20-12-2020

sunday
DhAKA : December 20, 2020; Poush 5, 1427 BS; Jamadi-ul Awal 4, 1442 hijri
www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www.bangladeshtoday.net
Regd.No.DA~2065, Vol.17; N o.249; 12 Pages~Tk.8.00
InternatIonal
Rockets strike main
U.S.-NATO base in
Afghanistan: official
>Page 7
economy & busIness
Planet SR Shopping
Mall launched at
Kandirpar in Cumilla
>Page 9
art & culture
Sarika, Milon
special drama
'Bondho Dorja'
>Page 10
US authorizes Moderna
as 2nd Covid-19 vaccine
School shutdown
extended to Jan 16
Dhaka : The government has extended
the closure of schools and educational
institutions to January 16, as it looks
to allay fears of a potentially brutal 'second
wave' of infections exacerbated by
the winter season, reports UNB.
The Education Ministry on Friday
stretched the ongoing closure of educational
institutions through an official
notification. Students have been asked to
stay home and follow the guidelines and
instructions of the Prime Minister's
Office, the cabinet division, the Public
administration Ministry and the health
Services Division.
The government closed schools and
educational institutions on March 17
and extended the closure several times,
most recently until December 19.
Bangladesh's daily Coivid-19 infection
rate has shown a rising trend this
month, although more encouragingly
that has dipped significantly just in the
last four days.
The country's fatalities from the virus
stands at 7,217 following the latest
update from health authorities on
Friday, when 25 more deaths were
added. The country's caseload meanwhile,
since the start of the pandemic
has ballooned to just under half-a-million
(5 lakh).
Mild to moderate
cold wave
continues
Dhaka: Mild to moderate cold wave
that is sweeping over different parts of
the country may continue as night and
day temperature may fall slightly at
places, reports BSS.
The lowest temperature of the country
was recorded at 6.6 degrees Celsius
at Rajarhat in kurigram district yesterday,
according to the Bangladesh
Meteorological Department (BMD).
The country's highest temperature
was recorded in Teknaf with 29 degree
Celsius.
Moderate to thick fog may occur at
places over the river basins of the country
and light to moderate fog may occur
at places elsewhere over the country
during midnight to morning.
Weather may remain dry with temporary
partly cloudy sky over the country.
Mild to moderate cold wave is sweeping
over Mymensingh, Rajshahi and
Rangpur divisions and the regions of
Tangail, Faridpur, Gopalgonj,
Srimangal, Jashore, kushtia, Barishal
and Bhola and it may continue.
Night temperature may fall slightly
over khulna, Barishal, Chattogram and
Sylhet divisions and it may remain
nearly unchanged elsewhere over the
country. Day temperature may fall
slightly over the country.
Zohr
05:16 AM
11:55 PM
03:37 PM
05:18 PM
06:37 PM
6:35 5:15
Dhaka : a total of 86 percent people
with physical and leprosy disabilities in
Bangladesh are directly involved in
agriculture while income of 88 percent
of farmers with disabilities has been
reduced during the COVID-19 pandemic,
reports UNB.
The information was revealed in the
'Research Findings Dissemination and
Journalist award Giving Ceremony' at
krishibid Institution Bangladesh (kIB)
Complex auditorium in the city on
Saturday organized by The Leprosy
Mission International-Bangladesh and
supported by Bangladesh krishak
League, ICCO-Cooperation and
NOREC.
Two studies titled 'The Role of People
with Disabilities in agriculture' and
'COVID-19 Impacts on the Lives &
Livelihoods of People with Disabilities'
were conducted in between September
and December 2020.
Information Minister Dr hasan
Mahmud was present at the event as the
chief guest while Samir Chanda,
President of Bangladesh krishok League,
UmmekulsumSmrity, MP, General
Secretary, Bangladesh krishok League,
Mahfuz hossain Mridah, Director (In
The United States on Friday authorized
Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine for emergency
use, as the country grapples with
a brutal winter surge that is killing over
2,500 people a day.
The US is the first nation to authorize
the two-dose regimen, now the second
vaccine to be deployed in a Western
country after one developed by Pfizer
and BioNTech.
"With the availability of two vaccines
now for the prevention of Covid-19, the
FDa has taken another crucial step in
the fight against this global pandemic,"
Food and Drug administration (FDa)
chief Stephen hahn said.
President Donald Trump - who has
frequently taken credit for the fast pace
of vaccine development - tweeted:
"Congratulations, the Moderna vaccine
is now available!"
Joe Biden, who defeated Trump in
November's presidential elections and
is due to take office in January, hailed
the news as "another milestone" in the
fight against the virus.
But he also warned of "the immense
challenges ahead, including scaling up
manufacturing, distribution, and the
monumental task of vaccinating hundreds
of millions of americans."
Meharry Medical College President
James hildreth, who was part of a
panel of experts convened by the FDa
to discuss approval matters, said
Thursday it was a "remarkable achievement"
to have developed and authorized
the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines
within a year.
The Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine was
approved by Britain on December 2,
followed by several other countries
including the US last week. Less-vetted
inoculations have also been rolled out
in China and Russia.
The United States alone has seen more
than 310,000 people die from coronavirus
infections and is currently witnessing
a brutal winter surge, with nearly
115,000 people hospitalized, according to
the Covid Tracking Project.
Millions of doses will begin shipping
out as early as this weekend from coldstorage
sites outside Memphis and
Louisville, overseen by logistics firm
Mckesson. From there they will be
delivered to sites around the country via
partnerships with FedEx and UPS.
Moderna has several other drugs
under development, but has never seen
any authorized until this week.
The decade-old Massachusetts-based
biotech company received $2.5 billion
in federal funding for its efforts and codeveloped
the vaccine with scientists at
the National Institutes of health.
Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines
are based on cutting-edge mRNa
(messenger ribonucleic acid) technology,
and both have been shown to protect
about 95 percent of people against
Covid-19 compared to a placebo.
Another wartime bomb, weighing about 250kg, was found while excavating
for the construction of the third terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International
Airport (HSIA) on Saturday.
Photo: Star Mail
Farmers with disabilities are
example to society: Info Minister
Charge), Field Services Wing,
Department of agricultural Extension
(DaE), Salomon Sumon halder, Country
Director, The Leprosy Mission
International-Bangladesh (TLMI-B),
Md. abul kalam azad, head of
Programs, Country Office Bangladesh,
ICCO Cooperation, and JipthaBoiragee,
Project Support Coordinator, TLMI-B,
were present as special guests.
attending the event as the chief guest,
Information Minister Dr hasan
Mahmud said it is exemplary when persons
with disability contribute to agriculture.
"agriculture is a laborious job, I
appreciate persons with disabilities
who have been working this excruciating
job and contribute to national agricultural
production," the Minister said.
The Information Minister urged all to
be aware to protect arable land and
emphasized rooftop agriculture and
agricultural activities in cities alongside
rural areas.
after handing over awards to journalists
who reported on farmers with disabilities,
the Information Minister
thanked them for speaking for the vulnerable
people of the society.
A passenger bus of Bandhan Paribahan collided with a Rajshahi-bound Uttara Express train from
Parbatipur at Puranapoil rail crossing on Saturday.
Photo: Star Mail
250kgs of
wartime bomb
found at hSIa
Dhaka: a wartime bomb, weighing
about 250kgs, was found while excavating
for the construction of the
third terminal of hazrat Shahjalal
International airport (hSIa) yesterday,
reports BSS.
according to a press release, while
piling at the construction site of the
third terminal of the airport at
10:50am on Saturday, the workers
found another general purpose (GP)
bomb.
The Inter Services Public Relations
(ISPR) Directorate published the
press release in this regard which
said the authorities of air Force
Bangabandhu Base Bomb Disposal
Unit rushed to the spot and defused
the bomb.
Later, the bomb was carefully carried
to a safe place for demolition. Bomb
experts are speculating that this bomb
was dropped to the ground during the
Liberation War of 1971. The scene of
the third terminal which is outside the
main airport area, is now safe.
12 people killed as train
crushes bus in Joypurhat
MASRAkUl AloM, JoyPURHAt CoRRESPondEnt
at least 12 people were killed as a train
crashed into a bus on Purana Poil levelcrossing
in Joypurhatsadarupazila
early Saturday, reports UNB.
Police could not yet identify the
deceased. Salam kabir, superintendent
of Joypurhat Police, said the accident
occurred around 6:50 am when the
Rajshahi-bound 'Uttara Express' train
from Parbatipur hit the hili-bound bus
at the unmanned level-crossing, leaving
10 people dead on the spot and seven
others injured.
Five of the injured were taken to
Bogura General hospital where two
more died later.
a relief train from Parbatipur is conducting
the salvage operation.
Meanwhile, two gatemen-Rahman
and Nayan-who were supposed to be
there on duty, went into hiding after the
accident.
Two probe bodies were formed to
look into the accident.
Railway authorities formed a fourmember
committee, headed by Nasir
Uddin, Chief officer of Railway West
zone while the local administration
formed a three-member body led by
additional deputy magistrate (aDM)
Reza hassan.
The committees have been asked to
submit their reports within three working
days.
Train accidents in Bangladesh happen
frequently, many at unmanned
level-crossings, and also because of the
poor condition of tracks.
according to data provided by
Bangladesh Railway in august last year,
only 466 gates among its 1,412 levelcrossings
have gatekeepers.
In November last year, a deadly collision
took place between Dhaka-bound
TurnaNishita Express and
Chattogram-bound Udayan Express on
Dhaka-Chattogram route in Mandbagh
Railway Station in kasbaupazila of
Brahmanbaria.
The train crash left at least 16 people
dead and over 100 others injured.

SunDAY, DeCeMBeR 20, 2020
2
Bogura Deputy Commissioner Ziaul Haque inaugurated Measles and Rubella vaccination campaign
in the district yesterday.
Photo: Star Mail
Mali lost in transition as army
expands its role after coup
BAMAKO : Hopes that soldiers behind
Mali's coup would swiftly restore
civilian rule and tackle jihadism and
ethnic violence are fading fast as the
army expands its role, reports BSS.
Many in the large Sahel country
hailed the August 18 putsch as the
precursor of a "new Mali" - a nation
that would emerge stronger and more
stable, its institutions better placed to
confront the country's many ills.
Young army officers toppled
president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita after
weeks of protests sparked largely by his
failures to roll back a jihadist
insurgency and root out perceived
corruption.
Threatened by international
sanctions, the junta handed power to a
caretaker institution which is supposed
to last for up to 18 months until
elections are held.
But disenchantment at the slow pace
of reforms is growing, fuelled by anger
that figures with army links dominate
the body.
Political parties, swiftly ousted from
the decision-making process, have
almost unanimously denounced the
methods of the military.
"It would appear that this has been
United Airlines to
resume Boeing 737
MAX flights in
February
NEW YORK : United
Airlines became the latest
carrier to announce a
timeframe to fly the Boeing
737 MAX again, saying
Friday the jet would resume
flights in February, reports
BSS.
The plane, which was out
of service for 20 months
following two fatal crashes,
will re-enter United's
schedule on February 11,
with service from Denver
and Houston.
The move comes on the
heels of the Federal Aviation
Administration's (FAA)
November decision to
permit the jet to fly again
following upgrades to its
software and new protocols
on pilot training.
United said there was still
additional work to do on its
jets before they can return to
service with the carrier. The
two 737 MAX crashes, in
Ethiopia and Indonesia,
claimed 346 lives and led to
its worldwide grounding.
"Nothing is more
important to United than
the safety of our customers
and employees," a United
spokesman said.
"United's MAX fleet won't
return to service until we
have completed more than
1,000 hours of work on
every aircraft, including
FAA-mandated changes to
the flight software,
additional pilot training,
multiple test flights and
meticulous technical
analysis to ensure the planes
are ready to fly."
United said it would be
"fully transparent" with
customers and will rebook or
refund customers who don't
want to fly on the aircraft.
manipulation," said Boubacar Diawara,
an expert on public law and
governance.
Mali is "a fragile country built like a
house of cards," he said. "The junta had
the possibility of consolidating the
foundations, but they did not do it."
Nepotism and inaction remain.
Hospitals are overwhelmed with Covid-
19 cases, while social discontent is
mounting and many public service
employees are on indefinite strike.
The number of jihadist attacks has
declined but there is no evident
connection with any political changes
in Bamako, the southern capital far
from territory frequented by armed
Islamists.
The latest controversy arose with the
creation of the National Transition
Council (CNT), designed to take the
place of parliament for the transition.
The criteria for appointing the 121
members of the CNT and even the true
identity of some of those named remain
obscure. Others have been given seats
without showing any prior interest.
Filmmaker Boubacar Sidibe is a
victim of this.
He was a CNT candidate who was
accepted, his name placed on file with
his date of birth and profession. But
when he sat in his place at the inaugural
session, a man with the same name
introduced himself and stated that seat
101 was reserved for "the military
quota." Sidibe was shown out.
"We're bringing to the table the same
procedural irregularities that we
denounced in the past," said
Abdourhamane Ben Mamata Toure,
former director of training at the
National School of Administration,
which has produced top civil servants.
"We pre-programmed the failure of
the reforms we want to carry out. The
most basic principle is that of trust, and
we have already stumbled over it," he
said.
The military now virtually has a
stranglehold over the institutions of
transition. Among the coup leaders,
Colonel Assimi Goita obtained a tailormade
role as powerful vice president of
the transitional government; Colonel
Malick Diaw was promoted president
of the CNT; and Colonel Sadio Camara
and Colonel Major Ismael Wague
respectively took charge of the strategic
ministries of defence and of
reconciliation.
US political leaders line up
for early Covid vaccines
WASHINGTON- Several senior US officials
including Vice President Mike Pence got
early Covid-19 vaccinations Friday,
contrasting with Europe, where two leaders
were quarantining after testing positive and
EU regulators have yet to approve a vaccine,
reports BSS.
Pence's public inoculation against the
coronavirus was the most high-profile
attempt yet at persuading vaccine-skeptic
Americans to join a massive national effort to
halt a pandemic that has killed at least 1.66
million people and infected more than 74
million worldwide.
Also getting their shots were House
Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrat in
Congress, and Republican Senate Majority
Leader Mitch McConnell.
President-elect Joe Biden, who will take
office on January 20, announced he would
take the vaccine, also in public, on Monday.
Yet in hard-hit Europe, unease mounted
after Slovakia's 47-year-old Prime Minister
Igor Matovic tested positive Friday for
Covid-19 a week after attending a European
Union summit in Brussels.
The summit is believed to be where French
President Emmanuel Macron caught the
virus - the announcement of his diagnosis a
day earlier led a host of European leaders
and top French officials to rush into selfisolation.
Macron acknowledged Friday he had been
"slowed down" by his infection, but insisted
he was doing well and still actively involved
in "priority" government business including
Brexit trade talks.
US President Donald Trump, who has
been a longtime skeptic about the
seriousness of the pandemic, wished Macron
"a speedy recovery," the White House said.
Elsewhere, world leaders from Russian
President Vladimir Putin to Israel's Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are also
pledging to get public injections in order to
boost confidence in the vaccines. The first
wave of vaccinations in the United States,
where more than 310,000 Americans have
died, are using the Pfizer/BioNTech drug.
Another vaccine, made by Moderna, is
now expected to become the second shot
allowed in a Western country after a panel of
US experts recommended emergency use
approval.
Trump was notably absent from Pence's
vaccination event.
But he has been eager to take credit for
record-fast vaccine breakthroughs, and he
sparked confusion Friday when he jumped
the gun to declare Moderna approved, ahead
of a final verdict from the Food and Drug
Administration.
"Distribution to start immediately,"
Trump tweeted.
The European Union faces pressure to
approve vaccines after Britain and the
United States have already administered
tens of thousands of shots, while China and
Russia have launched efforts with
domestically produced vaccines.
The bloc intends to begin its inoculations
with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine before the
end of the year, with some countries naming
December 27 as a start date.
Poorer countries also got a boost Friday
when the World Health Organization and
partners said vaccines would be distributed
early next year to the 190 countries in its
Covax initiative, a pooling effort formed to
ensure an equitable distribution.
"The light at the end of the tunnel has
grown a little bit brighter," WHO chief
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual
press conference.
Two billion doses have been secured from
developers AstraZeneca, Johnson &
Johnson, Novovax and Sanofi/GSK, though
none of their candidates have so far received
authorization for use. In China, at least one
million people have already received shots
from homegrown vaccine candidates
approved for emergency use.
After focusing on priority groups, the
country plans to widen its program to the
public in southwestern Sichuan province
early next year, health officials said.
China's five coronavirus vaccines are in the
final stages of development, but none has
received official approval. Even as vaccine
plans advance, the virus continues to rage.
In the United States alone, more than
3,000 people are dying a day, and infections
keep hitting senior officials.
On Friday, the iconic Washington
Monument was temporarily closed after
Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, who has
reportedly been giving private tours to his
associates, tested positive.
UN extends
peacekeeping
mission in DRC,
while initiating
drawdown
UNITED NATIONS : The
UN Security Council on
Friday extended its
peacekeeping mission in
the Democratic Republic
of Congo by one year,
while initiating a plan for a
gradual withdrawal from
the country, reports BSS.
A French resolution
concerning the mission,
known as MONUSCO,
was adopted by 14 out of
15 members of the
Security Council, with
Russia abstaining.
It will "extend until 20
December 2021 the
mandate of MONUSCO in
the DRC," providing for a
maximum deployment of
16,300 soldiers and police.
The text asked the UN
secretariat "to consider
further reduction of
MONUSCO's level of
military deployment and
area of operations based
on the positive evolution
of the situation on the
ground, in particular in
the regions where the
threat posed by armed
groups is no longer
significant."
The Security Council
also endorsed a joint UN-
DRC plan presented in
October on a "Progressive
and Phased Drawdown of
MONUSCO" aimed at
handing responsibilities
over to Congolese forces.
That would mean
"planned withdrawals
from the Kasai in 2021
and progressively from
Tanganyika in 2022, as
well as the gradual
consolidation of
MONUSCO's footprint in
the three provinces where
active conflict persists."
The three provinces are
North and South Kivu, in
the country's east, and
Ituri in the northeast.
The Security Council
also asked the UN
Secretary General to
present a plan by
September 2021 for the
phased drawdown of
MONUSCO,
The Security Council
resolution did not set a
deadline for the
withdrawal, but said it
would take a minimum of
three years.
The UN mission has
been present in the DRC
for 20 years and has an
annual budget of around
$1 billion.
According to the United
Nations, 25.6 million
Congolese need
humanitarian assistance.
GD- 1735 /20 (6 x 4)
EU's Barnier says
just hours left for
Brexit talks
BRUSSELS : Chief EU negotiator Michel
Barnier warned Friday that post-Brexit trade
talks were at a "moment of truth" with just
hours left to reach an agreement with
Britain. "It's the moment of truth," Barnier
told the European Parliament, reports BSS.
"We have very little time remaining, just a
few hours to work through these
negotiations… if you want this agreement to
enter into force on January 1."
Barnier, who headed into last-ditch talks
with his UK counterpart David Frost
immediately after meeting MEPs, said
fisheries remain the main sticking point.
"I don't think it would be fair, nor
acceptable, if European fishermen were not
allowed… to have access to those waters," he
said. British companies trading in other
areas would "remain stable in their rights",
he said, but EU fishing crews would lose out
on guaranteed access.
"So that wouldn't be fair, that wouldn't be
honest," Barnier said.
Late on Thursday, Britain's Prime Minister
Boris Johnson and EU chief Ursula von der
Leyen held a call that failed to break the
logjam in trade talks. "I think I've always
been frank with you, and open and sincere,"
Barnier told the MEPs.
"I cannot say what will come up during this
last home straight of the negotiations. We
have to be prepared for all eventualities."
Britain left the European Union on
January 31 and will leave the EU single
market on December 31 at midnight, with or
without a follow-on accord.
Without a trade deal, cross-Channel trade
will be conducted on basic WTO rules and 47
years of economic integration will be
disrupted by tariffs on goods
Putin says
Russia reducing
dependence on
oil and gas
MOSCOW : President Vladimir Putin
said Thursday that the Russian budget
was becoming less dependent on oil and
gas, key exports for one of the world's
dominant petro-economies, reports BSS.
Putin told reporters during a marathon
end-of-year press conference it was
clearly positive that, "70 percent of the
Russian budget is not formed by oil and
gas revenues".
"We are not completely there, but still
we are starting to get off the so-called oil
and gas needle," he said.
The Russian leader acknowledged
however that his country's dependence
on hydrocarbons was "still very high".
Russia is the world's second largest oil
exporter after Saudi Arabia and its
budget is heavily reliant on
hydrocarbons.
During peak oil prices in the 2000s,
Moscow drew almost half of its revenue
to the federal budget from oil.
The share of hydrocarbon revenues
was 40 percent of the 2019 budget,
according to state news agency TASS.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov
earlier this year said the country's
economy was weening itself off oil and
gas but noted the trend was not
continuing as "rapidly as we would like".
Global oil prices stood at $70 per barrel
at the start of this year, but fell
dramatically over the coronavirus
pandemic and the Russia-Saudi Arabia
price war in the spring.
The current price of oil is around $50 a
barrel.
Parts of Sydney locked
down as Australia battles
growing cluster
SYDNEY : Parts of Sydney were heading into
a fresh lockdown on Saturday as officials in
Australia's most populous city said they
hoped the restrictions would be enough to
control a growing outbreak in time for
Christmas, reports BSS.
As a cluster of cases on the city's northern
beaches grew to 38, residents were ordered
to stay at home from late Saturday until
midnight on Wednesday, other than for
essential reasons.
"We're hoping that will give us sufficient
time to get on top of the virus so that we can
then ease up for Christmas and the New
Year," said Gladys Berejiklian, the state
premier of New South Wales of which
Sydney is the capital.
From 5pm on Saturday, hundreds of
thousands of people in several suburbs will
be forced indoors with beaches, pubs and
hotels closed.
Although the restrictions - which will be
enforced by police - only apply to the
northern beaches, Berejiklian pleaded with
Sydney's more than five million residents to
stay home as much as possible over the
coming days.
"Can I please ask everybody to abandon
non-essential activity," she told local media
on Saturday. "We don't want the virus to
spread outside of the northern beaches."
The leader also flagged a possible return of
some restrictions for the entire city, if the
cluster continued to grow.
Australia's success in containing the virus
has allowed a continued rollback of
restrictions ahead of Christmas, with
domestic travel having returned largely to
normal before the latest outbreak.
The loosening of curbs has sparked fears
that the new outbreak could have already
spread around the country.
One case linked to the cluster has been
detected in the neighbouring state of
Queensland, prompting officials to
announce restrictions on travellers from
Sydney and forcing many into isolation.
Masks are still not mandatory in the city
but residents in the northern beaches have
been urged to wear them at all times while
inside.
Australia has recorded over 28,000 Covid-
19 cases and 908 deaths linked to the virus in
a population of about 25 million.

SundaY, december 20, 2020 Special Supplement
3
GD- 1736 /20

SUNdAY, dECEMbER 20, 2020
4
What pushes Turkey and Iran to ride out the storm of poem?
Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam
e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com
Sunday, December 20, 2020
Guarding secularity
in reality
Police had to battle riotous radical Islamist groups in a road in
Dhaka city on Friday. Earlier, only two days before this event,
huge crowds chanted militant slogans and threatened extremist
actions on their part against an European country for its easygoing
attitude against those who , in their view, insulted Prophet
Mohammed (SM). Friday's demonstration were aimed to protest
the rumoured move to set up statues in some places of Dhaka.
The authorities would say that these statutes are sculpture and
part of art works. They say that sculptures are far artistic expression
and they underlined that people would not venerate them or worship
them. But radical Islamists view such sculptures as an wicked
attempt to make the way for idol worship. One leader from Friday's
gathering warned in dire voice that any attempt to set up statues in
the roads of Dhaka will be responded with violent means of pulling
them down.
Clearly, the recent activities of the radical Islamists are worrying
indications of a fresh initiative on their part to force the pace and go
for an insurgence that would only help instability in the country
when Bangladesh has been faring relatively better than many other
countries markedly under corona virus conditions due to the efficient
governance of the present government. The extremists are
keen on disrupting this normalcy in the country to further their ulterior
motives. Needless to say, only unceasing vigilance can be the
way to crush such nihilistic resurgence before it can gather any further
momentum.
The future of a country depends on the success and failure of its
citizens in acting timely. The people of Bangladesh abroad work very
hard, and many of them are successful. A part of their hard earned
money abroad flows back to Bangladesh, which keeps the country
afloat. Today, garments industries are flourishing. But, political turmoil
and corruption have been always a threat to this industry. Furthermore,
obscurantist and ultra religious forces are also a longer
term threat to the progress and stability of Bangladesh. The incumbent
government's rapport with sections of such forces of darkness
and backwardness only deepen this worry,
Bangladesh had been moving in the wrong direction since its
inception. Bongabondhu wanted to bring economic liberty for the
people through socialism. He wanted to bring such a gigantic social
change without building proper foundation through Cultural Revolution,
which, in case of Bangladesh, will be the Bangalee-Jatiotabadi
consciousness. It was a proper time to transform the national psyche
towards that cultural movement. Instead of taking that route
whole-heartedly, he was ill advised to appease religious fundamentalism,
and became engaged in building relationship with recently
defeated enemy, Pakistan, and other nations which opposed the
very independence of Bangladesh. Friendly nations, like India and
Soviet Union, started to desert him. He became a lone ranger, without
learning necessary survival techniques. Rest is history.
Unfortunately, no one learns from the history. Today religious
fundamentalism is trying very hard to revive in Bangladesh. History
tells us admixture of religion and politics may work for a while in
a monolithic society, but it will become explosive as an admixture in
a non-monolithic society. Bangladesh has moved away from the
earlier pure and pristine secular ideals of Bangalee-Jatiotabad, and
the result is right before our very eyes.
Sometime, political parties may think that they will only come to
power using religious fundamentalism, and then shun it. Pakistani
President Musharaf will attest to this statement as well. Even, USA
will attest to it; they created Taliban and Al-Qaida. You know what
happened after that. The fact is - once Jinni is out of the bottle, it
cannot be put back. Therefore, such duplicity will never work; it's
against the natural rule.
Politics is not a faith, it's a science; it follows certain laws. For correct
results one needs to apply correct formula. For example, religious
fundamentalism will create conflict in a non-monolithic society,
and it will push the society backward. You won't need to be a
genius to figure it out; it's dictated by social and political laws.
Religious fundamentalism is driven by illusions, not by reality.
Even communism/socialism is partly illusion based, without much
logic. It is true - one can organize a society using such illusions;
Hitler did it, and it worked for a while. Religious fundamentalism
will also work for a while, no doubt, but - it is bound to hit the reality
at some point.
Bangladesh was born out of a secular spirit, and it was at the forefront
of this new age. Unfortunately, what happened to this new
country was really a sad story. The country is now witnessing resugence
of religious fundamentalism of the Hefazat-i-Islan type, which
is against the Bangalee-Jatiotabad. Religious fundamentalists are
ashamed of being Bangalee; they want to destroy Bangalee culture
and instill a foreign culture in its place. They want to go back to the
pre-independence era . They know full well - they cannot succeed
as long asBangalee-Jatiotabadi sentiment is alive in Bangladesh.
Ziaur Rahman wanted to introduce Banglaseshi-Jatiotabadin an
attempt to erase Bangalee-Jatiotabad. The fact is - there is nothing
called Bangladeshi-Jatiotabad, it's a fake Jatiotabad. His argument
was - there are other ethnic groups in Bangladesh, and he wanted to
be fair to them. Actually, that was a lame excuse on his part to erase
Banglaee-Jatiotabad. Since 99% of Bagladeshi are Bangalee, and we
have religious sectorial divisions, only glue that can unite the majority
is Bangalee-Jatiotabad. There is no alternative to this option to
achieve this goal. We need some leader who can make this case to
the people, and say, without hesitation, Joy Bangla, and Joy Bangalee-Jatiotabad
in front of the crowd. This is the only medicine that
can cure Bangladesh from the illness of religious fundamentalism.
Religious fundamentalism is a social cancer. Even if - we cannot
cure Bangladesh from this dreadful disease, we may be able to manage
it, if we act early enough. If we wait too long, this disease will
spread so much that it will become unmanageable.
Some people may think that - we have our country, why we need
secular ideals. It's not enough that you have planted a tree; you need
to water it and protect it from diseases. The story is the same here.
We may have Bangladesh, but - it needs nursing and care. Bangalee-
Jatiotabad is the fertilizer that will keep Bangladesh lush and
vibrant. Bangladesh is independent, but the enemies of independence
are not sitting idle. So, those who are for the independence cannot
let the guard down.
There is sometimes a tendency among
analysts to overstate the significance of
relationships between countries and
their contribution to respective national
interests when the reality is seemingly
different. On the contrary, there is also a
tendency to exaggerate the tensions between
countries. In particular, Turkey's foreign
relations are read through these angles,
which in fact leads to a misreading of the
reality beneath the surface.
Last week, a diplomatic spat happened
between Ankara and Tehran due to a poem
issue, and then within a few days, things got
back on track. When reading Turkish-
Iranian relations, which is one of the most
complicated and fragile ones in the region, it
is always crucial to check what's actually the
status of the relationship both, above and the
below the surface.
Political tensions sparked when Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an recited a
poem composed by an Azeri poet during an
official visit to Baku on Dec. 10 to celebrate
Azerbaijan's victory over Armenia in
Nagorno-Karabakh. The poem refers to the
Aras River that marks the border between
Azerbaijan and ethnic-Azerbaijani provinces
of northwest Iran. Concerned that the poem
recited by the Turkish leader could fan
separatism among Iran's Azeri minority, the
next day, Iran summoned the Turkish
ambassador to Tehran to express its "harsh
condemnation" over the matter.
Iran's Foreign Ministry considered
Erdo?an's words as "unacceptable and
meddlesome." Iran's Foreign Minister
Mohammad Javad Zarif went further,
Middle East still complex for India's foreign policy
Left to right: Bahrain Foreign Minister
Abdullatif al-Zayani, Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US
President Donald Trump, and UAE Foreign
Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan
hold up documents after participating in the
signing of the Abraham Accords, at the
White House on September 15, 2020.
Photo: AFP / Saul Loeb
The establishment of direct relations with
Israel by some Arab countries is widely
considered to provide leverage for India,
which now may not need to maintain a
diplomatic balance between the Arab world
and Israel.
India's interest lies in maintaining
friendly ties with both sides because the
Persian Gulf countries are among its major
trade partners and also the source of
external supplies to fulfill its huge demand
for petroleum, while Israel is a key ally in
defense and technological cooperation.
This normalization transforms India into
a comfort zone to enhance its commercial
relations from what was earlier a quagmire
due to animosity between Arab states and
Israel. However, diplomacy in the Middle
East region could remain complex for India
because of another division, between
Ankara and Riyadh, which lead two
different blocs of Muslim countries.
Initially, a peace agreement was signed
between the United Arab Emirates and
Israel, but later Bahrain, Oman and
Morocco joined in, and Saudi Arabia will
follow this normalization process according
to US President Donald Trump.
Although this agreement was named the
"Abraham Accords" to give an impression of
a peace treaty among the three
CLIMATE change can push the world
over the cliff if urgent action is not
taken. As a threat multiplier, it can
lead to poverty, insecurity and a breach of
human rights. These well-known concerns
formed the backdrop of the 2015 Paris
Agreement which commits the world to
keeping average global warming to below
two degrees Celsius, and ideally 1.5°C.
Importantly, it establishes a common
framework for all countries to tackle
climate change - a departure from the
bifurcation of developed and developing
nations which often led to acrimony and
contentious outcomes at climate meetings.
The agreement formally adopts an
inclusive 'all hands on the deck' approach to
the contribution of non-state stakeholders
to propel a coordinated response to a
growing crisis by employing all means and
galvanising action at all levels.
Developed countries reaffirmed their
financial commitments for assisting
developing countries to effectively combat
climate change. Signatories committed
themselves to raising ambitions after five
years by revising their Nationally
Determined Contri butions. The
agreement entered into force in the
unprecedented short time of less than one
year.
The UN has since worked vigorously and
rallied collaborative efforts to cut emissions
asserting via Twitter that the poem "refers to
the forcible separation of areas north [of the]
Aras from [the] Iranian motherland. Didn't
he realize he was undermining the
sovereignty of the Republic of Azerbaijan?"
Iranian politicians went further with
aggressive statements, and even Iranian
media outlets accused Ankara of fueling
separatism in Iran, putting the country's
territorial integrity at risk. In retaliation, the
Turkish foreign ministry summoned the
Iranian ambassador to Ankara over his
country's "aggressive" reaction.
Turkey's ruling party's spokesperson
Ömer Çelik immediately reacted to Iranian
politicians' remarks, saying "We condemn
the ugly language used by some Iranian
politicians against our president." Turkey's
Communications Director Fahrettin Altun
said Iran had distorted the meaning of the
poem "to fuel senseless tensions." This
followed phone traffic between foreign
ministers of the two countries, and the
Iranian side said the parties resolved a
misunderstanding. "The parties emphasized
the importance of strengthening and
expanding the relations between the two
countries," the Iranian embassy in Ankara
monotheistic religions, it is in large part a
safety-net mechanism for the Arab Gulf
countries, allied with the US and Israel, to
resist the increasing pressure of Turkey and
Iran in this region.
This normalization has mainly occurred
in the spectrum of a tussle among Muslim
nations under the two different blocs led by
Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Major Gulf
countries, specifically the monarchies, are
with Saudi Arabia while the most
democratic and non-Arab Muslim countries
are with Turkey.
India hails this agreement in hope of
stability in the region and reassures its
traditional support for the Palestinian cause
with an acceptable two-state solution.
Saudi and the UAE have confirmed their
support to India unequivocally in its
internal affairs, whether it was the
abrogation of special status for Kashmir or
the controversial Citizenship Amendment
Act, while Turkey along with Iran, Malaysia
and Pakistan have vocally criticized India's
policies in the global forum.
After thawing Arab relations with Israel
and worsening ties with Pakistan, India is
vying to increase its outreach in the Middle
SINEM CENGIZ
ShAFEEQ RAhMAN
tweeted.
Iran, which considers Muslim Azerbaijan
as a potential threat to its national security,
has been providing direct and indirect
support to Armenia since the collapse of the
Soviet Union.
The highest-level remark came from Iran's
President Hassan Rouhani who said Tehran
could move past a diplomatic quarrel with
Turkey. "In my opinion, with the
The highest-level remark came from Iran's President
hassan Rouhani who said Tehran could move past a diplomatic
quarrel with Turkey. "In my opinion, with the explanations
(Turkish officials) gave, we can move beyond this
issue, but the sensitivity of our people is very important,"
Rouhani told a televized news conference in Tehran.
JAMIl AhMAd
explanations (Turkish officials) gave, we can
move beyond this issue, but the sensitivity of
our people is very important," Rouhani told
a televized news conference in Tehran.
Getting back to the beginning, the above
statements indicate what has been on the
surface in Turkish-Iranian relations.
Regarding what is beneath the surface, there
is a list of laundry factors that have led to
such a reaction from the Iranian side; but
few of them would be mentioned here.
There are certain reasons why officials in
Tehran have overreacted to the poem. It is
hard to say Tehran was happy with Turkey's
active role in the Azerbaijani-Armenian
tension and with how the conflict has ended
up. Iran, which considers Muslim
Azerbaijan as a potential threat to its
East, and therefore the head of its military
for the first time visited the UAE and Saudi
Arabia.
Countries belonging to the Organization
of Islamic Cooperation account for almost
30% of India's trade. Among the OIC
nations, almost half of India's trade was
with the Arab Gulf countries during
January-October 2020, while it was a total
of merely 13% with Turkey, Malaysia, Iran
and Pakistan.
Saudi and the UAE have confirmed their support
to India unequivocally in its internal affairs,
whether it was the abrogation of special status for
Kashmir or the controversial Citizenship
Amendment Act, while Turkey along with Iran,
Malaysia and Pakistan have vocally criticized
India's policies in the global forum.
India's external trade has declined overall
because of the Covid-19 pandemic but trade
with the OIC countries has suffered a more
adverse impact. During the period January-
October 2020, India's overall trade has
declined by 32% in comparison with the
same period in 2019, but it dropped by 35%
with OIC countries and a much higher 43%
with the Turkey-led alliance of countries.
Despite the relatively trivial trade with
Ankara and its allied Muslim countries,
New Delhi must not adopt a onedimensional
approach in the formulation of
its foreign policy with the Arab states and
Israel. India has already lost cheap sources
of crude and palm oil because of political
differences with Iran and Malaysia
Climate catastrophe
and switch to renewables and facilitated
financial and technological assistance to
developing nations. Countries have
implemented national plans, formed multistakeholder
partnerships and joined UNled
international coalitions for climate
action.
The last decade has been the warmest.
Despite these endeavours, the current
state of play is highly disturbing. The last
decade has been the warmest.
Notwith standing an economic slowdown
due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the year
2020 was one of the warmest years on
record. A dire climate crisis looms larger
than ever. Facing the brunt are poor
nations and peoples as global warming
threatens lifelines. Pledges of financial
support from development partners have
yet to fully materialise and match the
gravity of the issue. Most developing
countries are handicapped by financial and
policy challenges.
Obviously, efforts to address climate
emergency are falling short.
Two reports released lately by the UN
Environment Programme provide insights
into the crisis and offer possible ways out.
The first report cautions against increased
fossil fuel production and encourages
governments to reverse the trend in favour
of green and clean options and to "wind
down fossil fuel production by six per cent
per year to limit catastrophic warming".
The G20 governments have "committed $
230 billion in Covid-19 measures to sectors
responsible for fossil fuel production and
consumption, far more than to clean
energy, roughly $150bn". The report calls
for ensuring that stimulus funds go to green
investments.
The second, the Emissions Gap Report,
reveals that "greenhouse gas emissions
continued to grow for third consecutive
year in 2019" and the "short-term
reduction in global emissions due to the
Covid-19 crisis will not contribute
significantly to emissions reductions by
2030 unless countries pursue an economic
recovery that incorporates strong
decarbonisation".
It is clear that the climate emergency is
putting the world on a perilous path.
The UN has appealed for ambitious
action as governments embark on a new set
of plans to enhance the implementation of
the Paris Agreement. Secretary-General
António Guterres has presented a threepronged
strategy to address the crisis: to
achieve global carbon neutrality within the
next three decades, to align global finance
in support of the Paris Agreement and to
take effective adaptation measures to
protect the most vulnerable countries and
people from the impact of climate change.
Encouraging signs are emerging already.
national security, has been providing direct
and indirect support to Armenia since the
collapse of the Soviet Union.
Secondly, Israel joining the ranks of
Turkey and Azerbaijan - with political
means - in the recent conflict in Caucasia
was a nightmare scenario for Tehran.
Although Ankara and Tel Aviv cooperate
with and lend support to Azerbaijan
differently; two countries are decisively in
support of the Azeri leadership. While
Azerbaijan brings Turkey and Israel on the
same page in Caucasia, it widens the gap
between Turkey and Iran- who are two
potential rivals for influence in Central Asia
and the Caucasus. Although Turkish-
Iranian rivalry in these regions has been
muted, it is impossible to neglect Iranian
leadership's concerns over Turkey having
the upper hand in this region, where Russia
is a dominant player as a regional power
broker.
Thirdly, there is still a Syria file that is open
despite the Arab uprisings completing their
ten-year anniversary this week. There is
ongoing cooperation between Iran and
Turkey whereby Russia is always involved.
However, the degree of cooperation between
them should not be exaggerated. While both
Ankara and Tehran share certain economic
and security interests, their interests are at
odds in many areas still. The two states,
which have fundamentally different political
identities and ideologies, have historically
been, and continue to be, rivals despite
cooperation in some areas.
Source: Arab news
respectively.
Iraq, the largest crude-oil supplier to
India, has been more inclined toward the
Turkey-Iran bloc. Recently Iraqi Prime
Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi was warmly
welcomed in Turkey by President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan. Any disturbance of the oil
supply from Iraq could adversely affect the
Indian domestic crude market.
With the transforming world and
emerging new alliances, India needs to
adopt a comprehensive strategy without
putting all its eggs in one basket. India must
not cozy up with the US, Israel, and Gulf
countries by ignoring its commercial
benefits associated with other states.
Russia, China and Turkey have a notable
influence in this region, where India could
also have a lot of potential unexplored
commercial benefits.
India, because of its huge commercial
needs and importance of its geographical
location, must pursue a non-alignment
foreign policy irrespective of regional
affinity and animosity. Israel and Arab are
former enemies that have become friends
now, and similarly, Saudi and Turkey could
also mend their deteriorating relations in
the future. Therefore, India's relations must
be directed to the benefit of its own interests
without getting influenced by the policies of
other countries.
Any unwarranted inclination toward a
particular bloc can stir the economic
isolation from another side that would not
benefit India's overall commercial
interests.
Source: Asia times
The recent UN Climate Ambition Summit
2020 held virtually, witnessed a
groundswell of political commitment and
support for urgent and long-term action as
governments outlined new polices and
fresh strategies. Several major economies
have committed to climate neutrality or net
zero emissions in the coming decades
including the EU, UK, Japan, South Korea
by 2050 and China by 2060.
Pertinently, climate change is also a
moral issue. Wasteful habits and
unsustainable production and
consumption patterns driven by the
current economic model are contributing
to the crisis and reflect what Secretary-
General Guterres calls "humanity's war on
nature".
While policy measures are critical for
providing suitable conditions, awareness
reflected in the personal choices and
actions of citizens as consumers, investors
and communities is essential to nudging
society towards a sustainable lifestyle.
Behavioural change must supplement
policy and technological innovations if we
are to seek peace with nature. The
imperative to address the climate
emergency is more urgent today than it
was at the time of signing the Paris
Agreement.
Source: Dawn

JAck schoFIelD
First, some background. Microsoft used to provide
new versions of Windows every three or more years, and
support them for 10 years. examples included Windows
XP and Windows 7. They didn't change unless Microsoft
released a service pack update, such as Windows 7 sP1.
When it launched Windows 10 four years ago,
Microsoft switched to delivering "Windows as a service"
(Waas). now the operating system is updated every
month, at no charge, with two "milestone" releases each
year. These are named after their intended release dates,
such as Windows 10 1809 and 1903. (The March update,
1903, was actually released in May.)
Thanks to Waas, there are no more expensive "big
bang" updates, which used to cause large organisations
enormous pain and left some of them clinging to
obsolete versions of Windows for more than a decade.
smaller, more frequent updates are much easier to
handle, especially using tools such as WsUs (Windows
server Update services), sccM (system center
configuration Manager) and WUfB (Windows Update
for Business). They are a bit of a pain for some home
users, but Microsoft is trying to alleviate any problems.
With Waas, Microsoft also changed its support
system. It now has a Modern lifecycle Policy where
basic versions of Windows 10 are only supported for 18
months. you have lost the 10 years of support, but your
support now continues for ever, as long as you keep
installing new versions of Windows 10. In reality, "for
ever" means for as long as your device can run them.
The net result is that Microsoft is still supporting at
least three versions of Windows, but the three will
usually have been launched about six months apart,
instead of three years apart. you are, I deduce, running
Windows 10 version 1803: this was released on 30 April
2018, and reaches the end of its supported life on 12
november 2019. so Windows Update is telling you,
correctly, that this version is up to date.
however, you have failed to install either of the two
latest milestone releases, 1809 and 1903. you therefore
have an up-to-date version of an out-of-date version of
Windows 10. your current version does not need
updating, it needs replacing. This is what you should do.
you are in much the same position as someone who is
still running an up-to-date version of Windows 7, having
skipped later releases. The main differences are that the
timescales are much shorter and the upgrades are now
free.
Microsoft would like everyone to be on the same
version of Windows, and it would not be economic to
support 10 or 20 different versions. It is therefore using
the end of support - and the end of security fixes - to
push users into updating their systems, even though the
Windows 10 enterprise version of 1803 will be
supported for another year (until 10 november 2020).
These Pcs are less of a burden because large
organisations use tools such as WsUs to update
thousands of Pcs, rather than each one downloading the
code separately. either way, Microsoft must still be
producing security fixes for 1803; it just won't let you
have them.
With Waas, not everybody gets the code at the same
time, as you might expect. Instead, the task of updating
more than 800m Pcs is spread over many months. A
few million people want the latest version, even if it isn't
finished. They join the "insider ring" of beta testers, who
look for bugs before the operating system is released to a
wider audience. some are what Microsoft calls
"seekers": they check manually for updates and install
them as soon as they become available. Most people just
ignore new versions until they are reminded to install
them, or - if they really are not paying attention - the
installation is practically under way.
The camera app is simple and automatic in most situations, which makes for effective pointing-and-shooting
but it lacks full manual control.
Photo: Samuel Gibbs
Apple's longer lasting superphone
sAMUel gIBBs
The iPhone 12 Pro Max is the biggest,
heaviest and most expensive version of
Apple's smartphone for 2020, a beast in
every dimension. The top-of-the-range
iPhone costs from £1,099 and sits above
the 12 Pro (£999), the 12 (£799) and 12
mini (£699).
The 12 Pro Max has the same fresh
design as the rest of the iPhone 12 range:
squared-off sides, all-screen front with
slimmer bezels and a frosted glass back.
It has the same drop-resistant "ceramic
shield" technology covering the screen
and the new Magsafe magnetic
attachment system on the back for
wireless chargers and accessories, but
that's where the physical similarities
end.
The iPhone 12 Pro Max is the biggest,
heaviest and most expensive version of
Apple's smartphone for 2020, a beast in
every dimension. The top-of-the-range
iPhone costs from £1,099 and sits above
the 12 Pro (£999), the 12 (£799) and 12
mini (£699).
The 12 Pro Max has the same fresh
design as the rest of the iPhone 12 range:
squared-off sides, all-screen front with
slimmer bezels and a frosted glass back.
It has the same drop-resistant "ceramic
shield" technology covering the screen
and the new Magsafe magnetic
attachment system on the back for
wireless chargers and accessories, but
that's where the physical similarities
end.
Thanks to the hard edges I found
gripping the 12 Pro Max significantly
easier than its rounded and equally
heavy predecessor the iPhone 11 Pro
Max. I could use it one handed with a bit
of finger gymnastics and suffered none
of the hand pain I got from trying to grip
the bar-of-soap-like 11 Pro Max.
The iPhone 12 Pro Max has the same
A14 Bionic processor as the regular 12,
12 Pro and iPad Air, and has 6gB of
RAM with a starting storage of 128gB -
double the iPhone 12's 64gB.
Performance is equally excellent all
round: snappy, slick and fast to process
photos, videos or when playing games.
speeds on 5g were similar, with slightly
better reception than the iPhone 12 Pro
and negligible impact on battery life.
Battery life is class leading at more
than 48 hours between charges (eight
hours longer than the iPhone 12) with
the screen on for more than seven hours.
The phone will last from 7am on day one
until 7am on day three using 5g for
about five hours, with the remainder
spent on wifi.
It takes 30 minutes to charge the
battery to 50%, 73 minutes to reach 90%
but two hours 13 minutes for a full
charge using a cable and a £19 Apple
20W UsB-c power adaptor, or more
than three hours with the Magsafe
wireless charger.
Apple does not provide an expected
lifespan for the iPhone 12 Pro Max's
battery - typically smartphone batteries
last at least 500 cycles while maintaining
at least 80% capacity - but it can be
replaced for £69. An out-of-warranty
service costs £566.44, which includes
the screen. The iPhone 12 Pro Max was
awarded six out of 10 for repairability by
the specialist iFixit.
The 12 Pro Max uses 100% recycled tin
in the solder of its main board, 99%
recycled tungsten, 98% recycled rare
earth elements and at least 35% recycled
plastic in multiple other components.
Apple is also using renewable energy for
final assembly of the machine, and
Keep Windows 10 laptop updating
breaks down the phone's environmental
impact in its report.
It also offers trade-in and free
recycling schemes, including for non-
Apple products. The 12 Pro Max does
not ship with headphones or a power
adaptor, reducing its carbon footprint.
The 12 Pro comes with the same ios 14.2
version as the 12, 12 mini, 12 Pro and all
other iPhones from 2015 or newer. This
includes the home screen visual
overhaul with widgets and the App
library folders, enhanced privacy tools
and the new Translate app. For more see
the ios 14 overview and iPhone 12
review.
you can expect upwards of five years of
software support including security fixes
and ios version updates, which is longer
than any other manufacturer of
smartphones. The iPhone 12 Pro Max
has the same selfie camera and ultrawide
camera as the 12 and 12 Pro, which
perform just as well, but different main
and telephoto cameras on the back.
The telephoto camera has a longer
2.5x optical zoom, up from 2x. Any
increase in reach is welcome, but it pales
in comparison to the 4x/5x optical
zooms of competitors. The lens is slightly
slower than that on the 12 Pro, making it
worse in poor light. But both
smartphones switch to the more lightsensitive
main camera in low-light
anyway.
The main camera has the same 12-
megapixel resolution but a 47%
physically larger sensor, which collects
up to 87% more light than its
predecessor. In good light it shoots
photos that are indistinguishable from
the 12 Pro: highly detailed with good
colour accuracy and control of highcontrast
scenes.
In general, it's safer to install milestone updates later
rather than sooner. If you upgrade to version 1903 now,
you will get a version that has had months of testing, and
that has already been installed on hundreds of millions
of Pcs. If you wait for the "fall version", currently called
19h2, then you will get code that hasn't been as
thoroughly debugged. Also, it will be a bigger leap from
1803, and big leaps are inherently riskier than small
ones.
you don't have to be on the current version of
Windows 10, where some new features may introduce a
few new bugs. however, it's a bad idea to fall two or three
versions behind. The mass upgrade process depends on
a lot of machine learning based on feedback from
telemetry. The Pcs that seem easiest to upgrade
correctly are offered updates before the ones that look
trickier. As bugs are found and fixed, updates are offered
to more and more Pcs.
Updates are sometimes suspended for various
reasons. It happened to some Pcs that had not been
SundAY, deceMber 20, 2020
5
5
patched for the Meltdown and spectre vulnerabilities.
With 1903, some users were put on hold because their
Pcs were running an outdated Intel Rapid storage
Technology (RsT) driver. In my case, the warning went
away and Microsoft installed a Microsoft driver. For the
reader who wasn't so lucky, it should have been fixed by
the kB4512941 update on 30 August.
Update attempts can also fail because your Pc does not
have enough storage space. you need enough room for
the version of Windows that is running, the version you
have downloaded, and a security copy of the old version
of Windows 10 in case you need to roll back a failed
upgrade. This backup is now deleted after about 10 days;
it used to be about 30 days.
Windows 10 should upgrade correctly if you plug in an
external hard drive - that has worked for me - or provide
other storage space. If that doesn't work, the solution is
to download a copy of Windows 10 and the free Media
creation Tool, create installation media on a UsB
memory stick or DVD, then install a new copy of
Windows 10. obviously, you must back up your data
first.
otherwise, you may be able to solve update problems
by downloading the Update Assistant. you can also
contact Microsoft support via the "get help" link on the
right hand side of the Windows Update page in the
settings (cogwheel) app. I tried it once, got instant help,
and it was helpful. The Microsoft support web page for
Windows 10 offers further options including "call me
back", "schedule a call", and "ask the community" (by
posting in the support forum).
sometimes it helps if you have checked your Pc's
telemetry using the Diagnostic Data Viewer app
available in the Windows store. Alternatively, look at the
Problem Reports page in the security and Maintenance
section of the old control Panel, or the event Viewer.
The current 1903/May 2019 version of Windows 10 is
a bit more flexible. you can click a pause button to
"pause updates for 7 days" or skip down to "Advanced
options" and pause updates for up to 35 days. you can
pick a date when you want to resume, which is useful for
business trips and holidays. After 35 days, you have to
install some updates before you can pause it again.
With the forthcoming 19h2/1909 version, Microsoft
plans further changes. In particular, it will try using the
same trick as major browsers: install feature updates
without turning them on. This introduces an exciting
new three-letter abbreviation: cFR (controlled Feature
Rollout). Microsoft defines this as: "A method to
progressively rollout new features by gradually
increasing the audience in a controlled manner." In
other words, every Pc will get the same updates, but new
features will be turned on gradually while telemetry
checks that they are working correctly.
gadgets and gears to make youTube videos
Technology Desk
People shoot videos with all kinds of
equipment, from simple smartphones
to professional movie cameras. Prices
range from £50 to more than
£40,000. As always, it depends on the
job. some people are taking selfies for
Facebook while others are shooting
blockbusters for cinemas.
selfies are usually shot with
handheld smartphones and uploaded
directly with little or no editing. It
takes seconds. Blockbuster movies are
usually shot with teams operating
specialised cameras on dollies. shoots
are followed by extensive editing that
may require rooms full of computers
to add cgI (computer-generated
imagery). It can take months, if not
years.
A lot of amateur youTube videos are
posted by vloggers (video bloggers)
and consist mainly of "talking heads".
People can make vlogs with minimal
equipment, and a decade or so ago,
that was good enough. since then,
quality standards have risen
dramatically, along with the potential
returns. Today, youTube channels can
generate millions of dollars a year in
revenues. People competing at that
level are willing and able to spend the
money needed to produce
professional-looking results.
We love to say that "content is king",
and quality content can transcend
technical flaws. With unique footage of
terrorist attacks, floods, major fires
and other disasters, terrible technical
quality implies authenticity. But few of
the millions of youTube posters have
unique content, so quality matters.
you don't have to be stanley
kubrick. you just need a stable
horizontal camera, good lighting, a
sharp image and clear sound, in that
order. Vloggers' attempts to make
better quality movies is now driving a
large market for add-ons and
accessories. These include tripods,
gimbals and specialised grips for
smartphones; softboxes and leD
lighting arrays; boom microphones,
lapel mics and separate digital
recorders. cheap webcams have
largely been replaced by standalone
digital cameras, especially the
mirrorless and DslR varieties that
deliver high quality video.
Vloggers have also needed to develop
their editing skills, and buy computers
with enough power to do postproduction
work. Many vloggers used
to post what were in effect live shows,
unedited except for "topping and
tailing". In other words, they would
add an introductory title sequence and
some credits - or "calls to action"
(subscribe to my channel, go to my
blog, follow me on Twitter, sign up for
my email list) - at the end. Today, they
start with scripts and storyboards, and
do retakes to replace sections where
they misspoke or made bloopers.
A vlogger with something original to
say and enough charisma to break the
rules can still get away with waving a
smartphone around, but only because
it stands out against the new normal.
similarly, the Blair Witch Project
worked partly because its technical
quality was so different from standard
hollywood production values. But
nobody would try to make gone with
the Wind, gosford Park or gravity
using Blair Witch techniques.
Most smartphones can now shoot
video. In fact, some can shoot goodquality
4k video, though 1080p is still
good enough for youTube.
smartphones are very portable and
almost always handy, which makes
them very useful for travel and "roving
reporter" applications. This is why
media corporations like the BBc are
interested. however, they should still
be used on a tripod, whenever
possible, or with a gimbal to stabilise
movement.
Buy a two-handed Zeadio
smartphone Video Rig, grip stabiliser
cellphone Tripod holder - cheap at
£10.99 - or similar and you can attach
a microphone, lights etc and get much
better results. Unfortunately, you've
lost the popular idea of pocketable
smartphone video and you might as
well use a proper camera.
smartphones also have some
disadvantages for "talking heads"
vlogging. The main ones are the lower
quality of the front-facing selfie lens -
which lets you see yourself on the
screen - and limited sound quality. The
mics built into smartphones are
designed to produce good results
when close to your mouth, not when
you are 3m metres away. The best
solution is usually a lapel mic with a
long lead that plugs into a phone's
microphone socket or UsB-c port. A
lapel mic helps keep the audio level
constant when subjects move around.
you will also need some sort of grip
to hold the phone, or a tripod mount
adapter so that you can use it on a
tripod. As mentioned above, you
might also need softbox lighting or an
leD array, because window lighting is
very variable. smartphones become
less convenient when you compensate
for these problems.
Putting your smartphone on a tripod for steady, level video is the first step towards better footage.
Photo: Hugo Marques

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2020
6
Boro rice cultivation begins in
Rangpur region
RANGPUR: Farmers of
Rangpur agriculture region
have begun transplantation
of Boro rice seedlings in all
five districts to make the
farming of crops successful
during the current Rabi
season, reports BSS.
Officials of the Department
of Agricultural Extension
(DAE) said the government is
assisting farmers to make the
intensive Boro rice farming
programme successful and
recoup the huge crop losses
incurred during the recent
floods.
Meanwhile, farmers have
already transplanted Boro
rice seedlings on 600
hectares of land as the
process will get full
momentum by the end of
January in the region.
The farmers have already
prepared Boro rice seedbeds
on 21,890 hectares of land
against the fixed target of
crops on 22,895 hectares of
land across the region.
"A target of producing over
Advocate Imtiaz Ahmed, a young lawyer, has given blankets to 200 cold-hit people in different parts
of the capital. Instead of celebrating his birthday, he gave the blankets with the money, said the president
of an organization called 'Samajer Proti Jubor Udyog' and founder of the Stark Club Ltd. He
distributed the blankets at High Court Mazar Gate, Shahbagh, Banglamator, Kawran Bazar and
Tejgaon on Saturday midnight.
Photo: TBT
35.24 lakh tonnes Boro rice
expected in Rajshahi division
RAJSHAHI: Around 35.24
lakh tonnes of irri-boro rice are
expected to be produced from
8.10 lakh hectares of land in all
eight districts of the division
during the current season,
officials said, reports BSS.
Target has been set to
produce 31.86 lakh tonnes of
high yielding varieties of rice
from 7.44 lakh hectares of land,
3.27 lakh tonnes of hybrid
21.54 lakh tonnes of clean
Boro rice (32.31 lakh tonnes
of paddy) has been fixed from
4.95 lakh hectares of land for
the region this season,"
Deputy Director of the DAE
at its regional office Md
Moniruzzaman told BSS
yesterday.
Farmers will produce 9.20
lakh tonnes of hybrid variety
Boro rice from 1.90 lakh
hectares of land, 12.31 lakh
tonnes of high yielding
variety rice from 3.03 lakh
hectares and 3,045 tonnes of
local variety Boro rice from
1,500 hectares of land.
The district-wise breakup
of the fixed Boro rice
production target stands at
5.57 lakh tonnes of clean rice
from 1.30 lakh hectares of
land for Rangpur and 5.46
lakh tonnes of rice from 1.93
lakh hectares of land for
Gaibandha districts.
Besides, 4.79 lakh tonnes of
clean Boro rice will be
produced from 1.12 lakh
hectares of land in Kurigram,
varieties from 61,680 hectares
and 7,930 tonnes of local
varieties from 3,965 hectares of
land.
Department of Agriculture
Extension (DAE) has set the
target of producing 15.34 lakh
tonnes of rice from 3.53 lakh
hectares of land in four districts
of Rajshahi Agricultural Zone,
while 19.88 lakh tonnes from
4.57 lakh hectares in four other
The burial of freedom fighter Sona Mia has been
completed with state of honor at Baliakandi in
Rajbari. Upazila Assistant Commissioner (Land)
SM Abu Darda and Officer-in-Charge of Baliakandi
Police Station Tariquzzaman paid homage to the
body at Gohailbari Eidgah Maidan recently.
During the time, hundreds of locals, including
Baharpur Union Chairman Md. Rezaul Karim,
were present at the time. Photo: Mehedi Hasan
2.07 lakh tonnes of rice from
1.18 lakh hectares of land in
Lalmonirhat and 3.64 lakh
tonnes of rice from 1.87 lakh
hectares of land in
Nilphamari districts.
"The DAE and other agrirelated
organisations, Power
Development Board and
Rural Electrification Board
are ensuring smooth supply
of seeds, fertilisers and
electricity to farmers to
ensure smooth Boro rice
cultivation this season,"
Moniruzzaman said.
Besides, farmers are
adopting conservation
agriculture technologies like -
Alternate Drying and Wetting
irrigation method at a larger
scale while farming Boro rice
to save irrigation water for
increasing rice output at
reduced costs in the region.
Talking to BSS, farmer
Ariful Haque Batul of village
Najirdigar in Rangpur Sadar
upazila said he has taken all
preparations to cultivate
Boro rice on his 6.50 acres of
districts of Bogura Agricultural
Zone.
Meanwhile, the farmers are
passing their times with
nursing and caring the
seedbeds of the paddy braving
the winter chill and fog at
present.
This year, the DAE has set
target of developing seedbeds
on 39,960 hectares of land
including high yielding
varieties on 37,239 hectares in
the division.
Sirajul Islam, Additional
Director of DAE, said all the
district, upazila and field level
officials and others concerned
are giving suggestions to the
farmers to protect their
seedbeds from cold covering
their seedbeds with polythene
in night.
He said they are adopting all
possible measures to ensure
food security through attaining
the rice production target
everywhere in the region
including its vast barind tract to
cope with the novel coronavirus
(Covid-19) pandemic situation.
Some 24,600 small and
marginal farmers are being
given support with seed and
fertilizers in the division under
the government's agriculture
incentive programme to boost
the boro rice production.
Abul Kashem, a farmer of
Mayamari village under
Niamatpur Upazila, said he has
prepared seedbeds on 25
decimals of land for cultivating
paddy on 18- bigha of land this
season.
He is now very much hopeful
of starting the transplantation
of seedlings within the next one
month.
Kashem has adopted some
preventive measures to protect
the seedbeds from any cold
related diseases.
Mahbubur Rahman, another
land this season to recoup the
crop losses caused by recent
floods to his Aman rice crop.
Similarly, farmers
Mokhlesur Rahman, Abdul
Awal, Manik Mian and
Echhahaq Ali of different
villages in Rangpur said their
Boro rice seedlings were
ready to complete the
transplantation process by
the next two weeks.
Talking to BSS,
Agriculturist Dr Md Abdul
Mazid, who got the
Independence Medal 2018
(food security), suggested
farmers to complete
transplantation of Boro rice
seedlings by mid-February
for getting maximum yield of
the cereal crop.
"Adoption of conservation
agriculture technologies in
farming Boro rice has
become a need of the time to
increase its output reducing
lifting of underground water,
saving electricity and
improving the environment,"
he added.
farmer of Chanpara village, said
he is anxious over the sweeping
cold weather.
He along with many of his
fellow farmers is passing busy
days to protect the seedbeds
from cold injuries.
Upazila Agriculture Officer
Shafiqul Islam said prolonged
cold coupled with dense fog is
injurious to the seed health.
The adverse climate
condition is also a little-bit
detrimental to the seedbeds,
but there is no apprehension of
any major damage to it, he said.
Regional office of Bangladesh
Rice Research Institute (BRRI)
has taken diversified steps
including farmers training,
projection plot and supplying of
the newly developed high
yielding varieties among the
growers to make the irri-boro
farming a total success.
BRRI has developed 14 Boro
varieties of paddy which are
appropriate for Rajshahi region
including its vast Barind tract,
said Dr Fazlul Islam, Principal
Scientific Officer of BRRI.
The varieties are Brridhan28,
29, 50, 58, 63, 69, 81, 84, 86,
88, 89, 92, Brri hybrid dhan3
and Brri hybrid dhan5.
Of those, Brridhan50 is
export-oriented premium
quality rice, Brridhan58 is
comparatively high yielding
and Brridhan84 is iron and
zinc-enriched.
Dr Islam said the field level
agriculture officials,
researchers and scientists are
reaching the developed
varieties to the farmers'
doorsteps so that they can
boost the boro paddy yield after
the best uses of the varieties.
The conventional varieties
are being replaced by modern
varieties which are good signs
for the region in terms of
boosting yield, he said.
Help For Deprived Foundation distributed blankets among the children of Dakshin Baravita
Ghonpara Abedia Yasria Shariful Ulm Nurani Hafezia orphanage and madrasa which is situated at
Dakshin Baravita Ghonpara, Kishoreganj, Nilphamari on Saturday.
Photo: TBT
Zeal Bangla mill
starts cane crushing
in Jamalpur
JAMALPUR: Cane crushing
started at Zeal Bangla Sugar
Mills (ZBSM) Limited at
Dewanganj upazila of the
district on Friday with a target
to produce 6,200 metric
tonnes of sugar this season,
reports BSS.
Dewanganj Upazila
Parishad chairman Solayman
Hossain inaugurated the cane
crushing on Friday afternoon
at a simple function.
The mill has a target to
produce 6,200 metric tonnes
of sugar by crushing 80,000
MT of sugarcane in 95
working days this season, said
Managing Director of ZBSM
Ashraf Ali.
Mayor of Dewanganj
Municipality Shahnewaj
Shahan Shah, vice-chairman
of the upazila parishad Dewan
Imran and general manager
(Agriculture) of ZBSM
Mojibar Rahman were
present at the function,
among others.
13,691 COVID-19 patients
recover in Rangpur division
RANGPUR: A total of 13,691 COVID-19
patients out of 15,079 infected have recovered
in all eight districts of the division as the daily
infection rate continues to show a declining
trend in recent days, reports BSS.
"The average recovery rate currently stands
at 90.79 percent since the outbreak of the
pandemic in April last across the division,"
Focal Person of COVID-19 and Assistant
Director (Health) for Rangpur division Dr. ZA
Siddiqui told BSS yesterday.
Since the beginning, a total of 92,731
collected samples of Rangpur division were
tested till Friday night, and of them, 15,079
were found COVID-19 positive with an average
infection rate of 16.26 percent.
The recovery rate of COVID-19 patients
continues increasing amid a falling trend in the
daily infection rate with little exceptions during
the last few days in the division.
"The average COVID-19 infection rate of
16.26 percent is currently 5.58 times less than
the recovery rate of 90.79 percent in the
division," Dr. Siddiqui said.
Meanwhile, more 19 COVID-19 patients
recovered on Friday raising their total number
to 13,691 in all eight districts across the
division.
The 13,691 recovered COVID-19 patients
include 3,267 of Rangpur, 724 of
Panchagarh, 1,228 of Nilphamari, 921 of
Lalmonirhat, 928 of Kurigram, 1,260 of
Thakurgaon, 4,032 of Dinajpur and 1,331 of
Gaibandha districts.
Meanwhile, 34 new COVID-19 positive cases
were reported after testing 235 collected
samples at the two COVID-19 Laboratories in
Rangpur and Dinajpur on Friday raising their
total number to 15,079 in the division.
"The district-wise break up of the 15,079
patients stands at 3,857 in Rangpur, 757 in
Panchagarh, 1,291 in Nilphamari, 951 in
Lalmonirhat, 989 in Kurigram, 1,460 in
Thakurgaon, 4,361 in Dinajpur and 1,413 in
Gaibandha districts," Dr. Siddiqui said.
Talking to BSS yesterday, Divisional Director
(Health) Dr. Md. Ahad Ali said the number of
fatalities rose to 281 in the division with one
more death reported from Nilphamari on
Friday.
"The district-wise break up of the 281
fatalities stands at 65 in Rangpur, 99 in
Dinajpur, 30 in Thakurgaon, 26 in Nilphamari,
15 in Kurigram, 15 in Gaibandha, 20 in
Panchagarh and 11 in Lalmonirhat districts of
the division," he said.
Nandail Upazila administration has given reception to the family members of freedom fighters and martyrs
of Nandail recently at the reception hall. Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Ershad Uddin presided over the
occasion while Member of Parliament Anwarul Abedin Khan Tuhin was present as the chief guest. Among
others, Upazila Parishad Chairman Hasan Mahmud Jewel, Mayor Rafiq Uddin Bhuiyan, former
Commander of Muktijoddha Sangsad Freedom Fighter Muktol Hossain and Freedom Fighter Ruhul Amin
were also present at the occasion.
Photo: Arabinda Paul
Abul Kalam Azad Hashem, President of Awami League, Ward No. 14 of Cumilla metropolis, held view
exchange meeting with the young generation at Muradpur Government-Primary School recently. During
the time, Metropolitan Awami League members Jahangir Hossain, 14th Ward Awami League Secretary
Azizul Haque Azad and Cumilla Zone Coca-Cola Company Sales Officer Azizur Rahman were also present
at the occasion.
Photo: Abdullah Al Mamun

SUNdAY, deCeMBer 20, 2020
7
A major US base at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan has again been targeted in a rocket
attack.
Photo: The West Australian.
Rockets strike main U.S.-NATO
base in Afghanistan: official
CHARIKAR : Rockets fired by militants
Saturday struck a main U.S.-NATO
base in Bagram district of Afghanistan's
Parwan province, to the north of Kabul,
with no immediate report on casualties
or extent of damage, a provincial
government spokesperson confirmed,
reports BSS.
"Five rounds of rockets were fired
Brunei reports no
new COVID-19
cases for 11
straight days
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
: Brunei reported no new
cases of COVID-19 on
Saturday, with the national
tally of cases standing at 152,
reports BSS.
According to Brunei's
Ministry of Health, there are
no active cases in the
country and the total
number of recovered cases
remain at 149.
It also marked the 11th
consecutive day without new
cases since Dec. 8, when the
country recorded an
imported case from Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia.
A total of 11 imported cases
have been confirmed since the
last local infection case was
reported on May 6. At
present, Brunei has recorded
227 days without COVID-19
local infection cases.
Meanwhile, currently 745
individuals who arrived in
the country after traveling
abroad are undergoing
mandatory isolation at the
monitoring centers provided
by the government.
There have been three
deaths from COVID-19 in
Brunei.
US planning to
close last consulates
in Russia: report
WASHINGTON : Donald
Trump's outgoing
administration is planning
to close the two remaining
US consulates in Russia,
media reports said Friday,
as President-elect Joe
Biden prepares to take
office amid high tensions
with Moscow, reports BSS.
The US will close its
consulate in the far eastern
city of Vladivostok and
suspend operations at its
post in Yekaterinburg,
CNN reported, citing a
December 10 letter sent to
Congress from the State
Department.
The move comes in
"response to ongoing
staffing challenges for the
US Mission in Russia in the
wake of the 2017 Russianimposed
personnel cap on
the US Mission and the
resultant impasse with
Russia over diplomatic
visas," the report said,
citing the letter.
onto Bagram Airfield from an
abandoned truck parked in Qalandar
Khil locality of Bagram district roughly
at 5:50 a.m. local time Saturday,"
Wahida Shahkar told reporters via a
text message.
She said seven rockets failed to be
fired and were defused by Afghan
security forces.
Further details about the incident are
still forthcoming.
The Bagram Airfield, some 50 km
north of the Afghan capital of Kabul,
has been serving as a main U.S. and
NATO military base in Afghanistan
over the past 19 years.
No group has claimed responsibility
yet for the attack.
Italy, one of the countries worst hit by Covid-19, will be placed under new
restrictions over the Christmas and New Year periods, Prime Minister
Giuseppe Conte announced late Friday.
Photo: BSS
Italy under new restrictions
over Christmas, New Year
ROME : Italy, one of the countries worst
hit by Covid-19, will be placed under new
restrictions over the Christmas and New
Year periods, Prime Minister Giuseppe
Conte announced late Friday, reports
BSS.
Under the new measures, shops, bars and
restaurants will be closed and travel between
regions will be banned, and in theory only
one daily outside trip per household will be
permitted. Religious celebrations will be
allowed until 10:00 pm.
"Our experts fear that the infection curve
will increase during the Christmas period,"
Conte said. The prime minister conceded
that the authorities had neither the means
nor the will to monitor compliance with
containment measures, but he asked Italians
to respect a new limit of people hosting two
adult guests at home.
Food shops, hairdressing salons,
pharmacies, tobacconists and laundries as
well as bookstores will, however, remain
open.
Conte specified that the confinement
would be relaxed on December 28, 29, 30 as
well as on January 4.
On these days, shops can remain open
until 9:00 pm and people will be allowed to
move about freely.
Italy has 60 million inhabitants and one of
the oldest populations in Europe.
India's coronavirus cases pass 10 million
NEW DELHI - India surged
past 10 million coronavirus
cases on Saturday, official
data showed, the second
highest in the world
although new infection rates
appear to have fallen sharply
in recent weeks, reports BSS.
The number of cases
increased by just over
25,000 in 24 hours,
according to the health
ministry, while the total
number of deaths from the
virus in India now stands at
145,136.
In September, the vast
nation of 1.3 billion people
had been recording daily
new cases of almost 100,000
and looked on track to
surpass the United States as
the worst-hit country.
But the outbreak has
accelerated in the US and
appears to have lost
momentum in India, despite
the country being home to
some of the most crowded
cities on the planet.
The United States, with a
population a quarter the size
of India's, has been
reporting upwards of
200,000 new cases daily in
recent weeks, 10 times as
many as India.
India's fatality rate is also
considerably lower - less
than half that of the US.
Residents in the capital
New Delhi told AFP they
were still worried but were
more comfortable than
before about leaving their
homes.
"Obviously the fear levels
have come down over time.
Initially, it was more scary,"
said housewife Huma Zaidi,
46.
"But we are still taking
precautions like wearing
masks when going out and
avoiding social gatherings."
India has lifted restrictions
on most activities to boost
the struggling economy,
although some states and
territories have reimposed
curbs.
"I plucked up my courage
and went out for lunch for
the first time in six or eight
months," said Simpy Dhar,
44, a language instructor.
Suicide bomber kills
3 in NE Nigeria :
security sources
KANO : A teenage girl killed
at least three people when
she blew herself up in a
crowd in northeast Nigeria's
Borno state, militia and
humanitarian sources told
AFP Saturday, reports BSS.
"We evacuated three dead
bodies and two people who
were seriously injured from
the scene," said aid worker
Abubakar Mohammed. The
attack happened in the town
of Konduga, about 38
kilometres (24 miles) from
the regional capital
Maiduguri.
The attacker set off her
explosives among a group of
men at a hangout next the
local chief's home, said
Ibrahim Liman, an antijihadist
militia leader who
gave the same toll.
Konduga and surrounding
villages have been
repeatedly targeted by
suicide bombers from Boko
Haram, which typically
attacks soft civilian targets
such as mosques, markets
and bus stations, often using
young women as bombers.
At least 30 people were
killed last year in Konduga
when three bombers
detonated their explosives
outside a hall where football
fans were watching a match
on TV.
Boko Haram and a
splinter group, the Islamic
State West Africa Province
(ISWAP), have killed 36,000
people and displaced around
two million since 2009.
Two dead, hundreds flee floods
in Philippine storm
MANILA : At least two people were killed
and hundreds forced to flee their inundated
homes in the Philippines as torrential rain
triggered flooding and landslides in the
storm-battered archipelago, officials said
Saturday, reports BSS.
Huge waves smashed into a coastal village
on Lapu-Lapu island in the central province
of Cebu on Friday night, wiping out dozens
of houses and leaving around 290 people
homeless, Mayor Junard Chan said on
Facebook.
Photos posted online by the mayor showed
piles of wood and bamboo near the few
houses still standing after the region was
drenched by heavy rain.
Rescuers retrieved the bodies of two
elderly women who were killed when a
landslide hit an area of Mahaplag town
before dawn in the nearby province of Leyte,
police officer Racquel Hernandez said.
A boy was also pulled from the rubble of
his home and treated for his injuries,
Hernandez told AFP.
About 1,500 people were forced to leave
their homes on the major southern island of
Mindanao as floodwaters engulfed 13
villages, the National Disaster Risk
Reduction and Management Council said.
The Philippines is hit by an average of 20
storms and typhoons every year, which
typically wipe out harvests, homes and
infrastructure in already impoverished
areas.
The latest storm comes after a succession
of typhoons in recent months pummelled
the country, taking the lives of 148 people,
destroying hundreds of thousands of houses,
wrecking cash crops and leaving swathes of
the country without power.
People push a half-submerged tricycle through a flooded street in Agusan del Sur
province in Mindanao.
Photo: Yahoo
Coronavirus:
Latest global developments
PARIS: Here are the latest
developments in the coronavirus crisis:
The United States authorises
Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine for
emergency use, as the country grapples
with a surge that is killing over 2,500
people a day.
The US is the first nation to approve
the two-dose regimen, which is now the
second vaccine to be deployed in a
Western country after one developed
by Pfizer and BioNTech.
South African researchers identify a
severe variant of the coronavirus, the
501.V2 Variant, which could explain
the rapid spread of a second wave there
affecting younger people.
Poorer countries will begin to receive
coronavirus vaccines early next year,
with almost two billion doses secured
by a facility created to ensure fair
access, the World Health Organization
says.
India passes 10 million coronavirus
cases, the second highest in the world,
although new infection rates have
fallen sharply in recent weeks.
One killed, two
missing in NE
China factory blast
HARBIN :One person died
and two are missing after a
chemical plant explosion in
northeast China's
Heilongjiang Province early
Saturday, according to local
authorities, reports BSS.
The accident at around
12:46 a.m. Saturday in a
workshop of a chemical
company in the city of Anda
also left four people injured,
including two seriously, said
the municipal government.
The fire caused by the
blast was put out at 3:50
a.m. and rescuers are
searching for the missing
people.
Ukraine reports
12,630 new
COVID-19 cases
KIEV : Ukraine on Friday
recorded 12,630 new
COVID-19 cases over the
past 24 hours, taking the
national tally to 944,381,
according to the National
Security and Defense
Council of Ukraine, reports
BSS.
The number of coronavirus deaths in
France tops 60,000, after health
authorities voice concern over a
"worrying" resurgence in the virus
ahead of the Christmas and New Year
holidays.
Sweden does a U-turn on face masks,
recommending they be worn on public
transport at peak times, having
previously resisted their use in the fight
against Covid-19 except in healthcare.
The country has so far shunned
lockdowns.
US lawmakers hammer out the final
details of a major coronavirus package
aimed at providing emergency relief for
millions of struggling families and
businesses amid signs of a worsening
economy.
Italy, one of the countries worst hit by
Covid-19, will be placed under new
restrictions over the Christmas and
New Year periods, closing shops, bars
and restaurants, banning travel
between regions and limiting trips
outside. Austria will enter its third
coronavirus lockdown between
December 26 and January 24, but
those who take part in a planned series
of mass tests between January 15 and
17 will be allowed more freedom.
Authorities in the Democratic
Republic of Congo impose a 9-5
overnight curfew with police setting up
roadblocks in the capital Kinshasa,
which has been the city worst hit by the
virus.
Mexico City suspends non-essential
activities from the weekend, with only
activities such as the sale of food,
energy, transport, manufacturing and
financial services allowed.
At least 1,665,177 people have died
since the outbreak emerged in China
last December, according to a tally from
official sources compiled by AFP.
Most new deaths over the past seven
days were in the US with 18,234,
followed by Brazil with 5,062.
The US is also the worst-affected
country with 310,792 deaths followed
by 184,827 in Brazil, 144,789 in India,
116,487 in Mexico and 67,894 in
Italy.
Fiji scrambles to provide
aid as cyclone toll rises
SUVA : Reconnaissance flights showed
entire villages wiped out in Fiji on Saturday
as authorities put the cost of devastating
Cyclone Yasa at hundreds of millions of
dollars and the death toll rose to four, reports
BSS.
A state of natural disaster has been
declared for 30 days as emergency services
scrambled to provide food and clothing to
the worst affected areas.
The superstorm slammed into Fiji's second
largest island Vanua Levu late Thursday,
leaving a trail of destruction.
Of the 24,000 people who evacuated their
homes at the height of the storm, 16,113 are
still unable to return.
A New Zealand Air Force reconnaissance
flight flew over the area on Saturday to assess
the scale of the damage, with reports of
houses, crops and entire livelihoods wiped
out.
The storm also damaged schools and
caused widespread flooding and landslides.
More than 93,000 people were affected
and the number of casualties may rise when
communications are restored to hard-hit
areas, the National Disaster Management
Office said in a statement.
Communications with the eastern Lau
islands group were cut during the storm and
the extent of damage there was unknown.
National Disaster Management Office
director Vasiti Soki said that while it would
take days to assess the full scale of the
damage, "we are likely looking at hundreds
of millions of dollars."
She said the immediate focus was on
restoring critical infrastructure,
re-establishing communication with
severely affected areas and maintaining
public safety.
The deaths of a 45-year-old man and a
three-month-old baby were confirmed after
the storm swept through on Friday and Soko
said two more bodies had since been found.
One, a 70-year-old man, was inside his
home when the roof blew away and timber
fell on his head.
"There were villages that were totally
wiped out by the storm surge and the only
clothes (the villagers have) are those on their
backs," Fiji Red Cross operations manager
Maciu Nokelvu told AFP.
"We are providing temporary shelters with
the provision of tarpaulins and shelter
toolkits, and dry clothes.
"The most devastated area is in the second
largest island Vanua Levu, however we
haven't received any information from the
Lau group of islands on the eastern side."
More than 10,000 food parcels were being
prepared for distribution on Sunday.
Yasa weakened after leaving Fiji and
initially headed towards Tonga.
It has since veered south, away from the
islands, although a heavy rain warning and
flash flood advisory remain in force for parts
of Tonga.

SUnDAY, DECEMBER 20 , 2020 8
Planet SR Biggest Shopping Mall of Cumilla and 3rd Largest in the Country recently launched at Zilla
School Road, Kandirpar, Cumilla. Mohammed Habibur Rahman, Deputy Managing Director of UCB inaugurated
the shopping mall as Chief Guest Shah Alam Bhuiyan, SEVP & Head Special Asset Management
Division of UCB, A T M Tahmiduzzman, SEVP & Company Secretary of UCB were present as Special Guest
along with Md. Moshiur Rahman Chowdhury, Chairman of Lantas Holdings Ltd. and other senior officials
of the Bank at the opening ceremony.
Photo: Courtesy
US apartment construction
boosts housing supply
in November
WASHINGTON :A jump
in apartment construction
projects in November
boosted the tight supply of
homes in the booming US
real estate market,
according to government
data released Thursday,
reports BSS.
With borrowing rates at
record lows during the
Covid-19 pandemic, home
sales have been one of the
bright spots in the US
economy, pushing prices
higher and challenging
builders to keep up with
demand.
Total housing starts rose
1.2 percent compared to
October to a 1.55 million
seasonally-adjusted annual
rate, the Commerce
Department reported.
That was slightly better
than economists had
expected, and a solid result
heading into winter when
construction usually slows.
Building initiated on
multi-family units jumped
eight percent, while singlefamily
starts rose just 0.4
percent, according to the
report. Ian Shepherdson of
Pantheon
Macroeconomics said the
total increase was a slight
disappointment, but the
6.2 percent surge in
building permits - also
concentrated in apartment
buildings - points to
another increase in
December, and a jump in
home sales in the spring.
"All these numbers - but
especially starts - are
erratic from month-tomonth,
but the key point
here is that construction
activity has not yet fully
caught up with the surge in
housing activity, leaving
room for modest further
gains," he said in an
analysis.
Housing starts in the
Northeast more than
doubled last month, while
activity fell in the South
and Midwest, according to
the report.
Asian markets slip as dealers
track stimulus progress
HONG KONG : Asian markets
struggled Friday to build on the
previous day's rally and a record lead
from Wall Street as investors track US
stimulus talks with lawmakers
appearing to finally be closing on a deal,
reports BSS.
After last month's surge across equity
markets, traders have in December
been unable to kick on as vaccine
optimism and signs of a breakthrough
in Washington, as well as in Brexit
negotiations, is offset by frighteningly
high coronavirus infection and death
rates around the world. On Capitol Hill,
top-level politicians remain locked in
discussions for a rescue package they
hope to get passed before the end of the
year when crucial support measures for
Americans run out.
The two sides, for months stuck in a
stalemate, are inching towards a deal
after a bipartisan group of lawmakers
put together a proposal that appears
attractive to each of them.
"I am heartened by our discussions
and our progress. I believe all sides are
working in good faith toward our
shared goal of getting an outcome,"
Republican Senate Majority Leaders
Mitch McConnell said in a statement,
noting the package would include
direct payments to people.
"We are going to stay right here until
Strong China sales
boost Nike results,
shares rise
NEW YORK : Nike scored
a big jump in China sales in
the second quarter and
reported better-thanexpected
results on Friday,
following a coronavirus hit
earlier in the year, reports
BSS.
After suffering declines in
revenues in the last two
quarters, Nike reported an
increase in sales in the
quarter ending November
30 as it has bolstered direct
selling efforts to consumers
in the wake of upheaval in
the retail industry.
The sports giant said more
than 90 percent of
company-owned stores are
now open, with some at
reduced hours. However,
the company continues to
experience declines in
customer traffic in many
regions due to Covid-19,
Nike said.
we are finished, even if that means
working into or through the weekend."
President Donald Trump also
sounded a note of hope, tweeting that
"stimulus talks looking very good".
But Top Democratic senator Chuck
Schumer remained cautious, saying an
agreement was near but adding: "While
many, if not all, of the difficult topics
are behind us, a few final issues must be
hammered out."
All three major US indices ended at
record highs, as long-term economic
hope overshadowed data showing an
unexpected jump in jobless numbers,
which followed a report earlier in the
week revealing a drop in retail sales.
The 36thAnnual General Meeting (AGM) of Kay & Que (Bangladesh) Ltd was through a virtual platform
recently. In absence of Abdul Awal Mintoo, Chairman of the company A. K. M. Rafiqul Islam,
FCA Director of the Company, presided over the meeting. The meeting was well attended by a good
number of Shareholders. Considering the financial benefit the company declared "4% (cash) dividend"
for the financial period ended on 30-06-2020. The shareholders of the company approved all
agenda of the meeting accordingly. The other Directors Tabith Awal, A. T. M. Ahmedur Rahman
Md. Jalalul Azim, Md. Mahboob Ahmed and the Company Secretary (Acting) Mehedi Hasan were
also present in the meeting.
Photo: Courtesy
At Covid deal impasse, US Congress
agrees stopgap to avert shutdown
WASHINGTON: US lawmakers
struggling to reach a critical pandemic
relief and federal spending deal struck a
last-minute agreement Friday to avert a
midnight shutdown of the government
and extend negotiations through the
weekend, reports BSS.
Congressional leaders are frantically
trying to resolve sticking points in a
roughly $900 billion measure aimed at
providing emergency relief for millions of
Americans on the verge of losing key
benefits.
Because the pandemic relief plan is tied to
passage of a separate $1.4 trillion federal
spending package, the impasse
threatened to temporarily shut down the
government - a scenario not unheard of
in politically divided Washington, but
disastrous given the worsening economy
and record daily death tolls from Covid-
19.
On the brink of a shutdown, the House of
Representatives voted 320 to 60 late
Friday to extend funding for federal
agencies through Sunday to allow
negotiators to finish their stimulus
package.
The Senate quickly passed the measure
by voice vote, and President Donald
Trump signed the bill hours before the
midnight deadline.
Talks on the relief package appear stuck,
in part, over a Republican proposal to
limit the Federal Reserve's ability to
provide credit for businesses and other
institutions.
"We are hopeful that they will reach
agreement in the near future," number
two House Democrat Steny Hoyer said.
"They have not reached one yet. There are
still some significant issues outstanding."
A package to aid struggling businesses
and jobless workers is seen as critical to
getting the world's largest economy back
on its feet amid a resurgence of Covid-19
infections, even as new vaccines offer
hope that an end to the pandemic may be
in sight.
Without an agreement, millions of
unemployed workers will lose their
special pandemic benefits before the end
of the year, and a moratorium on
evictions is set to lapse within days.
Democrats warn that if the Fed's ability to
extend lifelines is restricted, the fiscal
crisis could be compounded in US states,
particularly if Congress fails to pass
assistance to state and local governments.
President-elect Joe Biden has pushed
back fiercely against the Fed proposal,
which reportedly would prevent the
central bank from restarting emergency
lending programs that expire this year
and could limit its response in future
crises.
The measure "could put our future
financial stability at risk," Brian Deese,
whom Biden has selected to chair the
National Economic Council, said in a
statement.
"The package should not include
unnecessary provisions that would
hamper the Treasury Department and
the Federal Reserve's ability to fight
economic crises," Deese added.
Lawmakers have yet to even see the final
language on the stimulus deal or the
government funding package, and some
warn that both need more time.
The pandemic package is expected to
include aid for vaccine distribution and
logistics, extra jobless benefits of $300
per week, and a new round of $600
stimulus checks - half the amount
provided in checks distributed last
March.
Investment corporation of bangladesh (icb)
declares 5pc stock & 5pc cash dividend
The 44th Annual General Meeting
(AGM) of Investment Corporation of
Bangladesh (ICB) was held through
Digital/Virtual Platform. The meeting
was presided over by Prof. Dr. Md.
Kismatul Ahsan, Chairman, Board of
Directors of the Corporation, a press
release said.
The meeting was attended by the
Managing Director of ICB Md. Abul
Hossain and other Directors of ICB. A
large number of shareholders virtually
attended the meeting. The Shareholders
informed various aspects of the Annual
Report and Audited Accounts of ICB
and its subsidiary companies for the
year 2019-2020. They expressed their
extreme satisfaction for its performance
and the pivotal role it played during the
critical period of capital market. During
FY 2019-2020, ICB earned solo and
consolidated (with subsidiaries) net
profit of Tk 40.92 crore and Tk. 56.49
crore respectively. The shareholders
approved 5% stock & 5% cash dividend
for the year 2019-2020.
Earlier the Corporation had declared
IMF approves
release of
$1.67 billion
in aid to Egypt
WASHINGTON : The
board of the International
Monetary Fund on Friday
approved the release of a
second tranche of aid valued
at $1.67 billion for Egypt,
saying public debt and Covid-
19 threatened its economic
recovery, reports BSS.
In June, the board
approved a one-year, $5.2
billion financing package for
Egypt. With the latest
disbursement, more than
$3.6 billion will have been
released.
"The Egyptian authorities
have managed well the Covid-
19 pandemic and the related
disruption to economic
activity," Antoinette Sayeh,
the IMF deputy managing
director, said.
"There are still risks to the
outlook particularly as a
second wave of the pandemic
increases uncertainty about
the pace of the domestic and
global recovery.
"The high level of public
debt and gross financing
needs also leave Egypt
vulnerable to volatility in
global financial conditions."
dividend for its Unit Fund @ of Tk
40.00 per Unit Certificate which is
highest than any other mutual fund.
During the period under review, the
Corporation made cumulative
investment from beginning to last fiscal
year of Tk. 14,557.18 crore in the capital
market. The Corporation also acts as
Trustee to the issue of 1 bond of Tk.
400.00 crore & 2 mutual fund of Tk.
35.00 crore during 2019-2020.
The Corporation recovered an
amount of Tk. 868.07 crore on account
of dividend, margin loans, project loans
and other loans/advances. During the
period, the total trading of ICB and its
subsidiary companies in both the
bourses was Tk. 9664.45 crore. Like in
the previous year, ICB and it's
subsidiaries retained top positions in
asset management and trustee
activities.The shareholders appreciated
the pivotal role played by the
Corporation to regain confidence of the
investors during share market debacle
and maintaining stability in the market.
They also noted with satisfaction the
significant achievement and growth of
business of the Corporation. They
appreciated the important role played
by ICB in maintaining depth, stability,
reliability and liquidity of the stock
markets as well as in maintaining a
buoyant and effective capital market in
the country.
They however, stressed the need to
maintain the tempo of reforms and
present trend of improvement and
proposed valuable suggestions on
various aspects of the Corporation's
activities. The Chairman of the Board of
Directors and the Managing Director of
ICB acknowledged with gratitude the
co-operation and support received from
the valued shareholders, Ministry of
Finance, Bangladesh Bank, Bangladesh
Securities and Exchange Commission,
Stock Exchanges, Central Depository
Bangladesh Limited and other
stakeholders. The meeting also put in
record the outstanding services
rendered by the employees of the
Corporation for its development as a
prime institution in the country.
BoE sits tight awaiting
Brexit trade deal
outcome
LONDON : The Bank of
England on Thursday held
fire over interest rates and
stimulus, with Britain and
the EU still to strike a post-
Brexit trade deal ahead of a
looming deadline, reports
BSS.
While maintaining its key
interest rate at a record-low
0.1 percent, the BoE said it
stands ready to carry out
"whatever additional action
is necessary" as the
coronavirus pandemic
slashes economic growth.
The central bank's
monetary policy committee
(MPC) also said the start of
vaccine rollouts "is likely to
reduce the downside risks to
the economic outlook from
Covid".
"Financial markets
worldwide, and some
surveys of businesses and
consumers, have reacted
positively to these
developments which are
likely to support future UK
and global activity," it added
in minutes of its final regular
meeting of 2020.
At the same time, the BoE
warned on the economic
fallout of a "no deal" Brexit.
"The appropriate path of
monetary policy would
depend in part on the
balance of the effects of the
United Kingdom's new
trading arrangements with
the European Union on
demand, supply and the
exchange rate," it said.
"In the event that those
trade negotiations did not
reach an agreement, the
exchange rate would
probably fall…, CPI inflation
would be likely to be higher
and GDP growth weaker."
While Britain on Thursday
said a "no-deal" scenario
remained possible, EU
negotiator Michel Barnier
was cited as saying that an
agreement could be struck
by Friday.
Britain left the EU on
January 31 this year but
remains under its rules for
another two weeks while it
tries to establish the terms of
its new relationship with the
bloc.
Sterling has shot up to 19-
month highs against the
dollar on increasing hopes of
a deal.
"The positive news on
vaccines meant that the MPC
didn't feel the need to loosen
policy any further at its
December meeting," said
Capital Economics analyst
Thomas Pugh.
"And, as long as there is a
Brexit deal, we don't think it
will need to loosen policy
next year either," amid talk
of possible negative rates.
The BoE has pumped out
o450 billion under its
Quantitative Easing stimulus
programme since March,
when Covid-19 prompted
Britain's first coronavirus
lockdown.
The pandemic led the
central bank to also slash its
main interest rate.

sUNDAY, DeceMBeR 20, 2020
9
Apurba-Mehzabin's
New Year surprise
'Candy Crush'
TBT RepoRT
Sarika, Milon special drama
'Bondho Dorja'
TBT RepoRT
Popular model and actress Sarika Sabrin after a long
break reunites with actor Anisur Rahman Milon for a
Valentine's special teledrama 'Bondho Dorja'.
The drama has been written by Shekhabur Rahman
Shekhab and directed by Ruman Runi. The shooting of
the Valentine's Day special drama has been completed
at different locations in capital's Uttara area.
Regarding the drama, Milon said, "The story of the
drama is unique. Director Runi has tried his best to
bring out the story as flawlessly as possible. Earlier, I've
worked with Sarika in several projects. She is very
Sloppy
execution
mars
Torbaaz
A refugee camp is the unlikely
site for the formation of a rag-tag
cricket team. To use the healthy
competition sports engenders, in
order to vanquish hatred, is a
great idea. But consistently
sloppy execution mars Torbaaz,
slinging it into the category of
films-that-could-have-beensomething.
Reeling under personal
trauma, Nasser (Dutt) fetches
up at a picturesque yet ragged
spot somewhere in the hilly
reaches of Afghanistan. He is in
search of a healing touch. And
he discovers the very thing that
can help, not just him, but a
bunch of refugee children,
hurting from physical and
emotional wounds.
The film uses the real-life fact
of children used as suicide
bombers as a crucial plot point.
We see mujahideen outfits
hiding out in the wilderness,
headed by fanatical leaders,
training these kids.
The bearded leader (Dev, who
must be tired of playing similar
parts) of one such gang, using the
sing-song style we are used to
hearing in the movies, talks up
the joys of 'shaheedi' and
'jannat', as we see blasts going off
in cities, smoke billowing out,
and bloody limbs strewn on
streets.
Global conflict and its fall-out
has long been the subject of
powerful cinema. And when
innocent children are involved, it
is easy to create stories that tug
at your heart-strings.
There are a few uplifting
moments when you see the kids
just being kids, running and
leaping with joy on the makeshift
pitch. One particular bright
serious about acting now. I hope the audience will like
our chemistry."
Sarika said, "I've acted with Milon bhai before. But, it
is my first work with Ruman Runi. He has made this
drama with immense care. I hope the play will be
enjoyable for the viewers."
'Bondho Dorja' will be aired on a satellite TV
channel on the occasion of Valentine's Day, said
Ruman Runi.
Apart from this, Milon has worked in Runi's directed
another TV drama 'Ek Fali Rood Tomar Shohore'. He
will be seen opposite Swagata in the drama. The tele
play will be aired on Channel i on 25 December.
young fellow stands out, as he
has formed a special bond with
the grizzly Nasser, as the latter
goes about bashing his team into
shape: who will win, and what
will that win mean for these
kids?
The film's end credits tell us
that many members of the
Afghanistan cricket team have
emerged from similar tough
circumstances. This could have
been such an inspiring tale, but
the loose plot, chock full of
colourless characters, meanders
minus focus.
Source: The Indian Express
Popular TV drama duo Apurba-
Mehzabin is appearing with a surprise
for the New Year. The name of this
newly shot drama is 'Candy Crush'.
Mohidul Mahim has written and
directed this special drama under the
banner of CMV. The two will be seen in
a completely different form in this
drama filmed by Kamrul Islam Shuvo.
The drama will be aired in 2021. It will
be broadcast on the second day of the
new year (January 2) on Maasranga TV.
It will also be available on CMV's
YouTube channel.
TBT RepoRT
Popular actress Vidya Sinha
Mim and Arifin Shuvo one of
the most popular film actors
of Dhaka cinema have
received two silver play
buttons from YouTube.
Both the heroes and
Tom Cruise,
Kate Winslet
going on
secret dates
Kate Winslet recently while shooting for
Avatar 2 broke Tom Cruise's record of
holding the breath for the longest period
of time underwater. And now it seems
she has held the breath of Tom himself.
The Mission Impossible actor is
reportedly super impressed with Kate
Winslet and is leaving no stone
unturned to get an opportunity of
working with her. In fact, both stars
recently went on secret dates to discuss
the possibilities.
A source claims, "Tom is very
charming and very persuasive. When he
gets an idea in his head, he doesn't let up
Regarding 'Candy Crush', Mohidul
Mahim said, 'I made a new drama after
7 months in a row. Tried to set
everything up a little differently. It's
basically a funny drama. Because, in this
heroines have announced
their recognition on
YouTube. YouTube sends a
silver play button to the
content creator's address
when the channel has one
lakh subscribers.
Vidya Sinha Mim was quite
active on YouTube at this
time in Corona. She has
made short films in her own
production and has also
interviewed the stars. So after
such recognition from
YouTube, Mim said, 'It feels
very good. In a month or two
I have one lakh subscribers
and this recognition is great
for me.'
"There are plans to do
something better," Mim
said of her plans for
YouTube. Now I am not
giving regular content
because I am shooting
regularly. But I have plans
to do some short films, I
can't tour outside the
country now due to
pandemic reason. I really
want to vlog when I travel.
In addition, as I wanted to
show my daily life, it will be
seen in the future. Outside of
until he gets what he wants. And right
now, he wants Kate. He's wooing her big
time," Talking about Tom Cruise & Kate
Winslet lost touch after they spent time
at Golden Globes 2009.
"They lost touch after that, though
Tom loved when she made a big fuss
about beating his underwater filming
record. He got Kate's number from Leo
(DiCaprio) and reached out to her and
they got along famously," The source
added that Tom was the one who
depressing time of the epidemic, it is
important for the audience to stay well.
Received full cooperation from Apurba
and Mehzabin also got freedom
producer Pappu.'
Mim receives silver
buttn on YouTube
that, I have done the shooting
of behind the scene. I will
release these when the movie
is released.'
On the other hand, Arifin
Shuvo responded to YouTube
by uploading a video of Body
Transformation for the
shooting of two installments
of the movie 'Mission
Extreme'. After receiving the
recognition, Shuvo thanked
everyone on Instagram.
It is learned that Arifin
Shuvo contracted corona on
December 11. Shuvo was
shooting a web series titled
'Contract'. When he felt sick
on December 9, he took a
break from shooting.
Meanwhile, Vidya Sinha
Mim has recently
completed the shooting of
Onam Biswas' first web film
'What the Fry'.
"suggested they join forces and read
scripts together."
Further sharing the excitement in the
industry around it, the source said,
"Hollywood execs are all for it, as there
are a bunch of empty studios in the UK
right now, so it seems a shame to have
two of the biggest names around sitting
with time on their hands. Together,
they've got the makings of a hit as big as
Titanic."
Source: gossipcop.com
H o R o s c o p e
ARIes
(March 21 - April 20) : It's important to
take a hard look at yourself and know
where you're going, Aries. A little
self-analysis never hurt anyone,
especially when you feel like you aren't getting
anywhere. But you tend to go a little overboard
with self-criticism. Take today to try and ignore
that little voice in your head, or even prove it
wrong!
TAURUs
(April 21 - May 21) : Taurus, you
tend to run away from
confrontation, but today you
might not be able to avoid it. Your
partner or a family member may be putting
pressure on you. It's possible you've already
worked out a solution to this problem. Tell
your partner what he or she wants to hear so
you can do what you want later.
GeMINI
(May 22 - June 21) : You may feel a little
weary today, Gemini. It's a good time to
take stock of your life. You may have
gotten some news about someone that
has caused you some pain. This is a good time to rely
on the support of your relationship in order to
reenergize yourself. Take the time to let others take
care of you.
cANceR
(June 22 - July 23) : You have the gift
of being able to get your great ideas
across to others. In your family, you
may be the one who teaches your
children about life and its responsibilities. Today
someone might teach you something you didn't
know. You should never forget that education
means communication, and communication is the
exchange of ideas.
Leo
(July 24 - Aug. 23): There may be
tension in the air as you go about
your day, Leo. The leftover fatigue
from the past few days is starting to
wear on you. You may have managed to get
into an argument with someone close to you,
but there might be a reason for this. Take
advantage of the situation to clear the air with
your friend.
VIRGo
(Aug. 24 - Sept. 23): You don't live
your life by society's rules, Virgo. Your
freedom is what is most important to you.
But despite your independence, there are
days when you have the sudden, sinking feeling that you
could wind up alone in this world. Today you should
really begin to think about what the word "commitment"
means to you. Is it really so scary?
LIBRA
(Sept. 24 - Oct. 23): Libra, life around
you today almost seems like a (bad)
dream. It's almost as if people are
talking, but nothing intelligible is
coming out of their mouths. Perhaps two people
close to you are having problems getting along. You
feel like stepping in and telling them to calm down
and really listen to each other. Days like these are
when people need you the most.
scoRpIo
(Oct. 24 - Nov. 22): You can't spend all
your time running from one activity
to the next, Scorpio. You need to take
a break from time to time. You have
all the energy you need, but you should think about
relaxing yourself as a whole. Your body may need
its batteries recharged. Pretty soon you will be in
the thick of the action and you will need all the
energy you can get.
sAGITTARIUs
(Nov. 23 - Dec. 21): Today's planetary
configuration has you wondering about an
aspect of your life that causes you a good deal
of hardship, Sagittarius. Maybe your partner is
often away, and this is particularly hard on you. You'd like your
sweetie to be there through thick and thin. This may be
causing some tension in your relationship. Have you talked to
your partner about your feelings? If not, you really should.
cApRIcoRN
(Dec. 22 - Jan. 20): Capricorn, you may
have been a little difficult to be
around lately. You like to treat
yourself to a little moodiness
from time to time, but the people around you
might appreciate a little cooperation. There
are days when you don't want to grow up,
when it's time to play. Do you get enough
time to play? Think about it.
AQUARIUs
(Jan. 21 - Feb. 19) : One thing is for
sure, Aquarius, you'd rather be in bed
with a good book than out in the
stressful world. But you may be
feeling like you're missing out on some of the
good things in life. How much time do you spend
with other people? Why not try to find someone
who shares your taste for good books and bed?
Think about it!
pIsces
(Feb. 20 - Mar. 20) : Your greatest quality is
generosity, Pisces. Your nature isn't to give
to others in order to get something back
but for the pleasure of giving. This is how
you get power and light. Think of all the people in the
world who give of themselves without expecting
anything in return. You don't have to make much effort
to be one of those people - just give it a try.

SundaY, december 20, 2020 Special Supplement
10

SUNdAY, dECEMBEr 20, 2020
11
MT Monowara held a press conference at Chattogram Press Club on Saturday.
Photo: TBT
MT Monowara loses Tk 10 crore
in 3 years due to Jamuna Oil
officials' controversy
Chattogram Bureau: Due to
factionalism, quarrels, one-sided
decisions and negligence of
responsibility of the officials of
Jamuna Oil Company Limited,
the loss of 'MT Monowara' oil
tanker has been around Tk 10
crore for three years.
Despite the allegations, the MT
Monowara oil tanker is not being
added to the transport fleet due to
bureaucratic complications and
various marathons to injure one
side and the other side of the
Jamuna Oil Company officials. As
a result, Abul Kalam, the owner of
MT Monowara, is on the verge of
going bankrupt with the payment
of monthly salaries and
allowances to 22 sailors and the
burden of huge debts. Tanker
owner Abul Kalam made the
allegation at a press conference at
the Chattogram Press Club on
Slovak PM says
tests positive
for Covid-19
BRATISLAVA : Slovak
Prime Minister Igor Matovic
said Friday he had tested
positive for Covid-19, a week
after he attended an EU
summit in Brussels, reports
BSS.
The summit is believed to
be where French President
Emmanuel Macron caught
the virus, leading a host of
European leaders and top
French officials to go into
self-isolation.
"Today, I am one of you,"
Matovic wrote on his
Facebook page, attaching a
screenshot of a text message
with his test results.
"I was to spend the
Christmas holidays helping
out at a hospital. Now my
plans will likely be a little
different," the 47-year-old
premier added.
The government's press
department told AFP that
Matovic had tested positive
on Thursday and had since
cancelled all his events.
Local media reported that
the government had called
on all ministers and state
secretaries to get tested in
response.
Deputy Prime Minister
Veronika Remisova and
Defence Minister Jaroslav
Nad later announced that
they were also infected.
Macron and Matovic are
the latest heads of state and
government around the
world to contract the
coronavirus, following the
likes of British Prime
Minister Boris Johnson and
US President Donald
Trump. Since the pandemic
erupted, Slovakia has
registered more than
146,000 confirmed
infections, including nearly
4,000 new cases on
Thursday. More than 1,400
people have died from the
virus in the country of 5.4
million people, including 62
people on Thursday.
Saturday (December 19).
His youngest son Mohammad
Forkan read a written statement
on behalf of Abul Kalam at the
press conference. During the time,
Chattogram South District Awami
League senior member Freedom
Fighter M. N Islam, Karnafuli
Thana Awami League Senior Vice
President Nazim Uddin, Vice
President Mohammad Idris
Saudagar, Karnafuli Thana Jubo
League Organizing Secretary
Alamgir Badsha, MT Monowara's
Master Nuruddin and Driver
Nuruwere also present at the
occasion.
It said that Jamuna Oil Company
Limited's own investigation
committee, RAB's investigation
report, Anti-Corruption
Commission separately
investigated the alleged oil
smuggling. No agency has found
its authenticity. A wise Supreme
Court lawyer on the panel of
Jamuna Oil Company, was asked
to join the transport fleet of
Jamuna Oil Company Limited a
year ago, but a syndicate lurking
inside the company did not heed it
and hung on for years. MT
Monowara repeatedly appealed to
the current managing director of
Jamuna Oil Company Limited to
add the oil tanker to the fleet, but
it was alleged at the press
conference that theydid not take
any visible steps in this regard. If
the Jamuna Oil Company
authorities do not include MT
Monowara in the transport fleet
within the next 15 days, legal
action will be taken against the
officials of Jamuna Oil Company
Limited involved in the incident
with compensation for the last
three years.
Rajshahi people suffer
as mercury drops
RAJSHAHI: The temperature in the
region has declined by three degrees
Celsius yesterday that triggered further
sufferings of the people caused by the
cold wave, reports BSS.
Local Met office recorded the season's
lowest temperature 8.0 degrees Celsius
yesterday against on Friday's 11.0
degrees Celsius in Rajshahi, escalating its
cold intensity. The office also recorded
the highest temperature of 21.7 degrees
Celsius yesterday against Friday's 24
degrees Celsius.
Anwara Begum, Senior Observatory
Officer of Rajshahi Meteorological Office,
said the lowest temperature has
fluctuated by two to three degrees Celsius
daily for the last couple of days.
"So, the possibility of reducing the cold
wave is thin", she said, adding that a
similar situation may continue till next
two or three days.
Meanwhile, the life of the people living
in the slums and chars on the Ganges
basin has become worse as they
experience more cold bite than that of
the mainland.
Md Muniruzzaman, president of
Rajshahi Chamber of Commerce and
Industries, said the unusual situation has
forced the people to stay inside
residences and sufferings of the day
labourers, rickshaw pullers and farm
workers have intensified further due to
the cold.
The number of patients suffering from
cold related diseases like cough, fever
and asthma has increased at different
hospitals including Rajshahi Medical
College and Hospital (RMCH) for the last
couple of days, said Dr Saiful Ferdous,
Deputy Director of RMCH.
He said around 100 patients inflicted
with cold-related diseases are being
admitted in the hospital every day.
Cultivation of potato, chili and Irri-
Boro may be affected if the situation
continues, said Sirajul Islam, Additional
Director of the Department of
Agriculture Extension.
Meanwhile, the district and upazila
administrations, authorities,
organisations, public and private bodies
and many NGOs have intensified
distribution of warm clothes among the
cold-hit people.
On the contrary, business of warm
clothes in local markets and the
footpaths has become intensified for the
last couple of weeks in advent of the
winter season. The traders are seen doing
brisk business taking advantage of the
cold situation, said Abdul Ahad, a
businessman at Rajshahi Shaheb Bazar.
Trump wishes
Macron 'speedy
recovery' from
Covid-19: W.
House
WASHINGTON :President
Donald Trump has spoken
with French President
Emmanuel Macron to wish
him a quick recovery after
becoming infected with the
coronavirus, the White
House said Friday, reports
BSS.
In the conversation, which
the White House said took
place Thursday, Trump
"wished President Macron a
speedy recovery and quick
return to his full duties,"
spokesman Judd Deere said.
"President Trump also
extended his best wishes for
a Merry Christmas to
President Macron, his
family, and the People of
France," the statement said.
US consulate general in
Vladivostok shuts down,
one in Yekaterinburg
stops operation
WASHINGTON : US
Secretary of State Mike
Pompeo has decided to shut
down the national consulate
general in Russia's
Vladivostok and suspend the
operation of the diplomatic
mission in Russia's
Yekaterinburg, a
spokesperson for the State
Department told TASS
Friday, reports BSS.
He explained that the
decision was made to
optimize the operation of the
US diplomatic mission to
Russia. At the same time, no
additional actions involving
Russian consulates general
in the US are planned now.
Biden to receive
Covid-19 vaccine
Monday: aide
WASHINGTON : US
President-elect Joe Biden
and his wife Jill will be
vaccinated against Covid-19
on Monday in public view,
his transition team said, as
the Democrat seeks to build
Americans' confidence in
the treatment, reports BSS.
"On Monday, Presidentelect
Joe Biden and Dr Jill
Biden will receive the first
dose of the Pfizer vaccine in
Delaware, and they'll also
thank health care workers at
the facility," Biden
spokeswoman Jen Psaki
told reporters on Friday.
"He will be doing it in
public, which is important to
us, as he's stated many
times, to send a clear
message to the public that
it's safe," she added.
Cuban economy to
shrink 11 pct in 2020
HAVANA : Cuba's gross
domestic product (GDP) is
expected to plunge 11
percent in 2020, Deputy
Prime Minister Alejandro
Gil Fernandez said
Thursday, reports BSS.
The Buddhist people of Chattogram have held a human chain for the cooperation of Prime Minister,
Sheikh Hasina to reconnect electricity to Jnana Sharan Maharanya Buddhist Monastery recently
The victims took part in the human chain in front of S Primary School, Sharanankar Orphanage and
Police Camp.
Photo: TBT
Police accords
reception to 50 FFs
in Rajshahi
RAJSHAHI: Around 50 valiant Freedom
Fighters (FFs), including 36 police
personnel, were accorded reception as
recognition to the laudable and heroic role
towards the Great War of Liberation of the
country, reports BSS.
The District Police Administration
organised the reception ceremony at the
police lines conference hall yesterday to
mark the 50th Great Victory Day.
Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police
Abdul Baten attended and addressed the
ceremony as the chief guest, while Deputy
Commissioner Abdul Jalil spoke as special
guest with Superintendent of Police (SP)
ABM Masud Hossain in the chair.
They distributed crests and gifts among the
freedom fighter police officers, members and
other civilians on the occasion.
The meeting was told that the then DIG
Mamun Mahmud and the then SP Shah
Abdul Mazid were killed by Pakistani
military on the initial stage of the war in
Rajshahi.
In his remarks, DIG Abdul Baten said the
country people would never forget the
sacrifice of police during the War of
Liberation.
He said police personnel had built armed
resistance against the first attack of Pakistani
military on the starting stage of the war.
On March 26 in 1971, hundreds of
policemen became martyred in Dhaka, he
added.
He told the meeting that Shah Abdul
Mazid joined as Superintendent of Police
(SP) of Rajshahi on August 15, 1970.
On March 29, Pakistani military attempted
to take control over the Rajshahi police lines.
Then police led by the SP had resisted them.
More than 50 policemen were martyred in
the battle. Many Pakistani military men were
also killed and injured.
On March 31, the Pakistani military
forcibly took away SP Mazid from the
banglow of Deputy Commissioner and since
then he has remained missing.
DIG Abdul Baten mentioned that the
police administration is very much positive
towards the best sons of the soil alongside
improving their living and livelihood
condition.
He said all of us should have to take the
responsibility of protecting the great sons of
the soil freedom fighters. All of us should
stand beside them.
The significance and spirit of the war of
liberation should be highlighted before the
new generation.
RSM to produce
12,000 tonnes of sugar
in current season
RAJSHAHI: Rajshahi Sugar Mills (RSM)
has set a target of manufacturing 12,000
tonnes of sugar through crushing 1.60 lakh
tonnes of sugarcanes during the current
fiscal 2020-21 season, reports BSS.
The RSM authority has set the target of
sugar harvesting rate at 6.6 per cent of the
100-day crushing period this year against
last year's achievement of 6.5 per cent.
In the last 2019-20 season, the mill had
manufactured 6,560 tonnes of sugar through
crushing 1.20 lakh tonnes of sugarcane in 78
days.
This was revealed in the opening ceremony
of the current season's mill crushing
programme here yesterday afternoon.
RSM Managing Director Abdus Selim
inaugurated the crushing programme as
chief guest, while General Manager Moslem
Uddin was in the chair.
Chairman of Harian Union Parishad
Mofidul Islam, RSM Sugarcane Welfare
Society Yeasin Ali, Senior Vice-president
Shamsul Islam and RSM Employees Union
President Mojibur Rahman and General
Secretary Montaj Ali also spoke.
Bangladesh Army University of Engineering & Technology (BAUET)
Qudirabad Cantonment, Natore organized virtually final competition of
'Hult Prize on-Campus Program' held recently under the auspices of Hult
Prize Foundation and United Nation.
Photo: TBT
UK Nov retail sales slump
on fresh virus lockdown
LONDON : UK retail sales slumped 3.8 percent in November
from a month earlier as England suffered a second coronavirus
lockdown, official data showed Friday, reports BSS.
The slide was capped however by strong food sales and as
customers brought forward Christmas spending, the Office for
National Statistics said. Despite the sharp fall between October
and November, overall sales volumes remained above their
pre-pandemic levels, it added, helped by strong online buying.
"After a run of strong growth, retail sales fell back in
November as restrictions meant many stores had to close their
doors again," said ONS statistician Jonathan Athow.
"Clothing and fuel were particularly hit by the winter
lockdown, with their sales falling sharply.
"Household goods and food shops were the only areas to see
their monthly sales increase, with feedback from stores
suggesting consumers brought forward their Christmas
spending," Athow said.
US jobless claims rise for second
straight week to 885,000
WASHINGTON- New applications for US jobless benefits
increased for the second week in a row, according to
government data released Thursday, with 885,000
applications submitted last week, reports BSS.
The rise in seasonally adjusted claims was much worse
than expected and 23,000 above the previous week's
upwardly revised level, the Labor Department reported.
It was also the fourth week of increases over the past five,
indicating layoffs are rising amid prolonged and ongoing
negotiations in Congress over a new stimulus package to aid
the economy's recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
Claims skyrocketed after business shutdowns to stop
Covid-19 started in March, and have remained above the
worst single week of the 2008-2010 global financial crisis
ever since.
The data for the week ended December 12 also showed
another 455,037 people, not seasonally adjusted, filed claims
under a program for workers not normally eligible.
"Recent weeks data are signaling a deteriorating trend in
the labor market," Rubeela Farooqi of High Frequency
Economics said.
"The health crisis is likely to get worse after the upcoming
holiday which will translate into even wider limitations on
activity, business closures and mounting job losses."
About 20.6 million people were receiving benefits through
all government programs as of the week ended November
28, an increase of around 1.6 million.
Pompeo says Russia
'pretty clearly' behind
major cyberattack
WASHINGTON : US
Secretary of State Mike
Pompeo said Friday that
Russia was behind the
devastating cyberattack on
several US government
agencies that also hit targets
worldwide, reports BSS.
"There was a significant
effort to use a piece of thirdparty
software to essentially
embed code inside of US
government systems,"
Pompeo told The Mark
Levin Show.
"This was a very
significant effort, and I think
it's the case that now we can
say pretty clearly that it was
the Russians that engaged in
this activity."
Over 75 mln people diagnosed
with COVID-19 worldwide,
reports Johns Hopkins
University
MOSCOW : Over 75 mln
people have been diagnosed
with COVID-19 worldwide,
the US-based Johns
Hopkins University (JHU)
informed on Friday, reports
BSS.
According to the JHU, a
total of 75,084,964 COVID-
19 cases have been
documented in the world.
Meanwhile, 1,665,008
people have died and
42,464,023 have recovered.
The US ranks first on
COVID-19 cases (17,214,177)
and 310,792 coronavirusrelated
deaths.

Sunday, Dhaka, December 20, 2020, Poush 5, 1427 BS, Jamadi-ul Awal 4, 1442 Hijri
Bangladesh reports 25 COVID-19
deaths, 4,35,601 total recoveries
DHAKA: Bangladesh recorded 25 novel
coronavirus (COVID-19) deaths and
1,267 fresh cases overnight, reports BSS.
The recovery count rose to 4,35,601
after another 1,987 patients were discharged
from the hospitals during the
period, a press release of the Directorate
General of Health Services (DGHS) said
today. "Twenty-five more COVID-19
patients died in the last 24 hours,
increasing the death toll from the pandemic
to 7,242," the release said.
It said the tally of infections has surged
to 4,99,560 as 1,267 new cases were confirmed
in the last 24 hours.
A total of 12,300 samples were tested
at 160 authorized laboratories across the
country during the time.
Of the total sample tests in the past 24
hours, 10.30 percent tested positive,
while 16.31 percent cases were detected
from the total tests conducted so far, the
release added. Among the total infections,
87.20 percent patients have recovered,
while 1.45 percent died so far since
the first COVID-19 positive cases were
reported in the country on March 8.
Among the 25 deaths, 17 are male and
eight female, the press release said,
adding three are in their 30s, two in their
40s, five in their 50s while 15 are above
60 years. According to the division-wise
data, 15 deaths took place in Dhaka division
and rests are in other divisions.
Among the total 7,242 deaths, 3,959
deaths occurred in Dhaka division,
Dhaka: British lawmakers and diplomats
stationed in London have paid
their profound homage to Father of the
Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman and expressed solidarity with
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's commitment
to upholding Bangabandhu's
secular, progressive and pluralistic values
in sustaining Bangladesh's growth
and prosperity, reports UNB.
They also paid deep homage to the
martyrs, biranganas and the valiant
freedom fighters of 1971 War of
Liberation.
Apart from eminent British parliamentarians,
senior UK foreign office officials,
Ambassadors and recipients of Friends of
Liberation War Honour were present at
the programme hosted by British High
Commission in London recently marking
the glorious Victory Day.
Chaired by High Commissioner of
Bangladesh to the UK and Ireland Saida
Muna Tasneem, the meeting was participated
by Chair of All-Party
Parliamentary Group (APPG) on
Bangladesh and UK's Trade Envoy for
Bangladesh Rushanara Ali, MP, Vice-
Chair of the APPG on Bangladesh and
Conservative Friends of Bangladesh,
1,343 in Chattogram division, 426 in
Rajshahi division, 516 in Khulna division,
231 in Barishal division, 283 in
Sylhet division, 326 in Rangpur division
and 158 in Mymensingh division,
according to the press release.
A total of 30,62,364 samples have so
far been tested since the detection of the
first COVID-19 cases in the country.
The DGHS said in order to make
treatment facilities easily available for
the COVID-19 patients, the government
has introduced telemedicine services
comprising 100 physicians for round the
clock in the country.
As of December 18, a total of 6,32,823
people have received healthcare services
from telemedicine.
The DGHS said 2,31,96,178 people
received healthcare services from hotline
mobile numbers and health web
portals as the government formed a
group of medical professionals to provide
emergency healthcare services.
To receive information and treatment
facilities on COVID-19, the contact hotline
and mobile numbers are 16263;
333; 10655 and 01944333222.
As of December 19, 2020, 11:04 GMT,
1,683,469 people have died so far from
the COVID-19 outbreak and there are
currently 76,112,177 confirmed cases in
212 countries and territories, according
to Worldometer, a reference website
that provides counters and real-time
statistics for diverse topics.
British MPs, diplomats express
solidarity with Bangabandhu's
secular, progressive values
Bob Blackman, MP, High
Commissioner of India to the UK Gaitri
Issar Kumar, Non-resident Ambassador
of Bhutan to UK Tenzin R. Wangchuk,
Director for South Asia and Afghanistan
at the UK Foreign, Commonwealth &
Development Office Gareth Bayley,
Oxfam's Special Representative in 1971,
Julian Francis OBE, leading
Bangladeshi-British organiser of 1971
liberation war movement in the UK
Sultan Mahmud Shariff, Community
representative Syed Sajidur Rahman
Faruk and valiant freedom fighter
Luqueman Hussain. Hundreds of expatriate
Bangladeshis from the UK and
Ireland joined the celebration paying
their tribute to the Father of the Nation
and homage to the martyrs and freedom
fighters of 1971 War of Liberation.
Paying respects to Bangladesh's Father
of the Nation, Rushanara Ali MP said, "I
am proud of the fact that I was born in
Bangladesh and came to the UK at the age
of seven, and take pride in today's
Bangladesh that has achieved tremendous
socio-economic prosperity despite Covid
pandemic and leadership in disaster management
and climate-resilient under
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina."
BNP joins
election to make
it questionable :
Quader
DHAKA: Awami League General
Secretary and Road Transport and
Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader yesterday
said BNP takes part in elections
not to win but to make the polls questionable,
reports BSS.
"The people have boycotted BNP
because of its negative politics. BNP is
digging its own grave by making the
polls questionable," he told the council
of the party's Manda Upazila unit in
Naogaon district.
He joined it through a videoconferencing
from his official residence on
parliament premises in Dhaka.
About BNP's allegation that the government
is trying to make the country
devoid of opposition party, Quader said
BNP's comments are baseless.
In fact, the government wants a strong
and responsible opposition party to
strengthen the practice of democracy,
he added. He said there is no crisis in the
country rather BNP's politics is going
through a massive crisis. BNP's political
philosophy is now in a miserable state,
he added. The minister said Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina's government
does not fear any criticism rather it welcomes
constructive criticism.
He said the country's economy started
rebounding overcoming the negative
effects of coronavirus pandemic while
the country attained enviable growth.
Only BNP could not see any development
in the country, he added.
Bangladesh to see
more investment,
jobs through positive
branding : FM
Dhaka: Foreign Minister Dr AK
Abdul Momen on Saturday said foreign
investment flow will increase
significantly in the country contributing
to job creations through government
efforts to brand Bangladesh
positively across the world, reports
UNB.
"We want to change the wrong perception
about Bangladesh completely.
We want to help the world know
that Bangladesh is a land of opportunities
with its vibrant economy," he
told reporters after inaugurating
"Bangabandhu Gallery and Library"
at State Guesthouse Meghna.
Foreign Secretary Masud Bin
Momen was also present.
Dr Momen said Bangladesh is
sometimes described as a povertystricken
country and hard hit by natural
disasters like cyclones and
Bangladesh wants complete change
of such narratives in the world.
He said the government has taken
up various programmes through its
78 Missions abroad to brand
Bangladesh positively.
"We have opened Bangabandhu
Corners in 68 Missions of 78
Missions abroad. Bangladesh and
Father of the Nation Bangabandhu
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman are inseparable,"
Dr Momen said.
During the written
exam of the Bar
Council on
Saturday, a group
of agitated candidates
vandalized
several centers in
the capital. The
candidates boycotted
the examination
in some
centers alleging
that the question
papers had
become difficult.
Police arrested 12
students from
Mohammadpur
Central College
Center for
creating an unsettled
situation at
the examination
center.
Photo: Star Mail
Modern technology drone cameras is being used to monitor the construction work of various projects at
Ullapara in Sirajganj and see the quality. The ongoing and construction projects of the Upazila Project
Implementation (PIO) office have been photographed recently.
Photo: TBT
Portuguese President lauds
migrant Bangladeshis
Dhaka: President of Portugal Marcelo
Rebelo de Sousa has praised the
migrant Bangladeshis living in
Portugal for their diligence and sincerity
in work, reports UNB.
He said the economic relation
needs to be enhanced to its full potential
and assured that the Portuguese
government would consider opening
a resident Embassy in Dhaka in
future.
The Portuguese President made the
remarks when newly appointed
Ambassador of Bangladesh to
Portugal Tarik Ahsan presented his
credentials to the President at Belém
Palace, President's Official Residence
in Lisbon on Friday.
He assured the Ambassador of all
cooperation and support during his
tour of duty in Portugal.
Warmly receiving the Ambassador,
the President asked the Ambassador
to convey his regards to Bangladesh
President Abdul Hamid and Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Referring to the recent republication
of the first (18th century)
Bangla-to-Portuguese dictionary,
he said that the historic relation
between the people of Bangladesh
and Portugal remains strong even
today in the cultural domain. The
President expressed his delight at
the procurement of properties by
Bangladesh government for its
Embassy in Lisbon and said that
this would contribute to widening
of relation between the two countries,
said the Bangladesh Embassy
on Saturday.
The Ambassador was escorted by
an official of the Portuguese Foreign
Ministry from Bangladesh House to
Belém Palace in a motorcade.
On his arrival at front courtyard of
Belém Palace, the Ambassador
received a military salute from the
Infantry Guard of Honour.
It was followed by playing of the
National Anthems of Bangladesh and
Portugal by the regimental band.
The Ambassador then ceremonially
presented his letter of credence to the
Portuguese President. During the
presentation of the credentials,
Secretary of State (State Minister) for
Portuguese Community Berta Nunes,
Senior Diplomatic Adviser to
President Ana Martinho, Head of
State Protocol (Chief of Protocol)
Clara Nunes dos Santos and Heads of
Civil and Military Households of the
President as well as Second Secretary
of Bangladesh Embassy Abdullah Al
Razi were in attendance.
This was followed by an audience of
the Ambassador with the President.
Ambassador Tarik Ahsan conveyed
the regards and greetings of
Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid
and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to
the Portuguese President.
The Ambassador expressed his
determination to work for further
enhancing relation between
Bangladesh and Portugal, building on
the 500-year-old ties between the two
peoples.
Mentioning that Bangladesh government
recently purchased property
in Lisbon for its Embassy, the
Ambassador requested that the
Portuguese government consider
opening a resident Embassy in
Dhaka.
Power sector automation
needed for smooth customer
services: Nasrul
DHAKA: State Minister for Power,
Energy and Mineral Resources
Nasrul Hamid yesterday said that
automation in the power sector is
needed to accelerate and ensure
smooth customer services, reports
BSS.
"Smart prepayment meters will
make consumers aware and economical
in their use of electricity.
Easy access technology should be
introduced in the power sector," he
said while speaking as the chief
guest online at the inaugural function
of Bangladesh Power
Equipment Manufacturing
Company Ltd (BPEMC) Smart
Prepayment Meter Production.
The state minister said that the
competitive price should be ensured
with maintaining quality of the prepared
meter. In addition, it is also
necessary to manufacture other
electrical or electronic gadgets and
instruments, he said. "Special care
should be taken to ensure that customers
get post-sale services as per
their demand," Nazrul said.
A joint venture company formed
through BPEMC, Rural Power
Company Ltd and Schenzen Star
Instrument Com Ltd of China, will
produce meters by setting up a payment
smart meter assembling plant.
Nasrul said some 36 lakh meters
have been installed in November,
2020.
Chairman of Board of Directors of
BPEMC Major General (Rtd) Moon
Uddin presided over the virtual
function, while Power Secretary Md
Habibur Rahman, BPDB Chairman
Engineer Belayet Hossain, RPCL
Managing Director Engineer Md
Abdus Sabur and Schenzen Star
General Manager Felix Luo spoke.
President, PM
greet their Niger
counterparts
Dhaka: President Abdul Hamid and
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina greeted
their respective counterparts of the
Republic of Niger on the country's
"Proclamation of the Republic Day" on
Friday, reports UNB.
The President, in his felicitation message,
has said that Bangladesh and
Niger enjoy excellent bilateral relations
which have progressively widened over
the years.
He hoped that the bonds of friendship
and cooperation between the two
friendly countries would be further
strengthened in the days ahead for the
common prosperity of the two peoples.
In her congratulatory message
addressed to Nigerien Prime Minister
Brigi Rafini, Sheikh Hasina mentioned
that Bangladesh values its cordial relations
with Niger both bilaterally and
multilaterally.
She also expressed her conviction that
the existing ties of friendship, understanding
and cooperation between the
two friendly countries would continue to
thrive more through sustained interactions
at different levels in the coming
days.
The President and the Prime Minister
have wished good health, happiness and
long life for their respective counterparts
and continued peace, advancement and
prosperity for the friendly people of
Niger.
Lowest 6.6 degrees
Celsius temperatures
recorded in Kurigram's
Rajarhat
Dhaka: The lowest temperature of the
country was recorded at 6.6 degrees
Celsious at Rajarhat in Kurigram district
on Saturday, according to the
Bangladesh Meteorological Department
(BMD), reports UNB.
The lowest minimum temperature of
6.6° C was recorded at Rajarhat
(Kurigram), said the latest bulletin of
Met office on Saturday.
A mild to moderate cold wave is
sweeping over Mymensingh, Rajshahi
and Rangpur divisionsand the regions
of Tangail, Faridpur, Gopalgonj,
Srimangal, Jashore, Kushtia Barishal
and Bhola and it may continue.
The country's highest temperature
was recorded in Teknaf with 29.0
degrees Celsius on Saturday.
Night temperature may fall slightly
over Khulna, Barishal, Chattogram and
Sylhet divisions
and it may remain nearly unchanged
elsewhere over the country.
Day temperature may fall slightly.
Weather may remain dry with temporary
partly cloudy sky over the country.
Moderate to thick
fog may occur at places over the river
basins of the country and light to moderate
fog may occur at places elsewhere
over the country during midnight to
morning.
Ridge of sub-continental high extends
up to West Bengal and adjoining northwestern
part of Bangladesh. Seasonal
low lies over South Bay.
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