22-09-2020

tuesday

Dhaka: September 22, 2020; ashwin 7, 1427 BS; Safar 4, 1442 hijri

www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www.bangladeshtoday.net

Regd.No.Da~2065, Vol.17; N o.174; 12 Pages~Tk.8.00

InternatIonal

Bahrain says it broke

up militant attack

plot in early 2020

>Page 7

art & culture

Chitralekha Guha

returns after six month

with 'Mashrafe Jr'

>Page 8

sports

Mahmudullah reaps

rewards for fitness

work in lockdown

>Page 9

Bangladesh allows

antigen-based

Covid-19 tests

DHAKA : The government has allowed

antigen-based rapid testing for Covid-

19 at hospitals and health institutes

across Bangladesh, reports UNB.

The Ministry of Health made the

announcement on Monday. It issued a

circular on September 17 in this regard.

Antigen-based testing has been permitted

at all government hospitals, district

hospitals, government PCR labs

and all health institutes as per the proposal

of the Directorate General of

Health Services (DGHS) and the interim

guideline of the World Health

Organization, according to the circular.

On July 5, the DGHS wrote to the

Health Ministry to allow antigen-based

Covid-19 testing. The National Technical

Advisory Committee on Covid-19 also

recommended it several times.

According to the DGHS proposal,

antigen tests would be carried out on

patients with symptoms. If anyone is

found positive, the patient would be isolated.

Positive progress made

on water sharing of

Teesta river

TBT RePORT

Obaidul Quader MP, Minister for Road

Transport and Bridges and the General

Secretary of Awami League, said that

positive progress has been made in the

discussion of water-sharing of common

tans-boundary rivers including Teesta.

He said this at a briefing after a farewell

courtesy call on Indian HC to Bangladesh

Riva Ganguly Das at the Secretariat office

on Monday.

On behalf of the Prime Minister of

Bangladesh, Obaidul Quader thanked

the Government of India for financing

the development of road infrastructure

in the country, procurement of buses

and trucks for BRTC and equipment for

road development under the Indian

loan program.

Twenty-one years ago, the artificial

wall of relations between the two countries

is no more and relationship

between both the countries are multifaceted.

The Prime Ministers of Bangladesh

and India were very generous and forward-looking

in developing relations

between the governments and people

of the two countries.

He said the solution to any problem is

easier if there are good relations and

mutual understanding with the neighboring

countries.

Examples include resolving longstanding

problems such as border

issues and enclave exchanges.

Zohr

04:34 AM

11:55 PM

04:15 PM

06:00 PM

07:20 PM

5:47 5:55

Prepare for Covid's 2nd

wave in winter: PM

DHAKA : Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina on Monday directed the administration

to take preparations in advance

to face the field-level situation if the second

wave of Covid-19 pandemic hits the

country in winter alongside surge in

cold-related diseases.

Expressing concern over the reluctance

about face-mask use, she also directed all

concerned to take measures for ensuring

the use of masks in a larger way to protect

people from Covid-19 infections.

The Prime Minister made the directives

while presiding over the Cabinet

meeting held virtually. The Prime

Minister joined the meeting through a

videoconference from her official residence

Ganobhaban, while other cabinet

members were connected from

Bangladesh Secretariat.

"Today a long discussion was held on

Covid...the Prime Minister has given us

instructions for taking preparations over

how to face the field-level situation, if the

second wave (of Covid-19) comes," said

Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul

Islam at a press briefing after the meeting.

The directives came as the Covid-19 is

resurfaced in many countries, particularly

the cold countries and local experts

also suggested that there should be

preparations to fight the Covid in the

coming winter, he said.

"We've to remain alert and aware

DHAKA : The country's fifth medical

university to be named after Prime

Minister Sheikh Hasina is going to be

set up in Khulna aimed at expanding

developed healthcare services and creating

scope for higher medical education

and research.

The cabinet in its regular weekly

meeting on Monday gave final approval

of a draft of the "Sheikh Hasina Medical

University, Khulna Act, 2020" with the

Prime Minister in the chair.

"The cabinet today gave final nod to a

draft of the "Sheikh Hasina Medical

University, Khulna Act, 2020" to establish

a medical university in Khulna division,"

Cabinet Secretary Khandker

Anwarul Islam told a news briefing

after the meeting from the Bangladesh

Secretariat here.

Anwarul added that the main purpose

of establishing medical university

in Khulna division is to groom and

build highly-educated expert

researchers in medical education at

postgraduate level alongside maintaining

and improving the standard of education

and research in medical colleges

at graduate level.

using the experiences that we've already

gathered. If so, it'll be easier for us to

face the situation in the case of the second

wave," the Prime Minister was

quoted as saying.

Sheikh Hasina said though it (the second

wave of Covid) is an uncertain matter,

there should be preparations for

tackling it. Khandker Anwarul Islam said

the Cabinet Division has already convened

a meeting for Tuesday (Sept 22) to

discuss the Covid-19 preparations.

Besides, the Prime Minister asked for

taking precautionary measures and

preparations to provide healthcare services

timely as many people may suffer

from cold-related diseases like pneumonia,

influenza or fever with the advent of

winter at the end of October or mid-

November, he said.

She expressed concern that if the

masks are not used massively, it will be

difficult to check the pandemic and

experts say that the use of masks can

protect people from Covid-19 infections

in the 95pc-98pc cases.

The Cabinet Secretary asked the

media to motivate people to use masks.

An instruction has already been given to

the Religious Affairs Ministry to ask the

imams (cleric) of the country's mosques

to announce during Zahr or Magrib

prayers that the use of masks is mandatory

for all, he added.

Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Riva Ganguly Das met Road, Transport

and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader on Monday at the Secretariat. Photo : TBT

Cabinet clears law for country's

fifth medical university

The premier was connected from her

official Ganabhaban residence, while her

cabinet colleagues attended the meeting

from the Bangladesh Secretariat here

through video conference.

Anwarul said that the law has been

formulated keeping resemblance with

the laws for setting up Rajshahi,

Chattogram and Sylhet medical universities

and it has 55 sections.

All the public and private medical colleges,

dental colleges, nursing colleges

and institutes and medical institutes

relating to medical education in Khulna

division will be affiliated to the university,

he continued.

The government has decided to set up

the medical university in Khulna division

as a part of the Awami League's

election manifesto 2018, which says a

medical university will be built in each

division.

Anwarul said that the cabinet also

gave final approval to the draft of the

"Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation

Order-1973 (Amendment-2020)"

brought mainly to make the existing

law time befitting after making some

amendments to it.

On Monday, expatriates from Saudi Arabia gathered in front of the Saudi Airlines building next to the Sonargaon Hotel

in the capital's Karwanbazar to resolve the visa complications of Saudi Airlines and get tickets.

Photo : TBT

Covid-19 in Bangladesh

Caseload exceeds

3.5 lakh; deaths

near 5k

DHAKA : Bangladesh on Monday saw

the total number of Covid-19 cases to go

beyond 3.5 lakh as health authorities

detected 1,705 new cases in 24 hours,

putting the total count at 3,50,621.

The caseload in Bangladesh crossed

3,50,000 in 197 days after having detected

the first three cases on March 8 last.

Meanwhile, 40 more deaths were

reported across the country alongside

2,152 recoveries from Covid-19 in 24

hours till Monday morning.

So far, 4,979 people have died due to

the deadly disease, according to an official

release sent by the Directorate

General of Health Services (DGHS).

Besides, the daily infection rate in

Bangladesh moved to 13.02 percent

during the period as the new patients

were detected after the test of 13,053

samples in 99 RT-PCR labs. The mortality

rate in Bangladesh is 1.42 percent.

Among the 18,34,323 tested population,

19.11 percent have turned out

Covid-19 positive.

The recovery rate from Covid-19

reached 73.79 percent and the number

of total recoveries rose to 2,58,717 till

Monday morning.

Ratargul watchtower

made off-limits

to tourists

SYLHET : Built barely six years back, the

watchtower at Ratargul Swamp Forest,

one of the country's most popular tourist

destinations, in Gowainghat upazila of

Sylhet, has been closed to tourists as it has

turned risky.

Environmentalists said the forest

department built the tower inside the forest

in 2014, defying their objections and

now it has got tilted and turned risky

within six years of its construction.

The department on Sunday came up

with an order of ban, making it off-limits

to tourists. Forest department officials

said a signboard in this regard was hung

up after the ban had been imposed.

The tower, in fact, turned risky a long

time ago and the department put up a

signboard instructing that only 4-5 people

can climb the watchtower together, said

Saad Uddin Ahmed, forester of Sylhet

Forest Division.

"But no one follows the rule. Accidents

may happen any time. So, we've closed

the watchtower to tourists from today

until further notice," said the official.

Set up on an area of 504.50 acres,

Ratargul Swamp Forest was declared as a

'Reserve Forest' in 1973.

DGHS driver Malek placed on

14-day remand in 2 cases

DHAKA : A Dhaka court yesterday

placed Directorate General of Health

Services (DGHS) driver Abdul Malek

alias Badal on a 14-day remand in two

cases lodged over recovery of illegal

weapon and fake notes.

Police on Monday produced the

accused before the court and pleaded

to place him on total 14-day remand

in the two cases lodged with Turag

Police Station.

Malek's lawyer however, pleaded to

cancel the remand plea and grant him

bail in the two cases. After hearing

both the sides, Dhaka Metropolitan

Magistrate Shahidul Islam placed

Malek on a 14-day remand.

A team of Rapid Action Battalion

(RAB) on September 20 arrested

Malek for his involvement in businesses

of illegal arms, fake notes and

other illegal activities.

RAB at the time recovered a foreign-made

pistol, one magazine, five

bullets, fake notes of Taka 1.5 lakh, a

laptop and a mobile phone from his

possession.

Malek owns two luxurious buildings

with 24 flats in Turag area, 12

katha plot and a 10 storied under construction

building in Hatirpul area.

Though he is only a driver, but

Malek is accused of meddling in

transferring, postings and promotions

of doctors, amassing huge

wealth in this way.

Country's first 'geological

museum' to be set up in Jaflong

SYLHET : The Bangladesh Bureau Of

Mineral Development (BMD) plans to

set up the country's first 'geological

museum' at Jaflong in Gowainghat

upazila of Sylhet to stop stone extraction

in the Ecologically Critical Area

(ECA).

BMD has already started the

process as Gowainghat Upazila

Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Nazmus

Shakib confirmed the matter.

The BMD informed the Gowainghat

Upazila administration about the plan

in a letter last week in the wake of

preparations to stop the illegal stone

extraction by putting up signboards

with the instructions of the High

Court.

According to the Gowainghat

Upazila administration, in 2012, the

High Court directed Jaflong to be

declares an ECA, in response to an

application by the Bangladesh

Environmental Lawyers Association

(BELA).

A notification was issued on 18

February 2015 declaring Jaflong an

ECA and on January 11, 2016, the

Ministry of Power, Energy and

Mineral Resources conferred 'geological

heritage' status on Jaflong. In this,

22.59 acres of land in Jaflong was

declared as reserved area.

Meanwhile, an organisation called

M/S Jalalabad Lime Manufacturers

and Trading Association, in a letter

dated August 17, 2020 claimed that

they took acquisition of the protected

area in Jaflong in 1972.

An official letter on the establishment

of a geological museum said that

25.59 acres of land have been declared

a geological heritage in the national

interest for the protection of open

rock, limestone and for purposes of

research.

Signed by BMD Director General

Mohammad Zafar Ullah, the letter

said an international standard geological

museum will be built on that land.

Any other organization including

Jalalabad Lime Manufacturers and

Trading Association should refrain from

quarrying in the area specified, it said.

A Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB)

outpost is likely to be damaged if

stones are quarried in and around

Sonatila in Jaflong.

In the interests of national security

and towards implementing the development

plan adopted by the government,

BMD is also preparing to deal

with any legal issues that may arise.

Apart from being a tourist destination,

the Jaflong region of Sylhet is

very important for its geological history

and heritage and to geologists, the

area is already known as the 'geological

museum' of the country.

On a hill next to the Sangram BGB

camp on the banks of the Dauki River,

there are layers of very old sedimentary

rocks, including layers of limestone,

which are found nowhere else in

Bangladesh.

These rock layers are very important

for oil and gas and mineral resources

exploration and for research.

TuESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2020

2

Humidity is rising again and again with the heat. And the mischief of adolescence does not mean any

obstacle. And so a group of prankish children and teenagers are jumping from the bridge in the flood

waters with joy in their minds. The picture was taken from Hatiapara area of Atrai in Naogaon on

Monday. Photo: PBA

ICMAB organizes webinar on public

financial management in

Bangladesh

DHAKA : The Institute of Cost and

Management Accountants of

Bangladesh (ICMAB) organized a

webinar yesterday on "Public Financial

Management in Bangladesh".

Comptroller and Auditor General of

Bangladesh Mohammad Muslim

Chowdhury joined the programme as

the chief guest while Member

(Secretary), Industry and Energy

Division of the Planning Commission

Md. Mamun-Al-Rashid joined the

programme as special guest, said a

press release.

Speaking on the occasion, Muslim

Chowdhury said that Public Financial

Management (PFM) got a unique

feature in the government system as

the financial process starts from the

parliament.

He described the entire PFM system

in a detail manner for the participants

and students of this arena.

Mamun-Al-Rashid said that

expenditure management is a key issue

One new dengue

patient detected

in 24 hrs

DHAKA : The country

recorded one new dengue

case in the 24 hours until

Monday morning, according

to the Directorate General of

Health Services (DGHS),

reports UNB.

Three dengue patients are

currently taking treatment at

different hospitals, according

to the DGHS handout. Since

January, 445 people have

been diagnosed with dengue.

Among them, 441 have

recovered, the DGHS said.

Bangladesh witnessed a

massive dengue outbreak

last year when 101,354

people were hospitalised and

101,037 recovered. Dengue

killed 179 people last year,

according to official figures.

MMCH gets high flow

nasal cannulas for

corona patients

MYMENSING :

Mymensingh Medical

College Hospital (MMCH)

on Monday received three

high flow nasal cannulas for

the treatment of COVID-19

patients.

Deputy Director of

Mymensingh Medical

College Hospital Dr Md

Saiful Islam Khan handed

over three high flow nasal

cannulas

(CPAP

Ventilators), given by Prime

Minister Sheikh Hasina, to

Mymensingh Deputy

Commissioner M Mizanur

Rahman in the conference

room of Mymensingh

District Administration.

MMCH is playing an

important role in

strengthening the medical

system and providing

services in resolving the

corona situation.

for the government especially the

developing countries need to focus on

this process very much.

He emphasized on procurement plan

and described its importance for the

development process on the basis of his

diverse experience.

ICMAB President Md. Jasim Uddin

Akond thanked all the honorable guests

and participants, and emphasized

particularly on ensuring Cost Audit

Certification by a professional CMA

firm or professional for every listed

companies. He said that CMA

professionals can create a great impact

by putting their expertise for ensuring

clarity in various economic aspects.

Jashim requested the honorable

guests to create more scope for the

CMA professionals in relevant fields so

that they can give their effort for the

development of this country.

AKM Jashim Uddin, Former

Director General of Foreign Aided

Project Audit Directorate, gave a

Around 6.50 lakh freelancers to get 'virtualcard'

in acknowledging their identity

DHAKA : State Minister for Information and

Communication Technology (ICT). Zunaid

Ahmed Palak has said the government will

provide 'virtual card' to freelancers which

would give identity to some 6.50 lakh selfemployed

professionals in the country.

"The freelancers will get virtual identity

cards soon as they are helping to turn the

talent and technology-based economy of the

country replacing from labour intensive

one," he said while joining an online

programme on freelancing career here on

Sunday night.

The initiative will help them to get their

professional identity along with access to

getting bank loan and working facilities in

the high-tech park as freelancing is

predominant in music, writing, acting,

computer programming, web design,

graphic design, translating and illustrating,

film and video production as well as other

forms of piece work. Palak said the

government is always enhancing

cooperation with these kinds of professionals

as the youths are mostly involved here.

Bangladesh supplies 16 percent of the total

online workers, the second highest after

India which provides 24pc,

according to the 2017 Online Labour Index

detailed Presentation on "Public

Financial Management in Bangladesh".

AKM Delwer Hussain, Vice President

of SAFA and Past President &

Chairman, Seminar and Conference

Committee of ICMAB gave the

welcome address.

Ahmed Ataul Hakeem, Controller of

Examinations, BRAC University &

Former Comptroller and Auditor

General of Bangladesh and Md. Abdur

Rahman Khan, ICMAB Council

Member and Joint Secretary of

Ministry of Finance, participated in the

programme as commentators.

Past President & Council Member of

ICMAB Abu Sayed Md. Shaykhul Islam

moderated the entire programme

connecting the audience and

discussants and also gave his analysis

regarding the topics of discussion.

Secretary of ICMAB Md. Munirul

Islam gave the vote of thanks to the

participants and audience of the

programme.

of Oxford Internet Institute.

Rapid digitalization spurred the growth of

this sector and insiders say many youths now

opted for freelancing, outsourcing and e-

commerce.

South Asian Network on Economic

Modeling (SANEM) said the informal sector

employs, around 89pc of

the total employed youths in Bangladesh,

and disruption of economic activities due to

the pandemic are affecting 20 million

youths. Stakeholders said the government

should give financial aid to the workers who

lost their jobs. Mentioning that Bangladesh

has more than 600,000 freelancers,

according to the market insiders, they said,

"We'll have a billion dollar market in future.

So, the government has to bring some basic

changes through proper planning and

support for the workers."

They also demanded inclusion under the

stimulus packages for Small and Medium

Entrepreneurs.

Moderated by Freelancer Sultan Hossen

Nir, the programme was also spoke, among

others, by Bangladesh Freelancer

Development Society (BFDS)'s general

secretary Mahfuzur Rahman and top rated

freelancer Fahimul Karim.

Workers of a garment factory staged demo in front of National Press Club

yesterday demanding arrear.

Photo : TBT

Webinar on "Restart

Asian Economies : Ideas

and Actions for Hotel

Industry" held

Nakibul Ahsan Nishad, JnU:

The Friedrich Naumann

Foundation (FNF) South

Asia office hosted its third

webinar titled "Restart Asian

Economies: Ideas and

Actions for the Hotel

Industry" by focusing on the

economic restart in post

COVID-19 era in Asia under

its "Online Business

Dialogue" series on Monday

evening.

The objective of this

webinar was to discuss how

COVID-19 might shape the

future of hospitality market

in the near future and how to

plan for adoption of new

norms in post-COVID-19.

Economist Dr. Nazmul

Hossain, country

representative of FNF

Bangladesh moderated the

webinar while Dr Mariyam

Shakeela, former Cabinet

Minister and CEO of SIMDI

Group from Maldives and

Mrs Bhawani Rana,

President of Federation of

Nepalese Chamber of

Commerce and Industry

(FNCCI) from Nepal shared

their perspectives of running

their business during

pandemic and how they are

coping with the new normal

situations. Both panelists

heavily focused on the Asian

countries including

Bangladesh's hotel industry

from their perspective. The

program was streamed live

from the FNF South Asia's

Facebook page.

Meanwhile, FNF is the

foundation for liberal

politics. For the past two

months, the foundation's

South Asia office has been

covering a certain business

industry each time bringing

2 experts from South Asian

countries. The program

addresses various sectorspecific

issues inviting

entrepreneurs from South

Asia and South East-East

Asia as resource persons.

The interaction allows for

exchange of ideas,

challenges faced by the

entrepreneurs and their

solutions as well as the role

of the government during

these trying times.

Natore Freedom

Fighter murder:

18yr wait for

justice ends

NATORE : A Natore court on

Monday sentenced two people

to death for killing Freedom

Fighter and Awami League's

Boraigram upazila unit chief

Dr Aynal Haque in 2002,

reports UNB.

The convicts are -Torab Ali

and Shamim. According to

case statement, a local

Jubodal leader was murdered

in Bonpara Bazar on March

28, 2002. After his death,

miscreants picked up Aynal

from his house and stabbed

him indiscriminately, leaving

him critically injured.

Later, he succumbed to his

injuries at Rajshahi Medical

College Hospital on March 29.

His daughter-in-law Nazma

Jakir filed a murder case

against 17 people including the

then upazila unit BNP

president.

Four people, including the

BNP leader, were dropped

from the list after their death.

After examining all records

and witnesses, Additional

District and Sessions Judge

Saifur Rahman Siddiqi

handed down the verdict

acquitting 11 accused.

Woman, daughter

killed in Cumilla

road crash

CUMILLA : A woman and

her daughter were killed and

two others injured in a road

accident on Cumilla-Sylhet

highway at Tutbagan in

Cumilla Cantonment area of

Cumilla district on Monday.

Plaque symbolizing Thai democracy

removed in less than a day

A plaque honoring struggles for democracy

in Thailand was removed from a royal field

less than 24 hours after being installed by

anti-government protesters and was

submitted as evidence in connection with a

complaint by officials that its installation was

illegal, police said Monday, reports UNB.

The plaque had been installed Sunday at

Sanam Luang, the historic field in the capital

where tens of thousands of people rallied

peacefully over the weekend. The two-day

demonstration was the largest this year by

protesters who are calling for new elections

and reform of the monarchy.

An officer at a nearby police station said

the government's Fine Arts Department and

the Bangkok city government filed a

complaint that protesters had destroyed an

archaeological site and "handed the plaque

over to us to be used as evidence."

"They are the responsible agencies over the

area, as it is a public area registered as an

archaeological site," said the officer, police

Supt. Worasak Pitsitbannakorn. "They

reported the damage to us and we will have

to determine which laws have been violated."

He said that the two agencies were

responsible for removing the plaque, but that

police were present as witnesses for legal

reasons. Sanam Luang is a designated royal

site near Bangkok's Grand Palace that until

the last few years had been open to everyone.

The plaque was installed in a part of the dirt

field that was cemented over several years

ago.

The plaque was a symbolic replacement for

one mysteriously ripped out from the

pavement and taken away three years ago.

That plaque, located at a plaza in another

part of Bangkok's old center, honored the

KOICA to help strengthen Bangladesh's road

maintenance, management system

DHAKA : Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA)

on Monday began an online fellowship programme on

strengthening and building the capacity of Roads and

Highways Department (RHD) officials focusing on road

maintenance and management system, reports UNB.

The programme will continue until September 29, KOICA

said.

This third year country-focused fellowship programme was

launched in 2019 with total beneficiaries of 36 officials from

RTHD and RHD aiming to promote Roads Maintenance and

Management system in Bangladesh.

Through this online training, Republic of Korea's Road

and Transportation Policies, Engineering approach for

highway safety and bridge design, construction and

maintenance will be addressed.

Especially, Korea Expressway Corporation will organize

virtual field visits to important sites and offices in Republic of

Korea for better understanding of Korea's strategies.

The RTHD and RHD officials will develop a Country

Action Plan for Road Maintenance and Management System

in Bangladesh in consultation by Korean experts.

For the smooth implementation of the training, KOICA has

provided learning devices such as Samsung Notebooks for

better access in the online learning environment.

Young-Ah Doh, County Director of KOICA, said the

transportation sector is the one of Korea's development

priority areas for Bangladesh.

KOICA is about to finance US$ 8.9 million from 2020 to

2023 to an upcoming project titled "Improving the Reliability

and Safety in National Highway Corridors of Bangladesh by

Introduction of ITS (Intelligent Transport System)."

1932 revolution that saw the military force a

change from absolute monarchy to

constitutional monarchy. It was replaced by

a plaque praising the monarchy.

The new round brass plaque was installed

Sunday by activists who made a hole in the

Sanam Luang pavement and held a short

religious ceremony.

"At the dawn of Sept. 20, here is where the

people proclaim that this country belongs to

the people," read part of the inscription.

Student protest leader Parit "Penguin"

Chirawak, who was among those who

installed the new plaque, said that its

removal did not matter.

"What matters is this plaque, and its

message has been installed in the people's

hearts," Parit said Monday as he headed to

the prosecutors' office to deal with legal

charges stemming from previous protests.

The protesters' demands, including

limiting the king's powers, establishing

tighter controls on palace finances and

allowing open discussion of the monarchy,

are controversial because the monarchy is

considered sacrosanct in Thailand. The

activists are considered especially bold

because there is a harsh law mandating a

three- to 15-year prison term for defaming

the royal institution.

A representative of the protesters on

Sunday delivered a petition addressed to the

king seeking royal reforms. It was received

by a police official, who promised to forward

it to the Privy Council, the king's advisers.

At the end of the weekend rally, Parit called

for a general strike on Oct. 14, the

anniversary of a 1973 student uprising that

ended a military dictatorship after dozens

were killed by soldiers and police.

Hanif Bangladeshi has reached Satmatha of Bogura city from Sherpur

upazila of the same district on the 11th day of a single march from Dhaka

to Anantapur border of Kurigram with symbolic body demanding to stop

border killings. He will start walking again from Satmatha today at 8 am.

Photo : Courtesy

New PSC chairman

Sohrab takes oath

DHAKA : Former senior

secretary Md Sohrab

Hossain on Monday took

oath as chairman of

Bangladesh Public Service

Commission (PSC).

Chief Justice Syed

Mahmud Hossain

administered the oath at a

ceremony around 3pm at

Supreme Court Judges'

Lounge, conducted by

Supreme Court Registrar

General Md. Ali Akbar.

Earlier, on September 16,

the government appointed

retired senior secretary Md

Sohrab Hossain as the

chairman of the Public

Service Commission (PSC).

The public administration

ministry issued an order in

this regard, saying President

Abdul Hamid has appointed

him as PSC Chairman.

Md Sohrab Hossain, who

was on post-retirement

leave (PRL), replaced

Mohammad Sadique, whose

tenure as the PSC Chairman

expired on September 18.

TUeSDAY, SePTeMber 22, 2020

3

Injured workers of Tazreen Fasion are continuing their hunger strike program demanding rehabilitation

and treatment.

Photo : TbT

WFP pilot programme helps

urban poor in Dhaka

DHAKA : In support of the

government's COVID-19 response, the

United Nations World Food

Programme (WFP) has begun cash

assistance to the urban poor hit hard by

the pandemic, including those in

quarantine and isolation, in northern

Dhaka, reports UNB.

"The lessons learnt from this pilot

will help improve government urban

interventions for people vulnerable to

shocks such as COVID-19," said Md

Ashraf Ali Khan Khasru, state minister

of ministry of social welfare, according

a press release on Monday.

"The pilot is also serving as a model

for potential replication and scale-up of

such assistance programmes in the

future."

During the pilot stage, 50,000

individuals (10,000 households) in

Kalyanpur, and Sattala Bosti

(Mohakhali) in Dhaka, will receive Tk

3,000 per month to help them meet

their basic food needs.

These locations were identified as a

majority of the residents work in the

informal sector which includes

garment factories and domestic work.

Many of them have lost their jobs due

to the economic fallout of COVID-19.

"Massive job losses and rising food

prices are pushing millions of people

into poverty and hunger, especially in

urban areas in Bangladesh. This

programme is an important step

towards addressing the mounting

challenges facing the urban households

at this critical time," said WFP Country

Director Richard Ragan.

Through the programme, WFP will

also deliver food baskets to families

that have members who have

contracted coronavirus and are in

quarantine.

Funded by the United States Agency

for International Development

(USAID) and implemented by NOG

BRAC, the programme pays special

attention to the families' needs in

accessing nutrient-rich food, such as

fresh vegetables.

By working with local traders, WFP

and partners will ensure that a stable

supply of vegetables and other

nutritious foods are available at

reasonable prices at designated local

stores.

In August, WFP Country Director

Ragan, US Ambassador to Bangladesh

Earl Miller, and Dhaka North City

Corporation Mayor Md Atiqul Islam

visited families who are participating in

the programme in Kallyanpur slum.

PM unveils cover of book "Sheikh

Mujib: A Nation's Father"

DHAKA : Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday unveiled the cover of a

book titled "Sheikh Mujib: A Nation's Father".

The prime minister unwrapped the cover of the book at her official

Ganbhaban residence on Monday morning at the outset of the weekly cabinet

meeting. The prime minister joined the meeting held at the Cabinet Division

through a videoconference from Ganabhaban.

The Ministry of Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment published

the pictorial book on the occasion of the birth centenary of Father of the Nation

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Ducsu VP Nur

accused of raping

DU student

DHAKA : A rape case was

filed against six people,

including Vice-President of

Dhaka University Central

Students' Union (Ducsu)

Nurul Haque Nur, reports

UNB.

A female student of Dhaka

University filed the case

against them at Lalbagh

Police Station on Monday,

said Officer-in-Charge KM

Ashraf Uddin.

He declined to divulge

details.

Nur was elected VP in last

year's Ducsu polls, the first

in 28 years. It was marred by

allegations of irregularities.

All panels, except that of

Bangladesh Chhatra League,

boycotted the election. The

ruling party student front

dominated the polls but lost

the posts of VP and social

service affairs secretary.

Motorcyclist killed

in city road crash

DHAKA : A motorcyclist was

killed and another was injured

after a truck hit their vehicle in

Kajla of Jatrabari area in the

capital early Monday, reports

UNB.

The deceased was identified

as Ilius Bhuiyan, 45, son of

Abul Kashem of Sadekpur

village in Brahmanbaria

Sadar upazila.

Md Bacchu Miah, inspector

of Dhaka Medical College

Hospital police outpost, said

that the accident took place in

the area after 12am as the

truck hit the vehicle, leaving

the duo critically injured.

They were taken to DMCH

where doctors pronounced

Ilius dead.

Accidents on roads,

railways and waterways killed

at least 553 people and

injured 669 others last month,

according to passengers'

welfare body Bangladesh Jatri

Kalyan Samity.

GD- 1218/20 (9 x 3)

GD- 1216/20 (8 x 4)

GD- 1217/20 (9 x 4)

TUESdAy, SEPTEMBEr 22, 2020

4

No more a pariah

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam

e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com

Tuesday, September 22, 2020

Strengthen local

dairy industry

Even in the mid nineties, the importing of milk powder

was a reasonable one. The expenditure on

imports for milk powder was about Taka 2.2 billion

in 1996. But recent estimates suggest that imports of

milk powder have increased five times in only twelve

years indicating the fast climbing rate of import underlining

insufficient local production of milk to meet its

growing demand. But it is not only a matter of demand

for a product fast outpacing the locally available means

to supply the same.

The higher import points to neglect in building up a

sector with which is vitally connected the nation's health,

nutrition and other vital issues. It appears that

Bangladesh has become a lucrative market for foreign

milk powder exporters. They have established a big and

impressive network to market their milk in powder form

in this country when there is every reason to think that

consumers are in no way amply nourished by milk powder

as they would be if they could drink locally produced

liquid and wholesome milk.

But Bangladesh with its predominant number of rural

people , its agrarian characteristics, plus the traditional

pastoral experience of rearing cows, should normally

have comparative advantages in producing ample milk

and milk products. It is not that the local dairy industry

is not growing. It has been also growing but its output

remaining well below the total effective demand which is

making it possible for foreign companies to briskly

increase their business in this country. Thus, planned

efforts are necessary to develop the local dairy sector.

If the dairy industry here develops fast and properly,

then several useful ends can be served. First of all, it

would mean import substitution and substantial saving

of resources. The saved amount would help the balance

of payments. The nutrition picture of the country could

change positively with significantly increased consumption

of fresher milk in liquid form. Mothers in

Bangladesh -sometime ago- passed their days in great

mental discomfort after knowing that imported milk

powders in some cases which they have been feeding

their babies, contain the deadly melamine. They could

easily avoid such fears if locally produced milk could provide

them with an instant alternative.

An improved and enlarged dairy industry will also create

employment opportunities in various ways where it

matters the greatest--- at grassroots level. From greater

availability of cows, different sorts of industries will be

facilitated. For example, more cow hides will be available

for the tanneries and leather industries. The import of

cows from India for sacrificial purposes will drastically

decline or cease which also would help the country's balance

of payments. The availability of locally produced

meat would rise helping greater protein consumption by

the population. No part of the cow is wasted. Even its

horns and bones are used by cottage industries to make

button, combs and related products. There can be also

other spin-offs such as cow dung to be used as fuel or as

raw material to increase production of bio-gas to help

lighting, heating and cooking in the rural areas.

Production and consumption of ghee, butter, cud and

sweetmeats can also increase with greater and cheaper

availability of locally produced cow milk.

But for all of these activities to be boosted, the first step

needs to be encouraging specially the rural people to rear

cows. It appears that institutional credits specifically for

the purpose is scanty or difficult to access. Government

can adopt a policy in this regard and have it implemented

very extensively and efficiently through the Krishi

Bank and other mediums to provide credits to persons

willing to rear cows in the rural areas on easy terms. This

would surely be a big stimulus for cow rearing as rural

people will be encouraged to go for a good source of earning

on the side.

Government should also help out in the development

and sustaining of a growing dairy industry through

research activities and breeding of healthier species of

cows. It is obvious that rural small producers of dairy

products on their own will never have the resources to

invest in such projects. But the government should have

the resources to invest in such projects. Healthier species

of cows can be bred in these projects and sold to privately

operated diaries. Government should aim to run such

projects with the aim of breaking even in the areas of cost

or making only a small profit.

Side by side, the government conducted veterinary

services throughout the country will have to be expanded

and much revamped as supportive of the growing

dairy enterprises. The overall state of veterinary services

is not up to the mark. Inadequate veterinary services is

one of the major obstacles for livestock development. The

ratio of veterinary surgeons to farm animals was estimated

at 1: 1.7 million in 1995, and according to a 2003 estimate

only 5-10 percent of farm animals receive routine

vaccination. These conditions have not improved much

since then.

WHILE the Middle East is still

abuzz with the opening up of

relations between Israel and the

UAE and with Bahrain, people have

largely ignored a similar move in the

Balkans. Kosovo and Serbia, both

countries that had thus far refused to

recognise Israel, have now agreed to do so.

Obviously, the Trump administration

has been doing some heavy lifting in both

regions. Exactly what was promised to

Kosovo and Serbia remains unclear. And

incidentally, the latter has thus far refused

to recognise its neighbour.

Clearly, the dictates of the US elections

in November outweigh all other

considerations with Donald Trump. Thus

far, we were led to believe that greater

trade, fear of Iran, and Israeli high-tech

weaponry were the drivers behind the

UAE's decision to transform its covert ties

with Israel into a full-blown relationship.

But recent reports suggest that the UAE

had been upset by being refused access to

the American F-35 jet fighters due to

Israeli objections.

According to American policy - now

enacted as law- Israel must maintain a

"qualitative military edge" over its

neighbours. The deal that bought

Netanyahu's consent to the sale of the F-

35 is recognition by the UAE. Blocking the

annexation of large parts of Palestinian

land is just a sop for the larger Muslim

world as the Israeli prime minister has

only promised to "halt" this provocative

move for now.

So what makes the F-35 so special, and

worth $80 million each? Largely, the

radar-evading materials used in its

construction, as well as the intelligencegathering

technology it carries. Israel fears

that its secrets could fall into the hands of

its foes. But should Trump lose the

election - something to be fervently

wished for - Biden may well halt the sale.

And as we have seen from the botched

attacks by the UAE air force on Yemen,

the country's pilots are not exactly skilled

in their use of sophisticated aircraft.

Whatever the real reason, the fear of

Iran is certainly one as the US withdraws

from the region following its reduced

dependence on Arab oil. Thus, Iran has

succeeded in driving many Sunni Arab

countries into the US-Israel camp. Even

Saudi Arabia, once the champion of

Palestinian rights, has permitted

commercial flights over the kingdom to

shorten the flying time between Israel and

the UAE.

Jordan and Egypt have had embassies

in Tel Aviv for decades, as has Turkey. So

when the Turkish president protested

loudly against the UAE and Bahrain's

recognition of Israel, we must take his

IrFAN hUSAIN

MINxIN PEI

words with a pinch of salt. But whether we

like it or not, there is a growing movement

towards normalisation of ties with the

Zionist state. The younger generation of

Arabs want job opportunities and peace,

not a perpetual state of war with a

powerful neighbour.

In a sense, the Palestinians have proved

to be their own worst enemies. In Jimmy

Carter, they had the friendliest American

president they are likely to get. Bill Clinton

did his best to push an agreement

through. But the PLO's rigidity and

Israel's hunger for land blocked any

chance for genuine rapprochement. Now,

with Trump's openly pro-Israel policies,

the US has dropped all pretence of being

an honest broker between the two parties.

Having written dozens of columns

critical of Israel's land grab and oppressive

policies, I have also argued that

recognition is not a reward for good

behaviour. Had this been so, half the

world would not recognise the other half.

With normalisation comes the right to

summon an envoy to register a protest

against illegal policies in his or her

country.

With our head-in-the-sand attitude

towards Israel, we can only observe from

the sidelines. This is not exactly helpful to

the Palestinians, even though they have

described the UAE initiative as a "stab in

the back". Also, oil-rich Middle East states

have become tired of having to dish out

cash regularly to the corrupt

administrations controlling the West

Bank and Gaza. As oil revenues fall

steadily with no recovery in sight, this

subsidy is becoming increasingly

unpopular.

So where does this realignment leave

us? We are fixated on a policy laid down

decades ago that dictated that Pakistan

would only recognise Israel when all

Palestinian land seized in the 1967 war

was returned. But with over half a million

Israelis living in dozens of settlements

built in occupied West Bank, this was

unlikely to happen. With a hawkish,

right-wing alliance in power, it is even

less likely. Even if Netanyahu is defeated,

the consensus in Israel is that they need

large chunks of the West Bank for

security.

And while we rightly want justice for

Palestinians, what are we doing about the

ongoing persecution of Chinese Muslim

Uighurs, or the attempted genocide of

Muslim Rohingya in Myanmar? The

shameful silence of the Islamic world on

the plight of these two wretched

communities says a lot for our moral

bankruptcy.

Source: dawn

Japan's delicate geopolitical balancing act just got much tougher

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's

unexpected announcement last month

that he was resigning for health

reasons has raised many questions about

the legacy of the country's longest-serving

premier.

One of them is whether his successor,

Yoshihide Suga, will be able to continue

Abe's geopolitical balancing act as tensions

between Beijing and Washington continue

to escalate dangerously.

The US and China are critical to Japan's

peace and prosperity. America is its security

guarantor and second-largest trading

partner, while China is its largest trading

partner and a next-door neighbor. After Abe

returned as prime minister in December

2012, he adroitly managed his nation's

relationships with both.

He went out of his way to befriend US

President Donald Trump, even as Trump

claimed that US-Japanese trade was "not

fair and open" and demanded that Japan

quadruple its contribution to the cost of

keeping American troops in the country. He

further pleased the Trump administration

by quietly banning Chinese

telecommunications giant Huawei from

participating in building Japan's 5G

network.

At the same time, Abe also cultivated ties

with Chinese President Xi Jinping, and

made a diplomatic ice-breaking trip to

Beijing in October 2018 for the first Sino-

Japanese summit in seven years. With US-

China relations in free fall, Xi seized the

olive branch and planned a state visit to

Japan for April 2020. It would have been

the first by a Chinese leader since 2008 but

was postponed indefinitely because of the

coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

However, Suga will find it increasingly

difficult to avoid taking sides in the

intensifying US-China conflict. In the short

term, he will have to make a decision

regarding Xi's postponed state visit.

Opposition to it runs high within Suga's

Liberal Democratic Party, owing to the

Chinese government's recent imposition of

a harsh national security law in Hong Kong.

A made-for-TV state visit to Japan would be

a huge win for Xi, who is eager to

demonstrate that the Trump

administration's containment of China is

failing.

Beijing's pressure to reschedule the visit

will put Suga in a bind. Acceding to China's

wishes would cost him political capital at

home, but scrapping the visit would

humiliate Xi and hurt Sino-Japanese ties.

The only thing Japan's new prime minister

can do is try to find all the excuses he can

and continue to postpone the visit for as

long as possible.

In any case, tensions regarding a largely

symbolic Sino-Japanese summit will pale in

comparison with the likely impact on Japan

of two looming US-China disputes in the

coming years.

First, the US will call on Japan to tighten

restrictions on key technologies that it

supplies to China. But with more than $38

billion invested directly in the country and

nearly 14,000 firms operating there, Japan

will find it practically difficult, economically

ruinous and diplomatically costly to comply

in full with US sanctions.

No one knows how Suga, who was Abe's

Cabinet secretary and closest aide for the

past eight years, will be able to please the US

on the technology issue without angering

China, or vice versa. He will certainly face a

The Chinese did not react strongly to Japan's participation,

owing to the improving bilateral ties. But it could

lash out if the rapprochement initiated by Abe fizzles

out and Suga's administration starts to collaborate with

the US more overtly and energetically in disputes over

the South China Sea.

much harder task than his predecessor,

unless Washington and Beijing somehow

de-escalate their conflict.

Suga will also have a far tougher time

sitting on the fence when it comes to

security issues. As a member of the socalled

Quad - an Indo-Pacific security

grouping that also includes Australia,

India and the US - Japan will face

American calls to participate in joint naval

exercises more often and on a larger scale,

to challenge Beijing's territorial claims in

the South China Sea. Last year, for

example, a Japanese aircraft carrier

SoMShANkAr BANdyoPAdhyAy

joined US-led naval drills in waters

claimed by China.

The Chinese did not react strongly to

Japan's participation, owing to the

improving bilateral ties. But it could lash

out if the rapprochement initiated by Abe

fizzles out and Suga's administration starts

to collaborate with the US more overtly and

energetically in disputes over the South

China Sea.

No one knows how Suga, who was Abe's

Cabinet secretary and closest aide for the

past eight years, will be able to please the US

on the technology issue without angering

China, or vice versa.

One thing that could completely wreck

Sino-Japanese ties in the next five-to-seven

years would be the deployment of mediumrange

US missiles on Japanese soil.

Pentagon strategists are eager to position

powerful offensive weapons closer to the

Chinese mainland, and Japan is an ideal

location.

The missiles are still in development, so

there is no need yet for the US to ask Japan

to host them. But once Washington has

produced sufficient quantities, it is hard to

imagine that it will not press for permission

to deploy them. Were Japan to agree, its

relationship with China could be faced with

the worst crisis since the two countries

restored diplomatic ties in 1972.

Of course, none of these troubles are

Abe's or Suga's fault. But they illustrate,

once again, the plight of a country squeezed

between two dueling geopolitical giants -

and the scale of the diplomatic challenge

facing Japan's new prime minister.

Source: Arab news

Climate change is here. Climate change is now

Alexis Miller of Los Angeles County Fire

holds a water hose while protecting a

home from the advancing Bobcat Fire

along Cima Mesa Rd. Friday, Sept. 18, 2020,

in Juniper Hills, California.Readers of Gulf

News will recall two very disturbing bits of

news last week. One was how forest fires are

causing a 'nuclear winter' in San Francisco,

and the other was almost 70 per cent of the

planet's wildlife having been wiped out in the

last five decades.

These events are a stark reminder that

despite the little positive impact that the

COVID-19 pandemic has had on the

environment as a result of human beings

staying caged in their homes and factories

being shut - cleaner air, blue lagoons, clear

skies - the impact of human activity on the

environment remains as worrisome as ever.

Wildfires, unseasonal rains, floods, unusual

dry spells - all these are indicators of peril that

Mother Nature is sending us.

From the editors: Mask is a must to beat

COVID-19. Coronavirus even floored the

UFC, so Star Trek Day goes online

"We are seeing the emergence of some

signals that would have had almost no chance

of happening without human-induced climate

According to American policy - now enacted as law- Israel must maintain

a "qualitative military edge" over its neighbours. The deal that

bought Netanyahu's consent to the sale of the F-35 is recognition by the

UAE. Blocking the annexation of large parts of Palestinian land is just

a sop for the larger Muslim world as the Israeli prime minister has

only promised to "halt" this provocative move for now.

change," Sonia Seneviratne, a climate scientist

at Swiss university ETH Zurich, was quoted by

Reuters as saying.

Climate change is possibly the biggest

challenge humanity is facing in modern times.

As the human population explodes, more and

more land is being devoured by the incessant

march of civilisation - felling trees, cleaning up

forest lands, decimating animal species in the

process. As the forest cover disappears acre by

acre, a proportionate increase is thus seen in

global temperatures. Europe, a continent with

a mostly temperate climate, has been

witnessing its hottest summers in recent

years, with several deaths due to heatstroke.

The same is true elsewhere in the world as

well.

The 'nuclear winter' in San Francisco is just

a manifestation of this trend. Research by the

Centre for Climate and Energy Solutions

shows that changes in climate that create

warmer, drier conditions, increased drought,

and a longer fire season are boosting these

increases in wildfire risk. For much of the US

West, projections show that an average

annual 1 degree Celsius temperature increase

would increase the median burnt area per year

as much as 600 per cent in some types of

forests. In the Southeastern United States,

modelling suggests increased fire risk and a

longer fire season, with at least a 30 per cent

increase from 2011 in the area burnt by

lightning-ignited wildfire by 2060.

At least wildfires in California are a known,

annual phenomenon. But the relentless

juggernaut of climate change has not even

spared one of the remotest corners on earth -

the Artic permafrost region. A recent report in

carbonbrief.org enumerates how from March

to July this year, unprecedented heat in the

Arctic fanned large 'zombie fires' in Siberia.

"The fires ripped across vast stretches of

permafrost, threatening the release of millions

of tonnes of long-held carbon," Daisy Dunne

says in the report.

Let us now turn to deforestation. In 2019,

tropical rainforests - whose preservation is

considered crucial to curbing climate change -

disappeared at a rate of one football pitch

every six seconds, according to data from

monitoring service Global Forest Watch.

A recent article in National Geographic

reported that between 1990 and 2016, the

world lost 1.3 million square kilometres of

forest, according to the World Bank - an area

larger than South Africa. Since humans

started cutting down forests, 46 per cent of

trees have been felled, according to a 2015

study in the journal Nature. About 17 per cent

of the Amazonian rainforest has been

destroyed over the past 50 years, and losses

recently have been on the rise.

Among other findings, the latest Living

Planet Report by the World Wildlife Fund has

revealed that the Living Planet Index for the

Americas has plunged an astounding 94 per

cent.

"The conversion of grasslands, savannahs,

forests and wetlands, the overexploitation of

species, climate change, and the introduction

of alien species are key drivers," the report

states. The report highlights that Data from

the United Nations Environment

Programme shows that, per person, our

global stock of natural capital - the planet's

stock of renewable and non-renewable

natural resources, like plants, soils and

minerals - has declined nearly 40 per cent

since the early 1990s, while produced capital

(for example, roads) has doubled and human

capital (for example, skills) has increased by

13 per cent.

Source: Gulf news

TUEsdAY, sEpTEmBEr 22, 2020

5

Bridling emerging infections

inga VesPer

research funding for

emerging infectious diseases

rarely reaches the countries

where such diseases do the

most harm, according to

new data analysis that

highlights how spikes in

funding trail off when

disease outbreaks stop

making headlines.

Despite rapid growth of

global spending to tackle

emerging infectious

diseases, which largely

impact the developing

world, much of the basic

research and development

takes place in industrial

countries - usually those that

provide the funding. This is

according to the latest g-

Finder report, compiled by

global health think tank

Policy Cures research and

published today.

The united states was

found to be the biggest

emerging infectious disease

research donor, but also the

biggest funding recipient.

Between 2014 and 2018, the

country provided 80 per

cent of global public funding

for the priority diseases

identified by the world

Health Organization r&D

Blueprint for action to

prevent epidemics. These

include ebola, Zika,

coronaviruses and the as-yet

unknown Disease X.

spikes and falls in

research funding for the

priority diseases identified

by the world Health

Organization r&D Blueprint

for action to prevent

epidemics.

Paul Barnsley, a senior

analyst at Policy Cures

research and co-author of

the report, tells sciDev.net

that the picture given by the

data may be slightly skewed,

as rich nations are better at

providing numbers, whereas

other major funders, such as

China or Brazil, are less

willing or able to share

details of their spending.

However, he agrees there is

a "strong correlation"

between who gives the

money and who gets it.

"we do find that funders

like to fund domestic

organisations," he says. "it is

viewed as a perk of funding

that you create local

infrastructure and national

champions." research and

development funding

between 2014 and 2018 was

primarily funnelled towards

diseases that had the

attention of the public,

rather than towards

preventing future epidemics

or addressing those diseases

that cause the greatest

health burden, the report

found.

"The degree of imbalance

between diseases is striking,

and it impacts r&D,"

Barnsley says. "Funding is

very much driven by

epidemics. it does not

square with a forwardlooking

approach."

The issue is best illustrated

scientists researching middle East respiratory syndrome (mErs) obtaining

samples from camels.

photo: CrEId

by data on coronavirus

research in the years before

the COViD-19 outbreak.

Funding for coronaviruses -

Middle east respiratory

syndrome (Mers) and

severe acute respiratory

syndrome (sars) - made

up just 4.6 per cent of total

basic research funding for

emerging infectious diseases

between 2016 and 2018 (no

data was available for earlier

years). Total annual funding

for coronaviruses stood at

us$41 million in 2018.

By comparison, funding

for ebola research

skyrocketed from $178

million in 2014 to $594

million in 2015, the height of

the west african outbreak.

as of 2018, it was hovering

around $360 million a year,

but the report's authors

expect funding levels will

drop sharply as ebola fades

from public consciousness.

similarly, Zika research

received just $6 million in

2015, but after Brazil

declared a public health

emergency in 2016, this

amount was boosted to $243

million in 2017. "[w]e'll

never be prepared for the

next pandemic if we only

invest in r&D targeting

diseases grabbing headlines

at the time," says Policy

Cures research chief

executive nick Chapman.

The research world is on

alert for Disease X - the

name used to describe a

previously unknown illness

that becomes a pandemic.

The mystery disease is seen

as one of the greatest threats

to humanity by many health

policymakers.

Understand motivations

to fight fake news

Orangutans at a nature reserve in malaysian Borneo.

photo: Francoise Gaujour

Humanity at crossroads on biodiversity issues

Laura Owings

Developing countries that have been

pushing for stronger ecosystems

protections have been armed with a

cache of evidence, released in a series of

biodiversity report cards that warn the

world teeters at a crossroads.

urgent action is needed to protect

food systems and health and mitigate

climate change, says the united

nation's latest global Biodiversity

Outlook, published today. assessing

the progress against the 20 global

biodiversity targets agreed in 2010, the

report reveals just six targets were

achieved - and only partially - by their

2020 deadline.

Biodiversity - the variety of plants,

animals and all living things on earth -

is being degraded by pollution,

overfishing, and increased use of forest

land for agriculture, says the report,

published every five years by the un

Convention on Biological Diversity

(CBD).

while up to us$90 billion for

biodiversity protection was available in

the past decade via national

governments and development

assistance, biodiversity finance needs

are "conservatively estimated in the

hundreds of billions of dollars", says

the outlook.

"Moreover, these resources are

swamped by support for activities

harmful to biodiversity," the report

says. This includes $500 billion in fossil

fuel and other subsidies, $100 billion of

which related to agriculture.

in Brazil and indonesia alone,

subsidies for the production of

commodities linked to forest

destruction were estimated in 2015 to

be 100 times larger than the amount

spent combatting deforestation, the

report found.

The wwF's Living Planet report

2020, released last week ahead of the

un's biodiversity report card, reveals

that the size of the world's wildlife

populations shrank by an average 68

per cent between 1970 and 2016.

Christopher Trisos, senior research

fellow at the african Climate and

Development initiative at the

university of Cape Town, tells

sciDev.net that such analyses can help

arm policymakers and governments in

the global south with the evidence

needed to protect their local

ecosystems.

"in the context of climate

negotiations, global south countries

have been some of, if not the strongest,

advocates for lowering global

emissions," he says. "reports like this

give them the information and

reasoning to negotiate their positions."

national governments are currently

negotiating a new 10-year global

framework for biodiversity policymaking.

The new goals must recognise

the contributions of indigenous peoples

and local communities in protecting

ecosystems, say the CBD's Local

Biodiversity Outlooks, which will

launch tomorrow. The world's failure to

recognise traditional and local

knowledge is directly linked to the

global failure to meet the 2020

biodiversity targets, the local outlook

argues.

Changes to food systems and

stronger environmental protections

could stabilise losses, says new research

published in the journal nature, which

formed part of the wwF report.

"Pioneering" modelling produced a

'proof of concept' that the world can

halt, and reverse, biodiversity loss from

land-use change, say researchers.

"Through further sustainable

intensification and trade, reduced food

waste and more plant-based human

diets, more than two thirds of future

biodiversity losses are avoided and the

biodiversity trends from habitat

conversion are reversed by 2050 for

almost all of the models," says the team

of researchers, led by David Leclère

from the international institute for

applied systems analysis.

"[a]mbitious conservation efforts

and food system transformation are

central to an effective post-2020

biodiversity strategy." a study led by

David Leclère and published in nature

argues that biodiversity loss can be

reversed with increased conservation

and sustainable production. Credit:

iiasa

FiOna BrOOM

People need to understand the

motivations behind misinformation

and fake news campaigns to be able to

tackle them, physicist Julia Tagüeña,

from the national autonomous

university of Mexico, has told a

sciDev.net roundtable.

"it doesn't happen by chance, there is

a purpose underneath," Tagüeña told

the roundtable, convened to investigate

ways to tackle the COViD-19

infodemic. an infodemic is defined as

an overabundance of information -

some accurate and some not - that

occurs during an epidemic, making it

difficult for the public to find reliable

sources and guidance.

The event brought together about 50

policymakers, researchers and

journalists to discuss ways to tackle the

infodemic. Tania Valbuena, vice

president of the Colombian association

of scientific Journalism, told the

meeting: "Our job as scientific

journalists is to make [COViD-19]

understandable to the public, it's a

really difficult challenge right now.

ahead of the discussions, saiful

islam, from the emerging infections

programme at the international health

research institute icddr,b, in

Bangladesh, talked about the issues

raised in his paper COViD-19-related

infodemic and its impact on Public

Health: a global social Media analysis,

published in the american Journal of

Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

He said there had been waves of

misinformation since the COViD-19

outbreak in December. "The last one

month we have been observing a new

wave of misinformation related to

COViD-19 vaccines," he says.

"Misinformation was highly prevalent

at the very beginning, there was a drop

maybe in May, June, July, but now we

see vaccine-related misinformation

that is circulating on online platforms."

The paper found that rumours and

bad information about COViD-19

posed a major public health risk, but so

far there have been limited efforts to

measure the consequences of the

infodemic, including the psychological

impacts.

"it has a huge impact and the

problem is that nobody is

systematically collecting the impact

information," islam says. "There is a

huge psychological impact of this

misinformation." The results in some

cases have been catastrophic, islam's

team of researchers found. at least 800

people have died after following the bad

advice that drinking highly

concentrated alcohol will kill the novel

coronavirus. almost 6000 people have

been hospitalised, while 60 people have

been blinded after drinking methyl

alcohol, commonly used as fuel and

antifreeze.

Developing literacy around health

and news sources among students can

be an effective way of ensuring accurate

information is shared, says islam. But,

journalists also need to be better

educated in science, says Mohamad

alawneh, manager of Jordanian

sustainability non-profit north star

and a project coordinator at the

international union for Conservation

of nature (iuCn). scientists should be

better integrated in journalism

processes, he says.

"Most journalists are looking for the

fastest and the most viewed news, they

don't verify their sources of information

and they're working for popularity,"

alawneh says. Yet others said

journalists were not to blame, as they

did not intend to mislead people and

were reliant on ever-changing scientific

information coming from international

organisations and governments.

"in Brazil, journalists have been

working hard to combat fake news,"

said Vinícius Durval Dorne, from the

faculty of education at Brazil's Federal

university of uberlândia. Politicians,

public agencies and the media must

strive to create a public arena where

differing, but evidence-based, views are

welcome, says science communications

consultant Olle Bergman. "The public

should be taught that science is a

process where different research

groups offer different explanations and

recommendations," he said.

people need to understand the motivations behind misinformation and fake news campaigns, roundtable hears.

photo: Christoph scholz

A malaysian scientist checks samples at a plant tissue culture facility.

neena BHanDari

Developing economies are showing

"stellar innovation performance" as the

landscape shifts towards asia, while

sub-saharan africa leads global

spending on education and investment.

innovation continues to be dominated

by europe and north america, but this

year's global innovation index shows

that China, Vietnam, india, and the

Philippines are consistently on the rise.

"an impermeable innovation glass

ceiling exists that divides middle- and

high-income economies. But for the past

decade, innovation activity has moved

towards asia," index co-editor sacha

wunsch-Vincent tells. From subsaharan

africa, Botswana led the world

in education spending and Mozambique

led investment. Mexico was the largest

creative goods exporter worldwide.

The index is co-published by Cornell

university, inseaD and the world

intellectual Property Organization

(wiPO), a specialised agency of the un.

among its rankings is a list of the top 100

global science and technology 'clusters',

which this year includes middle-income

leaders Brazil and india.

Finance and funding for innovative

ventures from private equity is in decline

across asia, north america and europe

as the COViD-19 pandemic hits

economies, the index shows. Developing

countries and research-intensive startups

will feel the greatest impact from any

decline in innovation finance, experts

say.

"Finance is crucial, and good ideas for

innovation can be supported by a range

of sources from governments, financial

institutions, and venture capitalists, on

the one hand, to the unpaid labour of

'sweat capital' and crowd funding on the

other," professor of innovation studies at

the university of Queensland Business

school, Mark Dodgson, tells sciDev.net.

"what matters most is investment that

factors in the risks of innovation, and is

long-term in orientation." a central

challenge facing innovators worldwide,

but particularly those in developing

countries, is access to stable sources of

finance.

"in developing countries,

governments largely shoulder

innovation and [research and

development] expenditures, to invest in

innovation," wunsch-Vincent says. "The

private sector investment in innovation

is largely untapped."

He says that firms are closer to the

marketplace, and therefore in a better

position to decide the direction of

innovation and find ways of successful

photo: Kenneth rodrigues

Emerging nations leading

innovation

commercialisation. "[T]hey would

benefit from more incentives to invest in

innovation," he says.

The COViD-19 pandemic has slowed

down global innovation at a time when it

is most needed, the authors say. Yet, the

pandemic has catalysed interest in

innovative solutions for health, remote

work, distance education, e-commerce

and mobility.

"innovation will be of critical

importance in both finding the medical

solutions to prevent and treat COViD-19

and to jumpstart economic growth in the

aftermath of the pandemic," says

wunsch-Vincent, chief of economics

and data analytics at wiPO. a european

science conference last week heard that

COViD-19 solutions are coming from

the global south as the world science

order shifts.

analysts have struggled to fully

quantify innovation in the global south,

wunsch-Vincent tells sciDev.net.

"Developing countries harbour much

informal or grassroots innovations,

which are not perfectly captured by hard

innovation data," he says. The index is

considered a yardstick for measuring

innovation to achieve the sustainable

Development goals and aims to support

evidence-based policy decisions.

TUeSDAY, SePTeMBeR 22, 2020 6

Area developmental work is my

top priority: Manoranjan Sheel

RoshidUL isLam, kahaRoLe CoRRespondent:

dinajpur-1 constituency lawmaker

manoranjan sheel Gopal mp said

sheikh hasina's government has

continued the pace of development

even during the global outbreak of the

coronavirus. this ongoing trend of

development has become a role model

in the world. today, under the strong

leadership of sheikh hasina,

bangladesh is a food-rich country.

today bangladesh is moving forward

in all aspects. those who have not been

able to withstand the pace of

development are criticizing the

government. the awami League, that

is, the present government, is still

working on development because it

thinks of the people and the next

generation of the country.

he further added that as long as i am

a parliament member with the love of

the people of this area, i will continue to

work for the development of the area.

he said, 'sheikh hasina' is a blessing

for bangladesh and us. the way she is

developing the country, we are on the

roadmap of development. soon we will

join Qatar, a developed country.

dinajpur-1 constituency lawmaker

manoranjan sheel Gopal mp said this

while speaking as the chief guest at the

inaugural function of a first 2 floor of a

four-storey building at battali hat in

Ramchandrapur Union of kaharole

Upazila at a cost of tk 2.98 crore under

the countrywide Grameen bazar

abokathamo Unnayan project on

saturday evening.

during the time, kaharole police

station oC manoj kumar, district

Council member ataur Rahman babu,

Upazila LGed engineer nimai Chad

baishnav, Ramchandrapur Up

Chairman md. ataur Rahman bablu,

Ramchandrapur Union awami League

president sushil Roy, dinajpur palli

bidyut samiti area director bikash

Chakraborty and Upazila awami

League organizing secretary md.

kamal hossain were among others also

present at the occasion.

Members of Police have arrested three drug dealers along with 50 pieces of yaba tablets in Islampur

upazila of Jamalpur on Sunday.

Photo: Osman Harunee

3 drug dealers arrested with 50

pieces of yaba tablets in Islampur

osman haRUnee, isLampUR CoRRespondent:

police have arrested three drug dealers

along with 50 pieces of yaba tablets in

islampur upazila of Jamalpur.

on sunday afternoon, on the basis of

secret information, under the direction of

asp sumon miah of islampur Circle, si

Rafiqul islam and allied forces raided

teghuria village in islampur municipal

area. al amin, 30, son of Golam mostafa

of bhaluka village in melandaha upazila

and bhutto mia, 35, son of the late

badshah and abdus salam, 35, son of the

late hashen ali of boyradanga village were

arrested with 50 yaba pills and a

motorcycle.

islampur police station officer-in-

Charge abdullah al mamun said a case

has been filed against them under the

narcotics Control act. they were sent to

jail by the court on sunday afternoon.

Dinajpur-1 constituency lawmaker Manoranjan Sheel Gopal MP as the chief guest inaugurated first

2 floor of a four-storey building at Battali Hat in Ramchandrapur Union of Kaharole Upazila on

Sunday.

Photo: Roshidul Islam

Ordinary getting benefits through quick

service delivery points in Gopalganj

GanJ CoRRespondent:

ordinary people have

started getting benefits

through quick service

delivery points in

Gopalganj. people from

different parts of the

district get all the services

related to land pamphlets,

spot lists, mouza maps,

information sheets, copies

of various cases, meetings,

applications and

complaints sitting in the

same place.

as a result, long years of

harassment of the people

have decreased and the

harassment of brokers has

stopped. this initiative of

the district administration

in providing services to

the common people has

been appreciated by all

classes of people except

the service seekers of the

district.

service seekers from

different areas of the

district will enter the

newly-built Quick service

delivery point on the

ground floor of the deputy

Commissioner's office

and press their mobile

number on the monitor of

the search machine. after

that the monitor of that

machine will receive a

nine bar list including

pamphlets, spot list,

mouza map, information

pile, duplicate of various

cases, meeting, post,

application / complaint,

letter / check / document.

then the person who

needs to press the bar will

be told through a mic that

from which counter he will

get the service from and he

will get 2 tokens from that

machine. after that, if one

goes to the relevant

counter, the responsible

service providers will

provide the expected

service. not only that, if

the service seekers want,

they will get the expected

service at home by post.

md. atiqul islam, abu

bakar mollah, md. shakib

sheikh, who provides

services at Quick service

delivery point, said that

on an average 130 to 140

people come to this point

every day for various

work. Cs, Rs, sa, bRs

leaflets, mouza map spots

are available here from

1914 to date. at our

counter we actually try to

solve their problems.

deputy Commissioner

shahida sultana said,

"this is our effort to bring

the service to the

doorsteps of the people on

the occasion of mujab

year. We want no one to

come to the deputy

commissioner's office and

be harassed. no one

should fall into the

clutches of the broker after

being harassed again and

again. so we have started

providing services

through the official

inauguration on 17th

september by creating a

quick service delivery

point to serve the people

easily and in the fastest

time. anyone who needs

the service can come to the

quick service point and if

they want the service, we

have delivered the service

to their home by post.

Ordinary people have started getting benefits through quick service delivery points in

Gopalganj.

Photo: S M Nazrul Islam

Alamgir wants to make Sreebordi

a model municipality

Ramesh saRkaR, sReeboRdi CoRRespondent:

alamgir hossain is the former general

secretary of Upazila awami Jubo

League. he is currently the leader of

awami League. his political life started

from Chhatra League. in the last two

municipal elections, he has campaigned

to get party nomination for the post of

mayor. he did not get any party

nomination. this time too, he is

expecting nomination for the post of

mayor in the upcoming municipal

elections.

he is holding mass communications

and view exchange meetings to get

party nomination. he is also building

alliances with the party's top local

leaders. in an exchange of views with

local media on monday morning, he

shared some information about his

election campaign and political life.

alamgir hossain is the son of anwar

hossain, a prominent social worker of

munsipara village in the municipality.

Legal notice sent to 15 secretaries to

make Upazila Parishad effective

md naeem hossain, dUmki

CoRRespondent:

the Upazila Chairmen

and Vice Chairmen have

sent legal notices to the

secretaries of 14

ministries, including the

secretary of the Cabinet

divisions as part of the

legal battle for the rights

of the Chairmen of

Upazila parishads in

accordance with the

Constitution and the law.

they complained that

the Upazila nirbahi

officer (Uno) is

controlling all the

activities of 17 ministries

and offices of the

government at the upazila

level. as a result, despite

being an elected council,

it is not able to play any

effective role due to

bureaucracy. Leaders of

the Upazila parishad

association have held

numerous meetings with

local government, rural

development and

cooperatives ministers,

concerned secretaries and

cabinet secretaries on the

issue. they also informed

Alamgir Hossain

however, he lives in the surrounding

khamariapara area. he is also the

nephew of ashraf hossain khoka,

president of Upazila awami League and

former chairman of Upazila parishad.

he studied at sreebordi appi high

school and sreebordi Government

about their problems in

writing.

they got nothing but

assurance

of

implementation. Upazila

chairmen and vice

chairmen across the

country are going to a

legal fighting in this

situation. Leaders of

bangladesh Upazila

parishad association are

going to file a writ petition

in the court soon to

establish their rights.

president of bangladesh

s m nazRUL isLam, GopaL-

Upazila parishad

association and chairman

of dumki Upazila

parishad harun-or-

Rashid hawlader, general

secretary of the

organization and

Chairman of manohardi

Upazila parishad saiful

islam khan biru,

Chairman of Gazipur

sadar Upazila parishad

Rina parveen, Vice

Chairman of kaliakair

Upazila parishad selim

ahmed, female Vice

Chairman

of

Chauddagram Upazila

parishad Rasheda akhter

and Rupgonj Upazila

parishad Vice Chairman

Ferdousi alam neela

have sent a legal notice to

14 ministry secretaries

including cabinet

secretaries through lawer

of supreme Court md.

minhaduzzaman Leeton

on sunday as part of the

legal fighting.

the leaders of the

Upazila parishad

association said, despite

the prime minister's

goodwill and clear

instructions to make the

Upazila parishad effective

in the light of the

constitution and the law,

the Upazila parishad has

become stagnant in the

trap of administrative and

financial power. it has

been mentioned that

according to section 4 of

the Upazila parishad act

and article 59 of the

Constitution the Upazila

has been declared as an

administrative part of the

Republic. however, work

is going on in each upazila

under the direction of dC

under the name of

Upazila administration.

this is also the violations

College. his politics started from

Chhatra League. in 1984 he was elected

general secretary of the Upazila Chhatra

League. he was later twice elected

president by the conference. Later he

joined awami Jubo League. here too he

served as the general secretary of the

Upazila awami Jubo League through

two conferences. he was also the joint

convener of the upazila branch of

Chhatra sangram parishad and a

member of the central committee in the

mass movement of the 90's. "even in

the last election, i was expecting a party

nomination for the post of mayor," he

said.

although the party did not nominate

me, i actively participated in the

election campaign on behalf of the party

candidate. this time, if my firm party

nominates me, i will be elected by a

huge margin of votes. "if elected, i will

make sreebordi a model municipality,"

he added.

of the constitution.

a leader of the

association said, now

they are under severe

pressure. they will soon

resort to the law to

establish their rights. in

this regard, dumki

Upazila parishad

Chairman and president

of Upazila parishad

association harun-or-

Rashid hawlader said,

"all Upazila parishad

Chairmen and Vice

Chairmen of the country

are united for establishing

accountable local

government through

implementation of

constitution and existing

law. the sheikh hasina

government has passed

the Upazila act in the

same manner in the great

parliament. but the

bureaucrats have not

been following that law

for a long time which is

considered as the highest

offense under article 7 (2)

of the constitution. that is

why we are fighting a legal

battle as part of which we

have sent this legal

notice."

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBEr 22, 2020

7

UN chief

No UN support for reimposing

Iran sanctions now

Bahrain said Monday it broke up a plot by militants backed by Iran earlier this year to launch attacks

on diplomats and foreigners in the island nation home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet. Photo : TBT

Bahrain says it broke up militant

attack plot in early 2020

Bahrain said Monday it broke up a plot

by militants backed by Iran earlier this

year to launch attacks on diplomats and

foreigners in the island nation home to

the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, reports UNB.

The announcement came hours after

Saudi state television and a Bahraini

local newspaper implied the plot was

new in their reporting Sunday night,

just days after the island kingdom

normalized relations with Israel.

Bahraini government officials, who

routinely claim breaking up plots by

militants backed by Iran, did not

respond to requests for comment from

The Associated Press over the

confusion.

The details of the plot became public

as tensions between Iran and the U.S.

remain high after the Trump

administration claimed to have reinvoked

all United Nations sanctions

on Tehran over its nuclear program -

something disputed by other world

powers. The militants reportedly

sought revenge for the U.S. drone strike

Italians head

to polls in key

referendum,

regional vote

Over 46 million Italians are

being called to the polls on

Sunday and Monday in a

nationwide constitutional

referendum on cutting the

number of lawmakers in the

country's parliament,

reports UNB.

Reducing the number of

lawmakers is a key platform

plank of the Five Star

Movement, which currently

rules Italy in coalition with the

center-left Democratic Party in

the government led by Prime

Minister Giuseppe Conte.

Parliament in 2019

approved a law cutting the

Lower House from 630

members to 400 and the

Senate from 315 to 200. But

voters are being asked to

ratify this law because it

requires changing the

country's constitution.

The exact number of

voters involved in the

constitutional referendum is

46,415,806, while another

4,537,308 voters who live

abroad will be mailing their

votes, according to the

Interior Ministry.

In addition, voters in

seven out of Italy's 20

regions will choose new

governors in what could be a

test for the Conte

government as it battles to

pull Italy out of a recession

in the wake of a pandemicinduced

March-May

lockdown that drove the

country's economy to a halt.

Regional elections are

taking place in Valle d'Aosta,

Veneto, Liguria, Tuscany,

Marche, Campania and

Puglia, and will involve

almost 18.5 million voters,

according to the Interior

Ministry.

In Italy, a total of 1,820

voters are casting their

ballots from home because

they are under quarantine,

the ministry said.

that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem

Soleimani in January, something long

threatened by his colleagues in Iran's

paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.

Iran's mission to the U.N. dismissed

Bahrain's claim of Tehran being

involved as just "another instance in a

long line of preposterous and false

allegations, with no basis in truth."

"It appears there is no limit to Iranbashing

by the U.S. and its client states

in the region, who are trying to divert

attention from their recent betrayal to

Palestinians and their own people,"

mission spokesman Alireza Miryousefi

told the AP.

The Saudi state TV report aired

previously unseen footage of what

appeared to be police raiding a home

with a hidden passage. The footage

showed assault rifles and explosives,

apparently seized in the raid. Nine

militants have been arrested, while

another nine are believed to be in Iran,

the Saudi state TV report said.

Authorities uncovered the plot after

finding an explosive on the street

believed to have been planted to target

a "foreign delegation," the progovernment

Bahraini newspaper

Akhbar Al-Khaleej reported, citing the

Interior Ministry. The ministry accused

the Guard of supporting the militants,

who also had surveilled oil sites and

military bases, the newspaper said. The

militants also planned on assassinating

bodyguards of Bahraini officials, the

newspaper said.

It wasn't clear when all the arrests

and alleged plots took place, as the

Akhbar Al-Khaleej report referred to

incidents dating as far back as 2017.

The newspaper linked the militants to

the al-Ashtar Brigade, a Shiite group

that has claimed responsibility for a

number of bombings and attacks in

Bahrain, including two that killed

police. The group has been sanctioned

by the U.S. Bahrain's Interior Ministry

later published what it described as a

"clarification" saying the cases dated to

the start of the year and "is not new."

Biden to focus on health care

in Supreme Court debate

Joe Biden on Sunday used the sudden

Supreme Court vacancy to reinforce his

argument that the upcoming election should

be a referendum on President Donald

Trump's handling of health care and the

coronavirus, reports UNB.

The death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

jolted the presidential campaign just six

weeks before the election and as several

states are already voting. Trump has seized

on the opportunity to nominate a new justice

to motivate his most loyal voters. Biden kept

the focus on health care, which has proven to

be a winning issue for Democrats during

previous elections and could be even more

resonant amid the pandemic.

The Supreme Court will hear a

Republican-led case seeking to throw out the

Affordable Care Act, which the Trump

administration supports, the week after the

Nov. 3 election. Biden charged that Trump is

seeking to undermine the protections for

people with pre-existing conditions under

the ACA, as well as its provisions covering

preventative care for women.

"Millions of Americans are voting because

they know their health care hangs in the

balance," Biden said during remarks at

Constitution Center in Philadelphia. "In the

middle of the worst global health crisis in

living memory, Donald Trump is before the

Supreme Court, trying to strip health care

coverage away from tens of millions of

families."

The Supreme Court could also hear cases

on a few more particularly salient issues in

the next few months: voting rights, and

potentially who wins the November election.

Biden is expected to focus in the weeks

ahead on the Democratic fight to prevent a

nominee from being confirmed to the

court, with a particular emphasis on the

effect the court could have on health care

and climate change. Biden aides stopped

short of ruling out the possibility the

campaign would advertise around the

court fight, though that decision hadn't

been finalized.

Trump is promising to put forth a nominee

this coming week and Senate Majority

Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has vowed

to call a vote.

"In a raw political move, this president and

the Republican leader have decided to jam a

lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court

through the United States Senate," Biden

said. "That's the last thing we need at this

moment."

Joe Biden on Sunday used the sudden Supreme Court vacancy to reinforce his

argument that the upcoming election should be a referendum on President

Donald Trump's handling of health care and the coronavirus. Photo : TBT

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres

says the United Nations will not

support reimposing sanctions on Iran

as the United States is demanding until

he gets a green light from the Security

Council, reports UNB.

The U.N. chief said in a letter to the

council president obtained Sunday by

The Associated Press that "there would

appear to be uncertainty" on whether

or not U.S. Secretary of State Mike

Pompeo triggered the "snapback"

mechanism in the Security Council

resolution that enshrined the 2015

nuclear deal between Iran and six

major powers.

The Trump administration declared

Saturday that all U.N. sanctions

against Iran have been restored, a

move most of the rest of the world

rejects as illegal and is likely to ignore.

The U.S. announcement is certain to

cause controversy during the U.N.'s

annual high-level meetings of the

General Assembly starting Monday,

which is being held mainly virtually

this year because of the COVID-19

pandemic.

The U.S. announcement came 30

days after Pompeo notified the council

that the administration was triggering

"snapback" because Iran was in

"significant non-performance" with its

obligations under the accord, known

as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of

Action, or JCPOA.

But the overwhelming majority of

members in the 15-nation council call

the U.S. action illegal because

President Donald Trump pulled the

United States out of the plan in 2018.

They point to Security Council

Resolution 2231, which endorsed the

nuclear agreement. It states that "a

JCPOA participant state" can trigger

the "snapback" mechanism. The U.S.

insists that as an original participant it

has the legal right, even though it

ceased participating.

Guterres noted in the letter that "the

Security Council has taken no action

9 soldiers killed in

Taliban ambush in

N. Afghanistan

Six Afghan army soldiers

and three police officers

were killed and four

security force members

wounded in a Taliban

ambush in Afghanistan's

northern Takhar province

during Sunday night, a

provincial government

spokesman confirmed on

Monday, reports UNB.

"Militants initially

attacked a security

checkpoint in Nawabad

locality of Dasht-i-Qala

district at mid-night.

They also laid an ambush

against a responding

security

forces'

motorcade, triggering

clashes along a road that

left the above casualties,"

spokesman Jawad Hejri

told Xinhua.

No details were

immediately available

about clashes in the

security checkpoint in the

region, 245 km north of

Kabul, capital of

Afghanistan.

Several militants were

also killed and wounded

during the fighting, he

said. Several security

forces and militants were

also killed and wounded

during clashes in

Nawabad last week.

Such attacks had

frequently happened

when Taliban targeted

responding security

forces by roadside bombs

or ambushes.

Violence lingers in the

war-torn country even as

peace talks between an

Afghan government

delegation and Taliban

representatives are being

held in Doha, capital of

Gulf state of Qatar.

More than 130 people

have been killed and over

100 wounded across the

mountainous country

over the weekend.

subsequent to the receipt of the letter

of the U.S. secretary of state, neither

have any of its members or its

president."

He said the majority of council

members have written to the council

president "to the effect that the letter

did not constitute a notification" that

"snapback" was triggered. And he said

the presidents of the council for August

and September "have indicated that

they were not in a position to take any

action in regard to this matter."

Therefore, Guterres said: "It is not

for the secretary-general to proceed as

if no such uncertainty exists."

The U.N. Secretariat, which Guterres

heads, provides support to the Security

Council in implementing sanctions

including establishing committees and

panels of experts to monitor their

implementation along with websites

on the nature of sanctions and lists of

those on sanctions blacklists.

Guterres said the U.N. won't take any

action "pending clarification by the

Security Council" on whether or not

sanctions that have been lifted should

be reimposed.

Under the "snapback" provision,

U.N. sanctions eased or lifted by the

nuclear deal are re-imposed and must

be enforced by U.N. member states.

Those would include hitting Iran with

penalties for uranium enrichment to

any level, ballistic missile activity and

buying or selling conventional

weapons.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says the United Nations

will not support reimposing sanctions on Iran as the United

States is demanding until he gets a green light from the

Security Council.

Photo : TBT

Iran dismisses US efforts for

UN sanctions as currency drops

Iran's president dismissed U.S. efforts to

restore all U.N. sanctions on the country as

mounting economic pressure from

Washington pushed the local currency down

to its lowest level ever on Sunday, reports

UNB.

Iran's currency dropped to 272,500 to the

U.S. dollar at money exchange shops across

Tehran. The rial has lost more than 30% of

its value to the dollar since June as sweeping

U.S. sanctions on Iran continue to crush its

ability to sell oil globally. Iran's currency was

at 32,000 rials to the dollar at the time of

Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with world

powers, which was signed by the Obama

administration but which the Trump

administration pulled the U.S. out of.

As the currency plummeted, Iran's

President Hassan Rouhani slammed the

Trump administration's declaration

Saturday that all U.N. sanctions against Iran

have been reimposed because Tehran is not

complying with the nuclear deal.

"If America uses its bullying ... and does

something in practice, it will have to face our

decisive response," Rouhani said in a

Cabinet meeting Sunday.

Rouhani said that, if the deal's remaining

signatories fully carry out their obligations

under the agreement, Iran will walk back its

steps away from the deal. For Iran, being

able to sell oil remains its most important

concern.

The U.S. move to reimpose sanctions has

been rejected as illegal by most of the rest of

the world and sets the stage for an ugly

showdown at the world body ahead of its

annual General Assembly this week.

Even before the U.S. declaration, other

Security Council members had vowed to

ignore it. They say the U.S. lost legal standing

to invoke snapback sanctions when

President Donald Trump withdrew from the

nuclear deal in 2018 and began reimposing

U.S. sanctions on Iran.

France, Germany and Britain issued a joint

statement Sunday reiterating that they

contest the legal basis of the Trump

administration's bid to activate the

"snapback" sanctions mechanism because

the United States withdrew from the nuclear

accord.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi on

Sunday welcomed the U.S. sanctions efforts.

He called on France, Britain and Germany to

withdraw their opposition and support a

"rigorous implementation of the sanctions."

Israel views Iran as its greatest threat, and

has hailed Trump's decision to withdraw

from the 2015 nuclear deal and reimpose

sanctions.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed

Khatibzadeh said the snapback sanctions

have only happened in "the fantastical

world" of the Trump administration. He said

the U.S. stands on the wrong side of history.

"They are attempting to make everyone

believe it, but nobody is buying it except for

themselves," Khatibzadeh said during his

weekly press briefing on Sunday.

"It is a television show whose sole

presenter, viewers and those cheering it on

are Mr. Pompeo himself and a handful of

others," the spokesman said, referring to the

U.S. secretary of state.

The White House plans to issue an

executive order on Monday spelling out how

the U.S. will enforce the restored sanctions,

and the State and Treasury departments are

expected to outline how foreign individuals

and businesses will be penalized for

violations.

Tensions are running high between Iran

and the U.S., particularly since a U.S. strike

in January killed Iranian Revolutionary

Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad,

prompting Tehran to retaliate with a ballistic

missile strike on Iraqi bases housing

American troops.

UK at coronavirus

"tipping point":

health secretary

British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said

Sunday that Britain is facing a "tipping

point" regarding the coronavirus pandemic

and more restrictions are possible to cope

with the spread of virus, reports UNB.

"We face a choice. If everybody follows the

rules-and we'll be increasingly stringent on

the people who are not following the rulesthen

we can avoid further national

lockdowns," Hancock told the BBC.

"I don't want to see more measures, more

restrictive measures, but if people don't

follow the rules that is how the virus

spreads," he said.

"But we of course have to be prepared to

take action if that is what is necessary," he

said. "We will support people who do the

right thing and we will come down hard on

people who do the wrong thing."

The government has announced fines of

up to 10,000 pounds (about 12,974 U.S.

dollars) for those who fail to self-isolate as

requested as part of its efforts to urge Britons

to follow the rules.

TUESdAy, SEpTEMBEr 22, 2020

8

Cinema halls

likely to

open from

October 16

Chitralekha Guha returns after

six month with ‘Mashrafe Jr.’

TBT rEpOrT

Chitralekha Guha is one of the

talented actress was away from

shooting for a long time due to

the outbreak of corona virus.

Finally, after about six months,

she returned to work again.

The actress returned back

through a serial drama. The

shooting of Sajid Sumon directed

drama series 'Mashrafe Jr.' has

started last week. Chitralekha

Guha is also working in an

important role there.

On her return to work, the

Likee Girls : Likee’s

new initiative an ode

to girl power

Pioneering short video platform Likee recently

undertook yet another initiative to encourage

talented individuals, especially young Bangladeshi

girls, in their tryst to overcome all obstacles and

showcase their talent before the world. Titled 'Likee

Girls', the first ever live chat event organised by the

platform, was hosted by popular actress and model

actress told the media, "After a

long time I am in front of the

camera, those familiar words,

familiar faces. Honestly, I missed

everything for the last six

months. It's great to be back at

the shooting again

Everyone in the family was

saying to take a little more time,

come back later. But even then I

came back. I was getting bored at

home. She further added, "We

are all working here in

accordance with the health rules.

The drama is made and shot in

Dipta TV's own studio. Here

there are no outsiders. And the

team is quite health conscious.

It's great to work with them. '

She won the Bangladesh

National Film Award for Best

Actress in 2014 for her role in '71-

Er Maa Janani '. Film, stage and

TV dramas - Chitralekha Guha

showed equal skill in all three

cases. However, her presence on

the screen is much less than

before.

Meanwhile, sources in Dipta

TV confirmed that the serial

drama'Mashrafe Jr.' will be aired

soon.

Mumtaheena Chowdhury Toya, who herself braved

all odds in life to emerge as a role model for

numerous young Bangladeshi girls. As part of

'Likee Girls', Toya interviewed and chronicled the

success story of four Likee creators in a bid to

inspire other girls who aspire to be successful, says

a press release .

The four creators interviewed by Toya were

Marzia Mumu, Aisha Zaman, Anika Rifa and

Afsara Sadia, who are aged 20, 23, 19 and 16,

respectively. The idea was to handpick four creators

from among the pool of talented and budding

young female creators and provide them a bigger

platform to reach out to other girls eyeing success

through the short video world. The four guests

talked about how they dared to pursue their

dreams despite the prevalent cultural hurdles and

stereotypes.

While several users logged in to Likee app and

watched the show live from Bangladesh at 3 pm on

September 19, many of them also shared the link of

the live show with friends and family, inviting them

to be a part of the one-of-its-kind initiative. The

viewers further interacted with the host and the

guests through comments during the live show.

Prior to the event, Toya had expressed her

excitement saying, "I am very impressed by the

theme of the show as it talks about how these girls

achieved their dreams with passion and hard work

at such a young age. I sort of see myself in them as

I also had a similar story, can't wait to be on the

show and meet these champions." Talking about

the event, Likee spokesperson said, "Likee is all

about offering a platform to young talented

individuals who dare to pursue their passion. In a

society bound by the shackles of tradition and

stereotypes, it becomes imperative to showcase the

journey of young girls who fight against all odds to

fulfill their aspirations."

This comes just days after the short video app

launched #LikeeMoncho, offering a stage to young

users to showcase their various talents.

TBT rEpOrT

Action-packed drama

Satyameva Jayate 2 now has a

release date. The John Abraham

starrer will have an Eid release

on May 12, 2021. Bankrolled by

T-Series and Emmay

Entertainment, the film will be

helmed by Milap Zaveri.

A sequel to the 2018 hit,

Satyameva Jayate 2 will star

Divya Khosla Kumar opposite

John Abraham. Set in Lucknow,

The cinema halls of country is likely to open

from 16th October after a long six month

break . Information Minister Hasan

Mahmud told the reporters after a meeting

with the Bangladesh Film Distributor's

Association at the Secretariat on Monday

(September 21st) that iIf the (Covid-19)

infection situation does not deteriorate

further, the cinema halls will be reopened

from October 16 in compliance with the

health rules. He said, 'There has been a longrunning

discussion about opening of cinema

halls. I sat down once in early August. It was

decided in that meeting that we will take a

decision after September 15. That has been

discussed in detail yesterday.

The information minister said, "The

consensus we have reached through

negotiations is that if the Corona situation is

as it is now, if the trend is on the decline, then

we can open the cinema hall from October

16." We must get the consent of the Prime

Minister in this regard. '

Hasan Mahmud further said, "If the

the film will tackle corruption.

Director Milap Zaveri

extensively worked on the script

during the lockdown and

brought about a few alterations.

Zaveri shared that he changed

the shoot location and story

from Mumbai to Lucknow

because it gave them a chance to

make it more massy.

In a statement, the director

said that just like its prequel,

cinema hall is opened, then the health rules

have to be followed." The cinema hall will be

opened with half the capacity. We also

discussed the seating arrangement.

It is to be noted that in order to prevent the

transmission of corona, holidays were

announced in educational institutions,

offices, courts and other institutions last

March. Although the necessary offices and

courts have been opened for conducting

economic activities in compliance with the

health rules, various recreation centers and

educational institutions are still closed.

John Abraham starrer

Satyameva Jayate 2 to

release on May 12, 2021

Satyameva Jayate 2 would be

for the masses. "The action in

this film is going to be ten times

more dynamic, heroic and

powerful. John is going to

smash, rip and annihilate the

corrupt like he never has before

on the silver screen, and Divya is

going to wow audiences with

her power-packed scenes,

dramatic prowess, grace and

beauty," he added.

Calling it an 'extremely special

film', producer Nikkhil Advani

said that they are hopeful the

current situation will improve

and the audience will be able to

enjoy the film in theatres.

T-series Bhushan Kumar

added that it was a

responsibility to deliver a

bigger and better film this time

around. "Milap has written a

mind-blowing script which is

massy, that will have fabulous

songs and will connect with

the audience. And John will

don a never seen before look.

And we are coming to theatres

on Eid next year which makes

it even more festive," Bhushan

Kumar said.

Source: indianexpress.com

Zendaya becomes youngest lead

drama actress to win Emmy

Zendaya said her "heart was filled" when

she saw her fellow nominees, including

Jennifer Aniston, cheering on the Euphoria

actress for becoming the youngest drama

lead actress to win an Emmy.

The 24-year-old Zendaya became

emotional after she took home the trophy

for her role in the HBO series, scoring one of

the few long shot victories Sunday night.

She is only the second Black actress to claim

the lead drama actress award, following

Viola Davis' groundbreaking 2015 win for

How To Get Away With Murder.

Zendaya's family and friends screamed,

cheered, hugged and cried behind her as the

stunned actress accepted the award in what

appeared to be a hotel suite.

"I usually don't cry," she said in a virtual

backstage interview. "I got through it

without letting it take over me. It was a very

emotional moment. I still can't believe it

myself. It's pretty crazy."

On Euphoria, Zendaya plays Rue Bennett,

a teenage addict struggling with her sobriety

and recovery on the series that delves into

sex, drugs, trauma and identity among highschoolers.

"I just want to say there is hope in

the young people out there," she said. "I

know our TV show doesn't always feel like a

great example of that," but she thanked

them for "doing the work."

Zendaya said she was grateful to share the

moment with family and friends despite the

coronavirus pandemic, which has restricted

interaction with loved ones.

"I think it's moments like this that we

really have to hold on to and cherish," said

the actress, who overcame a strong group of

nominees that included Aniston, Olivia

Colman, Jodie Comer, Laura Linney and

Sandra Oh.

"I definitely felt like this wrapping of

love around me as I was sitting here,"

Zendaya continued. "I'm just trying to

take it all in. Just being grateful for the

moments that we do have of joy and

happiness," said the actor.

Source : indianexpress.com

H O r O S C O p E

ArIES

(March 21 - April 20) : The time is right

to pursue training for a particular skill

or finish a degree in a field of interest

to you, Aries. Presently, great success

and good fortune are indicated when you assert

your considerable energy and focus on the subject

matter. If you've been considering honing your

communication skills, consider a writing course.

Perhaps you want to organize a long-desired trip.

TAUrUS

(April 21 - May 21): Circumstances are

favorable for you if you're contemplating

investment in real estate. Any sort of

investment looks good for you right

now, Taurus. Be ready to have an important

conversation with a young person today. You may

benefit from a significant piece of mail or phone call.

Even if you hadn't planned on it, you may want to

visit an older friend or relative tonight, if possible.

GEMINI

(May 22 - June 21): Did you forget to

take two aspirin before you fell into

bed last night? This morning you

may feel in a fog, but it should lift

around midday. You could be surprised by some

heartening news from a friend or relative

regarding a difficult situation that is now being

resolved. Enjoy the boost of energy that this good

news gives you.

CANCEr

(June 22 - July 23): If it's true that you

reap what you sow, Cancer, you're in

for a great harvest in the coming

months. Your hard work and focus will

start to pay off handsomely with promotions and

raises just when you may have given up on being

acknowledged for all you do. Hang on to your great

energy, passion, and enthusiasm. Doors are about

to open for you. Get ready to walk through them.

LEO

(July 24 - Aug. 23): You're highly

esteemed in your profession because of

your strong business acumen and nononsense

approach to problem solving.

Recent successes may be preparing you for the next leap

in the progression. Be open to opportunities involving the

Internet that present themselves. Remember, there's no

glass ceiling online. Today may be peppered with all sorts

of communications from friends.

VIrGO

(Aug. 24 - Sept. 23): Opportunity may

knock for you today from an unlikely

source, perhaps total strangers! Use your

intuition to follow potential leads. Real

estate, particularly residential, looks especially

promising for realizing financial gain for you right now.

Follow your hunches and see what develops. Don't let

your caution bog you down at the moment. It could be

surprisingly wonderful.

LIBrA

(Sept. 24 - Oct. 23): Expect to receive

interesting communications today,

Libra. You might hear from a long-lost

friend and have a chance to catch up

on the news. Perhaps you'll hear something about

success in reaching a goal you've been striving for

these past few months. Expect some interesting

conversations. Have a great time exchanging ideas

on everything from politics to child rearing.

SCOrpIO

(Oct. 24 - Nov. 22): You're in a great

position to reap the rewards from all

your past hard work, Scorpio. In the

coming weeks you'll be able to realize

important gains in your career and personal projects.

Not only should you see significant advancements in

your work life, but you'll also achieve greater personal

happiness. You have great momentum, so keep it up

and you'll realize your goals.

SAGITTArIUS

(Nov. 23 - Dec. 21): With the current

celestial energy, you might be going

on a trip, Sagittarius. It may be for

business, pleasure, or both. It's likely

that this trip will achieve certain goals. Perhaps

you're aiming for a promotion. Chances are you'll

be successful in your ambitions. Or you may be

ready to set out on your own and start a new

business. It's an excellent time for this, too.

CAprICOrN

(Dec. 22 - Jan. 20): You're highly esteemed

in your profession because of your strong

business acumen and no-nonsense

approach to problem solving. Recent

successes may be preparing you for the next leap in the

progression. Be open to opportunities involving the

Internet that present themselves. Remember, there's

no glass ceiling online. Today may be peppered with all

sorts of communications from friends.

AQUArIUS

(Jan. 21 - Feb. 19): This is a good time

to forge new relationships, Aquarius.

Be open-minded if someone you know

approaches with a proposal. Do your

homework and examine the potential risks, but this

is a fine period in which to pursue something new.

Success and good fortune are coming. Keep your

eyes and ears open for opportunities. You may hear

some important news from your love interest.

pISCES

(Feb. 20 - Mar. 20) : You're feeling

your power and strength today,

Pisces. You've worked hard to get

into good physical shape.

Similarly, you've exerted a great deal of

energy in your work life and it's paying off.

With today's planetary energy, you can also

expect greater intimacy in your personal life.

Enjoy this special time.

TueSDAY, SePTeMBer 22 2020

9

Pirlo off to dream start as Juve

open bid for 10th straight title

Mahmudullah is one of the 27 cricketers who were called up for the skill camp for three-match Test

series against Sri Lanka.

Photo: BCB

Mahmudullah reaps rewards

for fitness work in lockdown

SportS DeSk:

Bangladesh's senior player

Mahmudullah riyad claimed the

intense fitness work during lockdown

period by the guideline of physio and

trainer paid huge dividends as he felt

comfortable while doing the skill

training, reports BSS.

"During the lockdown one good

thing that has happened was I got to

work on my fitness," he said after the

first day of skill camp at Sher-e-

Bangla National Cricket Stadium

here.

"I had used the treadmill a lot.

there was guidance from the physio

and trainer and we were in

communication on it every three or

four days. So that has got a good

result and now we are working on

skill, end of the day skill is

important."

Mahmudullah is one of the 27

cricketers who were called up for the

skill camp for three-match test series

against Sri Lanka. He was however

dropped in the one-off test against

Zimbabwe, which was Bangladesh's

last International fixture.

the call-up is a kind of a chance to

revive his test career, which seemed

to be over. His batting performance

was a key reason behind his axe and

Mahmudullah knows it well. He said

during the individual training session

he talked to the batting coach

regularly through video chatting.

"We started individual sessions

around four or five weeks ago so got a

lot of time to work on personal things.

I spoke to the batting coach [back

then] and worked as per his

guidelines. Now we are working as a

team. the team is excited to be back

as at the end of the day it is a team

game and it is useful when you get to

enjoy the work with the colleagues,"

he remarked.

Mahmudullah pointed out that the

group practice session, which started

now, is a chance of further honing the

skill.

"We started practicing in Mirpur

[as a team] after a long time. So it is

nice to be back. the time during

lockdown was tough because we were

away from the team and the field. We

had to keep busy with running and

gym but not skill practice. Now we

had individual skill sessions for a few

weeks and now have started training

as a team," he said.

SportS DeSk:

Andrea pirlo got his coaching career

off to a winning start as Juventus

launched their bid for a 10th

consecutive league title with a 3-0 win

over Sampdoria on Sunday, reports

BSS.

Swedish debutant Dejan kulusevski

opened the scoring after 13 minutes in

turin with Leonardo Bonucci adding a

second on 78 minutes and Cristiano

ronaldo a late third.

the match was played in front of

1,000 spectators as Serie A stadiums

reopened on Sunday to a limited

number of fans after a seven-month

coronavirus lockdown.

pirlo could not have hoped for a

better start to his coaching career

having taken over from Maurizio Sarri

this summer.

the win against Sampdoria, coached

by veteran Claudio ranieri, came just

days after the former Italy and

Juventus star received his coaching

diploma.

"It will take time to put together the

mode of play, but I will not copy and

paste," warned the 41-year-old.

"I will take inspiration from teams

that have impressed - there was little

time, the lads returned from the

national teams, we only worked

together for a week.

"today and already with (the friendly

against) Novara we have seen

something, it will take time. We lack

players but we're trying to do the best

with what we have."

Juventus handed debuts to new

signing Weston Mckennie and

kulusevski, who joined from Atalanta

in January before immediately

returning to parma on loan.

kulusevski curled in the first goal in a

move started by ronaldo, who hit the

bar minutes later.

But it was not until the last quarter of

an hour that the champions finally

killed off the game they dominated,

with Aaron ramsey missing a chance

for a fourth late.

"I am very disappointed, I didn't

expect such an opaque performance

from my side," said ranieri.

"We were timid, fearful. Juventus

were hungry, we were not."

Juventus next head to roma next

week after the side from the capital

were held to a goalless draw in their

opener on Saturday, before hosting

Napoli, 2-0 winners this weekend

against parma. - osimhen inspires

Napoli -

Victor osimhen proved decisive on

his Serie A debut inspiring Napoli as

they target a return to Champions

League football having finished seventh

last season.

After a barren first hour in emilia

romagna, osimhen came off the bench

to provide an electric shock for

Gennaro Gattuso's side.

Dries Mertens and Lorenzo Insigne

scored both goals after his arrival which

were set up by Mexican Hirving

Lozano.

"oshimen at this moment has an

extra gear," said Gattuso of the 21-yearold

who Napoli paid Lille a club record

80 million euros ($94.6 million) for

this summer.

"He's a serious lad who does not

forget where he comes from, he lost his

parents as a child, he is a young man

with the head of a 40-year-old."

the decisive tactical switch lifted

Napoli from zero opportunities to six,

with two goals, and as many near

misses.

Just after his introduction, osimhen

picked up a Lozano cross to force a poor

clearance from parma defender

Simone Iacoponi into the path of

Mertens who finished after 63 minutes.

Insigne hit the post before he made it

2-0 after 77 minutes, to hand parma,

11th last season, a first defeat on front of

their new owner US billionaire kyle

krause who purchased a 90 percent

stake in the club during the week.

Genoa kicked off their campaign with

a 4-0 win at home against promoted

Crotone with Sassuolo and Cagliari

settling for a 1-1 draw.

Mbappe inspires PSG

to victory in Nice

SportS DeSk:

kylian Mbappe returned to the

starting line-up for paris Saint-German

on Sunday and scored the opener in a

3-0 win at Nice which marks another

step on the road to recovery for the

French champions, reports BSS.

the 21-year-old, who tested positive

for coronavirus on September 7, was on

target from the penalty spot in the 38th

minute.

Angel di Maria added a second just

before half-time and Marquinhos

headed the third after 66 minutes.

Mbappe thought he had scored a fourth

late on but it was ruled out for offside.

He was replaced by pablo Sarabia

shortly after.

"I'm impressed by his performance

after only one training session with the

team," said coach thomas tuchel.

"He always shows that he can do

extraordinary things and that he knows

how to make a difference. It helps us a

lot."

It was a second successive Ligue 1 win

for pSG who began the season still

smarting from defeat in the Champions

League final. they lost their opening

two games and the second ended in a

mass brawl against Marseille which led

to the suspension of Brazilian forward

Neymar.

With Marco Verratti also back, pSG

rarely looked troubled in the sunshine

of the Mediterranean.

When 19-year-old khephren

thuram-Ulien clipped Mbappe's ankle

as the striker surged into the box, the

France forward picked himself up to

blast the ball high into the net.

Four minutes later, Nice almost

levelled when pSG keeper keylor Navas

had to get down sharply to his left to

beat away a shot from rony Lopes.

Mbappe was back in the thick of it as

the game entered stoppage time at the

end of the first half.

Losing two defenders, Mbappe fired

in a sharp shot which Nice keeper

Walter Benitez did well to parry but

only as far as the feet of Di Maria, who

tapped in for 2-0.

pSG continued to control the game

after the break and were rewarded with

a third when Marquinhos got in front of

the defence to head home.

Saint-etienne just about held onto

top spot in the table despite throwing

away a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 at

Nantes and end their perfect start to the

new season.

Claude puel's side are level on 10

points with next weekend's opponents

rennes after goals from Moses Simon

in the 71st minute and renaud emond

five minutes from time cancelled out

Adil Aouchiche and Yvann Macon's

strikes for the away side.

Later, Valere Germain salvaged a late

point Marseille in a 1-1 draw with Lille

thanks to his 85th-minute equaliser.

Luiz Araujo had claimed a 47thminute

lead for the visitors at Stade

Velodrome.

Kylian Mbappe, who tested positive for coronavirus on September 7, was on target from the

penalty spot in the 38th minute.

Photo: AP

Juventus launched their bid for a 10th consecutive league title with a 3-0 win over Sampdoria on

Sunday.

Photo: AP

Stoinis stars in

Delhi's super

over IPL win

SportS DeSk:

Australia's Marcus Stoinis

smashed a whirlwind halfcentury

as Delhi Capitals

edged out kings XI punjab in

a super-over thriller after the

second match of the Indian

premier League ended in a tie

on Sunday, reports BSS.

Stoinis proved his worth for

Delhi, who brought the allrounder

in the December

auction, with his 21-ball 53 to

lift the side to 157 for eight

after being put into bat in

Dubai.

Mayank Agarwal nearly

trumped the batting blitz with

his 89 off 60 balls as punjab

closed in on their target but

Stoinis claimed two wickets

on successive balls in the final

over to take the match into a

super over. "It's a weird game,

sometimes the luck goes your

way, but it's easy to become

the villain from the hero. So

it's important to enjoy the

good days," said Stoinis.

"It's nice that the IpL has

gotten going again, and

tonight has been great

entertainment."

Delhi's South African quick

kagiso rabada struck twice in

the super over to limit punjab

to just two runs as the loss of

two wickets in the over ended

the team's one-over innings.

earlier, Delhi were reeling

at 87 for five after the

departure of captain Shreyas

Iyer when Stoinis walked in to

demolish the opposition

bowling, getting 57 runs for

the batting side in the last 18

balls.

Liverpool's Alisson

shows Chelsea the value

of a great goalkeeper

SportS DeSk:

the gulf that still exists between Liverpool

and Chelsea was on show on Sunday as the

premier League champions secured a 2-0 win

at Stamford Bridge in a match defined by the

differing fortunes of the world's two most

expensive goalkeepers, reports BSS.

Alisson Becker's record o67 million ($87

million) move from roma to Liverpool in 2018

lasted just three weeks before Chelsea paid o72

million to buy kepa Arrizabalaga from Athletic

Bilbao.

Just over two years on there is no doubt who

got value for money with Chelsea prepared to

spend again to solve their 'keeper crisis with

the imminent arrival of edouard Mendy from

rennes.

kepa's latest calamity saw him gift

possession to Sadio Mane for the Senegalese's

second goal after heading Liverpool into the

lead early in the second-half.

Chelsea's decision to spend o200 million in

recent months before addressing their

goalkeeper situation raised questions before

the season started as to their title credentials.

Just two games in, doubts over kepa's ability

to start for a title contender have proven well

founded as he also let Leandro trossard's longrange

striker under his arm in Monday's 3-1

win at Brighton.

"He's our player and it's clear there are two

games where we feel (he made mistakes)," said

Lampard. "Brighton was a mistake as well.

He's reflected on that.

"It's a clear mistake that's cost us because at

that point we go onto have a penalty which we

might score and those fine margins change

games at this level.

"kepa has to keep working, he has to have

support around him that's very clear but it was

a clear mistake."

the Spaniard was dropped twice by

Lampard in favour of 38-year-old Willy

Caballero last season and Chelsea's failure to

solve their goalkeeping problem before

splashing out to reinforce in other areas of the

field, where they are better stocked, has been a

puzzling one.

kepa had the lowest save percentage of any

goalkeeper to play at least 10 games in the

premier League last season and conceded 10

more goals than he should have, according to

opta's expected goals metric. - karius cut after

kiev -

Liverpool can now boast one of the best

goalkeepers in the world as Alisson showed by

saving Jorginho's penalty on Sunday having

had barely anything to do for the first 75

minutes.

However, it was not so long ago that klopp

found himself in a similar situation to

Lampard.

After reaching the Champions League final

and finishing fourth in the premier League in

2017/18, klopp's side were clearly on the rise.

But two catastrophic errors from Loris

karius in the 3-1 final defeat to real Madrid in

kiev convinced the German and the Liverpool

hierarchy they needed a top goalkeeper to win

major trophies again.

Six weeks later, Alisson arrived at Anfield

and has played in major part in winning the

Champions League and premier League over

the past two seasons.

"even at 2-0, we could have scored more but

we didn't and the game is open," said klopp.

"We produce the penalty, I'm not sure I would

have given it, then Ali had to make the save.

"this is a proper team performance,

everybody had to work hard."

Chelsea have spent big and looked to the

future in the signings of timo Werner, Hakim

Ziyech, kai Havertz and Ben Chilwell.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2020

10

LafargeHolcim signs net zero pledge

with Science-Based Targets

The 21st Annual General Meeting of National Housing Finance and Investments ltd was held

online recently. The company has approved 10.00% cash dividend for the year 2019 mentioned

at annual general meeting. Mahbubur Rahman, Chairman, Syed Altaf Hossain, Vice Chairman,

Khalilur Rahman, Managing Director and other Directors from the top left of the top row at the

21st Annual General Meeting of National Housing Finance and others officials were present

also.

Photo: Courtesy

HSBC shares hit 25-year low on

report of China 'unreliable list'

Shares in banking giant

HSBC plunged to a 25-year

low Monday on fears it could

be added to a Chinese list of

firms deemed a threat to

national security and

following news it had been

accused of allowing

fraudulent activity to go

unpunished, reports BSS.

The troubled lender

tanked more than four

percent to HK$29.60 at one

point - a level not seen since

mid-1995 - as investors fret

over its ability to continue

doing business in China and

Hong Kong, which make up

a crucial portion of its

growth. The sell-off came

after the Global Times, a

state-run English tabloid in

China, reported the bank

could be one of the first

firms to be named on

Beijing's "unreliable entity

list" as part of a tit-for-tat

stand-off with several

western countries.

The report pointed to

HSBC's participation in

Washington's investigation

of Huawei and the arrest of

its chief financial officer

Meng Wanzhou in Canada.

Among penalties that can

be meted out include

restrictions on trade,

investment and visas.

"If the company is listed as

an unreliable company by

China, which looks certain

since it's a Global Times

article, the bank will be

facing lots of difficulties to

do business in China,"

Banny Lam, at CEB

International Investment

Corp., told Bloomberg

News. "They may have

trouble expanding the

mainland business, after

investing so much there over

the past few years."

On Sunday, HSBC was

among a group of banks said

to have allowed fraudsters to

transfer millions of dollars

around the world even after

it had learned of the scam.

The International

Consortium of Investigative

Journalists cited leaked

official US documents that

said the bank "kept profiting

from powerful and

dangerous players" in the

past two decades.

HSBC told the

investigation team that it has

always met its legal duties on

reporting suspicious

activities.

Shares in another Hong

Kong-listed bank, Standard

Chartered, also tumbled

almost four percent after it

was mentioned in the report.

HSBC has seen its share

price more than halve so far

this year, hit by the

pandemic - net profit

slumped 69 percent in the

first six months - and China-

US tensions.

The lender acts as a major

business conduit between

China and the West but that

has left it more vulnerable

than most to the crossfire of

the increasingly bellicose

relationship between the

superpowers.

The bank has tried to stay

in Beijing's good graces,

vocally backing Hong Kong's

national security law,

sparking criticism in

Washington and London.

Analysts saw it as an

attempt to protect its access

to China, which has a track

record of punishing

businesses that do not toe

Beijing's line. But that has

not shielded it from Beijing's

wrath.

"Current tensions between

China and the US inevitably

create challenging situations

for an organisation with

HSBC's footprint," HSBC

Chief executive Noel Quinn

said last month.

"However, the need for a

bank capable of bridging the

economies of East and West

is acute, and we are well

placed to fulfil this role," he

added.

LafargeHolcim joined the Science

Based Targets initiative (SBTi)

"Business Ambition for 1.5°C,"

becoming the first global building

materials company to sign the pledge

with intermediate targets for 2030,

validated by SBTi. This commitment

builds on LafargeHolcim's leadership in

green construction with cutting-edge

solutions such as ECOPact, its green

concrete, and Susteno, its leading

circular cement, a press release said.

In its 2030 goals, LafargeHolcim is

further lowering its target for CO2

intensity in cement to 475kg net CO2

per ton of cementitious material (net

CO2/t.cem.). Europe is on track to

become the first region to reach this net

zero ambition, building on its CHF 160

million investment roadmap launched

last year.

Going one step further,

LafargeHolcim is partnering with SBTi

to develop a roadmap for aligning

climate targets to a 1.5°C future in the

cement sector, pushing the boundaries

of green construction.

Jan Jenisch, CEO: "I believe in

building a world that works for people

and the planet. That's why we are

reinventing how the world builds today

to make it greener with low-carbon and

circular solutions. I am very excited to

be working with SBTi, taking a rigorous

science-based approach to shape our net

zero roadmap and accelerating our

efforts to substantially lower our CO2

footprint. I will not stop pushing the

boundaries to lead the way in green

construction."

Magali Anderson, Chief Sustainability

Officer: "As the world's largest cement

producer, we have a key role to play in

addressing today's climate crisis. On our

way to becoming a net zero company,

we are not only part of the solution, we

are committed to supporting our

customers in their CO2-reduction

ambitions. No company can tackle

today's climate challenge alone, that's

why we are partnering for impact."

Alberto Carrillo, Director, Science

Based Targets at CDP, one of the

Science Based Targets initiative

partners: "We at SBTi are delighted that

LafargeHolcim has joined the group of

over 290 industry leaders committed to

a 1.5°C future. As the largest player in

one of the most carbon-intensive

industries, LafargeHolcim's leadership

demonstrates that a net zero economy is

within reach."

The SBTi has approved

LafargeHolcim's commitment to reduce

scope 1 and scope 2 GHG emissions

21%2 per ton of cementitious materials

by 2030 from a 2018 base year. With

this target, LafargeHolcim commits to

reduce scope 1 GHG emissions 17.5%

per ton of cementitious material and

scope 2 GHG emissions 65% per ton of

cementitious materials within the same

timeframe.

In addition to this pledge to reduce

scope 1 and scope 2 emissions,

LafargeHolcim will expand its actions

across its value chain to include scope 3

emissions. With this holistic approach

LafargeHolcim will reduce its

transportation and fuel-related

emissions by 20%.

On its net zero journey LafargeHolcim

will accelerate circular construction by

increasing the use of recycled materials

in its products and processes while

recovering materials at the end of their

life cycle. In 2019 alone, LafargeHolcim

recycled 48 million tons of waste

making it a world leader in waste

solutions, contributing to cleaner cities

while preserving earth's finite resources.

The company will use the coming

decade to develop and deploy advanced

technologies, preparing the next step of

its net zero journey. This includes

piloting over twenty Carbon Capture

Usage and Storage (CCUS) projects

across Europe and North America.

It is to be noted that, as the world's

global leader in building solutions,

LafargeHolcim is reinventing how the

world builds to make it greener, smarter

and healthier for all. On its way to

becoming a net zero company,

LafargeHolcim offers global solutions

such as ECOPact, enabling carbonneutral

construction. With its circular

business model, the company is a global

leader in recycling waste as a source of

energy and raw materials through

products like Susteno, its leading

circular cement. Innovation and

digitalization are at the core of the

company's strategy, with more than half

of its R&D projects dedicated to greener

solutions. LafargeHolcim's 70,000

employees are committed to improving

quality of life across more than 70

markets through its four business

segments: Cement, Ready-Mix

Concrete, Aggregates and Solutions &

Products.

Philippines gross int'l

reserves hit record

high in August

The Philippines' gross international

reserves (GIR) level rose by 350 million U.S.

dollars to 98.95 billion U.S. dollars as of end-

August from the end-July level of 98.6 billion

U.S. dollars, the Philippine central bank has

said, reports BSS.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said

on Wednesday the month-on-month

increase in the GIR level reflected inflows

mainly from the BSP's foreign exchange

operations and income from its investments

abroad.

However, the BSP added that these inflows

were partly offset by the foreign currency

withdrawals made by the national

government to pay its foreign currency debt

obligations and revaluation losses from the

BSP's gold holdings resulting from the

decrease in the price of gold in the

Bank of Japan upholds policies

as economy slowly revives

Japan's central bank on Thursday said it

would maintain its ultra-loose monetary policy

as the virus-hit economy gradually picks up,

with no big changes announced the day after

new Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga took office,

reports BSS.

Suga has pledged to continue the policies of

former leader Shinzo Abe, whose signature

"Abenomics" programme included vast

government spending, massive monetary

easing and the cutting of red tape.

The Bank of Japan kept its negative interest

rate of 0.1 percent on bank deposits, as well as

its policy of unlimited purchases of Japanese

government bonds, to ensure their 10-year

yields remain around zero percent.

It said in a statement it would closely monitor

the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the

world's third-largest economy, "and will not

international market.

The BSP said the end-August GIR level

represents a more than adequate external

liquidity buffer, which can cushion the

domestic economy against external shocks.

"This buffer is equivalent to nine months'

worth of imports of goods and payments of

services and primary income. Moreover, it is

also about 7.6 times the country's short-term

external debt based on original maturity and

4.8 times based on residual maturity," the

BSP added.

Similarly, the BSP said the net

international reserves (NIR), which refers to

the difference between the BSP's GIR and

total short-term liabilities, increased by 354

million U.S. dollars to 98.95 billion U.S.

dollars as of end-August from the end-July

level of 98.59 billion U.S. dollars.

hesitate to take additional measures if

necessary". The bank was slightly more upbeat

in its evaluation of the economy's health than in

July, although it warned that the overall

outlook was rocky.

"Japan's economy has started to pick up with

economic activity resuming gradually,

although it has remained in a severe situation

due to the impact of the novel coronavirus at

home and abroad," it said.

While there has been a slow rise in

consumption, "the pace of improvement is

expected to be only moderate while the impact

of Covid-19 remains worldwide", it warned.

In its July quarterly report, the bank said

Japan's economy will contract 4.7 percent in

the year to March 2021, projecting a recovery

the following year but adding that deep

uncertainty remains.

European stock

markets fall at

open on Fed

warning

Europe's stock markets

sank in opening deals on

Thursday, taking their cue

from earlier sell-offs in Asia

and the US after the head

of the Federal Reserve

warned of an "uncertain"

outlook for the virus-hit US

economy, reports BSS.

London's benchmark

FTSE 100 index of major

blue-chip companies shed

1.1 percent to 6,008.89

points, ahead of an interest

rate decision from the

Bank of England.

In the eurozone,

Frankfurt's DAX 30 index

shed 1.5 percent to

13,059.70 points and the

Paris CAC 40 lost 1.4

percent to 5,001.18.

Asian equities mostly

dropped following a

broadly negative lead from

Wall Street on Wednesday.

Fed chief Jerome Powell

told reporters that while

the recovery was looking

better than anticipated,

"overall activity remains

well below its level before

the pandemic and the path

ahead remains highly

uncertain", and stressed

the need for more

stimulus.

While the central bank

indicated interest rates

were unlikely to begin

rising for another three

years, allowing businesses

to borrow at ultra-low

levels, Powell's call for

more fiscal help came as

US lawmakers seem

unable to find common

ground on a new package.

The new building of Al-Arafah Islamic International School & College and Tahfizul Quran Madrasha

was inaugurated recently at its own premises of Al-Arafah Islami Bank Foundation Hazaribagh,

Dhaka. Abdus Samad Labu, Chairman of Al-Arafah Islami Bank Ltd and Al-Arafah Islami Bank

Foundation inaugurated the building virtually as Chief Guest. Al-Arafah Islamic International

School & college and Al-Arafah Tahfizul Quran Madrasha Chairman Md. Harun-ar-Rashid Khan,

Directors of Al-Arafah Islami Bank Ltd. Badiur Rahman, Hafez Md. Enayetullah, Abdul Malek

Mollah, Md. Anowar Hossain, Managing Director and CEO Farman R Chowdhury, Deputy Managing

Director Sabbir Ahmed, SEVP Md. Mahmudur Rahman, Abed Ahmed Khan, Kazi Mahmood Karim,

Md. Mujibul Quader, PD Md. Mofazzel Hossain, Acting Principal of the institutions MD. Jasim

Uddin, Secretary of AL-Arafah Islami Bank Foundation Md. Habibur Rahman and Dr. Mohammad

Shariful Hoque were present in the Virtual occasion. Teacher, staff and students of the institutions

were also present in the occasion.

Photo: Courtesy

Asian markets drift as

rally stalls, stimulus

row dents optimism

Asian markets were mixed

Friday as investors struggled

to reignite the rally that has

characterised much of the

past six months, owing to a

stuttering economic recovery

and US lawmakers' failure to

agree a new stimulus,

reports BSS.

With coronavirus showing

no sign of easing as fresh

spikes around the world see

the reimposition of

containment measures

including lockdowns, traders

are growing increasingly

worried about how long it

will take to get back on track.

Trillions of dollars in

government and central

bank cash have provided

much-needed support to

economies - particularly

equity markets - and none

more so than in the United

States.

And with the first massive

rescue package having run

its course and Federal

Reserve monetary policies

such as record-low interest

rates having limited effect,

pressure is growing on

Congress to come up with

more help, with the head of

the central bank leading the

calls.

But there is little hope

Republicans and Democrats

are anywhere close to

reaching a compromise after

weeks of bickering.

With nearly 30 million

Americans receiving

government help, observers

said there was growing

concern about the impact on

the crucial consumer sector

that drives the world's top

economy.

House speaker Nancy

Pelosi on Thursday again

pledged to press ahead with

talks on a new deal, but said

Republicans are unwilling to

compromise on the size.

"We have a massive

problem in our country," she

told reporters, while White

House Chief of Staff Mark

Meadows said he was "not

optimistic" Pelosi would

want to have a "meaningful"

conversation if dialogue

resumed.

The standoff continues

despite Trump calling this

week for Republicans to

increase their proposal.

While the Fed essentially

said Wednesday that interest

rates would remain

low for at least three years,

Tapas Strickland at National

Australia Bank

said it disappointed some.

He added that traders "had

expected the Fed to show

greater willingness to step in

and fill the fiscal void given

the US Congress seems

unwilling/unable to agree to

a new fiscal package.

"The Democratic

leadership are still pushing

for a larger package (latest

being $2.2 trillion), while

Republicans are divided with

many still strident that any

package must be below $1

trillion."

Matt Miskin, at John

Hancock Investments,

added there was a need for

action soon as the economic

recovery remained "fragile".

Fed boss Jerome "Powell

did not bring up the need for

further fiscal support

multiple times (Wednesday)

just for the sake of it", he

said.

Australian

unemployment

falls, raising

recovery hopes

Australia's unemployment

rate fell slightly to 6.8 percent

in August, spurring hopes that

the worst of a coronavirusfuelled

recession may have

passed, reports BSS.

The country's statistical

agency said Thursday that

unemployment had fallen 0.7

points from the 7.5-percent

rate posted in July, with the

economy adding 111,000

more jobs.

Australia is experiencing its

first recession in almost 30

years, prompting the

government and central bank

to embark on a vast stimulus

spending programme to avert

a full-blown depression.

Around a million people

have lost their jobs and many

more have been forced to take

pay cuts or seen hours

slashed. Thursday's figures

smashed economists'

forecasts of a rise in the

jobless rate to around eight

percent. But beyond the

headline figure - which is

seasonally adjusted - there

was some cause for concern.

The number of people

present in the job market,

hours worked and

underemployment remained

largely unchanged - pointing

to an economy still in serious

pain.

TueSDAY, SePTeMber 22, 2020

11

Locals have demanded the cancellation of the published draft gazette which declared the rural areas

of the three unions as cities by increasing the boundaries of Joypurhat municipality. They made the

demand at a press conference held at Joypurhat Press Club on Monday afternoon under the banner

of Socheton Nagorik Samaj. Mahmud Hossain Himu, General Secretary of Municipal League Awami

League, read out a written statement at the press conference. Among, Azam Ali, President of Local

Municipal Awami League, Nikhil Chandra Mandal, District Secretary for Industry and Commerce

and Shahnewaz Chowdhury, Vice-President of Municipal Awami League were also present at the

occasion.

Photo: Masrakul Alom

Indian couple run street-side

classes for poor students

On a quiet road in India's capital,

tucked away on a wide, red-bricked

sidewalk, kids set adrift by the

country's COVID-19 lockdown are

being tutored, reports UNB.

The children, ages 4 to 14, carry book

bags more than 2 kilometers (a mile)

from their thatched-roof huts on the

banks of the Yamuna River to this

impromptu, roadside classroom.

There, they receive free lessons in

math, science, English and physical

education, taught by a former Indian

diplomat and his wife.

It all began when Veena Gupta's

maid, who lives on bank of the river,

complained that with schools shut,

children in her impoverished

community were running amok and

wasting time.

"If they stayed at home doing

nothing, they'd become drifters," said

Dolly Sharma, who works at Veena's

high-rise apartment, which overlooks

the lush riverbank.

Veena, a singer and grandmother of

three, and her husband, Virendra

Gupta, decided to go out to the street

and teach the kids so they are not left

behind when school reopens.

"They don't have access to internet,

their schools are shut and they don't

have any means to learn," said Veena,

who bought books, pencils, notebooks

and other teaching materials, and set

up the small, open-air classroom under

the shade of a leafy banyan tree.

India's stringent lockdown to curb

the spread of COVID-19 shut schools

across the country in late March. Most

remain closed as the number of cases

has surged past 5 million, making

India second worst-hit in the world

after the United States.

While many private schools switched

to digital learning and online classes,

children in most government-run

schools either don't have that option or

don't have the means to purchase

digital learning tools like laptops and

smartphones.

"There is only one mobile phone in

my family and it is usually with my

father. I can't study online," said Nitin

Mishra, a ninth grader in Virendra's

math class. Mishra's mother works as a

part-time maid and his father is unable

to find employment as India's

economy has been hit hard by the

pandemic.

The street-side classes have grown as

dozens of children showed keen

interest. Now the Guptas - with help

from their driver, Heera - teach three

different groups three times a week,

morning and evening.

Pakistan opposition, backed by

ex-premier, to protest Khan

Pakistan's ailing former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif broke

a nearly yearlong silence from exile in London to vow to oust

Imran Khan from office, accusing him of only reaching

power through a vote rigged by the country's powerful

military, reports UNB.

The 70-year-old former premier offered an emotional,

direct attack late Sunday on Khan and the military, with

which he has a long, uneasy relationship. Khan's government

on Monday dismissed his remarks, with Information

Minister Shibli Faraz saying the Pakistani opposition is only

united because they fear ongoing corruption cases targeting

them.

Sharif thrice served as Pakistan's prime minister, first

removed by a president in 1993, then by military ruler Pervez

Musharraf in 1999. A court in 2017 ousted him from power

over corruption allegations. Khan, a former cricketer, came

to power in 2018.

"Our struggle is not just against Imran Khan," Sharif told

an opposition rally in Islamabad via videoconferencing. "Our

struggle is against those who installed Imran Khan and who

manipulated the vote to bring an incompetent man like him

to power and thus destroyed the country."

Sharif spoke from London, where he has been since last

November when he was released on bail to seek medical

treatment abroad. At the time, a court permitted Sharif to

leave the country for four weeks, but he did not return. A

court last week issued arrest warrants for Sharif, previously

sentenced to seven years in prison on corruption and money

laundering charges stemming from disclosures in the

Panama Papers.

At least 10 dead

in residential

building collapse

in India

A residential building that

was due for repairs

collapsed in central India

early Monday, killing at

least 10 people and

trapping many others,

officials said, reports UNB.

Between 20 to 25 people

are feared trapped under

the rubble of the four-story

building in Maharashtra

state that collapsed at

around 4 a.m., said India's

National Disaster Response

Force, and rescuers are

working to find and free

them.

At least 11 people were

injured when the building

collapsed, said Pankaj

Ashiya, the commissioner

of Bhiwandi in Thane

district, a suburb of India's

financial capital Mumbai.

He said that the building

was over 30 years old and

needed repairs, which

couldn't be carried out due

to the coronavirus

lockdown.

Indian Prime Minister

Narendra Modi expressed

his condolences on Twitter.

"Praying for a quick

recovery of those injured.

Rescue operations are

underway and all possible

assistance is being provided

to the affected," he wrote.

Maharashtra is one of

India's hardest hit states by

the virus with over a million

reported cases. India has

reported over 5.4 million

coronavirus cases.

Building collapses are

common in India during

the June-September

monsoon season, when

heavy rains weaken the

foundations of structures

that are poorly constructed

or old.

Adv Saiful Haq Khan's

chehlum held

Lawyer of Bangladesh

Supreme Court Adv

Saiful Haq Khan's

chehlum was held at his

residence at Naya Paltan

in the capital on Friday.

Marking the occasion

doa, milad mahfil and

Quran khwani was held,

a press release said.

Adv Saiful Haq Khan

breathed his last breath

on August 9 in Dhaka.

He was 70 years old. He

was suffering from

diabetes and old age

complications for a long

time. He left behind

three sisters, four

brothers and huge of

relatives and well

wishers. He was buried

at Banani graveyard in

the capital.

India, China commanders again

talk to end border standoff

Senior Indian and Chinese military

commanders are holding talks Monday to

find ways to resolve a monthslong tense

standoff between the rival soldiers along

their disputed mountain border in

mountainous Ladakh region, reports UNB.

Details of the talks, which are happening

on the Chinese side in Moldo area facing

Indian-controlled Ladakh region, weren't

immediately disclosed. A senior Indian

foreign ministry official was also

participating in the meeting, said an Indian

official, speaking on condition of anonymity

in line with government regulations.

Despite several rounds of talks at military,

diplomatic and political levels, including

negotiations between foreign and defense

ministers of the two countries in Moscow

this month, the border tensions have

persisted.

Both India and China have provided little

information, but media in the two countries

have given extensive coverage to the

escalating tensions which have dramatically

changed their bilateral relations.

The standoff in Ladakh escalated in June

to their deadliest clash in decades - a clash on

a high ridge between soldiers using clubs,

stones and their fists. Twenty Indian soldiers

were killed. China is believed to have also

suffered casualties, but has not given any

details.

GD- 1214/20 (7 x 3)

BCIC-125 Dt. 20/09/20

GD- 1215/20 (4 x 3)

GD- 1219/20 (8 x 3)

Tuesday, Dhaka, September 22, 2020, Ashwin 7, 1427 BS, Safar 4, 1442 hijri

Vaccine, Rohingya issues

to be highlighted in virtual

75th UNGA speech

DHAKA : Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina will virtually deliver her key

speech on September 26 highlighting

global issues including Rohingya crisis

and vaccine with a call to ensure vaccine

for all at an affordable cost, reports

UNB.

The pre-recorded speech will be delivered

at 8pm (Bangladesh Time),

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen

said Monday.

The centrepiece of any new General

Assembly session is undoubtedly the

General Debate, which starts on Tuesday,

a week after the official opening. The

Foreign Minister briefed the media virtually

on various aspects of the UNGA and

Bangladesh's virtual presence.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs M

Shahriar Alam and Foreign Secretary

Masud Bin Momen were also present.

Prime Minister Hasina will also deliver

pre-recorded speech in a number

programmes.

The first speech is scheduled to be

delivered at 4am on Tuesday.

The Prime Minister, like other global

leaders, is joining the 75th UN General

Assembly (UNGA) virtually due to

COVID-19 pandemic. Dr Momen said

the Prime Minister will highlight vaccine

issue so that everyone gets access to vaccine

at an affordable price.

She will also talk about climate

change, migration, women empowerment

and child rights issues.

Dr Momen said the Prime Minister

will emphasise that all must work

together to address the global challenges.

He said he would attend a number

of events virtually apart from representing

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

in some programmes.

The 75th UNGA session began on

September 15 and this year, due to the

ongoing global pandemic, it is unlike

any other in the organisation's history.

This month, there will be no bumping

into presidents or the occasional global

celebrity in hectic and sometimes

crushed corridors at UN Headquarters

in New York.

There will be no marvelling at seemingly

endless presidential motorcades

on First Avenue and no "standing-room

only" moments in the gilded General

Assembly Hall, as the Organization's

busiest time of the year is reimagined in

the time of COVID-19.

The General Debate is a globally

unique occasion at which presidents

and heads of state (or sometimes their

deputies or foreign ministers) take to the

dais, and address a world audience on

an issue of their choosing.

This year, because of the pandemic,

the UN said, world leaders will be staying

away and have been invited to send

in pre-recorded videos of their speeches

which will be broadcast "as live".

Director General of Bangladesh Coastguard Rear Admiral M Ashraful haque handed over a model of

a ship to Director General of National Museum of Science and Technology Mohammad Munir

Chowdhury for display at the museum on Monday.

Photo: Courtesy

100pc electrification in all

grid areas by this Dec : Nasrul

DHAKA : State Minister for Power,

Energy and Mineral Resources

Nasrul Hamid on Monday said 100

percent electrification will be

ensured in all grid areas of the

country within December this year.

"We have to ensure balanced

electrification development in all

places across the country," he said

this while speaking as the chief

guest at the solar home system

installation ceremony through

video conference from his residence

Baridhara.

Northern Electricity Supply

Company Limited (NESCO) has initiated

to install solar home system

in off-grid char areas of Rajshahi.

He said, "Activities for supplying

electricity in every house of

Bangladesh are going on under the

direction of Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina."

"Smart meters, smart grid, modern

transformer and underground

cables will enhance power services,"

he said. The state minister said

Char-Asariyadah, Char Alatuli,

Char Mazardia, Char Khidirpur

areas were brought under power

access through solar home system.

At present, there are 58 lakh solar

home systems in the country, the

minister informed.

The state minister directed distribution

companies to increase consumer

services. There are 6,500

consumers at the four char areas, of

which 1,582 received solar home

system connection. Every house

will be brought under power facility

in phases.

With Chairman of NESCO'S

Board of Directors AKM

Humayun Kabir in the chair, lawmaker

Md Ayen Uddin, power

secretary Dr Sultan Ahmed and

managing director of NESCO

Zakiul Islam connected and spoke

at the ceremony.

Consumers

bear the brunt

of India's onion

export ban

DHAKA : A substantial fall of Tk 25-35

per kg in the wholesale market has had

little impact at the retail level where the

popular kitchen item continues to be

sold at high prices, reports UNB.

The local variety of onion was being

sold at Tk 90-100 while the imported

ones cost Tk 50-80 in Dhaka's markets

and shops on Monday, a week after

India's onion export ban sent the prices

through the roof in Bangladesh.

But despite the release of Indian onion

consignments at the border and bolstered

TCB truck and online sale, the

prices remained the same in the retail

and online shops.

Local variety is being sold at Tk 89-

102/kg and the Indian variety at Tk 60-

70/kg at online market like chaldal.com,

meenaclick, shwapno and others.

Moumi Khandkar, a banker, told

UNB the price was Tk 90 on Monday,

Tk 30 more than a week ago.

Shanir Akhra businessman Shah Alam

who came to collect his kitchen items said

there was no sign of the prices falling.

A regular customer of Chaldal.com

Sumn Patowary told UNB that he purchased

a kg of onion for Tk 90 which

was Tk 58 a week ago. "We don't understand

why the price of is so high without

any reason. Our traders are much corrupted.

The government has failed to

monitor every time," he said.

However, the state-run Trading

Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) continued

its OMS programme through 275

truck points, including 40 in Dhaka city.

TCB was selling onion at a subsidised

rate of Tk 30 a kg while it will also sell

onion through online shops at Tk 36.

BCG model ship

handed over to

NMST for display

On the occasion of Mujib Year, a model of a

ship was handed over to National Museum

of Science and Technology (NMST) by the

Bangladesh Coast Guard on Monday for

display at the museum. Director General of

Bangladesh Coastguard Rear Admiral M

Ashraful Haque and Director General,

National Museum of Science and

Technology Mohammad Munir

Chowdhury were present on the occasion, a

press release said.

During the time, Senior Coast Guard officials

were also present at the event. Later a

courtesy meeting was held between the

Director General of Bangladesh Coast

Guard and the Director General of National

Museum of Science and Technology.

The Bangladesh Coast Guard has

undertaken various activities on the

occasion of the birth centenary of Father

of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh

Mujibur Rahman.

In this context, a model of the Coast

Guard ship was handed over to the

National Museum of Science and

Technology for display at the museum

to give the public an idea about the ships

used by the Bangladesh Coast Guard.

At least half of the Bandarkhola Union Parishad building in Shibchar upazila has been destroyed by the

Padma erosion on Sunday midnight.

Photo: Rafiqul Islam

UP building destroyed by

Padma in Shibchar

RAfIqUl ISlAM, ShIBChAR CoRReSPoNDeNT

The Bandarkhola Union Parishad

building in Shibchar upazila has

been destroyed by the Padma erosion.

On Sunday midnight, half of

the building sank into the riverbed.

The other half is on the verge of

collapse. Besides, a community

clinic next to the Union Parishad

building is also facing the threat of

river erosion. Earlier, a threestorey

secondary school and a primary

school in the area were swept

away by Padma river. The union's

Kazirsura market is also on the

verge of collapse.

According to local sources, two

pillars of the two-storey building of

the Union Parishad, built in 2012

at a cost of Tk 61 lakh, have already

disappeared into the riverbed.

The entire building could be

washed away by the river at any

time. However, the building was

about 7 km away from the river a

few years ago.

It is learned that Kazirsura area is

adjacent to Padma river in

Bandarkhola union of Shibchar

upazila. The erosion of the Padma

has intensified in the last few years

in this vast town which was formed

Why 83 Bangladeshi

workers should not

be freed: hC

DHAKA : The High Court on

Monday issued a rule asking the

government to explain as to why

directives should not be given to

the authorities concerned to free

the 83 Bangladeshi workers who

returned from Vietnam and Qatar

recently.

The HC bench of Justice JBM

Hassan and Justice Md Khairul

Alam issued the rule after hearing

a writ petition seeking release of

the Bangladeshi workers.

Secretaries to the Foreign

Ministry, Home Ministry, Law

Ministry, Inspector General of

Police (IGP), Inspector General of

Prison and officer-in-charge of

Turag Police Station have been

made respondents to the rule

which is returnable in two weeks.

Advocate Salahuddin Regan

filed a writ petition with the High

court seeking directives to free

the 83 Bangladeshi workers.

Officer-in-charge of Turag

Police Station Nurul Mottakin

said two among them returned

from Qatar while the rest from

many years ago. Towards the

beginning and end of the monsoon

season, the erosion begins to take a

terrible shape.

When river erosion started at the

beginning of the monsoon season

this year, many families lost their

land. As a result of river erosion,

the people of Kazirsura and adjoining

areas have lost their homes and

became landless.

Also a secondary school, a primary

school cum shelter, a mosque

and a community clinic have been

destroyed in the Padma erosion.

The water development board tried

to stop the erosion by placing geobags,

but the attempt was not successful

due to the intensity of the

current.

Chairman of Bandarkhola Union

Parishad Mohammad Nizam

Bepari said, "Last night, half of the

Union Parishad building was

washed away by the river.

Due to the erosion of the Padma,

various establishments including

educational institutions and houses

have been destroyed. There is no

end to the suffering of the people

affected by river erosion.

Vietnam.

The Bangladeshi workers, who

returned from Vietnam and Qatar

,completed their 14-day quarantine

in Uttara in the capital and

then they were sent to jail by a

Dhaka court on September 1 on

charge of their involvement in

criminal offences in foreign countries.

The workers were deported on

August 18 last following their

imprisonment in Qatar and

Vietnam for their involvement in

criminal activities, he said.

They were shown arrested in

criminal case as they got involved

in many criminal activities while

staying in Vietnam and Qatar,

said the OC.

"No specific charges have been

found against the Bangladeshi

workers and they returned

home after getting mercy from

the governments of thosecountries.

So keep them in prison is

illegal and that's why the petition

has been filed," advocate

Salahuddin said.

Top court upholds

bdnews24.com editor's

anticipatory bail order

DHAKA : The Appellate Division

upheld a High Court order granting

anticipatory bail to bdnews24.com

Editor-in-Chief Toufique Imrose

Khalidi in a case filed by the Anti-

Corruption Commission (ACC) accusing

the journalist of amassing wealth

illegally, reports UNB.

A three-member bench headed by

Justice Muhammad Imman Ali passed

the order on Monday after hearing the

petition filed by ACC against the bail

order. On August 6, The High Court

granted anticipatory bail to Khalidi.

ACC Deputy Director Gulshan Anowar

filed the case on July 30 this year.

According to the case statement,

Khalidi has got Tk 42 crore in different

bank accounts which have no legal

source.

Dancer Ivan put on

7-day remand in human

trafficking case

DHAKA : A Dhaka court on Monday

placed national award winning dancer

and choreographer Ivan Shahriar Sohag

on a seven-day remand in a human trafficking

case, reports UNB.

Dhaka Metropolitan Judge

Mahmuda Begum passed the order.

On Sept 15, the case's investigation

officer produced Ivan before the court

requesting permission to interrogate

him for seven days in custody.

The court had fixed Sep 21 for passing

order. The Criminal Investigation

Department of police arrested Ivan for

his alleged involvement in human trafficking

to Dubai on September 11. He

was sent to court on September 12.

According to the remand petition, the

accused offered to teach the victims

dance and send them abroad for highpaying

jobs. If the victims agrees to his

proposal, they will be paid Tk 50,000

per month in exchange for dancing and

singing in the club.

Police earlier arrested a human trafficking

gang member Nirmal Chandra

Das who gave confessional statement

before the court.

'Stalker kills

schoolgirl' in Savar

SAVAR : A schoolgirl was hacked to

death allegedly by a stalker in Bank

Colony area of Savar on Sunday night

after she had rejected his advances.

The deceased, 14-year-old Nila Roy,

was the daughter of Narayan Roy and a

10th grader at a local school.

Police said that stalker Mizanur

Rahman used to disturb and pester the

victim, reports UNB.

After the girl rejected his unwelcome

advances again on Sunday night,

Mizanur hacked him with a knife, leaving

her critically injured. Locals rescued

Nila and took her to Enam Medical

College Hospital where doctors pronounced

her dead, said police.

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam, Executive Editor : Sheikh Efaz Ahmed, 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: Bangladesh Timber Building (3rd Floor) 270/B, Tejgaon I/A Dhaka-1208. Tel : +8802-8878026, Cell : 01736786915; Fax: + 880244611604, Email: Editor : editor@thebangladeshtoday.com, Advertisement: ads@thebangladeshtoday.com, News: newsbangla@thebangladeshtoday.com, contact@thebangladeshtoday.com, website: www.thebangladeshtoday.com

22-09-2020

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