01-02-2022

tuesday

DhAkA: February1, 2022; Magh18, 1428 BS; Jamadi-us Sani 28,1443 hijri www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www.bangladeshtoday.net

Regd.No.DA~2065, Vol.19; N o. 272; 12 Pages~Tk.8.00

international

US pledges to put

Russia on defensive at

UN Security Council

>Page 7

Month of language

movement

begins today

DHAKA : As the month of language movement

begins today, the nation will pay tributes

to the valiant sons of the soil who were

killed during the language movement in

the month of February in 1952.

The Bengali nation achieved the dignity

of their mother tongue on February 21,

1952 through the supreme sacrifices

made by Salam, Shafiur, Barkat, Rafique,

Jabbar and others during a massive

movement.

February is the month of mourning.

Yet, it is a matter of dignity for the nation

as only the Bengalese have sacrificed

their lives for establishing Bangla as state

language. The Language Day-February

21 -- is also recognized as the

International Mother Language Day.

The nation usually observes the month

through various programmes. The Amar

Ekushey Book fair is the most attraction

of the month-long observance as traditionally

it begins on the first day of

February. But due to the fresh wave of

the Covid-19, the authorities have

already postponed the fair for two weeks.

The social, political and cultural organizations,

however, will observe the

month through various programmes,

maintaining the health guidelines.

Covid-19

Bangladesh reports

31 more deaths

DHAKA : Bangladesh logged 31 more

Covid-related deaths, with13,501fresh

cases in 24 hours till Monday morning.

The daily positivity rate rose again to

29.77 from Sunday's 28.33 per cent after

testing 45,358 samples during the period,

according to the Directorate General

of Health Services (DGHS).

On Sunday, Bangladesh saw its highest

in the last four months 34 deaths with

12,183fresh cases. The country last

reported 31 covid-related deaths on

September 28 last with 1,310 cases, taking

the positivity rate to 4.49%.

On Friday, Bangladesh logged its earlier

highest daily positivity rate at 33.37%

reporting 15,440 cases and 20 deaths.

The fresh numbers took the country's

total fatalities to 28,394 while the caseload

mounted to 1,798,833.

Of the 140 deaths recorded from

January 24 to January 30, some 22.1 per

cent received Covid vaccines while 77.9

percent did not, the DGHS mentioned.

Comorbidities among the deceased

patients declined 4.4 per cent this week

compared to the previous one.

Comorbidity means the simultaneous

presence of two or more diseases or medical

conditions in a patient. Among the new

deceased, 20 were men and 11 women.

Sixteen deaths were reported in Dhaka

division while five in Khulna, three each

in Rangpur, Mymensingh, two in

Chattogram, one each in Rajshahi, and

Sylhet divisions. Meanwhile, the mortality

rate further declined to 1.58 per cent.

However, the recovery rate also

declined to 87.18 per cent with the recovery

of 2,568 more patients during the 24-

hour period.

Zohr

05:24 AM

12:16 PM

04:07 PM

05:47 PM

07:05 PM

6:40 5:44

accused oC Pradeep Kumar Das was brought from Jail to Cox's Bazar District and Sessions Judge's

Court in a prison van on monday, the day of the verdict in the Sinha murder case. Photo : Star mail

Sinha assassination

Safiul alam, Cox'S Bazar

Former OC of Teknaf Police Pradeep

Kumar and then Inspector of

Baharchhara Police Investigation

Center Liaquat Ali have been sentenced

to death in the murder case of

retired Bangladesh Army Major

Sinha Mohammad Rashed Khan who

was shot dead by police in Teknaf,

Cox's Bazar.

Cox's Bazar District and Sessions

Judge Mohammad Ismail passed the

order on Monday, January 31. Besides,

Teknaf police Sub Inspector (SI)

Nandadulal Rakkhit and constables

Rubel Sharma and Sagar Dev, Md.

Nurul Amin, Mohammad Ayaz and

Md. Nizam Uddin of Marishbunia village

of Baharchhara in Cox's Bazar was

sentenced to life imprisonment.

APBN SI Shahjahan Ali, Constable

Rajib, Md. Abdullah, police constables

Safanul Karim, Kamal Hossain,

Liton Mia and Abdullah Al Mamun

have been released. Following the

verdict, the judge termed the killing

as premeditated.

Earlier, 15 accused including OC

Pradeep were brought to the court

from Cox's Bazar jail in a prison van at

sports

Mbappe hat-trick

fires PSG into

French Cup last 16

>Page 9

2 sentenced to death and

6 gets life imprisonment

around 2 pm. They were then taken to

the courtroom. At around 2.30 pm, the

judge started reading the 300-page

verdict in the case.

The accused in the case are: Liaqat Ali,

then Inspector of Baharchhara Police

Investigation Center, Pradeep Kumar

Das, OC of Teknaf Police Station, Rubel

Sharma, bodyguard, Nandadulal

Rakkhit, Sub-Inspector (SI) of

Baharchhara Police Investigation

Center, Constable Safanur Abdullah,

Sub-Inspector (ASI) Liton Mia,

Constable Sagar Dev, APBN Sub-

Inspector (SI) Md. Shahjahan, said the

constable Rajib and Md. Abdullah, and

witnesses in the case filed by the police at

Teknaf police station, Nurul Amin, Md.

Nezamuddin and Ayaz Uddin of

Marishbunia village in Shamlapur of

Baharchhara union of Teknaf.

Sinha's sister, plaintiff Sharmin

Shahriar Ferdous and her husband

were present in the courtroom when

the verdict was announced.

Meanwhile, a strict security cordon

was set up in the Cox's Bazar district

court area around the verdict. Four levels

of security measures were taken on

all sides including the court gate.

>(Contd. on page-11)

Every village to be connected to

fiber optical cable by 2025:Palak

DHAKA : State Minister for Information

and Communication Technology Junaid

Ahmed Palak has said all villages of the

country to be connected with fiber optical

cable by 2025.

"Every village in the country would be

connected with fiber optical cable and high

speed internet connection will be provided,"

he said. He said this at a press conference

after a meeting with the newly-elected

executive committee of the Internet

Service Providers Association of

Bangladesh (ISPAB).

Referring to internet as the 'lifeline of the

digital economy' to turn villages into cities,

Palak said he wanted to make high-speed

internet accessible to every household just

like electricity.

"Soon, under the Public Procurement

Rules and through ISPAB, 109,000 fibre

optic connections will be established in

rural areas by 2024 and 20 lakh by 2025,"

he said. He also called on the ICT families,

including the ISPAB, to work together to

make internet the fifth basic service,

emphasising the importance of awareness

alongside making internet easier and

more accessible.

"Internet service providers have played

the most important role in providing

affordable high-speed internet services to

all. So, we will work as a family to build an

innovative Bangladesh," he added.

A working committee headed by Rezaul

Maqsood Jahedi, director-general of the

ICT Department, has been constituted

today to convey this last-line solution

through the members of ISPAB.

Referring ISPAB as one of the partners in

the implementation of Digital Bangladesh,

Palak said that a letter would be sent to the

National Board of Revenue (NBR) to make

the import of routers and switches tax-free

for internet service providers and to include

their services in the ITES.

He also said that the ICT department

would do its utmost to set up a 'Digital

Network Lab' through ISPAB to keep children

safe on the internet and to discipline

the internet content.

Expectation fulfilled,

says sister after Sinha

murder verdict

COX'S BAZAR : The sister of Maj (retd)

Sinha Mohammad Rashed Khan welcomed

Monday's judgment in the case of

his murder as fulfilment of the family's

expectation.

"But we will be satisfied only after the

judgment is implemented," Sharmin

Shahria Ferdous, the plaintiff in the case,

said in her reaction.

Cox's Bazar District and Sessions

Judge Mohammad Ismail former OC

Pradeep Kumar Das and police inspector

Liakat Ali to death and six others to life

term imprisonment in the case.

The six lifers are constable Sagar Dev,

sub-inspector Nandolal Rakkhit, constable

Rubel Sharma, and residents of

Marishbunia village in Baharchara

upazila Nurul Amin, Md Nizamuddin

and Ayaz Uddin. The court, however,

acquitted seven other accused.

Maj (retd) Sinha's mother Nasima

Akter was present to hear the judgment

in Cox's Bazar court with daughter

Sharmin.

After the pronouncement of the judgement

Sharmin told journalists," We were

hoping that the two main accused OC

Pradeep and Liakat who were directly

involved in the killing will get death sentence

which has been fulfilled by this verdict.

We will be satisfied finally when it

gets implemented."

"May no one become a victim of extra

judicial killing in the country again.

Everyone has the right to seek justice and

law prevails. It has been proved by this

verdict," she said. The 15 accused were

brought to the court from Cox's Bazar

district jail at 2 pm.

Of the 15 accused, 12 had given confessional

statements before court except

Pradeep, Sagar Dev and Rubel.

arts & Culture

Another Bangla

adaptation of a

Turkish hit TV series

>Page 10

Court's observation

Sinha's murder

was planned

Safiul alam, Cox'S Bazar

The 300-page verdict in the murder case of

retired Army Major Sinha Mohammad

Rashed Khan was read out by Cox's Bazar

District and Sessions Judge Mohammad

Ismail at around 2.25pm. Meanwhile,

Judge Mohammad Ismail said, "I have

tried to find out the details of the Major

Sinha murder case. The three APBN members

in charge of the three first released

Sinha's car after stopping it, but the police

stopped it again for some reason and they

were shot within 10 to 20 minutes. This

proves that Sinha's assassination was a premeditated

murder."

Liaquat Ali fired four rounds as confirmed

from the testimony of Sinha's alibi

Shahedul Islam Sifat. Liaquat's statement

also called for action against OC Pradeep

Sinha. Liaquat admitted to shooting Sinha

thinking he had a pistol in his hand.

Eventually OC Pradeep reached the spot

and kicked Sinha to his left.

Similarly, as per the statement of SI

Nanda Dulal Rakkhit, "Liaquat had earlier

asked to stop the silver car and accompanied

him to the check post. Later,

Sinha leaned forward with both hands

raised. At that time Liaquat fired 4

rounds. Pradeep came to the spot and

said, I got you after a lot of trouble. He

then kicked the left side of the chest and

Sinha fainted. I made a list of belongings

ceased out of fear of OC Pradeep.

Basically I did as OC Pradeep instructed.

This proves that Liaquat and Nanda

Dulal played an active role in the murder.

OC Pradeep also refused to pay BDT 5

lakh to police sources Nurul Amin,

Mohammad Ayaz and Nizam Uddin as

part of a plot to assassinate Sinha on the

suspicion of robbery."

Earlier, Cox's Bazar District and Sessions

Judge Mohammad Ismail started reading

out the verdict in the presence of 15 accused

including dismissed OC Pradeep Kumar

Das at around 2 pm. OC Pradeep was seen

standing in a corner of the courtroom in a

state of anxiety and sadness.

It can be seen on the spot that there was

tight security in the court premises of Cox's

Bazar since morning following the verdict

in Sinha murder case. Arriving at the court

very early in the morning, the security

forces had to cross several obstacles to get

from the main gate to the court.

>(Contd. on page-11)

US donates another 10m

doses of Pfzer jabs

DHAKA : The United States (US) has

donated an additional 10 million doses of

Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccines to Bangladesh

via COVAX while millions more jabs scheduled

to arrive here over the coming months.

"With the latest spike in COVID-19 infections,

the United States is redoubling our

efforts to help Bangladesh turn the tide

against this surge," said US Chargé

d'Affaires here Helen LaFave, according to

a US embassy press release .

These doses will help expand vaccinations

for students and those who are

awaiting their first doses, while enabling

vulnerable people to receive boosters to

protect themselves against the growing

presence of the Omicron variant, she

added. The latest donation brought the

total US vaccine contribution to more

than 38.6 million doses to Bangladesh

while the US government COVID-19

assistance to Bangladesh exceeds $121

million.

In addition to vaccine donations, the

United States continues to work closely

with Bangladesh to support the national

COVID-19 vaccination campaign and

strengthen the government's response to

the pandemic, said the release.

The US has provided training to over

7,000 healthcare providers on the proper

management and administration of vaccines.

This delivery of Pfizer vaccines is part

of the United States' commitment to lead

the global COVID-19 response by donating

a billion doses of Pfizer vaccine around the

world through 2022, said the release.

The United States has donated $4 billion

to support the worldwide COVAX

effort, making the super power the

world's largest donor for equitable global

COVID-19 vaccine access.

5 die as trawler sinks

in Dakatia River

CHANDPUR : Five workers drowned as a

soil-laden trawler sank in the Dakatia River

off the coast of Chandpur after hitting a

bulkhead early Monday, reports UNB. The

deceased were identified as Md Mubarak,

45, Md Awal, 50, Md Nasir, 32, Al-Amin,

35, and Nazrul, 35. They used to work in

brick kilns at Maishadi and Shahtali villages

of Chandpur.

Shahedul Islam, deputy assistant director

of Chandpur Fire Service, said the trawler

carrying 11 people capsized in the river at

Mominpur in sadar upazila after it crashed

into bulkhead MV Iqbal Hossain-1 amid

dense fog around 6:45 am.

The cold wave

is going on in

nature. People

are trying to

prevent winter

by burning

straw. The

picture is

taken from

rampura

Banasree area

of the capital

on monday.

Photo: PBa

TUeSdAY, FeBrUArY 1, 2022

2

Gas supply suspended

in B'Baria as pipeline

gets damaged

BRAHMANBARIA : Gas

supply across Brahmanbaria

district was suspended from

Sunday noon after a pipeline

was damaged during

construction work, reports

UNB.

The officials said the pipeline

with 60 PSI capacity was

damaged and gas started

gushing out when an excavator

machine hit it during the

construction work of Ashuganj-

Akhaura four lane highway.

Meeting of committee for

prevention of terrorism and

vandalism held in Palash

Taraq Pathan, Palash

Correspondent

A meeting of the Union

Committee for Prevention of

Terrorism and Vandalism

has been held at Palash

upazila in Narsingdi. The

meeting was held at the

conference room of Gazaria

Union Parishad on Monday.

Union Parishad Chairman

Md. Zakir Hossain

Chowdhury presided over the

function as the chief guest

while Upazila Nirbahi Officer

Farhana Afsana Chowdhury

PAA spoke as the chief guest

at the occassion. Among

others, Union Secretary Md.

Iqbal Hossain along with all

male and female ward

members of the union, public

representatives, civil society

representatives, media

personnel and others. Later,

the chief guest inspected

various activities of Gazaria

Union Parishad.

Thousands of people took part in the janaza of Fatema Johra Begum, mother of former mayor and general

secretary of Chittagong Metropolitan Awami League A J M Nasir Uddin on Monday. Photo: S M Akash

175 officials including MD of

Barapukuria Coal Mine contract

Covid; coal extraction suspended

DINAJPUR : Around 125

Bangladeshi officials and

50 Chinese officials of the

Barapukuria Coal Mine,

including the managing

director, have tested

positive for COVID-19,

reports UNB.

Due to the situation, the

coal extraction has been

suspended temporarily

from Thursday as the

workers of the mine put on

indefinite leave, said

Engineer Kamruzzaman,

Managing Director of

Barapukuria Coal Mine.

Besides, of the 293

Chinese officials at

Chinese contractors CMC

and XMC, at least 50 were

tested positive with Covid-

19 after testing 184

workers.

The infected are in home

isolation while others on

leave to curb the covid

spread, said the MD.

A meeting of the Union Committee for Prevention of Terrorism and Vandalism

has been held at Palash upazila in Narsingdi on Monday. Photo: Taraq

However, the coal based

thermal power plant will

not be affected as there is

about 2.5 lakh tonnes of

coal in stock, hoped the

MD. Meanwhile, Mahmud

Al Mamun, executive

engineer of Barapukuria

Thermal Power Station,

said that out of 3 units

with a capacity of 525 MW,

a unit with a capacity of

300 MW has been kept

active at the coal-based

thermal power plant and a

unit consumes 2,000

metric tonnes of coal daily

to generate electricity.

Besides, one of the two

more units with a capacity

of 125 MW has been

overhauled (servicing) and

the other has been closed,

he added. If the demand

for electricity increases in

the upcoming Boro

season, all the three units

will be active. However, it

will be possible to keep

power generation in coal

and thermal power plants

for another five months as

there is no shortage of

coal.

Madrasa teacher lands in

jail for raping 2 students

in Panchagarh

PANCHAGARH : A

madrasa teacher in

Panchagarh,arrested over

raping two of his students,

landed in jail on Sunday,

reports UNB.

The accused is Abu Bakkar

Siddique,24, resident of

Dakkhin Jinnat Para village

in the sadar upazila.

A panchagarh court

sentAbu Bakkarto jail on

Sunday after Boda station

police arrested him from his

own house on Saturday

night andproducedhim

before court.

Police made the arrest

followed by a rape case

lodged at Panchagarh Sadar

police station under the

Women and Children

Repression Prevention Act,

2000, said Abdul Latif Mia,

Officer-in-Charge of

Panchagarh Sadar police

station.

A J M Nasir Uddin's mother

passes away

S M Akash Chattogram Correspondent

Fatema Johra Begum, mother of former

mayor and general secretary of Chittagong

Metropolitan Awami League, director of

Bangladesh Cricket Board, general secretary

of Chittagong District Sports Association and

chairman of Bangladesh Cooperative Bank

and popular political leader AJM Nasir

Uddin, has passed away.

The former mayor's mother died at the Max

Hospital in the city around 9:30 am on

Monday. Prime Minister and President of

Bangladesh Awami League Sheikh Hasina

has expressed deep grief over the death of this

majestic woman. In a condolence message on

the same day, January 31, the Prime Minister

conveyed his deepest condolences to the

bereaved family. Funeral prayers were held at

the premises of Jamiatul Falah National

GD-189/22 (5x3)

Mosque in the city after Asr prayer on

Monday. Thousands of people took part in

the janaza.

Professor Hasin Abrar, the fourth child of

the late and son of Mejbah Uddin, an

engineer of Chittagong Development

Authority, performed the janaza of this

majestic mother.

Information Minister Dr. Hasan Mahmud

MP, Whip Shamsul Alam Chowdhury,

Maheshkhali MP Ashiqullah Rafique, Raozan

MP ABM Fazle Karim Chowdhury,

Chandnaish MP Nazrul Islam, Feni Sadar

MP Nizam Uddin Hazari, Chittagong

Metropolitan Awami League Acting

President Mahtab Uddin Chowdhury, North

District Awami League President M. Salam,

CCC Mayor M Rezaul Karim Chowdhury

were among others took part in the janaza.

1086 30/01/2022

57

GD-188/22 (8x4)

GD-183/22 (10x4)

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2022

3

State Minister for ICT Junaid Ahmed Palak met the newly elected Executive Committee of Internet

Service Providers Association of Bangladesh (ISPAB) in the meeting room of Information and

Communication Technology Department at ICT Tower, Agargaon yesterday. Photo : Courtesy

New BPDB Chairman

Mahbubur Rahman

takes charge

Engr. Md Mahbubur

Rahman took over the

charge as Chairman of

Bangladesh Power

Development Board (BPDB)

on Monday. He is the 38th

Chairman of his

organization. Before joining

as Chairman, he was the

Member (Company Affairs)

of BPDB, a press release

said.

Engr. Md Mahbubur

Rahman was born in

Shariatpur district on 1

Sepember, 1963. Md

Mahbubur Rahman

obtained B.Sc. Engineering

(Civil) degree from

Bangladesh University of

Engineering and

Technology (BUET) in 1986.

He did his M.Sc.

Engineering (Hydro-Power)

degree from the Norwegian

University of Engineering &

Technology, Norway in 1995

with a full scholarship from

the Norwegian government.

He later obtained MBA

degree from Bangladesh.

Besides, he also completed

various professional courses

from Oxford University of

United Kingdom, Kochi

University of Japan and

Melbourne Institute of

Technology of Australia.

Md Mahbubur Rahman

joined Siddhirganj Power

Station of Bangladesh Power

Development Board on

September 1, 1986 as an

Assistant Engineer. Later he

worked as Sub-Divisional

Engineer and Executive

Engineer at Siddhirganj 210

MW Thermal Power Station

Construction Project, as

Director IPP Cell-1, Director

IPP Cell-3 and as Chief

Engineer Private

Generation. Later he also

served as Member

(Distribution) of BPDB.

Engr. Md Mahbubur

Rahman visited various

countries including USA,

Russia, Japan, United

Kingdom,

Australia,

Germany and Switzerland

for training and professional

purposes during his long

career. He is married and

blessed with two children.

AL national

committee member

Nurul Islam Khan

Haider passes away

DHAKA : Awami League

national committee member

and former vice -president

of party's Jhenidah district

unit heroic freedom fighter

Nurul Islam Khan Haider

died at his Arappur

residence yesterday

morning

He was 86. Haider had

long been suffering from

different old age

complications, said family

sources.

Glue-sniffing Dandy alarmingly

spreading among street children

DHAKA : A huge number of street children

in the capital are alarmingly getting addicted

through glue-sniffing that is popularly called

'Dandy' which dissolves the membrane of

brain cells and causes hallucinations.

"Dandy makes me sleep easier and forget

the harshness of my live," said Rajon, a 12-

year kid with a blank face who collects

garbage for his living.

Rajon, an orphan who sleeps at the

footpath of Farmgate area in the capital, said

he chose Dandy as a drug as it is cheap and it

is available.

"What I earned by collecting garbage, I

spent some for my food and with the rest I

buy Dandy ... I do love to sleep all day," he

said in a taunting smile on his face.

Dandy, used by shoe repairers, is adhesive

glue which contains toluene, a sweet

smelling and intoxicating hydrocarbon.

Currently, breathing in fumes from gluesoaked

rags and glue-filled plastic bags is a

normal activity for a large number of

Dhaka's slum kids or street children like

Rajon. The difference between Dandy and

other drugs is that Dandy is not expensive

and is not subject to fluctuations in supply in

the same way as other drugs. It is both legal

and cheap - making it a very convenient

substance to abuse.

The street children carry dendrites in a

plastic bag and put their mouths in the

plastic bag to inhale. Sometimes they gather

in groups to take turns to inhale in public

places especially at the bus stations, train

stations, launch terminals, footpaths, and

footbridges. The addicted children can

inhale Dandy openly because the community

and most of the police are not aware that it

could be used as a drug or such kind of

inhalation may develop addiction among

human body. A World Bank study indicated

that a stunning number of Dhaka's 249,000

street children are addicted to drugs, most to

glue-sniffing.

Syeda Ananya Rahman, program manager

of the anti-drug organization Work for Better

Bangladesh, said there is no-one watching

over the street children and taking care of

them, so it is easy for them to become

addicted to drugs.

Drug abuse creates physical and sociobehavioral

problem of children and affects

the economic and social aspects of society in

the country as a whole, she said.

As per their study, there are currently more

than one million street children in the

country, half of them are under the age of 10

while about 95 percent use different drugs.

"We all need to be aware of this because

the children are our future generation ... we

should use the law strictly in this regard,"

Rahman said. However, she said legislation

alone cannot prevent the street children

from using drugs, it requires awareness and

publicity. "There is still time to get them back

on track . . . this is the right time to launch an

anti-drug campaign for them," she said.

The anti-drug activists called upon the

government and the rich people of the

society to rehabilitate these street children.

A report made by 'Icare Sustainably', an

international non-profit organization

focused on improving the livelihood of

marginalized communities, said the

difference of Bangladesh from other

developing nations is that glue-sniffing has

only recently been introduced here.

In other countries, it started 40 years ago,

it said, adding that, therefore, it is very

important at this stage to research and find

out the causes and effects of "Dandy"

substance abuse among street kids to

prevent further damage in Bangladesh.

BCPA to distribute 10

thousands winter clothes

Leaders of Bangladesh Crop Protection

Association (BCPA) have called for taking

effective steps for the development of

agriculture and farmers to maintain the

continuity of the country's economic progress.

They said that under the leadership of Sheikh

Hasina, a record has been set in agricultural

production in the country. Agricultural

production needs to be further increased to

cope with population pressure. For this,

incentives have to be increased here.

They made a call while inaugurating the

distribution of winter clothes (blankets)

among the impoverished people of the

capital on Monday. President of the

organization M Sayeduzzaman and

Secretary General MD Moazzem Hossain

Palash inaugurated the program at a

function held at Lion Shopping Complex in

Farmgate. Marufuzzaman Babul, joint

secretary general of the organization, the

finance secretary, Md. Mahbubur Rahman

Gazi, publicity and publication secretary,

agriculturist, Sirajul Islam and others spoke

at the event, a press release said.

In the inaugural address, the president of

the organization M Sayeduzzaman said the

BCPA has been working for a long time to

increase agricultural production to ensure

food security in the country. At the same

time various social activities are being

conducted. Though Corona has stood by the

side of common people, Like every year, this

winter clothing distribution program has

been taken. Which will be conducted across

the country. The blankets will be distributed

among 10,000 poor and helpless people

across the country in phases.

Secretary General of the organization

Moazzem Hossain Palash said that the

country has achieved self-sufficiency in food

under the leadership of Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina, the worthy daughter of

Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh

Mujibur Rahman. Due to the right steps of

the government, agricultural production has

set a record in the country. The Crop

Protection Association is playing a role

behind this. He sought the cooperation of all

in the work of the Association for the

Development of Agriculture and Change of

the Fate of Farmers.

Leaders of Bangladesh Crop Protection Association (BCPA) distributed winter clothes

(blankets) among the impoverished people of the capital on Monday. Photo : Courtesy

Testimony in

murder case over

Rana Plaza collapse

finally starts

DHAKA : Around six years

after the charge framing in

the murder case lodged over

tragic collapse of Rana Plaza

building, where around

1,200 people lost their lives,

the lower court concerned

finally started recording

depositions of the witnesses.

Plaintiff of the case and

then sub-inspector of Savar

Police Station Wali Ashraf

yesterday testified at the

court of Dhaka District and

Sessions Judge AHM

Habibur Rahman Bhuiyan.

Dhaka District and

Sessions Judge SM Quddus

Zaman on July 18, 2016,

framed charges against the

41 accused in the murder

case filed by police over the

incident. But the

proceedings of the case

remained stalled since then

because of the stay order

issued by the High Court

(HC). Police filed the case

over murder because of

negligence. CID filed a

charge-sheet in the case on

April 26, 2015, against 41

including building owner

Sohel Rana. A total of 594

people were made witnesses

in the case.

At least 1,136 people,

mostly garment workers,

were killed and over 2,500

injured in the building

collapse on April 24, 2013.

DB arrests eight dacoits,

seized arms & police

equipments in City

DHAKA : The Detective

Branch (DB) of the Dhaka

Metropolitan Police (DMP)

yesterday arrested eight

members of a dacoits gang

and seized arms, wireless,

handcuff, DB's Jacket and a

microbus from their

possessions.

Separate teams of the DB,

acting on a tip-off,

conducted drives at

Mohammadpur Bheribandh

Vanga Mosque area of the

City and arrested them,

Additional Commissioner of

the DB Md Hafiz Akhter

disclosed the information to

the media at the DMP Media

Centre here. Among others,

Joint Commissioner of the

DB Md Harun-or-Rashid,

Deputy Commissioner (DC)

of the DB Tejgaon Zone Md

Wahid-ul-Islam and DC

Media Md Faruk Hossain

were present at the media

briefing.

The arrested dacoits were

identified as Md

Mozammal Hossain alias

Apel, Md Jahangir Alam,

Md Zamir Khan, Md

Mojibar Rahman Mojid,

Md Masum Gazi, Shafiqul

Kharadi, Md Kuddus Ali

and Md Kauser Mia. The

DB teams recovered a

Microbus, one short gun, a

wireless set, and a

handcuff, two jackets of

DB, two Chapaties and two

sharp knives from their

possession.

DMP arrests 50 for

selling, consuming

drugs in the City

DHAKA : The members of

the Detective Branch (DB)

of the Dhaka Metropolitan

Police (DMP) in several

anti-drug raids arrested a

total of 50 people on

charges of selling and

consuming drugs during

last 24 hours till 6am

yesterday, reports BSS.

The DB in association

with local police carried out

the drives simultaneously

in different city areas

starting at 6am on January

30, according to a DMP

release.

In separate anti-drug

raids, police conducted

those drives in different

areas of the city under

various police stations and

detained drug peddlers,

users and also seized

different kinds of banned

and illegal drugs from their

possessions.

Countrywide ‘Apnar Mask Kothay’

campaign ensures masks for millions

A three-day long campaign "Apnar Mask

Kothay" in 64 districts of Bangladesh

successfully ends. The campaign aimed to

raise awareness and bring a behavioral change

of people around wearing masks to combat

the COVID-19 virus. This campaign is an

initiative of the JAAGO Foundation in

partnership with Daraz Online Shopping,

Confidence Group, and Beximco

Pharmaceuticals Limited.

Around 7000 Youth volunteers of the

JAAGO Foundation's youth wing "Volunteer

for Bangladesh" participated in the campaign

between 28th January to 31st of January

2022. They distributed masks, awareness

leaflets, conducted one-to-one advocacy at

various spots, including mosques, busy

streets, public transport, overbridges, bus

stops, and reached 1 million beneficiaries. The

whole campaign was observed maintaining

covid protocols.

In the capital city of Dhaka, the campaign

took place on the busy streets of Gulshan 2,

Banani 11, Kakoli, Karwan Bazar and different

places of Dhanmondi. Also, volunteers

covered different mosques to raise awareness

and distributed masks to the mass people. On

the closing day, representatives from the

organizers joined the campaign with the youth

activists and appreciated their effort on this

massive countrywide awareness campaign.

Tajdin Hassan, Chief Marketing Officer of

Daraz said "Our brand purpose is to uplift

local community using the power of

commerce. At this moment, Covid is

spreading almost everywhere leading towards

an alarming situation where the wearing a

mask has become a necessity. Keeping that in

our mind, we are trying to put a positive

impact on society and that is the core reason

for our partnership with this amazing project

of maintaining safety by providing masks."

Confidence Group's board members said

"We feel that till now this is one of the best and

cost-effective solutions to fight against Covid.

Alhamdulillah we are successful running our

business operations with less than 1%

contraction for last 2 years by following some

basic Covid protocols. And wearing mask is

one of the best practices we have followed

during this period".

Rabbur Reza, Chief Operating Officer of

Beximco Pharmaceuticals said "It's our

responsibility to protect everyone from

COVID 19. Mask can stop transmission of the

virus and save lives. Please wear the most

protective mask that fits well and encourages

others to wear it in order to combat the

pandemic."

Korvi Rakhsand, Executive Director of

JAAGO Foundation, said, "Covid-19 is here to

stay, and it's better we follow protective

measures to keep our near and dear ones safe

and sound. I would request each person to

wear a mask, wash hands and avoid crowds."

With the recent spike in COVID-19 cases in

the country, wearing masks has become more

critical than ever. To encourage people,

JAAGO has just launched this campaign again

to engage the public to wear masks and

highlight how to properly, safely use them,

and dispose of them safely.

Confidence Group, JAAGO, Daraz, and

Beximco Pharmaceuticals are actively

working to attain the Sustainable

Development Goals 2030 (SDGs). Their

activities are on par with Bangladesh's Vision

2041 as promised and guided by the

honorable Prime Minister. They hope the

youth's enthusiasm and active participation

will boost Bangladesh to become a prosperous

and developed nation of the world.

A three-day long campaign "Apnar Mask Kothay" in 64 districts of

Bangladesh successfully ends. The campaign aimed to raise awareness and

bring a behavioral change of people around wearing masks to combat the

COVID-19 virus. This campaign is an initiative of the JAAGO Foundation in

partnership with Daraz Online Shopping, Confidence Group, and Beximco

Pharmaceuticals Limited.

Photo : Courtesy

World order always

evolving: Roundtable

DHAKA : The world order, almost dictated

and instigated by a wide range of factors and

variables, is always evolving, leaving the

realities of yesteryears in history and

introducing newer dynamics, regimes and

paradigms, speakers said at a discussion,

reports UNB.

They said there are always newer trends

emerging on the horizon, following the

inclusions of the slightest of alterations in the

spheres of politics, economy and strategy.

President of Bangladesh Institute of Peace

and Security Studies (BIPSS) Major General

(retd) ANM Muniruzzaman and Editor of

Dhaka Tribune Zafar Sobhan harboured and

showcased similar sentiments in their

opening remarks at the BIPSS-Dhaka

Tribune roundtable titled, "Global Trends

2022" held at a city hotel on Sunday.

The roundtable was attended by a number

of diplomats, scholars, security experts, and

youth representatives from various

disciplines. BIPSS President Muniruzzaman

highlighted the key facets and variables

concerning global trends, the plausible

economic shocks and the "consequences of

consequences". "We live in an

interconnected world. A scenario anywhere is

a scenario everywhere," he said while also

mentioning that trade, economy, security and

strategy are just a few issues that we have to

tackle among many.

Muniruzzaman indicated that they are in

the process of "global urbanisation" and

talked about the emergence of megacities,

especially in South Asia, and the overarching

influence of this towards the global trends.

He discussed the global surge in populism,

introduction of a data driven world,

emergence of "disruptive technologies."

Muniruzzaman elaborated that this year all

need to revisit, rework and reinvigorate their

relationship with the earth to overcome

major pertinent security threats such as food,

water and energy insecurities.

He said they ought to comprehend events

that will shape the future and never rule out

"Black Swan" incidents, like the possibilities

of incidents like solar geomagnetic events

that could potentially disrupt, or even destroy

communications and other technology upon

which we have become so dependent. One of

the keynote speakers and CPD Distinguished

Fellow Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya

emphasised the major dimension in terms of

economic and global trends, pandemic and

vaccinations.

He also highlighted the existing disparity

and the possibility that the inequity in terms

of vaccinations might soldier on.

The economist identified the

disruptiveness of the year 2020, and

although things started to look up in the year

2021, that is slowly "withering away" with the

emerging economic uncertainties.

He identified upcoming challenges for

Bangladesh in the economic spectrum and

the absolute need to remain vigilant to cope

with these uncertainties.

Delving into the trends associated with

technology and security, second keynote

speaker Shafqat Munir, Research Fellow at

BIPSS, highlighted the various potential

flashpoints, introduction of newer domains of

warfare, hybrid warfare and the unabated

arms race. The potential flashpoints that

came to the forefront included Ukraine and

European security, showcasing the absolute

tension existent between Ukraine and Russia.

The Taiwan Strait also came on the front

burner again with strong advocacy within

Taiwan for independence, while escalating

tensions with China. Tensions also evidently

escalated between China and India too, which

has direct implications for Bangladesh.

Shafqat Munir also highlighted the other

existing trends such as the unabated arms

race slowly looming around the corner, the

increased levels of contestation,

militarization and competing strategies in the

maritime domain. He discussed the

recurring frequency of hybrid wars and how

it'll be a "Game Changer" and highlighted the

technological trends, emphasizing upon the

role of Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and

Augmented reality and how this whole

technological trend will completely reshape

our perception of reality.

TuEsdAy, FEbruAry 1, 2022

4

the issue of disability and inclusion

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam

e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com

Tuesday, February 1, 2022

defining the parameters

of economic growth

S

tudieS

by donor agencies from time to time have repeated

the point of how economic growth in Bangladesh is getting

shaved off as a consequence of corruption. According to such

studies, the country could probably add another 2 to 3 per cent to

its economic growth, annually, from significantly reducing its

corruption or reach a growth level of 7 or 8 per cent from the

present over 5 per cent on average. this outlook of the donor

bodies is an objective one. But let us not be obsessed also from

such observations that all efforts on the part of those who govern

the economy or run the country, should be essentially

concentrated on limiting corruption.

Corruption can be only one component among many others and

scoring well in all of these other components are probably more

crucial than frustrating corruption. For the other components of

growth, if the conditions for fulfilling them are reached, the same

would likely create conditions for economic growth to soar into even

the double digits in Bangladesh like in China. it is be no

overstatement to say that Bangladesh has the potentials of attaining

annual economic growth of 15 per cent or above provided these

other components of growth are well addressed through proper

plans and their executions and the establishment and retention of

a growth facilitating environment.

these other components which are discussed here range from

human resources formation to abilities and resolve of leadership at

various levels to even overcoming cultural or religious barriers. the

point is this writer looks at achieving of a much increased growth

rate in the context of Bangladesh for rapid alleviation of poverty and

improved standard of living, as having many facets to it . in sum,

what is suggested here is that the planners should come out of their

traditional thinking on growth and look at it much more

innovatively and dynamically. it would be impossible to describe in

details the numerous ways and means of achieving growth within

the limited space provided here. But describing a few should help in

the clarification of the views expressed here.

For example, the country's biggest export-oriented readymade

garments (RMG) sector can contribute to growth by increasing

productivity of its workers through selective and sustained training

programmes. the RMG sector can expand in size from investing in

the establishment of new units creating, thus, more employment

and more wealth that would be contributory to the country's

economic growth in a major way . it can make its production and

other processes leaner and fitter to increase its productivity and

earnings. it can adopt total quality management (tQM) that puts

each worker and every phase in the production process in the

position of quality controllers that would make maintenance of

large quality control departments or operations--redundant--

leading to big saving of costs. in fact, tQM can be extended to

progressively cover all or nearly all industries in Bangladesh that

would be a plus factor to the viable running of these enterprises

from costs savings as well as better quality control. the same would,

then, add to economic growth.

Some countries , including very prosperous ones like Japan, have

no scope to swiftly increase output from different sectors by only

applying labour and capital to them. this is because they lack in

large physical endowments. Japan, for example, has very little

natural resources of its own. it cannot add to growth like a

physically big and well endowed country such as Brazil by bringing

more lands under the plough or harnessing for the first time

untapped natural resources. Bangladesh is relatively a rich country

with many virgin and unexploited fields. it can, for instance, take

steps to utilize its vast discovered resources of coal and other

minerals. it can extend diverse forms of agriculture into

considerable fallow lands. it can aim to exploit its sea resources on

a large scale in the long run. Substantial investments on a large scale

are possible in Bangladesh in the tourism sector. Continuing

investments into these and other prospective areas through a really

dedicated business leadership helped by a similarly dedicated,

efficient and visionary national or governmental leadership,

indicate the possibilities of creating a faster pace of overall economic

growth for the country.

Government itself can be a big promoter of growth by introducing

and running policies to that end. Government can really try hard to

overhaul the country's archaic educational system which is largely a

burden than asset. it can create facilities for scientific, technical and

vocational education on a far larger scale than what are on offer at

present. it can particularly expand in a big way the opportunities for

skill training programmes. the net of these efforts will be the

formation of a large enough workforce supportive of much stepped

up investment activities leading to higher economic growth.

Government on its own or in partnership with the private sector,

should encourage rapid growth of all sorts of infrastructures to

facilitate cost-efficient business operations. Government can try

and be more successful in preventing smuggling operations that

would stimulate local enterprises to fill up the void from non

availability of smuggled goods.

Government needs to also more and more improve and fine

tune fiscal and monetary policies that would inspire and

encourage entrepreneurship locally. Government can also more

and more raise awareness of people about empowerment needs

of half of the population of the country who are females by

drawing them into gainful economic activities outside the

confines of their homes. Religious and cultural barriers will have

to be overcome to this end. But doing of it, successfully, will

allow the economy to be the gainer from receiving more and

direct output from female workers in the different formal

sectors. this will also aid the economic growth process.

So, from the above, it may be realized that there are so many

aspects to increasing economic growth than putting too much into

one basket like steps to get rid of corruption only. Greater

investments in the economy helped by enabling infrastructures,

efficient utilities and consumption of adequate energies, plus

helpful fiscal and monetary policies , much greater cost-efficient

operation by the entrepreneurs themselves, these are the keys really

to attaining record economic growth by Bangladesh to realize its

dreams of a better existence of its people.

Acommon social belief is that

disability is a curse and an

embarrassment to a family.

Women with disabilities are particularly

at risk for social inequality and neglect.

Persons with disabilities (PWd) are

commonly excluded from existing public

and private development programs. PWd

have lower entrance to education and

revenue generating activities compared to

the nondisabled persons of the same age

group. inclusion is a basic right of

everyone. it is to embrace everyone

regardless of race, age, gender, disability,

religious and cultural beliefs. When we

have removed all barriers, discrimination

and intolerance and when everyone feels

included and supported, whichever

environment they are in, and then we can

say we have true inclusion. inclusion

applies to all parts of our life. People have

very little knowledge about the

opportunities needed for PWd. A study

conducted in Bangladesh suggests that

disability can affect marital status in two

ways. it can be a barrier to marriage as

well as contributes to higher divorce rates.

in most cases, the responsibility of caring

for a disabled child rests solely on the

mother and father or others in a family

who play a very passive role. in my work,

i commonly experience that many

families have broken up due to the birth of

a disabled child. Many misconceptions

and negative points of views and attitudes

about disability still exist in families,

communities, and even across a country.

People may make friends with PWds but

not agree to marry them most often. due

to lack of accessibility, PWds are deprived

of admittance to schooling, healthcare,

travel, entertainment and even sources of

income. Appropriate facilities required for

PWds like access to light switches, sinks

and mirrors, elevators, ramps and wider

entrance are absent in most of the living

and official establishments, which

exemplify the absence of law enforcement

or presence of disability sensitive building

codes. Also, universal infrastructure

design is totally ignored in most instances,

delimiting easy mobility of PWds. even a

person with a disability, if educated,

healthy and able to do a job, may not be

considered for a job appropriate for his or

her qualification because of existing social

attitudes towards the disabled. A disabled

person faces unfair competition or

relinquishment despite having national

policies to protect PWds' rights (e.g., 10%

work quota for PWds). in summary,

building positive awareness towards

PWd, special access to education,

employment and disability aids are

indispensable. Bangladesh has several

national and international policies for the

inclusion and education of PWds. Among

them, the Salamanca declaration (1994)

and the Sustainable development Goals

(SdGs) are of particular significance.

inclusive education (ie) - an important

consideration of the Salamanca

declaration - has become crucial to ensure

the access of PWds to education, and by

ratifying the declaration, Bangladesh is

committed to achieving the goal of

education for all (eFA) through the

successful implementation of the ie in

regular schools. the Convention on the

elimination of discrimination against

Women (CedAW), the Millennium

development Goals (MdGs), and the

Millennium declaration (united nations

Children's Fund, uniCeF 2009) were

adopted by the unCRC (the united

nations Convention on the Rights of the

Child) and the Government of Bangladesh

(GoB) for expanding the growth,

protection and involvement of both

children and women. After the MdGs, the

united nations declared its new

development targets called the

Sustainable development Goals (SdGs)

in 2016. the SdGs address the

development and rights of PWd in more

detail than any other international

development agenda and the inclusion of

'disability' in the mainstream

development scheme is finally gaining

thrust. the GoB has recently primed a

special committee for inclusive education

under the Ministry of education,

representing the Ministry of Social

Welfare, and the Ministry of Primary and

Mass education to endorse children with

disabilities (CWd) in regular schools.

However, only children with mild

intellectual disabilities are receiving

education assistance from government

primary schools under the ie program

and the number of admissions is not

optimistic. it is estimated that about 5% of

CWds have been enrolled in regular

educational institutions. three types of

barriers to the inclusion of PWds are

identified: individual and family level,

community level and system level. Social

stigma, feeble socioeconomic condition,

lack of empowerment and awareness,

dearth of expectation from PWds, lack of

proper counseling and knowledge and

information are some of the individual or

family level barriers to inclusion.

LAiLA PArvin HimmEL

Community level barriers include lack of

acceptance, sensitization and community

engagement, lack of disabled Persons'

organizations (dPo) and the

incarceration of PWds in institutions, lack

of social leaders' engagement in PWd

related activities and lack of trained

professionals to provide different services

to PWds. the core system level barriers to

inclusion are lack of accessibility to

infrastructure, rigid education method

and curriculum, lack of proper census on

disability, lack of participation of

stakeholders, poverty and malnutrition to

mention but a few. especially, the access

of CWd to education is extremely

derisory. A non-equitable education

system, unfavorable school curriculum,

ignorance and lack of awareness,

compounded with inadequate training of

teachers to instruct CWds and unfriendly

school environment hinder the promotion

of CWd education in Bangladesh. For the

successful implementation of inclusive

education, we need to make radical

People may make friends with PWds but not agree to marry them most often. due

to lack of accessibility, PWds are deprived of admittance to schooling, healthcare,

travel, entertainment and even sources of income. Appropriate facilities required for

PWds like access to light switches, sinks and mirrors, elevators, ramps and wider

entrance are absent in most of the living and official establishments, which exemplify

the absence of law enforcement or presence of disability sensitive building codes.

changes in our core education system,

prepare and sensitize people at both

individual & community level. the

process needs to run, from individual to

system level and from system to

individual level . it is very important to

build public awareness at the root level. it

is also important to acknowledge that

both non-disabled and disabled children

would benefit from ie. on the one hand,

nondisabled children might learn to be

empathetic towards the disabled and

learn to behave more humanely. they

would be more congenial and openminded

towards the PWds and have self

regard or dignity, positive and right

approach to life and more compassionate

to friendships. on the other hand, CWd

might come out of an inferiority complex.

in many countries, inclusive schools have

shown that CWds have made progress in

academic and personal level. Carl A.

Cohn, edd, executive director of the

California Collaborative for educational

excellence, points out, "it's important to

realize that special education students are

first and foremost general education

students." to sensitize the individuals and

community, proper steps should be taken.

Misconceptions, myths or superstitions

about PWds need to be eradicated.

Families need appropriate counseling,

and necessary assessment surveys to

identify specific needs for support. All

types of media, local, national and

religious leaders need to play various roles

in creating sensitivity and awareness to

empower parents and families . the lack

of comprehensive efforts to develop

complementary policies and legal systems

needs to be addressed at the systematic

level. A number of initiatives and

expansions are needed to transform our

traditional edn rigid education system

into inclusive education. For example, the

infrastructure of each educational

institution must have a universal design.

every child needs proper assessment to

help identify if he is disabled, what is the

level of disability, whether he needs

special education, based on which

decisions could be made if the child needs

to be included. A number of countries

have successfully made several suitable

curricula that are managed to ensure

inclusivity into classes. examples of such

curricula include the ecological

Appropriate Curriculum to provide an

overview of previous work and connect

knowledge with life outside of school and

the differentiated Curriculum to help

each child learn based on his or her skills.

Several teaching models are practiced

jointly in inclusive classrooms like Coteaching

model - one or more special

educational teachers or a group of

teachers in the classroom), Mixedability

teaching Model, Multiple intelligences

Model, Learning Style table Model,

Collaborative Learning Style, Peer

tutoring and so on. the facilities of CWd

for assessing students need to be

improved and standardized. i have

personally experienced a useful system in

our neighboring country india called

open School, which is similar to the open

university system of Bangladesh. Most

importantly, through this open school

system, not only CWd but also working

children and children with difficult

situations can continue their education.

We need to create a special institutional

body for the successful implementation of

the CWd education system. on the one

hand, in-depth research on the issues

should be continued and on the other, it is

necessary to determine action plans by

analyzing existing studies. the

Government of Bangladesh has already

developed some useful laws which are

expected to be further improved in the

future. For now we should focus more on

sensitization and awareness building for

the acceptance of CWds in both

individual and community levels.

the writer is a mental health counselor.

[The writer is a mental health counselor]

Lessons from a failed ‘Palestinian’ film

Anyone

who has the slightest

familiarity with the making of a

feature or documentary film would

know too well what a Herculean task

mounting any such project is - whether it is

brilliantly or poorly done, whether it ends up

being highly successful or a huge failure,

critically acclaimed or a commercial flop.

over the decades, i have seen a number of

world-renowned filmmakers at work; from

Ridley Scott to Abbas Kiarostami, elia

Suleiman, Amir naderi, Hany Abu Assad,

Ramin Bahrani, Annemarie Jacir, Shirin

neshat, and many others. i learned from

these filmmakers that there are so many

financial, logistical, strategic, and practical

issues at work that the actual ideas at the

heart of a film are almost lost to all involved

except for the visionary craftsman called the

director who stands (or sits) behind the

camera and shouts "action," and then "cut!"

it is easy to find fault with a final product,

understand how and why it has failed,

where it went wrong - but one should be

cautious and circumspect in categorically

dismissing a film no matter what an

unqualified failure it might end up being.

A recent film about a crucial Palestinian

issue made by an egyptian filmmaker has

become the subject of such intense

controversy.

directed by the egyptian filmmaker

Mohamed diab, Amira (2021) is a family

drama that was shot in Jordan in 2019 and

co-produced by Jordan, egypt, and

Palestine. the film tells the story of its

eponymous lead character, Amira (tara

Abboud) - a Palestinian teenager who

believes she was conceived from the

smuggled-out sperm of an imprisoned

Palestinian freedom fighter named nawar

(Ali Suleiman). the drama begins when

Amira's young mother, Warda (Saba

Mubarak), agrees to conceive another child

with her still imprisoned husband. this

second attempt to smuggle nawar's sperm

out of the israeli prison leads to the

revelation that he is in fact sterile, and thus

cannot be the biological father of Amira.

When Amira started making the rounds of

international film festivals in italy, tunisia

and egypt in late 2021, it received some

praise from critics and even won a few

minor awards. But when Jordan selected it

as its entry for the Best international

Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards,

the quiet whispers of people unhappy with

the film began to get louder. eventually,

Jordan's Royal Film Commission

announced its decision to officially

withdraw the film from consideration for an

oscar "in light of the recent huge

controversy that the film has triggered and

the perception by some that it is detrimental

to the Palestinian cause and out of respect to

the feelings of the prisoners and their

families".

the commission, however, added that it

believes "in the artistic value of the film and

that its message doesn't harm in any way the

Palestinian cause nor that of the prisoners;

on the contrary, it highlights their plight,

their resilience".

But how could this film "harm" the

Palestinian cause anyway? it is just a film.

neither the Palestinian cause, nor the

immense sacrifices of Palestinians deeply

engaged in a prolonged and historical battle

against the theft of their homeland can ever

be damaged or devalued by any film, or

book, or poem. And hurting "the feelings of

the prisoners and their families" - or anyone

else for that matter - should be pretty low

down on the list of reasons why a film ends

up being a failure. the Jordanian Royal Film

Commission needs to muster better prose to

explain its decision.

indeed, the failure of this film is not that it

harms "the Palestinian cause" or "the

feelings of the prisoners". it is that it has

crucial narrative and cinematic issues. that

it lacks some of the most elementary

qualities that make up a good film.

HAmid dAbAsHi

the main culprit, in this case, is the film's

script which begins on a flawed premise,

keeps running after its own tail, and finally

collapses flat on its own face.

Jessica Kiang perfectly summed up the

problem at the heart of this film in her

review in Variety magazine: "A clumsily

cranked-up collision between paternity,

patriarchy and Palestinian identity". She

further explained: "Biological revelations

lead to increasingly convoluted and

decreasingly credible behavior in a queasy,

ill-judged Palestine-set melodrama." that is

Joseph Fahim, the distinguished Egyptian film critic put it

even more bluntly: "Amira is a highly contrived, ridiculous

melodrama seeping with endless implausible details that rob

the story of any credibility it may have had. The biggest crime

of the film though is its portrayal of Palestinian society."

the end of discussion. do you see any

reference to the Palestinian cause or its

justice or any other such highfalutin

rhetoric? no. it is just a bad film. that's it.

Joseph Fahim, the distinguished egyptian

film critic put it even more bluntly: "Amira is

a highly contrived, ridiculous melodrama

seeping with endless implausible details that

rob the story of any credibility it may have

had. the biggest crime of the film though is

its portrayal of Palestinian society."

Sometimes a cigar, as Freud is believed to

have said, is just a cigar. Sometimes a bad

film is just a bad film and does not do any

other damage than to the reputation of the

filmmakers.

instead of engaging in nonsensical

discussions about the nonexistent damage

the film inflicted on the Palestinian cause,

the Jordanian Royal Commission, the

filmmakers and anyone else for that matter

should try the figure out the real reason why

the film is so hated - and why it failed.

Let us first clear the air of any blanket

dismissal of this film. Here we have to make

some judicious distinctions. the three lead

actors - tara Abboud, Ali Suleiman, and

particularly Saba Mubarak - stage some

spectacular pieces of acting. Mohamed diab

is a gifted director who can tease out

extraordinary acting from his actors. the

cinematography of Ahmed Gabr is

exceptionally poignant and effective.

the main culprit is the script that just

failed to reflect Palestinian (or indeed any

other) reality. this is where the insularity of

a filmmaker comes into play.

this does not necessarily have anything to

do with the politics of the filmmaker. A

filmmaker could be politically committed to

the Palestinian cause but just write a bad,

convoluted, and ill-fated script. Simple as

that. Few people were as committed to the

Palestinian cause as yasser Arafat. yet i

doubt he could make a good film, or write a

decent script. But why did Amira's script go

so wayward? Let us move out of the

Palestinian context for a moment. Back in

the 1960s, a group of Latin American

filmmakers came up with the idea of "third

Cinema/tercer Cine" that they proposed

both thematically and formally took the

hegemony of Hollywood (First) and

european arthouse (Second) productions to

task. the kind of cinema they proposed and

envisioned was not just potently political but

pivoted to explore the aesthetic and poetic

dispositions of that politics. Filmmakers like

Mai Masri, nizar Hasan, Rashid

Masharawi, or elia Suleiman (among many

others) tap into the hidden aesthetic

dispositions of that brutish fact.

Amira's script failed because it just lost

touch with that overwhelming fact of

Palestinian existence. Works of fiction must

emerge from facts and lived experiences

before they take us to vistas of truths we are

otherwise unable to see - otherwise they

become not just delusional but a sheer act of

frivolity.

Palestinian and Arab, like any other,

filmmakers from around the globe must go

to Cannes, Locarno, Berlin, or new york to

teach their audiences what they do not know

- not just about the substance of realities

they have experienced, but about the

manners of storytelling beyond the reach of

the cliché-ridden Hollywood or now netflix.

Source: Al Jazeera

TUESDAy, FEbRUARy 1, 2022

5

What can cities do when

air pollution intensifies

GARy FULLER

Earlier in January the

London mayor and other

organisations issued the

first pollution warning of

the year. These warnings

follow the UK government

index. They are designed to

protect vulnerable people,

but they do this by asking

those people who

experience most harm to

avoid doing things

outdoors. They do not ask

the polluters to reduce their

emissions.

So, what can cities do

when air pollution soars

and what works? Many

European cities restrict car

parking, reduce speed

limits, pull the most

polluting vehicles off the

roads or ban half of vehicles

according to odd/even

number plates. These are

usually balanced by

cheaper, or free, public

transport and cycle hire.

Most cities justify these

schemes on the basis that

traffic is a major source of

air pollution, and any action

must help. Independent

scientific evaluations are

mainly restricted to the

biggest cities. For example,

data from Madrid and Paris

shows that banning the

most polluting vehicles can

reduce traffic pollution by

about 15-20%.

Many cities across the

western half of the US ban

home wood-burning when

indian schoolchildren ride their bikes to school in dense fog and air pollution

in Jalandhar.

Photo: Shammi Mehra

pollution is predicted to

linger in the cold winter air.

The scheme in Puget

Sound, Washington issues

bans each winter that

typically last a few days but

can be a week or more. In

California's San Joaquin

Valley, wood-burning bans

on around 100 days a year

reduced hospital

admissions for heart

problems in elderly people

by 7-17%. A pilot system has

just begun operating in

Sheffield in Yorkshire.

Some smogs cannot be

controlled from within the

city. Western Europe's

spring smogs and northern

India's pollution problems

will require actions from

surrounding farmers too.

The biggest smog

reduction schemes are

those around Beijing. These

began with the 2008

Olympics and Paralympics,

followed by the 2014 Asia

Pacific Economic

Cooperation (Apec)

summit and the 2015

parade to mark the 70th

anniversary of the end of

the second world war. At

times, controls took place

over an area of about

500,000 km2, covering a

population of nearly 300

million people.

Cuts to industry and

traffic over the city and

surroundings reduced

pollutants by between 40%

and 60%. Suddenly, the

people of Beijing could see

the true colour of the sky

without the customary

haze. It was nicknamed

"Apec blue", a term that

later came to mean

something delightful but

fleeting.

Beijing's fleeting blue

skies highlight a major

problem with emergency

actions. The air pollution

that we breathe each day

does more long-term harm

than short smogs. Sufficient

actions to control air

pollution all the time would

also help to control smogs.

Carbon offsetting is accelerating

environmental collapse

GEoRGE MonbioT

There is nothing that cannot be

corrupted, nothing good that

cannot be transformed into

something bad. And there is no

clearer example than the great

climate land grab. We now know

that it's not enough to leave fossil

fuels in the ground and

decarbonise our economies.

We've left it too late. To prevent

no more than 1.5C of heating, we

also need to draw down some of

the carbon already in the

atmosphere.

By far the most effective

means are "nature-based

solutions": using the restoration

of living systems such as forests,

salt marshes, peat bogs and the

seafloor to extract carbon

dioxide from the air and lock it

up, mostly in trees or

waterlogged soil and mud. Three

years ago, a small group of us

launched the Natural Climate

Solutions campaign to draw

attention to the vast potential for

stalling climate breakdown and a

sixth mass extinction through

the mass revival of ecosystems.

While it is hard to see either

climate or ecological

catastrophe being prevented

without such large-scale

rewilding, we warned that it

should not be used as a

substitute for decarbonising

economic life, or to allow

corporations to offset

greenhouse gases that shouldn't

be produced in the first place.

We found ourselves having to

shed a large number of partner

organisations because of their

deals with offset companies.

But our warnings, and those of

many others, went unheeded.

Something that should be a great

force for good has turned into a

corporate gold rush, trading in

carbon credits. A carbon credit

represents one tonne of

greenhouse gases, deemed to

have been avoided or removed

from the atmosphere. Over the

past few months, the market for

these credits has boomed.

There are two legitimate uses

of nature-based solutions:

removing historic carbon from

the air, and counteracting a small

residue of unavoidable emissions

once we have decarbonised the

rest of the economy. Instead,

they are being widely used as an

alternative for effective action.

Rather than committing to leave

fossil fuels in the ground, oil and

gas firms continue to prospect

for new reserves while claiming

that the credits they buy have

turned them "carbon neutral".

For example, Shell's Drive

Carbon Neutral scheme tells

businesses that by buying fuel on

its loyalty card, the

"unavoidable" emissions from

their fleets of vehicles can be

offset "through Shell's global

portfolio of nature-based

solutions projects". It assures

customers that, by joining the

programme, "you don't even

have to change the way you

work". Similar claims by Shell in

the Netherlands were struck

down by the country's

advertising watchdog.

The French company Total is

hoping to develop new oilfields

in the Republic of the Congo and

off the coast of Suriname. It has

sought to justify these projects

with nature-based solutions: in

Suriname by providing money to

the government for protecting

existing forests, and in Congo by

planting an area of savannah

with fast-growing trees.

Wealthy companies are using the facade of 'nature-based solutions' to

enact a great carbon land grab.

Photo: EPA

This project is extremely

controversial. If the drilling goes

ahead it will help to break open a

region of extremely rich forests

and wetlands that sits on top of

the biggest peat deposit in the

tropics, potentially threatening a

huge natural carbon store. The

rare savannah habitat the

company wants to convert into

plantations to produce timber

and biomass has scarcely been

explored by ecologists.

It's likely to harbour a far

greater range of life than the

exotic trees the oil company

wants to plant. It is also likely to

belong to local people though

their customary rights, which are

unrecognised in Congolese law,

were not mentioned in Total's

press release about the deal. In

other words, the offset project,

far from compensating for the

damage caused by oil drilling,

could compound it.

These are not the only issues.

In all such cases, an extremely

stable bank of carbon - the fossil

fuels buried below geological

strata - is being swapped for less

secure stores: habitats on the

Earth's surface. Last year, forests

being used as corporate offsets

were incinerated by the wildfires

raging across North America. It's

also hard in some cases to prove

that offset money has made a

real difference. For example, two

of Shell's projects have been

criticised on the grounds that the

forests they claim to defend may

not be at risk. These schemes

often rely on untestable

counterfactuals: what would

have happened if this money had

not been spent?

While there are international

standards for how carbon should

be counted, there is no

accounting for the moral hazard

of carbon offsets: the false

assurance that persuades us we

need not change the way we live.

There is no accounting for the

way companies use these

projects to justify business as

usual. There is no accounting for

how they use this greenwashing

to persuade governments not to

regulate them. Nature-based

solutions should help us to avoid

systemic environmental

collapse. Instead, they are

helping to accelerate it.

And then there's a small

issue of land. There is simply

not enough land on Earth to

soak up corporate greenhouse

gas emissions. Oxfam

estimates that the land

required to meet carbon

removal plans by businesses

could amount to five times the

size of India - more than the

entire area of farmland on the

planet. And much of it

rightfully belongs to

indigenous and other local

people, who in many cases

have not given their consent.

This process has a name:

carbon colonialism.

During the Cop26 climate

summit in November last year,

the government of the

Malaysian state of Sabah

announced a carbon credits

deal with foreign corporations

covering an astonishing 2m

hectares (5m acres) of forest.

Indigenous people say they

knew nothing about it.

In Scotland, Shell is spending

£5m extending the Glengarry

forest. While Scotland needs

more trees, it also needs a much

better distribution of land. As big

corporations and financiers pile

into this market, land prices are

rising so fast that local people,

some of whom would like to run

their own rewilding and

reforestation projects, are being

shut out.

HibAq FARAH

A new species of insect has

been found in the Ugandan

rainforest that belongs to a

group of insects so rare that its

closest known relative was last

seen more than 50 years ago.

The species of leafhopper,

named Phlogis kibalensis, was

discovered by a British

scientist doing field work in a

national park in western

Uganda.

The species has a metallic

sheen and pitted body surface.

It resembles other leafhoppers,

particularly in its male

reproductive organs, which are

partly shaped like a leaf. Before

this discovery, the last

recorded sighting of a

leafhopper from the Phlogis

genus was in Central African

Republic in 1969.

Leafhoppers are closely

related to cicadas but are

smaller. They feed mainly on

plant sap and are preyed on by

invertebrates including

spiders, beetles and parasitic

wasps, as well as birds.

"It's the first time I've ever

discovered a newly described

species. Personally, it's one of

those things you aspire to do

as an entomologist and I've

managed to do it now," said

Dr Alvin Helden of Anglia

Ruskin University, who found

the species and has published

the findings in the journal

Zootaxa.

"Phlogis kibalensis is a

member of the leafhoppers.

Most people are familiar with

cicadas, and leafhoppers are

related to cicadas. I usually

describe them as much, much

Finding the gap between Australian

climate policy and the science

LEnoRE TAyLoR

Even during the summer holiday switch-off it

was impossible to miss the takes about the

Netflix satire Don't Look Up. Climate scientists

related to the helplessness and panic felt by the

astronomers in the movie who discovered a

"planet killing" comet about to hit Earth, only

to have their warnings mocked and ignored.

Critics panned it. Too obvious and

laboured, they said. Which indeed it might

be. But a purely cinematic critique of a

parable about missing the point of

planetary destruction does kind of … miss

the point. In the same lazy beach week that

I watched Don't Look Up, I also read the

beautiful Bewilderment by Richard Power,

with its wrenching depiction of a

neurodivergent nine-year-old who simply

cannot understand why adults are ignoring

accelerating signs of environmental

destruction.

Both book and movie made me think

about how we report the climate crisis. Even

in the grip of a pandemic, it is the emergency

of our times, and raising the alarm is an

ongoing editorial priority for the Guardian,

in Australia and globally.

The undercurrent of that reporting, the

bleak truth beneath every story, is the gap

between what the science says to be true,

and what we do about it. In Australian

public policy that gap is a yawning chasm, a

reality that has been drowned out, wilfully

ignored and wickedly misrepresented

during a decade of climate "wars".

The "wars", of course, were never about

who had the best plan to avoid unfolding

environmental catastrophe, but rather

which party or faction could most effectively

turn not having any plan to their immediate

political advantage, or which was best at

misrepresenting and destroying a

competitor's workable ideas.

Maybe that's why it was so hard to laugh

during Don't Look Up when Meryl Streep,

playing the US president who had just been

New species of rare

leafhopper found in Uganda

smaller. They all have the same

overall structure; their head

end is held slightly higher than

their back end and they are

quite colourful.

"Leafhoppers of this genus,

and the wider tribe, are very

unusual in appearance, and

are rarely found. In fact, they

are so incredibly rare that their

biology remains almost

completely unknown. We

know almost nothing about

Phlogis kibalensis, the new

species I found, including what

plants it feeds on or its role in

the local ecosystem."

Since 2015, Helden has been

leading student field trips to

the Kibale national park, close

to Uganda's border with the

Democratic Republic of the

Congo. As part of this, Helden

has been documenting the

insects found in the park,

making field guides which

include photos of Kibale's

butterflies, hawkmoths and

tortoise beetles.

"I wanted to produce my

told of impending global destruction,

decided the best thing to do was to "sit tight

and assess" until after the midterms.

Anyone approaching the issue with

basic scientific literacy sees the disconnect

between science and politics. Most have

coped by focusing on the practical, the

possible, the incremental changes that

inch things forward. Not allowing the idea

of perfect climate policy to become the

enemy of the good might have felt more

consequential had more good policy been

on offer.

But through that lens, there was

incremental progress towards the end of

2021. Both major parties committed to a

target of net zero emissions by 2050,

although as Guardian Australia's

environment editor, Adam Morton, pointed

out, the Coalition's commitment included

no new policies, largely relied on unproven

technology and did not actually get the

country to net zero. Or, as our political

editor, Katharine Murphy, put it, it was

really just "the status quo with some new

speculative graphs".

Then Labor announced a 2030 target of a

43% reduction in emissions, more

ambitious than the Coalition's 26-28%, but

still carefully calibrated to try to withstand

yet another scare campaign. Rather than

dusting off their hyperbolic lines about the

destruction of the economy, business and

employer groups supported Labor's policy,

leading Morton to tentatively wonder

whether the climate wars might be over.

At the moment a political truce around

inadequate policy seems like a best possible

scenario. Maybe even followed by modest

progress during the next term of parliament.

But we are long past the time for

incrementalism.

With rapidly diminishing years left before

the world runs out of time to decarbonise,

this year's election has to move beyond the

tired analysis about how Australian parties

own identification guide for

the butterflies for my students,

so they can see them on their

phones or tablets. I thought it

would also be useful for other

international groups and

Ugandan students," said

Helden. "There are so many

species in the rainforest of the

Kibale national park and you

can get a list of species, but

there aren't enough pictures.

The guides are helpful for

people who want to put a name

to things."

A new species of leafhopper which was found by Dr Alvin Helden.

Photo: Anglia Ruskin University

may find some slick or sneaky climate

message that satisfies voters in "coal seats"

as well as those in the inner city, as if "coal"

seats are somehow immune from the

ecological and economic impacts of global

heating. The questions demanded by that

gap between science and political reality can

no longer be trum ped by backroom

strategic games.

Does Australia really want to play its part

in limiting global warming to 1.5C? Do those

vying for political office really understand

the consequences of failing to meet that

target? If they are committed to it, why is the

government spending $600m on a new gasfired

power plant in New South Wales - to

take just one of many examples of policy

blatantly contradicting promises. Its own

market operator says it's not needed and the

International Energy Agency said almost a

year ago there could be no new investments

in coal, oil or gas if the world was to have

even a shot of meeting that goal.

Perhaps the mobilising "Voices of" or teal

independents will force these questions on

to the agenda, or if not them, the moderate

Liberals whose seats they threaten. Perhaps

the possibility of a hung parliament and the

need to deal with some of those

independents will steer the debate back

towards something resembling sane.

Perhaps the overwhelming concern of voters

will finally hold sway.

Guardian Australia has worked to elevate

the climate debate since its establishment in

2013, with news, analysis, video series and

podcasts. We'll be intensifying our efforts

this election year, through news and analysis

from Murphy and Morton and environment

reporters Lisa Cox and Graham Readfearn,

through Readfearn's factchecking column

Temperature Check and Peter Hannam's

reporting on the green economy.

However the politics plays, we'll stick with

the task of asking the questions demanded

by the science.

With rapidly diminishing years left before the world runs out of time to decarbonise, this year's election

has to move beyond the same tired analysis of Australian parties' policies.

Photo: Adwo

tueSdAy, FeBruAry 1, 2022

6

587 more

test positive

for Covid-19

in Ctg

Strike halts import-export

through Petrapole port

Members of Bangldesh Coast gurad in a drive detained a drug peddler along with 70000 yaba pills

in teknaf on Monday.

photo: Courtesy

BCG detains drug peddler along

with 70000 yaba pills in Teknaf

Members of Bangldesh Coast Gurad in

a drive detained a drug peddler along

with 70000 yaba pills in Teknaf on

Monday, a press release said.

This information was given by Lt.

Commander Abdur Rahman, Media

Officer of Bangladesh Coast Guard

Headquarters on Monday noon.

He said that on the basis of secret

information, a special operation was

conducted in the area of Sabrang

Newly elected chairmen

of unions under

Jagannathpur and

Dharmapasha upazilas

takes oath

A K Milon, SunAMgAnj

CorreSpondent

Sunamganj Deputy

Commissioner Md. Jahangir

Hossain administered the

oath of the newly elected

chairmen of Jagannathpur

and Dharmapasha Upazila

Union Parishads in the

conference room of the

Deputy Commissioner on

Monday noon.

Additional Deputy

Commissioner (General)

Asim Chandra Banik and

other officials were present

on the occasion. After

reading the oath, the Deputy

Commissioner greeted the

newly elected UP chairmen.

70 more test

positive for

Covid-19 in

Faridpur

FARIDPUR: Seventy more

people have tested positive

for Covid-19 in the last 24

hours till last morning,

raising the total infection to

22,917 in the district, reports

BSS.

District Civil Surgeon

Office sources said 70

positive cases were found

after testing 176 samples at

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib

Medical College Hospital

PCR Lab during the time,

showing the infection rate

41.57 percent.

Dr Siddikur Rahman, civil

surgeon of the district, said a

total of 22,917 people were

detected positive for Covid-

19 in the district so far after

testing 97,655 samples.

The number of cured

patients from the lethal virus

stood at 22,052 showing the

cured rate 96.22 percent, he

added.

The death toll from the

virus in the district remained

at 538, Dr Siddikur Rahman

mentioned.

Kantabunia under Teknaf Police

Station under the command of BCG

Station Teknaf Station Commander Lt.

Com. Syed Taimur Pasha on Monday.

During the operation, at around 4:30

am, a suspicious person was seen

coming from Kantabunia Ghat towards

Jhau forest with a white plastic bag in

his hand.

When the man's movements became

suspicious, Coast Guard members

signaled the man to stop. When the

man realized the presence of the Coast

Guard and tried to run away, the Coast

Guard members were able to chase and

arrest the man (Hossain Ahmed-26).

The man's bag was later searched and

70,000 pieces of yaba tablets were

seized.

He added that the seized yaba tablets

and yaba smugglers should be taken to

the next legal action.

Sunamganj deputy Commissioner Md. jahangir Hossain administered

oath of the newly elected chairmen of jagannathpur and dharmapasha

upazila union parishads in the conference room of the deputy

Commissioner on Monday.

photo: A K Milon

Promoting high-valued fruits,

medicinal crops farming stressed

RAJSHAHI: Instead of only conventional

fruits and vegetables, time has come to

promote the cultivation of non-conventional

fruits and medicinal crops to meet their

gradually mounting demands, reports BSS.

Motivating the grassroots farmers towards

expanding and promoting non-conventional

fruits and medicinal crops farming can be the

best ways of meeting up the demands through

domestic production.

Importance of various non-conventional

fruits and medicinal crops is being witnessed

in terms of protecting the public health from

various communicable diseases including

Covid-19.

So, field-level agricultural officials and

employees have a vital role to boost the fruits

and medicinal crops farming through

motivating and encouraging the farmers.

Agricultural extension and researchers

came up with the observations while

conducting technical sessions of a daylong

training for second class officers on the issue

in Rajshahi city on Sunday.

Barind Multipurpose Development

Authority (BMDA) hosted the training at its

conference hall under a project titled

"Popularizing of High Valued

Unconventional Fruit and Medicinal Crop in

the Barind Area".

BMDA, the ever-largest irrigation providing

state-owned entity in the country's northwest

region, has been implementing the project

since early this year.

The five-year project is being implemented

in 13 upazilas of Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj

and Naogaon districts at a cost of around

Taka 17.34 crore.

BMDA Chairman Akhter Jahan addressed

the training as chief guest with its Executive

Director Engineer Abdur Rashid in the chair.

Deputy Director of the Department of

Agriculture Extension (DAE) Mozdar

Hossain, Principal Scientific Officer of Fruit

Research Station Dr Alim Uddin and

Principal Trainer of Agriculture Training

Institute Nurul Islam conducted the training

sessions as resource persons.

ATM Rafiqul Islam, director of the project,

gave an illustration of the project along with

its aims, objectives and implementation

strategy during his keynote presentation.

He said around 52 demonstration orchards

will be generated aimed at boosting

production of high-valued non-conventional

fruits and medicinal crops through

popularizing farming of those in the Barind

area.

Besides, initiative has been taken to

generate more orchards of the highly valued

fruits and field crops in personal lands and

homesteads of the farmers in the dried area.

To this end, 4.15 lakh saplings and 2,000

kilograms of seeds of nonconventional fruits

and crops will be distributed among the

farmers free of cost on behalf of the project.

CHATTOGRAM: A total of

587 people were detected

positive for Covid-19 in the

last 24 hours after testing

2,766 samples in 12 Covid-

19 laboratories in the

district, reports BSS.

The Covid-19 positivity

rate in the district is 21.22

percent.

With the new cases, the

total number of Covid-19

patients climbed to 1,19,714

in the district, Dr. Ilias

Chowdhury, civil surgeon

of Chattogram told BSS

yesterday.

The number of positive

cases continues rising

rapidly in the last one

month amid a declining

trend in the recovery rate

of the infected patients.

At the same time, the

number of healed Covid-19

patients rose to 99,405

with the recovery of 495

more patients during the

time in the district.

The average recovery rate

currently stands at 83.25

percent in Chattogram city

and district.

With one more new

death recorded during the

period, the death toll

reached 1,355.

A total of 3,305 infected

patients are now

undergoing treatment at

different designated

hospitals here.

103 poor get

Tk 15.95 lakh

microcredit

in Dimla

RANGPUR: The

Department of Social

Services (DSS) distributed

Taka 15.95 lakh interestfree

microcredit among

103 poor and marginalized

people of Dimla upazila in

Nilphamari on Sunday,

reports BSS.

Officials said the interestfree

microcredit was

disbursed among the poor

of different villages in

Paschim Chhatnai,

Khogakharibari,

Tepakharibari, Dimla and

Purbo Chhatnai unions of

the upazila to improve

their living standard

through incomegenerating

activities.

Vice-chairman of Dimla

upazila parishad

Dhirendra Nath Roy

distributed the interestfree

microcredit among the

selected beneficiaries in a

function held at Dimla

upazila parishad

auditorium as the chief

guest.

With Dimla Upazila

Social Service Officer

Nurun Nahar Norrie in the

chair, Upazila Youth

Development Officer

Khondker Enamul Kabir

and President of Dimla

Leprosy and General

Disability Development

Sangstha Mominur

Rahman attended the

function as special guests.

RANGPUR: Experts at a discussion have

stressed early diagnosis and full course

treatment of the infectious leprosy

disease for preventing lifelong

neuropathy and disability, reports BSS.

They viewed this at the event arranged

by the Kurigram civil surgeon office with

the assistance of Lepra Bangladesh in

observance of the World Leprosy Day-

2022 on Sunday.

The programme was arranged at the

civil surgeon's office premises of

Kurigram. Civil Surgeon Dr. Manjur-E-

Murshid addressed the discussion as the

chief guest with Dr. Hirombo Kumar Roy

in the chair. Leprosy Medicine expert Dr.

ANM Golam Muhaimen Rasel, Medical

Officers at the Civil Surgeon's Office Dr.

stops import-export

SHAHid joy, jASHore CorreSpondent

Members of the C&F Agent Staff Welfare

Association and the Transport Association

working in the Indian port of Petrapole have

called for an indefinite strike to demand an

end to harassment by the Petrapole Port

Authority of India and the BSF.

According to the Indian Staff Welfare

Association, the new (LP) manager of the

Indian port of Petropol has suddenly taken a

new decision after joining. As a result,

transport workers and truck drivers cannot

enter the ICP port without a unique card.

According to Indian goods, BSF members

are harassing each truck for 10 to 15 minutes

before it enters Bangladesh.

BSF members are not only searching but

also physically torturing truck drivers and

helpers. In addition, Indian products imply

that drivers without truck helpers should be

taken to Bangladesh alone, a new rule has

been introduced.

Kartik Chakraborty, general secretary of

the Petrapole Port Staff Welfare Association

of India, said the port's LP manager had

suddenly introduced new rules on import

and export trade at the port without

consulting business associations. According

to the rules, they have to be allowed to enter

the ICP. The strike will continue till the

demand is not met, said Kartik Chakraborty.

Mamun Kabir Tarafdar, deputy director of

Benapole port in Bangladesh, said, "We have

not received any letter of strike to stop

import-export or strike at Petrapole port. I

have heard that traders and transporters'

association is protesting against LP manager

on the other side."

However, they are trying to resolve the

issue through meetings. We are ready to take

any time if they give the goods.

Members of the C&F Agent Staff Welfare Association and the transport

Association working in the indian port of petrapole have called for an

indefinite strike to demand an end to harassment by the petrapole port

Authority of india and the BSF.

photo: tBt

Journalist S Mizanul Islam

receives award for National

Teacher's Day 2022

Banaripara Correspondent: On the

occasion of National Teachers' Day-2022, a

discussion meeting and meritorious public

honors program was held on January 29 at 5

pm at New Chingri Chinese

Restaurant.Principal of Manohardi

Government College Md. Golam Farooq

presided over the discussion on the role of

teachers and media in the current context of

protecting the dignity of teachers organized

by South Asia Social Education Foundation.

The chief guest was Syed Margub

Morshed, former Information Secretary,

Chairman BTRC, AK Fazlul Haque, Chief

Adviser, National Research Council and

grandson of Sher-e-Bangla. Former Vice

Chancellor of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural

University Prof. Dr. Kamal Uddin Ahmed.

Special guest Bangladesh Madrasa

Education Board Member Dr. Maulana

AKM Mahbubur Rahman, Kushtia Afsar

Uddin Balika Madrasa Founder Principal

Abu Khair Mohammad Nuruzzaman,

Bangladesh Human Rights Association

Chairman Md. Manjur Hossain Isa,Teacher

and journalist S Mizanul Islam.

At the end of the discussion, on the

occasion of National Teachers' Day-2022, 20

eminent persons including teacher and

journalist S. Mizanul Islam were given

honors and certificates for their special role

in various professions.

on the occasion of national teachers' day-2022, journalist S. Mizanul islam

recieved honor for his special role in the capital recently. photo: tBt

Early diagnosis to

prevent infectious

leprosy disease

stressed

Debjit Bakshi and Dr. Tausif Tanvir

Ratul, among others, addressed.

The experts elaborately discussed

symptoms of the infectious disease of

leprosy caused by Mycobacterium leprae.

They said the infection causes

disabilities of the eyes, hands, and feet

due to neuropathy, which are often not

reversible and may require lifelong care

and rehabilitation. The civil surgeon put

maximum emphasis on early diagnosis of

the disease and said that full course

treatment of leprosy is critical for

preventing lifelong neuropathy and

disability.

"Even in the present time, leprosy still

remains poorly understood and often

feared by the general public although it is

not highly contagious and very effective

treatment of the disease is now available,"

he said.

He stressed creating awareness among

people for early diagnosis and complete

treatment to minimize the probability of

various kinds of disabilities to free

Bangladesh from the infectious disease

by 2030.

7

Rain-fed landslides,

flooding kill at least

19 in Brazil

BRASILIA, Brazil :

Landslides and flooding

caused by heavy rains

killed at least 19 people in

Brazil's most populous

state Sunday while high

waters forced some

500,000 families from

their homes over the

weekend, authorities said,

reports UNB.

Three people from the

same family died when a

landslide destroyed their

house in the city of Embu

das Artes, according to the

municipal government,

while four other people

were rescued by firemen.

Four children died in

Francisco Morato, Sao

Paulo state Gov. Joao

Doria said, and the state

government said four

other people died in

Franco da Rocha. Deaths

also were reported in

Ribeirao Preto and Jau.

Three of the deaths

involved people who were

swept away by flood

waters, the state fire

department said.

Doria used a helicopter

to survey damaged areas

on Sunday and announced

the equivalent of $2.8

million in financial aid to

affected cities.

Overflowing rivers forced

500,000 families to leave

their homes, the state

government said. Several

roads and highways were

blocked.

Because of disruptions

caused by the rain, the city

of Sao Paulo canceled

scheduled vaccinations

against the coronavirus.

Southeastern Brazil has

been punished with heavy

rains since the start of the

year, with 19 deaths

recorded in Minas Gerais

state earlier this month.

Landslides and flooding caused by heavy rains killed at least 19 people in Brazil's most populous

state Sunday while high waters forced some 500,000 families from their homes over the weekend,

authorities said.

Photo : AP

UN says over 100 ex-Afghan and

international forces killed

UNITED NATIONS : The United Nations

has received "credible allegations" that

more than 100 former members of the

Afghan government, its security forces

and those who worked with international

troops have been killed since the Taliban

took over the country Aug. 15, Secretary-

General Antonio Guterres says, reports

UNB.

In a report obtained Sunday by The

Associated Press, Guterres said that

"more than two-thirds" of the victims

were alleged to result from extrajudicial

killings by the Taliban or its affiliates,

despite the Taliban's announcement of

"general amnesties" for those affiliated

with the former government and U.S.-led

coalition forces.

The U.N. political mission in

Afghanistan also received "credible

allegations of extrajudicial killings of at

least 50 individuals suspected of

affiliation with ISIL-KP," the Islamic State

extremist group operating in Afghanistan,

Guterres said in the report to U.N.

Security Council.

He added that despite Taliban

assurances, the U.N. political mission has

also received credible allegations "of

enforced disappearances and other

violations impacting the right to life and

physical integrity" of former government

and coalition members.

Guterres said human rights defenders

and media workers also continue "to

come under attack, intimidation,

harassment, arbitrary arrest, ill-treatment

and killings."

Eight civil society activists were killed,

including three by the Taliban and three

by Islamic State extremists, and 10 were

subjected to temporary arrests, beatings

and threats by the Taliban, he said. Two

journalists were killed - one by IS - and

two were injured by unknown armed

men.

The secretary-general said the U.N.

missions documented 44 cases of

temporary arrests, beatings and threats of

intimidation, 42 of them by the Taliban.

The Taliban overran most of Afghanistan

as U.S. and NATO forces were in the final

stages of their chaotic withdrawal from

the country after 20 years. They entered

Kabul on Aug. 15 without any resistance

from the Afghan army or the country's

president, Ashraf Ghani, who fled.

The Taliban initially promised a general

amnesty for those linked to the former

government and international forces, and

tolerance and inclusiveness toward

women and ethnic minorities. However,

the Taliban have renewed restrictions on

women and appointed an all-male

government, which have met with dismay

by the international community.

Afghanistan's aid-dependent economy

was already stumbling when the Taliban

seized power, and the international

community froze Afghanistan's assets

abroad and halted economic support,

recalling the Taliban's reputation for

brutality during its 1996-2001 rule and

refusal to educate girls and allow women

to work.

TUeSdAY, feBRUARY 1, 2022

US pledges to put Russia on defensive

at UN Security Council

WASHINGTON : The U.S. worked Sunday to

ramp up diplomatic and financial pressure on

Russia over Ukraine, promising to put Moscow

on the defensive at the U.N. Security Council as

lawmakers on Capitol Hill said they were

nearing agreement on "the mother of all

sanctions."

The American ambassador to the United

Nations said the Security Council will press

Russia hard in a Monday session to discuss its

massing of troops near Ukraine and fears it is

planning an invasion.

"Our voices are unified in calling for the

Russians to explain themselves," Ambassador

Linda Thomas-Greenfield said of the U.S. and

the other council members on ABC's "This

Week." "We're going into the room prepared to

listen to them, but we're not going to be

distracted by their propaganda."

Ukraine's ambassador to the U.S., Oksana

Markarova, warned that Russian President

Vladimir Putin is bent on waging an "attack on

democracy," not just on a single country. It's a

case that some senior foreign policy figures

have urged President Joe Biden to make,

including at the Security Council.

"If Ukraine will be further attacked by

Russia, of course they will not stop in Ukraine,"

Markarova said on CBS's "Face the Nation."

Any formal action by the Security Council is

extremely unlikely, given Russia's veto power

and its ties with others on the council,

including China. But the U.S. referral of

Russia's troop buildup to the United Nations'

most powerful body gives both sides a stage in

their fight for global opinion.

Russia's massing of an estimated 100,000

troops near the border with Ukraine has

brought increasingly strong warnings from the

West that Moscow intends to invade. Russia is

demanding that NATO promise never to allow

Ukraine to join the alliance, and to stop the

deployment of NATO weapons near Russian

borders and roll back its forces from Eastern

Europe. NATO and the U.S. call those

demands impossible.

The head of Russia's Security Council,

Nikolai Patrushev, on Sunday rejected

Western warnings about an invasion.

"At this time, they're saying that Russia

threatens Ukraine - that's completely

ridiculous," he was quoted as saying by state

news agency Tass. "We don't want war and we

don't need it at all."

Ukraine's foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba,

countered that on Twitter, saying: "If Russian

officials are serious when they say they don't

want a new war, Russia must continue

diplomatic engagement and pull back military

forces."

The U.S. worked Sunday to ramp up diplomatic and financial pressure on

Russia over Ukraine, promising to put Moscow on the defensive at the U.N.

Security Council as lawmakers on Capitol Hill said they were nearing

agreement on "the mother of all sanctions."

Photo : AP

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2022

8

Start ups bringing Pakistan’s

farming into digital age

Social Islami Bank Ltd inaugurated 10 (Ten) new agent banking outlets through virtual platform on

January 31. Zafar Alam, Managing Director & CEO of SIBL inaugurated the outlets as chief guest

respectively at Olir Bazar & Projapoti Bazar (Cumilla), Narjar Bari Bazar (Narsingdi), Shahar Bazar

(Chandpur), Maligram Bazar (Faridpur), Bibir Bazar & Diabari Bazar (Dhaka), Durgapur Bazar

(Rajshahi), Char Bangshi Bazar (Laxmipur) and Shashibhusan Bazar (Bhola). Md. Tajul Islam and

Abu Reza Md. Yeahia, Additional Managing Directors, Abu Naser Chowdhury, Md. Sirajul Hoque

and Md. Shamsul Hoque, Deputy Managing Directors, Kazi Obaidul Al-Faruk, Head of Human

Resources Division, Md. Moniruzzaman, Head of Marketing & Brand Communication, Md. Mashiur

Rahman, Head of Agent Banking Division were also present in the program. Managers of different

branch, Agent of the outlets and local dignitaries also attended the program. Photo: Courtesy

Islami Bank Bangladesh Ltd has been awarded as 'Strongest Islamic Retail

Bank in Bangladesh' in 7th Islamic Retail Banking Awards conferred by

UK-based Cambridge IFA and Islamic Retail Banking Awards. The award

is based on a global ranking of Islamic banks and retail financial institutions

from USA, Asia and Africa carried by Cambridge Institute of Islamic

Finance. Mohammed Monirul Moula, Managing Director & CEO of IBBL

handed over the recently received award to Professor Md. Nazmul Hassan,

Ph.D, Chairman of the Bank. The same organization also awarded Islami

Bank as the 'Strongest Islamic Retail Bank in Asia'. Photo: Courtesy

Eurozone economy rebounds

in 2021 after recession

BRUSSELS : The eurozone

economy posted robust

growth last year, official data

showed Monday, but fallout

from the Omicron variant

and an energy crunch have

raised doubts about the

bloc's ability to sustain the

pace, reports BSS.

While historic, the 5.2

percent expansion fails to

gain back all the ground lost

to the crash suffered in 2020,

when the first shock of the

coronavirus pandemic saw

the eurozone contract by a

cataclysmic 6.4 percent.

The strength of the

eurozone's recovery trailed

the boom in the United

States, which grew by 5.6

percent in 2021. China's lept

by 8.1 percent, according to

government data.

Eurostat said the full 27-

country EU economy, which

includes several large

economies that do not use

the euro such as Poland and

NEW YORK : Price increases helped

McDonald's report higher profits

Thursday as the fast-food giant navigates

an inflationary environment that it

argues advantages the Big Mac maker

over its competitors.

Facing elevated costs for paper, food

and labor, the restaurant chain lifted

prices "a little over six percent" in the

United States last year without seeing

consumer pushback, said Chief Financial

Officer Kevin Ozan, reports BSS.

We "generally try and take small

increments of pricing at various times

versus take a lot at one time," Ozan said

on a conference call with analysts, adding

that the fast-food giant continues to

receive good scores on value from surveys

of customers.

McDonald's also cited a successful

menu and marketing blitz around the

Sweden, grew by 5.9 percent.

Analysts said the rebound

in Europe showed strong

divergences especially late in

the year, with export

powerhouse Germany seeing

negative growth in the final

quarter, and France, Spain

and Italy expanding

healthily.

The German government

on Wednesday lowered its

economic growth forecast for

2022 because of problems

posed by Omicron and its

effect on the global supply

chain, a crucial concern for

Europe's biggest economy.

The crisis in Ukraine has

also darkened the mood, as

fears grow that Russia, a

major source of fossil fuels,

could curb the gas supply to

Europe when heating needs

are at a peak.

This would add to

challenges posed by the

highly contagious Omicron

coronavirus variant that has

brought a new wave of health

restrictions and disrupted

supply chains.

"We expect a soft start to

2022 as high cases and the

return of restrictions,

especially on contactintensive

services, weigh on

growth in the first quarter",

said Rory Fennessy of

Oxford Economics.

But a strong rebound is

expected over the second

and third quarters "as supply

bottlenecks unwind and

consumer demand

recovers," he added.

Analysts are also keeping a

close eye on inflation which

his reaching historic levels in

the eurozone, and could

bring a hit to consumer

demand if it is not tamed in

the coming months.

The IMF last week cut its

world GDP forecast for 2022

to 4.4 percent because of the

surprise challenges posed by

the Omicron variant.

McRib and Crispy Chicken Sandwich in

the United States, as well as a broadly

improving Covid-19 situation in some

leading markets.

But at a time when consumer inflation

is a concern, McDonald's executives

argued that the chain is well positioned.

"As we go into 2022, we are in a sharetaking

mentality," said Chief Executive

Chris Kempczinski, who added that the

company has had "several years" of

outperforming the industry by key sales

benchmarks.

Net profit in the fourth quarter was $1.6

billion, up 19 percent from the year-ago

period.

The company reported comparable

sales growth across its divisions, with the

United States jumping 7.5 percent and its

two international divisions posting

increases of around twice that level.

Fitch upgrades

Ireland to 'AA-'

on economic,

business recovery

WASHINGTON : Ratings

agency Fitch upgraded

Ireland's debt rating on

Friday to "AA-" from "A+,"

citing its economic recovery

from the Covid-19 pandemic

and increased revenue from

business and income taxes,

reports BSS.

While Ireland will

continue to have a

substantial debt burden,

Fitch said it expects its debtto-GDP

ratio to decline

through 2023 thanks to a

new rule restraining the

country's spending.

"Fitch expects a continued

improvement in Ireland's

fiscal metrics, supported by

strong

revenue

performance," the ratings

agency said.

It had last upgraded the

country's debt in 2017 amid

improving banking sector

health following the

eurozone debt crisis.

Corporate income taxes

made up nearly 30 percent

of the revenue growth,

followed by value-added

taxes, which brought in

about 24 percent, and

income taxes, which added

more than 17 percent.

"These strong growth rates

mostly reflect the

performance of Ireland's

multinational enterprises...

especially in the

pharmaceutical and IT

sectors, and the strong

economic recovery from the

pandemic," Fitch said.

The agency noted

positively that the

government adopted a rule

last year that permanent

spending should not

increase by more than five

percent per-year, however it

hasn't been made law yet.

Fitch projected the

restrained spending and

increased revenues would

help Ireland's debt-to-

GDP ratio drop below

50.2 percent by the end of

2023, about 25

percentage points below

where it was in 2017.

McDonald's profits rise as fast-food

giant lifts prices carefully

But ongoing Covid-19 restrictions in

Australia resulted in "relatively flat"

comparable sales, while China's results

were dented by a resurgence of the virus,

the company said.

Markets such as France and Germany

that were strong early in the quarter had

"stops and starts" near the end of the

period as the Omicron variant of Covid-

19 spread, Ozan said.

McDonald's also contended with a drag

from higher costs, which rose 14 percent

to $3.6 billion, a bit bigger than the 13

percent rise in revenues to $6 billion.

Profits per-share lagged analyst

expectations, pressuring the company's

stock.

Ozan said costs for food and paper were

up about four percent in the United

States last year and three percent in

international markets.

CHAK TWENTY-SIX SP : Agriculture

entrepreneurs are bringing the digital

age to Pakistan's farmers, helping

them plan crops better and distribute

their produce when the time is right,

reports BSS.

Until recently, "the most modern

machine we had was the tractor",

Aamer Hayat Bhandara, a farmer and

local councillor behind one such

project told AFP in "Chak 26", a village

in the agricultural heartland of Punjab

province.

Even making mobile phone calls can

be difficult in many parts of Pakistan,

but since October, farmers in Chak 26

and pilot projects elsewhere have been

given free access to the internet-and it

is revolutionising the way they work.

Agriculture is the mainstay of

Pakistan's economy, accounting for

nearly 20 percent of gross domestic

product and around 40 percent of the

workforce.

It is estimated to be the world's fifthlargest

producer of sugarcane,

seventh-largest of wheat and tenthbiggest

rice grower-but it mostly relies

on human labour and lags other big

farming nations on mechanisation.

Cows and donkeys rest near a

muddy road leading to a pavilion in

Chak 26, which is connected to a

network via a small satellite dish.

This is the "Digital Dera"-or meeting

place-and six local farmers have come

to see the computers and tablets that

provide accurate weather forecasts, as

well as the latest market prices and

farming tips.

"I've never seen a tablet before," said

Munir Ahmed, 45, who grows maize,

potatoes and wheat.

"Before, we relied on the experience

of our ancestors or our own, but it

wasn't very accurate," added Amjad

Nasir, another farmer, who hopes the

project "will bring more prosperity".

Apps and apples -

Communal internet access is not

Bhandara's only innovation.

A short drive away, on the wall of a

shed, a modern electronic switch

system is linked to an old water pump.

A tablet is now all he needs to control

the irrigation on part of the 100

hectares (250 acres) he cultivatesalthough

it is still subject to the

vagaries of Pakistan's intermittent

power supply.

This year, Bhandara hopes, others

will install the technology he says will

reduce water consumption and labour.

"Digitising agriculture... and the

rural population is the only way to

prosper," he told AFP.

At the other end of the supply chain,

around 150 kilometres (90 miles)

away in Lahore, dozens of men load

fruit and vegetables onto delivery bikes

at a warehouse belonging to the startup

Tazah, which acts as an

intermediary between farmers and

traders.

After just four months in operation,

the company delivers about 100

tonnes of produce every day to

merchants in Lahore and Karachi who

place orders via a mobile app.

"Before, the merchant had to get up

at 5 am or 5:30 am to buy the products

in bulk, at the day's price, and then

hassle with transporting them," said

Inam Ulhaq, regional manager.

"Tazah brings some order to the

madness."

In the Tazah office, several

employees manage the orders, but for

Recently ONE Bank Ltd signed an Agreement with Enam Medical College &

Hospital, Dr. Anawar ul Quader Nazim (PHD), Chief Executive Officer of

Enam Medical College & Hospitaland Md. Kamruzzaman, Head of Retail

Banking of ONE Bank Limited, signed the Agreement on behalf of their

respective organizations. Under this Agreement, OBL Debit, Credit &

Prepaid card holders with dependents will enjoy 25% discount on all

Pathological, Bio-chemistry investigations, X-ray, CT Scan, MRI, ECG, Echo,

ETT & Bed charges as OPD & IPD Services & 5% discount on all Medicine

(Except Angiogram & foreign origin)round the year. High officials of both

the organizations were also present in this occasion. Photo: Courtesy

National Bank Limited's Risk Management Division has recently organized

a day-long workshop on "Risk Management and the Regulatory

Requirements" at the Training Institute of the Bank. 36 (Thirty-six) officers

from the bank's head office and different branches participated in the

workshop. On Saturday, January 29, 2022, Md. Mehmood Husain,

Managing Director and CEO of the Bank has inaugurated the workshop as

the chief guest while Hossain Akhtar Chowdhury, Deputy Managing

Director of the Bank presided over the program. Photo: Courtesy

HONG KONG : Most Asian markets

rose Monday after a late afternoon rally

on Wall Street capped a volatile week

for global equities, though traders

remained nervous about the Federal

Reserve's plan to hike interest rates as it

battles surging inflation, reports BSS.

The Nasdaq led the strong finish for

US equities thanks to a seven percent

bump for heavyweight Apple, which

posted eye-watering fourth quarter

profits that lifted optimism about

consumer spending and the economic

recovery.

And the strong performance-which

was also helped by strong US economic

data-filtered through to Asia, where

trade was thinned by investors winding

down ahead of the three-day Lunar

New Year break that starts Tuesday.

Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore,

Wellington, Manila and Jakarta were

all in positive territory, though Sydney

edged down. Shanghai, Seoul and

Taipei were closed for holidays.

The gains followed a period of

upheaval across world markets as the

Fed readies to withdraw the vast

financial support put in place at the

start of the pandemic, which has been a

the time being, purchases are still

made by phone, as the part of the

application intended for farmers is still

in development.

The young company is also tackling a

"centuries-old" system that

stakeholders are reluctant to change,

explains co-founder Abrar Bajwa.

Record investment -

Fruit and vegetables often rot during

their journey along poorly organised

supply chains, says partner Mohsin

Zaka, but apps like Tazah make the

whole system more efficient.

In addition to Lahore, Tazah is

already operating in the largest city,

Karachi, and is preparing to move into

the capital, Islamabad.

A $20 million fundraising campaign

is underway, the co-founder told AFP,

at a time when investments are

pouring into Pakistani start-ups.

Foreign investment in Pakistan

startups exceeded $310 million last

year- five times the 2020 level and

more than the previous six years

combined, according to several

reports.

Further down the chain, Airliftwhich

provides grocery deliveriesraised

$85 million in a recordbreaking

prospectus for the country in

August.

"A lot of the markets that venture

investors are looking for, like India or

Indonesia, are saturated," said Bajwa,

a former director at Careem, the local

ride-hailing app acquired by Uber in

2020.

Now Pakistan, the world's fifth-most

populous country, is attracting

attention and agriculture is a sector

that is "completely untapped from a

technological point of view", he said.

Italian economy

grew strongly

in 2021: data

MILAN : Italy's economy

grew by a better-thanexpected

6.5 percent last year,

despite a coronavirus-induced

slowdown in the last quarter,

national statistics agency Istat

said in a provisional estimate

Monday, reports BSS.

The eurozone's third largest

economy was plunged into

recession in 2020 following a

long lockdown, with growth

contracting by a staggering

8.9 percent.

But since then it has

enjoyed what Renato

Brunetta, minister for public

administration, said this

weekend was "a year of real

economic boom".

The 6.5-percent figure

exceed expectations of around

6.0 percent.

However, gross domestic

product (GDP) increased only

0.6 percent in the last three

months of 2021 compared to

the previous quarter due to a

fresh wave of Covid-19.

Italy's central bank earlier

this month revised down its

forecast for growth in 2022,

predicting an increase in GDP

of 3.8 percent, down from the

4.0 percent estimated in

December.

Italy is banking for its

recovery on almost 200

billion euros ($224 billion) in

European Union postpandemic

funds which it

expects to receive by 2026, in

return for a series of structural

reforms. Most

Most Asian markets rise in thinned

trade after Wall St rally

key driver of a near two-year equity

rally.

And while further volatility is

expected as the bank lifts borrowing

costs, commentators remain upbeat.

The recent selloff "marks a long

overdue correction rather than the start

of a bear market", said analysts at BCA

Research Inc.

They added: "Stocks often suffer a

period of indigestion when bond

yields rise suddenly, but usually

bounce back as long as yields do not

move into economically restrictive

territory."

tueSDAY, FebruArY 1, 2022

9

kylian Mbappe scored a hat-trick as paris Saint-Germain overcame their Covid crisis and a

drone-related interruption to ease into the French Cup last 16 on Monday.

photo: Ap

Mbappe hat-trick fires PSG into

French Cup last 16

SportS DeSk

Kylian Mbappe scored a hat-trick as

Paris Saint-Germain overcame their

Covid crisis and a drone-related

interruption to ease into the French

Cup last 16 on Monday with a 4-0 win

over fourth-division Vannes, reports

BSS.

Despite the absence of five PSG

players including superstar Lionel

Messi and Danilo after positive tests

for Covid-19, Mauricio Pochettino's

side were never worried by the

Brittany minnows.

Defender Presnel Kimpembe,

wearing the captain's armband,

headed in after 28 minutes just after

the match had been interrupted for a

minute after a drone flew over the

Rabine Stadium in western France.

Kimpembe then set up Mbappe for

the second just before the hour mark

with the French forward completing a

hat-trick in an 18-minute spell.

Mbappe added a second after 71

Danilo joins

Messi among

PSG Covid-19

cases

SportS DeSk

Danilo became the fifth

Paris Saint Germain player

to test positive for Covid-19

and will miss the French

Cup match with Vannes

later on Monday, the club

said, reports BSS.

The 30-year-old

Portuguese international

midfielder joins Lionel

Messi and other teammates

in self-isolating as

the Omicron variant shows

little sign of loosening its

grip.

Messi, Juan Bernat,

Sergio Rico and youngster

Nathan Bitumazala were

revealed to have tested

positive on Sunday.

Their enforced absence

has prompted PSG coach

Mauricio Pochettino to call

on South American players

who only resumed training

on Sunday for the clash

with fourth division

Vannes.

Marquinhos and Messi's

fellow Argentinians Angel

Di Maria and Mauro Icardi

are among those who could

get a run out.

Home team Vannes are

counting the cost of the

French government's

newly introduced crowd

restrictions on Monday

with 5,000 spectators only

permitted at outdoor

events.

Vannes had been hoping

for a 9,600 sell-out and

according to their

president Maxime Ray are

set to miss out on revenue

of 250,000 euros

($282,000).

"We are missing out on

what is a fortune to us," he

said last week.

minutes after good work from Marco

Verratti and Xavi Simons adding a

third six minutes later for his 150th

goal in a PSG jersey.

Vannes' Cup dream was over with

the Brittany side also missing out on

their hoped for bonanza after the

French government's crowd

restrictions with 5,000 spectators

only permitted at outdoor events.

Vannes had been hoping for a 9,600

sell-out and according to their

president Maxime Ray are set to miss

out on revenue of 250,000 euros

($282,000). "We are missing out on

what is a fortune to us," he said.

Covid could also overshadow

Tuesday's Lens versus Lille Cup clash

with seven players from the visiting

team confirmed positive.

"We had four Covid cases which has

now become seven," said Lille coach

Jocelyn Gourvennec, without naming

the players.

"We're going to re-test all the

players tomorrow (Tuesday)

morning."

Monday's drone incident was

another in a series of problems

French football have had since the

start of the 2021/22 season.

Sunday's Cup match between

fourth-division Jura Sud and Saint-

Etienne, in Louhans, was interrupted

for about 20 minutes due to smoke

and fireworks launched by supporters

of the Greens.

Jura Sud goalkeeper Cedric Mensah

described his shock on Monday after

crowd trouble "cut the legs" of his

team in a 4-1 French Cup defeat to

Ligue 1 outfit Saint-Etienne.

"I heard a powerful bang and felt a

pain in my right ear. I had the

impression that a bomb had exploded

and felt the pitch vibrate," he said.

"The doctor explained to me that if

it had exploded closer, I could have

pierced my eardrum. At the time, it

really shook me."

Egypt will lean on Salah

at African showpiece

SportS DeSk

Mohamed Salah, in prolific form for

Liverpool this season, will lead Egypt against

bogey team Nigeria in a blockbuster Group D

opener at the Africa Cup of Nations in

Cameroon, reports BSS.

Salah leads all scorers in the Premier

League this season with 16 goals, including

one in the 2-2 draw with Chelsea on Sunday,

his last match before leaving for west Africa.

Although Egypt have won a record seven

Cup of Nations titles, they have triumphed

only twice in seven clashes with three- time

champions Nigeria in the competition ahead

of the January 11 showdown.

Here, AFP Sport puts the spotlight on the

four Group D contenders. The group winners

and runners-up are assured of last-16 places

while the best four third-placed teams from

the six groups also qualify.

The Pharaohs' Portuguese coach Carlos

Queiroz has backed Aston Villa forward

Mahmoud 'Trezeguet' Hassan to shine at the

Cup of Nations although he has not played a

full senior match since mid-April due to

injury.

The 27-year-old was an unused substitute

in three Premier League matches during

December before coming off the bench for a

cameo appearance against Brentford.

"Trezeguet is an experienced and good

player," former Real Madrid manager and

twice Manchester United assistant manager

Queiroz said. "I am sure he will be a key

figure for us."

Unlike most Cameroon-bound teams,

Egypt will rely heavily on home-based stars,

choosing 19 and only six based abroad,

including Salah and Arsenal midfielder

Mohamed Elneny.

A chaotic build-up for Nigeria has included

a change of coaches, the loss of a star forward

because they requested his release too late,

and the withdrawal of several key players

due to Covid and injuries.

German Gernot Rohr was sacked after the

Super Eagles scraped into the final round of

2022 World Cup qualifying and Augustine

Eguavoen, who played for Nigeria at the

1994 World Cup, has been placed in

temporary charge.

He will have to do without in-form

Emmanuel Dennis because Premier League

club Watford say Nigeria did not alert them

in time that they were selecting him, and

coronavirus has ruled out another regular

scorer, Victor Osimhen of Italian club

Napoli.

Mohamed Salah, in prolific form for Liverpool this season, will lead

egypt against bogey team Nigeria in a blockbuster Group D opener at

the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.

photo: Ap

Ollie Robinson

ruled out of

fourth Ashes

Test

SportS DeSk

England have brought back

Stuart Broad in place for the

fourth Ashes Test in Sydney

in a move that will bolster

England's bowling attack.

Ollie Robinson, who has

returned nine wickets in the

series so far, misses out due

to a shoulder niggle, it was

announced on Wednesday

(January 4). Despite

England being bowled for 68

in the second innings of the

Boxing Day Test, no change

has been made to their

batting composition.

Broad's inclusion will be a

shot in the arm for England

as the pacer adds to an

attack that features Mark

Wood, James Anderson and

spinner Jack Leach. "We felt

like it was too much of a risk

to go in with a couple of lads

who are carrying niggles,"

England's assistant coach,

Graham Thorpe, said. "So,

therefore, it was right to

bring Stuart back in."The

veteran pacer, in his column,

had expressed his

displeasure at being left out

of the two Tests in Brisbane

and Melbourne, only been

given the one go in Adelaide.

Broad felt he wasn't able to

contribute or do anything

about England going down

0-3 in the Ashes, having

been on the sidelines for the

majority of the series.

"I hope we've got a couple

of caged tigers coming into

this match, Ben being one of

them and Stuart Broad

another," Thorpe said.

"Getting the players into the

right frame of mind is

important. I think they want

put in a performance for

themselves and collectively

for the team."

Thorpe has taken over

duties from head coach

Chris Silverwood for the

Sydney Test given that the

latter was unable to travel

with the squad from

Melbourne after testing

positive for COVID-19.

Although the outbreak of

COVID-19 in the English

camp has been a distraction

for the tourists, Thorpe said

that England also hadn't

played "good enough

cricket".

Cricket Australia rejig

BBL schedule after

positive COVID cases

in Heat camp

SportS DeSk

Cricket Australia has been

forced to make schedule

changes to the Big Bash

League schedule after there

were positive rapid antigen

tests in the Brisbane Heat

camp, reports AP.

According to the changes,

Perth Scorchers will play

Sydney Sixers on January 4

(Tuesday) instead of January

6. Heat have had their clash

pushed and will now take on

Sixers on January 5.

Scorchers and Sydney

Thunder, who were to meet

on January 5, have had their

contest pushed by a day.

"Firstly, our thoughts

continue to be with players

and staff across all Clubs, plus

all in the wider community,

who have been infected with

COVID-19. We wish them all

the best for a speedy

recovery," CA's Big Bash

general manager Alistair

Dobson said on Tuesday

(January 4). "The League and

Clubs have learned to be

nimble in the current

environment and we are

pleased that we have found a

solution to help safeguard all

three matches so quickly. We

thank all Clubs for their

cooperation and our fans for

their understanding in these

rapidly

evolving

circumstances."

Cricket Australia has been

struggling with COVID-19

cases affecting the teams.

Melbourne Stars and

Thunder have been impacted

by a series of positive results.

Stars also had their clash

against Scorchers postponed

once a support staff member

tested positive.

Osaka overcomes nerves

to make winning return

after long break

SportS DeSk

A nervous Naomi Osaka overcame a second

set wobble to make a winning return

Tuesday in her first match since taking an

indefinite break after a tearful US Open exit

in September, reports BSS.

The four-time Grand Slam champion, who

has slid to 13 in the rankings, admitted after

her third-round defeat at Flushing Meadow

that she was "dealing with some stuff"

emotionally.

She had mostly laid low since before flying

into Melbourne last week to prepare for her

Australian Open defence.

The Japanese superstar took the first step

towards that goal at the Melbourne Summer

Set tournament, but was nowhere near her

best in beating France's 61st-ranked veteran

Alize Cornet 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 on Rod Laver

Arena.

"It always feel really good to come back

here," Osaka told the crowd in her on-court

interview. "It feels really nice to play in front

of people."

Osaka looked to be cruising after taking the

opening set 6-4 and racing to a 3-1 lead in the

second, but lost focus as the 31-year-old

Cornet won five straight games to level the

match.

The 24-year-old pulled herself together to

score an early break in the third set and

the four-time Grand Slam champion, who has slid to 13 in the rankings,

admitted after her third-round defeat at Flushing Meadow that

she was "dealing with some stuff" emotionally.

photo: Ap

All eyes on Newcastle for

Premier League’s January

arms race

SportS DeSk

Three months on since a controversial

takeover by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund

was given the green light by the Premier

League, Newcastle have the chance to splash

their new-found wealth in the January

transfer window, reports BSS.

The Magpies are badly in need of

reinforcements just to remain in the English

top-flight after winning just one of their 19

games this season.

Newcastle's last two matches have even

been postponed because they were unable to

field a team with enough senior players due

to coronavirus infections and a growing

injury list that could dictate who arrives at St.

James' Park in the next 27 days.

Defenders are expected to be top of the

shopping list after Newcastle shipped a

Premier League record 80 goals in 2021, 42

of which have come this season.

England international right-back Kieran

Trippier is reportedly close to a o25 million

($34 million) move from Atletico Madrid

with Lille centre-back Sven Botman also a

target.

"Trippier is an extraordinary footballer

who has given us a lot and we will try to keep

him," said Atletico manager Diego Simeone

after Sunday's 2-0 win over Rayo Vallecano.

"But nowadays, when a player wants to

leave, you can't force them to stay."

Injuries to Newcastle's two most potent

attacking weapons Callum Wilson and Allan

Saint-Maximin have also seen some star

strikers linked with a move to Tyneside,

including Arsenal's out of favour Pierre-

Emerick Aubameyang.

Despite record numbers of coronavirus

cases as Britain battles the Omicron variant,

Premier League clubs have so far been

allowed to maintain full crowds.

That has avoided a repeat of the economic

losses from matchday revenue of the past

two seasons and the English top-flight's

record breaking $2.7 billion US television

rights with NBC to kick in next season will

only increase its financial advantage over

other major leagues.

However, there is not expected to be much

never relinquished it.

She made several mistakes in a rusty first

competitive outing for four months, and

admitted nerves played a part.

"I feel like I made a lot of unforced errors,

but I kind of expected that because it is my

first match and I was really nervous," she

said.

"I'm just so glad I was able to hold my

serve in that last game."

The win set up a last-16 clash with either

Croatia's Petra Martic or Belgium's Maryna

Zanevska.

Osaka last year withdraw from the French

Open and Wimbledon over mental health

issues, saying her problems were

exacerbated by speaking to the media after

matches.

She had also bowed out of the Tokyo

Olympics in the early rounds in July.

"I feel like for me recently, when I win, I

don't feel happy. I feel more like a relief. And

then when I lose, I feel very sad," Osaka said

after her US Open loss.

"I don't think that's normal. I didn't really

want to cry.

"Basically I feel like I'm kind of at this

point where I'm trying to figure out what I

want to do, and I honestly don't know when

I'm going to play my next tennis match."

Osaka did not hold a pre-tournament press

conference in Melbourne this week.

transfer activity among those towards the

top of the table with Manchester City already

taking control of the title race thanks to a 10-

point lead over Chelsea. City have even

offloaded Ferran Torres to Barcelona for a

reported 55 million euros ($62 million).

But manager Pep Guardiola confirmed the

Spanish international's departure will not

mean City will be addressing their lack of a

natural striker.

Chelsea have been rumoured with a move

for Everton's Lucas Digne to cover for leftback

Ben Chilwell, who has been ruled out

for the rest of the season with a knee injury.

Liverpool look set to rely on what they have

in reserve to cope without Mohamed Salah

and Sadio Mane while they are at the Africa

Cup of Nations.

Day, Zalatoris share

Torrey Pines PGA

Tour lead

SportS DeSk

Two-time winner Jason Day birdied the last

three holes in a five-under par 67 on Friday

for a share of the third-round lead alongside

Will Zalatoris in the US PGA Tour Farmers

Insurance Open, reports BSS.

Former world number one Day, the 2015

PGA Champion who won at Torrey Pines in

2015 and 2018, will be chasing his first tour

title since a victory at Quail Hollow in May of

2018 when he tees it up in the final group on

Saturday.

Zalatoris, who is seeking his first tour

victory, fired an eagle and five birdies in an

impressive seven-under par 65 to join Day

on 14-under 202.

World number one Jon Rahm of Spain,

who started the day in a three-way tie for the

lead, was a stroke back after an even-par 72,

tied on 203 with England's Aaron Rai, who

shot a 68.

Justin Thomas, who shared the overnight

lead, carded a 73 and headed a group on 204

that also included Cameron Tringale (72)

and South Korean Im Sung-jae (68).

TUEsDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2022

10

Romantic music video 'Andaje'

heats up YouTube

TBT REPORT

'Kichumichu' has brought

melodious good news for music

lovers. The first music video of this

production has been released on

the YouTube channel of

Kichumichu Productions.

After the release of the music

video 'Andaje' on Kichumichu's

YouTube channel on January 27 at

10 am, the listeners have been

expressing their feelings on social

media.

The song was written by Anis

Mostafa while melody is composed

by K Zia of Bangladesh.

The song is sung by Indian singer

Arnab Sen. He has also acted in

music videos.

Arnab Sen greeted all the artisans

of the two Bengalis associated with

this music video by posting it on his

Facebook profile.

Arnab Sen, the singer of the song,

said, "I guess the romantic melody

of the two Bengalis will like the

song. Everyone is invited to listen. "

TBT REPORT

Arnab Sen is the lead vocalist of

Prantar Bangla Band in West

Bengal.

On October 25 last year, Tader

Sohor album was released on

Prantar Bangla Band Channel on

YouTube. Prantar's previous album

'Ja Devi Sarvabhuteshu', 'Aleya'

and 'Basant Aaj Rongin' were sung

by him.

Apart from singing the song

'Chhutte Chhutte Theme Gechi', he

also sang and composed the

melody himself.

Nadia in TV Ad and special drama

Popular actress, dancer and model Nadia Ahmed

has acted as a model in a new advertisement in the

first month of the New Year.Under the direction of

Amitabh Raza, she became a model in an ad for a

hair care solution of a foreign brand.Meanwhile,

Nadia Ahmed has taken part in the shooting of the

ad.Earlier, Bollywood actress Shilpi Sethi was the

model for this ad in India.

The company has chosen Nadia as a model for

marketing this product in Bangladesh.Nadia

Ahmed is very excited about working on the ad.

Meanwhile, Nadia Ahmed has completed a 10-

episode special drama 'Ekti Kobitar Golpo' written

by Pantho Shahriar and produced by BTV.Nadia

has played the role of Kobita in this drama.Nadia

Ahmed is very satisfied with working on this public

awareness series.

Regarding working in advertisements and

dramas, Nadia Ahmed said, "Before the ad in

which I worked, Shilpa Sethi was a model in this

ad.I am really happy to be nominated for the

marketing of this Hair Care Solution in our

country.It is also a great pleasure to work under

the direction of Amitabh. He works with great

care.

In the ten-episode series, I played the role of a

Kobita. Kobita works to establish women's

rights.There are also love stories in her own life.It

is basically a story of Kobita- a story of ordinary life

of the society more than any other drama.The

stories that are no longer brought up in the drama.

That's why I like doing this job very much. '

Nadia's new ad, directed by Amitabh Raza and

'Ekti Kobitar Golpo', will be aired soon.

Nadia has started the work of 'Bakulpur Returns'

series under the direction of Kaiser Ahmed in

Manikganj since yesterday.

Nadia Ahmed is going to start work on two new

series directed by Syed Shakil and Mojibul Haque

Khokon soon.

Popular Turkish series "Love makes

you cry" is coming to OTT platform

Bongo as "Akash Jure Megh" reports

UNB.

"Sometimes Love comes by the road

of fire." The video streaming platform

Bongo brings the popular Turkish

series "Love Makes You Cry" to Bangla

to show such a story to the viewers.

Based on a heart-touching love story,

the series is being released under the

title 'Akash Jure Megh."

From Tuesday (February 1), viewers

on Bongo can watch this epic love

story, said a press release on Sunday.

The famous duo Hafsanur

Sancaktutan and Deniz Can Aktas

have played the roles of Ada and Yusuf

in the noted drama series.

The story of the series is based on the

life struggle and love story of a 19-yearold

girl named Ada Meryem Varli, who

lost her mother from her very

childhood & lived in a secluded village.

In the cruel irony of fate, her greedy

uncle forced her to get married. That's

the time when another orphan, Yusuf,

comes to her rescue, how they fled

from the village and moved to

Istanbul. Did their love succeed? If you

want to know more, don't forget to

watch "Akash Jure Megh" on Tuesday,

February 1 in Bongo.

Khaled Sajeeb, Senior Manager

Hrithik Roshan entered the YRF's 'Spy Universe' with War

which was one of the most successful franchises of the year 2019.

Now, with Pathan, Shah Rukh Khan is also making his debut in

YRF's spy universe and the rumours of them meeting each other

in a film is doing the rounds, along with Salman Khan's Tiger

franchise. But when will they

unite? That's the question every

fan has been asking and there

finally might be some clarity about

the same.

Shah Rukh Khan is currently

shooting for Pathan which is by

the same director as 'War,'

Siddharth Anand. The film hasn't

been officially announced but

Deepika Padukone - who happens

to be the leading lady in the lady,

recently confirmed during one of

her interviews as to why she chose

the SRK starrer.

A source close has revealed

some interesting details about the union of the three megastars

of Bollywood and said, "For all those who know what's in the

script of 'Pathan' and 'Tiger 3' can tell authentically that Hrithik

Roshan's character Kabir was never supposed to be meet

'Pathan' or 'Tiger' in any of these films. Aditya Chopra is

Craig hilariously recalls 'train

wreck' first bond press confce

Following his recent departure in 'No Time To Die', Daniel

Craig recalls the disastrous 2005 announcement event that

revealed he would play 'James Bond'. Craig's first '007'

adventures was 2006's 'Casino Royale', which took on a new

Akash Jure Megh on Bongo:

Another Bangla adaptation of

a Turkish hit TV series

(Content & Publishing), Bongo, said,

previously our viewers love to watch

Turkish drama Jannat & Shohossro

Ek Rajani. This time we bring 'Love

Makes You Cry'. Bongo will come up

with many more new contents to bring

healthy and beautiful entertainment to

everyone in Bangla."

SRK, Salman, Hrithik to come together

for a spy universe film

strategically building his spy franchise and the moment when

Salman Khan, Hrithik Roshan and Shah Rukh Khan will meet

each other as 'Tiger', 'Pathan' and Kabir will be only post 'WAR

2'. That's been the plan from the start." Not just the biggest

Bollywood actors but YRF is also making sure to give audiences

the best B-town actresses

including Deepika Padukone

starring in Pathan and Katrina

Kaif starring in the 'Tiger'

franchise. Reportedly, 'War 2'

will release post 'Pathan' and

Salman Khan starrer 'Tiger 3'.

The source further added,

"Aditya Chopra realises that the

on-screen meeting of these three

super spies will be like the

'Avengers Endgame' moment for

audiences where all the heroes

assemble. He is only going to let

audiences crave for this moment

till it happens. Right now, it's all

a process of building up and it will be a blockbuster meeting of

the three giants of the country and the plans are in motion for the

same. We have to wait patiently and enjoy these projects to see

how the build-up to that moment happens."

Source: Bollywood Hungama

tone for the franchise. Craig would play the role for five films,

concluding his tenure dramatically with 'No Time To Die' in

2021. Craig's time as 'James Bond' was a rough, unpredictable

journey that had many delays, twists, turns, and critiques.

Upon his arrival, Craig's 'Bond' was criticised for his diverging

appearance when compared to prior Bond actors, and there

was much criticism for the film's more grounded and grittier

tone. Despite certain fans not being pleased with first

impressions, Craig's more human and complex Bond won

audiences over, as the character saw Bond struggle both

physically and mentally, with long-lasting injuries and trauma

that have clear effects on a character once perceived as a more

idealistic and flawless figure. Though Craig was scared to play

'Bond' at first, he has cemented his place in the franchise's

history, and now that his time as the lead is over, the actor has

reflected back to his initial announcement, as well as the

reception to the news.

As per reports, Craig revealed to THR's Awards Chatter

podcast that he felt the initial '007' launch event that

announced him as the next Bond was poorly handled. Taking

place in London, the event saw Craig in a tuxedo step off a

Royal Mail speedboat to criticisms about his safety in the stunt,

appearance, and manners. Craig revealed that he had

rewatched the conference, seeing how things did go well and

where things could have gone better. He then admitted that he

was unsure how to handle certain questions and said that

overall, it was a "train wreck."

Source: Variety

H O R O s c O P E

ARIEs

(March 21 - April 20) : Today you might learn

something about a friend that could be rather

disconcerting, Aries. There could be a dark

side to this person that you weren't previously aware of, and

this could cause you to want to withdraw for a while and

reevaluate your involvement with this individual. When

considering it, remember that we all have our dark sides.

Could what you've discovered simply be this factor, or does

this go too far beyond it for you? Think about it!

TAURUs

(April 21 - May 21) : Outside responsibilities

might temporarily interfere with your love

life, Taurus. You may feel a strong desire to

get together with a love partner early in the

evening, but circumstances may necessitate your working

odd hours. This can be frustrating, as you've been looking

forward to this for a long time, but you could meet your

friend later in the evening. Don't be afraid to ask. Most

people understand when situations like this crop up.

GEMINI

(May 22 - June 21) : Today you're likely to find

your routine too boring for words, Gemini,

and may have a sudden powerful urge to cut

loose and play some serious hooky. Still, you

may feel the pull of obligation. This conflicted feeling should

pass. If it persists beyond today, however, you might need to

reevaluate certain areas of your life. There are lots of

opportunities out there, and life is too short to be stuck in a

situation that doesn't allow you to grow.

cANcER

(June 22 - July 23) : You could be feeling

especially sensual and passionate today,

Cancer, and you'll want to get together

with a love interest. However, other responsibilities

could get in your way. This could provide you with the

perfect excuse to sink into gloom, but don't fall into this

trap. Get whatever business you're facing handled and

out of the way. Or perhaps you can arrange to finish it

tomorrow. Then set up that hot date!

LEO

(July 24 - Aug. 23): You may feel a bit of

disappointment today, Leo. You might

tend to view whatever snags you've hit on

the path to accomplishing your goals as

personal failures, and if you let it, this idea could persist

with you throughout the day. Try to remain objective,

and don't lose sight of the big picture. You haven't even

lost a battle - at worst, it's a minor conflict! Chances are

that if you continue working hard you'll still win the war!

VIRGO

(Aug. 24 - Sept. 23): A rather disheartening

phone call could come to you today, Virgo.

This might bring news of a setback in one

of your projects that is only temporary but

nonetheless frustrating. You'll probably have to deal with

some trivial little details you'd rather not bother with,

and this could take up too much valuable time. Hang in

there - you're still doing well! Don't let your frustrations

get the best of you.

LIBRA

(Sept. 24 - Oct. 23): After the rush of

energy over the past few days, Libra,

today you may feel a powerful letdown.

Not every day can be filled with

adventure and excitement. For now, you just need to

take care of the routine matters that are a byproduct

of life on Earth. However, keep in mind that there are

many weekends coming up, and with the right kind

of planning you can get excitement back into your life.

scORPIO

(Oct. 24 - Nov. 22) : A goal that you've been

trying to reach may be temporarily

stalled, Scorpio, and you could be

tempted to slip into despair, wondering

if it will ever really happen. Remember that the

keyword for today is "temporary." Whatever obstacles

are in your way will eventually be overcome and your

goal should be to continue to advance in the direction

you want. In the meantime, take care of your chores.

sAGITTARIUs

(Nov. 23 - Dec. 21): Today you might realize

that you need to make a certain purchase,

Sagittarius. Perhaps your home or car

requires some important repairs, or maybe

some new equipment is necessary for your work. This could

prove rather disheartening, as it might involve spending

money that you'd rather use for something more exciting.

Think of the trouble this expenditure should save you,

however, and you'll see the value of it all.

cAPRIcORN

(Dec. 22 - Jan. 20): The weight of too many

responsibilities, perhaps involving family, a

job, or group affiliation, could be very much

on your mind today, Capricorn. You may feel like Atlas,

carrying the world on your shoulders! You're tired. Perhaps

you need to reevaluate your commitments - your innate

kindness may have caused you to make too many. Fulfill the

ones you have, but think twice before making any new ones.

You're important too, after all.

AQUARIUs

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

ups and downs today, Aquarius. You

could get at least one phone call of the

"good news, bad news" variety, and this

could have your moods swinging back and forth like a

pendulum. Try to stay centered. Take the good news

as encouragement, and as for the bad news, try to

consider it objectively and figure out ways to turn it to

your advantage. There's always a way. Hang in there!

PIscEs

(Feb. 20 - Mar. 20) : Normally you tend to be a very

spiritually oriented person, Pisces, but today you

might find metaphysical concepts of all kinds

rather baffling. Whether these are ideas you've

embraced for a long time or new ones you've just discovered, you

may find nagging little doubts creeping in, temporarily causing

your faith to waver. This is a healthy development, however. A

little doubt now and then can weed out concepts that don't work

for you and reaffirm your belief in others.

tuesDAY, feBruArY 1, 2022

11

Information and Broadcasting secretary Mokbul Hossain addressing the monthly coordination

meeting at the meeting of the secretariat yesterday.

Photo : PID

Two sentenced to death and six gets life imprisonment

(From page-1)

The trial of the case officially

started on June 26 last year.

After a lengthy hearing, witness

statements, cross-examination

and arguments by

lawyers, the court set a date for

the verdict.

There were 83 witnesses in

this case including the plaintiff

and the investigating officer.

In the first phase, Sharmin

Shahriar Ferdous, the plaintiff

and Sinha's elder sister, and

Shahedul Islam Sifat, who was

in the car with Sinha at the

time of the incident, testified

during the three days from

August 23 to 25. Four persons

testified in four days in the second

phase, eight persons in

GD-187/22 (6x3)

149

three days in the third phase,

six persons in two days in the

fourth phase, 15 persons in

three days in the fifth phase,

24 persons in three days in the

sixth phase, five persons in

three days in the seventh

phase and the testimony of

investigating officer Khairul

Islam in three days in the

eighth phase. The total

process took the testimony of

65 people. The court then took

written and oral testimony of

15 accused under section 342

in the ninth phase on December

6 and 7. The plaintiff in the

case, Sharmin Shahriar Ferdous,

investigation officer and

senior assistant superintendent

of police Khairul Islam of

GD-184/22 (5x3)

e

RAB-15, along with 65 witnesses

testified in the court.

Eyewitnesses and the investigating

officer told the court

that the murder was planned.

Witnesses outside the case

also told the court that OC

Pradeep Kumar Das was

involved in inflicting torture in

Teknaf while on duty.

According to sources,

Pradeep Kumar Das pursued

144 gunfights in the name of

drug eradication in 22 months

while he was the OC of Teknaf

Police Station. 204 people

died in it. All the victims have

been given badges for having

drugs and weapons. But ordinary

people say that most of

the brothers killed in the

crossfire were innocent.

Pradeep is accused of brutally

killing three brothers of the

same family with the terrorist

badge of Hnila Union in Teknaf.

On July 31, 2020, retired

Army Major Sinha Mohammad

Rashed Khan was shot

dead by police at the Baharchhara

Shaplapur police check

post on the Cox's Bazar-Teknaf

Marine Drive road. Sinha's

sister Sharmin Shahriar Ferdous

filed a case against

Liaquat Ali, then in-charge of

the outpost at Baharchhara

police station and Pradeep

Kumar Das, OC of Teknaf

police station. After investigating

the case, RAB-15 Senior

Assistant Superintendent of

Police Mohammad Khairul

Islam filed a chargesheet

against 15 people on December

13 of the same year. The

indictment referred to Sinha's

murder as a "premeditated

murder".

Sinha's murder

was planned

(From page-1)

Such strict security measures are

quite rare for the verdict of a case

outside Dhaka. Such tight security

measures have only recently

been observed during the verdicts

of top war criminals at the Dhaka

International Criminal Tribunal.

Long before the judge arrived, the

courtroom was buzzing with

journalists and lawyers. Apart

from the local journalists, various

media workers from Dhaka have

also come to the Cox's Bazar

court.

Meanwhile, the trial of the case

officially started on June 27 last

year and ended on January 12

this year with the presentation of

arguments of their lawyers for the

last two accused. The judge later

set January 31 as the date for the

verdict. Eighteen months after

the murder, the verdict in this

case has been given. Sinha's family

wanted the maximum punishment

for all the accused involved

in the incident. Along with the

family, the prosecution also

expected maximum punishment

for the accused in the case. Defendants

say the state could not

prove the allegations against

some of the defendants. So they

will be released. Retired Army

Major Sinha Mohammad

Rashed was shot dead by police at

the APBN checkpost at Shamlapur

in Baharchhara on the Cox's

Bazar-Teknaf Marine Drive on

the night of July 31, 2020. The

police filed three cases (two in

Teknaf and one in Ramu) as

plaintiffs.

Sinha, who retired from the

army, was in the Himchhari area

of Cox's Bazar for about a month

to make a travel documentary

called 'Let's Go'. He was accompanied

by Shahedul Islam Sifat

and Shipa Debnath, students of

the Film and Media Department

at Stamford University.

However, Cox's Bazar police

said at the time that Sinha had

"prevented a search" with his identity.

He was later shot dead by

police on duty at a checkpoint. Sinha's

elder sister Sharmin Shahriar

Ferdous filed a murder case

against Teknaf Police OC Pradeep

Kumar Das, Baharchhara Investigation

Center Inspector Liaquat

Ali and nine other policemen in

Cox's Bazar court on August 5, five

days after the incident. The indictment

referred to Sinha's murder as

a "planned incident".

Roadside bomb kills

six in northeastern

Kenya

NAIROBI : Six people died

Monday when a minibus was

destroyed by a roadside bomb

during an ambush by armed

men in northeastern Kenya

near the border with Somalia,

police said.

The assailants opened fire on

the 14-seater vehicle after it ran

over the explosive device about

eight kilometres (five miles)

from the town of Mandera.

"Six people were killed

during an attack on a vehicle,"

said national police

spokesman Bruno Shioso.

"A security operation is

under way to get the

attackers."

There was no immediate

claim of responsibility for the

assault.

A police report said a

General Service Unit patrol

team, which was on foot and

nearby, engaged the attackers,

who fled towards the Somali

border.

The assailants used guns

and rocket-propelled grenades

during the assault, it added.

The minibus, which was

completely mangled in the

attack, was carrying an

unknown number of

passengers. Shioso told AFP

seven people had survived but

had "various degrees of

injuries".The Mandera region

is prone to raids over its long

and porous land border with

Somalia, where the Al-

Shabaab Islamist militant

group controls swathes of

countryside.Other regions

bordering Somalia are also

susceptible to attacks and

Kenyan officials are often

quick to blame the militants for

assaults on its soil. Kenya has

suffered several deadly Al-

Shabaab attacks in retaliation

for sending troops into

Somalia in 2011 as part of an

African Union force to oust the

jihadists.

GD-185/22 (4x4)

Universal health care bill faces deadline in California

SACRAMENTO : California Democrats must

decide Monday whether to advance a bill that

would make the government pay for

everybody's health care in the nation's most

populous state; a key test of whether one of their

most long-sought policy goals can overcome

fierce opposition from business groups and the

insurance industry.

A bill in the state Legislature would create the

nation's only statewide universal health care

system. It's still a long way from becoming law,

but Monday is the last chance for lawmakers in

the Assembly to keep the bill alive this year.

The bill would create a universal health care

system and set its rules - but it would not pay for

it. There's another bill that would do that. It has

a different deadline and does not have to pass

on Monday. Still, Monday's debate will likely be

dominated by concerns about cost. The latest

estimate says it would cost taxpayers at least

$356.5 billion per year to pay for the health care

of nearly 40 million residents. California's total

operating budget - which pays for public

schools, courts, roads and bridges and other

important services - is roughly $262 billion this

year.

Earlier this month, Democrats filed a proposed

amendment to the state Constitution that would

impose hefty new taxes on businesses and

individuals to pay for the system.

170 31

GD-186/22 (6x4)

Tuesday, Dhaka: february 1, 2022; magh 18, 1428 BS; Jamadi-us Sani 28, 1443 Hijri

long queue to cast vote at the sixth phase of local body elections at 218 union Parishads (uPs) in 42 upazilas

of 22 districts. The picture is taken from a primary school of Naogaon yesterday. Photo : Star mail

Expansion of clean energy must for

balanced development:Nasrul

DHAKA : State Minister for Power,

Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul

Hamid yesterday said expansion of

clean energy is a must for balanced

development.

"Balance distribution of modern

technology for increasing the use of

renewable energy is required, keeping

the environment safe," he said this

while speaking as the chief guest at a

closing ceremony virtually.

Renewable Energy Efficiency

Programme was held in collaboration

of German government's technical

support with SDREA chairman Md

Alauddin in the chair. The state minister

said the GIZ played a vital role for

building awareness about renewable

energy in the society.

"It is necessary to emphasis on efficiency

and conservation of clean and

renewable energy with coordination of

technology, economic and overall

development alongside the environment,"

he said.

Nasrul, however, said that the existing

incentives on renewable energy will

be continued.

Director General of Power Cell

Engineer Mohammad Hossain moderated

the programme, which was

addressed, among others, by SREDA

ex-chairman Anwarul Islam Sikder,

former Professor of BUET Dr M Nurul

Islam, Additional Chief Engineer of

Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board

(BREB) Md Abdur Rauf Miah,

BGMEA Director Abdullah Heel

Rakib, BSREA President Dilip

Chandra Barua and Country Director

of GIZ Bangladesh Dr Angelika

Fleddermann. Among others, ERD

secretary Fatima Yasmin, power secretary

Habibur Rahman and German

Ambassador Achim Troster were connected

and delivered their speeches.

Long queue to buy OMS rice

Safiqul iSlam (Jami)

The price of coarse rice in the market is

now 50 TK per kg. That rice can be

bought for 30 TK through OMS (Open

Market Sale) of Food Department.

However, if anyone wants to buy this rice

in capital, he/she have to stand in a long

line at the OMS sales center. Rice never

gets by stands still for hours. Some are

standing in line at the designated place

just hours before OMS starts selling rice

and flour. Now everywhere products selling

with long lines at dealers or truck sell

points. People are rushing to get OMS

products in many places.

They are still happy to buy rice. On

Monday (January 31), some OMS outlets

in Rampura, Sepahibagh and Khilgaon

were visited. Ordinary people can be seen

standing in line for hours in front of the

sales center and truck sell in the hope of

saving some money.

In front of OMS dealer Anwar Ali's sales

center in East Rampura Lohargate area,

talked to Farid Uddin, a shopkeeper from

the area who had come to buy rice. He said

there was a long line in front of the sales

center from 9 am. After waiting for two

hours, he bought 5 kg rice. It has saved

him 100 TK. Farid Uddin said he buys

OMS rice every week. Sometimes he didn't

get rice even if stand in a long line due

to low allocation. Then they are forced to

buy food from the market at high prices.

Meanwhile, many outlets are not able to

carry out sales activities every day due to

non-allocation. Firoz Mia, a dealer in

Chowdhurypara area in capital, said on

Sunday afternoon that the sales outlets

were closed due to less allotment.

In OMS, rice is available at TK 30 as well

as flour at TK 18. Low-income people are

rushing to buy rice and flour in the market,

which is why they are rushing in OMS

trucks to buy two products at affordable

prices. As a result, OMS's rice and flour

sales have multiplied.Dealer Anwar Ali

said, "Before, people did not buy so

much." But Corona has seen a lot of sales

since its inception.

North Korea missile tests

Photos from

space released

North Korea has released photographs

which it said were taken from its most

powerful missile launch in five years.

The unusual pictures taken from space

show parts of the Korean peninsula and

surrounding areas. Pyongyang confirmed

on Monday it had tested a Hwasong-12

intermediate range ballistic missile

(IRBM). At its full power it can travel thousands

of miles, putting areas like US territory

Guam within striking distance.

The latest test has raised alarm again

among the international community.

Pyongyang has conducted a record

number of seven missile launches in the

past month alone - an intense flurry of

activity that has been strongly condemned

by the US, South Korea, Japan,

and other nations. The UN prohibits

North Korea from ballistic and nuclear

weapons tests, and has imposed strict

sanctions. But the East Asian state regularly

defies the ban.

US officials on Monday said the recent

step up in activity warranted renewed

talks with Pyongyang.

South Korea and Japan were both the

first to report the launch on Sunday after

detecting it in their anti-missile systems.

They estimated it had flown a moderate

distance for an IRBM, covering a

distance of about 800km (497 miles)

and reaching an altitude of 2,000km

before it landed in waters off Japan. At

full power and at a standard trajectory,

the missile can travel as far as

4,000km.

North Korea confirmed the missile

launch on Monday through its state-run

media reports. The country's rogue tests

are typically disclosed by state media a

day after their occurrence.

State news agency KCNA said the

missile test had been launched to "verify

its accuracy". It had been deliberately

angled to land away "in consideration

of the security of the neighbouring

countries".

State media also printed rare imagery,

some which they said were shots taken

by a camera fitted to the missile's warhead.

One of the images shows the

moment of launch and another apparently

shows the missile in mid-flight,

taken from above.

Motorbikes are becoming the biggest

killer on roads in Bangladesh: Experts

DHAKA : Experts have suggested that

the authorities control the use of motorcycles,

blamed for causing the highest

number of road traffic crashes and fatalities

across the country, reports UNB.

According to the experts the twowheeler

bikes are at least 30 times more

accident-prone compared with fourwheelers.

Many western countries and

some Asian countries, particularly

Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand and

Malaysia have already started encouraging

the use of bicycles replacing motorbikes

to reduce accidents, they said.

But no serious attention is being paid

to control motorbikes in Bangladesh.

Rather the government's fiscal policy

promotes these two-wheeler vehicles,

claimed the experts.

With the increase of motorbikes on the

roads the number of fatal accidents is

also rising, said the experts.

The casualties in motorcycle accidents

doubled in the last two years, according

to the 2021 report of Road Safety

Foundation, an organisation that campaigns

for safe roads.

In 2021, a total of 6,284 people were

killed and 7,468 others were injured in

5,371 road accidents throughout the

country. Of them, 2,214 people (motorcyclists

and pillion riders) were killed in

2,078 motorcycle accidents, which are

35.23 per cent of the total casualties and

38.68 per cent of all road accidents

respectively.

But the total number of people who lost

lives in motorcycle accidents was 1,462 in

2020 and 945 in 2019. Also the number

of motorbike accidents was only 1,189 in

2019.

"According to science, two-wheeler

vehicles are 30 times more accidentprone

as compared to four-wheeler vehicles.

It is well documented internationally.

But the risk might be higher here in

Bangladesh due to chaotic traffic and lack

of safety measures," said Prof Dr Md

Shamsul Hoque, former director of the

Accident Research Institute at BUET.

Terming the motorbikes as a 'curse'

on the road, he said the problem would

be more severe in the coming days as

the government's fiscal policy promotes

the risky vehicles instead of discouraging

them. "It's time for our soul-searching

and take steps to check motorbikes,"

he said.

He said the two-wheelers have no balance

and are very unstable, which causes

accidents even due to speed breakers and

small potholes. They face greater risks of

being hit by large vehicles.

Keen to strengthen defence,

economic cooperation with

Bangladesh:Australian PM

DHAKA : Australian Prime Minister

Scott Morrison has said they look forward

to strengthening their defence and

economic cooperation with Bangladesh,

reports UNB.

"Australia and Bangladesh stand fast in

our resolve to build a more secure, prosperous

and inclusive Indo-Pacific," said

the Australian Prime Minister in a message

marking the 50 years of diplomatic

relations between the two countries that

falls on January 31.

He said the two countries also look forward

to working towards their shared

recovery from the unprecedented challenges

of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On behalf of all Australians, the

Australian Prime Minister sent warm

greetings to the government and the people

of Bangladesh as they celebrate 50

years of diplomatic relations.

"Australia is a long-standing friend of

Bangladesh. Our enduring partnership

extends back to our early recognition of

Bangladesh's independence and the

opening of our mission in Dhaka on 31

January 1972," he said.

Half a century on, Morrison said, people

of the two countries continue to enjoy

Mango wonder

200 varieties in a single tree

in Chapainawabganj

CHAPAINAWABGANJ : Want to see 200

varieties of mangoes in a single tree? Wait

until the next mango season and plan a

visit to this mango hub.

Saplings of 200 varieties of mangoes

have been grafted in an aging mango tree

on the Circuit House premises of

Chapainawabganj thanks to an initiative

by the immediate past district commissioner

Manjurul Hafeez.

Old branches of the tree have been

pruned before the grafting, officials

involved in the experiment said recently.

The grafted new branches have already

grown leaves, the officials said hoping that

the new varieties will be available for plucking

in the next season of the juicy fruit.

According to district administration

sources, a few months ago, two hundred

varieties of mangoes were grafted on an

old mango tree. Stalks have been collected

from Chapainawabganj Regional

Horticulture Research Center, Manamina

Agricultural Farm and from farmers.

They believe the tree itself will be a

unique exhibition of mangoes and it might

even get listed in the Guinness Book of

World Records. When the UNB correspondent

visited the site he saw the tree

with 200 stalks carrying name of each

variety.

Abu Saleh Mohammad Yusuf Ali, a scientific

officer at the Chapainawabganj

Regional Horticulture Research Center,

said he had provided 20 rare mango

species stalks for grafting.

warm and friendly ties - built on mutual

respect, community links and our shared

democratic values.

"Of course, our people also have a love

of sport; a passion that brings our competitive

spirit to the fore most notably on

the cricket field. I am confident we are

going to see this sporting rivalry develop

further in the years ahead, as Bangladesh

continue to make their mark in world

cricket," he said, adding that they look

forward to welcoming Bangladesh to

Australia for the ICC Men's T20 World

Cup later this year.

The Australia-Bangladesh Trade and

Investment Framework Arrangement

will be important as they chart a new

course, he said.

This agreement will energise and

expand business relationship, strengthening

jobs and creating business opportunities

in both countries, said the

Australian Prime Minister.

"On behalf of the Australian

Government, I join with the people of

Bangladesh in celebrating our special

history and relationship. With such enormous

goodwill between us, I hold much

hope for the years ahead," he said.

"There is no tough equation whether a

tree will have 200 varieties of mango or

not. Because the more grafting will be

done on a tree, the more varieties of

mango will grow. The key concern here is

proper grafting and the right manner of

collecting stalks." Germplasm of the varieties

will be preserved in one tree as result

of this initiative. So, it will be easy for students

and researchers to collect samples

from one place.

However, the business potential of such

an initiative is very low, he added.

Mozammel Hossain, a gardener at the

Circuit House, said the old tree had a

declining production. It was not of even a

good variety. So, DC Sir decided to prune

the tree and graft 200 varieties in it. New

leaves have already started growing on

grafted stalks.

Nazrul Islam, deputy director of the

Department of Agricultural Extension,

said the initiative would further spread the

reputation of the region as a mango growing

hub. Manjurul Hafeez, the former DC

who recently left Chapainawabganj, said

that he took this initiative to preserve scattered

species of mangoes in one place.

Recently, the district administration

recognised various species of mangoes

scattered across the district. Preserving

these newly recognised species besides

traditional ones, this initiative was taken,

he said. He claimed that nowhere in the

world there is a mango tree with so many

varieties.

140 police

peacekeepers

reach Mali

DHAKA : A team of Bangladesh Police

on Monday reached in Mali to join the

UN peacekeeping mission by a chartered

aircraft of Biman Bangladesh Airlines.

The police contingent left Dhaka to join

the United Nations (UN)

Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization

Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) yesterday,

according to a statement issued by the

Police Headquarters.

The 70-member strong contingent of

Bangladesh Formed Police Unit (BANF-

PU)-1 led by Commander Hasan Md

Shawkat Ali and 70 members of BANF-

PU-2 led by Deputy Commander Md

Rahat Gawhari left for the UN peacekeeping

mission.

Apart from the stipulated forces working

with different peacekeeping missions

under the UN and the Bangladesh

Formed Police Unit 2 (BANFPU-2,

Rotation) team will work there, the statement

said.

Deputy Inspector General of Police Md

Haider Ali Khan and officers of UN desk

gave them farewell at Hazrat Shahjalal

International Airport, it added.

Bangladesh police earned the trust and

respect from associating peacekeepers of

the UN with showing competence and

professionalism. Police also introduced

French language course for police personnel

so that police can share their

working atmosphere with the UN officers

as well as other peacekeepers easily.

According to the Centre for Research

Information (CRI), Bangladesh stepped

into the family of "Blue Helmet" through

participation in UNIIMOG (Iraq-Iran) in

1988 with 15 military observers from

Bangladesh Army.

Bangladesh Navy and Bangladesh Air

Force joined the UN Peacekeeping

Operation (UNPKO) in 1993, while

Bangladesh Police joined in 1989.

The CRI said the Awami League government

is providing more facilities,

equipment to ensure provisions of police

and army to further strengthening the

peacekeeping role in the world.

1,287 more Rohingyas

reach Bhasan Char

CHATTOGRAM : Another batch of 1,287

Rohingya refugees reached Bhasan Char

in the tenth phase on Monday, reports

UNB.

Of them 65 came as visitors from Cox's

Bazar Rohingya camps and 81 are residents

of Bhasan Char returning after visiting

their relatives, according to the

media wing of Chattogram Navy.

The Rohingya men, women and children

left Patenga for Bhasan Char by two

naval ships in the morning and reached

Bhasan Char at 1:30 pm, said Moazzem

Hossain, additional refugee relief and

repatriation commissioner (deputy secretary)

in Bhasan Char.

The Rohingyas were taken to their

respective clusters on arrival, he said.

With this, the total number of

Rohingya population at the Bhasan Char

reached 20,949, he said

Bangladesh is currently hosting over

1.1 million Rohingyas in camps in Cox's

Bazar and Bhasan Char. Most of them

have come to this country since August

25, 2017, when the Myanmar military

launched a brutal offensive targeting the

Muslim ethnic minorities.

'Char Bijay' is a unique world that has been appeared across the Bay of Bengal. from morning till evening, the chirping of familiar

and unfamiliar birds is heard in this char. Countless red crab dances in the dunes. it is like a handful of beautiful beauty with a different

eye-catching blue horizon. The island is located at a depth of about 40 km in the south-east corner from Gangamati beach.

However, a new dimension has been added to the domestic and foreign tourists visiting Kuakata in Patuakhali. Photo : Star mail

01-02-2022

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?