at Tejgaon Link Road 

branch of the Bank at the Capital City recently. Mohammad Borhanuddin and Md. Sazzad Hossain, 

DMDs, Md. Zia Arfin, Head of International Division, Zahirul Haque, Head of Tejgaon Link Road 

Branch along with other officials were present at the program. 

Photo: Courtesy 

High-end rebrand makes life 

sweet for Japan’s ‘ice farmers’ 

In a mountainous area north of Tokyo, 

a priest blows a conch shell as Yuichiro 

Yamamoto bows and thanks the nature 

gods for this year's "good harvest": 

natural ice, reports BSS. 

Yamamoto is one of Japan's few 

remaining "ice farmers", eschewing the 

ease of refrigeration for open-air pools to 

create a product that is sold to high-end 

shaved ice shops in trendy Tokyo 

districts. 

His trade had all but disappeared in 

recent decades, and the shaved ice or 

kakigori that is popular throughout 

Japan in summer had been produced 

with cheap machine-made ice. 

But reinventing natural-made ice as a 

high-end artisanal product has helped 

revive the sector and save his firm. 

"When I started making natural ice, I 

wondered how I should market it. I 

thought I needed to transform kakigori," 

Yamamoto tells AFP at his ice-making 

field in the town of Nikko, north of Tokyo. 

Yamamoto took over a traditional icemaking 

business 13 years ago in Nikko, 

where he also runs a leisure park. 

At the time, shaved ice cost just 200 

yen ($2) in the local area and 

Yamamoto, who was fascinated by 

traditional ice-making, knew he couldn't 

make ends meet. 

"My predecessor used to sell ice at the 

same price as the fridge-made one, which 

can be manufactured easily anytime 

throughout the year," the 68-year-old 

says. 

The situation made it "impossible" to 

compete he explains, as producing 

natural ice is labour intensive. 

Instead he decided to transform cheap 

kakigori into a luxury dessert, made with 

his natural ice and high-grade fruit puree 

rather than artificially flavoured syrup. 

After months of research, he began 

producing his own small batches of 

artisanal kakigori. 

"I put the price tag at 800 yen for a 

bowl of kakigori. I also priced the ice at 

9,000 yen per case, which is six times 

more than my predecessor," he says. 

At first, there were days he threw away 

tonnes of ice because he could not find 

clients. 

But one day buyers from the 

prestigious Mitsukoshi department store 

discovered his product, and began 

stocking it, turning around his fortunes. 

Kakigori dates back to the Heian Period 

(794-1185) when aristocratic court 

culture flourished in the then-capital of 

Kyoto. 

It was a rare delicacy reserved for the 

rich, with the ice naturally made and 

stored in mountainside holes covered 

with silver sheets. 

It was only after 1883, when the first 

ice-making factory was built in Tokyo, 

that ordinary people could taste the 

dessert. 

With the development of ice-making 

machines, the number of traditional ice 

makers dropped to fewer than 10 

nationwide. 

The story is one familiar to many 

traditional Japanese crafts and foodstuffs 

- with expensive and labour-intensive 

products losing ground as cheaper, 

machine-driven versions become 

available. 

And making ice naturally is a gruelling 

task. The season begins in the autumn 

when workers prepare a swimming-poollike 

pit by cultivating the soil and pouring 

in spring water. 

Thin frozen initial layers are scraped 

away along with dirt and fallen leaves. 

The ice-making begins in earnest in the 

winter, when water is poured in to freeze 

solid, but it must be carefully protected. 

Producers regularly scrape off snow that 

can slow the freezing process. 

"I once spent 16 hours non-stop 

removing snow," Yamamoto recalls. 

And rain too can ruin the product, 

causing cracks that mean the whole batch 

has to be discarded. 

"I check the weather forecast 10 times a 

day," Yamamoto laughs. 

Once the ice is 14 centimetres (5.5 

inches) thick, which takes at least two 

weeks, workers begin cutting out 

rectangular blocks. 

Each block, which weighs about 40 

kilogrammes (88 pounds), is glided into 

an ice room filled with sawdust on a long 

bamboo slide. 

The blocks are sold to some of Tokyo's 

high-end shaved ice shops as well as 

department stores. 

In the Yanaka district, more than 1,000 

people queue up every day for a taste of 

kakigori made with natural ice produced 

by another ice-maker from Nikko. 

Owner Koji Morinishi says the 

naturally made ice has a texture that is 

different from machine-made products. 

"It feels very different when you shave 

it. It's harder because it's frozen over a 

long period of time," explains Morinishi. 

"It's easier to shave really thin if the ice 

is hard. If not hard, it dissolves too 

quickly." 

Morinishi himself struggled when he 

first opened the kakigori shop, but has 

gradually built a cult following for his 

desserts topped with purees of mango, 

watermelon, peach or other fruit. 

And Yamamoto's firm has seen 

demand soar - he now harvests 160 tons 

a year and knows two new producers who 

have entered the market. 

White House 

mulling tax cut to 

avoid recession 

The White House is 

considering cutting taxes or 

reversing tariffs to head off a 

recession, US media reported 

on Monday, despite President 

Donald Trump's insistence the 

economy was in rude health, 

reports BSS. 

Senior White House officials 

are mulling several moves to 

stimulate the economy 

including temporarily cutting 

the payroll tax to increase 

workers' monthly take-home 

pay, The Washington Post 

reported. Also under 

consideration is reversing new 

tariffs the Trump 

administration imposed on 

Chinese goods, according to 

The New York Times. 

The discussion is still in the 

early stages, and officials have 

not brought up the idea with 

Trump, who would have to 

seek approval from Congress, 

the newspapers said. 

The White House disputed 

the reports in a statement to 

the Post, saying "cutting 

payroll taxes is not something 

under consideration at this 

time." Trump on Sunday 

pushed back against talk of a 

looming recession after a raft 

of US data reports last week 

gave a mixed outlook for the 

economy. 

"I'm prepared for 

everything. I don't think we're 

having a recession. We're 

doing tremendously well," 

Trump told reporters. 

"And most economists 

actually say that we're not 

going to have a recession." 

Earlier on Monday, a survey 

was released showing that a 

majority of economists expect 

a US recession in the next two 

years - right around the time of 

the 2020 election in which 

Trump is standing for a 

second term. 

Tokyo stocks open 

higher following 

Wall St climb 

Tokyo stocks opened higher 

on Monday, tracking rallies on 

Wall Street with all eyes on 

key events this week including 

a major speech by the US 

Federal Reserve chief, reports 

BSS. 

The benchmark Nikkei 225 

index was up 0.90 percent, or 

182.81 points, at 20,601.62 in 

early trade, while the broader 

Topix index climbed 0.68 

percent, or 10.17 points, to 

1,495.46. 

Investors are closely 

watching US Federal Reserve 

Chairman Jerome Powell's 

speech when he opens the 

central bank's annual Jackson 

Hole symposium later this 

week, said Shuji Hosoi, senior 

strategist at Daiwa Securities. 

"The focus is on whether 

any sense of the Fed's policy 

direction, such as prospects of 

rate hikes, will be provided to 

address uncertainties over the 

global economy," Hosoi said. 

Other key events this week 

include US corporate earnings 

reports, mooted Japan-US 

ministerial trade talks in 

Washington, and US housing 

sales data, he noted. 

Analysts also pointed to 

news that Washington and 

Beijing are working to revive 

trade talks as a positive factor 

for the Japanese market. 

The dollar fetched 106.39 

yen in early Asian trade, 

against 106.36 yen in New 

York on Friday. 

In Tokyo, banks were 

among the winners, with 

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial 

trading up 1.02 percent at 

503.9 yen and Mizuho 

Financial up 0.65 percent to 

154.8 yen. 

Carmakers also gained, with 

Nissan edging up 0.32 percent 

to 660.9 yen and Toyota 

trading up 0.82 percent at 

6,846 yen. On Wall Street, the 

Dow ended up 1.2 percent to 

25,886.01. 

Japan's trade surplus with 

US soars ahead of talks 

Japan's politically sensitive 

trade surplus with the United 

States grew more than 15 

percent in July, data showed 

Monday, as negotiators from 

the two economic 

powerhouses prepare to 

restart talks over a free trade 

deal, reports BSS. 

According to Japanese 

finance ministry statistics, the 

trade surplus with 

Washington climbed to 579.4 

billion yen ($5.5 billion) last 

month, a 15.6-percent yearon-year 

gain and the fifth 

consecutive monthly rise. 

Japanese imports from the 

US rose 3.5 percent, led by 

aircraft and crude oil, but this 

was outweighed by an 8.4- 

percent climb in exports 

driven by chip-making 

equipment and construction 

machinery, the ministry data 

showed. 

Donald Trump and 

Japanese Prime Minister 

Shinzo Abe enjoy close ties 

but the bullish US president 

has frequently claimed that 

Tokyo has an advantage in 

bilateral trade and has called 

for a "more fair" relationship. 

On a visit to Japan in May, 

Trump said he was expecting 

to announce "some things" on 

trade negotiations in August, 

but no firm deadline has been 

set yet for an agreement. 

The two main trade 

negotiators, Japan's Economy 

Minister Toshimitsu Motegi 

and US Trade Representative 

Robert Lighthizer are slated to 

meet in Washington on 

Wednesday and Thursday. 

The data showed that Japan 

had an overall trade deficit of 

249.6 billion yen last month, a 

9.8-percent increase year-onyear. 

Japan's trade deficit with 

China - the 16th consecutive 

monthly deficit - 

stood at 383.8 billion yen. 

With the European Union, 

Japan booked a trade deficit 

of 67.9 billion yen. 

Weekly policy snapshot of 

Chinese economy 

The following are the key 

moves taken by policymakers 

in the past week to enhance 

China's economic strength 

and sustainability: 

More IP pledge financing to 

support innovative 

enterprises 

China's banking and 

intellectual property 

regulators have decided to 

jointly boost the use of 

intellectual property (IP) as a 

financing tool to support the 

development of innovative 

enterprises. 

Commercial banks are 

encouraged to establish 

separate credit programs and 

specific in-house performance 

appraisal and incentive 

mechanisms to support IP 

pledge financing under the 

premise of having risks under 

control. 

US and China seeking to revive 

trade talks: Trump advisor 

Washington and Beijing are 

working actively to revive 

negotiations aimed at ending 

the trade war that has rattled 

world markets, Donald 

Trump's chief economic 

advisor said Sunday, reports 

BSS. 

If teleconferences between 

both sides' deputies pan out in 

the next 10 days "and we can 

have a substantive renewal of 

negotiations," Larry Kudlow 

said on "Fox News Sunday," 

"then we are planning to have 

China come to the USA and 

meet with our principals to 

continue the negotiations." 

That left it uncertain, 

however, whether a Chinese 

delegation would be coming 

to Washington next month, as 

a White House spokesperson 

predicted after US Trade 

Representative Robert 

Lighthizer and Treasury 

Secretary Steven Mnuchin left 

a round of trade talks in 

Shanghai in July. 

But Kudlow emphasized 

that phone conversations held 

last week to follow up on the 

Shanghai talks - involving 

Lighthizer, Mnuchin and two 

senior Chinese negotiators, 

Vice Premier Liu He and 

Commerce Secretary Zhong 

Shan - were "a lot more 

positive than has been 

reported in the media." 

World financial markets 

have been on edge amid a 

series of signs pointing to a 

slowing of the global economy 

- notably because of the trade 

war between the world's two 

largest economies - and have 

been reacting to even the 

slightest new indicator. 

But Kudlow insisted that 

the outlook was far from 

gloomy. "Let's not be afraid of 

optimism," he said, adding 

that "I sure don't see a 

recession." 

The US-China negotiations 

began in earnest in January 

and seemed at first to make 

substantial progress, raising 

hopes that a trade deal could 

be rapidly reached. 

But during the spring, the 

US president abruptly called 

off the talks, saying the 

Chinese had reneged on 

earlier commitments. 

But markets were hit with a 

fresh surprise when Trump 

suddenly announced that as 

of September 1 he was 

imposing punitive 10-percent 

tariffs on $300 billion in 

Chinese goods that had so far 

been spared. 

And then came the 

announcement Tuesday that 

Trump - already campaigning 

for re-election in 2020 - had 

decided to delay imposing the 

tariffs until December 15 so as 

not to cast a shadow on the 

Christmas shopping plans of 

Americans. The delay was 

seen as a concession to China 

and a backhanded admission 

that the tariffs - despite 

Trump's repeated insistence 

to the contrary -could in fact 

have an impact on US 

consumers. 

Nonetheless, the president's 

chief trade advisor, Peter 

Navarro, firmly rejected that 

notion in several television 

appearances on Sunday. 

He said Trump had 

decided on the 

postponement only after 

several company heads told 

him their contracts with 

Chinese suppliers were 

denominated in dollars, 

meaning they got no benefit 

from the weakening of the 

Chinese yuan and their 

orders ahead of the year-end 

holidays would be hard-hit. 

Navarro said the executives 

also insisted they were 

increasingly looking to 

suppliers outside of China. 

Miner BHP doubles 

annual net profit, 

pays record dividend 

BHP, the world's biggest 

miner, more than doubled 

its annual net profit Tuesday 

on the back of higher iron 

ore prices and a rebound 

from significant setbacks 

the previous year, reports 

BSS. 

The resources giant 

posted a US$8.3 billion 

profit for the year to June 

30, up from US$3.7 billion 

in the previous year when 

heavy impairment charges 

related to the sale of its US 

shale assets and costs 

associated with the Samarco 

disaster in Brazil dented its 

results. 

Underlying profit - its 

preferred measure, which 

strips out one-off costs and 

is more closely watched by 

the market - rose just 2 

percent to US$9.4 billion, 

due to strong commodity 

prices and increased 

production. The company 

declared a final dividend of 

78 US cents, which it said 

was a record return of 

US$3.9 billion to investors 

and came on top of US$17 

billion already paid out this 

financial year. 

"Higher prices and record 

production from several of 

our operations contributed 

to strong operating cash 

flows," chief executive 

Andrew Mackenzie said. 

Sylhet Zone of Islami Bank Bangladesh Ltd distributed relief materials among 10 thousand families 

of flood affected area of Sylhet recently. Syed Tariquzzaman, Executive Director, Bangladesh Bank, 

Sylhet Office distributed relief as Chief Guest at the inaugural ceremony at Sunamgonj. Muhammad 

Sayeed Ullah, Executive Vice President and Head of Sylhet Zone was present in the program as special 

guest. Kaiser Ahmed, Head of Sunamgonj Branch presided over the program. Under this program, 

rice, onion, potato, sugar and salt were distributed among the flood victims in Sylhet, 

Habiganj and Moulvibazar districts including Kurbannagar, Guarrang, Rangarchar, Tahirpur and 

Jamalganj in Sunamganj district. 

Photo: Courtesy 

Asian markets rally on fresh 

hopes for trade talks 

Asian markets rallied Monday 

following a strong lead from Wall 

Street and comments from Donald 

Trump's top economic adviser hailing 

"positive" trade talks with top 

Chinese negotiators, reports BSS. 

Optimism that central banks will 

provide fresh support to head off a 

global economic recession has also 

lent much-needed support to 

regional equities after last week's selloff, 

with eyes on an upcoming speech 

by Federal Reserve boss Jerome 

Powell for clues about its plans. 

Investors were in an upbeat mood 

after White House chief economic 

adviser Larry Kudlow said that if talks 

between deputies from Beijing and 

Washington went well and "we can 

have a substantive renewal of 

negotiations" then "we are planning 

to have China come to the USA and 

meet with our principals to continue 

the negotiations". 

He added that high-level phone 

talks last week were "a lot more 

positive than has been reported". 

Trump provided further cause for 

hope by tweeting: "We are doing very 

well with China, and talking!" 

Kudlow also raised the prospect of 

using cash taken from higher tariffs 

on Chinese goods to pay for tax cuts. 

"This sort of recycling won't clear 

the oceans of plastic or reduce global 

warming, but it is an elegant solution 

to reducing the pain of tariffs on the 

American consumer of China and 

may give equity markets a small 

boost as we start the week," said 

Jeffrey Halley, senior market analyst 

for Asia-Pacific at OANDA. 

The remarks helped Asian traders 

build on New York's rally. 

Hong Kong led gainers, surging 1.8 

percent with dealers also cheered by 

three days of protests in the city not 

descending into violence. 

Shanghai rose 0.6 percent and 

Tokyo added 0.5 percent by the 

break. 

There remains a high level of 

concern about the global outlook and 

particularly the US economy after 

yields on 10-year US Treasury bonds 

slid last week below that of the twoyear 

note, while the 30-year yield fell 

below two percent for the first time 

ever. 

The so-called "inversion" - when 

short-term interest rates are higher 

than longer-term ones - is viewed as a 

harbinger of recession. 

But investors are hopeful that 

authorities will unveil stimulus to 

limit any impact. Germany's Der 

Spiegel said Angela Merkel's 

government was ready to boost 

public spending, while China 

announced an interest rate reform 

that it said would lower borrowing 

costs for companies.

MISCELLANEOUS 

WeDNeSDAY, AuGuST 21, 2019 

11 

IGP Dr Mohammad Javed Patwary handing over the winner of a quiz competition which was held 

on the occasion of National Mourning Day. 

Photo : PBA 

Thai tycoon in poaching scandal 

convicted on firearms charge 

A court in Thailand on Tuesday 

sentenced a construction tycoon to six 

months in prison for illegal firearms 

possession in the latest case in a 

scandal that erupted when he was 

accused of poaching protected animals 

in a wildlife sanctuary, reports UNB. 

The Bangkok Criminal Court halved 

the one-year sentence for Premchai 

Karnasuta because he pleaded guilty. It 

rejected his lawyer's request that it 

commute the sentence to probation. 

Premchai and several employees of 

his Italian-Thai Development company 

were found with guns and the carcasses 

of a black panther and other animals 

when they were caught hunting in 

western Thailand in February last year. 

Premchai was already sentenced in 

March this year to 16 months' 

imprisonment for possessing the 

carcass of an endangered Kajij 

pheasant and firearms in public areas. 

He also received a one-year sentence in 

June for attempting to bribe a park 

ranger. He remains free on bail on all 

the charges, paying bail of 200,000 

baht ($6,490) in the latest case. 

The arms that he was convicted of 

possessing illegally were found in a 

Bangladeshi 

killed in 

Saudi road 

accident 

CHATTOGRAM : A 

Bangladeshi man has been 

killed in a road accident in 

Riyadh of Saudi Arabia, 

reports UNB. 

The deceased was 

identified as Syed Md Nazrul 

Islam, 40, son of late Nurul 

Alam of Saroatali in 

Boalkhali upazila. 

Victim's cousin Abul 

Hasnat Titu on Monday 

night said Nazrul was going 

to his workplace by a 

motorcycle when a vehicle 

coming from the opposite 

direction crashed into it 

around 11pm on Saturday, 

leaving him dead on the 

spot. Nazrul had been 

working in a shop in Riyadh 

since 1998, he said. 

2 killed in 

Cumilla road 

accident 

CUMILLA : Two people were 

killed and three others 

injured in a road accident at 

Kursap on Dhaka- 

Chattogram highway in 

Debidwar Upazila on 

Tuesday morning, reports 

UNB. 

Inspector Monirul Islam, 

in-charge of Eliotganj 

Highway Police Outpost, said 

a Cumilla-bound microbus 

was hit by a speeding vehicle 

from behind around 7:30am, 

leaving the two dead on the 

spot and three others 

injured. 

The injured were taken to 

Comilla Medical College 

Hospital, he said, adding the 

deceased could not be 

identified immediately. 

police raid on his Bangkok home after 

his arrest in the wildlife sanctuary in 

Kanchanaburi province. 

Three other hunting companions 

were found guilty of possessing the 

panther carcass, but Premchai was 

acquitted of the charge. 

The case fueled public skepticism 

that justice would be done in a country 

that has seen the privileged prevail in 

high-profile cases. Wildlife activists 

wore black panther masks as a symbol 

of protest on several occasions and 

environmentalists have pledged to 

keep up pressure. Premchai has one 

case remaining in the courts, illegal 

possession of elephant tusks also found 

during the police raid on his Bangkok 

home. The verdict in that case is 

scheduled for Oct. 1. 

Premchai's lawyer asked the court to 

commute his client's sentence, with 

Premchai pledging to enter the 

Buddhist monkhood for 15 days to earn 

merit for those he had wronged. 

The lawyer also said Premchai would 

donate 3 million baht ($97,370) to be 

used for the public's benefit and would 

not involve himself with firearms again 

for the rest of his life. 

Dembele injury deepens Barca's 

injury problems in attack 

FC Barcelona's injury problems 

continue to worsen with the 

confirmation that French international 

winger Ousmane Dembele will be out of 

action for up to six weeks with a left 

hamstring injury, reports UNB. 

The winger ended Friday's 1-0 

opening day defeat to Athletic Bilbao in 

difficulty and the extent of the injury has 

now been confirmed by the club's 

medical staff. 

It is not the first time that Dembele has 

had problems with his leg, having 

missed several months of his first season 

at the club after tearing a tendon in his 

left hamstring against Getafe in 2017. 

Dembele's injury leaves Barca coach 

Ernesto Valverde with problems in 

formulating his attack for Barca's next 

league game at home to Real Betis next 

weekend. 

Lionel Messi is still recovering from a 

Mongolia is hosting the Boao Forum for Asia 

(BFA) Ulan Bator Conference from Monday 

to Wednesday in a bid to expand bilateral 

cooperation with China and advance 

common development in Asia and beyond, 

reports UNB. 

This forum aims to help Chinese 

entrepreneurs better understand the 

business environment in Mongolia and 

implement the important consensus reached 

by the two countries to provide greater 

opportunities for bilateral and Asia-wide 

economic and trade cooperation. 

Li Baodong, the secretary-general of the 

BFA, said the conference, jointly sponsored 

by the BFA and the Mongolian Ministry of 

Foreign Affairs on the occasion of the 70th 

anniversary of the establishment of 

diplomatic ties between China and Mongolia, 

was the first Boao Forum event ever held in 

Mongolia. 

"At a time when surging unilateralism and 

The court rejected the request 

because of his prior convictions. 

Namibia to develop solid waste 

management strategy 

Namibia is developing a solid waste 

management policy to reduce pollution 

in national parks as well as public 

places, a move the government expects 

to make the country the cleanest in 

Africa by 2028, reports UNB. 

Namibia's Minister of Environment 

and Tourism Pohamba Shifeta revealed 

this in the national sold waste 

management strategy released 

Monday. He said the strategy will 

impact heavily on the social and 

economic set-up of the country through 

job creation for the youth. 

"It is my belief that implementation of 

this strategy will also deliver 

considerable socio-economic benefits in 

terms of employment creation. Cabinet 

has approved this strategy and 

endorsed the need for a cross sectoral 

solid waste management advisory panel 

to guide its implementation," he said. 

calf injury he suffered in pre-season and 

may or may not be fit to face Betis, while 

Luis Suarez is out for around three to 

four weeks after suffering a calf injury in 

Bilbao, while Philippe Coutinho is no 

longer at the club after the confirmation 

of his loan deal to Bayern Munich. 

That leaves just summer signing 

Antoine Griezmann as a specialist 

striker for Valverde, who will be crossing 

his fingers that Messi recovers in time, 

but may opt to give a start to youngster 

Carles Perez, who made his league debut 

in the Bilbao defeat. 

Meanwhile, the Spanish press 

continue to speculate over whether or 

not Brazil's Neymar will return to 

Barcelona before the close of the 

transfer window, with some newspapers 

insisting the club will make a formal 

offer for the Paris Saint-Germain 

forward this week. Enditem 

Mongolia hosts Boao forum conference 

to promote common development 

protectionism are undermining international 

norms and order, and hampering global 

economic growth, the world needs 

multilateralism more than ever," Li said. 

"As Asia is a region with the most dynamic 

economy in the world, multiple hotspot 

issues and an unbalanced development, 

cooperation between Asian countries for 

development is critical to world stability and 

prosperity," he stressed. 

The secretary general expressed confidence 

that the BFA Ulan Bator Conference would 

help Mongolia translate its resource 

advantage into an economic development 

advantage as well as promote free trade and 

multilateral cooperation for common 

development and prosperity. 

The BFA Ulan Bator Conference, themed 

"Concerted Action for Common 

Development in the New Era", has brought 

together more than 300 delegates from 

China, Mongolia and beyond. 

Woman 

electrocuted 

in Satkhira 

SATKHIRA : A sexagenarian 

woman has died from 

electrocution in Patkekghata 

upazila here, reports UNB. 


identified as Ayjan Bibi, 60, 

wife of Janab Ali Sarder of 

Toilkupi village in the 

upazila. 

Locals said Ayjan Bibi was 

cutting mango tree branches 

on Monday noon with a 

heaver when it suddenly 

came in contact with a live 

electric wire and got 

electrified. 

The incident left the 

woman dead on the spot, 

said officer-in-charge of 

Patkelghata Police Station 

Rezaul Islam. 

Sex crimes 

galore: Two 

madrasa girls 

'raped' in 

Madaripur 

MADARIPUR : Two 

madrasa girls were 

reportedly raped by two 

boatmen at Panchkhola in 

Sadar upazila on Monday 

night while crossing a river 

by a trawler. 

One of the victims is a 

Class-IX student while 

another reads in Class-VI at 

Zajira Dakhil Madrasa in the 

upazila, reports UNB. 

Shaugatul Islam, officerin-charge 

of Sadar Police 

Station, said the two 

neigbouring girls were 

returning from their 

respective maternal 

grandfathers' houses in the 

district town. 

They boarded the trawler 

around 9:30pm to cross the 

Arial Khan River. They were 

alone at the trawler at that 

time, he said. 

Taking advantage of the 

situation, two boatmen- 

Rubel, 25, son of Nannu 

Molla of Panchkhola, and 

Masud Morol, 30, son of 

Jalil Morol of the same 

village-violated them. 

A youth raped a girl in the 

trawler while another 

violated the other girl on the 

bank of the river before 

abandoning them, the OC 

said. 

Later, locals found the 

girls lying on the bank and 

took them to Sadar Hospital. 

Meanwhile, police 

arrested Rubel and Masud 

on Tuesday morning in 

connection with the 

incident. 

Missing 

Kushtia nurse 

found dead in 

sack 

KUSHTIA : A nurse who 

went missing in the district 

town on Saturday afternoon 

was found dead in a sack in 

Kumarkhali upazila on 

Tuesday morning, reports 

UNB. 

The victim is Bilkis Akhter, 

40, a nurse of Doctor's Lab 

and Private Hospital in the 

district town and wife of fish 

trader Rabiul Islam of 

Amlapara in the town. 

Officer-in-charge of 

Kumarkhali Police Station 

Jahangir Alam said they 

recovered the body from 

near a bamboo bridge at 

Kanchanpur around 

8:30am and sent it to 

hospital morgue for autopsy. 

Victim's husband Rabiul 

said Bilkis returned home 

around 2pm on Saturday 

from the workplace. She, 

however, rushed out without 

informing anyone after she 

received a phone call around 

5pm, he said, adding that 

since then, she remained 

missing. 

He also said they filed a 

general diary with Kushtia 

Model Police Station on 

Monday in this regard. 

Locals said the couple had 

no child in their 25-year 

marriage life. 

Rohingyas discouraged to return despite 

Bangladesh, Myanmar's readiness: FM 

DHAKA : Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul 

Momen on Tuesday said both Bangladesh 

and Myanmar are "fully ready" to resume the 

repatriation of Rohingyas to their homeland 

but some Rohingya leaders and NGOs are 

reportedly discouraging them to return, 

reports UNB. 

"We've heard some Rohingya leaders 

emerged there. They don't want the return of 

any Rohingya (to their homeland). They're 

trying to stop returnees. Some INGOs and 

NGOs are instigating them (Rohingyas)," he 

told a small group of reporters at his office in 

the afternoon. 

He said Bangladesh wants to see 

Rohingyas' return to Rakhine State as soon 

as possible. The two countries are trying to 

resume the repatriation in a small scale from 

Thursday. 

"We want the safe and secure return of the 

Rohingya and free mobility in their own 

region. Myanmar has agreed on that," Dr 

Momen said adding that many Rohingyas 

are willing to go back. 

The Foreign Minister mentioned that 

Rohingyas are looking for mainly citizenship 

and they, as per their demand, will not go 

until the citizenship is given. 

"Myanmar is saying it's a process," Dr 

Momen said adding that Rohingyas will get 

cards after their return and then they have a 

process of getting citizenship. 

On July 29, Bangladesh handed a fresh list 

of 25,000 Rohingyas from around 6,000 

families to Myanmar for verification before 

their repatriation to Rakhine State. 

With the latest list, Bangladesh has so far 

handed the names of around 55,000 

Rohingyas to the Myanmar authorities and 

around 8,000 of them have been verified. 

Dr Momen said Myanmar only cleared 

3,450 Rohingyas for beginning repatriation. 

"We want them to go back as soon as 

possible." He said peace in the region will be 

hampered if their stay becomes longer in 

Hong Kong police arrest 

another suspect involved 

in assaulting reporter 

The Hong Kong police said on Tuesday that another suspect 

was arrested Monday for assaulting a reporter from the 

mainland during a recent unlawful assembly at the Hong 

Kong International Airport, reports UNB. 

The female, 23, was charged with unlawful detention and 

unlawful assembly and wounding, Kong Wing-cheung, 

senior superintendent of police public relations branch, told 

a press briefing. 

As far, two suspects have been arrested for assaulting Fu 

Guohao, a journalist from the Beijing-based Global Times 

newspaper, during the violent incident at the airport a week 

ago. 

The case, along with a 49-year-old male suspected of 

attacking a police officer, were brought to court on Tuesday. 

A total of 179 police officers have been injured since June 9. 

In the latest case, a female police officer was sent to hospital 

after being aimed at the eye by a laser pointer of 

demonstrators while on duty around the government 

headquarters on June 18. 

"We do not accept or tolerate any violence, and we will 

investigate into all cases impartially," said Tse Chun-chung, 

chief superintendent of police public relations branch. "It is 

our duty and commitment to fairly and strictly bring all 

offenders to justice." 

Tse also said demonstrations have disturbed daily lives of 

local residents as the police have received more than 9,000 

letters of complaint during the past two months. 

As such large-scale public activities have affected public 

order, the police will be more cautious in approving such 

events to avoid the impacts on local residents, he said. 

Tse called on protesters to respect other residents and not 

to go to the airport or form human chains on the street as 

such activities will seriously disrupt traffic and order. 

Enditem 

Bangladesh. Peace in the region depends on 

peaceful resolution of Rohingya problem, Dr 

Momen added. 

Responding to a question, Dr Momen said 

China is very much involved in it and is 

helping Bangladesh convince Myanmar to 

take back their nationals. 

Earlier in the day, he discussed the 

Rohingya repatriation issue with visiting 

Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S 

Jaishankar at a bilateral meeting. 

On Rohingya issue, Jaishankar said they 

agreed that the "safe, speedy and 

sustainable" return of Rohingyas to their 

place of origin in Rakhine is in the national 

interest of the three countries-Bangladesh, 

Myanmar and India. 

"We reaffirmed our readiness to provide 

more assistance for the displaced persons in 

Bangladesh and to improve socioeconomic 

condition in Rakhine State," he said. 

The Indian minister appreciated the 

humanitarian gesture of Bangladesh in 

supporting a large number of displaced 

people from Rakhine and assured India's 

continued support for their safe, speedy and 

sustainable return to Myanmar. 

Bangladesh is now hosting over 1.1 million 

Rohingyas and most of them entered the 

country since August 25, 2017. Bangladesh 

and Myanmar signed the repatriation deal 

on November 23, 2017. 

On January 16, 2018 Bangladesh and 

Myanmar inked a document on "Physical 

Arrangement", which was supposed to 

facilitate the return of Rohingyas to their 

homeland. 

The "Physical Arrangement" stipulates 

that the repatriation will be completed 

preferably within two years from the start. 

The first batch of Rohingyas was scheduled 

to return on November 15 last year but it was 

halted amid unwillingness of Rohingyas to 

go back for lack of a congenial environment 

in Rakhine. 

BHBFC, IBBL Chairman Salim attends 

SAFA conference in Sri Lanka 

DHAKA : Chairman of Executive Committee 

of Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited (IBBL) 

and Bangladesh House Building Finance 

Corporation (BHBFC), Prof Dr Md Salim 

Uddin attended South Asian Federation of 

Accountants (SAFA) conference held in Sri 

Lanka recently, reports UNB. 

He presented a paper on "Combating 

Corruption in Bangladesh". 

As Vice President of ICAB (The Institute of 

Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh), Dr 

Salim also attended the SAFA Committee 

Meeting of Accounting Standards there. 

Many certified accountants from south 

Asian countries including Bangladesh and 

experts participated in the conference. 

Dr Salim stated in his paper, "Corruption is 

the bane of society and has plagued all 

attempts to improve the lives of the citizens. 

Corruption poses major blockades to all 

forms of development including sustainable 

development, inclusive economic growth, 

minimizing income disparity, poverty 

reduction, human and psychological 

imbalance etc." 

Fighting corruption is a precondition for 

economic development and establishment of 

equitable society, he added. 

He mentioned that according to 

Transparency International, no fewer than 6 

billion people in the world live in countries 

considered severely plagued with corruption 

problems and 68% of all the nations in the 

world appear to be characterized by severe 

corruption issues. Dr Salim discussed 53 

measures/instruments of global list of anticorruption 

used by the different countries of 

the world for preventing, combating and 

controlling corruption. 

He pointed out all the measures, strategies, 

instruments and techniques including legal 

framework used by Bangladesh for 

preventing and combating corruption in the 

country. 

Dr Salim also spoke about a list of laws, 

rules and regulation enacted with a desire to 

curb corruption and to take disciplinary 

actions against corruption presently enforce 

in Bangladesh. 

He mentioned some important strategies, 

policies, plans, programs and conventions of 

Bangladesh, such as the National Integrity 

Strategy, information commission etc 

promoting good governance strategy to 

prevent corruption and improve integrity in 

all spheres of life. 

'Robber' killed 

in Cox's Bazar 

'gunfight' 

COX'S BAZAR : A suspected 

robber was killed in a 

reported gunfight with 

members of Rapid Action 

Battalion (Rab) at 

Magnama in Pekua upazila 

early Tuesday. 


identified as Mohammad 

Badsha, son of Abul Kashem 

of Tekpara area. 

Tipped off, a team of Rab 

conducted a drive in the 

area around 4 am, said 

Didarul Islam, subinspector 

of Pekua Police 

Station. 

Sensing presence of the 

elite force members, the 

robbers opened fire on 

them, forcing them to fire 

back that triggered a 

gunfight, reports UNB. 

Badsha was caught in the 

line of fire and died on the 

spot while the others 

managed to flee the scene. 

Police recovered the body 

and sent it to Sadar Hospital 

morgue for autopsy. 

Badsha was wanted in 

several cases including of 

robbery, said police. 

A number of arms and 

ammunition were recovered 

from the spot.

WEDNESDAy, DHAKA, AuGuST 21, 2019, BHADRA 6, 1426 BS, ZILHAj 19, 1440 HIjRI 

Mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Md Atiqul Islam on Tuesday launched a combing 

operation to destroy breeding grounds of Aedes mosquito and cleanliness drive at Dr Fazle Rabbi 

Park in the city's Gulshan area in the morning. 

Photo : TBT 

PM's Delhi visit to 

see signing of 

many documents 

DHAKA : Bangladesh and 

India are preparing to sign a 

number of bilateral 

documents during Prime 

Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit 

to India in the first week of 

October to further bolster 

their bilateral ties, reports 

UNB. 

Foreign Minister Dr AK 

Abdul Momen discussed the 

issues with his Indian 

counterpart Dr S Jaishankar 

during a bilateral meeting 

held at state guesthouse 

Jamuna here on Tuesday. 

They discussed the 

preparatory measures over 

Prime Minister's visit to India 

and exchanged proposals. 

Sheikh Hasina will also 

attend India Economic 

Summit of the World 

Economic Forum with the 

theme 'Innovating for India: 

Strengthening South Asia, 

Impacting the World' to be 

held in New Delhi on 

October 3-4. 

The Clay Licks of Amazon 

Rainforest 

INTERESTING NEWS 

Macaws and parrots of the Amazon rainforest 

have developed a particular taste for 

clay. They collect in large numbers on 

exposed river banks to peck at the dirt, creating 

a dazzling spectacle that entertains 

thousands of onlookers. 

But why do these birds eat clay? One of 

the most accepted theory is because they 

lack sodium in their diet. Sodium is needed 

for a multitude of bodily functions such as 

generation of nerve impulses, for maintenance 

of electrolyte balance, for heart activity 

and certain metabolic functions. Many 

herbivores whose diet is completely plantbased 

require extra salt as plants do not 

contain enough salt in them. So animals 

often obtain sodium from salt licks. Clay 

Ecnec clears 12 projects 

involving Tk 3,470 cr 

DHAKA : The Executive Committee of the 

National Economic Council (Ecnec) on 

Tuesday approved 12 projects involving an 

overall estimated cost of Tk 3,470 crore. 

The approval came from an Ecnec meeting 

held at NEC conference room with Ecnec 

Chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh 

Hasina in the chair, reports UNB. 

Briefing reporters after the meeting, 

Planning Minister MA Mannan said, "A total of 

12 projects were approved today involving an 

overall cost of Tk 3,470.20 crore." Of the total 

cost, Tk 3,163.50 crore will come from the 

national exchequer, while Tk 306.70 crore as 

project loan, he said. Among the approved 

projects, 10 are new while two are revised ones. 

The 10 new projects include Construction of 

Shalla-Jolsukha Part of Sunamganj- 

Madanpur-Dirai-Shalla-Jolsukha-Ajmiriganj- 

Habiganj Highway at a cost of Tk 769.33 crore; 

Construction of RCC Retaining Walls with 

Drains in different parts of Rangamati Roads 

damaged by hill/landslides involving Tk 

249.26 crore; Expansion of GNSS CORS 

Network and Modernisation of Tidal Stations 

spending Tk 114.89 crore; Construction of 

and soil is a good source of sodium, as well 

as many other nutrients such as potassium 

and magnesium. 

However, research seem to suggest that 

the sodium theory is more correct. The 

Tambopata Research Center (TRC) in Peru 

studied the clay eating behavior of parrots 

at clay licks in Peru, and found that the soils 

the birds choose to consume do not have 

higher levels of cation-exchange capacity, 

i.e. the ability to absorb toxins, than that of 

unused areas of the clay licks. Rather, the 

birds prefer soil that have higher levels of 

sodium. At one clay lick site, on a particular 

bend of the Manu River, researchers 

observed parrots eating one specific layer of 

soil which runs hundreds of meters horizontally 

along that bend. 

Khulna Tax Bhaban with Tk 71.76 crore; 

Modhumati-Naboganga Sub-project 

Rehabilitation and Reviving Naboganga River 

through Re-excavation and Dredging for 

Maintaining Ecological Balance at Tk 303.61 

crore; and Protection of Left Bank of Meghna 

River from Borikandi to Dhorabhanga MP 

Dam at Nabinagar in Brahmanbaria district 

spending Tk 71.09 crore. 

The new projects also include Expansion of 

Irrigation through Optimum Use of Surface 

Water and Reserving Rainwater in Natore 

district involving Tk 175.58 crore; 

Strengthening the activities of the Department 

of Agricultural Marketing atTk 160 crore; 

Enhancing the Adaptation Capacity among the 

Coast Communities Particularly Women to 

Face Salinity Caused by Climate Changes at Tk 

276.87 crore; and Enhancing the Capacity of 

BGD e-Gov CIRT spending Tk 146.71 crore. 

The two revised projects are Construction of 

Thanchi-Rimakari-Madak-Likri Road (1st 

revised) with Tk 853.12 crore; and Protection of 

Charfassion Municipality Town of Bhola 

district from Meghna River Erosion (1st 

revised) with Tk 277.98 crore. 

HC grants bail to BCL 

leader Tanna in 

goat-snatching case 

DHAKA : The High Court 

on Tuesday granted bail for 

four weeks to the 

Mohammadpur thana unit 

president of Bangladesh 

Chhatra League (BCL) in a 

case filed over snatching 

sacrificial goats before Eid-ul- 

Azha in Mohammadpur area 

of the city, reports UNB. 

The HC bench of Justice 

Obaidul Hassan and SM 

Kuddus Zaman passed the 

order when the BCL leader, 

Mujahid Azmi Tanna, 

surrendered before the court 

and sought bail. 

Anjuman Ara Begum who 

stood for Tanna said they filed 

a bail petition on August 18. 

On August 11, senior 

warrant officer of Rapid 

Action Battalion-2 M Farukh 

Hossain filed the case with 

Mohammadpur Police 

Station against nine people, 

including Tanna. 

According to the case 

statement, five goat traders 

brought a total of 212 goats in 

a truck from Jashore and 

Jhenaidah to the capital in the 

morning of August 11 to sell 

those ahead of Eidu-ul-Azha. 

When they reached Babar 

Road in Mohammadpur, 

they were taken to Jahuri 

Mahalla along with their 

truck and kept confined to a 

club there. 

No bar to gazette 

publication on 

9th wage board 

for journos 

DHAKA : The Supreme 

Court on Tuesday stayed for 

eight weeks a High Court 

order on the ninth wage 

board for journalists, clearing 

the way for publication of 

gazette notification to this 

end, reports UNB. 

A four-member bench of 

the Appellate Division, led by 

Chief Justice Mohammad 

Syed Mahmud Hossain, 

passed the order after hearing 

a government petition. 

It also asked the state to file 

a regular leave-to-appeal by 

this time. 

On August 14, the Chamber 

Judge fixed August 19 for 

hearing an appeal by the state 

seeking a stay on the High 

Court order to main the status 

quo on publication of the 

gazette notification on the 

ninth wage board. 

After the hearing on Monday, 

the Appellate Division 

set Tuesday for passing an 

order in this regard. 

Attorney General Mahbubey 

Alam represented the 

government while advocate 

AF Hasan Arif stood for 

Newspaper Owners' Association 

of Bangladesh (Noab). 

The HC bench of Justice 

Obaidul Hassan and Justice 

Mohammad Ali on August 6 

issued the status quo after 

hearing a petition filed by 

Noab President Matiur Rahman 

on August 5. 

Last month, Road Transport 

and Bridges Minister 

Obaidul Quader said a gazette 

would be published soon after 

the Cabinet approves recommendations 

for implementing 

the 9th wage board. 

BNP takes a jibe at 

govt, calls it ‘Bargis’ 

DHAKA : Branding the current 

government as a 'fraud' 

one, BNP on Tuesday alleged 

it is 'plundering' public money 

from every sector like Bargis, 

a group of Maratha soldiers 

who had indulged in 

large scale plundering of people's 

wealth during the 18th 

century. 

"This government has 

become a completely fraudulent 

one. It's a government for 

the looters, by the looters and 

of the looters, as there's nothing, 

but plundering everywhere," 

said BNP secretary 

general Mirza Fakhrul Islam 

Alamgir, reports UNB. 

Speaking at a discussion, he 

further said, "From the grassroots 

to the upper level of the 

regime is involved with plundering. 

If you talk to people 

both in rural and urban areas, 

investors and bankers, you'll 

get an idea about how looting 

is going on everywhere." 

Nationalist Research Centre, 

a pro-BNP body, arranged 

the programme titled 'My 

Country, My Industries' at the 

Jatiya Press Club. 

Fakhrul alleged that ruling 

party men are 'looting' from 

the TR and Kabikha projects 

to mega ones and distributing 

the ill-gotten money among 

the Awami League leaders 

and activists. "Once Bargis 

used to plunder people's 

wealth, now the ruling party 

men and their cohorts are 

doing nothing, but looting." 

To get rid of the current situation 

of the country and 'restore' 

democracy, he said 'patriot' 

leader Khaleda Zia must 

be freed from jail and a government 

with people's mandate 

will have to be installed. 

The BNP leader said a fresh 

and credible election must be 

held under a neutral government 

by reconstituting the 

Election Commission to 

establish a pro-people government. 

About the rawhide crisis, 

Fakhrul said many orphanages 

and religious institutions 

that dependent on the income 

from selling rawhides are now 

in a deep trouble due to a serious 

slide in their prices during 

the Eid-ul-Azha. "The prices 

of rawhides were lowered in a 

planned way to force people to 

damage the skins of sacrificial 

animals." 

Referring to reports of some 

local and Indian newspapers, 

the BNP secretary general 

said around Tk 80,000 crore 

have been recently invested in 

a leather processing hub at 

West Bengal's Bantala near 

Benapole border for its massive 

expansion. 

He also said the tanneries in 

India's Kanpur have been 

shut as cow slaughtering is 

prohibited at the butcher 

houses there. "The Indian 

government has now permitted 

the tanners of Kanpur to 

shift to Bantala." 

Fakhrul said there might 

have a correlation between 

the crisis in leather industry in 

Bangladesh and the expansion 

of Bantala leather hub's 

expansion. "A sudden 

announcement was made that 

rawhides can be exported. We 

should think about where will 

the rawhides go through 

export? 

He also said though a place 

was allocated at Savar for 

relocating the tanneries from 

Hazaribagh, the government 

was never sincere in this 

regard. "They (govt) did not 

take necessary measures for 

the relocation of the tanneries 

and save the industry. So, this 

industry has collapsed. 

There's no scope to see the 

matter lightly." 

The BNP leader also said no 

manufacturing industry, 

except the garment one, is 

developed in Bangladesh as 

the government has failed to 

take effective steps and create 

a scope for it. 

He said the country is 

falling behind for the government's 

failure to tap the 

potentials in the industrial 

sector. "We're also failing to 

create jobs for lack of manufacturing 

industries." 

Members of Narsingdi police in a drive recovered 62 fresh bombs, 140 harpoons and 5 locally made 

weapon Ramda from Khodadila village in Narsingdi Sadar on Tuesday. Photo: Md Salim Mia 

62 bombs, 140 harpoons 

recovered in Narsingdi 

MD SALIM MIA, NARSINGDI 

CORRESPONDENT: 

Narsingdi police in a 

drive recovered 62 fresh 

bombs, 140 harpoons and 

5 locally made weapon 

Ramda from Narsingdi 

Sadar on Tuesday. 

Narsingdi District 

Superintendent of Police 

Pralay Kumar Joarder, 

BPM, BAR, PPM 

confirmed this at a press 

conference at the city 

police outpost on Tuesday. 

At the press conference, 


Police Pralay Kumar 

Joarder said that a fight 

between Ramon Group's 

Zakir and Kasam Ali Group 

Hasan focusing on 

domination. This was 

followed by a backlash 

between the two groups. 

During this period, 10 to 15 

houses were vandalized. In 

the meantime, the two 

sides took the pretext of 

being involved in a clash 

with harpoons, spears, 

cocktails and local 

weapons. On receiving the 

news, a police team led by 

Sadar Circle's Additional 

Superintendent Sahed 

Ahmed and Sadar Police 

Station OC Syeduzzaman 

conducted a special 

operation at Khodadila 

village in Sadar's char area. 

During the time, a raid was 

carried out at Alauddin's 

house from where 62 fresh 

bombs, 140 harpoons and 

5 locally made weapon 

Ramda were recovered. 

Later, members of the 

Bomb Disposal Unit came 

from Dhaka to disarm the 

bombs. 


Pralay Kumar Joarder also 

said that police is maintain 

zero tolerance policy 

against law-abiding 

gunmen, bombers and 

drug dealers. Those who 

will use these prohibited 

goods will be brought 

under the law. 

At the press conference, 

Additional police 

s u p e r i n t e n d e n t 

(administration) Zakir 

Hossain, additional police 

superintendent (crime) 

Shafiur Rahman, 

additional police 

s u p e r i n t e n d e n t 

(headquarters) Belal 

Hossain, Sadar Circle 

Sahed Ahmed, OC of the 

Sadar police station 

Syeduzzaman and OC 

(investigation) Salauddin 

Mia were also present. 

FR Tower design 

forgery: Land 

owner gets bail 

DHAKA : A court here on 

Tuesday granted bail to FR 

Tower land owner SMHI 

Faruque until August 29 in a 

case filed over forgery in the 

design of the building, reports 

UNB. 

His lawyer Md Baharul 

Islam moved Dhaka Senior 

Special Judges Court seeking 

bail on health grounds. Judge 

KM Imrul Kayes accepted the 

plea after hearing. 

Mosharaf Hossain Kajal 

stood for the Anti-Corruption 

Commission (ACC). 

Twenty-five people were 

killed and 73 others injured in 

a devastating fire at the 23- 

storey building in Banani on 

March 27. The authorities had 

permission for constructing 

15-storey building but other 

floors were constructed 

illegally. During investigation, 

the ACC found that the 

building had no fire alarm. Its 

exit points were narrow and 

the fire exits were blocked. 

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam, Advisory Editor: Advocate Molla Mohammad Abu Kawser, Managing, Editor: Tapash Ray Sarker, News Editor : Saiful Islam, printed at Sonali Printing Press, 2/1/A, Arambagh 167, Inner Circular Road, Eden Complex, Motijheel, Dhaka. 

Editorial and News Office: K.K Bhaban (Level-04) 69/K, Green Road, Panthapath, Dhaka-1205. Tel : +8802-9611884, Cell : 01832166882; Email: Editor : editor@thebangladeshtoday.com, Advertisement: ads@thebangladeshtoday.com, News: newsbangla@thebangladeshtoday.com, contact@thebangladeshtoday.com, website: www.thebangladeshtoday.com

21-08-2019

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