15-06-2021

tueSday

DhAkA: June 15, 2021; Ashar 1, 1428 BS; Zilqd 3,1442 hijri

www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www.bangladeshtoday.net

Regd.No.DA~2065, Vol.19; N o. 69; 12 Pages~Tk.8.00

international

Biden at NATO: Ready

to talk China, Russia

and soothe allies

>Page 7

SPortS

Brazil open Copa

America with 3-0 win

over Venezuela

>Page 9

art & culture

Jaya Ahsan lends

support to Pori

Moni

>Page 10

Benazir asks police to act

against evil forces

Triple murder in

Kushtia: Case

filed against ASI

KUSHITA : A complaint has been

lodged against Assistant Sub-Inspector

Soumen Roy on charge of killing three

people including a woman and her son

on Sunday night, reports UNB.

Hasina Khatun, mother of deceased

Asma Khatun, filed the complaint with

Kushtia Model Police Station on

Saturday night, said Sabbirul Alam,

officer-in-charge of the police station.

He was arrested on Sunday after

shooting Asma Khatun, 34, her son

Robin, 7, and bkash agent Shakil Khan,

28, dead. Soumen, who has been suspended

after the incident, is being

interrogated at DD office in Kushtia.

Nishi Kanta Shaha, officer-in-charge

(investigation) of Kushita Model Police

Station, said police will produce Soumen

before a court with remand plea.

During preliminary interrogation,

Soumen reportedly told police that

Asma is his wife and she had an extramarital

relationship with Shakil.

He came to Kushita early Sunday

from Khulna by a bus and brought a

pistol and 12 bullets with him.

At one stage of altercation with Asma,

Soumen got furious and opened fire on

them, said Farhad Hossain Khan, additional

superintendent of Special Branch

police.

Soumen, hailing from Sadar upazila

in Magura district, reportedly married

Asma one and half-years ago hiding

information about his first wife and two

sons. Meanwhile, the bodies of Asma,

Robin and Shakil were handed over to

their families on Sunday midnight.

3 arrested for

raping schoolgirl

in Rajshahi

RAJSHAHI : Three youths were arrested

Sunday for allegedly raping a schoolgirl

in Bagha upazila of Rajshahi,

reports UNB.

The arrestees were identified as

Tarek, 25, Arif Hossain alias Nasir

Uddin, 23, and Shobuj Ali, 21, all hailing

from the same upazila.

The schoolgirl in her complaint said

one of the main accused, Al Amin,

whothe girl knew as Shumon, involved

her in a physicallyintimate relationship

with promises of marriage.

Last Saturday, Shuman, son of Manik

Hossain from the upazila's Chandipur

area, called her to Bagha Upazila

Health Complex over the phone and

left her alone with three of his friends,

who later raped her, as per the complaint

lodged. Bagha police station's

Officer-in-Charge Najrul Islam said

they made the arrests following the case

filed by the schoolgirl.

Zohr

03:43 AM

12:05 PM

04:38 PM

06:50 PM

08:18 PM

5:10 6:47

Secret police arrests Nasir Uddin Mahmud and his allies from Uttara on Monday.

Nasir is a convict on the charges of attempt to rape and killing, and assault brought

by actress Pori Moni.

Photo: Star Mail

Uttara Club's ex-president

Nasiruddin held over rape

attempt on Pori Moni

DHAKA : Nasiruddin Mahmud, former

president of Uttara Club Limited, was

arrested on Monday afternoon following

a case filed overhis reportedattempttorape

andkillactress Pori Moni.

He was arrested fromUttara area of

the capital,DMPJointCommissioner

(DB) Mahbub Alam told UNB.

Nasir'sFacebook profile shows that he

is currently the chairman of Kunj

Developers, former president of Uttara

Club, former district chairman of Lions

Clubs International, a former footballerof

theDhaka first division and former

elected general secretary of SM Hall

of Dhaka University.

Earlier in theday,Dhallywood star

Pori Moni filed a sexual assault complaint

against six people, including

Nasiruddin Mahmud withSavar

Model Police Station. Pori Moni,in

her verified Facebook page,uploaded a

status seeking justice from Prime

Minister Sheikh Hasina, claiming that

the six people attempted to rape and

kill her.

The popular actress, whose real name

is Shamsun Nahar Smriti, addressed the

post to the Prime Minister, stating that

she is seeking justice as a loyal citizen of

the country. "I've been physically

assaulted and they even attempted to

rape and kill me. I want justice. I've

asked for help from so many people.

However, they just listened to me and

commented that they'll 'look into it'

while the fact is that no one has helped

me yet," Pori Moni stated in her post.

She has mentioned that she tried to contact

the local police station and even IGP

Benazir Ahmed, but she was yet to

receive any formal help regarding her

complaint.

"I haven't found justice in the last

three or four days. Where can I find justice?

I'm a woman and actress, but first

of all I'm a human being. I can't remain

silent over what happened to me today,"

she added.

In her post, Pori Moni then addressed

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as her

"mother", writing: "I was about 2 and a

half years old when my mother died.

Today, I need a mother more than anytime

else. I've never seen you, accepting

any injustice quietly. I need you; I need

your help to stay alive. Please save me,

mother."

BNP's politics is key

barrier to flourishing

democracy: Quader

DHAKA : Awami League General

Secretary Obaidul Quader on Monday

said the BNP's politics of killings and

conspiracy is the main impediment to

flourishing democracy in the country.

He came up with the remark while

speaking at a meeting through videoconferencing

from his official residence here.

Sainik League arranged the meeting

at Bangabandhu Avenue in the capital.

Quader, also road transport and

bridges minister, said BNP is responsible

for mutual animosity created in the country's

politics by killing Father of the

Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur

Rahman and most of his family members.

He said Ziaur Rahman was the mastermind

behind the Bangabandhu

killing, while BNP intrigued many

times to kill AL President Sheikh

Hasina. The Awami League was not

involved in the assassination of Ziaur

Rahman and never got involved in conspiracy

to kill BNP chairperson Begum

Khaleda Zia, Quader said.

The BNP wants to destabilise the

country by hatching intrigues against

the government, he said. So a united

resistance must be created against

them, he added. The AL general secretary

said: "If we want to save

Bangladesh, we have to protect the spirit

of liberation war and democracy. If

we want to save the AL, we should protect

democracy along with AL workers."

Addressing the leaders and workers of

Sainik League, he said: "If you can't be a

soldier of Bangabandhu's ideology, Sainik

League will not bring any benefit."

Chaired by convener of Sainik

League's conference preparation committee

Shirin Ahmed, the meeting was

addressed, among others, by AL publicity

and publication secretary Abdus

Sobhan Golap and its office secretary

Barrister Biplob Barua.

Indo-Bangla

border will

remain closed

till June 30

TBT RePoRT

The government has

decided to extend the land

border with India for

another 16 days to prevent

the spread of corona virus.

As a result, the land border

with India will remain

closed till June 30.

Foreign Ministry

Secretary (East) Mashfi

binte Sams confirmed the

information on Sunday

(June 13) evening. He said

the border closure with

India has been extended

up to June 30. For the

time being, we have closed

the Sonamukhi land port

of Chapainawabganj. This

is the first time

Bangladesh has decided to

close its border with India

for 16 days. Earlier,

Bangladesh closed the

border for a period of 14

days and once for 8 days.

Due to the Corona situation

in India, Bangladesh

closed all land borders

with the country for 14

days on April 26.

DHAKA : The passing out parade of the

38thbatch of outside Cadet Sub-Inspectors

were held on Monday at Bangladesh Police

Academy in Sarada, Rajshahi, reports UNB.

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr

Benazir Ahmed inspected the parade participated

by 1,231 cadets, including 57 women.

Addressing the parade Benazir urged cadet

Sub-Inspectors to work for the welfare of the

people and respect human values above personal

interests. "With the mentality of fulfilling

one's duty as a servant of the people, you

have to perform your duty against the adverse

and evil forces without surrendering to the situation,"

he said. He called upon the police

personnel to demonstrate zero tolerance

against corruption and drugs.

Benazir said the police force has earned

public appreciation for professionalism,

bravery and success in curbing terrorism

and militancy. The ability to use modern

technology to deal with new crimes and tactics

has been acquired, he added.

He said Digital Forensic Lab, DNA

Testing, Cyber Crime, Financial Crime,

Victim Support Center, Women and

Children, Disabled and Elderly Help Desk,

Beat Policing, National Emergency Service

999 and other activities have been launched

for the welfare of the people. "We have to

maintain the trust, confidence and respect

HC rejects writ seeking

stay on Lakshmipur-2

by-polls

DHAKA : The High Court (HC) today summarily

rejected a writ, seeking stay on the

upcoming Lakshmipur-2 by-polls, filed by former

lawmaker and BNP leader Abul Khayer

Bhuiyan, reports BSS.

A High Court division virtual bench of

Justice Md Mozibur Rahman Miah and

Justice Md Kamrul Hossain Mollah passed

the order after holding hearingon the matter.

"Because of this latest order of the High

Court, there is now no legal bar in holding the

by-polls on June 21," Deputy Attorney

General Nawroj Md Russel told BSS.

Barrister AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon and

Barrister HM Sanjid Siddiqui moved the plea

before the court, while Attorney General AM

Amin Uddin and Deputy Attorney General

Nawroj Md Russel stood for the state.

of the people," he said. The IGP awarded

medals to six cadets for excellence during

training.

They are: Best Cadet (Male) Md. Tanvir

Ahmed, Best Cadet (Female) Nasrin Sultana

Jyoti, Academic Md. Kamrul Hasan, Alok

Bihari Gun in the parade, Md. Abdul Qadir

Khandaker in overcoming obstacles and Md

Nazmus Sakib in musketry .

Anti-graft body seeks

wealth information of

two people

DHAKA : The Anti- Corruption

Commission ( ACC) has directed former

sales assistant of Titas Gas Comapny Faruk

Hasan and transport sector leader

Khnadakar Enaet Ullah to provide details of

their wealth within 21 days, reports UNB.

The order was issued after the anti-graft

body found evidences that the two amassed

illegal wealth, its public relations officer

Muhammad Arif Sadeq said on Monday.

Faruk was the leader of collective bargaining

agent ( CBA) of Titas gas while Enaet

Ullah is the current the general secretary of

Dhaka Road Transport Owners

Association.

Abul Khayer Bhuiyan filed the writ on June

8, when the same High Court bench had

rejected a writ petition challenging the legality

of declaring the Lakshmipur-2 constituency

vacant and the schedule for holding by-election

to this constituency on June 21.

Earlier on February 22, the Parliament

Secretariat declared the Lakshmipur-2

constituency vacant as its disgraced lawmaker

Mohammad Shahid Islam Papul

was convicted and sentenced by a Kuwait

court for human trafficking and money

laundering.

The Election Commission on March 4

announced the schedule to hold by-election to

that constituency. After postponing the date of

the election for the ongoing corona pandemic,

now the election is scheduled to be held on

June 21.

Bananas are selling at a cheaper rate during the summer time. The picture was taken from Meradia

market on June 14.

Photo: PBA

tuesDAY, june 15, 2021

2

New Zealand's Ardern pans mosque

attacks film amid backlash

WELLINGTON : New Zealand Prime Minister

Jacinda Ardern on Monday criticised a planned

movie about her response to the 2019

Christchurch mosque attacks as poorly timed

and focussed on the wrong subject.

The US-backed film "They Are Us" has

sparked an intense backlash among New

Zealand Muslims, with community leaders

slamming the project for pushing a "white

saviour" narrative.

Ardern said the attacks - when a white

supremacist gunman ran amok at two mosques

during Friday prayers, killing 51 and seriously

injuring another 40 - remained "very raw" for

many New Zealanders.

She said filmmakers had not consulted her

about the movie, which is set to star Australia's

Rose Byrne as the centre-left leader.

"In my view, which is a personal view, it feels

very soon and very raw for New Zealand,"

Ardern told TVNZ.

"And while there are so many stories that

should be told at some point, I don't consider

mine to be one of them - they are the

community's stories, the families' stories."

Ardern won widespread praise for her

empathetic and inclusive handling of the

attacks, the worst mass shooting in modern

New Zealand history, including wearing a scarf

when meeting mourners.

The movie's title references a line from a

speech she gave in the immediate aftermath of

the atrocity when she pledged to support the

Muslim community and tighten gun laws.

A petition from the National Islamic Youth

Association calling for the production to be shut

down has gathered more than 58,000

signatures.

The association said the proposed film

"sidelines the victims and survivors and instead

centres the response of a white woman".

It said the Muslim community had not been

properly consulted about the project, which has

been scripted by New Zealand writer Andrew

Niccol.

"Entities and individuals should not seek to

commercialise or profit from a tragedy that

befell our community, neither should such an

atrocity be sensationalised", association cochair

Haris Murtaza said.

Delhi govt sets up vaccine

centre for people travelling

abroad for studies, work

NEWDELHI : The Delhi

government on Monday

started a special vaccination

centre in the city for students,

athletes and people who have

to travel abroad for work,

Deputy Chief Minister Manish

Sisodia said here.

Sisodia had on Sunday

announced that those

travelling abroad for these

specific reasons can get their

second dose of Covishield

vaccine at this particular centre

after a gap of just 28 days.

The centre has been set up at

the Navyug School on Mandir

Marg. Those who wish to avail

the facility will have to carry

their passports and relevant

travel documents.

According to officials, this

facility will be available to those

who need to undertake

international travel within

August 31.

Pacific islanders likely found

Antarctica first: study

WELLINGTON : Polynesian seafarers

likely reached Antarctica hundreds of

years before the Western explorers

usually credited with discovering the

frozen continent, a new study has

concluded.

New Zealand researchers scoured socalled

"grey literature" - including oral

records, historic indigenous artworks

and non-academic sources - looking for

links between Maori people and

Antarctica.

"When you put it together, it's really

clear, there's a very long history of

connection to Antarctica," said project

leader Priscilla Wehi from New

Zealand's government research

institute Manaaki Whenua.

"We found connection to Antarctica

and its waters (has) been occurring

since the earliest traditional voyaging,

and later through participation in

European-led voyaging and

exploration, contemporary scientific

research, fishing, and more, for

centuries."

Polynesian seafarers are widely

regarded as some of history's greatest

sailors, navigating vast distances

between Pacific islands with pin-point

precision on their double-hulled waka,

or canoes.

The research, published last week in

the Journal of the Royal Society of New

Zealand, found they reached Antarctica

long before the first Westerners in the

1820s. The researchers believe the first

voyage to Antarctica waters even predates

Maori arrival in New Zealand in

the 14th century.

"We find Polynesian narratives of

voyaging between the islands include

voyaging into Antarctic waters by Hui

Te Rangiora and his crew on the vessel

Te Ivi O Atea, likely in the early seventh

century," Wehi said.

"These

navigational

accomplishments are widely

acknowledged."

Oral histories of the voyage include

reference to "a foggy, misty and dark

place not seen by the sun" and iceberglike

summits "piercing the sky with no

vegetation".

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TUESDAY, JUNE 15, 2021

3

Chief of Air Staff Marshal Shaikh Abdul Hannan paid tributes to the father of the nation

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman by laying floral wreath at the mausoleum of Bangabandhu in

Tungipara on Monday.

Photo : ISPR

Charge sheet

against 2 in DU

student rape case

DHAKA : Police have

submitted charge sheet

against Bangladesh Chhatra

Adhikar Parishad's joint

convener Nazmul Hasan

Sohag, and its former

convener Hasan Al Mamun

in connection with the case

filed over rape and offences

under Digital Security Act.

However, police have

applied for discharge of four

persons, including former

vice-president (VP) of Dhaka

University Central Students'

Union (DUCSU) Nurul Haque

Nur, in the case.

The three others who were

recommended acquittal

from the case are

Bangladesh Chhatra

Adhikar Parishad's another

joint convener Mohammad

Saiful Islam, its vicepresident

Mohammad

Nazmul Huda, and DU

student Abdullah Hill Baki.

Kotwali police inspector

(unarmed) and investigating

officer Mohammad

Wahiduzzaman confirmed

BSS, saying, "I have

submitted the charge sheet

against Sohag for rape and

Mamun under the Digital

Security Act in the Dhaka

Chief Metropolitan

Magistrate's Court on June 8."

As the allegations against

four others including VP

Nur are not proved, he has

appealed to discharge them

from the responsibility of the

case, he added.

On September 21, a student

of Dhaka University filed the

case over kidnapping, rape,

assistance in rape and

offences under Digital

Security Act with Kotwali

Police Station in the capital.

On the night of September

20, a case was filed against

Nur with Lalbagh Police

Station for allegedly

collaborating in committing

rape. According to the case,

the incident took place at

Sadarghat Hotel and

Restaurant in Kotwali police

station area.

District law and order

committee meeting held

NARSINGDI : The monthly law and order

committee meeting of the district

administration was held at the Deputy

commissioner's conference room here on

Sunday.

Deputy Commissioner of the district Syeda

Farhana Kawnine presided over the meeting

while District high officials, Chairmen of

Upazila Parishads, Mayors of Pourasabhas,

Upazila Nirbahi Officers (UNOs), journalists

and other members of the committee were

present. The participants expressed their

satisfaction on the present law and order

situation in the district while terrorism,

militancy, anarchism are keep under control

here by the drastic step of police and district

administrations.

Superintendent of Police in Narsingdi Kazi

Ashraful Azim said police administration has

taken all-out steps to maintain law and order

situation in the district.

A large number of police are in high alert

and have been patrolling in the roads and

highways in curbing anarchy, terrorism,

drug trafficking and other crime-related

incidents for ensuring safety and security of

the district people.

The meeting was addressed, among

others, by Civil Surgeon(Acting) Dr Amirul

Islam Samim, President of Shibpur Upazila

Awami League Shamsul Alam Rakhil,

Chairman of Raipura upazila Parishad Abu

Saddek, Chairman of Shibpur Upazila

Parishad Harunor Rashid, Mayor of Raipura

Pourasabha Jamal Mollah, Mayor of

Madhobdi Pourasabha Mosharaf Hossain

Manik, General Secretary of Narsingdi Press

Club Mazaharul Farvez and Former

Principal of Narsingdi Government College

Professor Mohammad Ali.

BHBFC to have extended areas

of services; Bill lands in JS

SANGSAD BHABAN : The House Building

Finance Corporation Bill (Amendment)

2021 was placed in Parliament on Monday to

increase the authorised and paid-up capitals,

and expand its areas of providing services,

reports UNB.

Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal

placed the Bill in the House and it was sent to

the respective Parliamentary Standing

Committee for further scrutiny. The

Committee was asked to submit its report

within a month.

The original law was promulgated in 1973,

during Bangabandhu's rule, through issuing

an order.

With the amendment, the authorised

capital of the Bangladesh House Building

Finance Corporation (BHBFC) will be Tk

1,000 crore while the paid-up capital Tk 500

crore. The BHBFC, with the enhancement of

these, will be able to provide more services,

according to the objective of the Bill.

The proposed Bill is making punishment

for providing false statements harsher while

taking loans from the corporation.

The punishment for providing false

statements deliberately to take loan from the

corporation has been proposed for a fiveyear

jail term or Tk 500,000 fine or both

raising that from a two-year jail term or Tk

2,000 fine or both.

If anyone uses the name of the corporation

in any advertisement or prospectus without

any written permission, he or she will be

sentenced to six months' jail or be fined with

Tk 50,000 or both.

The punishment was six months' jail or

only Tk 1,000 fine in the existing Bangladesh

House Building Finance Corporation Order

1973.

In the proposed Bill, some words,

including 'loan default', 'chairman of the

corporation', and 'director' have been

incorporated.

A superseding clause has been inserted in

the bill to give it priority over other laws.

There will be a seven-member Board of

Directors for three years while the Chairman

and the Managing Director will be appointed

by the government.

The concluding parade of the 19th batch of Divisional Cadets (SI) was held at Mohera Police Training

Center, Tangail.

Photo : Md Nasir Uddin

BYLC launches

Volunteer

Awards 2021

DHAKA : Bangladesh Youth

Leadership Center (BYLC)

has launched the BYLC

Volunteer Awards 2021 to

recognize the contributions

of individuals and

organisations working for

social issues within their

communities, reports UNB.

The awards aim to foster a

spirit of community service

and active citizenship

among youth, while

promoting exemplary

practices in community

leadership. Through this

award, BYLC

hopes to encourage

partnerships between youth

change makers, community

members, and

other stakeholders to

contribute in achieving the

government's vision of SDGs

by 2030, said a BYLC press

release. Individuals and

organisations who have

positively impacted the

community through their

outstanding contributions

are eligible to apply to the

BYLC Volunteers Awards

2021.

Individual change makers

will be awarded in the

categories of: Inclusivity,

Community Leader,

Emerging Leader, and

Action Against Anti-social

Behavior. For organisations,

the award category is Social

Innovation.

Paperless audit regime

begins as auditing software

launched in country

DHAKA : Chartered Accountants will have

to move along with technologies, and must

to know how to audit in today's digital

environment, said speakers at a programme.

They also said the charted accountants need

to be properly equipped with different

software applications and technologies.

Having the right level of expertise of new

technology allows a Chartered Accountant to

provide the highest quality of audit, they

added.

They said digital adoption would improve

the quality of audit and ensure greater

transparency, shorter audit cycle times,

reduced errors and damages.

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of

Bangladesh (ICAB) organised the virtual

inauguration programme of Audit Practice

Software in Bangladesh under a project

"Implementation and Dissemination of

Audit Practice Software for CA Firms in

Bangladesh" yesterday where Posts and

Telecommunication Minister Mustafa

Jabbar was present as the chief guest.

ICAB President Mahmudul Hasan Khusru

delivered the welcome address and Maria

Howlader, Vice President- ICAB and

Chairman of the project presented

introduction of audit software and its

importance. ICAB CEO Shubhashish FCA

spoke on the theme, a release said.

Through zoom application, a live session

on audit practice software: CaseWare

Working Paper was conducted by Ken Chan,

Product Specialist of CaseWare Asia Pte Ltd.

The CaseWare Working Papers and Audit

International Cloud software supports a

range of different audits from small simple

audits to listed company audits and all types

of audit scenarios.

As the files and software is saved in local

computer files and can be accessed

anywhere, with or without internet

connection. Audit work can be synchronized

back to the server via an internet connection

either live or later at any time.

According to the paper presented in the

programme, the software would ultimately

help the country's economy grow by boosting

the local and foreign investors' confidence,

facilitating regulatory role and enhancing the

country's auditing standard.

In the opening phase, 56 auditing firms

would adopt the software, while all of the

firms would be using it gradually in future.

ICAB would encourage all the firms to use

software-based auditing.

Speaking on the occasion, ICAB President

Mahmudul Hasan Khusru said chartered

accounting professionals have globally

embraced software for audit practice and the

similar development is going to take place in

Bangladesh too.

"There is no doubt that Digitalizing Audit

Practice will ensure the quality of an audit as

well as boost up the transparency and trust

of clients," he said adding that 2021 is a year

of automation for ICAB.

He said all functions of the institute

including monitoring audit reports, activities

of quality assurance board, firm visit etc. are

in under process of automation.

Maria Howlader said that this software

would enhance the capacity of ICAB

members in performing audit based on

international standards on Auditing (ISA).

Newly announced committee of Bangladesh Non-Government Doctors Association (BNGDA)

organized a press conference at Dhaka Reporters Unity.

Photo : TBT

DSA case

Charges pressed against

cartoonist Kishore, 6 others

DHAKA : Police on Sunday submitted a

supplementary charge sheet against seven

people, including cartoonist Ahmed Kabir

Kishore and Rastrachinta activist Didarul

Islam Bhuiyan in a Digital Security Act

(DSA) case filed on charges of spreading

rumours and carrying out anti-government

activities.

Five other accused are Shamiul Islam

Khan alias Zulkarnain Saer Khan,

formermanaging director of BLE securities

Minhaj Mannan Emon, Netra News Editor

Tasneem Khalil, Ashik Imran and Wahidun

Nabi.

Afchhar Ahmed, Counter Terrorism

and Transnational Crime unit (CTTC)

sub-inspector and also the investigative

officer of the case, submitted the charge

sheet to the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan

Magistrate's court. Sub Inspector Md

Nizam Uddin, general recording officer

of the Dhaka court, confirmed the

matter to UNB.

However, Afchhar dropped the names of

four others including US-based journalist

Shahed Alam, Germany-based blogger Asif

Mohiuddin, and some Philip Schuhmacher

due to lack of enough evidence against them

in the case. The name ofwriter Mushtaq

Ahmed, the main accused in the case,has

been dropped following his demise.

In February, police submitted a charge

sheet against three of the accused, dropping

the names of eight others.

Later, a Dhaka court ordered the DMP

CTTC unit to further investigate all the 11

accused in the case.

On May 6 last year, RAB filed the case

against the 11 people with Ramna police

station on charges of spreading rumours and

carrying out anti-government activities,

under the DSA.

MP Shahiduzzaman made chief

of parliamentary standing

committee on Law Ministry

SANGSAD BHABAN : Awami League MP

Shahiduzzaman Sarker has been made the

chief of the parliamentary standing committee

on the Law Ministry, reports UNB.

The post remained vacant following

demise of five times MP and former law

minister Abdul Matin Khasru.

Khasru, elected from Cumilla-5

(Brahmmanpara and Burichong Upazila),

died on April 14 at the Dhaka Combined

Military Hospital. The Parliament

Secretariat declared the seat vacant on April

22. Besides, Waseqa Ayesha Khan, an AL

MP elected in reserved seats for women in

parliament (Women seat-7) ,was made the

chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing

Committee on the Ministry of Power, Energy

and Mineral Resources. Shahiduzzaman

Sarker was the chairman of this committee.

Chief Whip Noor-e-Alam Chowdhuryon

Monday placed the proposal of

reconstitution of the parliamentary

committees on behalf of Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina. Later it was passed in the

parliament by voice vote.

Updated Bankers'

Book Evidence

coming, Bill placed

SANGSAD BHABAN : The

Bankers' Book Evidence Bill

2021, defining the digitally

recorded documents as such

evidence under the

proposed law,was placed in

Parliament on Monday.

Though thereis

alreadyalawto deal withit,

the draft of the new law was

brought to incorporate

digitally-recorded evidence

in it.

Finance Minister AHM

Mustafa Kamal placed the

Billin the Houseand it was

sent to the respective

Parliamentary Standing

Committee for further

scrutiny. The Committee

was asked to submit its

report within one month.

The proposed lawis going

toreplace the old Bankers'

Book Evidence Act 1891 as

many thingsinthe current

law are notconsistentwith

the present-day situation.

Besides, the banks are now

working digitally which was

not mentioned in the

previous lawandthe draft

law hasstated it clearly.

The proposed law has

suggested akinginformation

public except those of

private one after taking

permission from the court

and fixing the authorities

who can do that.

TUeSDAY, JUNe 15, 2021

4

Not by words alone

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam

e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com

Tuesday, June 15, 2021

FDI potential and

image problem

Foreign direct investments (FDIs) into

Bangladesh continue to be below potential

whereas other countries in its

neighbourhood continue to be major

beneficiaries of FDIs. China is at the top in

receiving FDIs. But India and Pakistan are also

receiving FDIs which are bigger than the amounts

received by Bangladesh although these

subcontinental countries are probably not

offering remarkably better conditions of

investment or returns to the foreign investors

than Bangladesh.

Thus, it is time to analyse what are the major

constraints standing in the way of attracting a

much greater volume of FDIs by Bangladesh and

to address them promptly and effectively.

Any sound analysis in this respect is very likely

to show up that the biggest bottleneck possibly is

the country's unfavourable perception abroad.

There are many determinants of FDIs such as a

positive macro economic environment, sound

state of infrastructures, easily trainable workers,

good terms and conditions for repatriation of

capital and profit by the investors, etc.

Bangladesh is not lacking so much in these

aspects in relation to its neighbours. In fact, its

labour cost is lower than China or other countries

in the South Asian region. Its infrastructures need

upgrading and improvement but are not so bad as

to divert foreign investments on a large scale. Its

macro economy, with some slumps, has been

stable on the whole for a long period. The macro

economic indicators have improved in recent

years. Besides, the aptitude of its workforce to

adapt to the requirements and training of foreign

funded enterprises is noted to be relatively good.

Certainly, the conditions for FDIs in Bangladesh

can be further improved or need to be improved.

But the same can be no reasons for greater foreign

investments not coming into the country.

Bangladesh should have been a notable

investment destination for foreign investors by

now from whatever opportunities it presently

extends to them. Why the investors have not

responded yet to these opportunities, if one main

answer is sought to this question, it could be that

potential investors are mainly ignorant about

what this country has to offer to them or they are

demotivated by an image problem of the country

that does no justice to it.

First of all, there is much information gap about

Bangladesh abroad. It is not known by many

intending investors that Bangladesh has

developed a world class export-oriented apparel

industry, that it exports high quality shrimp and

frozen foods, that it has much potential to make

and export a wide range of environmentally

friendly products which have rising demand in

the world market and that the biggest

components of production costs, wages to be paid

to labour, are the cheapest by world comparisons

in Bangladesh that should help them to be very

competitive.

If such information were extensively

disseminated by Bangladeshi missions, some 60

of them round the world, then the same could

have a notable impact in channelling FDIs into

the country. What the Department of External

Publicity does in relation to this need or why this

wing is not enabled to carry out adequate

publicities to this end, poses a big question.

The local press and local correspondents of the

foreign media, operating from Bangladesh,

should take the lead in reporting extensively the

success stories of Bangladesh in the economic

spheres instead of emphasising only the negatives

of the country. The chamber bodies should also

work together to project the country regularly in

favourable light through organising international

seminars, publicities in international business

media, greater holding of exhibitions of

Bangladeshi products abroad and circulation of

information about the good rates of return from

investment in Bangladesh.

The publicities ought to singularly counteract

the canard that Bangladesh is a singularly law and

order problems ridden country and credibly

expose it to the foreign investors that law and

order conditions in Bangladesh are at least equal

to, if not better, compared to the other countries

of South Asia.

THERE have been a series of official

pronouncements that the government

is shifting the focus of Pakistan's

foreign policy from geopolitics to

geoeconomics. This 'shift' was first

announced in March during the 'Islamabad

Policy Dialogue' organised by the National

Security Division and addressed by

Pakistan's political and military leaders.

As summarised on a government website

this 'dialogue"' outlined a 'new' policy

direction that involved prioritising

economic security, changing the "narrative

of geopolitical contestation to geoeconomic

cooperation", increasing "Pakistan's

economic footprint globally" and promoting

"regional connectivity". The foreign minister

stated several times since that the

government is working on transforming the

country's "geopolitics to geoeconomic

policy".

Read: To achieve success at

geoeconomics, Brand Pakistan must capture

the imagination of the global business press

and investment community

If these assertions mean that Pakistan will

henceforth subordinate its geostrategic aims

to strengthening its economy and reorient

foreign policy to serve the country's

domestic economic interests and promote

growth and prosperity then it is a welcome

shift. However, any policy shift must have

substance and clarity otherwise it remains a

declaration of intent. As these official

statements have yet to be elaborated or

specify the means by which the policy is to

be pursued, the 'shift' is, for now, a desire not

a strategy.

Conceptual and operational clarity is

essential before announcing a policy change

as is its timing. It is questionable how

geoeconomics will be separated from

geopolitics as the two are interrelated.

Moreover, at a time when Pakistan is

confronted with more than one geopolitical

storm - regional and global - how exactly will

the country negotiate geopolitical challenges

while pivoting to geoeconomics?

Afghanistan is at an inflection point facing

the growing danger of descending into chaos

with serious ramifications for Pakistan's

security. Relations remain tense and

unpredictable with India which continues

on a repressive course in occupied Kashmir

with demographic changes and further

bifurcation of the state looming, which is

bound to further inflame the situation. US-

China confrontation is casting a shadow

over the region posing a challenge for

Islamabad that wants to avoid getting into

its crosshairs but may find that a tough

balancing act. Thus, geopolitics and

Pakistan's security dilemmas cannot be

wished away by declarations alone. A new

strategy or policy shift has to be matched to

reality. More on this later.

A policy shift must be backed by substance

otherwise it is a statement of intent not a

strategy.

What is really meant by geoeconomics?

The international literature on this is

instructive. There is little agreement on how

to define geoeconomics with the term used

in different ways. Definitions include the

geostrategic use of economic power, using

"economic tools to advance geopolitical

objectives", achievement of foreign policy

outcomes by economic, not military, power

projection, and "use of economic

instruments to promote and defend national

interests, and produce beneficial geopolitical

results". Some see geoeconomics as a form

of statecraft that deploys geopolitical power

and leverages geography to achieve

economic ends.

Edward Luttwak, a US strategic thinker,

first forged the term geoeconomics in 1990

in the Cold War's aftermath. He argued that

commerce was displacing military power as

a tool for countries to deploy with

geoeconomics emerging as an "admixture of

the logic of war with the methods of

MALeeHA LODHI

commerce". Building on previous scholarly

works, the book War by other Means by

Robert Blackwill and Jennifer Harris

contributed to the global debate on the

rising role of geoeconomics in the

international arena by examining the means

adopted by the US, China and others to

accomplish foreign policy goals. More and

more states they wrote "are waging

geopolitics with capital, attempting with

If these assertions mean that Pakistan will henceforth

subordinate its geostrategic aims to strengthening its

economy and reorient foreign policy to serve the country's

domestic economic interests and promote growth

and prosperity then it is a welcome shift. However, any

policy shift must have substance and clarity otherwise it

remains a declaration of intent.

sovereign checkbooks and other economic

tools to achieve strategic objectives that were

in the past the stuff of military coercion or

conquest".

In a recent book titled Geoeconomics and

Power Politics in the 21st Century, one of its

writers points out that geoeconomics has

not entirely replaced military means of

statecraft. Both instruments coexist and are

deployed by countries depending on what

they consider appropriate for the challenges

they confront. The book emphasises that in

making use of economic tools the factors

that count in geoeconomic strategies include

markets, resources, and ability to control

and direct investment to compete

effectively.

Almost all the recent literature identifies

China as the world's leading exponent and

"practitioner of geoeconomics". With ample

justification. China's Belt and Road

Initiative is the biggest and most ambitious

geoeconomic enterprise of this century.

Encompassing over 70 countries and

engaging 138 states it aims to build land and

maritime networks involving infrastructure,

power projects and telecommunications to

promote trade and resource flows, achieve

economic integration and boost economic

growth and development. In Africa and

YASAR YAKIS

Latin America, Chinese influence has

expanded through targeted investments

giving it unprecedented strategic outreach.

Geoeconomics has been successfully

pursued not just by big powers but smaller

and medium-sized countries too. The crucial

and obvious requirement is domestic

economic strength and resources. Does

Pakistan have the economic attributes

regarded as prerequisites to pursue a

geoeconomic policy? The most fundamental

requirement is a strong economy. With an

economy perpetually burdened by crises in

public finance caused by chronic budget and

balance of payments deficits, Pakistan has

yet to seriously address these structural

problems to achieve sustainable growth. A

narrow tax base and failure to mobilise

domestic resources has inevitably meant

growing indebtedness and reliance on

frequent IMF bailouts. A limited and

undiversified export base plus lack of

innovation has also prevented the country

from becoming a player in global markets

and economy.

Therefore, if Pakistan wants to pursue a

geoeconomics policy in any meaningful way

it has to transform its economy, ensure a

stable political environment and reorder its

internal priorities and budget allocations.

Economic power and capability cannot be

'borrowed' or 'imported' from outside but

built at home by undertaking long

postponed structural reforms. The essential

ingredients of a strong economy are

internal.

If by geoeconomics the government

means leveraging the country's location to

become a regional hub that vision has been

projected by every government since the

1990s. It was never realised because of

regional geopolitical tensions and the

country's weak economic fundamentals.

And that too requires a strong economic

foundation including efficient and attractive

markets.

No country can talk its way into effecting a

policy shift. Unless it is backed by substance

and reflects reality it remains a vision on

paper, not in practice.

Source: Dawn

India must bolster efforts to secure Andaman Sea

On June 9, the Indian and Thai navies

began a three-day coordinated patrol

in the strategically located Andaman

Sea. The Indian Navy's offshore patrol

vessel INS Saryu and the Thai ship Krabi,

along with Dornier maritime patrol aircraft

from both navies, participated in the 31st

edition of the India-Thailand coordinated

patrol (CORPAT). The navies of both

countries have been biannually undertaking

CORPAT since 2005.

CORPAT aims to keep the vital

subregions of the Indian Ocean stable and

secure for global trade. According to Indian

Navy spokesman Commander Vivek

Madhwal, "The CORPAT builds up

understanding and interoperability

between navies and facilitates institution of

measures to prevent and suppress unlawful

activities like illegal unreported unregulated

(IUU) fishing, drug trafficking, maritime

terrorism, armed robbery and piracy."

He added, "It further helps enhance the

operational synergy by exchange of

information for prevention of smuggling,

illegal immigration and for conduct of

search and rescue operations at sea."

India's engagements with key Southeast

Asian countries are vital to secure the

stability of the Andaman Sea at a time when

China is deepening its strategic footprints

and increasing its power projection

capabilities throughout the Indian Ocean.

Moreover, the need for India to utilize

effectively the naval dimension of its Act

East Policy is crucial to maximize its

strategic partnership with its neighbors to

the east.

The Andaman Sea continues to gain great

geopolitical and strategic relevance as it

joins the Bay Bengal with the wider waters

of the Indo-Pacific region through the

Malacca Strait. It is also a major and critical

avenue that contains vital shipping routes

that are used to transport a significant

portion of the world's energy trade.

A PKK-Peshmerga clash bruises the Kurdish cause

Aminor military clash that took place

on June 5 between the Peshmerga -

the military forces of the Kurdistan

Regional Government (KRG) in Iraq - and

the fighters of the outlawed Kurdistan

Workers' Party (PKK) is sparking debate on

whether various Kurdish independence

movements may harm each other.

The clashes took place in Amedi, a small

town in the Duhok province of Northern

Iraq where the Iraqi army, the Peshmerga,

the Turkish army, the Iran-supported

The Andaman Sea is an established geostrategic

gateway to important sea lanes of

communication (SLOCs) through which

India can expand its reach towards the

Pacific Ocean.

Therefore, to safeguard its interests, India

has begun enhancing the capacity of the

Andaman and Nicobar Tri-Command,

which is the military command responsible

for maintaining order in this particular

maritime space.

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a

Union territory of India, are located at the

juncture of the Bay of Bengal and the

Andaman Sea. These islands dominate the

Bay of Bengal and the Six Degree and Ten

Degree channels that more than 60,000

commercial vessels traverse each year.

The Malacca Strait and the Six Degree

Channel are among the nine critical

bottlenecks that regulate entry to this

region. These passages are important trade

routes for any shipping that is destined for

Southeast and Northeast Asia.

Furthermore, the Six Degree and Ten

Degree Channels in the Andaman Sea -

which lead to the Malacca Strait - are

critical to the SLOCs, where global

commerce takes place.

The Andaman and Nicobar Tri-

Command is thus bestowed with the duty to

monitor vessels passing through these

channels and guarantee freedom of

navigation through the Malacca, Sunda,

and Lombok Straits.

Popular Mobilization Units and the PKK are

active.

Amedi is 15-20 kilometers away from the

Turkish-Iraqi border as the crow flies. The

reason for Turkey's military presence in the

Iraqi territory goes back decades. During a

fierce battle in 1997 between Masoud

Barzani's Kurdistan Democratic Party and

Jalal Talabani's Patriotic Union of

Kurdistan, Turkey cooperated with Barzani

and Saddam Hussein against Iran-backed

Talabani. This cooperation allowed Turkey

DON MCLAIN GILL

India, however, is not the only major

power paying attention to the Andaman

Sea. The SLOCs have long attracted China's

strategic interest and ambitions in the

region. There have been reports of

submarines of the People's Liberation Army

Navy being spotted near the Andaman and

Nicobar Islands. Moreover, China has also

invested in strategic infrastructure projects

in littoral states to project power and

influence.

Since 2008, China's presence in the

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a Union territory

of India, are located at the juncture of the Bay of

Bengal and the Andaman Sea. These islands dominate

the Bay of Bengal and the Six Degree and Ten

Degree channels that more than 60,000 commercial

vessels traverse each year.

Indian Ocean has increased exponentially,

along with its noteworthy economic and

military rise. China's naval intrusions in and

around the Andaman Sea have been a

significant cause of concern for India and its

national and regional interests. As China

and India continue to stay locked in a

competition for power and influence in the

Indian Ocean, more naval activity will be

expected. These circumstances that outline

the importance of the Andaman Sea in

India's strategic calculus have catalyzed

New Delhi to maintain efforts to ensure the

security of the region.

Though New Delhi has taken the

prerogative to bolster the defenses of the

Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which

includes a 10-year plan to establish facilities

for additional troops, warships, aircraft and

drones on the islands, strengthening the

existing military facilities. However, India

does not have to do it alone.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Act East

to establish a military presence in Iraq. This

presence is still maintained, and Turkey is

using it to fight PKK combatants on Iraqi

territory.

Turkey wants to control the area because

it is on the route of the PKK fighters between

their main base in the Qandil mountains

and another PKK concentration in Sinjar.

The Defense Ministry of the KRG tweeted

that five Peshmerga were ambushed and

killed by PKK forces, while another four

were injured. The PKK, for its part, said it

Policy is a crucial component in

safeguarding the Andaman Sea. Along with

the recent CORPAT with Thailand, India

has also been strategically engaging with the

Indonesian and Singaporean navies as well

to ensure the peace and safety of the

Andaman Sea.

In 2018, India and Singapore held their

25th joint naval exercise SIMBEX, which is

an acronym for Singapore-India Maritime

Bilateral Exercise, off the Andaman Sea and

the Bay of Bengal. SIMBEX 2018 marked as

the largest edition since 1994 in terms of

scale and complexity.

In the same year, the 10th edition of

Milan concluded with the Milan Exercise

Sea (MILES), which saw participation of 20

ships - including those of Indonesia,

Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, and

Thailand - making it the largest multilateral

exercise to be conducted in the Andaman

Sea.

In 2019, the Indian and Indonesian

navies conducted their 33rd coordinated

patrol exercise from the Andaman and

Nicobar Islands, where they will carry out

joint patrolling of their waters. In 2020, the

Indian Navy participated in a two-day

trilateral maritime exercise - SITMEX-20 -

in the Andaman Sea along with the

Singaporean and Thai navies.

If India seeks to maintain the upper hand

in the Andaman Sea, it must continue to

engage proactively with its neighbors in

Southeast Asia. There is no better

framework to carry out such a level of

cooperation than the Act East Policy.

India must maintain its steadfast and

unwavering interest to forge closer strategic

partnerships to its east. This is important

and timely as several Southeast Asian

countries also continue to be wary of

China's increasing military power in the

region.

Source: Asia times

does not want the Peshmerga to enter the

area of confrontation between them and

Turkish soldiers and that this was the reason

for the incident. One of the reasons as to why

such a clash would take place between two

entities that otherwise defend the same

Kurdish cause lies in the different ways

Kurdish activism evolved across the four

countries with sizeable Kurdish minorities:

Turkey, Iraq, Syria and Iran.

Source: Arab news

tuesday, June 15, 2021

5

rachel nuwer

In an important step toward medical approval, MDMA, the illegal

drug popularly known as Ecstasy or Molly, was shown to bring

relief to those suffering from severe post-traumatic stress disorder

when paired with talk therapy.

Of the 90 people who took part in the new study, which is

expected to be published later this month in Nature Medicine,

those who received MDMA during therapy experienced a

significantly greater reduction in the severity of their symptoms

compared with those who received therapy and an inactive

placebo. Two months after treatment, 67 percent of participants in

the MDMA group no longer qualified for a diagnosis of PTSD,

compared with 32 percent in the placebo group.

MDMA produced no serious adverse side effects. Some

participants temporarily experienced mild symptoms like nausea

and loss of appetite. "This is about as excited as I can get about a

clinical trial," said Gul Dolen, a neuroscientist at Johns Hopkins

University School of Medicine, who was not involved in the

research. "There is nothing like this in clinical trial results for a

neuropsychiatric disease."

Before MDMA-assisted therapy can be approved for therapeutic

use, the Food and Drug Administration needs a second positive

Phase 3 trial, which is currently underway with 100 participants.

Approval could come as early as 2023.

Mental health experts say that this research - the first Phase 3

trial conducted on psychedelic-assisted therapy - could pave the

way for further studies on MDMA's potential to help address other

difficult-to-treat mental health conditions, including substance

abuse, obsessive compulsive disorder, phobias, eating disorders,

depression, end-of-life anxiety and social anxiety in autistic adults.

And, mental health researchers say, these studies could also

encourage additional research on other banned psychedelics,

including psilocybin, LSD and mescaline. "This is a wonderful,

fruitful time for discovery, because people are suddenly willing to

consider these substances as therapeutics again, which hasn't

happened in 50 years," said Jennifer Mitchell, a neuroscientist at

the University of California, San Francisco, and lead author of the

new study.

But some mental health experts urged restraint. Allen James

Frances, a professor emeritus and the former chair of psychiatry at

Duke University, who was not involved in the new study, warned

that new treatments "are never as wonderful as first they seem."

"All new treatments in medicine have always had a temporary

halo effect by virtue of being new and by promising more than they

can possibly deliver," Dr. Frances said. Unlike traditional

pharmaceuticals, MDMA does not act as a band-aid that tries to

blunt symptoms of PTSD. Instead, in people with PTSD, MDMA

combined with therapy seems to allow the brain to process painful

memories and heal itself, Dr. Mitchell said.

Critically, MDMA taken in isolation, without therapy, does not

automatically produce a beneficial effect. "It's not the drug - it's the

A psychedelic drug may cure PTSD

the scientist, Jennifer Mitchell said, MdMa combined with therapy seems to help the brain process painful

memories and heal itself.

Photo: anastasiia sapon

therapy enhanced by the drug," said Rick Doblin, senior author of

the study and director of the Multidisciplinary Association for

Psychedelic Studies, a nonprofit research group that sponsored and

financed the clinical trials.

For this process to work, a person must be primed to engage with

their trauma. Participants first undertook preparatory sessions

with two trained therapists. Then in three sessions of eight-hours

each, spaced a month apart, they received either an inactive placebo

or MDMA. Neither the participants nor the therapists knew which.

While most participants correctly guessed whether they received a

placebo or MDMA, this did not undermine the study's results or its

methodology, which was agreed to in advance by the F.D.A.

Scott Ostrom, who participated in the study, had suffered from

PTSD since returning home from his second deployment in Iraq in

2007. For more than a decade, he experienced debilitating

nightmares. "Bullets would dribble out of the end of my gun, or I'd

get separated from my team and be lost in a town where insurgents

were watching me," he said.

Mr. Ostrom's days were punctuated by panic attacks, and he

dropped out of college. He pushed friends and family away, and got

into an unhealthy romantic relationship. He was charged with

assault and attempted suicide. Therapy and medication did not

help.

But after participating in the trial, he no longer has nightmares.

"Literally, I'm a different person," he said. During his first of three

sessions in early 2019, lying on a couch with eye shades, and in a

lucid dreamlike state, Mr. Ostrom encountered a spinning, oily

black ball. Like an onion, the ball had many layers, each one a

memory. At the center, Mr. Ostrom relived the moment in Iraq, he

said, that "I became the person I needed to be to survive that

combat deployment." Over the next two sessions, Mr. Ostrom

engaged with "the bully," as he calls his PTSD alter ego, and asked

permission for Scott to return.

Mr. Ostrom, 36, now works steadily as an HVAC specialist and

owns a home near Boulder, Colo., which he shares with his

girlfriend, Jamie Ehrenkranz, and his service dog, an English lab

named Tim.

"The reason I like calling this medicine is it stimulated my own

consciousness's ability for self-healing," Mr. Ostrom said. "You

understand why it's OK to experience unconditional love for

yourself." Merck pharmacists invented MDMA, which is short for

3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylamphetamine, in 1912. But the

compound was largely forgotten until 1976, when Alexander

Shulgin, a well-known psychedelic chemist, synthesized MDMA

and tried it himself. Realizing that his discovery could have

therapeutic value, Dr. Shulgin shared MDMA in 1977 with Leo Zeff,

a psychotherapist who introduced it to other mental health

professionals. Over the next eight years, hundreds of therapists and

others administered an estimated half a million doses of MDMA.

Some reported that, in just a few sessions with the medication,

patients achieved an amount of progress that normally took years.

In the early 1980s, however, MDMA escaped from the clinic to

the dance floor, where it became known as Ecstasy. In 1985, the

Drug Enforcement Administration criminalized MDMA as a

Schedule I substance, defined as having "no currently accepted

medical use and a high potential for abuse."

Some mental health professionals continued to administer

MDMA-assisted therapy underground, but most stopped. The

numbers of scientists who pursued studies with MDMA also

dwindled. But a few individuals continued to push strongly on

behalf of MDMA research, including Dr. Doblin, who founded his

association in 1986 to focus on developing MDMA and other

psychedelics into medications approved by the F.D.A. It took nearly

two decades to overcome alarmist claims about Ecstasy's dangers,

including that it ate holes in users' brains, to finally gain approval to

begin studies. Research in animals and humans confirms that

MDMA produces no neurotoxic effects at the doses administered

in clinical trials.

Ecstasy or Molly, on the other hand, can be adulterated with

other potentially dangerous substances, and users may take far

higher doses than are safe. In 2011, MDMA accounted for 1.8

percent of all U.S. drug-related emergency department visits,

according to a database maintained until that year by the Substance

Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. In Europe,

MDMA was responsible for 8 percent of drug-related emergency

visits to 16 major hospitals in 10 countries from 2013 to 2014.

The rise of robot in surgery

cade Metz

Sitting on a stool several feet

from a long-armed robot,

Dr. Danyal Fer wrapped his

fingers around two metal

handles near his chest. As he

moved the handles - up and

down, left and right - the

robot mimicked each small

motion with its own two

arms. Then, when he

pinched his thumb and

forefinger together, one of

the robot's tiny claws did

much the same. This is how

surgeons like Dr. Fer have

long used robots when

operating on patients. They

can remove a prostate from

a patient while sitting at a

computer console across the

room.

But after this brief

demonstration, Dr. Fer and

his fellow researchers at the

University of California,

Berkeley, showed how they

hope to advance the state of

the art. Dr. Fer let go of the

handles, and a new kind of

computer software took

over. As he and the other

researchers looked on, the

robot started to move

entirely on its own.

With one claw, the

machine lifted a tiny plastic

ring from an equally tiny peg

on the table, passed the ring

from one claw to the other,

moved it across the table

and gingerly hooked it onto

a new peg. Then the robot

did the same with several

more rings, completing the

task as quickly as it had

when guided by Dr. Fer.

The training exercise was

originally designed for

humans; moving the rings

from peg to peg is how

surgeons learn to operate

robots like the one in

Berkeley. Now, an

automated robot performing

the test can match or even

exceed a human in dexterity,

precision and speed,

according to a new research

paper from the Berkeley

team.

The project is a part of a

much wider effort to bring

artificial intelligence into the

operating room. Using many

of the same technologies

that underpin self-driving

cars, autonomous drones

and warehouse robots,

researchers are working to

automate surgical robots

too. These methods are still

a long way from everyday

use, but progress is

accelerating.

"It is an exciting time,"

said Russell Taylor, a

professor at Johns Hopkins

University and former IBM

researcher known in the

academic world as the father

of robotic surgery. "It is

where I hoped we would be

20 years ago."

The aim is not to remove

surgeons from the operating

room but to ease their load

and perhaps even raise

success rates - where there is

room for improvement - by

automating particular

phases of surgery.

Robots can already exceed

human accuracy on some

surgical tasks, like placing a

pin into a bone (a

particularly risky task during

knee and hip replacements).

The hope is that automated

robots can bring greater

accuracy to other tasks, like

incisions or suturing, and

reduce the risks that come

with overworked surgeons.

During a recent phone call,

Greg Hager, a computer

scientist at Johns Hopkins,

said that surgical

automation would progress

much like the Autopilot

software that was guiding

his Tesla down the New

Jersey Turnpike as he spoke.

The car was driving on its

own, he said, but his wife

still had her hands on the

wheel, should anything go

wrong. And she would take

over when it was time to exit

the highway.

"We can't automate the

whole process, at least not

without human oversight,"

he said. "But we can start to

build automation tools that

make the life of a surgeon a

little bit easier." Five years

ago, researchers with the

Children's National Health

System in Washington, D.C.,

designed a robot that could

automatically suture the

intestines of a pig during

surgery. It was a notable step

toward the kind of future

envisioned by Dr. Hager.

But it came with an asterisk:

The researchers had

implanted tiny markers in

the pig's intestines that

emitted a near-infrared light

and helped guide the robot's

movements.

The method is far from

practical, as the markers are

not easily implanted or

removed. But in recent

students and teachers watched as the da Vinci research Kit conducted

the peg transfer.

Photo: sarahbeth Maney

years, artificial intelligence

researchers have

significantly improved the

power of computer vision,

which could allow robots to

perform surgical tasks on

their own, without such

markers.

The change is driven by

what are called neural

networks, mathematical

systems that can learn skills

by analyzing vast amounts of

data. By analyzing

thousands of cat photos, for

instance, a neural network

can learn to recognize a cat.

In much the same way, a

neural network can learn

from images captured by

surgical robots.

Surgical robots are

equipped with cameras that

record three-dimensional

video of each operation. The

video streams into a

viewfinder that surgeons

peer into while guiding the

operation, watching from

the robot's point of view.

But afterward, these

images also provide a

detailed road map showing

how surgeries are

performed. They can help

new surgeons understand

how to use these robots, and

they can help train robots to

handle tasks on their own.

By analyzing images that

show how a surgeon guides

the robot, a neural network

can learn the same skills.

This is how the Berkeley

researchers have been

working to automate their

robot, which is based on the

da Vinci Surgical System, a

two-armed machine that

helps surgeons perform

more than a million

procedures a year. Dr. Fer

and his colleagues collect

images of the robot moving

the plastic rings while under

human control. Then their

system learns from these

images, pinpointing the best

ways of grabbing the rings,

passing them between claws

and moving them to new

pegs.

But this process came with

its own asterisk. When the

system told the robot where

to move, the robot often

missed the spot by

millimeters. Over months

and years of use, the many

metal cables inside the

robot's twin arms have

stretched and bent in small

ways, so its movements were

not as precise as they needed

to be.

even a gentle session of leg lifts set off an exaggerated nervous system reaction in older women with

rheumatoid arthritis.

Photo: Getty Images

People having rheumatoid arthritis

should avoid exercise

Gretchen reynolds

Exercise can feel more difficult and

draining than usual if you have

rheumatoid arthritis, and it's not just

because of the stiff and painful joints

caused by this autoimmune disorder. In

a groundbreaking new experiment

involving older women and exercise,

researchers found that even a gentle

session of leg lifts set off an exaggerated

nervous system reaction in those with

rheumatoid arthritis. Light exercise also

negatively affected the inner workings of

their muscles and blood vessels.

The findings build on earlier research

about rheumatoid arthritis and the

nervous system and raise pressing new

questions about the best and safest ways

for people with this disorder or similar

autoimmune diseases to become and

remain active.

Anyone who has rheumatoid arthritis

or is close to someone who has it knows

the havoc it creates in the body. Immune

cells mistakenly attack healthy tissue,

especially in joints, causing swelling,

pain and deterioration, along with fullbody

inflammation and fatigue.

Rheumatoid arthritis also often results

in cardiovascular disease, which initially

puzzled doctors, since the misguided

immune cells do not directly target the

heart or arteries.

But in recent years, researchers

discovered that people with rheumatoid

arthritis tend to have unusually twitchy

sympathetic nervous systems. The

sympathetic nervous system is the

portion of our internal wiring that

stimulates the fight-or-flight response,

biochemically alerting our brains, heart,

muscles and other bodily systems to

brace ourselves for impending danger.

The opposing parasympathetic nervous

system, the Matthew McConaughey of

our internal biology, lulls us, sending

signals that quiet the sympathetic

upsets. But in rheumatoid arthritis

patients, researchers found, the

sympathetic system seems stuck in

overdrive, keeping people's internal

operations constantly on edge. A result is

a high risk for elevated blood pressure

and heart rate, even when people are

resting quietly, which contributes over

time to cardiovascular disease.

Few of those earlier studies, though,

looked at exercise, which also raises

blood pressure and heart rates and

changes nervous system reactions. Some

past studies - and considerable

anecdotal evidence - had indicated that

people with rheumatoid arthritis feel

more fatigue during and after activity

than other exercisers. Their heart rates

and blood pressures also remain

stubbornly elevated for longer after

workouts. But what might be going on

inside their nerves and muscles leading

to these reactions has been mostly

unclear.

So, for the new study, which was

published in February in The Journal of

Physiology, scientists at the University of

São Paulo in Brazil decided to ask people

with rheumatoid arthritis to do a little

resistance training. Turning to patients

at the university's rheumatology clinic,

they recruited 33 older women with

rheumatoid arthritis and another 10

older women without the condition, to

serve as controls. Most of them, in both

groups, were on various medications.

They invited all of their volunteers to

the lab, drew blood, asked about their

current pain levels, tested blood

pressure and other health markers, and

gently embedded tiny sensors beneath

the skin in one leg to measure nervous

system activity. Finally, they asked each

woman to complete leg lifts with that leg,

using a standard weight machine set to a

low resistance. The women were

supposed to lift repeatedly for three

minutes - although some quit earlier

than that - while the researchers tracked

their blood pressures, nervous system

reactions, and markers of muscular

response, during and immediately

afterward.

What they found when they compared

results was that "the women with R.A.

showed greater blood pressure and

sympathetic responses" to the light

workout than those in the control group,

says Tiago Peçanha, a postdoctoral

research associate at the University of

São Paulo who was a co-author of the

new study with his doctoral adviser

Hamilton Roschel, the director of the

university's Laboratory of Assessment

and Conditioning in Rheumatology, and

others.

TUeSDAY, jUNe 15, 2021

6

View exchange meeting Begumganj upazila Awami League was held in Noakhali recently. Parliament

Member Mamunur Rahsid Kiran was present in the meeting as chief guest. Photo : Manik Bhuyan

Bumper jackfruit

production likely

in panchagarh

pAnCHAgARH : A bumper

production of jackfruit is

expected in the district as the

tender fruit is now growing

excellent amid favourable

climatic conditions this

season, officials and experts

said.

A dramatic turn has taken

place in farming the juicy

fruit as hundreds of farmers

here have become

financially solvent by selling

it in recent years.

department of Agriculture

extension (dAe) officials

here said a total of 1200

hectares of land have been

brought under jackfruit

cultivation this year with a

production target of 14,500

tonnes of the fruit in all five

upazilas of the district.

Abdul Malek, a jackfruit

grower of Bodapara village

under debiganj upazila, said

he is expecting a bumper

yield of jackfruit from his

one acre of orchard with

getting taka 80,000.

Meanwhile, jackfruit

wholesalers from different

parts of the country have

started flocking to the area

as the harvesting season is

approaching.

"there are 200 jackfruit

trees in my orchard.

40,228 infected with

Covid-19, 33,174 cured

in Khulna division

KHuLnA : With detection of 614 new

positive cases in all 10 districts of the

division, the total number of Covid-19

infected patients now hit 40,228 till

yesterday noon.

A total of 33,174 have been cured from the

lethal virus infection and recovery rate now

stands at 82.46 percent," Assistant director

of Khulna Health division dr. Ferdousi

Akhter told BSS.

the number of Covid-19 cases climbed to

40,228 as 614 new positive cases were

reported after testing 1,926 samples at the

Khulna Medical College Laboratory and two

other Covid-19 laboratories in the division

during the last 24 hours till yesterday noon,

she said.

of the total new positive cases, 163 were

detected in Khulna, followed by 102 in

Bagerhat, 90 in Jashore , 71 in Kushtia, 57 in

Chuadanga, 44 in Satkhira, 31 in Meherpur,

25 in narail, 24 in Jhenidah, seven in

Magura in the division, the health official

added.

A total of 41,328 infected patients were

admitted in different hospitals as 33,174

have been recovered and 726 died while the

rest are undergoing treatment at their

respective homes in the division," dr.

Ferdousi continued.

talking to BSS, divisional director

(Health) dr. Rasheda Sultana said the

number of total fatalities currently stands at

726 in the division while seven more deaths

were reported on Sunday.

of the new fatalities two each are in

Jashore and Kushtia, one each in Khulna,

narail and Meherpur districts in the

division.

the district-wise break-up of the death

tolls are 194 in Khulna, 132 in Kushtia, 91 in

Jashore, 64 in Chuadanga, 58 in Jhenidah,

57 in Bagerhat, 52 in Satkhira, 28 in narail,

27 in Meherpur and 23 in Magura.

"the average casualty rate among all

40,228 Covid-19 positive cases now stands

at 1.80 percent in the division," she

mentioned.

on the other hand, a total of 125 more

people have been sent to home and

institutional quarantine afresh while others

218 were released in all 10 districts of the

division in the last 24 hours till 12 yesterday

noon .

A total of 80,380 people had, so far, been

kept under home quarantine and isolation

at hospital.

of them, 78,810 have now been released

as they were given clearance certificates

after completing their respective 14-day

quarantine period and 65,114 are currently

remaining in home or institutional

quarantine in the division.

Allegations of incitement to suicide

against three teachers of pStu

Md. nAeeM HoSSAIn, pStu(pAtuAKHALI) CoRReSpondent

debashish Mandal, a meritorious student

of patuakhali Science and technology

university committed suicide on 14 May

2018 in Kushtia. debashish's father

parimal Mandal, elder brother Milton

Mandal and younger brother Ashish

Mandal then complained to the media

that debashish had a dream of becoming

a teacher at patuakhali Science and

technology university as a meritorious

student. 15 lakh was needed to pay the

bribe to get the job. Meritorious

debashish chose the path of suicide as he

could not raise that money.

However, debashish's family members

have complained to the media at various

times but so far they have not taken any

legal action in the incident. Meanwhile, on

May 30, Supreme Court lawyer

Mohammad Jahangir Hossain sent a

legal notice blaming three teachers of

pStu for debashish's suicide. the

recipients of the notice are professor of

Agricultural Chemistry department

Muhammad Moniruzzaman, general

secretary of the teachers' association

Shahin Hossain and Associate professor

of department of Agronomy nowrose

Jahan Lipi. notice has also been issued to

the Secretary of Ministry of education,

Chairman of university grants

Commission, Vice Chancellor and

Registrar of patuakhali Science and

technology university to take action

against the accused. the notice alleges

that debashish Mandal was a candidate

for the post of lecturer of pStu. He was

asked to pay a huge bribe to get the job.

But he was the best in the selection list.

professor Moniruzzaman, nowroz Jahan

Lipi and Shaheen Hossain first

demanded a bribe of tk 10 lakh taka from

debashish. debashish was keen to get the

job at any cost. Later 15 lakh taka was

demanded from him. He had to face a

difficult situation to raise an additional tk

5 lakh. And for this reason debasish

Mandal chose the path of suicide. the

notice claimed that Moniruzzaman and

nowroz Jahan Lipi and Shaheen Hossain

had committed offenses under Section

307 of the penal Code. the three teachers

accused in the notice, professor dr.

Muhammad Moniruzzaman, Md. Shahin

Hossain and nowroz Jahan Lipi denied

the allegations and said none of them

were involved in the recruitment process.

the notice was sent as part of a series of

conspiracies against them. Sending such a

notice after so many years of debashish's

suicide must have been motivated. the

whole matter will be dealt with legally.

Registrar (in charge) of patuakhali

Science and technology university

Mohammad Kamrul Islam

acknowledged receiving the notice. About

the matter Vice-Chancellor of pStu

prof.dr.Swadesh Chandra Samanta said,

the legal advisory branch of the university

has been asked to take appropriate legal

action in this regard. the decision will be

taken after talking to the law officials.

Bicycles were distributed among 10 minority ethnic students of the upazila under the project titled

'Development Assistance for Special Areas' at the Upazila Parishad premises on Monday at the initiative

of Fulbari Upazila Administration of Dinajpur.

Photo: TBT

12 more die of Covid-19, 646

test positive in Rajshahi

RAJSHAHI : A total of 646 more

people have tested positive for Covid-

19 in all eight districts of the division on

Sunday, climbing the number of

infections to 42,901.

death toll from the disease reached

658, including 326 in Bogura and 109

in Rajshahi with 66 in its city, while 12

more fatalities were reported afresh on

the day, said dr Habibul Ahsan

talukder, divisional director of Health.

the new daily infection figure shows

a slight declining trend compared to

the previous day's figure of 668, said

the health department sources.

"Among the infected people, 33,832

have, so far, been cured from the lethal

virus with 176 new recoveries found on

Sunday," said dr talukder, adding that

a total of 4,416 infected patients are

now undergoing treatment at different

designated hospitals here.

Besides, all the positive cases for

Covid-19 have, so far, been brought

under necessary treatment while 9,654

were kept in isolation units of different

hospitals for institutional supervision.

of them, 7,694 have by now been

released.

on the other hand, 382 more people

have been sent to home and

institutional quarantine afresh while

123 others were released from isolation

during the last 24 hours till 8 am

Monday.

of the total new positive cases, the

highest 308 were detected in Rajshahi,

including 254 in its city, followed by

107 in naogaon, 70 in natore, 60 in

Joypurhat, 35 in Chapainawabganj, 30

in Bogura, 25 in pabna, and 11 in

Sirajganj districts.

With the new detected patients, the

district-wise break-up of the total cases

now stands at 12,268 in Rajshahi,

including 10,019 in its city, 3,201 in

Chapainawabganj, 2,998 in naogaon,

2,265 in natore, 2,379 in Joypurhat,

12,567 in Bogura, 3,868 in Sirajganj

and 3,355 in pabna.

A total of 76,640 people have, so far,

been kept under quarantine since

March 10 last year to prevent the

community transmission of the deadly

coronavirus (CoVId-19).

of them, 72,688 have, by now, been

released as they were given clearance

certificates after completing their

respective 14-day quarantine period.

Meanwhile, a total of 4,10,902

people received second doses of

CoVId-19 vaccines in the city and

eight districts of Rajshahi division

since the nationwide second dose

vaccination began on April 8 last.

of them, 539 people including 218

females took the second jabs in Bogura

and Chapainawabganj districts of the

division on Sunday, dr Habibul Ahsan

talukder told BSS.

He also said 410 people including

162 females received the vaccines in

Bogura district, while 129 including 56

females in Chapainawabganj on the

day.

ensure scientific agronomic management

in tea cultivation: experts

RAngpuR : experts at a virtual training

workshop yesterday stressed on ensuring

scientific agronomic management

adopting latest technologies in tea

cultivation on plain lands to further boost

production of quality tea.

Bangladesh tea Research Institute of

Bangladesh tea Board (BtB) organised

the event on '"Scientific method of

selecting tea leaves" at its panchagarh

regional office in panchagarh district

town yesterday, a press release said.

the workshop was arranged under the

'expansion of Small Holding tea

Cultivation in northern Bangladesh

project' of BtB following the 'Camellia

open Sky School Model' to reach the

latest scientific methods, technologies

and tea related services to farmers.thirty

small scale tea growers from different

upazilas of panchagarh, thakurgaon,

nilphamari, dinajpur, Lalmonirhat and

Bandarban districts virtually participated

in the event. the event was arranged

under the banner of "Camellia open Sky

School" with the slogan 'Improved

knowledge, improved tea.'

Senior Scientific officer of BtB at its

panchagarh regional office and its project

director of northern Bangladesh project

Agriculturalist dr. Mohammad

Shameem Al Mamun conducted the

training workshop.

Chief Scientific officer of Bangladesh

tea Research Institute in Srimangal, a

subsidiary organisation of Bangladesh

tea Board, dr tawfiq Ahmed spoke as

the key resource person in the workshop.

project director of BtB at Lalmonirhat

Md Arif Khan, the CHt project director

of BtB at Bandarban Suman Sikder, its

development officer Md Amir Hossain

and Assistant Farm Superintendent Md.

Sayedul Haque addressed.

the experts shed light on various issues

related to expanding tea farming,

adopting scientific methods and

technologies and increasing its

production in the northern region as well

as improving the quality of tea.

they discussed the selection methods

of tea varieties, planting of saplings,

plucking, tipping, pruning, application of

fertilizers, control of pests and diseases.

the participating farmers were taught

to use the digitised mobile app 'two

Leaves one Bud' to easily get tea

cultivation related services at their

doorsteps.

dr Mamun urged farmers to expand

tea farming on the highly fertile plain

lands of panchagarh, thakurgaon,

dinajpur, nilphamari and Lalmonirhat

districts to enhance production of quality

tea, earn moiré profits and speed up their

economic development.

Parliament Member Sahadara Mannan spoke as the chief guest at the health camp organized by the

office of the Upazila Women's Affairs Officer at Sariakandi on Sunday to strengthen the health services

of the beneficiaries under the Working Lactating Mother Support Program. Photo : Azahar Ali

In order to strengthen healthcare

in Sariakandi Health camp held

AZAHAR ALI BoguRA CoRReSpondent

A health camp has been organized to strengthen the health

services of the beneficiaries under the Lactating Mother

Support program under the department of Women's Affairs

at Sariakandi in Bogura. on the occasion, Bogra-1 Mp

SahadaraMannan addressed a discussion meeting at

Sariakandi degree College Hall on Sunday noon organized

by the upazila Women's Affairs officer's office.

upazila l executive officer Md. Russell Miah and upazila

Women's Affairs officer Laila parveen presided over the

function. pouroshova Mayor Matiur Rahman Moti and

Medical officer of Sariakandi upazila Health Complex dr.

FarzanaFaiza spoke as special guests. At the end of the

discussion, baby food, masks, soap and food saline were

distributed among the beneficiaries. Acting general

Secretary of upazila Awami League Abdul Khaleqdulu,

Women Vice Chairman Shahinur Begum, upazila Family

planning officer dr enamul Haque and others were present.

Man shot dead in Rangamati

dHAKA : A man was shot dead by some miscreants at

Lulongchhari in Jurachhari of Rangamati district on Sunday

night. the deceased was identified as pathar Moni Chakma, 63

of the area. police said two miscreants called Moni out of his

home and opened fire on him around 10 pm, leaving him dead.

Mir Moddasser, superintendent of Rangamati police said legal

action will be taken in this regard. the body was sent to the

Rangamati Hospital for autopsy. Moni Chakma raised his voice

against criminal activities in the area and played an important

role in the development of the area, said local people.

TUESDAY, JUNE 15, 2021

7

President Joe Biden makes his entrance at a NATO summit aiming to consult European allies on efforts

to counter provocative actions by China and Russia while highlighting the U.S. commitment to the 30-

country alliance that was frequently maligned by predecessor Donald Trump.

Photo : AP

Biden at NATO: Ready to talk China,

Russia and soothe allies

BRUSSELS : President Joe Biden makes

his entrance at a NATO summit aiming to

consult European allies on efforts to

counter provocative actions by China and

Russia while highlighting the U.S.

commitment to the 30-country alliance

that was frequently maligned by

predecessor Donald Trump.

The summit Monday comes as Biden

tries to rally allies for greater coordination

in checking China and Russia, two

adversaries whose actions on economic

and national security fronts have become

the chief foreign policy concerns in the

early going of the Biden presidency. Biden

will use his time at the summit to

underscore the U.S. commitment to Article

5 of the alliance charter, which spells out

that an attack on one member is an attack

on all and is to be met with a collective

response.

"I will make it clear that the United

States' commitment to our NATO alliance

and Article 5 is rock solid," Biden told U.S.

troops in the United Kingdom last week on

G-7 leaders agree on vaccines, China

and taxing corporations

ENGLAND : Leaders of the Group of

Seven wealthy nations staked their

claim Sunday to leading the world out

of the coronavirus pandemic and crisis,

pledging more than 1 billion

coronavirus vaccine doses to poorer

nations, vowing to help developing

countries grow while fighting climate

change and backing a minimum tax on

multinational firms.

At the group's first face-to-face

meeting in two years, the leaders

dangled promises of support for global

health, green energy, infrastructure

and education - all to demonstrate that

international cooperation is back after

the upheavals caused by the pandemic

and the unpredictability of former U.S.

President Donald Trump, reports

UNB.

During their three-day summit in

southwest England, the G-7 leaders

wanted to convey that the club of

wealthy democracies - Canada, France,

Germany, Italy, Japan, the United

Kingdom and the United States - is a

the first stop of his eight-day European

trip. "It's a sacred obligation."

The White House said the communique

to be signed by alliance members at the

end of the NATO summit is expected to

include language about updating Article 5

to include major cyber attacks - a matter of

growing concern amid a series of hacks

targeting the U.S. government and

businesses around the globe by Russiabased

hackers.

The update will spell out that if an

alliance member needs technical or

intelligence support in response to a cyber

attack, it would be able to invoke the

mutual defense provision to receive

assistance, according to White House

national security adviser Jake Sullivan.

The president will begin his day meeting

with leaders of the Baltic states on NATO's

eastern flank regarding the "threat posed

by Russia," China and the recent air piracy

in Belarus, according to Sullivan. He'll also

meet with NATO secretary Jens

Stoltenberg.

better friend to poorer nations than

authoritarian rivals such as China.

"This isn't about imposing our values

on the rest of the world," British Prime

Minister Boris Johnson told reporters

at the end of the seaside summit on the

rugged Cornwall coast. "What we as the

G-7 need to do is demonstrate the

benefits of democracy and freedom and

human rights to the rest of the world."

U.S. President Joe Biden, who was

making his first foreign trip as leader,

said it was an "extraordinary,

collaborative and productive meeting"

that showed "America's back in the

business of leading the world alongside

nations who share our most deeply

held values."

But health and environmental

campaigners were distinctly

unimpressed by the details in the

leaders' final communique.

"This G-7 summit will live on in

infamy," said Max Lawson, the head of

inequality policy at the international

aid group Oxfam. "Faced with the

Biden's itinerary in Europe has been

shaped so that he would first gather with

Group of Seven leaders for a three-day

summit on the craggy shores of Cornwall

and then with NATO allies in Brussels

before his much-anticipated meeting with

Russian President Vladimir Putin in

Geneva on Wednesday.

At the G-7, leaders sought to convey that

the club of wealthy democracies - Canada,

France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United

Kingdom and the United States - is a better

friend to poorer nations than authoritarian

rivals such as China and Russia.

The G-7 meeting ended with a

communique that called out forced labor

practices and other human rights

violations impacting Uyghur Muslims and

other ethnic minorities in the western

Xinjiang province. The president declined

to discuss private summit negotiations

over the provision, but said he was

"satisfied" with the communique, although

differences remain among the allies about

how forcefully to call out Beijing.

biggest health emergency in a century

and a climate catastrophe that is

destroying our planet, they have

completely failed to meet the

challenges of our times."

Despite Johnson's call to "vaccinate

the world" by the end of 2022, the

promise of 1 billion doses for vaccinehungry

countries - coming both directly

and through donations to the

international COVAX program - falls

far short of the 11 billion doses the

World Health Organization said is

needed to vaccinate at least 70% of the

world's population and truly end the

pandemic.

Half of the billion-dose pledge is

coming from the United States and 100

million from Britain. Canada said it

also would give 100 million doses, and

France pledged 60 million. Altogether,

the leaders said they pledged 870

million doses "directly over the next

year," with further contributions taking

the total to the "equivalent of over 1

billion doses."

From left, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, President of the European Council Charles

Michel, US President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, British Prime

Minister Boris Johnson, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, French President Emmanuel

Macron, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and German Chancellor

Angela Merkel, during the leaders official welcome and family photo in Carbis Bay England on

Friday, June 11, 2021.

Photo : AP

Ousted Myanmar leader on trial;

critics say charges bogus

BANGKOK : Myanmar's ousted leader

Aung San Suu Kyi was set to go on trial

Monday on charges that many

observers have criticized as attempt by

the military junta that deposed her to

delegitimize her democratic election

and cripple her political future.

Suu Kyi's prosecution poses the

greatest challenge for the 75-year-old

and her National League for Democracy

party since February's military coup,

which prevented them from taking

office for a second five-year term

following last year's landslide election

victory.

Human Rights Watch charged that

the allegations being heard in a special

court in the capital, Naypyitaw, are

"bogus and politically motivated" with

the intention of nullifying the victory

and preventing Suu Kyi from running

for office again.

"This trial is clearly the opening salvo

in an overall strategy to neuter Suu Kyi

and the National League for Democracy

party as a force that can challenge

military rule in the future," said Phil

Robertson, the organization's deputy

Asia director.

The army seized power on Feb. 1

before the new lawmakers could be

seated, and arrested Suu Kyi, who held

the post of special counsellor, and

President Win Myint, along with other

members of her government and ruling

Israel swears in new

coalition, ending

Netanyahu's long rule

JERUSALEM: Israel's

parliament on Sunday

narrowly approved a new

coalition government,

ending the historic 12-year

rule of Prime Minister

Benjamin Netanyahu and

sending the polarizing

leader into the opposition.

Naftali Bennett, a former

ally of Netanyahu turned

rival, became prime minister

after the 60-59 vote.

Promising to try to heal a

divided nation, Bennett will

preside over a diverse and

fragile coalition comprised

of eight parties with deep

ideological differences.

But the 71-year-old

Netanyahu made clear he

has no intention of exiting

the political stage. "If it is

destined for us to be in the

opposition, we will do it with

our backs straight until we

topple this dangerous

government and return to

lead the country," he said.

The vote, capping a stormy

parliamentary session,

ended a two-year cycle of

political paralysis in which

the country held four

deadlocked elections. Those

votes focused largely on

Netanyahu's divisive rule

and his fitness to remain in

office while on trial for

corruption charges.

To his supporters,

Netanyahu is a global

statesman uniquely capable

of leading the country

through its many security

challenges.

But to his critics, he has

become a polarizing and

autocratic leader who used

divide-and-rule tactics to

aggravate the many rifts in

Israeli society. Those include

tensions between Jews and

Arabs, and within the

Jewish majority between his

religious and nationalist

base and his more secular

and dovish opponents.

Outside the Knesset,

hundreds of protesters

watching the vote on a large

screen erupted into applause

when the new government

was approved. Thousands of

people, many waving Israeli

flags, celebrated in central

Tel Aviv's Rabin Square.

President Joe Biden

quickly congratulated the

new government.

"I look forward to working

with Prime Minister Bennett

to strengthen all aspects of

the close and enduring

relationship between our

two nations," he said in a

statement. He said his

administration is fully

committed to working with

the new government "to

advance security, stability,

and peace for Israelis,

Palestinians, and people

throughout the broader

region."

party. The coup reversed years of slow

progress toward more democracy for

Myanmar.

The army cited the government's

failure to properly investigate alleged

voting irregularities as its reason for

seizing power - an assertion contested

by the independent Asian Network for

Free Elections and many others. Junta

officials have threatened to dissolve the

National League for Democracy for

alleged involvement in election fraud

and any conviction for Suu Kyi could

see her barred from politics.

The junta has claimed it will hold new

elections within the next year or two but

the country's military has a long history

of promising elections and not

following through. The military ruled

Myanmar for 50 years after a coup in

1962, and kept Suu Kyi under house

arrest for 15 years after a failed 1988

popular uprising.

The military's latest takeover sparked

nationwide protests that continue

despite a violent crackdown that has

killed hundreds of people. Although

street demonstrations have shrunk in

number and scale, the junta now faces a

low-level armed insurrection by its

opponents in both rural and urban

areas.

Suu Kyi is being tried on allegations

she illegally imported walkie-talkies for

her bodyguards' use, unlicensed use of

the radios and spreading information

that could cause public alarm or unrest,

as well as for two counts of violating the

Natural Disaster Management Law for

allegedly breaking pandemic

restrictions during the 2020 election

campaign, her lawyers said Sunday.

"All these charges should be dropped,

resulting in her immediate and

unconditional release," said Human

Rights Watch's Robertson. "But sadly,

with the restrictions on access to her

lawyers, and the case being heard in

front of a court that is wholly beholden

to the military junta, there is little

likelihood she will receive a fair trial."

Government prosecutors will have

until June 28 to finish their

presentation, after which Suu Kyi's

defense team will have until July 26 to

present its case, Khin Maung Zaw, the

team's senior member, said last week.

Court sessions are due to be held on

Monday and Tuesday each week.

Two other more serious charges are

being handled separately. Suu Kyi is

charged with breaching the colonialera

Official Secrets Act, which carried

a maximum 14-year prison term, and

police last week filed complaints

under a section of the Anti-

Corruption Law that states that

political office holders convicted for

bribery face a maximum penalty of 15

years in prison and a fine.

Myanmar's ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi was set to go on trial Monday

on charges that many observers have criticized as attempt by the military

junta that deposed her to delegitimize her democratic election and cripple

her political future.

Photo : AP

Nicaragua detains four

more opposition figures

MANAGUA : Nicaraguan police said Sunday

that they had detained four more opposition

figures in a roundup ahead of November

presidential elections in which four would-be

challengers of long-serving leader Daniel Ortega

have already been held.

Those arrested Sunday were top figures of the

Unamos opposition party - its president Suyen

Barahona Cuan, vice-president Hugo Torres, exguerilla

Dora Maria Tellez and Ana Margarita

Vigil Guardian, a police statement said.

It said the four were being investigated for

"acts that undermine independence, sovereignty

and self-determination, (and) inciting foreign

interference in internal affairs," among other

Two rare Javan

rhino calves spotted

in Indonesia

JAKARTA : Two Javan

rhinoceros calves have been

spotted at an Indonesian

national park, offering a

rare sighting of one of the

world's most endangered

mammals.

The pair - ranging in age

from three months to one

year - were caught on

footage snapped by camera

traps in March at Ujung

Kulon national park, the

environment ministry said.

On the westernmost tip of

Java island, Ujung Kulon is

the last remaining wild

habitat for Javan rhinos.

After years of population

decline, there are believed

to be just 73 of the rare

mammals at the sanctuary,

which comprises some

5,100 hectares (12,600

acres) of lush rainforest and

freshwater streams.

Javan rhinos have folds of

loose skin giving them the

appearance of wearing

armour plating.

crimes.

Unamos, formerly known as the Sandinista

Renewal Movement (MRS), is made up largely

of dissidents who split from Ortega's Sandinista

National Liberation Front (FSLN) because they

disagreed with his leadership.

The charges stem from a law initiated by

Ortega's government and approved by

parliament in December to defend Nicaragua's

"sovereignty," which has been criticized by

opponents and rights bodies as a means of

freezing out challengers. Julie Chung, the top US

diplomat for Latin America, called the arrests

"arbitrary" and denounced Ortega's "campaign

of terror" in a tweet.

TuESDAY, JuNE 15, 2021

8

FMCG Major CavinKare extends COVID

support to different hospitals in Dhaka

FMCG Major CavinKare

Bangladesh Private Limited

extended support to three

renowned hospitals in Dhaka

to address the impact of the

ongoing global pandemic

Covid-19. The company

provided safety supplies

grants to Dhaka Medical

College Hospital, National

Institute of Diseases of the

Chest and Hospital (NIDCH)

and the National Institution

of Cancer Research Hospital

(NICRH). Brand Managerof

CavinKareSumaiya Ahmed

handed over the grant to the

Director of, NICRH Prof. Dr.

Qazi Mushtaq Hossain, a

press release said.

Through its diverse range

of consumer brands,

CavinKare has always

emphasized on public health

and safety while maintaining

a top-notch quality. The

safety supplies comprised of

hand wash and hand

sanitizer range from flagship

brands of Cavin Kare.

Regarding this, the Business

Head of CavinKare

Bangladesh, Arun Chako

said, "In these times of

distress, as CavinKare

Bangladesh, an organization

which has always been proud

of our association with

country's population, we

would like to contribute in a

small way through this

activity. We salute the spirit

of the populace & the frontliners

who have shown

indefatigable commitment

for holding forth."

Director of NICRH Prof.

Dr. Qazi Mushtaq Hossain

said, "We are very glad to

receive hand wash and

sanitizers from CavinKare.

We extend our sincere thanks

and best wishes on behalf of

the National Institute and

Cancer Research Hospital."

In Bangladesh, CavinKare

has been operating for the

last 16 years. Along with the

personal care portfolio,

CavinKare has also launched

a hygiene portfolio through

their Nyle liquid handwash

followed by CHIK Sanitizer in

this Covid situation.

The 21st Annual General Meeting of Crystal Insurance Company Limited was held on a digital

platform in a virtual manner recently. The meeting was presided over by the Chairman of the

company Abdullah Al-Mahmud (Mahin). Among others present at the meeting were shareholders

of the company, independent directors and CEO. The Company Secretary, Chief Financial

Officer and Head of Internal Audit and Compliance of the Company, along with representatives

of the Statutory Auditor, Compliance Auditor, BSEC, DSE and CSE, Independent Scrutinizer

were also present at the meeting.

Photo: Courtesy

US Fed expected to stand its ground

despite rising inflation

WASHINGTON: Even in the

face of rising inflation, the

lackluster progress on

restoring jobs lost during the

pandemic means the US

Federal Reserve is unlikely to

budge on monetary policy

when it meets next week,

reports BSS.

Central bank chief Jerome

Powell has made it clear the

Fed will hold the line on its

massive bond buying

program and rock-bottom

lending rates until data

reflect lasting improvement

in employment across all

economic strata.

But the recent surge in

inflation in the world's largest

economy is ramping up the

pressure on policymakers to

begin to pull back on

stimulus programs.

Hints of whether central

bankers will buckle may be

seen next week when the

Fed's policy-setting Federal

Walton launches new production

line, model of washing machine

Bangladesh's super brand in

consumer electronics market

'Walton' has added a new

state-of-the art production

line to the existing one of its

washing

machine

manufacturing factory.

The new line has been set

up for manufacturing latest

technologies' top loading

washing machines. The new

addition has increased the

monthly production capacity

of Walton's washing machine

manufacturing factory to 50K

units and also the number of

workforce rose to over 1K,

says a press release.

On Saturday last (June 12,

2021), Walton Hi-Tech

Industries Limited (WHIL)

Director Tahmina Afrose

Tanna inaugurated the new

production line at Walton Hi-

Tech Park in Chandra,

Gazipur.

Meanwhile, the Walton Hi-

Tech's director unveiled a new

model (ATG80) of washing

machine, featured with

Open Markets Committee

(FOMC) holds its two-day

policy meeting.

"No good deed goes

unpunished and that is the

case with the rapid reopening

of the economy," economist

Joel Naroff said in an

analysis.

"The upside is that growth

is soaring. The downside is

that consumer inflation is

surging, and labor problems

are pressuring businesses."

With widespread

vaccinations in recent

months and massive

government aid, the US

economy has come roaring

back from the Covid-19 crisis

as businesses rushed to

reopen.

But the process has been

bumpy and other countries

have not kept pace, creating a

shortage of supplies and

workers.

That in turn has sent prices

European standard 'Triple

Star' energy rating, diamond

drum, high efficient pulsate,

water recovery program, IMD

control panel, digital display,

durable PCM cabin, 430-

grade stainless steel drum,

soft closing tempered glass

damping door, automatic load

balancing, quick wash, left

time display, self-diagnostic

fault finding convenient

detergent Box, effective lint

filter, drum clean etc. This

new model will cost only Tk 1

per wash.

Among others, WHIL's

Deputy Managing Director

(DMD) Alamgir Alam Sarker,

Executive Directors Col.

(Retd.) Shahdat Alam, Yusuf

Ali, Tapash Kumar

Majumder, Yeasir Al Imran,

Home

Appliance

Department's Chief Executive

Director (CEO) Al-Imran,

Chief Operating Officer Saiful

Islam, Research and

Development Division's Head

Moniruzzaman Karjon and

surging, with the consumer

price index hitting a 13-year

high of five percent in May

compared to the same month

in 2020.

While Fed officials have

repeatedly offered

reassurances that the

increase is mostly due to

temporary issues - used car

prices alone make up the bulk

of the rise - some financial

market players have begun to

sound the alarm, as have

Republicans opposed to

President Joe Biden's

spending plans. "We should

all be very concerned,"

Republican Senator Pat

Toomey tweeted last week.

"It's long overdue for the

Fed to begin the process of

normalizing its monetary

policy."

Omari Swinton, chair of the

Howard University

economics department, said

with businesses finding it

Senior Operative Director

Mohsin Ali Mollah were also

present.

Besides, WHIL's other

DMDs Nazrul Islam Sarker,

Eva Rezwana Nilu, Amdadul

Haque Sarker and Humayun

Kabir, Walton Plaza Trade's

Walton Hi-Tech Industries Limited (WHIL) Director Tahmina Afrose

Tanna inaugurates new production line of washing machine at Walton Hi-

Tech Park in Chandra, Gazipur.

Photo: Courtesy.

CEO Mohammad Rayhan,

International Business Unit's

President Edward Kim,

Executive Directors Sirajul

Islam and Shakhawat Hossen

also attended the function

virtually.

Addressing the function,

WHIL Director Tahmina

Afrose Tanna said, washing

machine has become an

essential household product.

The need for this product is

being felt more and more

during the coronavirus

pandemic, she said adding,

Walton achieved great success

in manufacturing world-class

washing machine in

Bangladesh.

Such

sophisticated products will

take Bangladesh forward with

hard to fill open positions as

they reopen, or competing

with the $1,000 signing

bonus offered by major US

employer Amazon, wage and

price inflation are legitimate

concerns.

But the "systemic" issue of

the worker shortage is the

more important target of the

Fed's policy deliberations, he

said, especially if the labor

pool shrinks permanently in

the wake of the pandemic.

"No one knows if people are

going to go back to work or

not," Swinton told AFP. "So

their focus on making sure

the employment recovery is

strong is more important

than inflation."

That has been Powell's

stance: downplaying inflation

fears while stressing the

importance of allowing the

economy to grow fast enough

that even low wage workers

can find jobs.

the era, she noted.

Walton Home Appliances'

CEO Al-Imran said, Walton

has been manufacturing and

marketing home appliances

since 2017. The washing

machine manufacturing

facotry has been equipped

with an advanced and strong

RnD deivision. In

Bangladesh, only Walton

washing has performance

testing lab, 5 star energy

rating and 5 year guarantee

facility. The demand for

Walton washing machines is

constantly increasing in the

domestic market mainly due

to the production and supply

of world class products at

affordable prices. Walton is

exporting its locally finished

washing machines in various

countries around the world

such as India, Nepal, Yemen

and East Timor. This time

Walton has intensified its

washing

machine

manufacturing activities

targeting the markets of the

developed world including

Europe.

According to the

authorities, Walton is

currently producing and

marketing more than 29

models of semi-automatic

and automatic top and front

loading Walton washing

machines. These washing

machines with a capacity of 6

to 15 kg cost between Tk

8,990 and Tk 59,900. Walton

washing machines are

extremely visually pleasing

and energy efficient. It has all

the latest features. Walton has

76 service centers across the

country under the ISO

Certified

Service

Management System to

provide fast and best after

sales service.

One of the best FMCG product manufacturers in the country CavinKare Bangladesh has provided

safety supplies. During the handover, (left)Director of NICRH, Prof. Dr. Qazi Mushtaq

Hossain& (right)Brand Manager of CavinKare Bangladesh Limited,Sumaiya Ahmedwere present.

Photo: Courtesy

Markets mostly down

in holiday-thinned

Asia trade, eyes on Fed

HONG KONG : Asian

markets struggled Monday

during holiday-hit trade, with

investors looking forward to

the Federal Reserve's next

meeting this week hoping for

fresh clues about monetary

policy in light of the US

economy's blistering recovery,

reports BSS.

Another record close for the

S&P 500 on Wall Street on

Friday provided a healthy lead

for the region, though with

holidays in Hong Kong, China

and Australia, business was

light.

Confidence among

investors remains high as

vaccine rollouts, the easing of

containment measures,

central bank largesse and

government stimulus provide

support, with observers

forecasting a rally that began

in April 2020 will continue

into next year.

US data showing inflation

far higher than expected last

month was taken in stride as

markets appear to have

accepted Fed insistence that

the spike will be temporary

and their ultra-loose

monetary policies - including

record low interest rates - will

be maintained for the

foreseeable future.

There had been a worry that

soaring prices would force the

bank to taper its bond-buying

scheme earlier than first

thought.

Still, this week's meeting

will be closely followed for an

idea about its plans.

Mansoor Mohi-uddin, chief

economist at the Bank of

Singapore, said it is not

expected to announce any

change at the end of the

gathering Wednesday, but it is

"likely to start discussing

when it will begin slowing its

quantitative easing, given the

US economy's strong rebound

from the pandemic".

"But its taper talk will last

many months with the Fed

stressing that it needs to see

'substantial further progress'

towards meeting its goals of

maximum employment and

stable inflation before it will

slow its asset purchases.

G7 to agree climate, conservation

targets as summit ends

CARBIS BAY: G7 leaders on Sunday will

back new conservation and emission targets

to curb climate change, and finalise

collective action on several other fronts, as

they wrap up a three-day summit aimed at

showcasing revived Western unity, reports

BSS.

The group of leading economies, holding

their first in-person gathering in nearly two

years due to the coronavirus pandemic, will

agree to protect at least 30 percent of both

land and ocean globally by the end of the

decade.

The "Nature Compact" struck to try to halt

and reverse biodiversity loss is also set to see

them commit to nearly halve their carbon

emissions by 2030, relative to 2010.

It includes mandating the use of only socalled

clean coal for power "as soon as

possible", ending most government support

for the fossil fuel sector overseas and

phasing out petrol and diesel cars.

Hailing the pact, British Prime Minister

Boris Johnson - who is hosting the

beachside summit in Cornwall, southwest

England - said the G7 wanted to "drive a

global Green Industrial Revolution to

transform the way we live".

"There is a direct relationship between

reducing emissions, restoring nature,

creating jobs and ensuring long-term

economic growth," he added, in remarks

released ahead of the summit's conclusion.

Climate change was a key G7 priority for

his government, as it tries to lay the

groundwork for hosting the UN COP26

environment summit in Glasgow in

November.

But before the pledges had even been

formally adopted, environmental

campaigners blasted them as lacking

enforcement and the necessary scope.

"Despite the green soundbites, Boris

Johnson has simply reheated old promises

and peppered his plan with hypocrisy,

rather than taking real action to tackle the

climate and nature emergency," said

Greenpeace UK's executive director John

Sauven.

He also noted wealthy nations had a

"dismal track record" over the last decade

honouring international climate finance

commitments.

The G7 - Britain, Canada, France,

Germany, Italy, Japan and United States -

were eager to hold their first physical

summit since August 2019 to renew ties

after the discord of Donald Trump's four

years in power.

Joe Biden has sought to turn the page on

his predecessor's international isolationism,

seeking to open a new chapter in the

Western alliance after Trump alienated and

exasperated it at every turn.

The UK government turned to its royals to

add a dash of grandeur to the G7 detente,

with Queen Elizabeth II and her son Prince

Charles hosting a Friday night reception

with G7 leaders and European Union chiefs

also attending.

Joined Saturday by counterparts from

Australia, South Africa and South Korea -

with India also taking part remotely - they

then enjoyed an evening beach barbecue

around fire pits, featuring a sea shanty band

and toasted marshmallows.

Despite the lighter moments, the summit

was largely consumed with the tough task of

forging a more comprehensive response to

the pandemic.

Leaders agreed a declaration to help

prevent future pandemics and are expected

to commit to donate one billion Covid-19

vaccine doses to poor countries.

However, there they also faced pushback,

with critics arguing it provides just a

fraction of what is needed to inoculate the

world against the virus, which has claimed

nearly four million lives globally and is still

spawning new variants.

The allies also unveiled US-led plans to

counter China in infrastructure funding for

poorer nations, promising to "collectively

catalyse" hundreds of billions of

investment.

The "Build Back Better World" (B3W)

project is aimed squarely at competing with

Beijing's trillion-dollar Belt and Road

infrastructure initiative, which has been

widely criticised for saddling small

countries with unmanageable debt.

The leaders will publish further details on

the B3W in the traditional end-of-summit

communique, alongside issuing the Carbis

Bay Declaration on health policy.

G7 leaders were set to return to

discussions on other shared foreign policy

challenges, on promoting "open societies".

Washington is pushing for a stronger

stance on China's alleged forced labour

practices against its Muslim Uyghur

minority. Current tense relations with

Moscow, in particular over its cyber activity,

are also expected to feature.

Most of those present will reconvene

Monday in Brussels for a NATO meeting,

before Biden heads on to his first summit

with Russian President Vladimir Putin in

Geneva, vowing to deliver a blunt message

about Russian behaviour.

Before that, the US president will visit the

queen at Windsor Castle late Sunday, where

he and First Lady Jill Biden will take tea

with Britain's longest-serving monarch.

TueSDAY, June 15, 2021

9

Jermaine Blackwood (L) of West Indies is dismissed by Kagiso Rabada (C) of South Africa during

day 3 of the 1st Test between South Africa and West Indies at Darren Sammy Cricket

Ground, Gros Islet, Saint Lucia.

Photo: AP

Rabada five-for helps South Africa wrap

up innings win over West Indies

SPORTS DESK

Kagiso Rabada completed a five-wicket

haul as South Africa formalised their

demolition of the West Indies by an

innings and 63 runs just before the

lunch interval on the third day of the

first Test in St Lucia on Saturday,

reports UNB.

Having taken just one wicket in the

first innings on day one when the home

side were routed for 97 after choosing to

bat first, Rabada led the way for the

Proteas in the West Indies second

innings with figures of five for 34.

It was his 10th five-wicket haul in Test

cricket. The Caribbean side, trailing on

first innings by 225 runs and resuming

from an overnight position of 82 for

four, were dismissed for 162.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de

Kock, with a Test-best unbeaten 141 in

South Africa's only innings, was named

man of the match. Only Roston Chase,

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with a top score of 62, offered any

meaningful resistance to the South

African bowlers, the next best effort

being 14 from replacement opening

batsman Kieran Powell, who came into

the match on the first afternoon as a

concussion replacement for middleorder

batsman Nkrumah Bonner.

Ironically, as well as Rabada bowled

with the excellent support of Anrich

Nortje, whose figures of three for 46

gave him seven wickets in the match,

Chase's demise was not to any of the fast

bowlers but the spin of Keshav Maharaj.

Undone by a faster ball, Chase played

on attempting a forcing shot.

It was Maharaj's second wicket in

quick succession after his first ball of the

day accounted for Jason Holder, the

former captain inexplicably offering no

shot to a straight delivery.

Joshua da Silva became the third

West Indies batsman bowled offering

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no shot in the match.

Unsettled Da Silva -

Struck painfully on the left elbow

when he ducked into a short ball from

Rabada, the wicketkeeper-batsman

never looked settled thereafter and his

off-stump went cartwheeling a few

minutes later via an error of judgement.

West Indies were hopeful that the

overnight pair of Chase and Jermaine

Blackwood would have provided stern

resistance but within half an hour they

were separated, Blackwood mistiming a

drive off Rabada to fall to a catch at midoff

for the seventh time in his Test

career.

Wickets fell regularly thereafter and it

was left to Nortje to put the seal on a

near-perfect Test performance by the

South Africans, Wiaan Mulder

emphasising the excellent work of the

supporting slip cordon with another

good catch.

Krejcikova wins French

Open, dedicates victory

to Novotna

SPORTS DESK

Barbora Krejcikova won her

maiden Grand Slam singles

title at the French Open on

Saturday, beating Russia's

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova to

become the first Czech

woman in 40 years to

conquer Roland Garros

before dedicating her victory

to former Wimbledon

champion Jana Novotna

who died four years ago.

Krejcikova, ranked 33 in

the world and playing just

her fifth main draw in a

Slams singles event,

triumphed 6-1, 2-6, 6-4 for a

second career title.

The 25-year-old emulates

compatriot Hana

Mandlikova who claimed the

trophy in Paris in 1981.

The 25-year-old Krejcikova

paid an emotional tribute to

her mentor Novotna, who

died of cancer at the age of 49

in 2017.

Finland beats Denmark at Euro

2020 after Eriksen's collapse

SPORTS DESK

Joel Pohjanpalo scored and Lukas

Hradecky saved a penalty to give

Finland a 1-0 victory over Denmark on

Saturday in a European

Championship game overshadowed

by Christian Eriksen's collapse on the

field, reports UNB.

The game was suspended for about

90 minutes after Eriksen needed

urgent medical treatment near the

end of the first half before being taken

to a hospital. The Danish soccer

federation said Eriksen was awake

and in stable condition.

"Of course you can't play a game

with such feelings," Denmark coach

Kasper Hjulmand said. "What we

tried to do was incredible. It's

incredible that the players managed to

go out and try to play the second half

and still be dominant. I'm very

affected myself."

When play resumed, Pohjanpalo put

Finland ahead against the run of play

in the 60th minute when he rose

above Joakim Maehle to head home a

cross from Jere Uronen. Goalkeeper

Kasper Schmeichel got his hands on

the ball but couldn't keep it out.

It was Finland's only effort on goal

in the entire game as Denmark

dominated throughout and finished

with 23 total shots, although only six

were on target.

The Danes' best chance came when

they were handed a penalty after

Yussuf Poulsen went down under a

challenge from Paulus Arajuuri. But

Kiwis eye series

win after England

collapse

SPORTS DESK

Matt Henry took three toporder

wickets to leave New

Zealand on the brink of a

series-clinching win as

England's batsmen failed

miserably in the second and

final Test at Edgbaston

Saturday, reports UNB.

England, on a good

batting pitch, were 122/9 in

their second innings at

stumps on the third day -

just 37 runs ahead of New

Zealand with one wicket

standing and two days left to

play.

Even so, that still

represented a recovery

from an even more

embarrassing 76/7.

Henry, one of an

exceptional six changes to

the New Zealand side that

drew the first Test at Lord's,

took the first three wickets

to fall en route to fine figure

of 3/36 in 12 overs.

New Zealand are eyeing

only a third series win in

England after their 1986

and 1999 triumphs - an

ideal way to prepare for

their appearance in next

week's inaugural World Test

Championship final against

India at Southampton.

England are facing a first

series loss on home soil in

seven years since a 2014

reverse against Sri Lanka.

Hradecky dived to his left to stop a

tame effort from Pierre-Emile

Hojbjerg in the 74th.

Finland was making its debut at a

major tournament but what should

have been the biggest win in the

country's soccer history was

completely overshadowed by

Eriksen's medical emergency.

"It's been definitely one of the most

difficult games of my career," Finland

forward Teemu Pukki said.

"We decided to do what the Danish

team decided to do. … It wasn't easy to

come back to the pitch. But once we

heard everything seemed to be fine we

started concentreaching the bio-

Secure environment during the

ongoing DPL as he decided to call

two additional net bowlers from his

own cricket academy during his

individual training session at the

BCB indoor training facility. Rating

again on the game. And in the end we

are proud of the victory. But the

atmosphere after the game is

definitely not as glorious as usual."

Eriksen was given urgent medical

attention on the field for about 10

minutes before he was carried off on a

stretcher. "As per the code of conduct

of BCB, it's a Level 3 offence for

which the match referee banned him

for three matches and fined him

Taka 5 lakh," Inam said here.

"This will be effective with

immediate effect which means he

wouldn't be available for the next

three matches of Mohammedan."

GD-1020/21 (5x3)

1594

The teams held an emergency meeting

and decided to continue the match

after it became clear that Eriksen was

in stable condition.

Hjulmand said he was given the

option of finishing the game on

Saturday or resuming on Sunday.

"The players couldn't imagine not

being able to sleep tonight and then

having to get in tomorrow, get on the

bus and play a game," Hjulmand said.

"Honestly, it was best to get it over

with."

Denmark captain Simon Kjaer, who

is close friends with Eriksen, couldn't

go on for long, though. He was

substituted in the 63rd minute.

"Simon was very, very affected,"

Hjulmand said. "I can't imagine

playing a football game myself after

that. He was overwhelmed, they are

very good friends." Denmark had

dominated the first half until the

incident, and forced three decent saves

from Hradecky in the opening 20

minutes. Jones Wind first tried a hard

shot from the edge of the area, before

Hradecky tipped a header from Pierre-

Emile Hojbjerg over the bar and then

palmed away a dipping long-distance

shot from Eriksen in the 19th.

The Danes then failed to test

Hradecky again until the penalty save.

At the final whistle, Finland's players

celebrated loudly in front of their fans,

while Denmark's hugged on the field.

Top-ranked Belgium beat Russia 3-0

in the other Group B match at Euro

2020.

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31.02.1428

14.6.2021

GD-1015/21 (7x3)

TUesDAY, JUNe 15, 2021

10

Jaya Ahsan lends

support to Pori Moni

Ityadi famed 'Nati' enraged

with death rumours

TBT RepoRT

Popular magazine show Ityadi

famed actor Shawkat Ali

Talukder, nicknamed Nipu,

famous for

playing the role of Nati in the

Nani and Natni skit expressed

rage with rumours surrounding

his death. The actor has received

more than 200 calls from friends

andfamily to know whether he is

alive. Nipu said, "Why do they

have to kill me, I am still alive.

Everybody is calling me and is

coming to my house to see me.

Why do people need to spread

such a rumour like this."

TBT RepoRT

Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy

announced the names of 20 recipients for its

prestigious ShilpakalaPadak 2019 and 2020

Saturday.

Eighteen cultural luminaries and two

cultural organisations will receive the

award, said the academy.

The award has been conferred to creative

personalities for their continuous

contributions to arts, culture, entertainment

and literature since 2013.

However, the award was not conferred in

2019 and the ceremony could not take place

in 2020 due to the ongoing global

pandemic.

The recipients of the 2019 award are

Mohammad Moniruzzaman (instrumental -

News of his death has been

surfing all around social media

since yesterday. The actor had to

contact with media to inform his

fans that he is still alive and that

everyone should refrain from

spreading rumours about his

death.

Nipu also said, "Everybody was

calling me to find out whether I

am alive or not. This incident

really broke me apart. I had to

receive each and everyone's call

to ensure them that I am still

alive. I don't know what kind of

sick person gets amusement by

spreading the news about

someone's death. Please do make

a news about it and let everyone

know that I am still alive." I am

currently living in Uttara.

The actor got acquainted with

Itaydi host HanifSanket in

1993. HanifSanket saw his

performance in a programme

at Rajarbagh police line. From

there on NIpu got the

opportunity to work with him

in the popular reality show

"Ityadi."

Nipu first played the role of

Nati with co-actor Amol Bose.

After the death of actor Bose, he

is currently acting with actress

ShabnamParvin in the "Nani-

Natni" skit.

18 artists, 2 organisations to receive

ShilpakalaPadak 2019, 2020

flute), LubnaMarium (dance), Hasina

Momtaz (vocal), Abdul Mannan (fine arts),

TBT RepoRT

Renowned actress of Dhaka

cinema Pori Moni has alleged

that she was the victim of

attempted rape and murder.

She herself informed the matter

through a status on her

Facebook page on Sunday. She

then presented the incident to

the media through a press

conference.

Popular actress of two Bangla

Jaya Ahsan has protested such

an incident took place against

Pori Moni. In a post shared on

Masud Ali Khan (dramatics), M A Taher

(photography), ShamvuAcharaya (folklore),

Hasan Arif (recitation), Anupam Hayat

(film) and cultural institution Chhayanaut

(creative cultural unit).

For 2020, the selected cultural

personalities are Shamsur Rahman

(instrumental - shehnai), Shibli

Mohammad (dance), Mahmudur

Rahman Benu (vocal), ShahidKabir (fine

arts), Malay Bhowmick (dramatics),

Shafiqul Islam Swapan (photography),

Shah Alam Sarkar (folklore), Dahlia

Ahmed (recitation), Shameem Akhtar

(film) and DinajpurNattyaSamity

(creative cultural unit).

The awards will be handed over to the

recipients at a ceremony later at the

academy in the capital's Segunbagicha.

Kevin joins Dinklage, Jacob in

'Toxic Avenger' reboot

Actor Kevin Bacon will essay the role of

villain in the Legendary's reboot of the

1984 film Toxic Avenger. Directed by

Macon Blair, the reboot will be a

contemporary re-imagining of Troma

Entertainment's 1984 low-budget action

comedy hit.

Kevin, the Hollywood star known with

films such as 'Footloose', 'A Few Good

Men', 'Hollow Man' and 'Mystic River' to

his credits, joins Peter Dinklage, Jacob

Tremblay and Taylour Paige. According

to news 'Toxic Avenger' will cover

environmental themes and subvert the

superhero genre in the vein of 'Deadpool'.

Macon has also penned the script for

the film, which will follow a struggling

everyman who, when pushed into a vat of

toxic waste, is transformed into a mutant

freak. The man must go from shunned

outcast to underdog hero as he races to

save his son, his friends, and his

community from the forces of corruption

and greed.

Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz from

Troma Entertainment will serve as

producers. The long and successful run of

'The Toxic Avenger spawned' sequels

'The Toxic Avenger Part II'(1989) and

'The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last

Temptation of Toxie' (1989).

Source: Indian Express

Well, the craze of the cool sports

bikes and amazingly unique

thefts had taken over our minds

back then. From John

Abraham's s*xy physique,

Hrithik Roshan's crazy looks to

Aamir Khan's superb acrobats,

we have loved the franchise in

all its forms. Just imagine the

craze if we tell you that the

newest actors to join this tribe is

going to be Salman Khan and

Akshay Kumar?

Yes! You heard that right. Well,

no, you may not completely be

correct, but fans might want to

see this duo together in the

fourth instalment of the super

hit film. At least, that is what the

fan poster indicates.

Recently a poster of 'Dhoom 4'

with Salman Khan went viral on

social media. He was listed as a

star in the franchise's fourth

instalment on the poster. It's

actually a fan-made poster that's

making the rounds on the

internet. Yash Raj Films (YRF)

has not made any casting

announcements for this film yet.

In fact, we have no clue if a

Facebook, she wrote, "Since

hearing the news of Pori Moni,

my mind has been filled with

pain and contempt. I'm hurt as

a person, as a girl, as a member

of the acting world."

"After crossing the path of the

21st century, do girls still have

to face such humiliation?

Where does this mentality or

courage to treat such a girl

come from? Is the film industry

that we have built with blood

and sweat so fragile?" she

asked. Jaya Ahsan further

wrote, "We want to understand

ARIes

(March 21 - April 20) : You may feel

nostalgic as you look through photo

albums, rearrange furniture, and

remember past times, Aries. Your mind will touch on

emotional events that you may not have fully dealt

with at the time they happened. Old feelings that you

thought were gone could well up and bring tears to

your eyes. Honestly face these feelings now instead of

stuffing them back down for another decade.

TAURUs

(April 21 - May 21) : You could

be operating based on an

assumption that's only a partial

representation of the truth. In your effort to

think about only the good side of the situation,

Taurus, you may not see the entire truth.

There's a downside to everything. Feelings of

anger, frustration, and even loneliness may go

along with it.

GeMINI

(May 22 - June 21) : If you're

experiencing emotional upheaval,

Gemini, you may take heart in

knowing that other people are going through

their own emotional turmoil as well. You will

know that you aren't alone in your quest for

emotional stability. Share your feelings with

others instead of shutting them up inside. It will

help you feel better.

cANceR

(June 22 - July 23) : You may

feel like someone's giving you

the third degree, Cancer. You

sense that you're being accused of something

and that you need to defend your feelings and

actions. Try not to fall into this trap. Don't let

self-doubt sneak into the situation just

because someone else questions your way of

life. No one but you fully understands your

situation.

Leo

(July 24 - Aug. 23): Today may

be filled with "I told you so!" You

could find fault with others who

haven't dealt with the truth of a situation. Be

careful about accusing someone of the very

thing that you're guilty of, Leo. Penetrating

emotions will cut to the heart of the matter, and

there will be no way to escape the hole you dig

for yourself. Don't criticize others when until you

take an honest look at yourself.

VIRGo

(Aug. 24 - Sept. 23): Most of the time

you deal with the facts, Virgo. Facts

are things you can grasp, categorize,

and make rational sense of. Unfortunately, today

some of your facts may be challenged by one of the

things you fear most - intense emotions. The

ensuing friction is like dealing with apples and

this incident up to the bottom.

We want to see such mischief

judged. I want to see that such

treatment to any girl, no matter

who they are, has come to an

end." Pori Moni said an attempt

was made to rape her at a boat

club in Uttara on Wednesday

night. A man named Nasir

Uddin wanted to cause this

incident by consuming

something intoxicating.

'Dhoom 4': Is it Salman

vs Akshay!

fourth part will be made or not?

But fans love this, and some

even went to state that Akshay

Kumar should be cast with the

'Dabangg' actor.

These tweets are proof enough

for us to understand that the

fans are more than happy to see

Salman and Akshay in the

fourth instalment. Makers, we

hope you are making a note.

Source: Times Of India

H o Roscope

oranges.

LIBRA

(Sept. 24 - Oct. 23): It will be

hard to deal with emotional

issues that arise. A strong misleading force

is feeding the illusion that things are fine

when they really aren't. Stop pretending

that everything is going well, Libra. The

sooner you face the truth, the sooner it will

stop plaguing you. Confront the deception

directly.

scoRpIo

(Oct. 24 - Nov. 22): Don't automatically

assume that people are going to

understand your needs, Scorpio. Your emotions may

be powerful today, and you could end up scaring

people away instead of drawing them closer simply

because you act irrationally and emotionally instead of

reasonably and civilly. Be careful about targeting your

frustration at the people who can help you the most.

sAGITTARIUs

(Nov. 23 - Dec. 21): You're in a

difficult position. Things aren't

exactly what they seem,

Sagittarius. Your emotions run the show today,

and you may jump from one extreme to the other.

There's a good chance that much of what you

experience is based on misinformation. Don't get

so caught up in the drama that you fail to

recognize the truth of the situation.

cApRIcoRN

(Dec. 22 - Jan. 20): When faced

with an emotionally intense

situation, you're likely to flee,

Capricorn. You'd rather change the subject to

something more lighthearted. This form of

escapism is doing nothing to solve the

problem. In fact, by avoiding the emotional

topic, you're only creating more friction than if

you just approached the problem directly.

AQUARIUs

(Jan. 21 - Feb. 19) : With your

psychic abilities, you're liable to

shed some light on issues in

which the truth has been unclear

for quite a while, Aquarius. You can use your

sensitivity to cut to the heart of the matter and

expose the truth. This kind of behavior probably

won't come without friction from others. You

can almost guarantee that it will. Don't let it faze

you. It's important to reveal the truth.

pIsces

(Feb. 20 - Mar. 20) : Control issues in

your home are apt to be of concern today,

Pisces. Be careful about feeding into

others' misconceptions of the situation.

You're dealing with powerful, opinionated forces that

aren't going to want to budge. Someone may have a

warped view of the true issue at hand. Lay all the facts on

the table before you start drawing any conclusions.

tuesDAY, june 15, 2021

11

As COVID-19 cases wane, vaccine-lagging

in USA still see risk

JACKSON : New COVID-19 cases are

declining across th Unitd States, even

in some states with vaccine-hesitant

populations. But almost all states

bucking that trend have lower-thanaverage

vaccination rates, and experts

warn that relief from the pandemic

could be fleeting in regions where few

people get inoculated, reports UNB.

Case totals nationally have declined

in a week from a seven-day average of

nearly 21,000 on May 29 to 14,315 on

Saturday, according to data from Johns

Hopkins University. For weeks, states

and cities have been dropping virus

restrictions and mask mandates, even

indoors.

Experts said some states are seeing

increased immunity because there

were high rates of natural spread of the

disease, which has so far killed nearly

600,000 Americans.

"We certainly are getting some

population benefit from our previous

cases, but we paid for it," said

Mississippi State Health Officer Dr.

Thomas Dobbs. "We paid for it with

deaths."

More than 7,300 Mississippians have

died in the pandemic, and the state has

the sixth-highest per capita death rate.

Dobbs estimated that about 60% of

the state's residents have "some

underlying immunity."

"So we're now sort of seeing that

effect, most likely, because we have a

combination of natural and vaccineinduced

immunity," Dobbs said.

Just eight states - Alabama,

Arkansas, Hawaii, Missouri, Nevada,

Texas, Utah and Wyoming - have seen

their seven-day rolling averages for

infection rates rise from two weeks

earlier, according to data compiled by

Johns Hopkins University. All of them

except Hawaii have recorded

vaccination rates that are lower than

the US average of 43% fully vaccinated,

according to the U.S Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention.

The 10 states with the fewest new

cases per capita over that time frame all

have fully vaccinated rates above the

national average.

Dhaka Water Supply & Sewerage Authority (DWASA)

Office of the Executive Engineer

MODS Zone-5, Dhaka WASA

Mohakhali TB Gate, Dhaka-1212

Phone-+88029899338 Email-dwasaz5@yahoo.com

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Memo :46.113.409.00.00.17/2017-818 Date : 14.06.2021

e-Tender Notice

Iqvmv-R:Z: 231/2021

GD-1018/21 (8x4)

GD-1016/21 (7x4)

GD-1021/21 (8x4)

GD-1013/21 (9x4)

Tuesday, Dhaka, June 15, 2021, ashar 1, 1428 BS, Zilqad 3, 1442 hijri

Khaleda Zia's lungs and

kidneys not functioning

properly: Fakhrul

Bangladesh logs 54

Covid deaths, 3,050

new infections, both

highest in nearly a

month

Shafiqul iSlam

Why the BNP chairperson and former

Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia is

getting fever again and again? The BNP

has explained of this question. Khaleda

Zia is repeatedly suffering from fever

due to lung and kidney complications.

BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul

Islam Alamgir made the remarks at a

press conference on Monday (June 14)

afternoon while informing about the latest

condition of Khaleda Zia who is

undergoing treatment at Evercare

Hospital in the capital. He said as far as

I know from the doctors, she (Khaleda

Zia) has heart problems. If that problem

doesn't go away, the way the water

comes to her lungs won't stop. Which

they (physicians) think is that kidney is

not functioning properly. Her liver is not

working properly. That's why when the

fever goes away, her fever is coming

again. Last (Sunday) she had a fever.

Expressing gratitude to the doctors of

Evercare Hospital, Mirza Fakhrul said

that they are trying their best.

Repeatedly they say that our hospitals

are not enough. She should be taken to

the Advance Center for treatment.

The BNP chairperson is undergoing

treatment under a 10-member medical

board headed by Cardiologist Dr.

Shahabuddin Talukder of Evercare hospital.

Khaleda Zia was admitted to

Evercare Hospital in Bashundhara on

April 27 after suffering from various

complications. 6 days later (May 3) she

was transferred to the CCU where she

felt short of breath. When her condition

improved, Khaleda Zia was brought

back to the cabin a month later on June

3 on the advice of doctors. While in

CCU, Khaleda Zia contracted a 'sudden'

fever on May 28. On May 30, her fever

came under control. On April 14, she

was infected with corona virus at her

home in Gulshan, Firoza. She was

released on May 9.

Meanwhile, Mirza Fakhrul presented

some of the decisions taken at the BNP

standing committee meeting at a press

conference. BNP acting chairman

Tarique Rahman presided over the

meeting. BNP secretary general briefed

to the meeting about physical condition

of Begum Khaleda Zia. Expressing deep

concern over the deteriorating condition

of Khaleda Zia and praying to Almighty

Allah for her immediate recovery.

The BNP secretary general said the

meeting expressed deep concern over

the process of handing over the responsibility

of national identity card functions

from the Election Commission to

the Home Ministry. Because the meeting

thinks that if such a decision is

implemented for the political objective.

It will destroy even the minimum range

of democracy in the future and will

destroy the process of peaceful transfer

of power forever. The meeting called for

an immediate end to such activities.

Otherwise, the government will have to

take all the responsibility for its negative

impact.

In addition, the Indian delta variant

corona virus has been spreading in the

border districts of the country recently.

But the government's corruption,

incompetence, indifference is taking the

situation out of control. Despite repeated

calls on the Corona issue, they have

failed to provide a clear roadmap to the

public. The BNP demanded immediate

resignation of the health minister and

removal of officials involved in corruption

in the ministry and the department

and taking necessary steps subject to

investigation.

Cabinet okays policy to develop

local automobile industry

DHAKA : The Cabinet on Monday

approved the draft of a policy to develop

automobile industry in the country considering

the growing demand, reports UNB.

The Automobile Industry Development

Policy 2021 was okayed at the weekly

Cabinet meeting held at the Cabinet Room

of the Jatiya Sangsad with Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

"We need to develop the automobile

industry in our own interest amid

growing demand.... We're thinking of

the development of the automobile

industry to some extent, not remaining

dependent only on import," said

Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul

Islam during a post-meeting media

briefing at the Secretariat. He said

there is a potential for the development

of the automobile industry in the

country. The main objective of the

policy is to develop the local industry

by ensuring competence in automobile

engineering and necessary facilities

for production of automobiles and

parts, he said.

Khandker Anwarul said another

objective of the policy is to enhance

scopes for cooperation and joint-investment

between local automobile industries

and with international automobile

brands so that the products of famous

brands and models can be produced

here at lesser costs. He said quoted

Japanese ambassador in Dhaka as saying

that a famous Japanese company

has shown interest making their brands

in Bangladesh.

Besides, the Cabinet gave the final

approval to the draft of the Delimitation

of Constituencies Bill, 2021 seeking to

formulate an act to replace a military

regime-era ordinance in line with the

court's judgment.

DHAKA : Amid the desperate bid to

procure vaccines for all, Bangladesh

reported 54 Coronavirus-related deaths

and 3,050 new cases in 24 hours until

Sunday morning, both the highest in

around a month, reports UNB.

The country last recorded 56 deaths

on May 9 and 3031 cases on April 27.

With the new numbers, the country's

total caseload stood at 8,29,972 while

death toll at 13,172, according to a handout

issued by the Directorate General of

Health Services.

Besides, the case positivity rate today

jumped again to 14.80% from

Saturday's 12.99% while the fatality rate

remained static at 1.59%, showed the

DGHS handout.

New cases were detected after testing

20,602 samples during the period while

the country has so far completed testing

61,95,714 samples.

However, 7,68,830 people have

recovered from the infection so far, putting

the recovery rate at 92.63% yesterday.

Consumers may experience

disruption in gas supply

until June 16

DHAKA : Consumers may experience

trouble in gas supply from Monday to

Wednesday due to disruption in delivery

of imported liquefied natural gas

(LNG), reports UNB.

Titas Gas Transmission and

Distribution Company Ltd said consumers

may experience disruption or

low pressure in gas supply from June

14-16 as unloading of LNG from ships is

being disrupted due to inclement

weather. "This creates disturbance in

supply of 400 million cubic feet of gas

per day (mmcfd) to the transmission

system", it said, adding that consumers

of different groups including households,

industries, power plants and

commercial users may suffer.

The Titas Gas regrets the inconveniences

of its consumers, it added.

Lower courts allow bail

to 1,048 juveniles

through virtual hearing

DHAKA : Lower courts and tribunals

across the country in the last 41 working

days, have granted bail to 1,048 juveniles

after hearing their pleas virtually,

reports BSS.

Confirming the matter to BSS,

Supreme Court spokesperson and High

Court Division Special Officer Md Saifur

Rahman said the lower courts and tribunals

across the country in the last 41

working days from 12 April to 13 June

have disposed of 1,26,345 bail pleas and

allowed bail to 64,576 accused.

The lower courts and tribunals on

June 13 disposed of 3,280 bail pleas and

allowed bail to 1,501 accused.

The locals joined with the students in a march towards Rangpur medical College to protest

against the assault of two university students and a syndicate of intermediaries. Photo: PBa

Prime minister Sheikh hasina presided over a cabinet meeting held in the conference room

of National Parliament.

Photo: PBa

Bangladesh face mighty Oman today

DHAKA : Bangladesh looking forward

to salvaging some momentum as they

face highly motivated Oman in their last

match of the FIFA World Cup 2022

qualifiers scheduled to be held today at

the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in

Doha, reports BSS.

The match, which is also part of Asian

Cup 2023, kicks off at 11.10 pm (BST).

Ranked 184th by FIFA, Bangladesh

failed to win any of their seven matches

in qualifying so far, with 1-1 draw with

Afghanistan in their first match and 0-2

defeat to India on Monday last and it's

easily presumed that Bangladesh team

is going to finish bottom of Group E.

The football fans have lost all of their

interest from the qualifiers after

Bangladesh's shocking defeat to India.

Oman is so strong as an opponent that

Bangladesh is not expecting to win.

Even a draw will be good enough for

Jamie Day's men if they are able to hold

mighty Oman, who is 80th in FIFA

World ranking.

The green jersey have been looking

unconvincing lately and have gone four

games in a row without a win within the

JS passes bill to ensure proportionate

use of iodine in salt, regulate market

SANGSAD BHABAN : The Iodised Salt

Bill, 2021 was passed in Parliament on

Monday, aiming to ensure proportionate

use of iodine in salt and regulate the

salt market in the country.

The Bill was passed by voice vote

when Industries Minister Nurul Majid

Humayun Mahmud placed it.

The proposed Bill will be enacted

through annulling previous 'Iodine

Deficiency Disease Prevention Act-

1989'.

Under the proposed law, a 14-member

national salt committee, headed by

the Industries Secretary as its chairman,

will be formed to oversee production,

processing, refining, storage, transportation

and marketing of salt, ensuring

iodine use in salt, supply of iodine to

the salt factories, regulating salt import,

as well as to place recommendations

over salt management policy.

There will be a separate cell under the

Industries Ministry to ensure the proportionate

mixing of iodine in salt.

If anyone wants to produce, process,

store, import, supply salt or set up a salt

factory, the concerned person will have

to get registered under the proposed

law.

It would be considered an offense if

anyone to tries to import, produce, market

or stock salt without registering

beforehand.

If anyone produces, processes and

imports salt and runs iodised salt factory

without registration, or doesn't maintain

the standard, the person will be sentenced

to one to three years of jail and

fined Tk 50,000- Tk 15 lakh or both.

The law violators can be punished

through mobile courts.

According to the bill, During the past

decades, Bangladesh has done a

remarkable job bringing down the numbers

of goitre and thyroid disease.

In the mid-1990s, around 47 percent

of population suffered from goitre.

Today, that number has fallen well

below 6 percent.

Eviction begins on Chattogram hills

to save lives during landslides

CHATTOGRAM: Authorities have started a drive to evict families living illegally on

the high-risk hills to save them from possible landslides casualties during upcoming

monsoon, reports UNB.

The drive was launched on Monday by the district administration and department

of environment of Chattogram. It started at 11 am from the Bayezid section of the city's

Faujdarhat-Bayezid Link Road. Six magistrates conducted the operation in three

groups. Assistant Commissioner (Land) Mamnoon Ahmed Anik told the media that

all illegal structures on both sides of Bayezid Link Road were being demolished.

"A simultaneous eviction drive led by six magistrates is underway in Kattli,

Hathazari and Sitakunda sections of Link Road," he added.

A large number of police, RAB and fire service members were deployed in the operation.

According to the Chattogram district administration, around 835 families are

living illegally in 17 high-risk hills of the port city.

Besides, 18 new hills were cut during the construction of CDA's Bayezid-Faujdarhat

link road. The first day of the eviction drive saw the removal of the illegal establishments

which crept up on these hills.

last seven matches, Jamie Day's men

scored only three goals.

The situation made more worse as

regular skipper Jamal Bhuyan, Biplu

Ahmed, Rahmat Mia, Sohel Rana and

Masuk Mia Jony will not be able to play

against Oman due to injury and card

problem, but at the same time match

will be a wonderful opportunity for

Jamie Day's men to give his fearless best

on the pitch.

Earlier the round of qualification

between Bangladesh and Oman took

place in 2019 and ended with a confident

victory of Oman with a convincing

score of 4-1.

Despite this situation, defender Topu

Barman found hope to snatch at least

one point against Oman.

"We have a very good idea about the

strength of Oman and we watched their

two previous matches against

Afghanistan and Qatar and sorted out

their weak and strong points. We have

worked hard during the training session

and the coach taught us and worked

with us on how to restrict Oman. I hope

if we are able to perform as per according,

we'll be able to snatch one point

from them (Oman)." Topu said.

Topu was also hopeful to put up their

best performance in their last match

against Oman.

On the other hand, a brace from

Abdullah Fawaz helped Oman secure a

narrow 2-1 win against Afghanistan held

on Friday last boosted their hopes of

advancing to the final round of the Asian

Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar

2022 with a 2-1 win over Afghanistan in

Group E on Friday.

Qatar have sealed top spot in Group

E with an unassailable 22 points while

Oman will not move anywhere from

the second place with 15 points as they

are aiming for another victory against

lowly Bangladesh to tighten their grip

on one of the five places available for

the best runners-up in the final round

of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022

Qualifiers.

Bangladesh remained bottom of the

table with two points. India stood at

third position with six points while

Afghanistan placed at fourth in the

table with five points.

Covid-19:

12 patients die at RMCH

in a single day

RAJSHAHI : Twelve people including

five women died of Covid-19 at

Rajshahi Medical College Hospital

(RMCH) in 24 hours until 8 am on

Monday as infections and deaths

continue to soar in the frontier districts,

reports UNB.

Among them, ten were Covid-19

patients while the rest two died

after showing Covid-19 symptoms

at the hospital, said director of the

hospital Brigadier General Shamim

Yeazdani.

Of the deceased, three were from

Rajshahi, six from

Chapainawabganj, two from Natore

and one from Meherpur district.

A total of 137 people have died of

Covid in the last 13 days till Monday

morning.

Forty-four people were admitted

to the Corona unit of the hospital in

24 hours till Monday morning and

of them, 33 are from Rajshahi, five

from Chapainawabganj, two each

from Naogaon and Pabna and one

each from Natore and Kushtia districts.

Twenty-sixpeople were discharged

from the hospial after

recovery during the period.307 people

have been undergoing treatment

at the hospital against 271

beds at the Corona unit of the hospital.

However, the hospital authorities

are providing treatment after

arranging additional beds, said

Shamim. "Only those who need

oxygen facilities are being admitted

to the hospital due to shortage of

beds," he said.

As the coronavirus situation in

Rajshahi kept worsening the district

administration imposed a

strict lockdown from 5pm on June 4

till June 17 midnight.

15-06-2021

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