04-02-2022

friday

DhAKA: February4, 2022; Magh 21, 1428 BS; Rajab 2,1443 hijri

www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www.bangladeshtoday.net

Regd.No.DA~2065, Vol.19; N o. 275; 12 Pages~Tk.8.00

international

President Xi Jinping,

China's 'chairman

of everything'

>Page 7

sports

BPL 2022 : Fletcher

overshadows Mithun as

Khulna register big win

>Page 9

arts & Culture

'Shoshurbari

Zindabad 2' to be

released on Feb 11

>Page 10

24 eminent

personalities named

for Ekushey Padak

DHAKA : Twenty-four eminent personalities

will get the country's second highest

civilian award, the Ekushey Padak, this

year in recognition of their contributions

to various fields. The Cultural Affairs

Ministry announced the names on

Thursday, reports UNB.

Mostafa MA Matin (posthumous), and

Mirza Tofazal Hossain Mukul (posthumous)

have been selected for their roles in

the Language Movement.

Zeenat Barkatullah is being recognised

for her contributions to dance while Nazrul

Islam Babu (posthumas), Iqbal Ahmed,

Mahmudur Rahman Benu for music, and

Khaled Mahmud Khan (posthumas), Afzal

Hossain, Masum Aziz for acting.

Alhaj Md Motiur Rahman , Syed Muazzem

Ali (posthumas), QABM Rahman, Amzad Ali

Khandaker are being recognised for their

contributions to the Liberation War.

MA Malek is being recognised for contributions

to journalism while Md Anwar

Hossain for role in science and technology,

and Prof Gautam Buddha Das for education.

SM Abraham Lincoln and Sangharaj

Gyanasree Mahather will be recognised

for their contributions to social work and

Kamal Chowdhury, Jharna Das

Purkayastha for contributions for language

and literature.

Dr Md Enamul Huq, Dr Shahanaj

Sultana and Dr Jannatul Ferdous as a

team and Dr Abdus Sattar Mandal as an

individual get the Ekushey Padak for their

contributions to research this year.

Covid-19 restrictions

extended until

February 21

DHAKA : The government has extended

the period of the existing restrictions on

people's movement and other activities

until February 21 and imposed two new

ones considering the worsening Covid-19

situation in the country.

These restrictions will remain in force from

February 7 to 21, said a notification issued by

the Cabinet Division on Thursday.

The new restrictions are- gathering of

more than 100 people in social, political,

religious or state events will not be allowed

in open places or indoors and those who will

attend the events must bring Covid

Vaccination Certificate or report of RT PCR

test underwent within 24 hours.

Besides, in-person classes of schools,

colleges and equivalent educational institutions

will remain suspended during this

period, said the notification.

On Tuesday, the government extended

the closure of secondary and higher secondary-level

educational institutions by

two weeks until February 20.

Amid the growing concern over the

Coronavirus' new Omicron variant, the government

on January 13 imposed 11-point

restrictions. Bangladesh reported 36 more

Covid-linked deaths with 12,193 fresh cases

in 24 hours till Wednesday morning.

The daily positivity rate further dropped

to 27.43% from Tuesday's 29.17% after

testing 44,308 samples during the period,

according to the Directorate General of

Health Services (DGHS).

Zumma

05:23 AM

01:30 PM

04:09 PM

05:52 PM

07:07 PM

6:38 5:47

Bangladesh, Russian

firms sign deal to launch

Bangabandhu Satellite-2

DHAKA : Bangladesh Satellite Company

Limited and Glavkosmos,a subsidiary of

the Russian State Space Corporation

Roscosmos,have signed a memorandum

of cooperation in relations to manufacturing

and launching of Bangabandhu

Satellite-2 Earth observation satellite system,

reports UNB.

Dmitry Loskutov, CEO of Glavkosmos

JSC, and Dr Shahjahan Mahmood,

Chairman and CEO of Bangladesh Satellite

Company Limited, signed the memorandum

on Wednesday.

The two sides expressed their intentions

to establish partnership relations to develop

long-term, effective and mutually beneficial

cooperation in the field of promotion

of products and services of the Russian

space industry in Bangladesh.

That includes manufacturing and launch

of Bangabandhu Satellite-2 Earth observation

satellite system, manufacturing of

ground infrastructure (satellite ground stations)

for acquiring Earth observation data

from the Russian and foreign spacecraft,

launch services, educational programs in

space domains, commercial orbital flights

and consulting services, Glavkosmossaid,

quoting the document. The memorandum

of cooperation comes into effect from the

moment of signing and will be valid until

December 31, 2026.

Glavkosmos' main task is to promote the

achievements of the Russian rocket and

space industry to world markets and to

manage complex international projects.

During its more than thirty-five-year history,

the company has successfully fulfilled

over 140 international contracts, including

the launch of more than 170 spacecraft as a

secondary payload.

Since May 2021, Glavkosmos has been

the official operator of Roscosmos trademarks.

Roscosmos is a state corporation

established in August 2015 to carry out a

comprehensive reform of the Russian

rocket and space industry.

Bangladesh Satellite Company Limited,

a state-owned company, was established to

ensure manufacturing, launch, control,

marketing and sales of national satellite

capacity with satellite ground stations.

Army personnel shot

dead in Bandarban

SAfAyet HOSSAIn, BAndArBAn

Three armed terrorists, including a senior

army warrant officer, were killed in an incident

at around 10:30 pm on Wednesday. A

patrol team led by Senior Warrant Officer

Habib left Raing Khyang Lake Army Camp

for Bolipara on the basis of information

that they would be arriving in the area for

extortion. In response, three armed terrorists

of the JSS main group, backed by

Santu Larma, were shot dead on the spot

in a daring counter-attack by the army

patrol team. And a soldier named Firoz

was shot in the right leg. The injured army

member was taken from Ruma to

Chittagong Combined Military Hospital in

the morning for advanced treatment.

Meanwhile, the army patrol recovered

1 SMG, 265 rounds of fresh ammunition,

3 ammunition magazines, 3 piles

of guns, 5 rounds of ammunition, 4

pairs of uniforms and BDT 52,900 in

cash from the extortionists. Currently,

the army patrol team is conducting a

massive search in the area and is ensuring

the safety of the locals.

It is to be noted that in accordance with

Article D of the Chittagong Hill Tracts

Peace Accord, all the members of the

then peace force had to surrender by surrendering

all arms and ammunition, but

the JSS led by Santu Larma has been

Senior Warrant Officer Habib

breeding armed terrorists since the time

of execution. However, Santu Larma and

his party often accuse the government of

violating the terms of the peace agreement.

At present, four ALK groups operating

in the Chittagong Hill Tracts have

disrupted the lives of innocent people in

the hills by carrying out vicious activities

such as murder, kidnapping, extortion,

etc. In this situation, the patriotic army is

determined to protect the independence

and territory of the country even with the

blood of the chest.

After the autopsy of Abu mohsin Khan, a businessman who committed

suicide by shooting himself on facebook live, his body was handed

over to his son-in-law film Actor riaz from the morgue of dhaka

medical College Hospital on thursday.

Photo : Star mail

Hasan Ali has cultivated 6 varieties of tulips experimentally for the first time in Palashbari

village of Godagari upazila of rajshahi.

Photo : Star mail

Covid-19

Bangladesh reports

33 more deaths

DHAKA : Bangladesh reported 33 more

Covid-linked deaths with 11,596 fresh

cases in 24 hours till Thursday morning.

The daily positivity rate further

dropped to 25.86 per cent from

Wednesday's 27.43 per cent after testing

44,843 samples during the period,

according to the Directorate General of

Health Services (DGHS).

On Wednesday, Bangladesh reported

36 more Covid-linked deaths with

12,193 fresh cases.

The fresh numbers took the country's

total fatalities to 28,494 while the caseload

mounted to 1,835,776.

Among the new deceased, 22 were

men and 11 women.

Eighteen deaths were reported in

Dhaka division while six in Khulna, four

in Rajshahi, two each in Chattogram

Sylhet and one in Rangpur divisions.

Meanwhile, the mortality rate further

declined to 1.55 per cent.

However, the recovery rate also

declined to 86.13 per cent with the

recovery of 5,955 more patients during

the 24-hour period.

In January, the country reported 322

Covid-linked deaths and 2,13,294 new

cases while 19,112 recovered from the

disease, according to the DGHS.

LPG cylinder price

increased again

SAfIqul ISlAm (JAmI)

After two rounds of reduction, the price

of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) has

risen again in the country. In the private

sector, the price of 12 kg cylinder LPG

including VAT has been increased from

TK 1,178 to TK 1,240. Which already

effect from 6 pm yesterday (February 3).

However, it has been found out that even

though the price of LPG has been adjusted

every time, the traders do not accept

the price fixed by the government. LPG

cylinders are sold at 150 to 200 TK more

than the fixed price at the retail level. As

a result, ordinary consumers have to pay

extra. And companies, dealers and retailers

are looting profits.

The Bangladesh Energy Regulatory

Commission (BERC) announced the

new prices on Thursday (February 3).

The price of LPG produced by stateowned

companies has not changed as the

cost of production has not changed. The

official price of 12.5 kg LPG has remained

at TK 591. In the private sector, the new

price of LPG per kg is 103.34 TK, which is

the highest retail price. The price of different

quantity of LPG cylinders will be

determined accordingly. Besides, the

new price of LPG (auto gas) used in cars

has been fixed at TK 57.81 per liter, which

was earlier TK 54.94.

Madaripur has the least polluted

air among all the districts

ASrAful ISlAm ASrAf

Recently, environmental pollution in

Bangladesh has reached a level that the

eligibility to live in different cities of the

country has been questioned. In such a

situation, research by the Center for

Atmospheric Pollution Study (CAPS)

has revealed that Dhaka is at the top of

air pollution among the 64 districts of

the country after Gazipur. On the other

hand Madaripur has the least polluted

air among all the districts.

The Air Pollution Study Center

(CAPS) presented 'Air Pollution Survey

2021 District 64' at a press conference

at the National Press Club in the capital

on Thursday. Professor Ahmed

Kamruzzaman Majumder, founder of

the Center for Atmospheric Pollution

Studies (CAPS), presented the findings

at a press conference.

The study was conducted by a 81-

member research team from CAPS

examining the amount of tiny particles

in the air at 3,163 places in 64 districts

of the country.

According to the press conference,

the CAPS monitored the particle values

of 3,163 places from January 6 to April

6, 2021. It was later reviewed in a scientific

manner.

The daily norm for microscopic particles

in the air is 65 micrograms by the

Department of Environment. The study

DHAKA : State Minister for Foreign

Affairs Md Shahriar Alam on Thursday

said there is no possibility to expand the

US sanctions beyond the existing individuals

in Bangladesh, noting that it will not

have any impact on other areas, reports

UNB.

"There's no impact of it (sanctions) in

other areas. I can tell you very confidently.

Even, there's no possibility of US sanctions'

expansion," he said referring to their

greater engagement with the US over the

last one month and trashed the rumors

around.

While responding to questions from

reporters at his office, the State Minister

also referred to rumors spread by some

quarters,including BNP-Jamaat, on

imposing further sanctions by the United

Nations and the European Union (EU)

and cited the examples of how the UN

spokesperson and EU Ambassador in

Dhaka responded to media queries.

"We've done many things and we're still

found 263.51 micrograms per cubic

meter of tiny particles in the air of

Gazipur. In Madaripur it is 49.08

micrograms.

The highest air pollution was measured

in Gazipur in the district based

survey but the highest air pollution was

measured in Dhaka in the city based

survey. The study found that the average

microscopic particle in 3,163 places

was 102.41 micrograms per cubic

meter. It is about 1.56 times more than

the daily standard (25 mg).

Surrounding Dhaka district is next to

Gazipur in terms of pollution. The particle

matter in the air of this district is

252.93 micrograms per cubic meter.

Narayanganj district ranks third. The

particles in the air of Narayanganj are

222.45 micrograms.

Other districts with high level of air

pollution are Habiganj (220.11 micrograms),

Noakhali (204.01 micrograms),

Tangail (186.32 micrograms), Cox's

Bazar (183.41 micrograms), Chandpur

(180.42 micrograms). Chattogram

(165.31 micrograms), Kishoreganj

(165.13 micrograms), Moulvibazar

(154.81 micrograms), Laxmipur (149.02

micrograms), Panchagarh (142.31 micrograms),

Mymensingh (138.11 micrograms),

B. Baria (143.72 micrograms),

Feni (128.41 micrograms), Thakurgaon

(125.32 micrograms) and Jamalpur

(121.61 micrograms).

No possibility of expansion

of sanctions: Shahriar

working on many issues. We remain

engaged since the US imposed sanctions

on individuals," he said, adding that one

thing is very clear that the conspiracy

hatched against the country by the conspirators

did not work.

The State Minister said the government

wants to cooperate with RAB and will further

strengthen it; and termed the US

sanctions "unfortunate" and "disproportionate"

action.

He said it is their responsibility to protect

RAB and its officers as they are the

partners of many success stories on the

security front. "We're trying to know more

why the sanctions were imposed."

The State Minister said they have discussed

with legal experts to explore the

available avenues to withdraw the sanctions.

"We're looking into legal issues."

Shahriar said they had a very effective

meeting with the EU where they discussed

how the relationship between Bangladesh

and the EU will look like after 2026.

FRIDAY, FeBRUARY 4, 2022

2

Construction work of

sluice gate begins in

Gaibandha

GAIBANDHA : The

construction work of one vent

sluice gate has begun at

Komornoi area, an outskirts of

the district town amid much

enthusiasm to the locals.

Local Government

Engineering Department

(LGED) is constructing the

sluice gate at the cost of Taka

one crore under the

beautification work project of

Ghagot Lake.

On Wednesday, Whip of the

Jatiya Sangsad and local

lawmaker Mahabub Ara

Begum Gini formally

inaugurated the work at

Komornoi area as the chief

guest.

Speaking on the occasion,

whip Gini said the

government led by Prime

Minister Sheikh Hasina has

been implementing various

development works including

infrastructural ones

considering the interest and

welfare of the countrymen.

She also urged the authorities

concerned to be more serious

and careful to do the work

timely and properly.

Executive engineer of LGED

Sabiul Islam, senior assistant

engineer Abul Kalam Azad,

mayor of Gaibandha

Municipality Md. Matlubour

Rahman, Sadar upazila

engineer of LGED Sultan

Mahmud. Executive engineer

Sabiul Islam said with the

construction of the sluice gate

there it would be possible to

harvest the rainwater during

the monsoon and remove

wastewater from the lake as

well.

A webinar titled "Bangabandhu's Inspiration in the Advancement of Information and Technology"

has been held at Barisal University as part of the ongoing program to celebrate the birth centenary

of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Photo : Courtesy

BU hosts a webinar on Bangabandhu's

inspiration to propel ICT

TBT Report

A webinar titled "Bangabandhu's Inspiration

in the Advancement of Information and

Technology" has been held at Barisal

University as part of the ongoing program to

celebrate the birth centenary of Father of the

Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur

Rahman. The webinar was organized by the

Department of Computer Science and

Engineering of the University on February 3.

Minister of Posts and Telecommunications of

the Government of Bangladesh Mr. Mostafa

Jabbar was also present as the Chief Guest.

Speaking as the chief guest, the Minister said

that Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

has sown the seeds of Digital Bangladesh

which has been put into practice by Prime

Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Bangabandhu was able to realize the need

for information technology to meet the

challenges of the advanced world. He was the

first to introduce Bangladesh to the world by

setting up a ground satellite station at

Betbunia and forming a TNT board. Not only

in the field of technology but in every field

Bangabandhu was able to take Bangladesh to

a unique height. This has been possible due to

the visionary leadership of Bangabandhu.

Addressing the students, the chief guest

further said that those of you who are

acquiring knowledge of information

technology will easily share their innovations

with the people. Otherwise this innovation

will not work properly for the welfare of the

country and the people of the country. The

keynote address was delivered by Professor

Dr. Sajjad Hossain of Bangladesh University

Grants Commission. Barisal University Vice-

Chancellor Prof. Dr. Md. Sadekul Arefin,

Chairman of the Department of Computer

Science and Engineering Md. Manjur Ahmed

was the welcome speaker at the webinar. Kazi

Mafruha Haque, 3rd year student of CSE

department and ABM Anas, final year

student also spoke. The webinar was

attended by teachers and students of the CSE

department of Barisal University. The

webinar was hosted by Md. Samsuddoha,

Assistant Professor, CSE Department and

Soheli Jahan, Lecturer, CSE Department.

220 people get

food assistance

in Chandpur

CHANDPUR : A total of 220

Harijan and Vedic

communities poor and

distressed people were given

food support to make them

capable of coping with the

ongoing Covid-19 pandemic

situation.

Each people got 16

kilograms of food aid

including rice, pulse and oil.

On behalf of Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina, Deputy

Commissioner (DC) Anjana

Khan Majlish handed over

the food assistance to

distressed people from its

disaster management fund at

a simple function in

Chandpur Stadium this

morning.

The newly elected chairmen and members of 9 Union Parishads of

Joypurhat Sadar Upazila took oath in the conference room of the Deputy

Commissioner on Thursday. Deputy Commissioner Shariful Islam administered

oath to the chairman and members. Photo : Masrakul Alam

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2022

3

Agriculture Minister and Awami League presidium member Dr Md Abdur Razzaque MP on

Thursday morning exchanged views with journalists after a meeting on increasing the cultivation

of high yielding inbred and super hybrid varieties to increase paddy production in the conference

room of the ministry.

Photo : Courtesy

HC grants

anticipatory bail

to Prof Karzon

in DSA case

DHAKA : The High Court on

Thursday granted

anticipatory bail to Dhaka

University professorSheikh

Hafizur Rahman Karzon for

eight weeksin a case filed

under the Digital Security

Act, reports UNB.

A division bench of

justices Jahangir Hossain

Selim and Md Atoar

Rahman passed the order

while hearing his bail plea

duringavirtual hearing

andalsoasked the law

professor to surrender

before the tribunal hearing

the case by this period.

Barrister Omar Farooq

appeared for the professor in

the court while Deputy

Attorney General Sarwar

Hossain Bappi represented

the state.

On July 22 last year, Prof

Karzon wrote a post on

Facebook that stoked a

major controversy, forcing

him to subsequently

removethe same. He had

also apologised for "hurting

the religious sentiments of

people".

However, on August

1,Amit Bhowmik, the

general secretary of the

central committee of the

Bangladesh Hindu Juba

Parishad, filed a case against

Prof Karzon under the

Digital Security Act alleging

that his post had hurt the

religious sentiments of

people.

RU suspends

in-person classes

until Feb 21

RAJSHAHI : Rajshahi

University

(RU)

administration has extended

its decision of suspending

the in-person classes until

February 21 complying with

the government decision

amid the present escalation

of Covid-19 infection.

However, the departments

and institutes can continue

their respective academic

activities virtually through

interactive communication

with students, RU sources

here said yesterday

afternoon.

Offices of the university

will remain open on a

limited scale from 9.00 am

to 2.00 pm from Sunday to

Thursday as usual through

following health protection

measures. Emergency

services like power, gas,

water, internet, healthcare

and conservancy will remain

operational as usual.

RU authority has asked

the students to follow the

health guidelines remaining

in their respective

dormitories and houses.

They were also asked to be

more attentive to protect

their health.

Outsiders have been

restricted from entering the

campus without any official

work. Restriction has also

been imposed on holding

meetings, rallies and public

gatherings in the campus.

BB asks banks to follow Covid

guidelines till Feb 21

DHAKA : Bangladesh Bank (BB) has

instructed banks to follow until February 21

the guidelines it issued earlier for operating

banking activities to fight off Covid-19,

reports UNB.

The payment system department of BB on

Thursday asked banks to follow the

guidelines till February 21 considering the

present situation of Covid-19 pandemic.

On January 24, the central asked banks to

operate those with half of their manpower as

per the government's instructions to prevent

Covid-19 virus infection.

The central bank's Department of Off-Site

Supervision issued guidelines adding that

banking activities should be conducted with

half the staff through roster following the

hygiene rules.

However, the concerned institution will be

able to decide on its own need to continue

the required banking services, it said.

The central renewed the instruction on

Thursday and sent it to the top executives of

banks to follow the hygiene rules for

preventing the spread of coronavirus.

As per the guidelines, officers / employees

doing office physically must be fully

vaccinated.

It said officers / employees absent from the

office at that time will be considered as

working from home.

Officers / employees working from home

will be stationed at their respective

workplaces and will complete the official

activities virtually (e-tendering, e-mail, SMS,

WhatsApp and other means).

Hygiene rules must be followed by all

officers / employees of banks-financial

institutions. Customers who come to receive

services must wear masks.

The central bank also instructed banks to

keep enough money in the ATM outlets and

Mobile Financial Service along with assigned

adequate manpower for ensuring

uninterrupted financial services to meet

necessary cash demand of customers.

Zebra deaths: Safari

Park project director

shunted out

DHAKA : Md Zahidul Kabir has been

shunted out as the project director of

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Safari Park in

Gazipur in the wake of the deaths of 10

zebras in the past one month.

Mollah Rezaul Karim, forest conservator of

the Wildlife and Nature Conservation Area

in Dhaka, has been given the additional

responsibility of the popular park. This was

announced by the Ministry of Environment,

Forests and Climate Change in a notification

on Wednesday.

On January 31, assistant forest conservator

and in-charge of the park, Tabibur Rahman,

and vet Dr Hatem Sazzad Md Julkarnine

were removed from their positions and

transferred to the forest department in

Dhaka. Md Rafiqul Islam, assistant forest

conservator of the social forest department,

Faridpur, and Md Mostafizur Rahman,

veterinary surgeon of Bangabandhu Sheikh

Mujib Safari Park, Cox's Bazar, were

appointed in their places.

Ten zebras died at Bangabandhu Sheikh

Mujib Safari Parkin in a space of one month

till Saturday. Nine of the earlier population

of 22 zebras at the park died between

January 2 and 24, according to the park

authorities. The Ministry of Environment,

Forest and Climate Change also formed a

five-member inquiry committee to find out

the cause of the zebra deaths and fix

accountability. It has been given 10 days to

submit the probe report.

UNB has learnt that the committee

members had already spoken with the

owners of a South African farm from where

the zebras were imported. Symptoms of a

possible disease and test results have been

emailed to them, sources said.

Worker dies from

electrocution in city

DHAKA : A workerdied fromelectrocution

while working in a buildingin the city's

Ajimpur area on Thursday, reports UNB.

The deceased was identified as Salauddin,

28, son of Abu Mia from Kamrangirchar.

Slauddin got electrocuted while working

with a drill machine in a building at China

building lane in Lalbagh area around 8:30

am, said Alauddin, Salahuddin,s cousin.

He was taken to Dhaka Medical College

Hospital in an unconscious condition where

a doctor announced him dead, said inspector

Md Bacchu Mia, in-charge of DMCH police

outpost.

The body was sent for an autopsy, he said.

The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) has launched a rice seedling transplanter

machine for transplantation of Boro rice seedlings prepared on trays and mechanisation

of agriculture in Nageshwari upazila of Kurigram.

Photo : Courtesy

Popular

food blogger

dies on duty

at Ctg port

CHATTOGRAM : A popular

food blogger who worked

withChattogram Port died

after being hit by a crane on

Wednesday night, police

said, reports UNB.

The deceased was

identified as Sifat Rabby, 24,

a resident of the

city'sHalishohor area. He

was attached to the

transport department of the

port.

Sifat sustained serious

injuries when the crane hit

him around 10pm while

working at the port, cops

said. "He was rushed to a

nearby hospital but was

declared dead on

arrival,"said Zahedul Kabir,

officer-in-charge of Port

Police Station.

Sifat joined Chattogram

Port, his father's workplace,

a year ago.

Juba Dal

leader killed

in Sirajganj

DHAKA : A union unit

leader of Jatiyatabadi Juba

Dal was shot dead allegedly

by some assailants in Sadar

upazila of Sirajganj on

Wednesday night, reports

UNB.

The deceased was identified

as Ali Akbar, 40, son of late

Mojibur Rahman of Hatsartia

village of the upazila. Md

Siddique Ahmed, assistant

superintendent of police

(ASP) of Belkuchi circle, said

the assailants shot Akbar Ali

at Randhunibari Bazaar

under Soydabad union

around 8.15pm.

"He died on the way to

Bangamata Sheikh

Fazilatunnesa Mujib General

Hospital," the ASP said,

adding that four bottles of

liquor and a bag were found

near the crime scene.

The motive behind the

killing will be clear only after

an investigation, the ASP

added.

Dhaka e-way

construction worker

dies in freak accident

DHAKA : A 30-year-old

construction worker died in

a freak accident on an

under-construction elevated

expressway in the Tejgaon

railway station area of

Dhaka on Wednesday

evening, police said on


The deceased was

identified as Mohammad

Hasan Mijhi, son of late

Fazlur Rahman Mijhi of

Bara Sundar village in

Chandpur Sadar.

Mijhi sustained serious

injuries while placing a

girder (a support beam),

said Md Shamim, a

colleague who rushed him to

Dhaka Medical College and

Hospital (DMCH). "He was

declared dead on arrival by

doctors at the hospital," he

said. Inspector Mohammad

Bachchu Mia of the DMCH

police camp, said the body

was kept at the hospital

morgue for an autopsy.

3 universities & DU

affiliated 7 colleges to

hold scheduled exams

DHAKA : The prescheduled

examinations of

National University,

Islamic Arabic University,

Open University and seven

colleges affiliated to Dhaka

University (DU) will be

held at the scheduled time.

"The examinations will

not be postponed and will

be held in time in

compliance with healthsafety

rules," information

and public relations officer

of the ministry of education

MA Khair told BSS.

The decision was taken at

a meeting on Wednesday,

he added.

Govt formulating

roadmap to raise rice

output: Dr Razzaque

DHAKA : Agriculture Minister Dr M Abdur

Razzaque yesterday said the government is

formulating roadmap for quick increasing of

rice production considering annual demand

of the staple food.

"The government is formulating roadmap

for increasing huge rice production within 1-

2 years,"he said. The minister said this

while exchanging views with the

journalists following a meeting on

raising rice production by cultivating hiyielding

inbreed and super hybrid at

ministry's conference room here.

Dr Razzaque said although the country

witnessed record rice production during

Aush, Aman and Boro season and even the

public sector food stock is also highest in

record, adding "but rice price trend is

upward and anyhow the price could not be

controlled."

Even the rice price is going upward during

the harvest feast on the arrival of aman rice

across the country, the minister told the

journalists. Under the situation, Razzaque

said "we have to raise rice production quickly

in order to keep the rice price under control

of the lower income people." To raise the rice

production, he said cultivation and

transformation of newly-invented ultra

high-yielding inbreed and super hybrid

varieties should have to be increased as our

arable land is shrinking gradually.

Apart from this, rice cultivation should

have to be extended in adverse areas

including hilly region, haor and coastal

basins and that's why a concrete action will

be taken targeting to increase rice

production during next boro, aush and aman

seasons. The government will distribute seed

at free of cost and fertilizer price also will be

reduced aiming to increase rice production,

said the minister.

Talking about instable rice price, the

minister said the abnormal price hike of

wheat at the international market also has

made the situation worsen as per tonne

wheat price now reach to 450 US$, up from

earlier 230-280 US$.

In 2020-21, country's overall wheat import

was almost 48 lakh tonnes while it [wheat

import] now stands at only 16 lakh tonne till

January, during the fiscal year.

Due to abnormal wheat price inflation at

the international market, country's wheat

import is ultimately lower compared to the

last year and that's why the unit price of atta

and flour is rather higher at the local market

compared to rice price.

Dr. Mala Khan, Director General (Additional Charge), BRICM

and Professor M. R. Kabir, Professor, Civil Engineering

Department, DIU exchanging the the MoU on behalf of their

respective organizations.

Photo : Courtesy

BSCIC to provide financial

management training to

entrepreneurs

DHAKA : Bangladesh Small and Cottage

Industries Corporation (BSCIC), an

organization under the Ministry of

Industries, will provide one week training

in Financial Management to

entrepreneurs.

By participating in the training course,

one can learn about proper money

management strategies, investment

decisions, bank loans, tax and VAT and

financial compliance, said a press release.

The training course will run from

February 8 to February 10 every day from

TCB resumes

truck sale for low

income people

DHAKA : The state-run Trading Corporation of Bangladesh

(TCB) yesterday resumed its truck sale to reach essential

items to low income group people at a subsidized price and

also to keep the price of essentials stable.

The sale started through some 450 mobile trucks in Dhaka,

in all the metropolitan areas, in district and upazila level and

it would continue until February 22.

Talking to BSS, joint director of TCB and information

officer of Dhaka regional office Md Humayun Kabir

informed that the TCB is conducting sale of essential items

through mobile trucks at a subsidized price among the low

income group people during this difficult time of pandemic

while such operation would continue until February 22.

He informed that from the TCB trucks, a consumer would

be able to take maximum 2 kgs of sugar at Taka 55 per kg, 2

to 5 liters of soybean oil at Taka 110 per liter, 2 to 5 kgs of

onion at Taka 30 per kg and 2 kgs of lentil at Taka 65 per kg.

Humayun also urged all the dealers to conduct the

operations following the health safety guidelines.

Each TCB truck of essentials items will contain 300 to 800

kgs of sugar, 400 to 800 kgs of lentil, 100 to 1,000 kgs of

onion and 500 to 1,000 liters of soybean oil.

9 am to 5 pm.

The training course can be attended in

person and virtually (online). Prospective

entrepreneurs participating in the training

course will be assisted to provide loans

from BSCIC's own funds and

Karmasangsthan Bank.

The course fee has been fixed at Taka

1,500 for entrepreneurs who want to

participate in person and only Taka 1,000

for online participants. You can participate

by paying the course fee through bKash on

01924-483200.

2 sisters burnt as

building catches

fire in Ctg

CHATTOGRAM : Two

women suffered burn

injuries as a fire broke out in

a flat at Rahattarpul under

Bakalia police station in the

port city on Thursday,

reports UNB.

The victims are Sabrina

Khaled,23 and sister Samia

Khaled,18, daughters of

Abdullah Khaled.

Senior station officer of

Chandanpura Fire Service

Md Shahidul Islam said the

fire started on the fifth floor

of the building around 11:15

am. Local people had

doused the fire before the

firefighters reached the spot,

he said. The injured women

were admitted to

Chattogram Medical College

Hospital. The fire might

have originated from gas

stove, said Shahidul Islam

adding that three doors and

windows of the flat and

adjoining flats were

damaged following an

explosion after the fire

incident.

FrIDAy, FebrUAry 4, 2022

4

We need to abandon our consumerist mindset

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam

e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com

Friday, February 4, 2022

Eviction of rickshaws

and hawkers

Among the prescription for curing road jams in Dhaka city,

two suggestions have been there for a long time : getting

rid of the rickshaws from main roads and also evicting the

hawkers from there. The slow-moving rickshaws help to create

traffic jams and the hawkers occupy road spaces blocking the

free flow of traffic and pedestrians.

But the two appear to be grossly oversimplified solutions also

to the problem of traffic jams. For there are many reasons for

traffic jams-all of them equally important and highly

contributory to the ever present jams. Thus, it is not wisdom to

blame the jams only on hawkers and rickshaws and going for

surgical like drastic measures thinking that the same would like

Aladin's lamp magically make traffic jams a think of the past.

Indeed, the traffic jams issue is not so simple that it can be so

easily solved by only evicting hawkers and rickshaws. If it were,

then why do we see such chronic jams all the time even in

thoroughfares where rickshaws do not ply and the hawkers do

not sit. This situation only goes to prove that the problem of

traffic jams is a multi-faceted phenomenon that can be addressed

with only multiple measures. Of course, none will deny that

transition from rickshaws to motorized transports and getting

the hawkers into shops instead of pavements, are desirable

developments for a planned and neat city as well as for the

partial positive impact of the same on road jams.

But it is also extremely important not to attach

disproportionate importance to these two factors for jams and

going for abrupt actions to scare away all the hawkers and

rickshaws away from the roads at one go. The same may be

attempted in a graduated manner over time building alternative

opportunities for the hawkers and rickshaw pullers and as the

plans and their implementation to this end make progress. Any

attempt to rob them of their occupations overnight will neither

lead to any significant ameliorative effect on jams but would

rather lead to volcanic like eruptions of discontent on the part of

the victims of such actions. The same then could very

dangerously undermine peaceful living and social relations not

only in the nation's capital city but gradually also elsewhere in

the country.

Reports appeared in the press that government has decided to

take actions to evict hawkers and rickshaws from the roads to

ease traffic jams. Statements were reportedly made by a

minister about the imminence of such a move when a foreign

dignitary came to meet him. Understandably, the unveiling of

this information has created consternation in concerned circles.

For any rash move at this point to enforce these decisions are

almost certain to set off awful backlashes from the people to be

affected. There could be rioting, arson and all kinds of violence

from those who would consider the same as a direct threat to

their survival. And these things happening or lingering for some

time could pull the city's living conditions for its uninvolved

residents to the lowest depths from strifes and violence.

One only has to look at the recent happenings at Rupganj in the

outskirts of the city to realize how severe and violent the backlash

can be from people when they sense that their basic sustenance

is at stake. The disciplined forces in uniform were pitted against

mobs in the Rupganj incident and the former were almost

overwhelmed. We cannot simply have repeats of such anarchy if

the drift towards complete breakdown of authority and law and

order is to be avoided. Certainly such anarchies must not be

allowed to be encouraged in Dhaka city by poorly conceived

decision on the part of government leaders. Bangladesh would be

well set in no time on a course of bloody revolution from

encouraging such policies.

Besides, one also has to look at the economic rational behind

such moves. The eviction of hawkers and rickshaw pullers will

not solve the traffic jam problem. But it would take away selfemployment

and means of earning their subsistence from a vast

number of the poor in the city. Government is not helping any

with their survival. They are helping themselves and providing

basic needs to themselves and their family members. But all on a

sudden, they could find their ways of earnings or income gone.

Nothing could be more unkind or inconsiderate and also

economically counter productive as the eviction move would

only seriously worsen unemployment and poverty.

The hawkers peddle merchandise on roads which are far

cheaper than ones at stores as they have to bear no establishment

costs. And non affluent people are mainly the consumers of such

relatively cheaper products. They would loathe to see their handy

source of supply gone. The hawkers and their family members

and the non affluent consumers together form the greater

number in the population of the city. It can be neither

democratic nor benevolent to rob them of their source of

earnings and better bargain respectively. Not only the hawkers

live off their trade directly. A large number of people are

engaged in the small enterprises that produce the numerous

merchandise peddled by the hawkers. Thus, there are large

investments in such enterprising also. Thus, the hawkers, their

family dependents, the producers of the goods they sell and their

family dependents as well - all would be threatened by the

eviction. Some 10 to 20 million people could be adversely

affected.

As for the rickshawpullers, they are officially some 70 thousand

in numbers but actually are more than a million strong. They

and their dependants form a vast number of the poor in the city

. The rickshaws are also completely relied on by a very large

section of middle class people who cannot even dream of owning

private cars nor can they ride suffocating transports like buses.

The rickshaws are also completely environment-friendly and

enable import substitution of fuel oil on a large scale.

Government must not ignore all of these considerations and

go for rabid actions that would only compound the problems.

What is true

happiness, and

what drives us

to live happily on this

earth? Lately, this

question has been

revolving in my mind.

There was no way I

could get it off my head.

There was a lot of reading about this, from Indian

philosophy to Tolstoy, including Greek

philosophy. It is like firing a cannon to kill a fly. I

recently read the book "Flow: The Psychology of

Optimal Experience" written by a Hungarian

psychologist Mihali Sikzentmihali in 1990 with

great attention. The author of the book, like me,

posed a simple question. We need most to make

our lives happy and live happily.

The code of joy and happiness seems

unfamiliar to all of us. But what are we not doing

in the hope of getting these two? It is safe to say

that almost all of us have somehow managed to

bring pleasure to our lives. Many of them are

engaged in dreaming while keeping their arms

around them! The world is like a dream. But as

soon as the rash of the dream begins, the

unbearable pain of life is crushed by the

intolerable unhappiness. Then it seems that no

one is happy. The Hungarian author discusses the

nature of the flow of happiness. Happiness is a

physical and mental state when a person forgets

about the universe. At that point, the person

becomes entirely focused on the task at hand.

Nothing but that work can make that person

impatient. That work is the ultimate attainment

and peace of that person for that time. Properly

finishing the work is the ultimate meditation and

duty of the person. According to

Csikszentmihalyi, there is a time when a person

has a strong feeling of peace, excitement, or joy in

his mind, and he becomes oblivious of the whole

universe, which is the moment of the best blissful

experience. When we feel happy, we all cherish

and cherish it for a long time - it is a flow of joy and

happiness, the same happiness as the author sees.

Surprisingly, my little grandson explained this

simple but ultimate truth to me beautifully and

fluently. My serious study and research on

happiness and bliss seemed to vanish instantly. I

am delighted with the childish wisdom of this little

boy. As if simplicity is the best. This young boy,

who is only twelve years old and is studying in

class seven in a high-quality school in Dhaka, is

very focused on art and studies. During the short

period of my visit to Bangladesh, whenever I got a

chance, he would come to me to showcase his

diverse aesthetic craftsmanship. Sometimes he

would look at me with great admiration if in case

there was a hint of appreciation about his work

from me. But I can swear that I was fascinated by

the art of this calm, gentle and talented boy. I

blessed him. I said in unspoken words, grow

graciously with confidence, be a good human. My

grandson told me the mysterious and

complicated code of happiness that day. I asked

him when he was happiest. Which is his favourite

work, and which time is the most beautiful and

joyful? In a prolonged, childish manner, the

answer is that I love reading and drawing. The joy

for me is having the things I like, such as when my

parents encourage me to learn art or when they

bring me things used in art. And happiness is my

inner feeling. Like when I sit down to draw

something, I become so engrossed in my drawing

that I don't understand what is happening around

me after a while. When the work is finished, I see

that I have created an excellent painting style.

That heavenly feeling of that moment is the

ultimate happiness for me. And the work that I

did was my favourite thing at that time. I am

overwhelmed by the adolescent wisdom of

Dadubhai (grandson).

Pleasure and happiness are not the same - one

(pleasure) depends on the external state, and the

other (happiness) arises from the internal state of

mind. Only a peaceful, calm, and pure mind, free

from any extreme desires and external

materialistic forces, is the source of true

happiness. We live today in a turbulent and

complex world of attainment and materialism.

Chaotic and full of worldly desires. It is impossible

to achieve peace and harmony in such a situation

unless one person can suppress all desires. An

ocean of consciousness and perception is essential

for happiness. Many in the world never want to

feel unjustly comfortable; Some are truly happy,

while others are unjustly happy.

Are we really happy? Everyone in the world

wants to be happy and live in peace. That's

normal. When I think back to my childhood, I get

overwhelmed. My childhood life was full of joy,

peace, excitement, and happiness. Despite being

in poverty, I have enjoyed every moment-a

massive gap between now and then. Now, we live

in a digital age with all the technological advances.

With the growing middle-class family and the

Dr P r DAttA

pace of globalisation, we have experienced

tremendous economic growth and development,

rapidly changing our way of life. However, life in

the rural areas of Bangladesh was difficult in the

1970s or 1980s. Most of the people in the past

depended on agriculture and allied activities.

Gradually people started moving from villages to

big cities and suburbs in search of better

education, employment, healthcare, and better

opportunities. It seems that this effort for the

overall development of the people will continue.

The tide of development is rapidly swallowing up

even cities like Dhaka, Chittagong, Comilla and

other major cities. Bangladesh is now a

developing country, and soon it will be one of the

top 25 major economies globally. Although we are

Pleasure and happiness are not the same - one (pleasure)

depends on the external state, and the other (happiness)

arises from the internal state of mind. only a peaceful, calm,

and pure mind, free from any extreme desires and external

materialistic forces, is the source of true happiness.

all still cherishing and nurturing our cultural

heritage somehow, we have to adapt to the world

in this age of globalisation and technology to

create new opportunities. We are learning to live

with a promising future at the cost of our

emotions, feelings, peace, and harmony.

Eudaimonia is a Greek word. Greek

philosophers like Plato and Aristotle used

Eudaimonia to emphasise the true meaning of

happiness. According to Aristotle, Eudaimonia is

a process, and happiness is one of our favourite

activities and should be seen as the result of the

action. Eudaimonia's primary purpose in Greek

philosophy is to achieve the best happiness for a

human being. Happiness and a meaningful life

include morality, virtues, principles, dignity, and

ethics. How can we be good people? How can we

meet our unique potential? Hence the basic

underlying principle or core message of

Eudaimonia. To achieve this kind of Eudaimonic

happiness, we all need to work hard, build our

virtues, adapt to the current situation, and balance

our actions with the right wisdom. In

Eudaimonia, happiness is not something we own.

It is not a tiny pleasure, nor is it our social or

economic position; this happiness is not to worry

about how we live our lives regardless of our past,

to be satisfied with the present situation and not to

worry about what has not yet been achieved.

Pleasure or consumerist philosophy are all unique

concepts; The opposite of eudaimonia.

Ancient Greek philosophers such as Aristotle,

Plato and others saw that happiness

(Eudaimonia) was the ultimate goal of human life

and that morality was the proper application of

wisdom. Therefore, it is an essential prerequisite

for happiness to have a moral and responsible

lifestyle. Based on personal observations,

philosopher Epicurus concluded that a pleasureseeking

attitude is the norm of humankind and

that it begins in our infancy when we are born. We

all expect happiness, pain, or sorrow

unexpectedly. The most enjoyable activities

provide great pleasure and free us from pain and

anxiety. So, these pleasures are most conducive to

our peace of mind. Therefore, Epicurean

happiness releases pain and stress that leads us to

the ultimate joy or peace. Epicurus believed that

external stimuli had little or no effect on

happiness. Personal happiness is not conditioned

by wealth, marriage or winning the lottery; Or

beautiful or impeccable to look at. These are not

permanent. For him, the greatest secret of

happiness is to be free from external things and to

be satisfied with the simple things that constantly

take away the frustration.

In today's world, the concept of happiness has a

close thematic and relative meaning. It is a mental

state of personal well-being conditioned by

positive emotional feelings that lead to happiness.

Pure happiness is not possible in how we all live in

this world. Our lives are full of desires, falsehoods,

worldly pursuits, endless excitement, anxiety, and

immorality. It is possible to achieve temporary

happiness but not true happiness. Pure happiness

is truthful, compassionate, and not filled with any

unnecessary greed for complex aspirations. To

achieve this, one has to practice and make a habit

of concentrating on familiar things.

Real happiness that is lasting and

unadulterated always looks poisonous or bitter at

first, but in the end, it is like nectar. True creativity,

innovation, and true inner happiness come

through destruction, pain, and trouble. To achieve

true happiness, we all need to have the courage to

face all kinds of pain, suffering, problems, and

illnesses. But are we ready to face those pains and

problems? Can we be more moral? Can we live a

simple but pleasantly happy life based on socially

responsible work, ethics, principles, and not based

on any false expectations or unexpected

aspirations? Happiness with simple joy should be

the ultimate goal of all of us. Like my little

grandson, we seem to be lost in the bliss of an

infinitely beautiful heavenly happiness in all our

work.

Dr P R Datta, Educator, author, and

researcher, Executive Chair, Centre for

Business & Economic Research, UK

Daffodil International University

20 years of progress-a lot of achievements and a long way to go

D affodil

International

University, a

technology-based

digital educational

institution named after

the world's renowned

flower 'Daffodil',

started its journey on January 24, 2002.After

twenty years of establishment, the university is

now attended by about 20,000 local and

foreign students, but started with only 68

students. In just a few years, Daffodil

International University ( DIU) surprised

everyone by rising to the top of the list of best

private universities in Bangladesh rated by the

University Grants Commission (UGC). Not

only in Bangladesh, but also in the international

arena, the reputation of Daffodil International

University has spread significantly.

Founded by country's renowned IT

Personality and visionary leader Dr. Md. Sabur

Khan and the prudence of the founding Vice-

Chancellor late Professor Dr. Aminul Islam,

university's involvement of technology based

activities from the very beginning and the

perseverance of creating young entrepreneurs

have enabled the university to become one of

the best educational institutions today.Through

the introduction of 'Blended Learning' and 'Go

Edu' education system, the university has

already gained the honor of being a role model

in online education in Bangladesh.

My favorite philosopher Rousseau and he

said, "The University will be in a secluded place

away from the city, where there will be no noise,

the environment will be free, the students will

grow up in the lap of wonderful nature and

nature will be their teacher." The campus of

DIU has been built in the same pattern on

about sixty acres of land.

Daffodil University's Green Campus is

situated at Daffodil Smart City in Ashulia,

surrounded by shady, bird-chirping, sundrenched

peaceful green surroundings near

Dhaka. The green campus will easily attract

anyone who is a nature lover in a playful

environment with aesthetic beauty. Just as the

authorities did not fail to organize various

activities to enhance the beauty of the entire

campus, the students also did not spare a single

penny in receiving the nectar of Ananda

Sanjivani.In addition to education, students

regularly explore and enjoy the focal point of

natural beauty of the university - like

Knowledge Valley, Banmaya, Food Court,

Fountain, Aircraft, Green Garden, Gymnasium,

Swimming Pool, Innovation Laband Golf

Course.Jumpes hangout continues everywhere

besides studying. And for sports lover, there are

international standard cricket grounds,

basketball courts, volleyball courts, badminton

courts, indoor complexes. If you don't see it

with your own eyes, it is a very difficult task to

express the enormity of the 'State of the Art'

campus in a bouquet of words and an enjoyable

description.

MD. ANowAr HAbIb KAzAl

The university has not only earned national

and international recognition in aesthetics but

also has earned the reputation as a unique

source of quality education. At the very recent

Olympic World Congress on Information

Technology (WICIT-2021), the university has

been honored with the 'Global ICT Excellence

Award'. Not only has that, through this

achievement, the university proved its

superiority in online education not only as the

only institution in Bangladesh but also in the

world. In QS Asia University Rankings 2021, it

ranks 4th among the private universities in

Bangladesh in the list of the best universities in

Asia. DIU also tops the list in UI Greenmetric

World Rankings 2021 and Times Higher

Education University Impact Rankings

2020.The university has maintained its

position in all the internationally acclaimed and

recognized rankings.

Not only ensuring the beauty of the campus is

important but also ensuring the dining and

rooming environment is equally important for

the students to ensure a quality learning

environment. DIU has world class hostel

facilities to alleviate the student housing crisis.

The university currently has accommodation

for about 10,000 students, including a learningfriendly

environment, quality food, internet,

WiFi, and strong security.The University has

Digital Class Room, Computer Lab, Textile Lab,

Physics Lab, Pharmacy Lab, English Language

Lab, Fab Lab (Digital Fabrication), JMC Lab,

Cisco Lab, Microsoft IT Academy, Linux, Red

Hut, Oracle, Multimedia Lab and Innovation

Lab.

At this time of the epidemic, the university

authorities have provided an incentive of Tk. 22

crore for the students in 2021 semester. The

university authorities are trying to prevent a

student from dropping out due to lack of funds.

So the university authorities have brought all

the students and their guardians under life

insurance risk coverage.If a student's parent

dies in an unintentional accident, the university

authorities are responsible for bearing the rest

of his / her education expenses. Similarly, if a

student dies prematurely, his family is also

provided with one-time financial compensation

under insurance facility which is rare in

Bangladesh.

The Career Development Center (CDC) is

constantly providing employment, internship

placement, career grooming up and field visits

to the students through building a good

relationship and building bridges between the

university and the industry.

For the first time in Bangladesh, an

'Innovation Lab' has been set up at Daffodil

International University to awaken the

innovative talents of the students. The

Innovation Lab includes Market Space, Robotic

Zone, 3D Printer, IoT based Electric Bulb, Fan,

Air Conditioner, Architectural Design Zone,

Book Reading Zone, Business Incubator,

Meeting Room, Android and Windows TV.

Using these facilities, students are able to turn

their innovative ideas into reality.

The university has been working relentlessly

from the very beginning to take the education

Not only ensuring the beauty of the campus is important

but also ensuring the dining and rooming environment is

equally important for the students to ensure a quality

learning environment. DIU has world class hostel facilities

to alleviate the student housing crisis.

system of Bangladesh to an international

standard. The university has signed agreements

with more than 500 reputed universities in the

world.Various activities are conducted

throughout the year in the contracted

universities including Asia Summer Program,

Teacher-Student Exchange Program,

Scholarship, Internship, Research, Joint

Conference, various competitions. The

reputation of the university has spread all over

the world beyond the borders of the country.

The courtyard of DIU has also become a

hotbed of foreign students. Already, more than

400 students from around the world, including

the United States, Turkey, Indonesia, South

Africa, Nepal, South Korea, Somalia, and

Nigeria, are studying in various departments at

Daffodil International University.

Journals are being published regularly from

different faculties of the university and the

university has a research division and research

fund to motivate the teachers and students to

do more research. Daffodil International

University has the record of spending the most

money on research among private universities

in 2021.

DIU believes in deeds not in words, Students

are the pride and soul of the university. DIU

graduates are already working in various

important positions in the country and abroad,

especially in many multinational companies

including Google, Yahoo.DIU graduates are

achieving extremely good results in the BCS

cadre and are working at various levels of

government. The University's Alumni

Association builds bridges between former and

current students. Alumni at home and abroad

are connected through the Daffodil Alumni

Association Network. As a result, current

students get all kinds of benefits from alumni.

Our education system has suffered the most

during the Corona Extreme. All educational

institutions were closed for more than 18

months. But even in such a crisis, DIU is the

only university in the country that was active all

the time. The reading of the students was not

disturbed even for a moment.

It is only because the university's platforms

like 'Blended Learning Center' and 'Go-Edu' are

active and teachers-students are already

accustomed to it. As a result, the teachers and

students of the university are enjoying the

maximum benefits of the online platform

'Blended Learning Center (BLC)' in these

difficult times of the Corona epidemic.

Bangladesh is in the first stage of digital

education, beyond the face-to-face, in the

second stage, i.e in the banded digital. For

which the University Grants Commission has

already approved the Blended Learning Policy

2021. The next step is online digital

education.Literally, Bangladesh has yet to make

its presence felt in the global online education

industry. However, DIU has informed the

world about their ability to launch online

degreesand has started platform based

education for the first time in tertiary education

in Bangladesh.

DIU is interested in launching online degrees

at undergraduate and postgraduate levels and

has already applied to the Ministry of Education

and the University Grants Commission for

permission to offer online degrees.Due to the

current global situation, many of our

neighboring countries have now started

offering online degrees. Recently, the

University Grants Commission of India has

given approval to a number of universities in

their country to offer online degrees. The

developed world started it at least 10 years ago.

If the technologies of the Fourth Industrial

Revolution (such as artificial intelligence-based

LMS, learning analytics) are effectively

integrated into the system, it could easily

become our third highest source of income after

remittances and garments.Hopefully, the

country's planners and policy makers will

prioritize research and innovation related to the

Fourth Industrial Revolution and bring timely

changes in education policy so that Bangladesh

can emerge as a brand in the global education

market.

Two decades is not a long time for a university

to focus its attention on education, innovation,

development and research, but Daffodil

International University has already been able

to make its position known in Bangladesh and

outside Bangladesh. About 40,000 graduates

have already graduated from the university,

contributing to the national and international

arena. Many achievements of the university in

this short time, in the future the fragrance of

this daffodil will spread far and wide beyond the

borders of the country, this fragrance will

spread all over the world.

The Writer is Senior Assistant

Director (Public Relations), Daffodil

International University

FRiDAY, FeBRuARY 4, 2022

5

The battle for Myanmar

ALLegRA MeNDeLSoN

On February 1, 2021, Dr. Sasa

awoke to terrifying news.

Although his phone had no

signal, it didn't take him long

to learn that civilian leaders

and activists around the

country had been rounded up

and arrested as part of a coup

carried out by the Myanmar

military.

"At first, I didn't even realize

what was happening. I

remember looking outside

and the street was flooded

with military vehicles. It was

like a dream. I was thinking to

myself - is this real?" recalled

Sasa.

Soon after, he fled his hotel

room in Myanmar's ghost

town capital of Naypyidaw,

disguised himself as a taxi

driver, and headed toward the

northwestern border to avoid

arrest.

Today, Sasa has become

one of the faces of the antimilitary

resistance

movement, helping to

establish the National Unity

Government (NUG), a

shadow government of

politicians deposed during the

coup, and now serving as its

official spokesperson.

In the year since that panicstricken

morning, the military

has continued carrying out

systematic attacks across the

country, detaining tens of

thousands of people and

killing nearly 1,500 of its own

civilians, including babies

only a few months old.

RAJeSwARi PiLLAi RAJAgoPALAN

Amid the COVID-19

pandemic, many countries

including India have come to

recognize the importance of

global supply chains and the

vulnerabilities in the absence

of any concrete action to

diversify supply chain

partners. This is particularly

true in the case of

semiconductors.

Semiconductors are

essential elements in

electronic devices in a

number of sectors including

healthcare and medical

devices, communication,

computing, defense,

transportation, clean energy,

and key emerging

technologies like artificial

intelligence and quantum

computing. The U.S.

continues to be a leader, with

about 50 percent of global

market share, worth $208

billion in 2020.

Semiconductors are one of

the top five U.S. exports, with

more than 80 percent of the

U.S. sales to overseas

customers. The U.S. industry

invests around one-fifth of its

revenue into research and

development ($44 billion in

2020), ranking as the second

highest after the

pharmaceutical industry.

China, which is another

emerging player in the

semiconductor industry, is

making fast progress. In

2015, China had a meager

share of 3.8 percent of the

global chip sales, amounting

to $13 billion, but by 2020

China had improved its

score, marking an annual

growth rate of 30.6 percent,

capturing a 9 percent market

share and about $40 billion

in annual sales. According to

the Semiconductor Industry

Association, China has

surpassed Taiwan for two

years in a row, and is only

behind Europe and Japan,

each of which had a market

share of 10 percent in 2020.

If China were to sustain its

current growth rate in the

industry, its annual revenue

could reach $116 billion by

2024, reaching a market

share of close to 18 percent,

putting it behind only the

U.S. and South Korea as far

as the global market share is

concerned.

India has a fairly small

presence in the

semiconductor arena, meant

for strategic applications

alone. India's current

facilities are the Semi-

Young demonstrators flash the three-fingered symbol of resistance

during an anti-coup mask strike in Yangon.

Photo: AP

As Myanmar enters its

second year under military

rule, the growing armed

resistance movement, the

rising number of defections

from the armed forces,

internal shakeups within the

regime, and the economic

strain from the coup suggest

that the junta's grasp on

power could be in jeopardy.

But even with the progress

that has been made, the

strength of the military's

capabilities and the lack of

international support could

mean that the end is still a

long way off.

Immediately after the coup,

Conductor Laboratory (SCL)

Mohali; Gallium Arsenide

Enabling Technology Centre

(GAETEC), Hyderabad; and

Society for Integrated Circuit

Technology and Applied

Research (SITAR),

Bengaluru. But this could

change if New Delhi takes the

initiative to bring in greater

talent and investment. Prime

Minister Narendra Modi's

address at the Indian Mobile

Congress highlighted Indian

ambitions, with the prime

minister saying that "From

5G technology to artificial

intelligence, virtual reality,

cloud, internet of things and

robotics, the world looks

towards India with optimism

to provide technology

enabled solutions that are

affordable and sustainable."

The government has begun

to appreciate the critical role

that semiconductors and

displays will play in "the

foundation of modern

electronics driving the next

phase of digital

transformation under

Industry 4.0."

Semiconductors and display

manufacturing are both

capital and technologyintensive

with long gestation

and payback periods, and

India is looking for both

capital support and

technological collaborations.

In December last year, the

Indian government cleared a

Program for the

protests and strikes erupted

across the country in what

became known as the Civil

Disobedience Movement.

Within two months, the NUG

had taken form and

announced the establishment

of a People's Defense Force

(PDF), a network of local,

anti-junta armed groups,

which began appearing

around Myanmar at an

unprecedented rate.

"If you look at the PDFs over

the last ten months, more

than 200 local defense forces

have been born. In the history

of Myanmar there have never

been these kinds of local

Development

of

Semiconductors and Display

Manufacturing Ecosystem in

India. This involves an outlay

of over $10 billion and the

government has declared

incentives for every bit of the

supply chain including

electronic components, subassemblies,

and finished

goods. A total of $7.5 billion

has been sanctioned under

PLI (Production Linked

Incentive) for large scale

electronics manufacturing,

PLI for IT hardware, SPECS

(Scheme for Promotion of

Manufacturing of Electronic

Components

and

Semiconductors) and the

Modified Electronics

Manufacturing Clusters

(EMC 2.0) Scheme. There is

also the PLI for quantum of

$13 billion that has been

sanctioned for allied sectors

that include ACC batteries,

auto components, telecom

and networking products,

solar PV modules, and white

goods. All in all, the

government has made a

commitment of $30 billion

"to position India as global

hub for electronics

manufacturing with

semiconductors as the

foundational building block."

On December 21, while

announcing four schemes for

the semiconductor industry

in India, the Ministry of

Electronics and Information

Technology (MeitY) said that

the Indian semiconductor

market, estimated around

$15 billion in 2020, is

expected to grow to around

$63 billion by 2026. The

ministry expects that by

2030, India's semiconductor

market will be driven by

wireless communications,

consumer electronics, and

automotive electronics with

24 percent, 23 percent, and

20 percent of the market

share, respectively. In

recognition of the growing

demand, the ministry added

that India has to "develop

secure and resilient

resistance forces in urban

places," said Sasa.

After several months, in a

landmark turn on September

7, the NUG formally declared

the beginning of a people's

"resistance war" against the

military. Since the

establishment of the defense

force, there had already been a

stream of attacks levied

against security forces, but the

official declaration signaled a

change in tactics that has seen

an escalation in clashes

between the two sides as well

as an increase in soldier

casualties.

India’s semiconductor pursuit

New Delhi is clearly making a push to expand its capabilities in the critical

semiconductor industry.

Photo: Collected

semiconductor supply chains

for industrial growth, digital

sovereignty,

and

technological leadership."

They also announced that

they expected to start

receiving applications from

January 1, 2022 from

industry players for setting

up semiconductor fabs

(fabrication plants), and

display units. In an effort "to

drive the long-term

strategies for developing a

sustainable semiconductors

and display ecosystem, a

specialized and independent

'India Semiconductor

Mission (ISM)'" is being

created. This mission is

supposed to be run by global

experts in semiconductor

and display industry, and

"will act as the nodal agency

for efficient and smooth

implementation of the

schemes on Semiconductors

and Display ecosystem."

Meanwhile, in another

significant move, the

government is reported to be

in talks with Taiwan to set up

a

semiconductor

manufacturing facility in

India. The Indian

government has already

selected several sites for this

purpose. If the talks succeed,

one of Taiwan's major

semiconductor producers -

the Taiwan Semiconductor

Manufacturing Company

(TSMC) or the United

Microelectronics

Corporation (UMC) - could

be executing it.

There is also domestic

interest in the semiconductor

industry. In December, the

Vedanta Group publicized its

plans to invest $15 billion on

display and semiconductor

manufacturing in India

SANg-Soo Lee

Since Pyongyang rejected the

Biden administration's

proposal of diplomatic talks as

insufficient to entice Kim Jong

Un back to the negotiating

table, North Korea seems to

have recalibrated its strategy in

dealing with the United States.

While the North's end of year

report conspicuously

condensed the outcome of its

review on foreign policy and

replaced Kim's New Year's Day

address, it is expected that

North Korea will conduct more

advanced weapons tests and

hold military parades to draw

full attention from the U.S. and

the international community in

the upcoming months. This can

be seen as North Korea's own

style of a "maximum pressure"

strategy, meant to change the

United States' fundamental

policy toward the country -

what Pyongyang calls the

"hostile policy" - before

restoring the talks

Despite the 10th anniversary

of Kim Jong Un's ascension to

power last year, he did not

deliver a New Year's Day

address in 2022. While North

Korean state media reported

the results of the five-day

plenary meeting of the

Workers' Party Eighth Central

Committee on December 27-

31, it is puzzling that Pyongyang

did not share details on its

foreign policy and strategy for

2022. It just said that the

meeting reviewed "principled

issues" and relevant strategic

directions to cope with the

rapidly changing international

political situation.

Many experts said the

absence of an announcement

on North Korea's foreign policy

direction could be seen as

providing "strategic flexibility"

or room to maneuver in the

uncertain

external

environment. Considering the

upcoming events, the Beijing

Winter Games in February and

the South Korean presidential

election in March, there are

many uncertainties in the

region. The possibility of

military conflicts in Ukraine

and Taiwan cannot be ruled out

this year either. However, those

upcoming events will have only

BeN Ho

After much chatter going back

to 2019, it is finally a done deal:

Earlier this month, the

Philippines announced that it

had inked an agreement worth

$375 million to procure the

Indo-Russian BrahMos antiship

missile and its supporting

assets. The mainstream

argument is that the supersonic

weapon will improve Manila's

anemic defense capabilities,

especially as the Armed Forces

of the Philippines (AFP)

increasingly faces up to the

Chinese military juggernaut.

Making an observation along

this line, one commentator

noted that the BrahMos would

provide a "stiff deterrent" to

Beijing's assertiveness in the

South China Sea. Similarly,

another observer argues that

having the BrahMos "will

significantly supplement the

defense capabilities of the

Philippines by enabling it to

strike seaborne or surface

targets at a considerable

distance from its shores."

That said, deterrence is, as the

eminent U.S. diplomat Henry

Kissinger once put it, a product

of capability and resolve, as well

as the opponent's belief in one's

capability and the resolve to use

it. Military weapons are an

integral element of the first

factor. But as long as just one of

these three elements is zero, the

output will be zero, as one

learns from elementary math.

Indeed, from an operational

point of view, the Philippines'

BrahMos purchase would likely

register a low figure in the

capability portion of the

deterrence equation as long as

Manila lacks the requisite

sensors to maximize the

weapon system's range. As a

consequence, the Philippines'

much-ballyhooed deterrence of

China using the BrahMos is

likely to be limited.

The range of this missile,

according to its manufacturers,

is a tidy 290 kilometers, and

this has made Philippine navy

admiral-turned-academic

Rommel Jude Ong join the

chorus of mainstream

discourse on the issue and

contend that the weapon will

provide "a defensive buffer

across a certain extent of the

North Korea is preparing

to Confront the US

a limited impact on

determining North Korea's

approach to external affairs.

China is likely to turn a blind

eye to North Korea's further

missile tests if it stays silent

during the Olympics. In

addition, whoever the next

South Korean president is, the

foundation of Seoul's approach

to Pyongyang will not change

without Washington's

approval.

As a result, Pyongyang might

have already evaluated the

impacts of future external

affairs and set its direction on

the foreign policy by taking a

"frontal breakthrough" and

"strong to strong" strategy to

deal with the U.S. and South

Korea. Thus, while it is

strategically hidden from

public reports, North Korea has

already prepared its military

action plans, such as a series of

future missile and possibly

even nuclear tests in response

to U.S. sanctions, the upcoming

South Korea-U.S. joint military

exercises, and the potential

victory of South Korean main

Can the Philippines' BrahMos

missiles really deter China?

EEZ (or exclusive economic

zone that extends to about 370

km off the coastline)."

According to Naval Tactics 101,

however, one can shoot only as

far and as well as your sensors

are able to cue you to, especially

with regard to moving targets

like warships that need to be

pinpointed and constantly

tracked. A missile system's

sales-brochure range of

hundreds of klicks is for nought

when your sensors can only

detect and track targets at

distances much less than of

that.

This is exactly the issue that

Manila will face, as the

BrahMos launcher's own radar

can only provide coverage

merely dozens of kilometers out

because of the Earth's

curvature. The AFP lacks overthe-horizon

radar that could

mitigate the problem, but this

lacuna is understandable given

that such a capability is

accessible usually to larger

military powers.

opposition presidential

candidate Yoon Suk-yeol in the

election.

North Korea has already

tested its missile capabilities six

times this month, signaling

Pyongyang's clear intention to

follow through with Kim's 2021

pledge of strengthening the

national military capability.

Pyongyang will continue

carrying out more missile tests

in the coming months to

demonstrate advancements in

its missile technologies. Kim

believes that maximum

pressure by demonstrating

powerful nuclear and missile

weapons might be the only way

to push the U.S. to make

concessions.

Amid the deadlocked nuclear

talks and the unprecedented

COVID-19 pandemic, this year

is especially important for Kim.

He will need to show his strong

leadership on the 110th birth

anniversary of Kim Il Sung, the

country's founder, and the 80th

birth anniversary of Kim Jong

Il, Kim's father, which are

coming up in April and

The limitations imposed by

the Earth's curvature could also

be mitigated by airborne

sensors that provide the

militarily important element of

"high ground." However, the

Philippine military is severely

lacking in the aerial intelligence,

surveillance,

and

reconnaissance (AISR) domain.

Crucially, the air force does not

have any dedicated airborne

warning and control system

aircraft like the E-3 Sentry. The

Phillippines' AISR platforms,

according to the latest edition of

the authoritative Military

Balance, include barely a dozen

Cessna utility aircraft and OV-

10 Bronco light attack and

observation planes, which are

hardly suited for the

demanding tasks of maritime

ISR.

While Manila possesses a

number of Heron and Blue

Horizon surveillance drones,

they are simply too small in

number - five according to the

Military Balance 2021 - to make

February, respectively. At the

plenary session in December,

Kim mainly focused on

delivering his messages on the

development of North Korea's

rural and agricultural sector in

a bid to revive his country's

crippled economy, which has

been worsened by a brutal

combination of U.N.-led

economic sanctions, extreme

anti-pandemic measures, and

natural disasters since early

2020. Kim's hands, however,

are tied as to the economy as

there is no long-term plan he

can follow to tackle the

country's devastating food

shortages without undercutting

his self-reliance approach, as

This photo provided by the North Korean government, shows what it says a

test launch of a hypersonic missile in North Korea on Jan. 5, 2022. Photo: AP

aggressive anti-pandemic

measures have completely cut

North Korea off from the world

since early 2020. It is believed

that the only long-term solution

for the regime to improve its

economic situation is

reopening the border with

China or resuming nuclear

negotiations with the U.S. to lift

existing sanctions.

a difference (and they belong to

the air force rather than

BrahMos' future operators, the

army, the marines, or the

latter's parent organization, the

navy). Moreover, these

platforms are slow flying - like

most of their kind are - and this

makes them essentially hapless

in the face of the enemy,

especially one with substantial

anti-air capabilities such as

China.

And even if Manila were to

have credible AISR platforms

on paper, integrating them with

other systems like the BrahMos

is another issue together,

bearing in mind that the AFP is

also lacking in the command

and control, communications,

and computers department

that would be so crucial in

enabling network-centric

warfare. Indeed, the fact that

the Philippine navy entered the

missile age only as recently as

2018 is but one symptom of the

AFP's overall backwardness.

Technological limitations on Manila's end will limit the missile's range -

and its deterrent factor.

Photo: Collected

FRIDAY, FeBRUARY 4, 2022

6

Covid-19 cases jumps to 60,685

in Rangpur division

According to the Meteorological Department's forecast for the next three to four days of unpredictable

rains, an emergency meeting was held at Gournadi in Barishal to inform the farmers and

people's representatives at the field level.

Photo : Gias Uddin Mia

DAE launches rice seedling transplanter

machine in Nageshwari

RANGPUR : The Department of

Agricultural Extension (DAE) has

launched a rice seedling transplanter

machine for transplantation of Boro

rice seedlings prepared on trays and

mechanisation of agriculture in

Nageshwari upazila of Kurigram.

Deputy Director of the Kurigram

DAE Agriculturist Md Abdur Rashid

opened the Boro rice seedling

transplantation using a rice seedling

transplanter in village Kodomertol in

Hasnabad union of the upazila on

Wednesday afternoon as the chief

guest.

Nageshwari Upazila Nirbahi Officer

Nur Ahmmed Masum presided over a

function arranged on the occasion

under the Agriculture Incentive

Programme of the DAE for local

farmers.

Upazila Agriculture Officer

Agriculturist Md Shahriar Hossain,

Agriculture Extension Officers Selina

Afroz and Tanzima Khatun, Subassistant

Agriculture Officers Akhter

Jamil, Shafikul Islam and Abdul Alim

addressed the occasion.

Agriculturist Shahriar Hossain said

local farmers would get the benefits of

transplantation of Boro rice seedlings

on their crop lands using rice

transplanter machines during this Boro

season.

"Rice transplanter machines ensure

uniform depth of transplanted

seedlings that make sure healthier and

faster growth of tender plants and

increase 20 percent Boro rice yield and

reduce farming cost by 20 percent," he

said.

Agriculturalist Rashid narrated the

benefits of using rice transplanter

machines, adoption of which reduces

the time between crop harvesting and

next crop planting due to increasing

crop intensity under changed climatic

patterns.

He urged all concerned for making

the best use of rice seedling

transplanter machines to enhance Boro

rice production at reduced costs to

ensure national food security.

The Muradnagar Upazila administration is providing financial assistance to the family of Awal, who was killed

in a head-on collision with a sand-loaded bulkhead in Chandpur. Photo : Mohammad Mosharraf Hosse

32040 tonnes

onion yield

expected in

Jamalpur

JAMALPUR : Agriculturists

are expecting 32040 tonnes

of onion production as

farmers brought more land

under its cultivation this

year in the district.

Department

of

Agricultural Extension

(DAE) office sources said

farmers cultivated onion on

2670 hectares of land which

was 45 hectares more than

the last year.

As a result, 934 tonnes

more onion is expected to be

produced this time, they

said.

Last year, 31106 tonnes

onion was produced on

2625 hectares of land.

With a view to increase the

onion cultivation,

agriculture department

disbursed incentive among

500 small and marginal

farmers in the district.

Under the programme,

500 kilogram onion seeds

and 10 tonnes fertiliser were

distributed among the

farmers.

The farmers cultivated

onion on 715 hectares of

land in Jamalpur Sadar

Upazila, 110 hectares in

Sarishabari, 105 hectares

in Melandah, 1230

hectares in Islampur, 280

hectares in Dewanganj, 80

hectares in Madarganj and

150 hectares in Bakshiganj

Upazila.

RMCH records five more

deaths in Covid-19 unit

RAJSHAHI : Rajshahi

Medical College Hospital

(RMCH) recorded five

more deaths in its Covid-

19 unit during the last 24

hours till 9am on

Thursday

RMCH Director

Brigadier General

Shamim Yazdani said

three of the deceased were

the residents of Rajshahi,

while two others one each

from Chapainawabganj

and Natore districts.

One of them died with

Covid-19 infections, while

four others with its

symptoms, he said.

Meanwhile, sixteen

more patients were

admitted to the Covid-19

unit during the last 24

hours, taking the number

of admitted patients to 65,

including 39 positive for

Covid-19, at present.

Twenty-three other

patients returned home

after being cured during

the same time.

On the other hand, 248

more patients have tested

positive for Covid-19 after

testing 648 samples in

Rajshahi's two

laboratories on

Wednesday, showing a

41.97 percent positivity

rate, while 44.30 percent

in Chapainawabganj and

23.44 percent in Natore.

A preparatory meeting has been held in Noakhali on the occasion of the

celebrating International Mother Language Day with due dignity. The

preparatory meeting was held under the chairmanship of Deputy

Commissioner Dewan Mahbubur Rahman in the conference room on

Thursday morning.

Photo : Manik Bhuiya

RANGPUR : The total number of

Covid-19 cases jumped to 60,685 with

the diagnosis of 412 new patients on

Wednesday in Rangpur division where

the pandemic situation continues

deteriorating in recent weeks.

Health officials said the 412 new

patients were diagnosed after testing

1,057 samples at 38.98 percent average

positivity rate on Wednesday amid a

hastily rising number of positive cases

in the last three weeks.

Earlier, the daily Covid-19 positivity

rates were 46.01 percent on Tuesday,

41.87 percent on Monday, 41.82

percent on Sunday, 53.31 percent on

Saturday, 25.41 percent on Friday and

46.45 percent on Thursday last in the

division.

On Wednesday, Rangpur recorded

42.10 percent Covid-19 positivity,

Panchagarh 35 percent, Nilphamari

30.30 percent, Lalmonirhat 35.50

percent, Kurigram 38.10 percent,

Thakurgaon 50 percent, Dinajpur

42.20 percent and Gaibandha 32.60

percent.

The district-wise break up of total

60,685 patients include 13,943 of

Six get life

imprisonment

for murder in

Rajshahi

RAJSHAHI : A trial tribunal

yesterday convicted six

persons and sentenced them

to life in prison on charge of

killing a man in Bagha upazila

in the district around two

years back.

In its verdict, the tribunal

also fined them Taka 10,000

each, in default, to suffer one

year more behind the bars

each.

Divisional Speedy Tribunal

Judge Anup Kumar handed

down the verdict in a crowded

courtroom with the presence

of the accused of the case

yesterday noon.

The convicts are: Mintu Ali,

35, Muhammad Rana, 21,

Muhammad Pana, 25, Arif

Hossain, 25, and Sharif

Hossain, 22, of Sultanpur

village under Bagha Upazila

and Arzed Ali, 47, of

Moniharpur village in Lalpur

Upazila of Natore district.

Fifteen other accused of the

case were acquitted as the

charge brought against them

could not be proved.

Special Public Prosecutor

Entajul Haque said the

accused in accomplice with

each other indiscriminately

chopped Nazmul Hossain and

his nephew Tariqul Islam

indiscriminately at Sultanpur

crossing in broad day light on

January 14, 2020.

Subsequently, Nazmul

succumbed to his injuries at

the nearby Bagha Upazila

Health Complex on the same

day.

Azizul Islam, father of the

victim, had lodged a case with

Bagha Police Station.

Upon completion of

investigation police pressed

charges accusing 21 people.

One more dies

of Covid-19, 77

infected in

C'nawabganj

CHAPAINAWABGANJ : One

more person died of Covid-19

during the last 24 hours till

Thursday morning, raising

the total number of deaths to

163 in the district.

The new fatality is reported

from Chapainawabganj Sadar

upazila.

On the other hand, the

number of Covid-19 cases

climbed to 6,422 as 77 more

people were detected positive

after testing 190 samples in

the district during the time,

Civil Surgeon Office sources

confirmed.

At present there are 457

COVID-affected patients in

the district and of them seven

patients are getting treatment

in the COVID-19 dedicated

hospital and others at home,

the sources added.

Meanwhile, 5,804 patients

with 10 new have recovered

from the disease here, the

sources further added.

Rangpur, 4,144 Panchagarh, 5,052 of

Nilphamari, 3,028 of Lalmonirhat,

4,832 of Kurigram, 8,320 of

Thakurgaon, 16,135 of Dinajpur and

5,231 of Gaibandha in the division.

"Meanwhile, the number of Covid-19

related casualties remained steady at

1,257 as no more infected patients died

on Wednesday," Divisional Director

(Health) Dr. Abu Md. Zakirul Islam

told BSS.

The average casualty rate stands at

2.07 percent in the division.

The district-wise break up of the

1,257 fatalities stands at 295 in

Rangpur, 81 in Panchagarh, 89 in

Nilphamari, 70 in Lalmonirhat, 69 in

Kurigram, 256 in Thakurgaon, 334 in

Dinajpur and 63 in Gaibandha of the

division. "Since the outbreak of the

pandemic, a total of 3,22,174 collected

samples were tested till Wednesday,

and of them, 60,685 were found Covid-

19 positive with an average positivity

rate of 18.84 percent in the division,"

Dr Islam said.

Meanwhile, the number of healed

Covid-19 patients reached 55,233 with

the recovery of 142 more patients on

Wednesday in the division. The average

recovery rate stands at 91.02 percent.

The 55,233 recovered patients

include 12,443 of Rangpur, 3,780

Panchagarh, 4,416 Nilphamari, 2,711

Lalmonirhat, 4,537 Kurigram, 7,660

Thakurgaon, 14,795 in Dinajpur and

4,891 Gaibandha districts in the

division.

Among the 60,685 patients, 123 are

under treatment at isolation units,

including 14 critical patients at ICU

beds and seven at High Dependency

Unit beds, after recovery of 55,233

patients and 1,257 deaths while 4,072

are remaining in home isolation.

"In the meantime, the number of

citizens who got the first dose of the

Covid-19 vaccine rose to 1,08,10,385,

and among them, 65,50,580 got the

second dose and 1,79,119 got the

booster dose of the jabs till Wednesday

in the division," Dr Islam added.

Principal of Rangpur Medical College

Prof. Dr. Bimal Chandra Roy called

upon people to sincerely abide by the

health directives to contain community

spread of the deadly virus and remain

safe.

Masks have been distributed among the students of Narail

Government Girls High School. Deputy Commissioner Mohammad

Habibur Rahman inaugurated the distribution of masks as the chief

guest on Thursday morning.

Photo : Humaun Kabir

Ensuring legitimate rights of the

Harijan community stressed

RAJSHAHI : Concerted

efforts of all the government

and non-government

organizations concerned can

be the best ways of ensuring

legitimate rights of the

Harijan community.

People of the community

are integral parts of the

society and their contribution

to the society is undeniable so

their rights should be

protected properly.

Development activists and

religious leaders came up with

the observation while

addressing an advocacy

meeting with religious

representatives at SK Food

Restaurant in the city

yesterday.

The Lady's Organization for

Social Welfare (LOFS) hosted

the meeting with the slogan of

'Dharma Jar Jar Desh Sobar'

in association with The Asia

Foundation under its

advocacy project for helping

establish rights of the Harijan

community.

Editor of Daily Sonar Desh

Akbarul Hassan Millat, Paba

Upazila Vice-chairman

Wazed Ali Khan and Chief

Community Development

Officer of Rajshahi City

Corporation Azizur Rahman

addressed the meeting as

resource persons with LOFS

Executive Director Shahnaz

Parveen in the chair.

RU suspends in-person

classes until Feb 21

RAJSHAHI : Rajshahi University (RU) administration has

extended its decision of suspending the in-person classes

until February 21 complying with the government decision

amid the present escalation of Covid-19 infection.

However, the departments and institutes can continue

their respective academic activities virtually through

interactive communication with students, RU sources here

said yesterday afternoon.

Offices of the university will remain open on a limited scale

from 9.00 am to 2.00 pm from Sunday to Thursday as usual

through following health protection measures.

Emergency services like power, gas, water, internet,

healthcare and conservancy will remain operational as usual.

RU authority has asked the students to follow the health

guidelines remaining in their respective dormitories and

houses. They were also asked to be more attentive to protect

their health.

Outsiders have been restricted from entering the campus

without any official work.

Restriction has also been imposed on holding meetings,

rallies and public gatherings in the campus.

100 pairs of benches have been provided as educational materials in 10

educational institutions in Kumarkhali, Kushtia. The benches were handed

over to the teachers at the Kumarkhali Public Library premises on

Thursday morning.

Photo : M R Nayan

7

fRidAY, feBRUARY 4, 2022

The last time the Olympics came to China, he oversaw the whole endeavor. Now the Games are back,

and this time Xi Jinping is running the entire nation.

Photo : Courtesy

President Xi Jinping, China's

'chairman of everything'

BEIJING : The last time the Olympics came to

China, he oversaw the whole endeavor. Now

the Games are back, and this time Xi Jinping

is running the entire nation, reports UNB.

The Chinese president, hosting a Winter

Olympics beleaguered by complaints about

human rights abuses, has upended tradition

to restore strongman rule in China and tighten

Communist Party control over the economy

and society.

Xi was in charge of the 2008 Summer

Olympics in Beijing that served as a "comingout

party" for China as an economic and

political force. A second-generation member

of the party elite, Xi became general secretary

of the party in 2012. He took the ceremonial

title of president the next year.

Xi spent his first five-year term atop the

party making himself China's strongest leader

at least since Deng Xiaoping in the 1980s. Xi

was dubbed "chairman of everything" after he

put himself in charge of economic,

propaganda and other major functions. That

reversed a consensus for the ruling inner circle

to avoid power struggles by sharing decisionmaking.

The party is crushing pro-democracy and

other activism and tightening control over

business and society. It has expanded

surveillance of China's 1.4 billion people and

control of business, culture, education and

religion. A "social credit" system tracks every

person and company and punishes infractions

from pollution to littering. Xi's rise coincides

with increased assertiveness abroad following

three decades of China keeping its head down

to focus on economic development.

Xi wants China to be "the greatest country

on Earth, widely admired and therefore

followed," said Steve Tsang, a Chinese politics

specialist at the School of Oriental and African

Studies in London.

"The world where China is top dog is a world

where authoritarianism is safe," Tsang said.

Democracies will "need to know their place."

Born in Beijing in 1953, Xi enjoyed a

privileged youth as the second son of Xi

Zhongxun, a former vice premier and

guerrilla commander in the civil war that

brought Mao Zedong's communist rebels to

power in 1949. At 15, Xi Jinping was sent to

rural Shaanxi province in 1969 as part of

Mao's campaign to have educated urban

young people learn from peasants. Xi was

caught trying to sneak back to the Chinese

capital and returned to Shaanxi to dig

irrigation ditches.

"Knives are sharpened on the stone. People

are refined through hardship," Xi told a

Chinese magazine in 2001. "Whenever I later

encountered trouble, I'd just think of how

hard it had been to get things done back then

and nothing would then seem difficult."

Beijing is pushing for a bigger role in

managing trade and global affairs to match its

status as the second-biggest economy. It has

antagonized Japan, India and other neighbors

by trying to intimidate Taiwan - the island

democracy that the ruling party says belongs

to China - and by pressing claims to disputed

sections of the South and East China Seas and

the Himalayas.

President Joe Biden is ordering 2,000 U.S.-based troops to Poland and

Germany and shifting 1,000 more from Germany to Romania, demonstrating

to both allies and foes America's commitment to NATO's eastern flank

amid fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Pentagon said

Wednesday.

Photo : Courtesy

Winter storm packing snow, freezing

rain moves across US

CHICAGO : 8A major winter storm with

millions of Americans in its path brought a

mix of rain, freezing rain and snow to the

central U.S. on Wednesday as airlines

canceled thousands of flights, officials urged

residents to stay off roads and schools closed

campuses, reports UNB.

The blast of frigid weather, which began

arriving Tuesday night, put a long stretch of

states from New Mexico and Colorado to

Maine under winter storm warnings and

watches. On Wednesday morning,

Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois,

Indiana and Michigan saw freezing rain,

sleet and snow.

By midday Wednesday, some places had

already reported snow totals exceeding or

nearing a foot, including the central Illinois

town of Lewistown with 14.4 inches (36.6

centimeters) and the northeastern Missouri

city of Hannibal with 11.5 inches (29.2

centimeters).

"And it's still snowing across these areas,"

said Andrew Orrison, a meteorologist with

the National Weather Service in College

Park, Maryland.

Central Illinois and northern Indiana

appeared likely to receive the most snowfall,

with expected totals ranging from 12 to 18

inches (30 to 45 centimeters) by the end of

Thursday, Orrison said.

Snow had begun to taper off in Missouri by

early afternoon but much of the state could

wind up with 8 inches to a foot (20 to 30

centimeters) of snow. Parts of Michigan also

could snow totals around a foot by Thursday.

In Chicago, Elisha Waldman and his sons

welcomed the opportunity to hit a sledding

hill Wednesday morning, even as snow

continued to fall.

UN Security Council

urges "immediate" end

to Myanmar violence

UNITED NATIONS : The

UN Security Council called

Wednesday for an

"immediate cessation of all

forms of violence" in

Myanmar and expressed

hope that a special envoy

would be allowed to travel

there to mediate the crisis,

reports UNB.

The Association of

Southeast Asian Nations

wants to send its

representative, Cambodia's

foreign minister Prak

Sokhonn, to Myanmar,

where last year's coup

triggered mass protests and

a deadly crackdown on

dissent.

The UN Security Council

looks forward to the

minister's visit to Myanmar

"at the earliest opportunity

to meet with all parties

concerned and carry out

mediation that facilitates the

dialogue process, as well as

the provision of

humanitarian assistance,"

the body said in a statement.

In the statement, drafted

by Britain and passed

unanimously on the first

anniversary of the deadly

coup, the Council "expressed

deep concern at further

recent violence in the

country and expressed

alarm at the large numbers

of internally displaced."

More than 1,500 people

have been killed by security

forces and more than 11,000

arrested since the coup,

according to a local

monitoring group.

The country's former

civilian leader, Nobel prize

laureate Aung San Suu Kyi,

and former president Win

Myint have been jailed.

Biden orders forces to Europe

amid stalled Ukraine talks

WASHINGTON : President Joe Biden is

ordering 2,000 U.S.-based troops to Poland

and Germany and shifting 1,000 more from

Germany to Romania, demonstrating to

both allies and foes America's commitment

to NATO's eastern flank amid fears of a

Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Pentagon

said Wednesday, reports UNB.

Russia fired back with a sharply worded

objection, calling the deployments

unfounded and "destructive."

Russian President Vladimir Putin also had

a new telephone exchange with British

Prime Minister Boris Johnson. But readouts

from both governments showed no progress,

with Putin saying the West was giving no

ground on Russia's security concerns and

Johnson expressing deep concern about

Russia's "hostile activity" on the Ukrainian

border, referring to Putin's buildup of

100,000 troops there.

The Biden administration is aiming to

demonstrate U.S. resolve without

undermining efforts to find a diplomatic

solution to the crisis. Biden notably has not

sent military reinforcements to the three

Baltic countries on NATO's eastern flank -

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania - that are

former states of the Soviet Union.

No U.S. troops are being sent to Ukraine,

and White House press secretary Jen Psaki

on Wednesday said the administration has

stopped calling a Russian invasion

"imminent," because that word implies

Washington knows Putin has made a

decision to invade. Officials say Putin's

intentions remain unclear. However,

increasing U.S. troop levels in Eastern

Europe is exactly what Putin has said he

finds intolerable, along with the prospect of

Ukraine joining NATO. The U.S. already has

several thousand troops in Poland, and

Romania is host to a NATO missile defense

system that Russia considers a threat. The

U.S. presence in the region has increased

since 2014 when Russia made its first

invasion of Ukraine.

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said

the soon-to-deploy U.S. forces are intended

to temporarily bolster U.S. and allied

New Zealand to end quarantine

stays and reopen its borders

WELLINGTON : New

Zealand's government on

Thursday said it will end its

quarantine requirements for

incoming travelers and

reopen its borders, a change

welcomed by thousands of

citizens abroad who have

endured long waits to return

home, reports UNB.

Since the start of the

pandemic, New Zealand has

enacted some of the world's

strictest border controls. Most

incoming travelers need to

spend 10 days in a quarantine

hotel room run by the military,

a requirement that has created

a bottleneck at the border.

The measures were initially

credited with saving

thousands of lives and allowed

New Zealand to eliminate or

control several outbreaks of

the coronavirus.

But, increasingly, the border

controls have been viewed as

out-of-step in a world where

the virus is becoming

endemic, and in a country

where the omicron variant is

already spreading. The

bottleneck forced many New

Zealanders abroad to enter a

lottery-style system to try and

secure a spot in quarantine

and passage home.

we`ÿ r/Rb-594(2)/3/2/2022

GD-204/22 (6x3)

defensive positions.

"These are not permanent moves," he said,

stressing that the purpose is to reassure

allies. Kirby said Russia had continued its

buildup, even in the previous 24 hours,

despite U.S. urgings that it deescalate.

In Moscow, a senior official said the U.S.

movements will complicate the crisis.

"The unfounded destructive steps will only

fuel military tensions and narrow the field

for political decisions," Deputy Foreign

Minister Alexander Grushko said in remarks

carried by the Interfax news agency.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba

again played down fears of a Russian attack

in a call with reporters but said that if Russia

makes moves that could signal an imminent

invasion Ukraine would react as necessary.

Of the 2,000 U.S. troops newly deploying

from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, about

1,700 are members of the 82nd Airborne

Division infantry brigade, who will go to

Poland. The other 300 are with the 18th

Airborne Corps and will go to Germany as

what the Pentagon called a "joint task forcecapable

headquarters."

New Zealand to start easing

tough Covid border controls

AUCKLAND : New Zealand will start easing

some of the world's toughest pandemic

border restrictions this month but will not

fully reopen until October, Prime Minister

Jacinda Ardern said Thursday, reports UNB.

Ardern announced a five-step plan to

reconnect New Zealand to the rest of the

world, beginning with waiving hotel

quarantine requirements for its nationals

stranded overseas by the pandemic.

"It's time to move again," said Ardern, who

has been under pressure recently to relax

border policies that have been largely

unchanged since the beginning of the Covid-

19 crisis almost two years ago.

"Families and friends need to reunite, our

businesses need skills to grow, exporters

need to travel to make new connections."

The UN Security Council called Wednesday for an "immediate cessation of

all forms of violence" in Myanmar and expressed hope that a special envoy

would be allowed to travel there to mediate the crisis. Photo : Courtesy

The shortcomings of the

system were highlighted over

the past week by pregnant

New Zealand journalist

Charlotte Bellis, who was

stranded in Afghanistan after

New Zealand officials initially

rejected her application to

return home to give birth.

After international publicity,

officials backed down and

offered her a spot in

quarantine, which she has

accepted. The border changes

mean that vaccinated New

Zealanders returning from

Australia will no longer need

to go into quarantine from the

end of this month, and

vaccinated New Zealanders

returning from the rest of the

world can skip quarantine by

mid-March. They will still be

required to isolate at home.

However, most tourists will

need to wait until October

before they can enter the

country without a quarantine

stay. And anybody who isn't

vaccinated will still be

required to go through

quarantine. Prime Minister

Jacinda Ardern said she

knows many people associate

the border controls with

heartache but they have

undeniably saved lives.

13 reported killed

as US forces launch

raid in Syria

ATMEH : U.S. special forces

carried out what the

Pentagon said was a largescale

counterterrorism raid

in northwestern Syria early

Thursday. First responders

at the scene reported 13

people had been killed,

including six children and

four women, reports UNB.

The operation, which

residents say lasted over two

hours, jolted the sleepy

village of Atmeh near the

Turkish border - an area

dotted with camps for

internally displaced people

from Syria's civil war. The

target of the raid was

unclear. "The mission was

successful," Pentagon press

secretary John Kirby said in

a brief statement. "There

were no U.S. casualties.

More information will be

provided as it becomes

available."

A journalist on assignment

for The Associated Press and

several residents said they

saw body parts scattered

near the site of the raid, a

house in Syria's rebel-held

Idlib province. Most

residents spoke on condition

of anonymity for fear of

reprisals, and said the raid

involved helicopters,

explosions and machinegun

fire.

It was the largest raid in

the province since the 2019

Trump-era U.S. assault that

killed the Islamic State

leader Abu Bakr al-

Baghdadi. Idlib is broadly

controlled by Turkey-backed

fighters, but is also an Al-

Qaida stronghold and home

to several of its top

operatives.

CNN chief Jeff Zucker

resigns over relationship

with colleague

WASHINGTON : CNN

president Jeff Zucker

announced his resignation on

Wednesday for failing to

disclose a romantic

relationship with a colleague at

the US cable television

network.

"I certainly wish my tenure

here had ended differently,"

Zucker said in a message to the

network's employees. "But it

was an amazing run. And I

loved every minute."

Zucker, 56, said his

resignation was effective

immediately. As head of the

cable network since 2013,

Zucker was one of the most

powerful media executives in

the United States. In his

message, Zucker said that as

part of an investigation into a

CNN anchor, he was "asked

about a consensual

relationship with my closest

colleague.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2022

8

OPEC+ backs another modest oil output

hike despite surging prices

First Security Islami Bank Ltd. donated 60pcs Oxygen Concentrators to Feni250 Bed General

Hospital and Chhagalnaiya Health Complex, Feni for the Treatment of Covid-19 Patients. Chief Guest

Nizam Uddin Hazari, MP, Shamsul Karim Mazumder, Head of FSIBL Cumilla Zonal Office, Dr.

RafikusSalehin, Civil Surgeon,Feni, Prof. Dr. Sahedul Islam Kauser, President, BMA, Feni, Dr.

Mohammad Robyat Been Karim, Upazila Health & Family Planning Officer, Chhagalnaiya, Fenialong

with other officials were participated in the program.

Photo : Courtesy

LONDON : Top oil-producing

countries led by Saudi Arabia and

Russia announced another modest

increase in output on Wednesday

despite soaring crude prices and

geopolitical tensions rattling the

markets, reports BSS.

The 23-nation OPEC+ group said in

a statement that it will increase

production by 400,000 barrels per

day in March, the same amount as in

previous months.

The group, which includes the 13

members of the Saudi-led

Organization of the Petroleum

Exporting Countries (OPEC) and their

10 allies, including Russia, has

resisted US pressure to further boost

production to tame prices.

OPEC+ said in its statement

following a ministerial

videoconference that the decision was

made "in view of current oil market

fundamentals and the consensus on

the outlook".

The alliance's prudent approach

dates back to the spring of 2021 as

demand recovered after drastic 2020

cuts in the face of the Covid-19

pandemic.

The announcement Wednesday

"was hardly surprising, as the group

has rigidly followed this approach

since it was first agreed upon, even in

December when oil prices plunged

following the emergence of Omicron,"

said Edward Gardner, commodities

expert at Capital Economics.

"What matters going forward is

whether OPEC+ can keep up with its

planned production increases," he

said.

Oil prices hit seven-year highs in

January, with the main international

crude contract, Brent, topping $90.

Prices are now hovering under $90.

Victoria Scholar, an expert at

Interactive Investor, said she expected

"further gains" due to solid demand

and "drip-feed production increases"

by OPEC+.

OPEC+ is already struggling to meet

its quotas with some members, such

as Angola and Nigeria, unable to scale

up their production and others, such

as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab

Emirates, unwilling to do so, said

Carsten Fritsch of Commerzbank.

In December, the total volume of

OPEC+ output increased by only

90,000 barrels per day, far short of

the 400,000 target, according to a

survey by the Bloomberg news agency.

Russia was complying with its

commitments, Moscow's energy

minister, Alexander Novak, told

Rossiya 24 television.

But there were "a number of

uncertainties" weighing on demand

while the coronavirus pandemic was

still ongoing, he said.

The market has been further

boosted by soaring geopolitical

tensions plaguing stalwarts of oil

production-Russia, Saudi Arabia and

the United Arab Emirates.

The United Arab Emirates on

Monday intercepted another ballistic

missile launched by Yemen's Huthi

rebels, the latest attack on the Gulf

country, which is part of a Saudi-led

military coalition.

In Europe, tensions between

Moscow and Western allies are at

their highest point since the Cold War

after Russia massed troops on its

border with Ukraine.

Nintendo raises profit forecast

but cuts Switch sales outlook

TOKYO : Nintendo raised its full-year net profit

forecast Thursday, citing strong performances

by recent game releases, but it again cut its

sales target for the Switch owing to global

supply chain problems.

The Japanese giant posted its highest-ever

annual profit in 2020-21, buoyed by a surge in

interest as the coronavirus pandemic forced

people to seek indoor entertainment.

Even as restrictions ease, Nintendo said it

expects to post a 400 billion yen ($3.5 billion)

net profit at the end of the fiscal year in March,

up 50 billion yen from its forecast in

November. The Kyoto-based firm also hiked its

sales forecast for the year to March 2022 to 1.65

trillion yen, from a previous estimate of 1.60

trillion yen.

It now says it hopes to sell 23 million units of

its Switch console in this fiscal year, a further

downward revision from the 24 million it

announced in the previous quarter.

"In regard to business risk, the extended

impact of both Covid-19 and the global

semiconductor shortage creates a state of

continued uncertainty, with the possibility of

future impact on production and shipping,"

Nintendo said in its earnings release.

"While these and other unforeseen risks

exist, we continue to take all necessary

measures in conducting business."

Nintendo has faced persistent speculation

about its plans for a new version of its Switch

console, which was first released in 2017.

But it offered few clues on Wednesday,

saying only it would "continue to convey the

appeal of the three models and work to further

expand the install base".

It said it has now sold more than 100 million

units of the various Switch consoles, including

the handheld-only Switch Lite, released in

2019, and Switch OLED with upgraded

graphics and memory that came out in October

2021. For the nine months to December,

Nintendo logged a net profit of 367.4 billion

yen, down 2.5 percent from the same period a

year earlier, when virus lockdowns prompted

huge demand for video games.

While restrictions may no longer be keeping

so many people at home, the pandemic

experience has had residual effects on the

gaming market, said Hideki Yasuda, an analyst

at Ace Research Institute in Tokyo.

Closing Ceremony of JBL Subordinate Bond IV was held on 2nd February,

2022 at Jamuna Bank Tower. UCB Investment Ltd. is the Lead Arranger of

this issuance. Mirza Elias Uddin Ahmed, MD & CEO, Jamuna Bank Ltd.,

Tanzim Alamgir, MD & CEO, UCB Investment Ltd., MD Rahmat Pasha, MD

& CEO, UCB Stock Brokerage Ltd. and S M Rashedul Hasan, MD & CEO,

UCB Asset Management Ltd. were present in the event. Other senior officials

from respective organizations were also present to celebrate this

thriving moment. UCB Investment Ltd, one of the leading and fast-growing

investment banks in the country; had a tremendous year despite the

unprecedented COVID 19 outbreak. The company was mandated to

arrange around BDT 6,000 Crore just in one year, in which it has completed

around 80% of the fund raising in very short span of time. The dynamic

team of UCB Investment is endeavoring to accomplish all the transactions

successfully.

Photo : Courtesy

Turkey inflation surges to near 20-year

ANKARA : Turkey's annual inflation rate in

January reached its highest level since April

2002, official data showed Thursday, after a

currency crisis decimated people's purchasing

power.

Consumer prices surged by 48.7 percent

from the same period in January last year, up

from an annual rate of 36.1 percent in

December, according to the Turkish statistics

agency. The reading came out just days after

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan changed the

head of the state statistics agency for the fourth

time since 2019.

Turkish media reported that Erdogan was

unhappy with agency data showing inflation

reaching the highest level since his Islamicrooted

party stormed to power two decades

ago, complicating his path to re-election in

2023. Former agency chief Erdal Dincer had

only been in the job for 10 months. He was

replaced by Erhan Cetinkaya, who was vicechair

of Turkey's banking regulator.

Independent data collected by Turkish

economists suggested that the annual rate of

inflation rose to more than 110 percent in

January.

Erdogan staunchly opposes raising interest

rates, which he believes cause inflation-the

exact opposition of conventional economic

thinking. He admitted on Monday that Turks

would "have to carry the burden" of inflation

for "some time".

"God willing we have entered a period where

each month is better than the previous one," he

added. Turkey has suffered from persistently

high inflation for years, experiencing two

currency crises since 2018.

The second last year came after Erdogan

orchestrated sharp interest rate cuts that put

them far below the rate at which prices were

rising, eroding Turks' purchasing power and

the value of their savings.

Metlife named to

world's most admired

companies list by

Fortune Magazine

MetLife on Thursday

announced that it has been

named to Fortune

magazine's 2022 list of the

"World's Most Admired

Companies." Eight life

insurers were included in the

annual report card of the

best-regarded companies, a

press release said.

To identify companies that

have the strongest

reputations across

industries, Fortune partners

with Korn Ferry to survey

industry executives,

directors, and analysts on

nine categories, from

investment value and quality

of management to social

responsibility and ability to

attract talent.

"We are pleased to be

named one of the most

admired companies in the

life insurance industry," said

MetLife President and CEO

Michel Khalaf. "Our people

are proud to live our purpose,

deliver for our customers,

and make a positive

difference in our

communities. This

recognition belongs to

them."

Additional details about

the rankings are available at

Fortune.com.

Nokia posts strong

profit after

'transformational'

2021

HELSINKI : Finnish telecoms

giant Nokia reported a solid

increase in profits in 2021 on

Thursday and issued a

confident outlook for the

coming years as sales rose

despite supply problems.

"I would like to call it a

transformational year," CEO

Pekka Lundmark told

reporters after the group

posted a net profit of 1.6

billion euros ($1.8 billion),

driven by a 1.6 percent

increase in sales to 22.2 billion

euros.

The results follow a string of

quarterly earnings surprises

for the network equipment

maker, which has been

flagging in the race for the 5G

network equipment market

against Sweden's Ericsson

and China's Huawei.

Since taking the helm in

2019, Lundmark has overseen

a wide-ranging restructuring

and cost-cutting programme,

with savings invested into

developing new, more

competitive products.

The moves are widely seen

as having paid off, with Nokia

predicting a comparable

operating margin of between

11 and 13.5 percent for 2022,

following 12.5 percent in

2021.

The Takterchala Bazar Branch of Shahjalal Islami Bank Ltd. distributed Blankets among winter hit

& poor people in Tangail District recently as a part of CSR activities of the Bank. The Manager of

Takterchala Bazar Branch of the Bank Md. Al Amin Mondol distributed Blanket among the winter

hit people. Among others the Local businessmen and the Prominent People were also present in the

Blanket distribution ceremony.

Photo : Courtesy

Tasty Treat receives best food stall trophy

The country's popular

fast food retail brand

'Tasty Treat' received the

gold trophy under the

food stall category at the

26thDhaka International

Trade fair (DITF) 2022.

The organizers,

Ministry of Commerce

and Export Promotion

Bureau (EPB), gave the

award to Tasty Treat for

eye-catching stall,

receiving

consumersappreciation

through its services and

playing important role to

the overall success of the

fair.

Textiles and Jute

Minister GolamDastagir

GaziBirProtik, Commerce

Minister TipuMunshi and

FBCCI President Md.

Jashim Uddin handed

over the trophy at the

conference room of the

newly built Bangabandhu

Bangladesh-China

Friendship

Center

Exhibition

(BBCFEC)

FRANKFURT : Record eurozone

inflation will feed a tense debate within

European Central Bank over whether to

raise interest rates when its policy-setting

governing council meets on Thursday,

with the bloc under pressure from supply

disruptions and high energy prices,

reports BSS.

Inflation unexpectedly rose to 5.1

percent in the euro area in January,

figures from Eurostat showed on

Wednesday, the highest value since

records for the currency club began in

1997.

While its counterparts in the United

States and Britain are laying the ground

for rate hikes in the near future, the ECB

has so far expressed little interest in

raising borrowing costs this year.

ECB President Christine Lagarde has

repeatedly said that a tightening of

monetary policy in 2022 was "very

unlikely", but the surge in inflation will

embolden critics who say action should

come sooner.

atPurbachal on Monday.

Ibrahim Khalil, Head of

Business at Tasty Treat

said, "We received very

good response which was

beyond our expectation.

Generally, visitors

areworried to receive

standard food with

reasonable price at the

fair. We are happy to

meet their expectations

through our food stall and

they liked our products

including fried rice, fast

food, chicken and

Mexican items at the fair."

He also added that, 'We

Any change of course was unlikely "for

the time being", said Fritzi Koehler-Geib,

chief economist at the German public

lender KfW.

But the pressure would increase on the

ECB "in the course of the year to consider

interest rate steps earlier than previously

announced".

Markets are betting that the Frankfurtbased

institution will hike rates before the

year is out and will be scouring Lagarde's

planned remarks at 2:30 pm (1330 GMT)

for any indication of a change in thinking

within the ECB.

The ECB must tread a fine line between

the "falling necessity to continue

stimulating the economy and actually

bringing higher inflation down", said

Carsten Brzeski, head of macro at the

ING bank.

The eurozone economy reached its precoronavirus

pandemic level in the fourth

quarter of 2021, but tightening too

quickly could threaten to derail the

recovery.

were worried for this

DITF because it has been

organized for the first

time at outskirts of

Dhaka. But the organizers

organized the event

peacefully. We are so

much hopeful fornext

DITF at the venue."

Fresh inflation record creates headache for ECB

The surge in inflation in Europe has

been driven by a range of factors, but

mostly on the supply side rather than the

demand side, where the ECB has fewer

levers to effect change.

Widespread shortages of raw materials

and key components-everything from

wood to semiconductors-have weighed

on production and added to the upward

pressure on prices. In addition, energy

prices have spiked, hitting multi-year

highs towards the end of last year.

In Europe, the market has become

captive to rising tensions between

Moscow and the West over the massing

of Russian troops on the border with

Ukraine.

Any escalation in the conflict could

cause prices to shoot up further.

ECB executive board member Isabel

Schnabel also warned that the process of

weaning Europe off fossil fuels could

"lead to inflation remaining higher for

longer".

FRIDAY, FeBRuARY 4, 2022

9

Khulna Tigers beat Sylhet Sunriser by nine wickets in the Bangabandhu Bangladesh Premier

League (BPL) on Thursday in Dhaka.

Photo : Internet

BPL 2022: Fletcher overshadows

Mithun as Khulna register big win

DHAKA : Khulna Tigers beat Sylhet

Sunriser by nine wickets in the

Bangabandhu Bangladesh Premier

League (BPL) on Thursday in Dhaka,

reports UNB.

With this match, Khulna's sixth in

the event, the BPL resumed in Dhaka

after an eight-match leg in

Chattogram.

Khulna had started this year's BPL

with a win over Minister Group Dhaka,

but since they have been going through

a checkered time. They have two wins

in the first three matches, but they lost

two matches on the trot before

Thursday's win.

Mushfiqur Rahim-led Khulna won

the toss and sent Sunrisers to bat first

Putin slams doping

sanctions ahead of

Olympics

MOSCOW : President

Vladimir Putin on Thursday

slammed sanctions against

Russia over doping in sports

ahead of a meeting with

Chinese leader Xi Jinping in

Beijing at the Winter

Olympics.

In an interview with

Chinese media, Putin

denied his government had

orchestrated a massive

doping programme at the

2014 Winter Olympics in

Russia, revelations that

spurred a raft of penalties

from international sporting

bodies, reports BSS.

"Russia has been and

remains committed to

traditional Olympic values,"

Putin said in an interview

with China Media Group

president and chief editor

Shen Haixiong.

"We oppose the

politicisation of sports and

attempts to use this as an

instrument of pressure,

unfair competition or

discrimination," he said,

according to a transcript of

the interview released by the

Kremlin.

Russia was found to have

orchestrated a state-backed

doping programme at the

Winter Games in Sochi and

was banned from

international competitions

afterwards. Russian officials

including Putin are banned

from

attending

competitions unless invited

by the head of state of the

host country. China's leader

Xi has invited Putin to

attend. "The practice of

'collective punishment' is

unacceptable for offences

carried out by individuals,"

Putin said.

Russian athletes are

allowed to compete as

neutrals at the Olympicswithout

the Russian flag or

anthem-if they can prove

their doping record is clean.

The team takes part under

the name of Russian

Olympic Committee (ROC).

Beijing and Moscow have

denounced a diplomatic

boycott of the Olympics

from several countries over

what Western governments

argue are widespread rights

abuses by China.

Putin was the first foreign

leader to confirm his

presence at Friday's opening

ceremony.

who posted 142 for five in 20 overs

riding on the 51-ball 72 by Mohammad

Mithun with six fours and four sixes.

Sunrisers captain Mosaddek Hossain

also did well with the bat scoring 34 off

30.

However, the other batters of the

Sunirers failed to reach even a doubledigit

score.

For Khulna, Khaled Ahmed bagged

two wickets while Nabil Samad,

Kamrul Islam Rabbi and Soumya

Sarkar scalped a wicket each.

In reply, Andre Fletcher and Soumya

Sarkar came up with a 99-run opening

stand and made it easy for Khulna to

complete the remaining task to register

their biggest win of the season.

While Soumya failed for 43 off 31

deliveries, his highest in the season,

Fletcher remained unbeaten on 71 off

47 balls with five fours and five sixes.

Thisara Perera also remained

unbeaten on 22 off 9 balls. The Sri

Lankan allrounder hit three fours and

one six.

With the fourth defeat in five

matches, the Sunrisers are now at the

bottom of the table. It would be tough

for them to stay in the race if they suffer

more defeats in the next two matches.

In their next match, the Sunrisers

will take on Fortune Barishal on

February 4 in Mirpur while Khulna will

take on the Sunrisers again in their

next match on February 7 in Sylhet.

Racers revel in nerve-racking debut

on untested Olympic downhill

YANQING : Intimidating, stressful, nerveracking,

but great fun: just some of the

reactions of the ski racers after Thursday's

first men's downhill training run on the

untested man-made Olympic speed slope.

Competitors should have had come into

the Beijing Games on the back of two World

Cup races on the slope, but both events were

cancelled due to Covid-19 restrictions in

China.

Instead they had to make do with video

sessions to glean every nugget of invaluable

information from watching Chinese racers

on the course last year, a quick course preinspection

and throwing some caution to the

wind in the first of three training runs ahead

of Sunday's downhill medal race.

"It's different to what we're used to on the

World Cup," said in-form Norwegian

Aleksander Aamodt Kilde.

"It's narrower, snaky. With the jumps,

terrain and snow, there's a really nice flow."

Austria's Vincent Kriechmayr, who won

both downhill and super-G gold at the 2021

world championships in Cortina, said the

course was "amazing".

"The snow conditions are some of the best

I've ever seen," he said of the artificial snow

used to create the piste in Yanqing.

"First impressions are very good. It's not

bumpy but it's not easy, nearly every section

is difficult. It's the first time for everybody

here, so nobody knows about the track and

the course setting."

Switzerland's World Cup overall leader

Marco Odermatt agreed, saying it was a

"really great slope, but one that doesn't really

compare to the classics" on the World Cup

circuit such as Kitzbuehel or Wengen.

"For everybody it is new, us athletes as well

as the coaches. It's a big challenge for the

whole team to find a perfect set-up.

"There are many blind gates, so now it's a

question of finding the good line."

Kriechmayr's Austrian teammate Matthias

Mayer, who won super-G gold in

Pyeongchang after downhill gold in Sochi,

admitted he had felt "a little nervous" in the

startgate.

"I missed two gates at the top so there's a

lot to learn for tomorrow!

"There are many guys who can be good

here, the guys who've been really fast on the

last World Cup runs."

The snow, he said, was like that found in

North America, "very hard".

American Bryce Bennett agreed, saying it

was "pretty similar to the set-up we've got

back home".

"It was a little intimidating, we had no idea

about the course," he said. "Today was more

getting a feeling, getting more comfortable

getting speed in places."

Bennett's teammate Travis Ganong said it

was "great to get a first look"

"Every downhill is uniquely different, this

is a version we haven't really seen. It's very

fun to ski."

One of the fastest down the first training

run on the 3.1km-long "Rock" course,

starting at an altitude of 2,175 metres and

featuring a vertical drop of 894 metres, was

Italian veteran Christof Innerhofer.

"I like a challenge and I like taking risk

when I ski," Innerhofer said. "It's a new slope

and you don't know what's coming next."

France's Alexis Pinturault said questions

on the artificially-made snow were now

irrelevant.

President Vladimir Putin on Thursday slammed sanctions against

Russia over doping in sports ahead of a meeting with Chinese leader Xi

Jinping in Beijing at the Winter Olympics.

Photo : Internet

Sri Lanka's

Lakmal to

retire after

India tour

COLOMBO : Veteran Sri

Lankan fast bowler

Suranga Lakmal will

retire from international

cricket after the team's

tour of India ends next

month, officials said

Thursday.

The 34-year-old fast

bowler has claimed 168

wickets in a 68-Test

career, captaining Sri

Lanka in five of them.

Officials said Lakmal,

who made his Test debut

in 2010, will be available

for selection for the two

Tests in India.

The first match is

scheduled to begin on

February 25.

Sri Lanka Cricket Chief

Executive Officer Ashley

de Silva said he looked

forward to seeing Lakmal

perform in India, "if the

selectors consider him for

the tour".

Federer will

know what

future holds

by April-May

PARIS : Roger Federer

believes he will know by

"April-May" whether or

not he will be able to

return to tennis.

The 40-year-old winner

of 20 Grand Slam titles

has not played since a

Wimbledon quarter-final

exit at the hands of

Poland's Hubert Hurkacz

in July last year before

having to undergo knee

surgery.

"I want to come back

strong and give it

everything that I have,"

the Swiss star said

Wednesday.

"To give you a little bit

of an update. I have a very

interesting and important

next few months ahead of

me. I think I will know a

lot more by April-May.

"The drive is still there.

I am motivated to do my

work."

Federer played just 13

matches in 2021. He also

underwent two knee

surgeries in 2020 when

he played only six times.

His absence has seen

the former world number

one slip to 30 in the

rankings.

"I'm back in the gym

again tomorrow. I'm

working as hard as I'm

allowed to so it's still good

times even though it's a

little bit slow," Federer

told one of his sponsors,

Credit Suisse in a video

conference.

"I would love to do way

more but the doctors and

everybody's holding me

back a little bit."

Federer also hailed his

friend and rival Rafael

Nadal who captured a

record-setting 21st Grand

Slam title at the

Australian Open last

weekend.

"It was nice to see his

emotions after such a

hard-fought victory," he

said of the 35-year-old

Spaniard who has battled

his own injury problems

over the years.

"Rafa told me that he

hadn't been feeling well

with his body-now he's

holding up the Australian

Open trophy. He's a great

example, a great role

model."

Federer's 20th and

most recent Grand Slam

title came at the 2018

Australian Open.

Cantlay says money tempting

but new series ‘complicated’

SAN FRANCISCO : Fourth-ranked Patrick

Cantlay says he turned down a "tempting"

offer to take part in a controversial event in

Saudi Arabia, instead opting to play in this

week's PGA Pebble Beach Pro-Am in

California.

Many top PGA stars are playing in this

week's Saudi International event, where plans

were unveiled for a 10-event International

Series on the Asian Tour with higher purses

and stops in Asia and the Middle East.

PGA players were given releases by tour

commissioner Jay Monahan to play in the

Saudi event, provided they play once or twice

at Pebble Beach over the next two or three

years.

"With the amount of money they're talking

about, it's always very tempting. I think it's

tempting for everybody," Cantlay said.

"But I'm really glad that I'm here this week

and I love Pebble Beach and so that definitely

factored into my decision."

Cantlay says any investment in golf is good

for the game, but he is among many waiting to

see who jumps at the money as a long-term

move.

"It's a complicated thing and I don't think

there's an easy answer," Cantlay said. "There's

two sides to every coin and if people want to be

more interested in golf and put more money

into golf, that's a good thing.

"It's tricky because it's not always in the

fashion that people would have expected or

wanted and I would say at this point I'm

definitely a curious observer as to see what

happens and who decides to play."

Cantlay would enjoy any format that sent

the world's top players against each other

more often and says the top stars could draw

Fourth-ranked Patrick Cantlay says he turned down a "tempting" offer to take

part in a controversial event in Saudi Arabia, instead opting to play in this

week's PGA Pebble Beach Pro-Am in California.

Photo : Internet

Tiny Taiwan Winter Olympics team

weathers frosty Beijing ties

TAIPEI : Only four Taiwanese athletes will

compete at the Winter Olympics, in frosty

temperatures rivalling Beijing and Taipei's

relations-which have plunged to their lowest

point in years.

China views self-ruled democratic Taiwan

as part of its territory and has vowed to one

day seize it, by force if necessary.

The last time Beijing hosted the Olympics,

in 2008, ties were much warmer.

But Chinese President Xi Jinping has

ramped up diplomatic, economic and

military pressure on the island in recent

years.

At Friday's opening ceremony, when

Olympic squads will march into the stadium

in order, observers of the island's geopolitical

struggle will be listening closely to how

Taiwan is announced, and where it is placed.

Since 1981, Taiwan has competed in

international sports events under the

deliberately ambiguous name of "Chinese

Taipei"-"Zhonghua Taipei" in Mandarin-in a

compromise with the International Olympic

Committee (IOC).

Athletes cannot fly the Taiwanese flag or

use the island's anthem.

But at a press conference last week, a

Chinese spokesperson said "Zhongguo

Taipei" when referring to the island-which

translates more to "China, Taipei" and hints

at Beijing's sovereignty claim.

The minuscule language change prompted

a strong reaction from Taiwan's Mainland

Affairs Council, the island's top China policymaking

body.

"We urge the organisers this year to abide

by the rules of the Olympic Charter and not

to interfere with the event with political

factors to suppress and belittle our side,"

spokesman Chiu Chui-cheng said.

Chiu accused Beijing of "intentionally"

using a different name. "These tactics to

belittle (Taiwan)... will not achieve any result

and will only disgust Taiwanese people."

Modern Taiwan-officially known as the

Republic of China-was formed at the end of

the Chinese Civil War in 1949 when Chiang

Kai-shek's Nationalists were defeated by

Mao Zedong's Communists and set up a rival

government on the island.

At each Olympics, China and Taiwan's

historic tussle is highlighted.

others out to beat the best.

"I wouldn't be surprised if people's tune

changed quick if a majority of the best players

in the world wanted to play anywhere,"

Cantlay said.

"Because if they did, I think there's a real

desire of the most competitive people out here

to play against the best players in the world

almost no matter what.

"There aren't actually that many times that

all the best players in the world show up to the

same event. Especially outside the majors or

the Players, so I think it would be great if

everyone was there more often."

Pebble Beach defending champion Daniel

Berger, ranked 16th in the world and 10th

among Americans, says he wasn't ever going

to skip Pebble Beach. "I haven't had much

communication with them and I love this golf

tournament, so I don't think there would have

been really a place," Berger said. "I would have

been playing here."

Berger sees a win for players in the short

term and the Pebble Beach event, with its

celebrity amateur fields, in the long term.

"I don't see a situation because

commissioner Monahan has made it clear if

you choose to play there, you can play there,

but you have to come here (another year),"

Berger said.

"So I think it's going to be great for this

tournament too. You're going to see names

that maybe you haven't seen in a while coming

here and I think it's going to work out for

everyone."

American Will Zalatoris, last week's runnerup

at Torrey Pines and last year's PGA Rookie

of the Year, withdrew from Pebble Beach after

testing positive for Covid-19.

During the Tokyo Summer Games last

year, a local news anchor introduced

Taiwanese athletes as coming from "Taiwan"

in Japanese during the Parade of the

Nations-delighting many fans in Taiwan but

sparking huge anger online in China.

The team was also called out to march in

order of Japan's 50-tone phonetic system,

joining the line at the "ta-" for Taiwan,

instead of the "chi-" for "Chinese Taipei".

Taiwanese news outlet Liberty Times

reported last week that the Beijing 2022

opening ceremony could see the island called

out with Hong Kong and Macau, both

Chinese territories.

That placement in a globally televised

event would showcase Beijing's claim that

the island is part of "One China", a stance

Taiwan's current government rejects.

One player, two staff of

Women's cricket team

test Covid-19 positive

DHAKA : One player and two staff of the

Bangladesh Women's cricket team tested

Covid-19 positive ahead of leaving New

Zealand where they will take part in the ICC

Women's Cricket World Cup.

Touhid Mahmud, manager of the women's

wing, confirmed the news, saying that none

of them had any symptoms despite being

positive. "One cricketer and two officials

have tested positive," he said. "They have no

symptoms. We will test them in 7 days again.

If they come back negative, they will travel to

New Zealand," he added.

Leaving those three, the Women's team

left the country for New Zealand. After

arriving in New Zealand the women's team

will have to maintain quarantine period for

10 days. If they all become negative after the

mandatory quarantine period, they can start

practice from February 14.

The practice camp will be completed on

February 24 after which the women's team

will go under the ICC management.

The tournament will start on March 4.

Bangladesh will start their World Cup

mission, taking on South Africa in the first

match on March 5.

FRidaY, FEBRuaRY 4, 2022

10

Apurba, Payel in 'Urchhi

Tomar Preme'

TBT REPORT

Promising actress Keya Payel has acted with smallscreen

heartthrob Ziaul Faruq Apurba in a special

drama, titled 'Urchhi Tomar Preme', marking this

year's Valentine's Day.

Written and directed by Jakaria Showkhin, this

upcoming romantic drama has already created a buzz

among the audience with the release of its promo

recently.

Regarding the drama, Apurba said, "I am feeling

good. This significant interest from the audience gives

me peace of mind. In this drama, they will find me in a

romantic mood, the way they usually love to see me. I

hope the audience will not be disappointed".

'Radhe Shyam' to release

on March 11 in theatres

The makers of Prabhas and Pooja

Hegde starrer Radhe Shyam

have finally locked the release

date for the period romantic

drama. The Radha Krishna

Kumar directorial will be out in

theatres on 11 March. Sharing

the exciting news on Instagram,

the lead star Prabhas wrote,

"11.03.22. I'll see you.

#RadheShyamOnMarch11."

The makers also revealed a new

Actress Payel said, "As a newcomer artiste, this

drama is a huge opportunity for me to prove

myself. I have tried my best to act well in it with

the support of Ziaul Faruq Apurba and Jakaria

Showkhin".

According to director Jakaria Showkhin, the story is

full of romanticism, fascination and also the feeling of

love and separation.

Along with Apurba and Payel, the drama 'Urchhi

Tomar Preme' also features Abul Hayat, Shahed Ali

Sujon, Bashar Bappy and Tahmina Sultana Mou,

among others.

'Urchhi Tomar Preme' will be released on the

YouTube channel of Sultan Entertainment during

Valentine's Day on February 14.

poster for the film and captioned

it as, "Witness the biggest War

between love & destiny." Fans

have been waiting for the film's

release for some time now, but as

luck would have it, the ongoing

pandemic is making the release a

bit difficult in these uncertain

times.

Around a month back, director

Radha Krishna Kumar penned a

note regarding the film's fate.

The filmmaker wrote "Times are

tough, hearts are weak, minds in

the mayhem. Whatever life may

throw at us - Our hopes are

always High. Stay safe, stay high

- Team #radheshyam". Fans

were disappointed with the film's

postponement.

Radhe Shyam was initially

slated for Sankranti release on 14

January, but that did not

happen. It is hoped that the

Covid-19 situation across the

country improves soon and fans

can enjoy the movie in theatres.

Numerous makers are turning to

OTT platforms to keep their

project time relevant.

Touted to be science fiction,

Radhe Shyam is set in 1970s

Europe. Apart from the leads, the

film also stars Bhagyashree,

Krishnam Raju, Sachin

Khedekar and Priyadarshi in

pivotal roles. The highly

anticipated project has been

produced by UV Creations, Gopi

Krishna Movies and T-Series.

Source: Bollywood

'Shoshurbari Zindabad 2' to be

released on Feb 11

TBT REPORT

Debashish Biswas directed

film titled 'Shoshurbari

Zindabad 2' is going to be

released on February 11 on the

occasion of upcoming

Valentine's Day, produced by

Bengal Multimedia Limited.

For the first time Dhallywood

popular actors Bappy

Chowdhury and Apu Biswas

will be seen together in the

romantic comedy genre film

titled 'Shoshurbari Zindabad

2' The film was supposed to be

release last year on the

occasion of Valentine's Day

but it was not possible due to

Corona situation.

Regarding this context,

Syed Ashik Rahman, Director

of Bengal Multimedia and

CEO of RTV said, 'The kind of

movie that viewers want to see

Oyshee

lends voice

in Anurup

Aich's

Pankha-2

SalEhuddin SOhEl

For more than a decade, Anurup Aich's

Pankha song have been at the top of

popularity with the voice of folk empress

Momtaz.This time the sequel song of

this Pankha song 'Pankha-2' has been

released.

Fatima Tuz Zahra Oishee, a popular

artist of the time, sang the song with

similar lyrics and melody.The song

'Pankha-2' released from the artist's own

on Valentine's Day is

'Shoshurbari Zindabad 2'.

Last year we wanted to release

the movie on the occasion of

Valentine's Day but it was not

possible due to Corona

situation. We have decided to

release it as the general public

is currently receiving a large

number of vaccines.

YouTube channel 'Oishee Express' has

already received a good response from

the listeners.The music of this song is

directed by Zahid Bashar Pankaj.

In this context, Anurup Aich said, one

day I saw Oishee singing Momtaz's

popular song Pankha written by me on a

stage show. I liked the song Pankha in

her voice so I suggested her to sing the

song 'Pankha-2'.Then she gladly

accepted it. We recorded this song about

a year and a half ago before corona

Hopefully, the visitors will

come and enjoy if they follow

the safely rules'.

Besides Apu and Bappy, the

other cast of the film includes

Sadek Bachchu, Afzal Sharif,

Kabila, Mahmudul Islam

Mithu and Chikon Ali.

Prominent Indian singers

Kumar Sanu, Akassh Sen,

Sadhana Sargam have lent

their vocals to the movie

songs. Imran Mahmudul and

Sania Sultana Liza also sang

in the movie. Music

composers of the film are Late

Ahmed Imtiaz Bulbul, Emon

Saha, Shree Pritam and

Akassh Sen.

The original 'Shoshurbari

Zindabad' was released in

2002, starring Shabnoor and

Riaz. 'Shoshurbari Zindabad

2' releases after 20 years of

'Shoshurbari Zindabad'.

pandemic started. Due to Corona, we

moved away from the plan of releasing

videos on a large scale.

Regarding the song 'Pankha-2',

Oishee said that the Pankha song of

Aich is still very popular in Momtaz's

voice. So it is definitely a blessing for

me to be able to do the sequel song

'Pankha-2'.For this I thank the Anurup

Aich. In the meantime, the song

'Pankha-2' in my voice is getting

response among my fans.

Denzel recalls strange 'Tenet'

screening at Nolan's house

Denzel Washington watched 'Tenet' at

Christopher Nolan's house and says it was a

"weird" experience. The sci-fi-action

blockbuster is the most recent of the popular

English director's films to hit the big screen,

though it did so under notorious

circumstances in late-Summer 2020.

Intended by Nolan to encourage pandemichesitant

audiences back to movie theaters, the

film underperformed at the box office and

likely played a role in Warner Bros.' decision to

release their entire 2021 blockbuster slate dayand-date

on HBO Max.

Tenet stars John David Washington, son

of the aforementioned Oscar-winning actor,

as the Protagonist, a CIA agent who is let in

on a conspiracy involving the development

of technology than can reverse the flow of

time. Learning of an ongoing war between

factions in the present and the future that

threatens to destroy the world as he knows

it, the Protagonist is paired up with Robert

Pattinson's Neil to take down Russian

oligarch Andrei Sator (Kenneth Branagh),

who is communicating with their enemies in

the future. While reviews for Tenet were

largely positive, it is considered one of his

most divisive films, with viewers either

frustrated by the convoluted narrative or

enthralled by the thrilling action it facilitates.

Asked about his experience with Tenet

by Kevin McCarthy while doing press for

The Tragedy of Macbeth, Washington

reveals he first saw the film in Nolan's

private movie theater, which contributed

to an already strange experience.

Describing the movie as "too weird," he

clarifies that watching his son lead the film

was surreal, particularly given how alike

they sound. When compounded on the

movie's story, Washington's brush with

Tenet was "a lot." 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.

Chairperson of DU Microbiology Department Prof. Dr. Anowara Begum handed over a cheque for

Tk. 10 lac to DU VC Prof. Dr. Md. Akhtaruzzaman yesterday at the latter's office to set up "Prof. Dr.

AnwarulAzimChowdhury Trust Fund"at the university.

Photo : Courtesy

Cyclone Batsurai

injures 12 on France's

La Reunion island

SAINT-DENIS DE LA

REUNION : At least twelve

people were injured on the

French Indian Ocean

territory of La Reunion

Thursday as tropical cyclone

Batsirai skirted the island,

hitting it with torrential

rains and powerful winds

and leaving all residents

confined to their homes.

The island was placed on

red alert on Wednesday,

forcing its 860,000

inhabitants to barricade

themselves indoors, with

the eye of the intense

cyclone expected to pass

nearly 200 kilometres (124

miles) from the coast early

Thursday.

"The worst is not over,"

said La Reunion's Prefect

Jacques Billant, warning the

island will be hit with heavy

rainfall as the storm bears

down.

Two new Trust Funds

established at DU

Two new trust funds titled "Prof. Dr.

AnwarulAzimChowdhury Trust Fund" and

"Sulaiman Shah BSc- Prof. Dr.

HironmoySen Gupta Trust Fund"have been

established at the University of

Dhaka(DU).Chairperson of DU

Microbiology Department Prof. Dr. Anowara

Begum handed over a cheque for Tk. 10 lac

and former Chief Scientific Officer of

Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission

Alhaj Shah Mohammad Nurul Huda handed

over acheque for Tk. 5 lac

separatelytotheVice-Chancellor of DU Prof.

Dr. Md. Akhtaruzzaman yesterday at the

latter's office of the university to set up "Prof.

Dr. AnwarulAzimChowdhury" and

"Sulaiman Shah BSc- Prof. Dr.

HironmoySen Gupta Trust

Fund"respectively.

DU Treasurer Prof. Mamtaz Uddin

Ahmed, Dean of the Faculty of Science Prof.

Dr. Md. Abdus Samad, Chairman of the

Department of Physics Prof.Dr. ABM

Obaidul Islam, Registrar Probir Kumar

Sarker and some other teachers of DU

Microbiology Department were present on

this occasion. Out of the income ofProf. Dr.

Police seized 150 bottles of Indian Office Choice liquor and a Hero 100cc motorcycle at the

Tahirpur Upazila border in Sunamganj. Its estimated value is two lakh rupees. There are two

unidentified fugitives involved in the incident.

Photo : Jahangir Alom Bhuiyan.

Russian scientist to go on trial in

Germany over space rocket spying

BERLIN : A Russian scientist accused of

spying for Moscow on Europe's Ariane space

rocket programme while working at a German

university is to go on trial in Munich this

month.

The accused, identified only as Ilnur N., was

arrested in June 2021 -- the latest in a string of

alleged Russian spies uncovered on German

soil at a time when tensions between Russia

and the West are at their worst since the Cold

War. The trial will open on February 17, with

12 hearings initially planned until April 8, the

Munich court said on Thursday. Prosecutors

allege that Ilnur N. was contacted by Russian

agents in autumn 2019 or earlier, when he was

working at an unnamed Bavarian university.

He then allegedly passed information to

Moscow about research projects on aerospace

technology, particularly the European

launcher Ariane.

Anwaru lAzim Chowdhury Trust Fund,

every yearfour financially challenged

students of DU Microbiology Department

will be given scholarship.

Besides, out of the income of"Sulaiman

Shah BSc- Prof. Dr. Hironmoy Sen Gupta

Trust Fund, onemeritorious student who will

secure the highest CGPA in BSc (Hons.)

examination from the Department of

Physics of DU will be given scholarship.

Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Md.

Akhtaruzzaman thanked the donors for

setting up "Prof. Dr. Anwarul Azim

Chowdhury Trust Fund" in memory of

founder Chairman of DU Microbiology

Department. DU VC also thanked the

donorfor setting up "Sulaiman Shah BSc-

Prof. Dr. HironmoySen Gupta Trust Fund"

to perpetuate the memories of his father and

teacher.

It may be mentioned thatProf. Dr. Anwarul

Azim Chowdhury was the founder Chairman

of DU Microbiology Department. Besides,

Prof. Dr. Hironmoy Sen Gupta was a

professor of DU Physics Department. Late

Sulaiman Shah BSc is the father of Alhaj

Shah Mohammad Nurul Huda.

World's first malaria

vaccine making inroads

in western Kenya

SIAYA : Lucy Akinyi's three

children were infected with

malaria so often she would

be at their local health clinic

in western Kenya every other

week getting them treated.

When offered the chance

to protect her children with

the world's first vaccine

against the deadly parasitic

disease, Akinyi jumped at the

chance, reports UNB.

More than 100,000

children in malaria-endemic

western Kenya have received

the new vaccine against the

disease, which kills 260,000

children under five every

year in sub-Saharan Africa.

A pilot programme has

been rolling out the

groundbreaking drug-which

was 30 years in the makingin

Kenya, Ghana and Malawi

since 2019.

It was approved for broad

use for children in sub-

Saharan Africa and other atrisk

regions by the World

Health Organization (WHO)

in October last year.

New Zealand to start

easing tough Covid

border controls

AUCKLAND : New Zealand

will start easing some of the

world's toughest pandemic

border restrictions this month

but will not fully reopen until

October, Prime Minister

Jacinda Ardern said


Ardern announced a fivestep

plan to reconnect New

Zealand to the rest of the

world, beginning with waiving

hotel

quarantine

requirements for its nationals

stranded overseas by the

pandemic.

"It's time to move again,"

said Ardern, who has been

under pressure recently to

relax border policies that have

been largely unchanged since

the beginning of the Covid-19

crisis almost two years ago.

"Families and friends need

to reunite, our businesses

need skills to grow, exporters

need to travel to make new

connections."Ardern said

New Zealanders in Australia

could return home and selfisolate,

rather than going into

quarantine, from February 27,

followed two weeks later by

Kiwis elsewhere in the world.

The option will then be

progressively made available

to other groups such as skilled

migrants, international

students, Australians, and

eventually all vaccinated

foreign nationals.

Iqvmv-R:Z: 77/2022

GD-205/22 (5x4)

FrIDAY, FeBrUArY 4, 2022

11

Four die of Covid-19, 830

more infected in Rajshahi

RAJSHAHI : A total of 830 more people have

tested positive for Covid-19 in the division on

Wednesday, taking the caseload to 1,12,748

since the pandemic began in March, 2020.

The new positive cases are showing a falling

trend compared to the previous day's figure of

899, said Dr Habibul Ahsan Talukder, divisional

director of health.

The death toll reached 1,715, including 697 in

Bogura, 330 in Rajshahi with 211 in its city and

176 in Natore as four new fatalities were

reported during the past 24 hours, Dr Talukder

added.Meanwhile, the recovery count rose to

99,782 in the division after 479 patients were

discharged from the hospitals on the same day.

Besides, all the positive cases of Covid-19 have,

so far, been brought under necessary treatment

while 24,831 were kept in isolation units of

different dedicated hospitals for institutional

quarantine. Of them, 20,648 have been

released.Meanwhile, 437 more people have

been sent to home and institutional quarantine

afresh while 170 others were released from

isolation during the same time. Of the 830 new

cases, 227 were detected in Rajshahi, including

192 in the city, followed by 133 in Pabna, 113 in

Sirajganj, 104 in Natore, 90 in Bogura, 77 in

Chapainawabganj, 60 in Naogaon and 29 in

Joypurhat districts. With the newly detected

patients, the district-wise break-up of the total

cases now stands at 32,653 in Rajshahi,

including 26,841 in city, 6,177 in

Chapainawabganj, 7,400 in Naogaon, 9,246 in

Natore, 5,377 in Joypurhat, 24,214 in Bogura,

12,741 in Sirajganj and 14,940 in Pabna.A total

of 1,21,527 people have, so far, been kept under

quarantine since March 10, 2020 to prevent

community transmission of the deadly virus.

Hasan Ali Alal, Chairman of Akboria Limited and Akboria Care

Foundation, was soaked in the love of Bogura Municipal employees. He

was introduced as an advisor at the introductory meeting of the advisory

council organized by Bogura Municipality Workers Union at Woodburn

Public Library auditorium on Thursday afternoon. Photo : Azahar Ali

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e-Tender Notice

K…DK=189

GD-206/22 (5x4)

GD-207/22 (7x4)

Friday, Dhaka: February 4, 2022; Magh 21, 1428 BS; Rajab 2, 1443 Hijri

Chief justice of Bangladesh Hasan Foez Siddique met President Abdul Hamid at

Bangabhaban yesterday.

Photo : Star Mail

Anti-corruption drive will

continue:Quader

DHAKA : Awami League General

Secretary Obaidul Quader yesterday

reiterated that the anti-corruption drive

would continue, issuing a fresh warning

that anyone involved in graft would not

be spared.

He came up with the warning while

talking to reporters after inaugurating

the building modernisation of

Bangladesh Road Transport

Corporation (BRTC) here.

Quader, also the road transport and

bridges minister, said Bangladesh was

the world champion in corruption during

the BNP government's regime.

Today, he said, the Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina government is working

sincerely to implement zero tolerance

DB to investigate case against

BNP leader Fakhrul, 14 others

NARAYANGANJ : A Narayanganj

court on Thursday directed Detective

Branch (DB) of police to investigate a

case against 15 people including BNP's

secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam

Alamgir , joint secretary general Syed

Moazzem Hossain Alal and 13 others

over making derogatory comments on

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina,

reports UNB.

Narayanganj Senior Judicial

Magistrate Kawsar Ahmed accepted the

case and directed the district DB police to

investigate it.

On December 22, Md Akram Hossain

Badal, president of Joybangla

Muktijoddha Projonmo League central

committee, as a plaintiff appealed to

DHAKA : The European Investment Bank

(EIB), the bank of the European Union and

the largest multilateral lender in the world,

will provide €250 million to Bangladesh to

support the procurement of safe and effective

vaccines and country-wide immunisation

against Covid-19, reports UNB.

Vaccination efforts will also include

Rohingya refugees from Myanmar currently

hosted in Bangladesh.

The financing will help Bangladesh

mitigate the health effects of the coronavirus

pandemic and enable the country

to strengthen its healthcare system and

protect its people from Covid-19 with

effective vaccines, said the European

Embassy in Dhaka on Thursday.

These are all key preconditions for continued

sustainable economic and social

growth. This is the first operation allocated

under the €425 million South Asia Public

Healthcare Covid-19 programme approved

by the EIB in 2021. This programme aims

policy against graft aiming to make the

country free from corruption.

Quader urged the BRTC officials to

work with honestly, being imbued with

patriotism, and stressed the need for

bringing the lost glory of BRTC back at

any cost.

Instructing them to do everything

possible to make the BRTC a publicfriendly

organisation, he said no success

would come there if graft could not be

checked.

The road transport minister directed

the authorities concerned to take steps

to modernise the BRTC and improve its

services.

The BRTC vehicles must be modernised

and those should be made more

Chief Judicial Magistrate Shamsad

Begum's court for filing a case.

Moazzem Hossain Alal was made the

main accused in the case.

The other accused in the case are

BNP's Ishraq Hossain, Major Delwar

Hossain, Nurul Haque Nuru, Major

(Retd) Shahidul Islam Khan, Md Nure

Ilias Ripon, M Rahman Masum, Atiqur

Rahman Shobuj, Jahangir Alam, Rezaul

Karim, Ilias Molla, Zakir Hossain, Sheikh

Md Titumir Akash and journalist Ilias

Hossain.

Plaintiff's lawyer Nurul Huda said as a

freedom fighter the plaintiff could not

bear such comments on the Prime

Minister and filed the case against these

15 people.

EIB provides €250mn to support

Covid-19 immunisation in BD

to provide long-term support for Covid-19

vaccination, pandemic preparedness and

health system resilience in Bangladesh, the

Maldives and potentially other countries in

South Asia. EIB Vice-President Christian

Kettel Thomsen, who is responsible for operations

in South Asia, said the EIB is very

proud to expand Team Europe support for

Bangladesh, ensuring its people are protected

from coronavirus with effective vaccines.

"Together with the €1.3 billion in EIB

support already extended to the COVAX

vaccine-procurement initiative, operations

like these are a key step in accelerating

global immunisation and a quick

and effective victory over the virus.

At the same time, this operation underlines

our strong, long-term commitment to

working with other members of Team

Europe and the government of the People's

Republic of Bangladesh to ensure a safe,

green and sustainable future for

Bangladesh and its people."

eye-catching, he said.

He said in addition to enhancing the

beauty of BRTC offices, it should ensure

the quality of its passenger services.

Quader said internal audit activities

will be strengthened in the BRTC head

office and its depots to ensure transparency

and accountability in the public

agency.

Instructing the officials concerned to

ensure proper utilisation of the money

allocated for repair and maintenance of

the BRTC vehicles, he said monitoring

must be intensified so that none can

withdraw the entire bill without completion

of cent percent physical work.

BRTC chairman Md Tazul Islam and

other BRTC officials were present.

Now African

lioness dies at

Gazipur Safari Park

DHAKA : An African lioness died at

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Safari

Park in Gazipur on Thursday. The

death was reported when mystery

shrouded the deaths of 10 zebras in

the park within a span of one month,

reports UNB.

The lioness aged around 11 years

had been suffering from illness since

August last year and it breathed its

last at 1 am on Thursday, said a press

release issued by the Ministry of

Environment, Forest and Climate

Change.

It was given treatment by the park's

veterinary officer after regular consultation

with Dr ABM Shahidullah, former

curator of National Zoo in Mirpur

and Professor Dr Md Rafiqul Alam,

director of Surgery and Obstetrics

department of Veterinary Teaching

Hospital under Bangladesh Agricultural

University, Mymensingh.

The condition of the lioness kept

worsening and it deteriorated further

on Wednesday afternoon as its

whole body started shivering, said Dr

Mohammad Mostafizur Rahman,

Veterinary surgeon who treated her.

Ten zebras died at Bangabandhu

Sheikh Mujib Safari Parkin in a

space of one month till Saturday.

Nine of the earlier population of 22

zebras at the park died between

January 2 and 24, according to the

park authorities.

The Ministry of Environment,

Forest and Climate Change formed a

five-member inquiry committee to

find out the cause of the zebra deaths

and fix accountability. It has been

given 10 days to submit the probe

report.

Project director Md Zahidul Kabir,

assistant forest conservator and incharge

of the park, Tabibur Rahman,

and vet Dr Hatem Sazzad Md

Julkarnine were removed from their

positions and transferred by the

Ministry of Environment, Forests and

Climate Change n the wake of the

deaths of the animals in the park.

Chief justice meets

President Hamid

and brief him

about SC activities:

Bangabhaban

DHAKA : The newly appointed chief justice

of Bangladesh Justice Hasan Fayez Siddiqui

on Thursday paid a courtesy call on

President Abdul Hamid at Bangabhaban,

reports UNB.

During the meeting, the chief justice

briefed the president on various activities of

the Supreme Court, especially the operation

of virtual courts during Covid-19 pandemic.

Justice Hasan also apprised the president

of the steps taken to reduce the load of pending

litigation. Congratulating him, the

President said that the judiciary has been

the last resort for the people to get justice.

The judiciary must continue its efforts to

ensure that people get justice without any

harassment, he said.

President Hamid hoped that under the

leadership of the new chief justice, the judiciary

would be able to meet the expectations

of the people through speedy execution of

justice. Secretary to the President's Office

Sampad Barua, Military Secretary Major

General SM Salah Uddin Islam, Press

Secretary to the President Md. Joynal

Abedin and Secretary (attached) Wahidul

Islam Khan were present on the occasion.

Remove Riaz's fatherin-law's

'suicide' video

from social media: HC

DHAKA : The High Court on Thursday

asked the Home Ministry and the country's

telecom regulator to remove the

video of actor Riaz Ahmed's father-inlaw

Abu Mohsin Khan committing suicide

from all social media platforms

within six hours.

A division bench of justices Farah

Mahbub and SM Moniruzzaman also

barred all TV channels from airing the

video, during a virtual hearing. The court

also sought a report on the matter from

the Bangladesh Telecommunication

Regulatory Commission by February 9.

The court's direction came in the wake

of senior Supreme Court advocate AKM

Faiz bringing the matter to its notice yesterday

morning.

On Wednesday, actor Riaz's father-inlaw

Abu Mohsin Khan live-streamed his

suicide on Facebook as he shot himself in

the head. The businessman talked about

his loneliness and several other miseries of

his life before pulling the trigger.

KHAleD RAiHAn, CHAttogRAM

(CHAnDAnAiSH) CoRReSPonDent

Pottery is the art of making pots and

various pieces of furniture with the

help of special clay, so that the objects

are burned at high temperature to

make them durable and strong. Those

who make various things from clay are

called potters in modern Bengali and

the workshop in which they make

them is called Kumbhasala or

Kumarasala. The use of clay is compulsory

in the pottery industry.

In the case of pottery, clay is first given

the desired form. It is then burned at

high temperature (600 - 1600 ° C). This

reaction causes permanent change by

increasing the hardness and firmness of

the object. Design can be done on the

object before or after burning.

This industry is one of the oldest industries

in Bangladesh. In the evolution of

time, in the age of industrialization, the

History marks crucial

50th anniversary of British

recognition of Bangladesh

DHAKA : The emergence of Dhaka as free

Bangladesh's free capital on December 16, 1971

rapidly started drawing spate of recognitions

from both sides of the then cold war-age polarized

globe with London appearing as one of the

early western recognisers' on February 4, 1972.

The crucial British recognition came near

simultaneously with identical recognitions

from countries of the then Soviet Union bloc as

an event that contemporary British diplomats

and policymakers of post Independence

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman government

still see as Dhaka's assiduous nonalignment

stance.

Bangladesh waged its Liberation War with

Indian supports in 1971, strategically backed by

Soviet Union, while the then US administration

largely sided with Pakistan as part of a secret

engagement with China against Moscow but

Dhaka subsequently preferred to adhere to the

principle to non-alignment policy.

"I think the UK did play a role (recognizing

Bangladesh globally) because of the very public

nature of Bangabandhu's engagements in

London," British High Commissioner here

Robert Chatterton Dickson told BSS diplomatic

correspondent Tanzim Anwar coinciding

with the anniversary of bilateral ties.

Dickson recalled that there was a very strong

political and public support in Britain for

Bangladesh during its Liberation War while

Bangabandhu's confident 'first act as a liberated

leader' in London on January 8 in 1972

might have triggered the UK to influence others

to recognize Bangladesh as a sovereign nation.

At the end of his captivity in Pakistani prison,

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman went

to London first as a neutral destination to way

back to the just independent Bangladesh.

Bangladesh's the then foreign minister Dr

Kamal Hossain said Dhaka strove assiduously

to observe the principle of non-alignment in its

ties with polarized major powers, despite Soviet

support in 1971 might expected to lead

Bangladesh's to tilt towards Moscow.

Hossain, in his Bangladesh: Quest for

Freedom and Justice, however, also noted that

Bangabandhu made his outside region tour to

there to strike a balance.

Bangabandhu reached London on January 8

in 1972, had a meeting with the then British

Prime Minister Edward Heath and his first

press conference as Bangladesh's founder and

returned to his liberated country on British

Royal Air Force Comet jet via New Delhi on

January 10.

The current British envoy in Dhaka Dickson

tradition of rural Bengal is gradually disappearing.

This traditional industry of

Bengal has been plagued by various reasons

including lack of sufficient demand

in the market, non-change of scope of

work with time, lack of innovation in

work, inconsistency of income with

expenditure, increase in price of soil used

as raw material, transportation of raw

materials and manufactured goods. Not

only this, with the help of various metals

including plastics, steel, melamine,

ceramics and silver, the pottery is losing

its appeal day by day due to its various

advantages. Now these pottery can be

seen in the fair held at special times.

However, the value of pottery has

increased in large public-private buildings,

nowadays various designed earthen

plates are being used to enhance the

aesthetics. Pottery work started in this

country thousands of years ago. This art

is an impeccable form of thousands of

years of history, culture and heritage of

described as an "important moment"

Bangabandhu's very visible meeting and confident

assertion as the leader of the new

Bangladesh with Heath at 10 Downing Street.

"It's a partnership (between Bangladesh and

the UK) that goes right back to the start of

Bangladesh. So, we've got a very strong foundation

to build on," said the high commissioner.

Dickson said at that time it was very clear

that Bangladesh secured its Liberation at the

end of the Independence war and Indian troops

are about to leave quite quickly.

"It was clear that there was a sovereign independent

Bangladesh in existence and that was

therefore the right moment for the world to recognize

Bangladesh in order to be able to work

with Bangladesh on some of the challenges of

independence," he said.

Since then, he said, Britain remained as a

strong Bangladesh supporter and built a very

strong political and development ties and ". . .

we have a very strong diplomatic relationship".

Over the last 50 years, the high commissioner

said, the British-Bangladesh ties became a

broader trade and prosperity relationship and

called 2022 a special year for both the nations

and his mission in Dhaka would like to reflect

that through arranging numbers of events

depending on the pandemic situation.

As part of the celebration the British High

Commission here has already launched a new

campaign titled 'Your Brit Bangla Bondhon

Moment' to celebrate people to people links

between Bangladesh and the UK.

He said the UK has been engaged with the

Bangladesh government in trade dialogue as

many British companies are keen to invest and

trade more in Bangladesh specially in three

particular areas - service, medical and education

sectors and "we're very keen to do more

business".

"(But) We don't agree on everything but we

agree on a lot and where we do disagree, we can

have very candid and useful private discussions.

So, I'm looking forward to continuing

promote it over the next years," Dickson said.

The envoy said the UK has planned to put

lots of focus on the pacific over the next decade

and Bangladesh has already been a 'very strong

partner' of Britain in this region. "(SO) one can

see scope for us to do a lot more together," he

added.

Dickson said the UK and Bangladesh cooperation

on defence and security area has been

increasing and there is lot of interest in

Bangladesh sourcing more defence equipment

from the UK.

The pottery of Chandnaish: A

heritage on decline

Bangladesh.

At one time, with the onset of winter,

the potters of this area used to spend their

days making earthenware sheets in the

bustle of North Joara Kulal Para of

Chandnaish Upazila. In the words of the

poet, "At one time Kumar Para was

smelling of raw soil, the drunkards were

always in a mind-blowing rhythm, the

potters were always busy with hard work,

they were always busy taking orders.

Earthenware utensils, pots, pans,

bowls, earthen banks, etc. were used for

daily work in people's homes. But now

that day is no longer in sight of earthenware.

In the evolution of time, these pottery

have been lost due to the touch of

modernity of technology and science. The

history of the pottery industry in North

Joara Kulal Para of Chandnaish Upazila

goes back two hundred years.

At one time earthenware was highly

valued in the area. Earthenware was

sold in different parts of the country to

meet the local demand. The family of

potters was going well.

It has been seen on the spot that only

a few families are making pottery. Abul

Kalam of North Jowara Syed Amir

Kulal Para said, "There is no profit in

this profession like before. Most of the

helpless potters in the market are now

unemployed due to plastic furniture.

Many have resorted to other occupations

due to scarcity.

Peer Ahmed, a potter from Kulal

Para, lamented that he was clinging to

his ancestral profession without any

other work. He worked part-time as a

bus helper to provide for his family. In

this, his family is somehow hanging on.

Potter Halima Khatun said she has been

doing this for 65 long years.

04-02-2022

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