Todays E-PAPER (121-12-12)

fRIdAy 

Dhaka :September 29, 2017; ashwin 14, 1424 BS; Muharram 8, 1439 hijri 

www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www. tbtlive.com 

Regd.No.Da~2065, Vol.15; No.238; 12 Pages~Tk.8.00 

INTERNATIONAL 

Mark Zuckerberg 

rejects Trump 

bias claims 

>Page 7 

UK joins BD’s 

call for an end to 

Rakhine violence 

Dhaka : Mark Field, Minister of State 

for asia and the Pacific at the British 

Foreign Office, on Thursday joined the 

Bangladesh government's call for an 

immediate end to violence in the 

Rakhine State of Myanmar, reports 

UNB. 

he had a productive meeting with 

State Minister for Foreign affairs Md 

Shahriar alam on the ongoing 

Rohingya crisis. The minister tweeted: 

"In Dhaka, useful meeting with 

@MdShahriaralam on Rohingya crisis. 

Join Govt of Bangladesh calling for 

immediate end to violence in Rakhine." 

Rain disrupts 

life for tourists, 

Rohingyas 

COX'S BaZaR : Rainfall at regular 

intervals is making life difficult for both 

tourists and incoming Rohingyas in the 

district on Thursday, reports UNB. 

The sandy beaches at kolatoli, 

Shugandha and Labony Point experienced 

a lesser number of visitors than 

expected earlier. 

"Not many customers are out in the 

open today," said Mong Rakhine, an 

oyster engraver at kolatoli beach market, 

"Thanks to this rain, people are not 

coming out of their hotels." 

Most of the eminent hotels in the city 

are in full capacity, as many have 

flocked due to the Durga Puja holidays, 

said Md Shah apqm, a front-desk executive 

at Ocean Paradise hotel. 

The influx of Rohingyas at Teknaf's 

Shah Porir Dwip is also taking place at 

a slow pace, as the rain is softening the 

makeshift muddy roads. 

"Most of the Rohingyas have to overcome 

the muddy path barefoot," said Md 

abdul Malek, a volunteer at Shah Porir 

Dwip Primary School, who receives them 

along with other volunteers and allows 

them to take refuge on the school premises. 

Juma 

04:35 AM 

11:55 PM 

04:10 PM 

05:54 PM 

07:10 PM 

5:48 5:51 

Dhaka : Some 501,800 new arrivals of 

Rohingyas from Myanmar were reported 

as of September 27 though the influx 

is now slower than the recent past, says 

a new report on Thursday, reports UNB. 

The latest figure was said to be 448,100 

as mentioned in IOM Needs and 

Population Monitoring assessments in 

four upazilas of Cox's Bazar district; 

35,000 in refugee camps reported by 

UNhCR and 18,700 reported by field 

staff in Naikhongchhari, Bandarbhan district. 

Over the last two days, the movement 

across the border in Cox's Bazar has 

reportedly decreased again. 

The people who have arrived since 

august 25 continue to move to the new 

kutupalong Expansion site, where they 

are constructing new shelters. 

Inter Sector Coordination Group 

(ISCG) hosted by IOM came up with the 

updates on Thursday in its report titled 

'Situation Update: Rohingya Influx'. 

The RRRC is leading on the kutupalong 

Expansion project along with the Site 

Management Taskforce, which includes 

UNhCR, IOM and other key implementing 

agencies. Twenty 'blocks' have been 

identified by the RRRC. 

agencies continue to focus on delivering 

aid wherever people have settled. 

Road access continues to be a constraint 

for humanitarian assistance 

ChITTaGONG : an Indian navy ship yesterday 

arrived with relief materials while 

China sent an aircraft carrying succor for 

Rohingyas as part of continued international 

response to the humanitarian crisis 

caused by the influx of nearly five lakh 

forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals, 

reports BSS. 

Indian high Commissioner to 

Bangladesh harsh Vardhan Shringla 

handed over the relief materials to 

Bangladesh authorities at Chittagong 

Port when he appreciated Dhaka for 

successfully handling "great humanitarian 

crisis". 

"We are very happy that the consignments 

of Indian relief materials reached 

Bangladesh by air and sea as India stood 

beside Bangladesh with the humanitarian 

assistance as neighbouring development 

partner," the envoy said. 

Shringla said diplomatic efforts were 

underway both at multidimensional and 

bilateral levels to reach a constructive 

solution for ensure true justice and peace 

in Myanmar. 

he said Bangladesh Prime Minister 

ART & CuLTuRE 

Celebs Go Dating 

stars reveal what it's 

like to be on the show 

>Page 8 

Rohingya new arrivals 

hit 501,800 

367 emergency pit latrines installed 

delivery, with road repairs underway. 

as of today, 615 meters of road construction 

has been completed in 

Balukhali, while water trucking continues 

to Unchiparang site, providing an 

average 7.5 liters per person every day. 

a total of 367 emergency pit latrines 

have been installed to date in Unchiprang, 

Balukhali and kutupalong expansion site. 

Delays (of 5-6 days) in customs and tax 

exemption certificates have been reported 

by partners, said the report. 

Coordination is going on with 

MoDMR on setting up a One-Stop-Shop 

in order to streamline the process. 

Currently, there are 35 partner organisations 

(UN agencies, I/NGOs) are 

working in Cox's Bazar district. 

More agencies have plans for responses 

and are waiting for FD7 approval 

from NGOaB. The ISC team is liaising 

with the NGO Bureau affairs to speed 

up approval process. 

Violence in Rakhine State which 

began on august 25, 2017 has driven an 

estimated newly arrived 501,800 

Rohingyas across the border into Cox's 

Bazar, Bangladesh. 

The speed and scale of the influx have 

resulted in a critical humanitarian emergency. 

Those who have arrived in 

Bangladesh since 25 august came with 

very few possessions. 

Bangladesh receives relief 

supplies for Rohingyas 

from India, China 

Sheikh hasina made a clarion call in her 

speech in UN assembly drawing world 

leaders' attention to the Rohingya crisis. 

Officials familiar with the process said 

the consignment contained 62,000 family 

packs each containing 12 tonnes of rice, 

lentil, edible oil, sugar, powder milk, salt, 

tea, mosquito net and soap to be distributed 

among the forcibly displaced ethnic 

Myanmar nationals. 

The Indian Naval ship INS Gorial carried 

the goods as part of "Operation 

Insaniyat", an Indian high Commission 

official said. 

an aircraft carrying another consignment 

of relief goods weighing 53.50 

tonees from China also reached on 

Thursday at the port city's Shah amanat 

International airport. Dy Commissioner 

(DC) of Chittagong Zillur Rahman 

Chowdhury received the relief materials. 

Earlier, two Indian cargo flights carrying 

107 tonnes of relief materials arrived at 

Chittagong on Sept 14 and 15. The 

Chinese government earlier sent another 

57 tons of relief materials for the 

Rohingyas yesterday. 

US initiated talks 

with BD, Myanmar 

over Rohingya 

crisis : Bernicat 

COX'S BaZaR : US ambassador in 

Dhaka Marcia Bernicat on 

Thursday said the US has initiated 

talks with Bangladesh and 

Myanmar for resolving the crisis 

over Rohingyas who fled their 

homeland amid persecution, 

reports UNB. 

Sending the Rohingyas back to 

their homeland is a long process and 

it is not possible to resolve the problem 

in a month, she told reporters 

after visiting a registered Rohingya 

camp at kutupalong around 

12:30pm. 

She said the US has full support to 

Prime Minister Sheikh hasina's fivepoint 

demand to end the crisis. 

Prime Minister Sheikh hasina 

placed a five-point proposal at the 

United Nations for a permanent 

solution to the crisis. 

Bernicat said they will urge the 

Myanmar government to implement 

the annan Commission's report. 

She said the United States, through 

the US agency for International 

Development (USaID), is providing 

an additional $6 million to the UN 

World Food Program (WFP) to assist 

the Rohingya refugees who fled to 

Bangladesh amid persecution in 

Myanmar. This funding is in addition 

to the $1 million provided to 

WFP earlier this year. 

Bernicat also visited the offices and 

service centres of international agencies 

like IOM (International 

Organization for Migration), Unicef 

and UNhCR. 

SPORT 

David Warner 

and Aaron Finch 

put on 231 

>Page 9 

US Ambassador in Dhaka Marcia Bernicat on Thursday visited the Rohingya camp for resolving the 

crisis over Rohingyas. 

Photo : Star Mail 

US to provide $6mn more 

for Rohingyas in BD 

Dhaka : The United States, through the 

U.S. agency for International 

Development (USaID), is providing an 

additional $6 million to the UN World 

Food Program (WFP) to assist the 

Rohingya refugees who fled to 


Myanmar, reports UNB. 

This funding is in addition to the $1 

million provided to WFP earlier this 

year, said the US Embassy in Dhaka on 

Thursday. 

This assistance will support food distributions 

as well as the needed logistics 

to provide humanitarian assistance, it 

said. The recent funding to WFP complements 

assistance announced by the 

United States on September 20, which 

included $28 million in assistance to 

Rohingya refugees and host communities 

in Bangladesh. This new funding 

brings U.S. humanitarian assistance to 

Rohingya in the region to approximately 

$101 million in Fiscal Year 2017. 

In 2017, the U.S. Government, 

through USaID, has provided over $212 

million in development assistance to 

Bangladesh. 

In Cox's Bazar, USaID helps improve 

the lives of Bangladeshis, including those 

in communities hosting refugees, 

through programs that expand economic 

opportunity, advance health and education, 

and ensure human rights and 

practices. 

Examples of this assistance include 

services for victims of trafficking, cyclone 

shelters, and support for Smiling Sun 

Clinics. 

The United States Center for Disease 

Control (CDC) and USaID have been 

partnering with the Ministry of health 

and ICDDR,B to strengthen 

Bangladesh's capacity to respond to public 

health events and disease outbreaks. 

CDC is also providing technical assistance&lrm; 

to the Ministry of health and 

the IOM and other partners on the management 

of the public health aspects of 

the Rohingya crisis. 

CDC staff from Washington D.C., with 

expertise in refugee health and public 

health crisis management, will be 

engaged for several weeks in refugee 

camp health assessments, strategies for 

reducing disease risks, and the establishment 

of health information and management 

systems. 

14 Rohingyas 

die as trawler 

sinks in Bay 

COX'S BaZaR : at least 14 Rohingya 

people, including nine children, were 

killed as a trawler carrying them capsized 

in the Bay of Bengal in Ukhia 

upazila on Thursday, reports UNB. 

Chailau Chakma, assistant superintendent 

of Police (aSP) of Ukhia- 

Teknaf circle, said the trawler carrying 

around 40 Rohingyas, who fled to 


Myanmar, sank in the Bay around 3:30 

pm amid inclement weather. 

Their bodies were recovered later in 

the afternoon. Twenty-six people were 

rescued after the incident.

NEWS 

fRIDAY, 

A discussion meeting was held in the capital city yesterday marking 25th year of Shadhona 

Sangsad. 

Photo : TBT 

Trump admin defends new refugee 

cap of 45,000 in coming year 

THE 

BANGLADESHTODAY2 

SePTeMBeR 29, 2017 

Japan PM Abe dissolves lower 

house, calls snap election 

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe dissolved the lower 

house of parliament Thursday, paving the way for a snap 

election on Oct. 22, reports UNB. 

Abe is widely seen as trying to reconsolidate his grip on 

power within the ruling Liberal-Democratic Party, so he can 

extend the term of his premiership next year. The dissolution 

of the more powerful of Japan's two-chamber parliament 

comes more than a year before required by law. The ruling 

party, though, faces a growing challenge from a new party 

launched by Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike this week. The Party of 

Hope has energized some voters, and is gaining renegade 

lawmakers from the main opposition party. 

The speaker of the house, Tadamori Oshima, read the 

statement of dissolution. Lower house members all stood up 

and chanted "banzai" three times in a dissolution ritual, then 

rushed out of the assembly hall. Minutes after the 

dissolution, Abe made a fiery speech to party members. He 

said he is seeking a public mandate on his tougher diplomatic 

and defense policies to deal with escalating threats from 

North Korea and that his party members would have to relay 

his message to gain support from voters during the 

campaign. "This election is about how we protect Japan, the 

people's lives and peaceful daily life," Abe said. "The election 

is about the future of our children." The Cabinet later 

approved an Oct. 22 election for the 475-seat lower house. 

The other chamber, the upper house, does not dissolve but is 

closed until parliament is reconvened after the election. 

Analysts say they believe Abe's ruling party will retain a 

majority, though some seats may be pulled by Koike's party. 

Support ratings for Abe's government had plunged to 

below 30 percent in July following repeated parliamentary 

questions about allegations that Abe helped his friend obtain 

approval to open a veterinary college. Recent media polls 

show the support ratings recovering to around 50 percent, 

helped by parliament's recess and a Cabinet reshuffle in 

August that removed the defense minister and several other 

unpopular faces. It's a significant turnaround from July, 

when the party suffered a devastating loss in a Tokyo city 

assembly election to maverick Koike's new regional party. 

The main opposition Democratic Party, which held power in 

2009-2012, has lost ground largely due to internal 

disagreements, and is now falling apart. 

The Trump administration defended 

its decision Wednesday to sharply 

curtail the number of refugees allowed 

into the United States to 45,000 next 

year, even as global humanitarian 

groups decried the move and called the 

number far too low, reports UNB. 

The 45,000 cap, to be formally 

announced by President Donald 

Trump in the coming days, reflects the 

maximum the U.S. will admit during 

the fiscal year that starts Sunday, 

although the actual number allowed 

could be far lower. Even if the cap is 

ultimately hit, it would reflect the 

lowest admissions level for the U.S. in 

more than a decade. Lowering the cap 

reflects Trump's opposition to 

accepting refugees and other 

immigrants into the U.S., an approach 

that has already driven down refugee 

admissions. Former President Barack 

Obama had wanted to take in 110,000 

in 2017, but the pace slowed 

dramatically after Trump took office 

and issued an executive order 

addressing refugees. The total admitted 

in the fiscal year that ends Sunday is 

expected to be around 54,000, officials 

said. In 2016, the last full year of 

Obama's administration, the U.S. 

welcomed 84,995 refugees. 

Though a broad array of criteria 

determines who receives refugee 

status, the allotments are broken down 

into specific numbers of refugees 

admitted from various geographic 

regions. The State Department 

conveyed those numbers to Congress 

on Wednesday, officials said. Africa will 

receive the largest allotment of 19,000 

refugees, or 42 percent of the total. The 

next-highest number goes to the 

Middle East and South Asia, which will 

be granted 17,500 slots, or 39 percent. 

The remaining allotments include 

5,000 for East Asia, 2,000 for Europe 

and 1,500 for Latin America and the 

Caribbean. 

Although the totals are far lower than 

in the Obama administration, the 

percentage granted to each region was 

left almost unchanged from the last 

year of Obama's term. One key 

difference: there will no longer be an 

"unallocated" allotment of 14,000 

refugees that could come from any 

region. Trump's decision has drawn 

consternation from aid groups who 

have pointed to refugee crises that have 

worsened, not improved, including in 

Syria, Myanmar and South Sudan. 

Several groups have urged Trump to 

reconsider and adopt a figure closer to 

Obama's goal of 110,000. 

"With historically high numbers of 

innocent people fleeing violence 

worldwide, the United States response 

cannot be to welcome a historically low 

number of refugees into our country," 

said Bill O'Keefe of Catholic Relief 

Services. But Trump administration 

officials said the new cap will advance 

national security interests and reflect 

the United States' capacity to properly 

screen and take in refugees. They said 

new screening and admittance 

requirements for refugees will be 

announced later, as a 6-month review, 

ordered by Trump near the start of his 

presidency, draws to a close. 

Bangladesh Gana Oikyo organized a human chain program yesterday protesting the ongoing disappearance-killing 

across the country. 

Photo : TBT 

Chief Whip of Jatiya Sangsad Mahabub Ara Gini was greeted with flowers at Kumari puza in 

Gaibandha. 

Photo : Rafiqul Islam 

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Indonesian official: 

More than 120,000 

flee Bali volcano 

More than 120,000 people have fled the region around the 

Mount Agung volcano on the Indonesian tourist island of 

Bali, fearing it will soon erupt, an official said Thursday, 

reports UNB. 

Nyoman Parwata, an official at the disaster mitigation 

agency's command post in Bali, said the number of evacuees 

has swelled to about 122,500. They are scattered in more 

than 500 locations across the island famed for its beaches, 

lush green interior and elegant Hindu culture, taking shelter 

in temporary camps, sports centers and other public 

buildings. The volcano has been at its highest alert level since 

Friday, sparking the massive exodus of villagers. Thousands 

of cows are also being evacuated. An exclusion zone around 

the mountain extends as far as 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) from 

the crater in places but officials say people farther from the 

volcano are leaving too. Agung, which dominates the 

landscape in the northeast of the island, last erupted in 1963, 

killing more than 1,100 people. It remained active for about a 

year. Volcanologists say the recent dramatic escalation in 

tremors indicates an eruption is more likely than not, but 

they can't say with certainty when it will happen. 

"I would definitely be following the advice to stay outside 

the exclusion zone," said Heather Handley, an assistant earth 

sciences professor at Sydney's Macquarie University. The 

increase in tremors suggests an eruption is "imminent," she 

said. Its eruptions in 1963 produced deadly clouds of searing 

hot ash, gases and rock fragments that traveled down its 

slopes at great speed. Lava spread for several kilometers and 

people were also killed by lahars - rivers of water and volcanic 

debris. The mountain, about 70 kilometers (45 miles) to the 

northeast of the tourist hotspot of Kuta, is among more than 

120 active volcanoes in Indonesia. 

9 Rohingyas 

held in Jessore 

JESSORE : Police in a drive 

arrested nine members of a 

Rohingya family from 

Manihar Bus Stand area in 

the district town here on 

Wednesday, reports UNB. 

The arrestees were 

identified as Tafur Alam, 40, 

his wife Murshida Begum, 

30, their daughter Yeasmin, 

9, their three sons - Riazul 

Islam, 7, Saiful Islam, 3, and 

nine-month-old boy 

Shahidul Islam, their niece 

Jannat, 20, and Jannat's 

nine-month-old son Hamid. 

All of them were residents 

of Panigajiri area in 

Rakhaine state of Myanmar. 

Azmal Huda, officer-incharge 

of Sadar Police 

Station, said suspecting 

movement of some people in 

the bus stand area, police 

challenged them and after 

interrogation police came to 

know that they are 

Rohingyas. Later, police 

arrested them and took to 

Kotwali Police Station. 

Awareness 

on RTI Act 

stressed 

KHULNA : Speakers at a 

discussion yesterday highly 

praised the government for 

inclusion of the Right to 

Information Act (RTI) in the 

textbooks of ninth and tenth 

grades, hoping that it is 

expected to create greater 

awareness among the people 

about the law, reports BSS. 

They said media also can 

play a vital role in creating 

greater awareness among 

the people about the 

necessity of the law. 

They addressed the 

meeting held at the 

conference room of the 

deputy commissioner, 

jointly organized by Khulna 

district administration and 

Sacheton Nagorik 

Committee with Additional 

Deputy Commissioner 

(general) of Khulna 

Zahangir Hossain in the 

chair. Professor Zafar Imam, 

Javed Iqbal, Anwarul Kadir, 

advocate Kudrote Khuda, 

Sheikh Abu Hasan. 

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THE 

BANGLADESHTODAY 

3 

fRIDAY, SePTeMBeR 29, 2017 

A colorful rally was brought out in the capital city yesterday marking International Right to 

Information Day. 

Photo : TBT 

Sheikh Hasina becomes symbol 

of world humanity: Mozammel 

Speaker 

Shirin meets 

President 

DHAKA : Speaker Dr Shirin 

Sharmin Chaudhury on 

Thursday made a courtesy 

call on President Abdul 

Hamid at Bangabhaban, 

reports UNB. 

During the meeting, the 

Speaker apprised the 

President of the preparation 

and activities of the 

upcoming 63rd Commonwealth 

Parliamentary 

Association (CPA) conference 

scheduled to be held 

here during the November 1- 

8 next. Dr Shirin, also the 

CPA chairperson, informed 

him about different 

development activities of 

Bangladesh Parliament, 

including the Parliament 

Library. President's Press 

Secretary Joynal Abedin 

briefed reporters after the 

meeting. President Hamid 

said Bangladesh Parliament 

successfully arranged the 

Inter-parliamentary Union 

(IPU) Assembly here in 

April last. He hoped that the 

upcoming CPA conference 

will also be held successfully 

here, which will brighten the 

country's image abroad. 

Nahid for effective 

plans to promote 

technical education 

DHAKA : Education Minister Nurul 

Islam Nahid yesterday said effective 

plans should be taken to promote 

technical education to achieve the 

targets of Sustainable Development 

Goals (SDGs) by 2030, reports BSS. 

"We have attached top priority to 

expansion of technical and vocational 

education to ensure better access of 

students to job markets," he told a 

workshop on "Technical and vocational 

educational and Training (TVET) for 

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 

in a city hotel. 

Chief coordinator of SDGs Md Abul 

Kalam Azad, Director General of 

Directorate of Technical Education 

Ashok Kumar Biswas, experts, 

educationists and representatives of 

different government and nongovernment 

organisations, among 

others, addressed the function with 

Secretary of Technical and Madrasa 

Education Division Md Alamgir in the 

chair. 

Nahid said the government has set a 

target of 30 percent enrolment in 

technical education by 2030 aiming to 

transform Bangladesh into an 

economically developed country. 

"In 2009, there was only one percent 

student enrolment in the technical 

education while the current enrolment 

is 14 percent," he added. 

"We are promoting knowledge-based 

education to develop skilled human 

resources to turn Bangladesh into a 

middle-income country. Education 

without skills will create a burden for 

family as well as the nation," he said. 

"To maximize the benefit of using ICT 

in a classroom, we need a bunch of 

trained, motivated and technologyfriendly 

teachers who will make the 

whole process effective and successful," 

the minister added. 

"The government has taken various 

ICT programmes to ensure quality of 

education. In a technology-based 

globalised world, quality education is 

crucial for any country. The 

government has realised the fact and 

executed its plans accordingly," Nahid 

added. 

"We will not allow any malpractice on 

education.... The government is going 

to enact a law for stopping coaching 

trading," he said. 

DHAKA : Recalling the outstanding 

contribution of Prime Minister Sheikh 

Hasina, Liberation War Affairs 

Minister AKM Mozammel Haque, MP, 

yesterday said Bangladesh leader 

Sheikh Hasina has become a symbol of 

world humanity right now. 

"Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is not 

only the leader of a certain country but 

has also become a world leader for her 

humanitarian activities in different 

times," he told a discussion arranged at 

Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) at 

Segunbagicha here on the occasion of 

Sheikh Hasina's 71th birthday. 

"Sheikh Hasina is trying to establish 

the ideals of Father of the Nation 

Bangabandhu as his successor and 

working relentlessly to ensure dignity 

of human being, equity and human 

rights, and establishing democracy, 

democratic rules and regulations in all 

strata of life," the minister mentioned. 

Noting that Chittagong Hill Tract 

(CHT) peace treaty in 1998, resolving 

the longstanding enclaves' problems 

coinciding with the land boundary 

between Bangladesh and India and the 

humanitarian supports being provided 

for the persecuted Rohingyas from 

Myanmar, Mozammel said all her 

works also gained worldwide 

appreciation. 

About the five-point proposal raised 

in the 72th session of United Nations 

General Assembly for settling the 

Rohingya problems, the Liberation 

War minister categorically said the fivepoint 

proposals were widely accepted 

and lauded by the world leaders 

reaching her leadership status a new 

height. 

He called upon all to strengthen the 

hands of Sheikh Hasina in running the 

country and reelect her and her 

nominated candidates in the upcoming 

Jatiya Sangsad election. 

Bangabandhu Gabeshana Parishad 

organized the discussion on "Leader 

Sheikh Hasina and Humanity" with 

Lion Mohammad Gani Mia Babul in 

the chair. 

Advocate Navana Akhter, Chairman 

of Bangladesh Agriculture Bank 

Mohammad Ismail, Pro-Vice 

Chancellor of Bangabandhu Sheikh 

Mujib Medical University Prof Dr 

Shahidullah Shikder and Jatiya Press 

Club general secretary Farida Yasmin, 

among others, spoke. 

Bangladesh Awami Ulema League organized a discussion meeting as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina 

declared as the Mother of Humanity. 

Photo : TBT 

Dhaka Association of the Deaf formed a human chain in front of National Press Club yesterday marking 

International Week of the Deaf 2017. 

Photo : TBT 

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Doa Mahfil 

held at 

Ganobhaban 

making PM's 

71st birthday 

DHAKA : A doa mahfil 

was held at the official 

residence of Prime 

Minister Sheikh Hasina 

at Ganobhaban after Asr 

prayers on Thursday 

marking her 71st 

birthday, reports UNB. 

On the occasion, a 

special munajat was 

offered seeking good 

health and long life of the 

Prime Minister. 

Prayers were also 

offered seeking early 

recovery of Sheikh 

Hasina, who underwent a 

successful gallbladder 

surgery in Washington on 

September 25. 

Besides, prayers were 

offered seeking eternal 

peace of the departed 

souls of Father of the 

Nation Bangabandhu 

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman 

and other martyrs of the 

August 15 massacre as 

well as continued peace, 

progress and prosperity 

of the country. 

Officials and employees 

of Ganabhaban and the 

Prime Minister's Office 

attended the doa mahfil. 

Those who attended the 

Doa Mahfil included PM's 

Political Affairs Adviser 

HT Imam, Principal 

Secretary Dr Kamal 

Abdul Naser Chowdhury, 

Chief Coordinator on 

SDG Affairs at the Prime 

Minister's Office Md Abul 

Kalam Azad and PM's 

Military Secretary Major 

General Mia Mohammad 

Joynul Abedin. 

Pesh Imam of 

Sobhanbagh Jame 

Mosque Alhaj Md Liakat 

Hossain conducted the 

munajat. 

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EDITORIAL FRIDAY, 

THE 


SEPTEMBER 29, 2017 

4 

Children deserve hope and a future 

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam 

Telephone: +8802-9104683-84, Fax: 9127103 

e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com 

Friday, September 29, 2017 

Lesson from the 

Karbala tragedy 

Muslims on Sunday will recall worldwide, 

including Bangladesh, the greatest of 

tragedies that they have known , the 

martyrdom of Imam Hussain, the grandson 

of Prophet Mohammad (SM) in the desert 

sands of Karabala -- which is now a part of 

present day Iraq --on this day fourteen 

hundred years ago . The day is called the 

Ashura, the 10th day in the Islamic month of 

Muharram when this epic tragedy happened. 

The Imam with his handful of companions 

were besieged by the army of the despotic and 

very cruel ruler Yazid who only sought the 

acceptance of his rule by Imam Hussain and 

his followers as the main condition for sparing 

their lives. The Imam and his family members 

and followers were only some 72 in number 

whereas the forces of Yazid were some twenty 

to thirty thousand well armed horsemen. 

Even among the ones in the Imam's camp, 

some were only women and children who 

could hardly contribute to his strength in 

facing the very mighty enemy. Thus, 

surrounded on all sides by vastly superior 

forces, cut off from water and food for days, 

the small band of the faithful led by the Imam 

were worn down by the elements and the 

overwhelmingly powerful enemy breathing 

down their neck. 

They could choose surrender and acceptance 

of the terms set by the enemy. But this was not 

to be because they were very deeply resolved 

in their minds not to compromise with 

wickedness, despotism and depravity to 

uphold the glorious tradition of Prophet 

Mohammed (SM) that the duties of a true 

Muslim is never to give in to the forces of evil 

under any circumstances but to struggle to the 

utmost to uphold truth and justice and have 

faith in only Almighty Allah. Thus, in order to 

uphold this most honorable and virtuous 

Islamic tradition, Imam Hussain and all of his 

companions decided to embrace certain death 

and to go down fighting than agreeing to the 

conditions set by the despicable tyrant. 

It was a spectacle of matchless sacrifice and 

heroism the like of which the world has never 

seen. Even before the arrival of the Ashura, 

the Imam's follower --physically weakened 

but spiritually invincible-- died valiantly in 

battle one by one knowing the surety of their 

deaths at the hands of the enemy forces. Then 

came the day of the Ashura. The family 

members of Imam Hussain similarly laid 

down their lives in battle and so did the 

Imam, finally and most valiantly as the 

enemy's arrows pierced the bosom of his 

remaining infant son whom he made a last 

desperate attempt to provide a drink of water. 

The heads of the slain ones in the Imam's 

camp including that of the Imam were cut off 

from their bodies and carried in pikes. The 

bodies were dragged and trampled by horses 

to disfigure them. Such were the barbarities 

and cruelties which have probably no other 

parallels in human history. So also occurred 

the saddest of tragedies that Muslims have 

known. 

But did the unique sacrifices of Imam 

Hussain and his followers go in vain ? Surely 

not. For the memories of the great sacrifice at 

Karbala are revered to this day by the world's 

Muslims while there is none to praise or pray 

for Yazid or his descendants. On the other 

hand, Karbala has remained an inspiration 

for Muslims down the ages-- to teach them to 

be absolutely unflinching in not 

compromising with evil in any form but to be 

most scrupulously guided always and in all 

situations by the Islamic quest for truth, 

justice, kindness, fairplay and complete 

submission to Almighty Allah. Besides, the 

very resolute stand taken by Imam Hussain 

and his companions at Karbala remain as a 

beacon of light not only to Muslims but also 

to all members of the human race, regardless 

of their religious faiths, who believe that 

goodness and truth must always be upheld 

and promoted no matter the personal costs. 

From Syria to Myanmar, children 

caught in the crossfire of conflict 

are victims of a double betrayal. 

Forced out of their homes in the 

biggest refugee crisis since the Second 

World War, they have now become the 

innocent victims of a broken promise 

that they would, even as refugees, be 

able to attend school. And, even as 

their circumstances worsen and their 

numbers increase, their plight is going 

all but unreported. 

The loud cheering that has greeted 

past humanitarian aid pledges has 

given way to a shameful silence. As the 

news cycle churns on and coverage 

shifts to more sensational events, the 

75 million children and young people 

worldwide whose education has been 

interrupted by forced displacement 

become less likely ever to return to the 

classroom. 

Perhaps it is no accident that the 

promise of education for all school-age 

refugees is not being fulfilled. No 

amount of goodwill can overcome an 

international aid architecture that 

remains stacked against children. 

Education spending is still caught 

between humanitarian aid, which 

focuses on the most basic necessities 

for survival, such as food, shelter, and 

medicine, and development aid 

programmes, which are planned over 

years and are slower to respond to 

crises. As a result, education is often 

treated as a lower priority, the last to 

be funded and the first to have its 

financing redirected. 

A case in point: the UN Emergency 

Relief Coordinator, recognising gaps in 

aid spending, has, to its credit, just 

allocated an additional $45 million 

(Dh165.2 million) to support relief 

operations in Afghanistan, the Central 

African Republic, Chad, and Sudan. 

But these funds, while vital, are not 

EVER SINCE the law-enforcement 

agencies (LEAs) stumbled upon the 

fact that high-grade universities are 

also producing terrorists, something that 

the underprivileged citizens have known for 

years, they have been in a state of panic and 

are prescribing cures that cause much 

apprehension in well-informed circles. 

The first reaction of the LEAs to the 

discovery that a suspected terrorist had 

been attending a public university was to 

conclude that they should have a record of 

all the students in the country, from schoolgoing 

children to those attending higher 

classes at universities and other 

institutions. All those who know what an 

entry in police records means were alarmed 

at the blatant threat to students' basic 

rights. 

Then a police official came up with a far 

more perverse proposal that the authorities 

should watch and report the formation of 

any group on campus and also keep a watch 

on students who start regularly performing 

religious rituals and on female students 

who 'suddenly' take the hijab. This could 

easily lead to the hounding of students who 

might be forming groups to study together 

or to discuss problems they face in 

classrooms or in hostels or who wish to get 

together for singing or merely to share 

jokes. 

Keeping watch also means spying on 

Germany has just narrowly 

escaped a swing to the right 

even as it held its ground 

cautiously with a moderate party 

winning the polls. Having said that, 

polarization remains rapidly on the 

rise and the winds of change are 

gradually blowing in from Europe. 

The road ahead may remain 

uncertain in the coming days for 

Germany, as even if Angela Merkel 

brings together what is being called 

the "Jamaica Coalition", it may not 

prove to be a sustainable long-term 

arrangement. 

Constituting an unlikely coalition, 

the CDU/CSU, Greens and liberal 

Free Democrats signify three 

different points of view, while the 

green, black, and yellow colors of 

these allies are the same as in the 

Jamaican flag. The only other option 

is the center-right yellow and black 

coalition of the Free Democratic Party 

and the Christian Democratic Union 

(CDU), so Germany has now entered 

an experimental phase in contrast to 

its previous stability. 

It is at a virtual crossroads as the 

far-right political force of the 

Alternative for Germany (AfD) has 

pulled through as the third-largest 

party in the country and is bound to 

influence new policies as well as prove 

to be an impediment for the liberals. 

nearly sufficient, and only a tiny 

fraction will go toward education 

provision. Meanwhile, organisations 

like the United Nations Refugee 

Agency (UNHCR), the UN Office for 

the Coordination of Humanitarian 

Affairs (OCHA), Unicef and Unesco are 

doing laudable humanitarian work, but 

remain underfunded. 

Last year, the Education Cannot Wait 

(ECW) fund was created to close the 

financing gap and ensure that 

education is protected when disaster 

strikes. It was a heartening 

development, supported by all UN 

agencies. But the disheartening reality 

is that financing has not kept pace with 

need. Yet funding headwinds have not 

dampened ECW's ambition under its 

new director, Yasmine Sherif. The 

young fund has swiftly marshalled its 

initial $120 million to promote quality 

education for 3.2 million displaced 

children and, in turn, to support 

17,000 teachers, with investments in 

GoRDoN BRowN 

and around Syria, as well as in Chad, 

Ethiopia, and Yemen. 

Working with a network of partners 

focused on helping Syria's refugees, 

ECW is addressing structural 

challenges, such as teacher 

remuneration and certification 

processes, while helping to create a 

A case in point: the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, 

recognising gaps in aid spending, has, to its credit, just 

allocated an additional $45 million (Dh165.2 million) to 

support relief operations in Afghanistan, the Central 

African Republic, Chad, and Sudan. But these funds, while 

vital, are not nearly sufficient, and only a tiny fraction will 

go toward education provision. Meanwhile, organisations 

like the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNhCR), the UN 

office for the Coordination of humanitarian Affairs 

(oChA), Unicef and Unesco are doing laudable 

humanitarian work, but remain underfunded. 

fellow students which is bound to lead to 

harassment and blackmailing of innocent 

students and corruption by various 

administrators involved in student affairs. 

Students have to be won over with love 

and affection instead of being hounded. 

Besides, these preposterous suggestions 

are based on the same flawed assumptions 

that have prevented the whole antiterrorism 

drive from achieving any 

significant breakthrough, namely, 

concentrating on catching radicalised 

students instead of tackling the factors that 

go into the making of educated, and in 

many cases highly educated, terrorists. 

When we refer to students in higher classes 

I.A. REhMAN 

new curriculum based on coexistence. 

Together with Lebanon's Ministry of 

Education and Higher Education, - a 

department under stress from the 

influx of a half-million Syrian refugee 

children - ECW is also helping to fulfil 

the goal of delivering a quality and 

relevant education for all young people 

aged 3-18. Such innovative initiatives 

represent important progress. But 

meeting the needs of the children who 

have been left out and left behind will 

take far more funds than ECW so far 

has at its disposal. 

In Syria, a devastating and 

protracted civil war has left more than 

seven million children in need of 

Spare the young ones 

at colleges and universities we mean young 

girls and boys in the 19- to 25-year age 

bracket; no section of the population has 

been so consistently neglected as them. The 

youth policy drafted many years ago 

expired before being implemented. And the 

ongoing crackdown on NGOs is preventing 

the latter from conducting youth-related 

activities. Indeed, the youth are rarely 

The first reaction of the LEAs to the discovery 

that a suspected terrorist had been attending a 

public university was to conclude that they 

should have a record of all the students in the 

country, from school-going children to those 

attending higher classes at universities and 

other institutions. All those who know what an 

entry in police records means were alarmed at 

the blatant threat to students' basic rights. 

Economic stability provided by the 

Merkel government in the past 

decade was the major reason for 

victory and proved to be its saving 

grace. The election campaign focused 

on reminding Germans that they had 

Europe's strongest economy, only 

3.7% unemployment, and the fastestgrowing 

GDP among the Group of 

Seven industrialized nations. 

In today's Europe, Germany 

symbolizes stability, especially after 

the United Kingdom's decision to 

leave the European Union, even 

though it has swerved precariously 

toward the right and brought rightwing 

extremism firmly into the folds 

mentioned in official schemes for the 

people's socioeconomic advancement. 

Amongst the few official documents in 

which the youth are mentioned is the one 

used to launch the Pakistan Vision 2025 - 

and it admits that "a large set of Pakistani 

youth is dissatisfied, frustrated and in a 

of the establishment. 

All is not well ahead, as The Wall 

Street Journal's Anton Troianovski 

suggests: "The election result signaled 

a sudden turn for a political system 

whose relative stability has 

underpinned the European Union in 

recent years as it lurched from crisis 

to crisis." 

The fact remains that for Merkel's 

conservative CDU/CSU bloc it was 

the worst result in the past 70 years. 

The present scenario calls for all of 

her political chutzpah to make the 

Jamaica Coalition work, even as 

ultra-nationalists proclaim it is a new 

dawn for them. 

humanitarian assistance, and some 2.5 

million without homes. In February 

2016, the Supporting Syria and the 

Region conference in London attracted 

$1.4 billion in pledges for education, 

but only a fraction of those funds have 

so far made it to the front lines. The 

country remains in ruins, and 

reconstruction has yet to begin. 

Syrian refugee children in Lebanon 

are at the sharp end of this failure. To be 

sure, an innovative initiative to ensure 

educational access for these children - a 

two-shift school programme that uses 

the same classrooms as Lebanese 

children - frees up valuable space and 

materials, making it possible to deliver 

an education for only about $600 per 

pupil. The goal is to provide 540,000 

Syrian and vulnerable Lebanese 

children aged 3-18 some form of 

education this year, with 220,000 

benefiting from the double-shift system. 

Yet donors have contributed only 

$200 million so far - $100 million less 

than is needed. As a result, hundreds of 

thousands of vulnerable children could 

be left without access to education. 

Already, Lebanon is being forced to 

make painful cuts and surrender 

precious ground. Jordan and Turkey, 

which have also embraced the doubleshift 

model, are facing similar 

dilemmas. 

Gordon Brown is former Prime 

Minister of the United Kingdom 

and former Chancellor of the 

Exchequer, UN Special Envoy 

for Global Education and Chair 

of the International Commission 

on Financing Global Education 

Opportunity. He chairs the 

Advisory Board of the Catalyst 

Foundation. 

Source: Gulf News 

state of disarray due to low education levels 

and large-scale unemployment. This has 

led to serious social problems including 

drug abuse, crime, mental disorder, 

terrorism and religious fanaticism". 

What is being done to solve the problems 

mentioned above? Is Vision 2025 still 

valid? The programme depended on five 

enablers: shared vision, political stability, 

peace and security, rule of law, and social 

justice. Are these factors of progress in 

place? Is the goal of increasing public 

expenditure on higher education from 0.2 

per cent of GDP to 1.4pc and raising 

enrolment from 1.5 million to 5m still being 

pursued? Is a state that appears to be in 

greater disarray than the youth capable of 

realising its grandiose schemes? 

You don't have to look very far to find out 

why the youth are frustrated. Look at the 

big gap in enrolment up to the secondary 

school level and higher levels. As much as 

40pc of the population in the 19- to 25-year 

age bracket cannot dream of higher 

education, and employment opportunities 

are declining or are not increasing 

significantly. The Economic Survey does 

tell us of programmes for training the youth 

in useful skills and that 100,000 young 

women and men will be trained in 2017- 

2018 and 2018-2019. 

Source: Dawn 

Angela Merkel and the ‘Jamaica option’ 

SABENA SIDDIQUI 

Constituting an unlikely coalition, the 

CDU/CSU, Greens and liberal Free Democrats 

signify three different points of view, while the 

green, black, and yellow colors of these allies 

are the same as in the Jamaican flag. The only 

other option is the center-right yellow and 

black coalition of the Free Democratic Party 

and the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), so 

Germany has now entered an experimental 

phase in contrast to its previous stability. 

This could prove to be Merkel's 

choppiest fourth term, and it has 

come about in reaction to her 

humanitarian decision to let nearly 

900,000 refugees into Germany in 

2015. A coalition partner for the last 

four years, the Social Democratic 

Party of Germany (SPD), blames her 

for its disappointing results and has 

chosen to sit in opposition instead. 

Announcing this decision to 

supporters, SPD leader Martin Schulz 

said: "Taking in so many refugees split 

the nation, that has become clear. We 

didn't manage to convince a segment 

of our society that our country is 

strong enough to handle the task." 

Meanwhile, there is also pressure 

on Merkel from groups of industry 

heads to go ahead with the new 

coalition so that the economy remains 

unaffected. Dieter Kempf, president 

of the BDI industry association, 

explained, "Our companies need clear 

signals. Now it's all about averting 

damage to Germany as a place of 

business." 

Clearly reflecting the anxiety 

prevailing in business circles, it is a 

relatively new experience for them to 

experience change after the stable 

majority power rule in the past 

decades. 

Source: Asia Times

STRATEGIC ISSUES FRIDAY, 


5 

Once-Persecuted Bangladesh 

Proud to Help Rohingyas 

Sajeeb Wazed 

Bangladesh is dealing with the worst 

refugee crisis in its 46-year history. 

The Rohingya people, natives of the 

Rakhine state on Myanmar's western 

coast, have begun a mass exodus out of 

Myanmar and into neighboring 

Bangladesh. Driven from their homes 

by the government of Myanmar, which 

considers many of them to be antigovernment 

insurgents, they have few 

options. Bangladesh is the nearest 

haven available to them. 

Most people think Bangladesh is 

among the least-equipped nations to 

handle such a vast and expensive 

problem. After all, the South Asian 

nation of more than 160 million people 

was infamously called a "basket case" 

in the 1970s by then-U.S. Secretary of 

State Henry Kissinger. 

In fact, Bangladesh has a rapidly 

growing economy that in 2015 moved 

up into the lower-middle income 

bracket as measured by the World 

Bank. Between 2008 and 2016, more 

than 30 million Bangladeshis escaped 

poverty's grip and the number of poor, 

homeless and displaced citizens 

continues to decrease every year. 

Assisting hundreds of thousands of 

refugees is a burden, of course. But 

Bangladesh is proud to bear the bulk of 

the cost of helping the Rohingya. 

Bangladesh has its own history with 

genocide and refugee status. During its 

1971 Liberation War, the Pakistani 

army and its Bangladeshi collaborators 

undertook a genocide that killed 3 

million people. Members of the 

Pakistani military and supporting 

Islamist militias raped 250,000 

women and girls. They displaced 40 

million others, 10 million of whom 

took refuge in India. 

Rohingya refugee boys carry their belongings as they walk after crossing the Bangladesh-Myanmar border. Photo: The Diplomat 

Before Bangladesh achieved 

independence, Pakistan treated 

residents of East Pakistan - the area 

that is now Bangladesh - as secondclass 

citizens. Their actions were cruel 

and calculated. For example, the 

government intentionally delayed aid 

to the Bengali people after a 1970 

cyclone that killed 500,000 Bengalis. 

The Pakistan government even 

suspended parliament rather than seat 

a prime minister from East Pakistan. 

In other words, Bangladesh 

understands the plight of the 

Rohingyas too well. When Bengalis 

desperately needed assistance a half 

century ago, India responded by taking 

in millions of refugees. Bangladesh is 

eager to extend the same helping hand 

to the Rohingyas. 

Even before the most recent exodus 

began in August, 400,000 Rohingyas 

had already immigrated to 

Bangladesh. Since then, Bangladesh 

has absorbed as many as 420,000 

more Rohingya refugees. This number 

grows by the day as Myanmar's 

military continues to drive Rohingyas 

out of their homes. 

As a result, Bangladesh has had to 

buttress its efforts to protect the 

Rohingya. In addition to the two 

existing refugee camps in the southern 

city of Cox's Bazaar, Bangladesh has 

made an additional 2,000 acres of land 

available. Bangladesh has begun 

issuing identification cards to the 

Rohingya and providing them with 

access to government services, 

including childhood immunizations. 

Bangladesh is also constructing sturdy 

shelters to house the most vulnerable 

and handing out hot meals. 

Earlier this month, Bangladesh 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visited 

the Kutupalong refugee camp and 

promised to help the Rohingyas: "We 

gave them [the Rohingya refugees] 

shelter in our country on humanitarian 

grounds. Our houses were also burnt 

down in 1971. Our people fled to India 

when they had nowhere to go. So, we 

are doing everything in our power to 

help the Rohingya." 

Life in a refugee camp is far from 

ideal. Neither the newly allocated land 

nor the pre-existing settlements can 

house the Rohingya for an extended 

period. Local officials lack the 

manpower and resources to manage all 

the humanitarian challenges that 

hosting a large refugee population 

brings. Also, the Bangladesh 

government fears that the flood of 

refugees will conceal and even aid a far 

bigger menace - an influx of Islamist 

terrorists who enter the country 

disguised as refugees. 

Bangladesh is not asking for 

international assistance for the 

Rohingyas. We can bear that burden 

alone. It is no longer a poor country. 

But Bangladesh and the Rohingya 

need the U.S. and India to use their 

substantial authority to pressure 

Myanmar to stop driving the Rohingya 

out. Aung Sang Suu Kyi's government 

and the military junta must be 

compelled to act. 

So far, Myanmar has ignored pleas to 

end the violence and to allow 

Rohingyas to live as full citizens in 

their home country. In the meantime, 

Bangladesh is proudly willing and able 

to help them as refugees. 

Sajeeb Wazed is chief information 

and communications technology 

adviser to the government of 

Bangladesh and the son of the prime 

minister. 

Hong Kong should pay attention 

as China reforms under XI 

Under the new law, women can legally obtain a driving licence without asking a male guardian for 

permission. 

Photo: Faisal Al Nasser 

A giant step towards equality 

Martin Chulov 

audi women have hailed a move by the 

conservative kingdom's ruler to allow 

them to drive as a landmark moment in a 

society where gender roles have long 

been rigidly demarcated and strictly 

enforced. 

Women contacted by the Guardian 

responded with jubilation to the law 

change, which activists and senior Saudi 

officials claim marks a watershed in the 

country. 

"The mindset has shifted," said Sultana 

al-Saud, 26, from Riyadh. "We weren't 

waiting for our families to accept, we were 

waiting for something larger to back us 

up, a backbone, which is the government. 

"This is a huge step for women, it's nice 

to see women behind the wheel 

metaphorically I believe it's like her 

leading her life now. The patriarchy is 

slowly but surely turning to land of 

equality. This is amazing. It's the first few 

steps of freedom, we didn't even reach 

2030 yet," she said in reference to a 

government plan to transform Saudi 

society. "We are part of this big vision. We 

women are now taken into 

consideration." 

Under the new law, women can legally 

obtain a driving licence without asking a 

male guardian for permission, despite 

"guardianship" laws that grant Saudi 

men power over female relatives. 

Less than a day after the royal decree 

was issued, Saudi women said the shock 

was still being absorbed across the 

kingdom, where societal rules are often 

governed by an inflexible reading of 

Islamic teachings. 

Senior Saudi clerics appeared to be 

onside, responding with an apparently 

coordinated series of public statements, 

aimed at shifting a widely expected 

conservative pushback. 

The commission of top Islamic clerics 

tweeted: "May God bless the king who 

looks out for the interest of his people and 

his country in accordance with sharia 

law." 

Dr Abdel-Latif al Sheikh, the former 

head of the religious police, tweeted: 

"Women driving is not against sharia and 

women will choose what best suits them." 

Sheikh Khaled al Mosleh, a professor of 

religion in Saudi Arabia, also tweeted that 

"allowing women to drive answered the 

needs of a big portion of the population", 

and added a lengthy justification for the 

move under Islamic law. 

"There's still a lot of rumours going on," 

said Saud. "Sharia law can still play a 

large role in this. There are rumours 

about women not being able to drive (in 

parts of) Saudi, that you have to be above 

a certain age, that there might be a 

curfew." 

Sana Kayali, 21, a university student in 

the Saudi capital, said: "This is a very 

good beginning. Who would've thought 

we are starting to become modern. I 

believe change will take place gradually." 

Saudi leaders have longed pledged to 

overturn the driving ban, which had 

meant that the country's female citizens 

were the only women in the world legally 

forbidden from sitting behind the wheel. 

They had couched the delay as necessary 

to condition deeply conservative sections 

of Saudi society to a change that has 

broad implications for women's roles. 

Amal al Dayyem, 23, another university 

student in Riyadh, described the 

announcement as "real beginning". 

"Most families will be on board with this 

simply because people no longer want to 

spend a huge chunk of their salaries on 

drivers and transportation. We can do 

this on our own," she said. 

"Women all over the Gulf can drive, it 

was about time we Saudi women get the 

right to as well. Society will be accepting 

once they see how easier matters and 

everyday chores will be once this is 

implemented." 

Madawi al Blehid, 36, a personal 

trainer, said: "This is something huge for 

us, women and girls. It's not just about 

driving per se, this is about the fact that it 

is now our right and we have the freedom 

of choice. We're no longer under the 

mercy of drivers and siblings. 

"The fact that we need approval of 

family and society is normal. This is the 

first time so … we can't just explode on 

the scene it will cause a lot of problems. 

Even in taking it slowly, there will be 

problems but we should be able to 

overcome. Women are overjoyed. We 

woke up happy." 

Maysoon Sleiman, 55, a doctor from 

Riyadh, said: "The thing is, a house 

cannot function properly without a driver 

and a lot of families cannot afford to hire 

one. 

"This has nothing to do with religion, 

it's our customs. Which is why I expect 

backlash and disapproval from a lot of 

women not just men. 

Tammy Tam 

While the inspection was a highprofile 

event, for the benefit of both 

domestic and global audiences, the 

annual retreat to the Beidaihe beach 

resort, near the capital, is shrouded in 

secrecy as an important prelude to the 

much-anticipated 19th Party Congress 

later this year. 

Nothing on the agenda concerns 

Hong Kong, but it is by no means 

irrelevant to the city's future, 

especially this time as it will shed light 

on China's future reform direction by 

finalising the tone of the coming 

congress. Major policies to be decided, 

especially economic strategy, will 

profoundly impact our city. 

Back in Hong Kong, it's quite 

amazing to see that the talk of the town 

is almost obsessively focused on the 

joint checkpoint arrangement for the 

new high-speed railway to Guangzhou 

and the appointment of the new 

undersecretary for educationwho is 

under attack from the opposition 

camp over her "red" pro-Beijing 

credentials. 

Of course, political controversies 

should not be trivialised, and these 

two issues in particular concern crossborder 

ties and trust building. But our 

politicians should not miss the bigger 

picture either, and that is the 

importance of the Beidaihe retreat and 

where China's reform is heading 

under Xi. 

The gathering, in a strict sense, is 

more of a brainstorming session by the 

nation's top leaders than a formal 

meeting. Besides finalising the new 

leadership lineup for Xi's next term, it 

is also to decide strategy on how to 

transform China into a more 

"powerful" country. Xi is now widely 

seen as joining the ranks of Mao 

Zedong, who put China on its feet, and 

Deng Xiaoping, who made the nation 

rich by opening it up. 

Xi is determined to make China 

more powerful by taking reform to a 

new height. So, what does it mean for 

Hong Kong? 

Naturally, all eyes are watching for 

any possible clue from Beidaihe in 

terms of leadership change, which is 

likely to see someone take over from 

Zhang Dejiang as Beijing's point man 

for Hong Kong. Zhang is currently the 

head of the country's top legislature 

and is expected to retire next March. 

However, the party congress is not 

just about a top-level reshuffle. How to 

sustain China's economic growth amid 

the very complex environments at 

home and abroad is a real and tough 

challenge. 

Xi's quote about "making people 

have a sense of gain" has not only 

become a popular slogan, but also a 

measurement to judge the 

performance of officials at all levels. 

This means a "powerful" country 

should be able to let its people feel the 

substantial benefits of reform, while in 

the international arena, it needs to be 

more assertive and ready in protecting 

its national interests. 

It was against such a significant 

backdrop that Hong Kong Chief 

Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuetngor 

led a group of her top aides, 

including Financial Secretary Paul 

Chan Mo-po and other heads of policy 

bureaus, to Beijing on her first 

mainland visit after taking up office. 

One main task was to meet various 

ministries in charge of economic 

planning and development to seek 

greater room for more cross-border 

cooperation in future. 

Interestingly, the timing could be 

seen as both convenient and 

inconvenient: it gave Lam and her 

team a feel of the latest political and 

economic pulse up north ahead of the 

party congress; but major mainland 

policies may be due for further 

adjustments after the Beidaihe 

meeting, and later the party congress. 

There is, however, one reality for 

Hong Kong: the need for officials and 

politicians to look across the border 

for future planning. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping is in summer retreat, along with other top Communist Party leaders. 

Photo: SCMP

NATIONAL 

FRIDAy, 

6 

SePTeMBeR 29, 2017 

State Minister for Public Administration, Ismat Ara Sadique speaks at a student, teacher and guardian 

assembly yesterday at Public Maidan of Keshabpur of Jessore. 

Photo: Jaheed Abedin Babu. 

Durga Puja 

celebration 

gains 

momentum 

KHULNA, Sept 28, 2017 

(BSS) - Durga Puja, the 

largest religious festival of 

the Hindu community, is 

being celebrated amid 

great enthusiasm in the 

city and the nine upazilas 

of the district. 

The festival was marked 

by puja, arati, recitation 

from scriptures, 

distribution of proshad, 

offering of devotional 

songs and bhajans. 

Huge crowds are seen at 

every Puja mandaps, 

throughout the day 

especially after evening. 

The 

district 

administration and Puja 

Udjapan Parishad 

Committee sources said 

122 puja mandaps have 

been set up this year in 

the city and 822 in the 

district. 

District administration 

has distributed 472 

tonnes of rice among the 

944 puja mandaps to 

celebrate Durga puja this 

year. 

The celebration will end 

through the immersion of 

idols of goddess Durga on 

Bijoya Dashami on 

Saturday. 

The authorities have 

assured smooth supply of 

electricity to all puja 

mandaps to enable the 

devotees to perform 

religious rituals smoothly. 

Meanwhile, foolproof 

security measures have 

been taken in the city and 

all nine upazilas to avert 

any untoward incident 

during the religious 

festival of the Hindu 

community. 

Commissioner of 

Khulna Metropolitan 

Police (KMP) Humayun 

Kabir, said three-tier 

security measures have 

been taken in the Puja 

Mandaps areas. 

Police, Rapid Action 

Battalion (RAB), city 

especial branch of police 

and detective branch are 

patrolling in the city 

especially at Puja mandap 

areas, he added. 

Policy sought for 

electric vehicles 

DHAKA : Speakers at seminar here on 

Thursday urged the government to 

introduce a specific policy to 

accommodate the environment friendly 

electric vehicles (EV) in the country's 

transportation system. 

"This has been a very good thing that about 

a million electricity vehicles, known as Easy 

Bike, have been plying the streets though 

they aren't authorised by the authorities 

concerned," Dr. Ijaz Hossain, a professor of 

the Department of Chemical Engineering of 

Buet, told the seminar held at the Daily Star 

Centre in the city, reports UNB. 

He said these vehicles are not maintained 

specific engineering and technical standard, 

but have become a reality in rural 

transportation. 

"So, time has come to set a standard and 

bring those under a legal framework as 

they're environment-friendly vehicles and 

play a role in transportation," he said. 

Asia Foundation, an international NGO, in 

collaboration with Rahimafrooz, organised 

the seminar titled: 'Promoting Safety 

Standard and Energy Efficiency of Mass 

Transport EV to Meet SDG Goals'. 

Advocate Mahboob Murshed, adviser to 

the Asia Foundation, made a presentation on 

the issue while former chairman of 

Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission 

(BERC) Kazi Emdadul Haque, deputy 

director of Bangladesh Standards and 

Testing Institution (BSTI) Sajjadul Bari and 

Rahimafrooz's head of energy access Kazi 

Faruque Ahmed also spoke on the occasion. 

The speakers said the government should 

set specific standard for the EVs as the 

developed and developing countries in 

Europe and Asia have already announced 

the plan to replace motor vehicles with 

electric vehicles to promote environmentfriendly 

transport system. 

Mahboob Murshed said about one million 

Easy-Bikes are currently transporting 2.5 

crore passengers in both townships and rural 

areas every day. 

The volume of Easy-Bikes' market is about 

17,500 crore which includes 5,000 crore 

battery requirement every year. 

"Due to some procedural and mechanical 

shortcomings, Bangladesh Road Transport 

Authority (BRTA) is unable to register Easy- 

Bikes as motor vehicles, provide licence, 

route permits and fitness certificate for 

them," he said. 

Rahimafrooz officials said they have set up 

five solar-run easy recharging stations at 

different places on pilot basis in joint venture 

with Rural Electrification Board (REB). 

"These recharging stations are gaining 

popularity as they provide a very quick 

service at a reasonable cost," said an official 

of Rafimafrooz. 

Rupganj Press Club distributes food and provides free medical aid in association 

with Al Rafi Hospital yesterday to Rohingya refugees at Ukhia 

Upazila of Cox's Bazar yesterday. 

Photo: TBT. 

Proper implementation of 

RTI Act can establish 

accountability 

RANGPUR: Speakers here have stressed for 

proper implementation of the Right to 

Information (RTI) Act, 2009 with a view to 

ensure free flow of information and the 

peoples' right to know in establishing 

accountability at all levels for building a 

corruption-free society, reports BSS. 

The observations came today at a post-rally 

discussion jointly organised by the District 

Corruption Prevention Committee (CPC) and 

'Sochetan NagorikCommittee (SNC)' at 

conference room of the Deputy Commissioner 

in the city. 

The district administration, Anti Corruption 

Commission (ACC), Transparency 

International Bangladesh (TIB) and RDRS 

Bangladesh extended assistance in arranging 

the programmes in observance of the 

International Rights to Information Day -2017. 

Deputy Commissioner Muhammad 

Wahiduzzaman attended the discussion as 

chief guest with President of District CPC 

Rakibul Hasan in the chair. 

Deputy Director of Rangpur District 

Combined Office of ACC Mozahar Ali Sarder, 

Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) 

Ruhul Amin Mian, President of Rangpur 

district unit of SNC Mosfeka Razzaque, 

General Secretary of the District CPC Akbar 

Hossain, among others, addressed. Mosfeka 

Razzaque discussed about the RTI Act, 2009 in 

details and highlighted the commitment and 

steps taken by the government for proper 

implementation of the Act. 

The speakers said enactment of the RTI Act, 

2009 is one of the biggest successes of the 

government as the law has factually turned into 

an effective tool to ensure the peoples' right to 

know information.They said proper 

implementation of the RTI Act could ensure 

free flow of information to establish 

transparency, accountability and good 

governance at all levels for reducing 

corruption. 

30 held in 

Dinajpur 

DINAJPUR: Police, in 

special drives from 

Wednesday night to this 

morning, arrested 30 

persons including four drug 

peddlers and recovered 310 

bottles of Phensidyl and 

900-gram of ganja from 

eight upazilas of the district, 

reports BSS. 

Police said they were 

picked up from different 

areas of the district. 

During the drives, Dinajpur 

Sadar police arrested nine 

persons including two drug 

traders with 900-gram of 

ganja, Khansama Thana 

police arrested two, 

Hakimpur Thana police 

arrested four persons 

including two drug traders 

with 310 bottles Phensidyl, 

Thana police arrested four 

persons, Nawabganj Thana 

police arrested two persons 

and Kaharole Thana police 

arrested three persons. 

Kumari Puja 

celebrated in 

Rangpur 

RANGPUR: The Hindu 

community people 

yesterday celebrated the 

Kumari Puja on the 

Mohadashami through 

worshiping Goddess 

Durga with due religious 

fervor, gaiety and festivity 

in the district, reports BSS. 

The Hindu community 

people of all ages, 

including young girls and 

women, attired in 

traditional dresses 

thronged Mahiganj 

Ramakrishna Ashram in 

festive moods to observe 

Kumari Puja. 

President of the district 

unit of Bangladesh Puja 

Udjapon Parishad (BPUP) 

Advocate Rothish Chandra 

Bhowmick said Goddess 

Durga is worshipped in 

various forms including 

`Kumari', a pure-hearted 

girl and the virgin form of 

the deity. 

One minor girl, 

symbolising the Kumari 

form of Mother Durga, was 

worshipped on the 

Mohadashami today in 

front of the idol of Goddess 

Durga at the Mahiganj 

Ramakrishna Ashram 

mandap in the city. The 

Priest 

of 

MahiganjRamakrishna 

Ashram conducted the 

rituals of the 'Kumari Puja'. 

Celebration of the 

Kumari Puja began from 

8am in the morning when 

the Hindu devotees 

thronged different Puja 

mandaps and started their 

offerings to Mother Durga 

in the form of `Kumari'. 

Workshop on 

safety net 

programmes in 

Mymensingh 

today 

MYMENSINGH, Sept 28, 

2017 (BSS) - A workshop 

organised by the Cabinet 

Division on social safety 

networks for poverty 

alleviation will be held here 

today, reports BSS. 

The objective of the 

workshop is to successfully 

implement the ongoing 

social safety network 

programmes by field level 

officers and speed up its 

activities. 

Cabinet Secretary 

Mohammad Shafiul Alam 

will inaugurate the 

workshop as the chief guest 

at a local hotel in the 

morning. 

Mymensingh Divisional 

Commissioner GM Saleh 

Uddin informed journalists 

about the workshop at a 

press conference held at his 

office this morning. 

Additional secretaries and 

joint secretaries of 14 

ministries concerned, some 

124 field level officers of the 

division and public 

representatives will 

participate in the work shop, 

he added. 

Additional Divisional 

Commissioner Md 

Muzammel Haque and 

Deputy Director of Local 

Government Engineering 

Department Harun or 

Rashid were present at the 

press conference. 

3 Satkhira dailies, 

2 weeklies closed 

SATKHIRA : Three daily newspapers and 

two weeklies published from the district 

have been shut down for taking declaration 

against the names of 'fake' printing presses, 

reports UNB. 

A notice from the district magistrate was 

served on Tuesday night to the editors of 

the five publication houses asking them not 

to publish the 'unauthorised' newspapers 

and periodicals from their printing presses. 

After receiving the notice, the publication 

of the three dailies-Ajker Satkhira, 

Dakkhiner Moshal and Satnadi-and two 

weeklies-Mukta Swadhin and Dakhina 

Dut-have remained suspended since 

Wednesday. 

The notice recipients include the daily 

Patradut, the daily Kaler Chitra, the daily 

Juger Barta, the daily Dristipat and the 

daily Kafela. 

Contacted, Dakkhiner Moshal editor Prof 

Ashek-e-Elahi said there has been no 

directive from the district administration 

Shajahan stresses 

professional 

skills of seafarers 

CHITTAGONG: Shipping Minister Sahjahan Khan today 

urged the seafarers of National Maritime Institute (NMI) to 

work with professional efficiency so foreign shipping 

companies recruit more Bangladeshis in their vessels, 

reports BSS 

The minister was addressing as chief guest the passing out 

parade of 17th batch Pre Sea Ratings of NMI and 6th batch 

Madripur branch of NMI held at NMI parade field of Saltgola 

in the city this morning. 

He said the Bangladeshis are more efficient and hard 

working, so the opportunities for them and demand of their 

jobs at international maritime markets are very high. 

The minister said that realising the importance of shipping 

sector Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur 

Rahman took initiatives to set up a few maritime institutes in 

the country. 

He said the present government led by Prime Minister 

Sheikh Hasina would make all efforts to build six more 

branches of modern NMI in the country. 

The shipping minister asked the Pre Sea Ratings to be 

attentive to their responsibilities while on duty and attain 

professional excellence through continuous learning and 

gathering experiences. 

He said Bangamatha Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Maritime 

Museum will be built on the old Seaman's Hostel ground in 

Chittagong very soon. 

NMI sources said a total of 60 NMI Ratings from 17th 

batch Chittagong and 6th batch Madripur branch earned 

commission today. 

Principal of NMI Chittagong Captain Foisal Azim presided 

over the function while M A Latif, MP, senior officials from 

port, shipping sectors, among others, addressed the function. 

Officials said over 2205 cadets have received training from 

NMI since 1994 and they are working in different ships at 

home and abroad. 

Right to information act 

can help empowering 

people: Speakers 

RAJSHAHI: Speakers at a discussion here today called for full 

implementation of the Right to Information (RTI) Act for 

empowerment of people and making all public services transparent 

and accountable, reports BSS. 

"Ensuring free flow of information by all government and nongovernment 

organizations can ensure development and good 

governance," they told a post-rally discussion at Shilpakala 

Academy marking the International Right to Information Day- 

2017. 

District Administration, District Information Office and 

Committee for Conscious Citizens (CCC) organized the programme 

with CCC President Prof Abdus Salam in the chair. 

Deputy Commissioner Mahmud Sharif and Superintendent of 

Police Muazzem Hossain Bhuiyan addressed the meeting as chief 

and special guests respectively. 

Principal of Rajshahi College Prof Habibur Rahman, Prof Tasiqul 

Islam and Deputy Director of Department of Information Md 

Shamsuzzaman also spoke. Mahmud Sharif said the government is 

working relentlessly for successful implementation of the law. 

to stop the publication of the daily. 

"The press owners were just served the 

notice not to publish the newspapers which 

are not permitted to publish from there. 

We had mentioned the name of Ahmadia 

Printing Press while taking declaration of 

the newspaper. But the press is now closed. 

So, we'll soon come up with an appeal to 

the district administration in this regard," 

he added. 

Deputy Commissioner of the district 

Abul Kashem Mohammed Mohiuddin said 

every newspaper while seeking declaration 

has to mention the name of a printing press 

from which it will be published. 

Recently, he said, it has come to the 

notice of the administration that several 

newspapers are mentioning the names of 

printing presses which have no existence at 

all, and those are being printed from other 

presses which are not authorised to print. 

"So, we've asked the presses not to publish 

those newspapers," the DC added. 

Ctg AL 

celebrates 

PM's birthday 

CHITTAGONG: Chittagong 

City unit Awami League 

(AL) and its front 

organisations today 

celebrated the 71st birthday 

of Prime Minister Sheikh 

Hasina in a befitting 

manner. 

To mark the day, 

Chittagong city AL 

organised a milad and doa 

mahfil at Mushaferkhana 

Jamia mosque in the city. 

Vice Presidents of 

Chittagong city AL Mahtab 

Uddin Chowdhury, Noyeem 

Uddin Chowdhury, AL 

leaders Advocate Ibrahim 

Hossain Chowdhury, Babul, 

Bodiul Alam, Advocate 

Iftaker Saimul Chowdhury 

and panel mayor Hasan 

Mahmud Hasni, among 

others, were present. 

They prayed for long life of 

Sheikh Hasina, who is 

continuing her relentless 

efforts to bring smiles on the 

faces of country's people by 

eradicating hunger, poverty 

and illiteracy. 

Chittagong north and 

south district AL organised 

separate discussions at their 

respective offices with their 

respective President Nurul 

Alam Chowdhury and 

President Muslem Uddin in 

the chair. 

Special prayers were 

offered at all places of 

worships, including 

mosques, temple and 

monasteries, seeking her 

long life and sound health as 

well as continued peace and 

progress of the nation. 

Man drowns in 

Madhumati River 

MAGURA : A 35-year-old 

man drowned and still 

remained missing in Madhumati 

River adjacent to 

Jhama Bazar in Mohammadpur 

upazila on Wednesday, 

reports UNB. 

The deceased was identified 

as Palash Mollah, 35, 

son of Wadud Mollah of 

Polashbari village of the 

upazila. 

Police said Polash along 

with his friends was swimming 

in the river in the afternoon 

and drowned due to 

strong current. 

Rupganj Press Club distributes food and provides free medical aid in association with Al Rafi 

Hospital yesterday to Rohingya refugees at Ukhia Upazila of Cox's Bazar yesterday. Photo: TBT.

INTERNATIONAL 

THE 


FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2017 

7 

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg: "Trump says Facebook is against him. Liberals say we helped 

Trump". 

Photo: Internet. 

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg 

rejects Trump bias claims 

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has 

dismissed comments made by Donald 

Trump that the site has always been against 

him, reports BBC. 

The US president accused the social network 

of "collusion" on Twitter, branding it 

"anti-Trump". He made the same claim 

against the New York Times and the Washington 

Post. Facebook will shortly hand over 

3,000 political adverts to congressional investigators 

probing alleged Russian meddling in 

the US election. 

The site believes the ads were probably purchased 

by Russian entities during and after 

the 2016 presidential contest. Facebook, 

Twitter and Google have been asked to testify 

before the US Senate Intelligence Committee 

on 1 November about the allegations of Russian 

interference. 

Facebook and Google have confirmed they 

have received invitations to attend the committee 

hearing, but none of the social media 

giants have yet said they will be present. Mark 

Zuckerberg has made it clear in the past that 

Corbyn slams Saudi war in 

Yemen, Israeli oppression 

Labour leader makes the 

remarks while addressing the 

UK opposition party's conference 

in Brighton, reports Al 

Jazeera. 

Britain's opposition leader 

Jeremy Corbyn has vowed to 

pursue a foreign policy that 

will not fuel conflicts but solve 

them if elected, while criticising 

Saudi Arabia for its "cruel" 

war in Yemen and urging 

Myanmar to end the violence 

against the Rohingya. Corbyn 

made the comments in an 

energetic speech at the 

Labour Party conference in 

Brighton on Wednesday. In 

his wide-ranging address, 

which was largely focused on 

Britain's future after its exit 

from the European Union, the 

Labour leader said he would 

put the pursuit of peace and 

human rights at the centre of 

his foreign policy if he became 

prime minister. 

He also called for greater 

accountability by governments 

engaged in conflicts 

around the world. Here are 

some of the subjects Corbyn 

covered in his speech - in his 

own words. "Terrorism is 

thriving in a world our governments 

have helped to 

shape, with its failed states, 

Spot Light News 

he doesn't like Donald Trump - or at least, his 

policies. 

This statement shows frustration, I think. 

Not just with the president, but at the atmosphere 

swirling around Facebook at the 

moment - commentary that is painting it as a 

burden on the electoral process, and maybe 

even on society as a whole. He's trying to 

show all the good - as he sees it - that Facebook 

has done. He feels hard done by. And as 

a man obsessed by data and metrics, he's 

probably looking at the problem of Russianbacked 

fake news ads and seeing it as a 

minuscule part of all the election goings-on 

on his network of 2 billion people. 

But it's not the scale that's the issue here - 

but his immature refusal to face up to the 

public's concerns. It was less cover up, more 

can't-be-bothered. Mark Zuckerberg has 

surely by now realised that he must answer 

his users' concerns, even when he doesn't 

share them. His mistake may prove extremely 

costly - he's boosted those calling for stricter 

regulation of internet companies. 

military interventions and 

occupations where millions 

are forced to flee conflict or 

hunger. 

"We have to do better and 

swap the knee-jerk response 

of another bombing campaign 

for long-term help to 

solve conflicts rather than fuel 

them. And we must put our 

values at the heart of our foreign 

policy. "Democracy and 

human rights are not an 

optional extra to be deployed 

selectively." 

"We cannot be silent at the 

cruel Saudi war in Yemen, 

while continuing to supply 

arms to Saudi Arabia, or the 

crushing of democracy in 

Egypt or Bahrain, or the tragic 

loss of life in Congo." "I say 

this today to Aung San Suu 

Kyi, as a champion of democracy 

and human rights: 

please, do all you can to end 

the violence now against the 

Rohingya in Myanmar and 

allow the UN and international 

aid agencies in to Rakhine 

state. "The Rohingya have suffered 

for too long!" "Let's give 

real support to end the 

oppression of the Palestinian 

people, the 50-year occupation 

and illegal settlement 

expansion and move to a genuine 

two-state solution of the 

Jeremy Corbyn called on Myanmar leader Aung San 

Suu Kyi to allow humanitarian agencies to help the 

Rohingya. 

Photo: Interent. 

In a Facebook post responding to President 

Trump's criticism, CEO Mark Zuckerberg 

said he was striving to make "a platform for all 

ideas". He said that aside from "problematic 

ads", Facebook's impact ranged from "giving 

people a voice, to enabling candidates to communicate 

directly, to helping millions of people 

vote". He noted that both ends of the political 

spectrum were upset about content they 

disliked, and that liberals in the US had 

accused him of enabling Mr Trump's victory. 

He said the candidates' campaigns had 

"spent hundreds of millions advertising 

online," which he called "1000x more than 

any problematic ads we've found". 

The 33-year-old said he regretted saying on 

the day Mr Trump was elected that it was 

"crazy" to say that misinformation on Facebook 

changed the election's outcome, 

because it sounded dismissive. He promised 

Facebook would "continue to build a community 

for all people" - and to "defend against 

nation states attempting to spread misinformation 

and subvert elections". 

Israel-Palestine conflict." "We 

must be a candid friend to the 

United States, now more than 

ever. 

"The values we share are 

not served by building walls, 

banning immigrants on the 

basis of religion, polluting the 

planet, or pandering to 

racism. "And Let me say 

frankly, the speech made by 

the US President to the United 

Nations last week was 

deeply disturbing. It threatened 

war and talked of tearing 

up international agreements. 

"Devoid of concern for human 

rights or universal values, it 

was not the speech of a world 

leader." "There is no bigger 

test in politics right now than 

Brexit, an incredibly important 

and complex process, 

that cannot be reduced to 

repeating fairy stories from 

the side of a bus or waiting 15 

months to state the obvious. 

"As democratic socialists, 

we accept and respect the referendum 

result, but respect 

for a democratic decision does 

not mean giving a green light 

to a reckless Tory Brexit agenda 

that would plunge Britain 

into a Trump-style race-tothe-bottom 

in rights and corporate 

taxes. 

Historical Day 

u 

Space Shuttle 

Discovery 

198 : The Space Shuttle Discovery, 

lifts off from the 

Kennedy Space Center, Cape 

Canaveral to launch a communications 

satellite. This is 

the first manned space mission 

since the space shuttle 

Challenger disaster two and 

a half years ago. 

Hugh Hefner 

Playboy magazine 

founder dies aged 91 

Hugh Hefner, American 

founder of the international 

adult magazine Playboy, has 

died at the age of 91, reports 

BBC. 

Playboy Enterprises Inc 

said he passed away peacefully 

at home in Los Angeles, 

from natural causes. Hefner 

began publishing Playboy in 

his kitchen in 1953. It became 

the largest-selling men's magazine 

in the world, shifting 

seven million copies a month 

at its peak. Cooper Hefner, his 

son, said he would be "greatly 

missed by many". He paid 

tribute to his father's "exceptional 

and impactful life as a 

media and cultural pioneer," 

and called him an advocate for 

free speech, civil rights and 

sexual freedom. 

Hefner's trailblazing magazine 

helped make nudity 

respectable in mainstream 

publications, despite emerging 

at a time when US states 

could legally ban contraceptives. 

It also made him a multi-millionaire, 

spawning a 

business empire that included 

casinos and nightclubs. The 

first edition featured a set of 

nude photographs of Marilyn 

Monroe originally shot for a 

1949 calendar that Hefner 

had bought for $200. 

The silk pyjama-clad mogul 

became famous for his hedonism, 

dating and marrying 

Playboy models, and throwing 

decadent parties at the luxurious 

Playboy mansion in Los 

Angeles. 

Was he really the godfather 

of the sexual revolution, or 

just a dirty old man? A louche 

purveyor of corrupting smut, 

or an enlightened publisher of 

contemporary literature? 

Feminists, and others, 

accused him of reducing 

women to sexual objects - if 

not de facto prostitutes - at the 

Playboy mansion. 

But then there was also his 

support for racial integration 

and gay rights, along with a 

hefty dollop of great writing 

and agenda-setting interviews. 

In short, he was a character 

more complex than 

tabloid editors allowed. 

And in terms of sexual 

mores his early permissiveness 

- daring or shocking 

depending on your taste - now 

seems, if not quite quaint, 

then certainly not unusual. In 

that respect Hugh Hefner was 

ahead of his time, for good or 

ill. He claimed to have slept 

with more than 1,000 women, 

and credited the impotence 

drug Viagra with maintaining 

his libido. 

"I am a kid in a candy store," 

Hefner famously said. "I 

dreamed impossible dreams, 

and the dreams turned out 

beyond anything I could possibly 

imagine. I'm the luckiest 

cat on the planet." From 

2005-10. 

UN: ‘Egregious’ sexual violence 

reports emerge from Rohingya 

US campaigners eye opening 

for Euro-style healthcare 

After the latest failure to scrap Obamacare, 

campaigners spy a rare chance to roll out coverage 

for all Americans, reports BBC. 

New York City - Americans, it seems, have 

rowed a lot about healthcare in recent years. 

Anybody who thought this week's collapse of 

the latest Republican bid to scrap the 2010 

Affordable Care Act (ACA), better known as 

Obamacare, would draw a line under this 

long-running ruckus will be sorely disappointed. 

The Republican party of US President Donald 

Trump is already planning another swipe 

at Obamacare in October 2018 - the next time 

the US Senate can pass fast-track finance laws 

with a slimmer majority than usual. Meanwhile, 

some key Democrats are getting behind 

plans for a government-run universal healthcare 

system to cover all Americans, akin to 

schemes familiar to citizens of richer European 

and Asian countries. Campaigners 

increasingly say a switch to European-style 

universal healthcare in the United States is 

"inevitable", that Obamacare has whet public 

appetite for an all-inclusive medical scheme 

and politicians are getting on board. 

"The case for universal, federal healthcare is 

advanced and we're close to winning, but this 

last inch needs the most work and is where we 

face the greatest resistance," Benjamin Day, 

director of advocacy group Healthcare-NOW!, 

told Al Jazeera. He credits Bernie Sanders, the 

cranky Vermont socialist whose surprise wins 

in Democratic primaries for the 2016 election 

race challenged the assumption that lefty 

views on tax and healthcare were anathema to 

Americans. This month, Sanders released his 

Medicare for All Act, which would expand a 

government-run, tax-funded healthcare 

scheme - known as Medicare - that currently 

benefits everyone aged 65 and older, to Americans 

of all ages. Sanders, who did not answer 

Al Jazeera's invitation for an interview, said it 

was time for the US to "join the rest of the civilized 

world and guarantee healthcare as a 

right for all people". 

The head of the UN's migration agency said 

he's "shocked and concerned" about reports 

of sexual and gender-based violence among 

new Rohingya arrivals in Cox's Bazar, 

Bangladesh, reports Al Jazeera. 

The International Organization for Migration's 

Director-General William Lacy Swing 

made the comments on Wednesday as 

Rohingya refugees who escaped a military 

crackdown in Myanmar accused the army of 

raping women and girls. Myanmar's government 

denies the claims, but has refused 

to allow international observers to investigate. 

IOM is coordinating the humanitarian 

response amid an exodus of an estimated 

480,000 people who have reached Cox's 

Bazar since August 25. An agency statement 

on Wednesday said IOM doctors have treated 

dozens of women who experienced "violent 

sexual assault" since August, but said 

such numbers likely represent only a "small 

portion" of actual cases. Swing said such 

"egregious violence and abuse is underreported" 

even in more stable situations. 

"Particularly women and girls, but also 

men and boys, have been targeted for and 

are at risk of further exploitation, violence 

and abuse simply because of their gender, 

age and status in society," said Swing. "IOM 

is supporting survivors but I cannot emphasize 

enough that attempting to understand 

the scale of gender-based violence through 

known case numbers alone is impossible." It 

is estimated about 160,000 Rohingya 

women and young girls have arrived in 

Bangladesh in the past month. Two sisters 

who spoke to Al Jazeera said they were 

raped by Myanmar soldiers. 

"The military tortured us," said 25-yearold 

Minara, who gave only one name. "They 

murdered our parents. They took us to the 

jungle. They pushed us down on the 

ground." Her sister Aziza, 22, said she was 

raped by two men and became unconscious. 

The two sisters were rescued by other 

refugees who helped them cross a river into 

Bangladesh. 

Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh speak of 'horrors in Myanmar'. 

Photo: Internet. 

He outlined a "single-payer" national health 

insurance scheme, in which the government 

collects taxes and uses them to pay hospitals 

and clinics - which would remain largely in 

private hands - for all medically necessary 

services. US healthcare law leaves millions 

without coverage 

The government could fix prices and save 

"billions of dollars a year in medical administrative 

costs", Sanders said. A bloated insurance 

market has maximized profits, so the US 

spends $10,000 on healthcare per person 

each year - double that of Britain, Canada, and 

other rich countries. It marks a big departure 

from former president Barack Obama's signature 

ACA policy, which helped millions of 

Americans buy private insurance schemes 

and made many others eligible for government-funded 

treatment, but stopped short of 

providing universal coverage. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

says 28.2 million people - or 10.4 percent 

of the US population - remain uninsured 

after Obamacare. They either go without 

treatment or have to open their wallets every 

time they visit a doctor or pharmacy. At present, 

Sanders' Medicare for All Act is a nonstarter. 

It lacks support even among Democrats 

in the Senate, would never make it 

through the House, and President Trump 

would doubtless refuse to sign it were it to ever 

reach his desk. But campaigners note among 

the 16 co-sponsors of Sanders' bill are perhaps 

all of the prominent Democrats who are positioning 

themselves to seek their party's nomination 

for a White House run in 2020. 

They include three reformist senators - Elizabeth 

Warren of Massachusetts, New Jersey's 

Cory Booker, and Kamala Harris of California. 

Another would-be contender, New York Governor 

Andrew Cuomo, recently called singlepayer 

healthcare a "good idea". As such, Day 

and others predict in November 2020 voters 

will be choosing between a Democrat who 

supports single-payer healthcare and Trump - 

or another Republican. 

2 Malaysian boys 

charged with murder 

for Islamic school fire 

u 

Two Malaysian teenagers have been charged with murder after being accused of intentionally 

setting a fire at an Islamic boarding school that killed 23 people, mostly students, 

reports UNB. Prosecutor Othman Abdullah said Thursday no plea was taken from the 

two boys and the magistrate set a hearing for Nov. 28. The accused boys are minors but 

he couldn't immediately provide their exact ages. Because of their age, they will not face 

a possible death penalty. They were among seven teenagers detained days after the Sept. 

14 blaze for allegedly using cooking gas tanks and petrol to set fire to a dormitory. 

CEO: Qatar Airways 

will fly to Irbil as long 

as it's safe 

u 

A state news agency is quoting the CEO of Qatar Airways as saying his 

airline will continue to fly to Irbil "as long as its airspace remains open 

and there are no security issues, reports UNB. That's according to a late 

Wednesday night report by the state-run Qatar News Agency. It quoted 

CEO Akbar al-Baker as making the comments at a tourism event in 

Doha. Qatar Airways is the only one of three major long-haul Gulf carriers 

to fly into Irbil. 

Official: 12 Afghan 

security forces killed 

in the south 

u 

Twelve Afghan security forces have been killed and four others wounded when 

Taliban fighters stormed the compounds of the Maruf district governor in southern 

Kandahar province, reports UNB. Zia Durani, spokesman for the provincial 

chief of police, said Thursday the attack happened the previous evening and that 

government forces then pushed the Taliban out of the district. Taliban spokesman 

Qari Yusouf Ahmadi said the Taliban captured Maruf for a few hours and after 

removing weapons and other items they left the district. 

Australian minister says 

'economic refugees' 

headed for US 

u 

An Australian government minister says "economic refugees" fleeing poverty 

rather than persecution are among the first asylum seekers to be resettled in the 

United States, adding that an Australia-run immigration camp on the Pacific 

island nation of Nauru has "the world's biggest collection of Armani jeans and 

handbags, reports UNB. Immigration and Border Protection Minister Peter Dutton 

was commenting on Sydney Radio 2GB on Thursday after Sydney's The Daily 

Telegraph newspaper published a photograph taken on Tuesday. 

Greece: 25 migrants 

rescued, 1 child dies 

in boat accident 

u 

More than 20 migrants or refugees were rescued and one child died Thursday on 

a Greek island after the boat they sailed from the Turkish coast overnight either 

capsized or sank, Greek authorities said, reports UNB. It was unclear what type of 

vessel the migrants had used and whether it sank or capsized. The coast guard said 

it appeared all those on board had been accounted for, but they were continuing 

the search and rescue operation as a precaution. Greece was the preferred route 

for refugees and migrants fleeing war and poverty in their homelands. 

Volunteers attacked 

delivering quake aid 

in southern Mexico 

u 

Mexico's Roman Catholic Archdiocese says young people delivering relief 

supplies to earthquake victims in the southern state of Oaxaca have been 

attacked and robbed, reports UNB. The archdiocese's information service 

says unidentified gunmen waylaid a pickup truck driven by the group 

Tuesday. Carlos Arvizu, administrator of the Papa Francisco Pro Felicitas 

foundation, said Wednesday that one person was shot, another was beaten 

and a woman was raped.

ART & CULTURE 

FrIDAY, 

sePTeMBer 29, 2017 

8 

Celebs Go Dating stars reveal 

what it's like to be on the show 

We've all wondered what it's like to 

date a celebrity - the fancy 

restaurants, paparazzi and exclusive 

events, reports BBC. 

For the daters on E4's Celebs Go 

Dating show, this has become a 

reality. 

Members of the public get to date 

the people they've seen on shows like 

Made in Chelsea and The Only Way 

is Essex. 

We spoke to the show's agents and 

daters about what it's like to go out 

with a celebrity. 

Celebrity dating agents Eden 

Blackman and Nadia Essex have 

been guiding celebrities since the 

show first started in September 

2016. 

This series' contestants are 

Georgia Toffolo, Bobby Norris, 

Sarah-Jane Crawford, James 

Argent, Charlotte Dawson, Frankie 

Cocozza and Calum Best, who have 

appeared on shows like The Only 

Way is Essex (Towie), Ex on the 

Beach, The X Factor and Celebrity 

Big Brother. 

Eden's expertise comes from his 

online dating website, which he set 

up to stop people "catfishing", 

meaning they lie about who they 

really are on social media in order 

'Drop-dead gorgeous' Wonder 

Woman 'not breaking ground' 

says James Cameron 

Avatar director James Cameron has 

launched more criticism at the recent 

Wonder Woman reboot, saying: "She's 

absolutely drop-dead gorgeous. To me, 

that's not breaking ground." , reports 

BSS. 

He told Hollywood Reporter: "She 

was Miss Israel, and she was wearing a 

kind of bustier costume that was very 

form-fitting. 

"They had Raquel Welch doing stuff 

like that in the '60s." 

He said in August that its star Gal 

Gadot played "an objectified icon". 

But the film's director Patty Jenkins 

hit back, saying "there is no right or 

wrong kind of powerful woman". 

She pointed out the film's "massive 

female audience who made the film a 

hit... can surely choose and judge their 

own icons of progress." 

Wonder Woman is the highest-ever 

grossing live action film directed by a 

woman. The highest grossing film with 

a female director is Frozen, which was 

co-directed by Jennifer Lee. 

Cameron told the Hollywood 

Reporter that Wonder Woman could 

be compared with Linda Hamilton in 

his 1991 film Terminator 2: Judgment 

Day. 

"Linda looked great. She just wasn't 

treated as a sex object. There was 

nothing sexual about her character. 

"It was about angst, it was about will, 

it was about determination. She was 

crazy, she was complicated. 

"She wasn't there to be liked or ogled, 

but she was central, and the audience 

loved her by the end of the film," the 

director said. 

It's rumoured that Hamilton is set to 

return to the Terminator franchise, 

with Cameron at the helm. 

"As much as I applaud Patty 

directing the film and Hollywood, uh, 

'letting' a woman direct a major action 

franchise, I didn't think there was 

anything groundbreaking in Wonder 

Woman," Cameron continued. 

"Hollywood doesn't get it about 

women in commercial franchises. 

Drama, they've got that cracked, but 

the second they start to make a big 

commercial action film, they think 

they have to appeal to 18-year-old 

males or 14-year-old males, whatever 

it is". 

But he did concede that he thought 

Wonder Woman was "good" and said: 

"I like the fact that, sexually, [Gadot] 

had the upper hand with the male 

character [played by Chris Pine], 

which I thought was fun." 

Analysis - Emma Jones, editor of the 

Electra media website, which is 

"dedicated to women in film and 

changing the narrative" 

lure people in. 

He says from working on the show 

he's been able to work out who 

genuinely wants to date a celeb and 

who just wants the fame. 

"We can tell from the daters' social 

media if they're in it for real reasons 

or to be on TV for their 15 minutes of 

fame," he tells the BBC. 

"The show has a huge team that 

interviews the daters and we have a 

conversation with them, asking all 

sorts of questions. 

"When we sit down with the daters 

we ask first, why a celebrity dating 

agency? 

"They say it's to try something 

different, it's a different kind of life, 

that celebrities are very organised, 

very driven people. 

"Some people just want to see or 

they just fancy Joey Essex and that's 

why they want to come on the show. 

"There's an element of fun, as 

we've seen from Love Island, the 

perks of being the face that makes it 

through are enormous." 

Paul Godfrey, 29, dated Bobby 

Norris from The Only Way is Essex 

on the show and says his life has 

changed since then. 

"I work in fashion styling and 

events and I've dated people in the 

public eye before. "I meet people in 

the field I'm in and it just depends if 

we get on, I like to look at the person, 

not the job title. 

"With Bobby I was lucky to meet 

someone honest and genuine, we 

had a lot in common and that was a 

good ice breaker. 

"Your life does change when you 

date someone famous, people 

followed mine and Bobby's story as 

we were the first LGBT couple on the 

show. "I get stopped most days on 

the street, my followers have gone 

up on social media but I've not had 

one bad comment." 

Khancha to vie 

for best foreign 

language film 

in 'The Oscars' 

DHAKA : Khancha, a film 

made under the banner of 

Impress Telefilm Ltd with 

government grant, has been 

picked up to vie for the best 

foreign language film in the 

90th Academy Awards, The 

Oscars. 

Bangladesh committee for 

the 90th Academy Awards 

nominated the movie 

directed by Akram Khan 

over "Sona Bondhu", reports 

BSS. 

The declaration was made 

at a press briefing held at a 

city hotel. Bangladesh 

Federation of Film Society 

and Bangladesh Oscars 

Committee chairman 

Habibur Rahman Khan, Prof 

Abdus Selim, film director 

Mushfikur Rahman Gulzar, 

Abu Musa Debu, Abdul Latif 

Bachchu, Khancha director 

Akram Khan, actor Azad 

Abul Kalam and Impress 

managing director Faridur 

Reza Sagar addressed the 

function, among others. 

Khanca was made on the 

story of eminent short story 

writer Hasan Azizul Huq, 

while the screenplay was by 

Akram Khan along with 

Azad Abul Kalam. 

Ibeyi: 'They tried to bury 

us, but we were seeds 

Lisa-Kainde Diaz, one half of French-Cuban 

duo Ibeyi, has an inadvisable habit. 

Every time she puts music on YouTube, 

she waits half an hour then checks the 

comments, reports BBC. 

"It's my little ritual," she says. "I always 

look at the first 15, then I stop because, well 

you know!" 

Recently she uploaded a song called 

Deathless, whose lyrics tackle police 

brutality and racism. 

Given the sometimes toxic atmosphere of 

YouTube's comments section, Lisa-Kainde 

might have expected to see a stream of 

hatred. But one message stopped her in her 

tracks. 

"This girl wrote something that really 

touched me," she tells the BBC. "'They 

buried us, but they didn't know we were 

seeds.'" 

The quote comes from poet Dinos 

Christianopoulos, who was sidelined by the 

Greek literary community in the 1970s 

because he was gay. 

But it could easily be a lyric from 

Deathless, a cathartic response to Lisa- 

Kainde's wrongful arrest, at the age of 16, in 

Paris. 

The performer says she was on the Metro 

going to a piano class when a policeman 

started asking her if she drank, smoked or 

took drugs. 

When she replied "no" the officer got 

"quite rough", making her remove her shoes 

and tipping the contents of her schoolbag on 

the ground. 

"It was clearly racist," says the singer. "The 

only reason they stopped me was the fact 

that I had an afro. They thought, 'Oh, for 

sure, she's selling crack.'" 

The gendarme only relented when he saw 

her textbooks and musical scores lying on 

the ground. "He froze," she says. 

"I think he thought, 'She might have a little 

intelligence.' So he gave me my bag and left." 

"We're so proud to mix Yoruba sounds 

into our music," says Lisa-Kainde 

Lisa-Kainde says she "buried" the incident 

for years. "At the end of the day, it was 

nothing. They didn't touch me, they didn't 

push me, they didn't try to hurt me that 

way." 

It was only when stories of police brutality 

started to crop up with increasing regularity 

in the news that Ibeyi's producer, Richard 

Russell, suggested she address it in her 

lyrics. 

"I remember saying, 'Why would I write a 

song about it? My story is nothing compared 

to what is happening to people every day.' 

"Then Naomi said something quite 

incredible. She said: 'Lisa, you don't need to 

be raped or be killed for it to be wrong. What 

happened to you was already wrong.'" 

Lisa-Kainde decided Deathless should be a 

rallying cry for people who feel helpless in 

the face of oppression. 

"I was like, 'Let's do something!'" she says. 

"And what we can do, even if it's small, is 

write a song for everybody to believe, truly 

believe, for three minutes that we are 

beyond death. 

"That we are so powerful. That we are 

large. That there is no end to the power we 

have together. 

"We can make people sing 'We are 

deathless', every night like a mantra. And 

that's our little anthem." 

Hugh Hefner: Playboy magazine 

founder dies aged 91 

Hugh Hefner, American founder of the 

international adult magazine Playboy, has 

died at the age of 91, reports BBC. 

Playboy Enterprises Inc said he passed 

away peacefully at home in Los Angeles, 

from natural causes. 

Hefner began publishing Playboy in his 

kitchen in 1953. It became the largest-selling 

men's magazine in the world, shifting seven 

million copies a month at its peak. 

Cooper Hefner, his son, said he would be 

"greatly missed by many". 

He paid tribute to his father's "exceptional 

and impactful life as a media and cultural 

pioneer," and called him an advocate for free 

speech, civil rights and sexual freedom. 

Hefner's trailblazing magazine helped 

make nudity more acceptable in 

mainstream publications, despite emerging 

at a time when US states could legally ban 

contraceptives. 

It also made him a multi-millionaire, 

spawning a business empire that included 

casinos and nightclubs. 

And in terms of sexual mores his early 

permissiveness - daring or shocking 

depending on your taste - now seems, if not 

quite quaint, then certainly not unusual. 

In that respect Hugh Hefner was ahead of 

his time, for good or ill. 

He claimed to have slept with more than 

1,000 women, and credited the impotence 

drug Viagra with maintaining his libido. 

H O r O s C O P e 

ArIes 

(March 21 - April 20): Aries will 

enjoy a stable energy when it comes 

to their career today. You seem to be 

on a predictable path to advancement; and 

nothing pleases you more than knowing that 

you are getting ahead. Take time to be grateful 

for all of the many steps along the way that have 

brought you to this place. No one makes it alone! 

TAUrUs 

(April 21 - May 21): Taurus, you 

should enjoy this last day of pushing 

your boundaries before more 

practical matters take hold. Have a little fun today 

and let loose! Pushing your own limits has never 

been so fun, and you will enjoy the challenge of 

bending your mind in new directions. Learn a 

new skill today just for the fun of it! 

GeMINI 

(May 22 - June 21): You may find 

yourself taking a pause to ponder 

the deeper side of life today, Gemini. 

The Moon is still in your 8th House of Death 

and Regeneration, so questions of your life 

direction may be front and center in your mind. 

Are you doing something that will truly make a 

positive impact on the world? 

CANCer 

(June 22 - July 23): Cancer, there is 

no greater pleasure than a job well 

done. It seems like you are facing a 

million distractions right now and you may 

want to focus your energy anywhere but work 

right now. But if you put in the necessary time 

now you will find you are fully able to focus on 

the fun later. Work first-then play! 

LeO 

(July 24 - Aug. 23): Leos may 

discover a hidden talent today. You 

love being in the spotlight and are used 

to having a steady stream of admirers. But this new 

talent will come as a surprise to even you, and you 

will delight in adding this skill to your wheelhouse. 

Be proud of yourself for continuing your journey of 

self-discovery and delight in your newfound talent. 

VIrGO 

(Aug 24 - Sept. 23): Life is a juggling 

act, Virgo, but you may be feeling the 

urge to quit the show. It sure does take 

a lot of will and responsibility to keep life running on 

track. Sometimes it may feel like your good deeds go 

unnoticed; however, rest assured that you are very 

appreciated for all you do. No one else is so adept at 

managing life's stresses with a smile. Bravo! 

LIBrA 

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

happiest focusing on one goal today. 

It's tempting to say â€œyesâ€ to 

every request that comes your way. And no one 

enjoys pleasing people as much as you! But you run 

the risk of over-committing if you aren't clear about 

what you can handle. Agree to one item that is close 

to your heart. You will thank yourself later! 

sCOrPIO 

(Oct. 24 - Nov. 22): People around 

you have certainly been in a strange 

mood, Scorpio. It's tempting for you 

to try to get to the bottom of this; however, the 

offending parties may not be ready to share any 

details. Rest assured that whatever has them 

irked doesn't concern you, and they will be back 

to their usual selves soon. 

sAGITTArIUs 

(Nov. 23 - Dec. 21): Sagittarius, people 

are looking to you for leadership right 

now. Jupiter is in your 11th House of 

Hope/Wishes/Friends, and you naturally attract 

some of the best people around with your jovial and 

adventurous nature. You may be selected as the 

head of a project today or simply made the 

â€œunofficialâ€ leader of your group of friends. 

CAPrICOrN 

(Dec. 22 - Jan. 20): There's something 

you've always wanted to do, Capricorn, 

but you have been too afraid to go for 

it. Well, today is your day! Push 

yourself outside your comfort zone and sign up for 

that class you have always wanted to take or that trip 

you've always wanted to go on. You can achieve 

anything with your â€œcan-doâ€ attitude, and you 

are sure to have a blast in the process! 

AQUArIUs 

(Jan. 21 - Feb. 19) : Love may find 

you in a surprising place today, 

Aquarius. You are usually focused on 

so many different things at once; you may not 

have noticed that you are making quite an 

impression on someone. This could be someone 

you would have never thought of in a romantic 

way, but give yourself time to adjust to the idea. 

PIsCes 

(Feb. 20 - Mar. 20) : Pisces, you have 

recently taken someone under your 

wing. This may have been someone 

new at work or school who seemed to 

be struggling to find their place. Under your careful 

care and guidance they are beginning to find their 

footing and you can see how comfortable they are 

starting to feel. The world would surely be a better 

place if everyone behaved as honorably as you.

SPORTS 

FRIDAY, 


9 

David Warner and Aaron Finch put on 231 for the opening wicket as Australia made a blistering start to 

the fourth ODI against India in Bengaluru. 

Photograph: Rajanish Kakade/AP. 

Stokes’s Ashes in fresh 

doubt after ‘brawl’ video 

LONDON: England star Ben Stokes's 

inclusion for the Ashes tour of 

Australia was under renewed scrutiny 

after the Sun newspaper published 

video footage purporting to show him 

engaged in a street brawl, reports BSS. 

The Test vice-captain was included 

in England's 16-man Ashes squad led 

by skipper Joe Root announced earlier 

Wednesday, despite injuring his hand 

in the incident that led to his arrest in 

Bristol on suspicion of causing actual 

bodily harm. 

The 26-year-old was released 

without charge on Monday, but 

remains under investigation. 

In the video posted by the Sun, 

which headlined its front-page splash 

'Hit for Six', Stokes appears to be 

fighting with two men, one of whom is 

holding a bottle. 

"We have seen this footage for the 

first time tonight -- when posted by 

The Sun," said the England and Wales 

Cricket Board. 

"There is an ongoing police 

investigation, which will look at all 

available evidence, and we do have to 

respect that process." 

He was omitted from England's 

series-clinching ODI win against West 

Indies at The Oval after being arrested 

in the early hours of Monday morning. 

His arrest followed England's win in 

the third ODI in the southwestern city 

of Bristol on Sunday. 

"As it currently stands, he is (Test) 

vice-captain pending any disciplinary 

action," ECB cricket director Andrew 

Strauss told reporters. 

England ODI regular Alex Hales -- 

an Ashes long-shot who did not make 

the Test squad -- was also left out of 

Wednesday's match after being with 

Stokes on Sunday night. 

Avon and Somerset police said 

Tuesday they had been called to an 

incident in the Clifton district of 

Bristol at around 2:35 am (0135 GMT) 

on Monday. 

England coach Trevor Bayliss 

replied "definitely not" when asked by 

Sky Sports on Wednesday if he was 

happy with players staying out until 

the early hours during a series. 

"The other night a few guys being 

out was very unprofessional in the 

middle of a series," the Australian 

added. 

Both Bayliss and Strauss are wary of 

curfews, with the ex-England skipper 

saying they believed in "treating 

people like adults". 

- 'Cancel England's flights!' - 

But Strauss conceded Stokes's 

incident could lead to a re-think, a 

point emphasised by England limitedovers 

captain Eoin Morgan after 

Wednesday's win. 

"We'll have to put something in 

place that doesn't leave us in the 

position we are at the moment," said 

Morgan. 

Stokes, potentially just one on-field 

offence away from a Test ban under 

the International Cricket Council's 

code of conduct, is seen as vital to 

England's chances of retaining the 

Ashes in Australia, which start with 

November's first Test in Brisbane. 

Former England batsman Kevin 

Pietersen, jokingly suggested the 

Sun's story spelt the end for the 

current side's Ashes hopes, tweeting: 

"Oh No! Just seen tomorrow's front 

page & video! Cancel England's flights 

please!" 

England great Ian Botham, speaking 

after the squad was announced but 

before the video was published, said 

he hoped fellow all-rounder Stokes 

was "the innocent party". 

Botham, however, added: "You 

cannot be wandering the streets at 

2:30 am." 

Stokes, sent home from an England 

Lions tour in Australia in 2012/13 for 

flouting a ban on late-night drinking, 

told The Times in an interview 

published on Saturday he enjoyed a 

couple of beers after stumps. 

"We're grown men, go out for 

dinner, have a few pints," he said. 

"I'm 26, not 14. I don't have to drink 

Diet Cokes with dinner." 

Holder laments Windies 

win that got away 

LONDON: West Indies 

captain Jason Holder was 

left trying to work out how 

his side had lost the fourth 

one-day international 

against England despite 

two fine solo efforts with 

bat and ball, reports BSS. 

England triumphed by 

six runs under the 

Duckworth/Lewis method 

for rain-affected fixtures at 

The Oval on Wednesday in 

a series-clinching success 

that left them 3-0 up with 

one to play in a five-match 

contest. 

Defeat, West Indies' 16th 

in 17 completed ODIs 

against England, was tough 

on Evin Lewis who made a 

career-best 176 before 

retiring hurt, while recalled 

paceman Alzarri Joseph 

took five for 56, his maiden 

five-wicket haul at his level. 

To make matters worse, 

opener Lewis will miss 

Friday's finale in 

Southampton with a 

hairline fracture, an injury 

he suffered in bizarre 

fashion when he deflected a 

Jake Ball delivery onto his 

right ankle. 

For all Lewis and 

Joseph's excellent work, an 

unbroken sixth-wicket 

partnership of 77 between 

Moeen Ali and Jos Buttler 

got England above the 

required rate to 258 for five 

when rain stopped play in 

the 36th over. 

"It's really hard to take... I 

thought, had the rain not 

come, it would have been a 

really close finish -- and we 

were backing ourselves to 

win it," said all-rounder 

Holder, who made 77 as he 

and Lewis put on 168. 

"It's hard when a guy 

scores 170 and another guy 

takes five wickets, and you 

end up losing the game," he 

added. 

Holder will also be absent 

from the final ODI as he is 

set to fly home on Thursday 

to attend his uncle's 

funeral. 

Twenty20 captain Carlos 

Brathwaite is expected to 

join the team, with Jason 

Mohammed in line to lead 

the side. 

England were without 

Ben Stokes after the 

Durham all-rounder was 

arrested on suspicion of 

causing actual bodily harm 

following a night out in 

Bristol on Sunday. 

Opening batsman Alex 

Hales, who returned to the 

southwestern city on 

Tuesday to voluntarily 

provide further evidence to 

police, was also missing 

from England's team on 

Wednesday. 

Jason Roy marked his 

return to England duty in 

place of Hales with a wellmade 

84 on his Surrey 

home ground. 

England captain Eoin 

Morgan, however, said: 

"For the moment, Alex will 

come straight back in (at 

Southampton)." 

Dean Elgar and Aiden Markram are batting for South?Africa against Bangladesh on Day 1 of the first Test on 

Thursday. Get live cricket score of South Africa vs Bangladesh, 1st Test, here.(Action Images via Reuters). 

MCC rejects 

flats plan in 

Lord’s 

revamp 

LONDON: Lord's is set to 

undergo the largest single 

development in the current 

ground's 203-year history 

although plans to build 

residential flats at the 'home 

of cricket' have been 

rejected. 

Members of Marylebone 

Cricket Club (MCC), which 

owns the northwest London 

ground, overwhelmingly 

backed a committee 

proposal in favour of the 

club's o194 million ($260 

million, 221 million euros) 

'Masterplan' that is set to be 

completed by 2032. 

This will see the Compton 

and Edrich stands, either 

side of the Media Centre, at 

the Nursery End of the 

ground redeveloped to 

provide several more 

thousand seats, expanding 

overall capacity to some 

32,000. 

A rival proposal from a 

developer would have seen 

two blocks of flats built next 

to the Nursery Ground. 

But MCC members 

backed the Masterplan, 

which will be funded from 

the club's own resources, by 

a mammoth 90.5 percent 

majority at a special general 

meeting in London on 

Wednesday. 

Ahly tackle another 

Tunisian giant in semis 

JOHANNESBURG: Having slayed one 

Tunisian giant, Al Ahly of Egypt tackle 

another this weekend in pursuit of a 

record-extending ninth CAF Champions 

League title. 

The Cairo club shocked Esperance in 

Tunis last weekend, coming from behind to 

triumph 2-1 through goals from Tunisian 

Ali Maaloul and Nigerian Junior Ajayi. 

Esperance had assumed the role of 

favourites after forcing a 2-2 first-leg away 

draw in the mega quarter-final. 

Now, 2007 champions Etoile Sahel hope 

to succeed where Esperance failed, and 

enjoy semi-final home advantage first at 

Stade Olympique in Mediterranean resort 

Sousse. 

The clubs have clashed twice in 

Champions League finals with Ahly 

winning 3-0 overall in 2005 and Sahel 

turning the tables two years later with a 

stunning 3-1 success. 

This century, Ahly have never gone four 

years without lifting the Champions 

League trophy that symbolises African club 

supremacy. 

With the last of eight titles won in 2013, 

the "Red Devils" are under pressure from 

supporters to go all the way this season. 

"Our fantastic fans are demanding that 

we win the Champions League this year," 

admitted coach and former Ahly star 

Hossam el Badry. 

"They want a ninth star on our shirts and 

a chance to compete against the best at the 

FIFA Club World Cup. 

"Our target is winning the Champions 

League this year -- nothing less," stressed 

the 57-year-old in his third spell as Ahly 

Pakistan's Yasir Shah celebrates with his team-mates the dismissal of Sri Lanka's batsman Lahiru 

Thirimanne during their 1st Test cricket match in Abu Dhabi. Get live cricket score and live updates of 

Pakistan vs Sri Lanka, 1st Test, here. (AP). 

Atlanta fairytale 

continues with 

playoff spot 

LOS ANGELES: United 

became the first expansion 

side to clinch a Major League 

Soccer playoff spot in their 

debut season since 2009 

after defeating Philadelphia 

Union 3-0 on Wednesday, 

reports BSS. 

Julian Gressel and Josef 

Martinez netted in the first 

half before a late goal from 

Jacob Peterson made sure of 

all three points for United. 

The victory extended 

Atlanta's home unbeaten 

streak to 12 games and was 

their fifth win in six games at 

their new Mercedes-Benz 

Stadium. 

Since moving into their 

new home, Atlanta have 

outscored their opponents 

by 22 goals to three. 

Gressel, who replaced 

injured Paraguay 

international midfielder 

Miguel Almiron, opened the 

scoring in the 27th minute. 

The midfielder collected a 

pass from Leandro Gonzalez 

Pirez before holding off 

Philadelphia's defence to 

shoot past goalkeeper Andre 

Blake on 27 minutes. 

Martinez then doubled the 

lead six minutes later after 

Gressel's assist for his 18th 

goal of the season. 

Substitute Peterson 

completed a deserved win in 

the 88th minute, finishing 

Hector Villalba's assist. 

The win left Atlanta third 

in the Eastern Conference 

standings with 52 points 

from 30 games and assured 

them of a place in the 

postseason. 

New York City FC are 

second in the table after 

securing 1-0 win away at 

Montreal Impact on 

Wednesday, the goal coming 

through Jack Harrison in 

the 29th minute. 

Cavani, Neymar on target 

as PSG outclass Bayern 

PARIS: Edinson Cavani and 

Neymar both scored as 

Paris Saint-Germain 

claimed a convincing 3-0 

victory over a disappointing 

Bayern Munich in their 

heavyweight Champions 

League clash in the French 

capital on Wednesday, 

reports BSS. 

PSG got off to a dream 

start as their other Brazilian 

summer signing Dani Alves 

gave them the lead inside 90 

seconds at the Parc des 

Princes and they never 

looked back. 

Cavani's sweeping firsttime 

strike just after the halfhour 

mark made it 2-0 

before Neymar completed 

the scoring in the second 

half as Bayern went down to 

their heaviest defeat since 

losing to Barcelona by the 

same score in the semi-finals 

of this competition in May 

2015. 

The result leaves the 

French club top of Group B 

with the maximum six 

points from two games, 

eight goals scored and none 

conceded. They are on 

course to win the section -- 

Bayern are level on three 

points with Celtic, who won 

at Anderlecht. 

For PSG this was a chance 

to measure themselves 

against one of the 

continent's traditional 

powers in their biggest 

European match since their 

humiliating exit in 

Barcelona last season. 

In that regard the evening 

was a resounding success for 

Unai Emery's team, 

although the German club 

were some way short of their 

usual standards. 

"The main thing is the 

three points, but it's also 

important for me that the 

fans enjoy the match and 

seeing us win against a toplevel 

side," said Emery. 

The match also saw Cavani 

and Neymar feature 

together for the first time 

since their disagreement 

over who should take a 

penalty in a league game 

against Lyon 10 days 

previously. 

This time there were no 

such disputes, and both men 

could celebrate contributing 

to the final outcome. 

"I tried to put out the best 

possible team, and if I am 

criticised for that, I'll accept 

it," Bayern coach Carlo 

Ancelotti, who left Franck 

Ribery and Arjen Robben on 

the bench, told German Sky. 

"The reason for the defeat 

is the first goal." 

Bayern have been among 

the critics of PSG's 

spending policy after a 

summer which saw them 

notably spend a worldrecord 

222 million euros 

($264 million) to sign 

Neymar from Barcelona. 

The Brazilian is 

reportedly being paid more 

than three million euros a 

month in Paris, and Bayern 

supporters had that in 

mind as they unfurled a 

pointed banner prior to 

kick-off. 

Complaining about match 

tickets costing 75 euros, it 

read: "We are not Neymar. 

Ticket prices must be 

reasonable." 

- Alves with opener - 

It would have been easier 

coach. 

CAF Champions League winners wear 

shirts with a star for each title above the 

club badge. 

An Egyptian with Etoile and a Tunisian 

at Ahly could play key roles in the semifinal. 

Sahel promoted Egyptian Amr Marey in 

place of banned Brazilian Diogo Acosta 

and he rewarded French coach Hubert 

Velud with a brace in the 2-0 home win 

over Al Ahly Tripoli of Libya. 

Tunisian Maaloul is an experienced CAF 

campaigner and a left-back with a licence 

to roam, whose goal set up the downfall of 

Esperance. 

On Friday, USM Alger of Algeria host 

Wydad Casablanca of Morocco in the other 

first leg of a competition that has become 

an exclusively north African affair at the 

last-four stage. 

Both clubs were Champions League 

runners-up this decade -- USM to TP 

Mazembe of the Democratic Republic of 

Congo in 2015 and Wydad to Esperance 

four years earlier. 

USM disappointed last weekend, only 

drawing 0-0 at home to lightweights 

Ferroviario Beira of Mozambique and 

squeezing through on away goals. 

Much more will be expected of leading 

scorer Oussama Darfalou against Wydad, 

who won the competition in 1992 when 

called the African Cup of Champions 

Clubs. 

The Casablanca outfit have lost four of 

five away matches, but eliminated titleholders 

Mamelodi Sundowns of South 

Africa to reach the semi-finals. 

to swallow paying that price 

if their team had won, but 

they fell behind in the 

second minute and never 

recovered. 

Neymar was allowed to cut 

in from the left before 

picking out Alves, who 

arrived unmarked in the 

area to take a touch and 

finish past Sven Ulreich, 

standing in for the injured 

Manuel Neuer in the Bayern 

goal. 

Javi Martinez came closest 

to equalising for Ancelotti's 

side with a half-volley from 

the edge of the area that was 

tipped over by Alphonse 

Areola, but the hosts were 

able to soak up the pressure 

and hit on the break. 

Cavani shot just wide after 

being fed by Kylian Mbappe 

and those two combined for 

the second goal in the 31st 

minute, Mbappe again 

teeing up Cavani for a 

superb first-time finish high 

into the net and his 10th goal 

this season. 

Bayern were stunned, and 

a combination of the 'MCN' 

then almost brought a third, 

with Neymar laying off 

Mbappe's pass for Cavani, 

whose effort was saved. 

Things did get worse for 

the visitors in the second 

half and they conceded 

again in the 63rd minute, 

with Neymar poking home 

from inside the six-yard box 

as Martinez failed to clear 

following good play by 

Mbappe. 

That was Neymar's sixth 

goal for PSG and the 18th in 

total from the 'MCN', with 

the promise of many more to 

come.

ECONOMY & BUSINESS FRIDAY, 

THE 


10 


Apurva Jain, Managing Director and Head, Transaction Banking, Bangladesh, Standard Chartered 

Bank receives the 'Best International Bank' and 'Best Digital Bank' awards on behalf of the Bank at 

the Asiamoney Awards ceremony 2017 held in Beijing, China. 

Photo: Courtesy 

SCBB recognized as Best 

Digital Bank at the inaugural 

Asiamoney Award 

Standard Chartered Bank Bangladesh( SCBB) has recently 

won the 'Best International Bank' and 'Best Digital Bank' 

awards at the Asiamoney Awards ceremony 2017 held in 

Beijing, China, says a press release said . 

Asiamoney recognized Standard Chartered Bangladesh 

for being "a cut above the rest in the digital world" in the 

'Best Digital Bank' category, and as "head and shoulders 

above its foreign peers in Bangladesh" in the 'Best 

International Bank" category, according to Asiamoney's 

award commendations 

Commenting on the win, Abrar A. Anwar, CEO of 

Standard Chartered Bangladesh said, "We are delighted to 

have received these awards, which recognize Standard 

October 

blip leaves 

German 

consumer 

confidence 

high 

FRANKFURT AM MAIN : 

Germans will be slightly less 

confident about future 

income and less keen on 

splashing out in October, a 

survey predicted Thursday, 

even as belief in the 

country's economic strength 

remains high, reports BSS. 

Consumer confidence fell 

0.1 points to 10.8, as 

measured by pollsters GfK's 

forward-looking survey of 

around 2,000 people. 

"Germans see the 

economy on a solid course 

for growth into autumn," the 

firm commented. 

Unemployment remains 

at record lows and economic 

growth has beaten analysts' 

expectations so far this year, 

while surveys of business 

leaders and investors are all 

in the green. 

People's expectations for 

growth in their own income 

fell back slightly this month. 

But wage expectations 

"remain at a very high level," 

GfK noted, with people 

"assuming that they'll clock 

up significant growth in 

income in the future." 

There was a similar 

picture in the sub-index 

measuring the public's 

interest in large purchases, 

with the barometer 

unclouded by a slight fall. 

Chartered's impact in the banking sector in Bangladesh, 

and our endeavour to introduce innovative financial 

solutions to cater to the evolving needs of our times. We 

would like to profusely thank our clients and customers for 

their continued support and confidence in us and our 

regulators for their guidance. It has been our privilege to be 

a partner in progress to Bangladesh for over 112 years, and 

play a humble part in the amazing growth story of our 

nation." 

Asiamoney has been a leading publication covering 

banking and the capital markets in Asia for nearly three 

decades. 2017 marked the inaugural year of the Asiamoney 

Awards. 

Toshiba signs $18bn deal to 

sell chip unit to Bain Capital 

TOKYO: said on Thursday it had formally 

signed a deal to sell its memory chip business 

to a group led by US investor Bain Capital for 

around $18 billion, reports BSS. 

The sale to the consortium-which includes 

US tech giants Apple and Dell as well as 

South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix-is seen 

as crucial to keeping the struggling Japanese 

conglomerate afloat. 

Thursday's signing caps a months-long saga 

that saw heated courtroom battles, rival bids 

and the near-delisting of one of Japan's bestknown 

firms. 

"Today we signed a deal to sell" all the shares 

of its prized memory chip business to the 

consortium with a price tag of two trillion 

yen ($18 trillion), Toshiba said. 

The Japanese firm had already said last week 

it would sell the business to the Bain-led 

group and aims to complete the sale by 

March. 

Toshiba is the world's number-two 

chipmaker behind Samsung and the 

division's products are found in many 

smartphones and electronic gadgets. 

The chip unit accounts for around a quarter 

of Toshiba's total annual revenue and is the 

crown jewel in a vast range of businesses 

ranging from home appliances to nuclear 

BEIJING : The Asian Infrastructure Investment 

Bank (AIIB) has announced it will invest 150 

million U.S. dollars in the International Finance 

Corporation (IFC)'s Emerging Asia Fund to 

address the infrastructure gap in Asia, reports 

BSS. 

The bank will become one of the fund's biggest 

investors, according to a statement. The IFC, a 

member of the World Bank Group, offers 

investment and advisory services to help private 

sector growth and poverty reduction in 

developing countries. "To mobilize sufficient 

funds to address the huge infrastructure needs 

reactors. 

Toshiba narrowly averted a delisting this 

year, but it still faces the humiliating 

prospect of being yanked from Japan's 

premier stock exchange if the sale does not 

raise enough money. 

Selling the chip division is seen as key to 

Toshiba's survival, as it battles to recover 

from multi-billion-dollar losses at its US 

nuclear operation Westinghouse Electric. 

The Japanese industrial giant is still 

recovering from the disastrous acquisition of 

Westinghouse, which racked up billions of 

dollars in losses before being placed in 

bankruptcy protection. 

Those huge losses came to light as the group 

was still reeling from revelations that top 

Toshiba executives had pressured 

underlings to cover up weak results for years 

after the 2008 global financial meltdown. 

Its most recent results published in August 

revealed a loss of $8.8 billion in the last fiscal 

year, although it predicted it would swing 

back into the black this year. 

The losses were a major embarrassment for 

a cornerstone of Japan Inc, which traces its 

history back as far as 1875 when the 

company started life as a telegraph factory in 

what is now Tokyo's Ginza shopping district. 

AIIB to invest in IFC fund 

across Asia, multilateral development 

institutions must collaborate with each other 

and a range of other partners," said D.J. 

Pandian, Vice President and Chief Investment 

Officer of the AIIB. Pandian said the bank will 

continue to work with other international 

financial institutions to help the region's 

development. 

The AIIB also approved loans of 100 million 

U.S. dollars for an electricity transmission project 

in India, which will build five lines to optimize the 

electricity system, improve the generation mix, 

and better utilize renewable energy resources. 

China's central state firms post 

record growth in first eight months 

BEIJING : - China's centrallyadministered 

state-owned 

enterprises (SOEs) saw the strongestever 

growth both in revenue and 

profits for January-August, the chief 

of the state assets watchdog said 

Thursday, reports BSS. 

"In the first eight months, China's 

central SOEs reported a 15.7 percent 

increase in business revenue and a 

17.3 percent growth in total profits, 

both historical highs," said Xiao 

Yaqing, chairman of the Stateowned 

Assets Supervision and 

Administration Commission. 

Under the government's supplyside 

structural reform, central SOEs 

have also made considerable 

progress in excess capacity cuts and 

leverage control. 

"From January to August, China's 

central SOEs beat government-set 

targets by reducing 16.14 million 

tonnes of steel capacity and 55.1 

million tonnes of coal capacity," Xiao 

told a press conference. 

He also revealed that by the end of 

August, the average debt-to-asset 

ratio of China's central SOEs 

dropped to 66.5 percent, 0.2 

percentage points lower than the 

beginning of this year. 

With government reform and 

restructuring efforts gradually 

paying off, Chinese central SOEs 

have been increasingly efficient and 

competitive over the last five years. 

"By the end of 2016, total assets of 

China's central SOEs reached 50.5 

trillion yuan (about 7.62 trillion U.S. 

dollars), an 80 percent jump from 

the end of 2011," Xiao said. 

China's cabinet said Wednesday 

that more work should be done to 

advance the restructuring of the 

central SOEs, especially in 

equipment manufacturing, coal, 

electricity, communications and 

chemical industries. Since 2013, 

more than 30 central SOEs have 

been restructured, including a 

merger between two of China's top 

bullet train makers and that between 

two major steel makers. 

Expats in 

Vietnam 

annually earn 

88,000 USD: 

HSBC 

HANOI: The 2017 Expat 

Explorer survey from the 

Hong Kong and Shanghai 

Banking Corporation 

(HSBC) shows that expats 

in Vietnam make an 

average income of 88,096 

U.S. dollars a year, and 36 

percent of them said their 

income has increased by a 

quarter since they worked 

in the country, reports 

BSS. 

Some 72 percent of 

expats in Vietnam said 

they have managed to save 

more money, and over 67 

percent agreed that their 

disposable income have 

improved compared with 

the time they worked in 

their home country, and 

the two rates are higher 

than the world's average. 

However, only 18 

percent of expats own real 

estates in Vietnam, and the 

rate is half of the world's 

average. 

Nearly half of expats in 

Vietnam said they have 

longer holidays and more 

c o n v e n i e n t 

accommodations, and 

enjoy more services 

relating to local human 

resources such as housekeeping 

and baby-sitting. 

Up to 79 percent of 

expats in the country 

receive many benefits in 

labor contracts, mostly 

h e a l t h c a r e , 

accommodation, and airfare 

allowances. This rate 

is higher than the world's 

average. Three most 

common reasons for 

foreigners to work in 

Vietnam include seeking a 

new challenge, improving 

quality of life and following 

their companies' transfer 

requests. 

In the previous HSBC 

survey, Vietnam achieved 

high points in terms of 

benefits as part of 

employment package, 

work-life balance and 

fulfillment in work. 

Rupee 

tumbles 16 

paise against 

dollar, hits 

65.88 

Mumbai : The rupee took 

more blows today as it 

slipped 16 paise to a fresh six 

and a half month low of 

65.88 against the dollar that 

gained clout overseas on talk 

of a US rate hike and the 

prospect of monetary 

stimulus pullout, reports 

BSS. 

The US Fed's policy 

decision and commentary 

led to foreign investors 

heading to the exit door 

here. 

Month-end demand from 

importers for the US 

currency is at work, forex 

dealers said. The dollar's 

gains against other 

currencies overseas put the 

squeeze on the local unit. 

Yesterday, the rupee 

plunged 27 paise to end at 

65.72. 

Meanwhile, 

the 

benchmark Sensex fell 

further by 44.27 points, or 

0.14 per cent, to 31,115.54 in 

the opening trade today. 

Foreign 

investment 

to Vietnam 

up 34 pct in 

9 months 

HANOI : Vietnam lured 25.4 

billion U.S. dollars of foreign 

investment in the first nine 

months of 2017, up 34.3 

percent year-on-year, the 

country's Foreign 

Investment Agency said on 

Thursday, reports BSS. 

Of the total, 14.5 billion 

U.S. dollars was poured into 

1,844 new projects, 6.75 

billion U.S. dollars into 878 

operational ones, and 4.16 

billion U.S. dollars into 

buying shares of companies 

in Vietnam. 

Dollar gains build in Asia 

after Trump tax plan but 

stocks mixed 

HONG KONG : The dollar extended its 

gains in Asia on Thursday as focus 

turned back to the United States after 

Donald Trump unveiled his marketfriendly 

tax cut plan, reports BSS. 

However, regional equities struggled to 

track Wall Street higher despite a broad 

move back to riskier assets-as North 

Korea went on the backburner-with 

Treasury yields rising and safe-haven 

gold prices slipping. 

After months of waiting Trump released 

a tax reform blueprint that would slash 

corporate rates, provide relief for firms 

that repatriate cash from overseas and 

reduce the number of tax brackets from 

seven to three. 

The tycoon described it as "the largest 

tax cut, essentially, in the history of our 

country", while House Speaker Paul 

Ryan said it was "a once-in-a-lifetime 

opportunity that is all about more jobs, 

fairer taxes and bigger pay checks for 

American families". 

Trump's promise to reduce taxes, ramp 

up infrastructure spending and slash 

red tape helped drive a global market 

rally in the months after his November 

election win. But those gains fizzled as 

his legislative agenda suffered a series 

of blows and his White House has 

become embroiled in a host of crises. 

The bill is expected to face a tough 

passage through Congress, with both 

sides of the aisle likely to question its 

affordability, while it received a mixed 

review from economists, and business 

and union leaders. 

Still, the unveiling sparked a rally in the 

dollar as dealers bet such tax cuts would 

fuel inflation. The unit was already 

healthy following an indication from 

Federal Reserve boss Janet Yellen that 

she was in favour of further hikes. 

"In the space of two days we've now had 

confirmation Janet Yellen is going 

to keep hiking rates and President 

Trump's 'Gang of 6' have delivered a tax 

plan that might get through," said Greg 

McKenna, chief market strategist at 

AxiTrader. 

The dollar was back above 113 yen in 

Asia, having briefly broken the level for 

the first time since July on Wednesday. 

The gains in the dollar against the yen 

helped Japan's exporters, leaving the 

Nikkei 0.5 percent higher by the close. 

There was little impact on Japanese 

markets after Prime Minister Shinzo 

Abe officially dissolved parliament, 

kicking off campaigning for a national 

election on October 22. 

While Sydney and Singapore eked out 

small gains, Hong Kong, Shanghai, 

Taipei and Wellington were all lower. 

In early European trade London rose 

0.1 percent, Frankfurt gained 0.2 

percent and Paris was flat. 

Oil market investors are keeping tabs 

on events in the Middle East after 

Kurds overwhelmingly voted for 

independence from Iraq, which has 

sparked fears of a crackdown by 

Baghdad and possible military 

confrontation. 

The vote led Iraq's leaders to threaten 

to take over oil fields in the region, 

while Turkey said it would cut off 

exports. McKenna described the 

situation as "something to watch 

geopolitically and for oil traders as the 

market tightens up". 

Samsung Bangladesh 

launches "Privilege Club" 

Samsung Electronics Bangladesh, the 

global leader in consumer electronics, has 

recently launched 'Samsung Privilege Club' 

to give its members best quality products 

and after sales services. 'Samsung Privilege 

Club' members can get minimum BDT 

40,000 worth value by purchasing selected 

products, says press release. 

To be a member of 'Samsung Privilege 

Club', customers need to purchase selected 

models of TV, refrigerator, microwave oven 

and washing machines and write PRIV 

model code shop code 

and send it to 6969 to get their unique 

Privilege Club ID number. After getting 

their Privilege Club ID they can avail 5% 

cashback on next purchase with it and enjoy 

other exclusive benefits from Samsung. The 

members can also refer three of their 

friends and family members to enjoy 5% 

discount on any home appliances of the 

company. The Privilege Club also includes 

exclusive facilities like five years' service 

warranty, free demonstration service from 

inflation: IMF 

WASHINGTON : Worker pay in rich 

countries has stagnated as employers shift 

to part-time and temporary labor while 

unions declined, helping generate 

persistently weak inflation, according to 

new IMF research released Wednesday, 

reports BSS. 

The findings go to the center of the debate 

in key central banks over how fast to remove 

the stimulus put in place amid the Great 

Recession, since low unemployment rates 

have not led to higher inflation as in a 

normal economic recovery. 

"Recent labor market developments in 

advanced economies point to a possible 

disconnect between unemployment and 

wages," the International Monetary Fund 

economists found in their report. 

Crunching data from across 29 advanced 

the engineers at their doorstep, express 

service within 24 hours to match their busy 

lifestyle and EMI facilities. 

Firoze Mohammad, Head of Consumer 

Electronics of Samsung Electronics 

Bangladesh said, "We are truly delighted to 

launch 'Privilege Club' for the first time ever 

in Bangladesh for our valued customers of 

home appliances to give them best in class 

experiences of our products. As a member 

of 'Privilege Club', they will be able to get 

exclusive benefits from us which we believe 

will make their life much easier". 

Samsung's new offer will be entitled for all 

the customers across selected Samsung 

Brand Shops, Samsung authorized 

showrooms of Fair Electronics Limited, 

Transcom Digital, Electra International, 

Rangs and Singer till 31st December of this 

year. For more details please visit 

www.facebook.com/samsungbangladesh. 

Interested customers can also call at 

08000-300-300 (Toll free) or09612-300- 

300 to know further information. 

'Surface healing' 

masks stagnant wages, 

economies between 2000 and 2016, the 

IMF study found median unemployment 

rates fell steadily since 2013 even as labor 

force participation rates increased. 

But that decline in joblessness may 

represent only a kind of "surface healing," 

the authors said. 

The jobs recovery since the 2008 crash 

appeared to coincide with fundamental 

changes in company-worker relationships, 

with employers across the developed world 

increasingly relying on part-time positions 

and short-term contracts-while employees' 

ability to bargain for higher pay eroded. 

True 'slack' in labor markets - As a result 

of the changes, central banks should rethink 

"the true degree of slack" in labor 

markets as they begin to withdraw stimulus 

and raise interest rates, the IMF said.

MISCELLANEOUS frIDAY, 

THE 


11 

SepteMber 29, 2017 

Iranian Americans in 

limbo, despair after 

new travel rules 

U.S. Navy veteran Mohammed Jahanfar 

has traveled overseas four times in the last 

year to visit his Iranian fiancee, most 

recently hoping to complete government 

paperwork that would allow her to come 

live with him in the United States, reports 

UNB. 

But the 39-year-old now fears they will 

be forever separated after President 

Donald Trump's administration rolled out 

new restrictions blocking most Iranians 

from traveling to America. The new 

restrictions covering citizens of Chad, Iran, 

Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, and 

Yemen - and some Venezuelan 

government officials and their families - 

are to go into effect Oct. 18. "It is 

devastating," said Jahanfar, who works as 

a salesman in Long Beach, California, and 

has lived in the United States for three 

decades. "There should be no reason why 

my fiancée, who is an educated 

person in Iran, who has a master's degree, 

why we cannot be with each other. I cannot 

wrap my head around it." This is the 

Trump administration's third measure to 

limit travel following a broad ban that 

sparked chaos at U.S. airports in January 

and a temporary order issued months later 

that was challenged in the courts and 

expired last weekend. 

Jahanfar is among 385,000 Iranian 

immigrants in the United States, according 

to the Census Bureau, more than any of the 

other countries covered by the travel 

restrictions issued last weekend. The U.S. 

has a many-layered history with Iran, a 

Middle Eastern ally until the pro-American 

shah was overthrown by the Islamic 

Revolution of 1979. The shah came to the 

U.S. and so did tens of thousands of other 

Iranians. Now, the U.S. and Iranian 

governments have no diplomatic relations. 

Even so, many Iranians and Iranian- 

Americans have been able to regularly 

travel back and forth and kept close family 

relations. 

The new restrictions range from an 

indefinite ban on visas for citizens of Syria 

to more targeted limitations. Iranians will 

not be eligible for immigrant, tourism or 

business visas but remain eligible for 

student and cultural exchange visas if they 

undergo additional scrutiny. The measures 

target countries that the Department of 

Homeland Security says fail to share 

sufficient information with the U.S. or 

haven't taken necessary security 

precautions. 

GD-1149/17 (10x3) 

Iranian-American advocates said they've 

been fielding phone calls from frantic 

community members who fear they will 

remain separated from family or their 

dreams. Already, many Iranian visa 

applicants find themselves caught up in 

lengthy security checks, delaying their 

travel plans. "People don't know what to 

do," said Ally Bolour, an immigration 

attorney in Los Angeles. "If you are from 

one of these banned countries, there is just 

so much going on already. This just adds 

another layer and people are just 

petrified." 

Trita Parsi, president of the National 

Iranian American Council, said the ban 

seems aimed at punishing mainly Muslim 

countries. "This process does not start 

with, 'OK, where does the threat emanate 

from, and what can we do about it?'" Parsi 

said. "It started with, 'What are the 

countries we have bad relations with and 

what can we do there?'" 

The new rules permit, but do not 

guarantee, case-by-case waivers for 

citizens of the affected countries who meet 

certain criteria. It's unclear, however, how 

difficult it will be to obtain a waiver and 

consular officers have broad discretion 

over these applications, said Diane Rish, 

associate director of government relations 

for the American Immigration Lawyers 

Association. The rules have also damped 

some Iranians' desire to be here. Hanieh, 

who did not want her last name used 

fearing reprisals from officials in the U.S. 

or Iran, said she is finishing her doctorate 

in the United States but seeking jobs in 

Canada due to uncertainty about whether 

she will be able to work here and what she 

sees as growing anti-Iranian sentiment. 

She said her parents received word from 

U.S. consular officials this week they will 

not be able to travel for her graduation 

because of the ban. 

Jahanfar, whose family left Iran after the 

country's revolution, said he doesn't know 

what he will do. He proposed to his fiancee 

last year after the pair, who met as children 

in Iran, had reconnected. He applied for a 

fiancee visa in January and traveled to Abu 

Dhabi earlier this month for an interview 

with U.S. consular officials, but was told it 

would be delayed. Now, he said their lives 

are in limbo. 

"It is pointless," he said. "One person can 

decide something - they don't understand 

how many lives they'll affect with one 

decision they make." 

Malaysia bans 

all citizens 

from traveling 

to North Korea 

Malaysia has banned its 

citizens from traveling to 

North Korea as the country 

faces increasing diplomatic 

pressure over its weapons 

programs, reports UNB. 

The foreign ministry 

announced the ban in a 

statement Thursday and 

said it would last until 

further notice. The travel 

ban could affect an Asian 

Cup qualifier football match 

between Malaysia and 

North Korea scheduled for 

Oct. 5 in Pyongyang. The 

match has already been 

delayed twice due to security 

issues. The Football 

Association of Malaysia said 

it will issue a statement later 

Thursday, when asked if the 

team would be allowed to fly 

to Pyongyang despite the 

ban. The statement cited 

North Korea's missile tests 

and related developments. 

North Korea has been 

targeted in recent months by 

stricter sanctions and 

increasing diplomatic 

pressure, with Kuwait and 

Mexico expelling its envoys 

in recent weeks. Since July, 

North Korea has launched 

its first intercontinental 

ballistic missiles, has flown 

midrange missiles over 

Japan into the Pacific and 

has detonated its sixth 

nuclear test. 

Malaysia is one of its few 

remaining diplomatic 

partners in the world even 

though bilateral tensions 

briefly escalated after the 

North Korean leader's 

estranged half brother was 

killed at the Kuala Lumpur 

airport in February. Both 

countries imposed travel 

bans on the other's citizens 

that were lifted after a deal 

was reached in March. Two 

women from Vietnam and 

Indonesia have been 

charged in the murder 

widely believed to have been 

orchestrated by North 

Korea. 

15 slain in 

attack on drug 

rehab center 

in northern 

Mexico 

Gunmen killed 15 people in a 

mass shooting at a drug 

rehabilitation center in the 

northern border state of 

Chihuahua in what was 

apparently a feud between 

drug gangs, Mexican 

authorities said Wednesday, 

reports UNB. 

The Chihuahua state 

prosecutor's office said 

"initial investigations prove 

that the attack was related to 

drug distribution and the 

feud between the Mexicles 

and Aztecas gangs." 

Subsequently, prosecutors' 

spokesman Carlos Huerta 

told the Milenio television 

news channel that the initial 

death toll of 14 had risen 

when another shooting 

victim died of his wounds. 

Prosecutors said at least 

seven other people were 

wounded in the attack in the 

state capital, also called 

Chihuahua. The Aztecas are 

armed enforcers for the 

Juarez drug cartel, and they 

have fought longstanding 

turf battles with the Mexicles 

in the border city of Ciudad 

Juarez, across from El Paso, 

Texas. 

Drug cartels have been 

known to use rehab centers 

to recruit addicts, and rival 

gangs sometimes assault the 

centers. Huerta said initial 

investigations indicated that 

four gunmen carried out the 

attack late Tuesday and that 

some of the people at the 

center may have been 

members of the Mexicles. 

The prosecutor statement 

said the attackers may have 

also been involved in recent 

shootings at nightclubs in 

the area. The bloodiest 

attack on rehab centers, of 

which there were several 

between 2010 and 2012, also 

occurred in Chihuahua city 

in 2010 and killed 19 people. 

Prosecutors said they were 

looking at the possibility of 

closing the privately run 

rehab center targeted in 

Tuesday's attack because 

several incidents. 

UN envoy calls for new 

round of Syria talks in 

about a month 

The U.N.'s top envoy for Syria 

announced Wednesday that new 

talks between Syria's government 

and opposition will take place "in 

about a month" and said this eighth 

round must finally move to "genuine 

negotiations on the political future" 

of the war-ravaged country, reports 

UNB. 

Staffan de Mistura told the U.N. 

Security Council that both sides 

should use the coming month to 

create conditions for the talks in 

Geneva "to be meaningful," and to 

participate "without preconditions." 

His announcement that talks will 

start no later than the end of 

October or very early in November 

comes as the Syrian government 

reverses military losses in much of 

the country's strategically important 

west and as foreign governments cut 

support for rebel forces. 

With the civil war now more than 

6 1/2 years old, Syrian President 

Bashar Assad and his allies have 

taken control of the country's four 

largest cities and its 

Mediterranean coast. 

Backed by Russian air 

power and Iraniansponsored 

militias, progovernment 

forces have 

marched across energyrich 

Homs province and 

were fighting Wednesday 

on the east bank of the 

Euphrates River. De 

Mistura told the council 

that fighters for the 

Islamic State extremist 

group are "being beaten 

back." He pointed to the 

breaking of a three-year 

siege of Deir el-Zour city 

by IS, also known as ISIS, 

and the U.S.-led 

international coalition 

taking control of most of 

the city of Raqqa, once the 

de facto capital of the 

militant group's self-styled 

caliphate. He pointed to 

the creation of four deescalation 

zones as "an 

important next step" in 

GD-1150/17 (10x4) 

efforts to reduce violence. 

These zones should be a precursor 

"to a truly nationwide cease-fire" 

and action to provide humanitarian 

aid to all in need, he said. Talks in 

Kazakhstan's capital of Astana, 

which have focused on local ceasefires 

and de-escalation zones, 

"should be seen as laying the basis 

for a renewed Geneva process," he 

added. De Mistura called on both 

Syria's government and opposition 

to use the weeks before the next 

talks "to assess the situation with 

realism and responsibility." 

He said the divided opposition has 

"a duty to signal that it wants to 

speak with one voice and a common 

platform in genuine negotiations 

with the government." The 

government has a duty "to genuinely 

negotiate with the opposition," he 

said. De Mistura said both sides 

should show readiness to negotiate 

on four key issues: "credible" and 

"inclusive" local and central 

governance; a schedule and process 

GD-1148/17 (4x3) 

for drafting a new constitution; U.N. 

supervised elections; and combating 

terrorism. 

On the humanitarian front, U.N. 

humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock 

told the council that during July and 

August the U.N. and its partners 

reached only 280,500 of the 1.23 

million people it sought to assist. He 

blamed "bureaucratic delays and 

blockages by all sides." U.S. 

Ambassador Nikki Haley accused 

the Syrian government of denying 

aid to besieged and suffering 

communities and she said it has 

refused to come to the negotiating 

table "in good faith." 

"If the Syrian people don't see a 

political process working in parallel 

with our de-escalation efforts, the 

violence will resume," she warned. 

"The only lasting solution in Syria - 

the only way to end the violence and 

defeat terrorism - is through a 

political transition, one that does 

not allow Iranian influence to 

replace ISIS or Assad in power."

UNITING PEOPLE EVERYDAY 

FRIDAY, DHAkA, SePTeMBeR 29, 2017, ASHwIN 14, 1424 BS, MuHARRAM 8, 1439 HIjRI 

Dhaka Metropoliton Police head visited the Hoseni Dalan area of the capital city yesterday ahead of Asura. 

IOM concerned over 

increasing reports of sexual 

assaults on Rohingyas 

DHAKA : UN Migration Director General 

William Lacy Swing has said they are seriously 

concerned about increasing reports by vulnerable 

Rohingya arriving from Myanmar into 

Bangladesh of sexual and gender based violence, 

reports UNB. 

IOM is providing urgent medical and psychological 

support to survivors. 

"Sexual and gender-based violence is a 

severe, life-threatening public health and 

human rights abuse and I am deeply shocked 

and concerned by reports we are receiving 

from new arrivals in Cox's Bazar," said Director 

General Swing from the Organization's 

Headquarters in Geneva, when discussing 

IOM's response. 

Particularly women and girls, but also men 

and boys, have been targeted for and are at risk 

of further exploitation, violence and abuse simply 

because of their gender, age and status in 

society, the DG said. 

Since 25 August, when violence broke out in 

Rakhine State, Myanmar, an estimated 

480,000 people have crossed into Cox's Bazar, 

Bangladesh, according to a message UNB 

received from IOM on Thursday. 

Prior to this most recent influx, Rohingya 

had been fleeing Rakhine State for years following 

various waves of insecurity, including 

Appian Way, The First 

Roman Road 

INTERESTING NEWS DESK 

Of the many things the Romans were 

famous for, roads rank pretty high in the 

list by importance, along with bridges, 

viaducts and canals. Together they 

formed an outstanding transportation 

network that played a crucial role in tightening 

Rome’s grasp on the 

Mediterranean Basin. It was roads that 

held the Roman Empire together. 

One of the first and the most important 

long roads built by the Romans was the 

Appian Way. The road was begun by 

Appius Claudius Caecus, the Roman censor, 

in 312 BC, and originally ran for about 

212 km from Rome to the ancient city of 

Capua, but by 244 BC, it was extended by 

another 370 km to reach the port of 

Brundisium (now Brindisi) by the 

Adriatic Sea. The Appian Way was chiefly 

a military road built to transport troops to 

smaller regions outside of greater Rome. 

The Appian Way averaged 20 feet in 

approximately 74,000 people last October. 

Gender-based violence has been recorded in 

needs assessments, fact finding missions and 

through the provision of life-saving services. 

Rape, sexual assault, domestic violence and 

child marriage, among other forms of genderbased 

violence, have been identified and 

require immediate, holistic responses from 

humanitarian actors. 

Although the known number most likely only 

represents a small portion of actual cases, IOM 

doctors have treated dozens of women since 

August, who have experienced violent sexual 

assault, and since October 2016, IOM has 

treated or received reports from hundreds of 

women and some men. 

"IOM is supporting survivors but I cannot 

emphasize enough that attempting to understand 

the scale of gender-based violence 

through known case numbers alone is impossible. 

This type of egregious violence and abuse is 

under-reported even in the best resourced and 

most stable settings worldwide. 

In crises like this, where usual social systems 

and protections are no longer in place, so many 

barriers stand in the way of survivors seeking 

support. Our staff on the ground is working to 

break down these barriers and get to those 

most in need," said Swing. 

width and was slightly convex in the middle 

to allow water to runoff and collect in 

the ditches that ran on either side of the 

road. The road’s foundation was of heavy 

stone blocks cemented together with lime 

mortar. Over these were laid tight fitting, 

interlocking stones to provide a flat surface. 

These stones fitted so closely that the 

historian Procopius said that the stones 

appeared to have grown together rather 

than to have been fitted together. 

Flanking the road are several striking 

monuments, tombs and milestones. The 

most impressive is the well-preserved 

tomb of Cecilia Metella, the wife of one of 

Julius Caesar's generals. Other notable 

tombs include the tomb of Marcus 

Servilius, the Tomb of Cecilia Metella, and 

the tomb of the Roman emperor 

Gallienus. Other monuments that line the 

Via Appia are the Temple of Hercules, the 

church Quo Vadis, Villa dei Quintili, with 

its ancient baths and beautiful friezes, and 

the Circus of Maxentius. 

Photo : TBT 

DMP takes tight 

security over 

Holy Ashura 

DHAKA : Adequate security 

measures have been taken 

around Imambara Husaini 

Dalan to ensure smooth 

observance of Holy Ashura, 

said Dhaka Metropolitan 

Police (DMP) Commissioner 

Md Asaduzzaman Mia on 

Thursday, reports UNB. 

The DMP Commissioner 

came up with the information 

while talking to 

reporters after inspecting the 

security arrangements at 

Imambara Husaini Dalan in 

Old Dhaka. 

The Tajia procession will 

start from Imambara and the 

procession will be surrounded 

by police as none could 

join the procession on the 

way, said the DMP commissioner. 

Besides, police will be 

deployed on the rooftops on 

some buildings in some 

major points of Imambara 

for security reasons, he said. 

Security will be provided in 

some major places in 

Imambara where the Shia 

community will gather to celebrate 

the day. Police banned 

carrying of lethal weapons like 

metal weapons, knife, sword 

and other sharp weapons during 

Tajia procession. 

The major rallies of 

Imambara will come under 

close circuit cameras as part 

of security measures. 

Asaduzzaman said everyone 

will be allowed to enter 

Hoseni Dalan area only after 

security screening through 

hand metal detectors and 

archways on Ashura. 

The DMP commissioner 

also requested people to provide 

help to the police and 

volunteer groups to make the 

procession a success. 

700-tonne Indian 

relief for Rohingyas 

reaches Ctg port 

CHITTAGONG : An Indian 

Naval ship carrying the third 

consignment of 700-tonne 

relief supply for Rohingya 

Muslims, who have fled persecution 

by Myanmar security 

forces and taken shelter in 

Bangladesh, reached 

Chittagong early Thursday, 

reports UNB. 

The relief materials, loaded 

on Indian Naval Ship INS 

Gharial arrived here at 

Chittagong port early in the 

morning. Zillur Rahman 

Chowdhury, deputy commissioner 

of Chittagong, said 

the Indian High 

Commissioner in Dhaka 

Harsh Vardhan Shringla, 

handed over the relief materials 

to the local administration 

officially at the jetty No- 

1 of the port. The relief materials 

include rice, pulses, 

sugar, salt, cooking oil, ready 

to eat noodles, tea, biscuits, 

mosquito nets etc. 

Noise pollution turns 

acute in city 

DHAKA : Noise pollution, also known 

as sound pollution, has turned acute in 

the capital city as it always goes far 

beyond the permissible level, putting 

the public health at risk, says a new survey 

of the Department of Environment 

(DoE), reports UNB. 

The survey conducted at 70 points of 

the city this year reveals that sound pollution 

has reached the highest 120-130 

decibel (dB) at many points, which is 

almost double that permissible level. 

According to the Noise Pollution 

(Control) Rules 2006, the acceptable 

sound condition for Bangladesh is 50 

dB for daytime and 40 dB for the night 

in silent areas, 50 dB for daytime and 

45 dB for the night in residential areas, 

60 dB for the daytime and 50 dB for 

night in mixed areas (residential, commercial 

and industrial localities), 70 dB 

for daytime and 60 dB for the night in 

commercial areas and 75 dB for daytime 

and 70 dB for the night in industrial 

areas. 

The survey shows that noise pollution 

has increased alarmingly at different 

parts of the capital, indicating that the 

highest noise level recorded at 

Farmgate was 130.2 dB during daytime 

and the lowest 65.7 dB at night. 

The noise level was above 120 dB during 

daytime at Paltan intersection, 

Moghbazar intersection, Gabtoli, 

Tannery Intersection of Hazaribagh, 

Nikunja, Rampura (DIT Ulan Road), 

Arambagh intersection, Dhanmondi 

road-5, Gulshan-1 intersection, 

Gulshan-2 intersection, Rayerbazar 

(Mukti Cinema Hall), Tajmahal Road of 

Mohammadpur, BGB Bazar of 

Hazaribagh, Madrasah Road of Jurain, 

Gulistan intersection, Mirpur 10 intersection, 

Mollah Road of Ibrahimpur, 

Mirpur-1 intersection, Ceramic intersection 

of Pallabi, English Road, 

Banglamotor, Shahjahanpur, Jatrabari 

intersection, Bongshal, Bangabandhu 

Sheikh Mujib Medical University, 

Dhanmondi Boys Govt School, New 

Market, Shishu Hospital, Islampur, 

25 bridges to be constructed 

at Tk 431 crore 

DHAKA : The government 

is set to construct 25 

bridges under the Western 

Bridge Improvement 

Project (WBIP) at a cost of 

Taka 431 crore, Road 

Transport and Bridges 

Minister Obaidul Quader 

said, reports UNB. 

"Two separate contracts 

were signed with the MON- 

ICO Limited, DIENCO 

Limited and Roads and 

Highways Department 

(RHD) in this regard," he 

said this while witnessing 

the agreement-signing ceremony 

as the chief guest at 

RHD head office, Tejgaon 

in the city. 

RHD Chief Engineer Ibne 

Alam Hasan, Managing 

Director of MONICO 

Limited Shafiqul Alam 

Bhuiyan and Managing 

Director of DIENCO 

Limited SM Khorshed 

Alam signed the deal on 

behalf of their respective 

sides. 

The minister said as per 

the contract, MONICO 

Limited would construct 16 

bridges under package-3 

and package-5 involving 

Taka 278 crore, while nine 

bridges would be constructed 

by DIENCO Limited 

under the package-4 at a 

cost of Taka 153 crore. 

"Nine bridges will be built 

in Khulna zone and seven in 

Gopalganj zone under the 

package-3 and package-5 

respectively while nine 

bridges will constructed in 

Barisal zone," Quader 

added. 

Elephant Road, Dholaipar of Jatrabari, 

Panthapath signal of Green Road, 

Saidabad, Shantinagar intersection, 

Lalmatia, Shankar of Dhanmondi, 

Kakrail Intersection, Mascot Plaza of 

Uttara, Kazipara, Shahjalal Avenue of 

Uttara, New Paltan of Azimpur, 

Motijheel intersection, Tejgaon intersection 

and Jagannath University. 

Among the 70 points, the lowest 

sound level was found 99.6 dB during 

daytime and 43.7 dB at night at Road- 

18 of Uttara-14. 

Sound pollution is the disturbing 

noise with harmful impact on the activity 

of human or animal life. The source 

of ambient sound worldwide is mainly 

caused by machines and transportation 

systems, motor-vehicles engines and 

construction works as well. 

According to the World Health 

Organization (WHO), generally 60 dB 

sound can make a man deaf temporarily 

and 100 dB sound can cause complete 

deafness. 

The survey says sound pollution causes 

mental and physical illness among 

the people. It causes high blood pressure, 

headache, indigestion, ulcer, and 

also affects sleep. Anyone may become 

deaf for the time being if 100 dB or 

more noise pollution occurs for half an 

hour or more in any place. 

Dr Mahfuzur Rahman, a former WHO 

consultant, said if one is affected from 

sound pollution for a long time, his or 

her hearing capacity will dwindle gradually, 

and once he or she will be sound 

impaired. 

Noting that working in chaotic noise 

for a long period can cause complete 

deafness to people, he said children are 

being adversely affected from sound 

pollution since it stimulates their 

brains. 

Engr Abdus Sohban, a former DoE 

additional director general, said a study 

shows that about 10 percent of city 

dwellers are now hearing impaired and 

35 percent are suffering from low-hearing 

here due to high noise pollution. 

According to the deal, 

three bridges in Kushtia, 

two in Jhinaidah, two in 

Bagerhat, one in Jessore 

and one in Narail under 

package -3 would be constructed. 

Under package-4, seven 

bridges in Barisal, one in 

Jhalokathi and one in 

Pirojpur while seven in 

Gopalganj under the pckage-5 

would be constructed. 

Besides, the Western 

Bridge Improvement 

Project is being implemented 

in the country involving 

Taka 3,000 crore, of which 

JICA provided Taka 2,000 

crore as project assistance 

and the rest of money, will 

come from Bangladesh government, 

officials of the 

ministry said. 

PM’s 71st birthday 

celebrated 

across country 

DHAKA : The 71st birthday 


Hasina, also the president of 

Bangladesh Awami League, 

was celebrated on Thursday 

across the country with various 

programmes, including 

milad and doa mahfils seeking 

divine blessings for her 

good health and long life, 

reports BSS. 

On this day in 1947, Sheikh 

Hasina, the eldest of the five 

children of Father of the 

Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh 

Mujibur Rahman and 

Begum Fazilatunnesa, was 

born at Tungipara of 

Gopalganj in Faridpur district. 

In celebration of the birthday 


Hasina, who is now in the 

United States in connection 

with the 72nd United 

Nations General Assembly 

(UNGA) session, central 

leaders of Awami League 

(AL) wished her long life and 

success in politics. The prime 

minister will return home on 

October 5. 

Prominent citizens including 

educationalists, economists, 

writers, physicians and cultural 

personalities wished 

good health and long life of 

Sheikh Hasina, who is leading 

the country as the prime 

minister for the second consecutive 

five-year term. 

Youths to take 

Bangladesh at top 

of dev: Nasrul 

dhaka : State Minister for 

Power, Energy and Mineral 

Resources Nasrul Hamid 

today expressed his optimism 

that technologyimbued 

younger generation 

would take Bangladesh at 

the zenith of development, 

reports UNB. 

"We have to increase use of 

technology. Efforts to enhance 

awareness about the use of 

power-saving equipment for 

saving electricity and energy 

should be continued", he said 

this as the chief guest at the 

inaugural ceremony of a twoday 

Int’l Conference on "4th 

Int’l Conference on Advances 

in Electrical Engineering" at 

the Independent University 

in city. 

Chaired by Vice-Chancellor 

of the university Professor M 

Omar Rahman, the programme 

was also addressed, 

among others, by chief of 

International Electrical and 

Engineering Association of 

Bangladesh Dr Kazi Deen 

Mohammad Khasru and president 

of Engineers Institute of 

Bangladesh Eng Kabir Ahmed 

Bhuiyan. 

Hamid said opportunities 

should be created for the 

youths to help them carry out 

researches while universities 

should give importance to 

research-based education. 

The dilapidated condition of this road at the Agrabad area of Chittagong city needs to be repaired 

immediately as normal movement is being hampered severely. 

Photo : Star Mail 

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam, Advisory Editor: Advocate Molla Mohammad Abu Kawser, Managing, Editor: Tapash Ray Sarker, News Editor : Saiful Islam, printed at Sonali Printing Press, 2/1/A, Arambagh 167, Inner Circular Road, Eden Complex, Motijheel, Dhaka. 

Editorial and News Office: K.K Bhaban (Level-04) 69/K, Green Road, Panthapath, Dhaka-1205. Tel : +8802-9611884-85, Cell : 01832166882; Email: Editor : editor@thebangladeshtoday.com, Advertisement: ads@thebangladeshtoday.com, News: newsbangla@thebangladeshtoday.com, contact@thebangladeshtoday.com, website: www.thebangladeshtoday.com

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