17-07-2019

wednesdaY 

DhAKA: July 17, 2019; Shrabon 2, 1426 BS; Zilquad 13,1440 hijri 

www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www.bangladeshtoday.net 

Regd.No.DA~2065, Vol.17; No.173; 12 Pages~Tk.8.00 

international 

Afghan radio station 

closes down following 

Taliban threats 

54, 765 hajj pilgrims 

reach saudi Arabia 

DHAKA : A total of 54,765 hajj pilgrims 

have so far reached Saudi Arabia 

through 150 government and non-government 

flights to perform hajj. 

The information was revealed at the 

third meeting of the Parliamentary 

Standing Committee on the Religious 

Affairs Ministry at Sangsad Bhaban 

here today with its chairman Md Hafiz 

Ruhul Amin Madani in the chair, a 

handout said. 

The meeting apprised that 64,000 

hajj pilgrims and guides trained up 

under supervision of District 

Commissioners (DCs) and the Deputy 

Director of Islamic Foundation. 

Committee members Syed Nazibul 

Bashar Maizvandary, Showkat 

Hasanur Rahman Rimon, Manoranjan 

Shill Gopal, Mahmud Us Samad 

Chowdhury, H M Ibrahim, Jinnatul 

Bakia, Tahmina Begum and Ratna 

Ahmed attended the meeting. 

State Minister for Religious Affairs 

Advocate Sheikh Md Abdullah also 

attended the meeting at a special invitation. 

Zohr 

>Page 7 

03:54 AM 

12:10 PM 

04:43 PM 

06:53 PM 

08:20 PM 

5:18 6:50 

art & culture 

Pooja Batra 

Tied Knot with 

Nawab Shah 

>Page 8 

ICC team in city to hold talks over 

atrocities against Rohingyas 

DHAKA : A delegation of the International 

Criminal Court (ICC) arrived here on 

Tuesday morning on a weeklong visit to 

talk to government senior officials and 

representatives of international organisations 

over the Rohingya issue, reports 

UNB. 

The delegation, led by ICC Deputy 

Prosecutor James Kirkpatrick Stewart, 

landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International 

Airport around 8:54am. 

ICC Prosecutor 

Fatou Bensouda 

considers that 

there is a reasonable 

basis to proceed 

with an investigation 

in relation 

to the alleged 

deportation of 

members of the 

Rohingya people 

from Myanmar to 

Bangladesh and 

related crimes 

committed in the 

context of the 2016 

and 2017 waves of 

violence in Rakhine State, Myanmar. 

The Prosecutor of the International 

Criminal Court (ICC) has already requested 

its judges to authorise an investigation 

into alleged crimes like deportation, other 

inhumane acts and persecution committed 

against Rohingyas. 

The ICC delegation members are scheduled 

to hold a meeting with Foreign 

Secretary M Shahidul Haque at state 

guesthouse Padma at 9:30am on 

Wednesday. 

Later, they will meet Home Minister 

Asaduzzaman Khan at his Secretariat 

office at 12pm and Law Minister Anisul 

Huq in Gulshan at 3pm on the same day. 

The ICC delegation will have an internal 

meeting on Thursday and leave for Cox's 

Bazar on Friday afternoon. 

They will visit Rohingya camps and hold 

a meeting with government authorities 

there on Saturday. 

On Sunday, the ICC delegation members 

will hold meetings with Cox's Bazar 

DC, Refugee, Relief and Repatriation 

Commissioner (RRRC) and regional 

heads of Rapid action Battalion (Rab), 

BGB and acting superintendent of police 

in Cox's Bazar. They are scheduled to leave 

Dhaka on Monday (July 22). 

The ICC Prosecutor has already requested 

its judges to authorise an investigation 

into alleged crimes like deportation, other 

inhumane acts and persecution committed 

against Rohingyas. 

Myanmar is not a State Party to the 

Rome Statute, but Bangladesh is, it is 

important to keep in mind that the 

authorisation to investigate, if granted by 

judges, would not extend to all crimes 

potentially committed in Myanmar, but 

will focus on crimes allegedly committed 

in part on the territory of Bangladesh, 

according to the ICC. 

5 to walk gallows for rape, 

double murder in Khulna 

TITAs ChAKRABoRTy, 

KhulnA CoRREsponDEnT 

A tribunal here on Tuesday convicted 

five people and sentenced them to 

death for killing a female private bank 

official after gang-rape and her father in 

2015. The convicts are Saiful Islam Pitil, 

30, Shariful, 27, Mohamamd Liton, 28, 

Abu Syed, 25, and Azizur Rahman 

Palash, 26, of Labanchhara in the city. 

Of them, Shariful was tried in absentia. 

According to the prosecution, the convicts 

used to stalk Parvin Sultana, 29, a 

former official of a private bank and 

daughter of Elias Ali of Buro Moulvir 

Darga in the city, on her way to home 

from the bank. 

On September 18, 2015, the convicts 

swooped on the house of Parvin, breaking 

open the door and strangulated Elias to 

death. Later, they entered the room of Parvin 

and killed her after violating her in turns. 

They also looted valuables from the 

house and dumped the bodies into the 

septic tank of the house before leaving. 

Rezaul Alam Chowdhury, brother of the 

victim, filed two cases with Labanchhara 

Police Station on September 19. 

Police submitted chargesheet against 

five people in 2016 in the two cases. 

After examining records and 22 witnesses, 

Judge of Khulna Woman and 

Child Repression Prevention Tribunal- 

3 Mohammad Mohiduzzaman handed 

down the verdict. 

sport 

Mushfiq returns 

to practice to quell 

concern over his fitness 

>Page 9 

on Tuesday, late president hM Ershad was brought in Ranpur to bury. 

ACC sues DIG 

Mizan, director 

Enamul Basir 

DHAKA : The Anti-Corruption 

Commission (ACC) on Tuesday filed 

a case against suspended Deputy 

Inspector General (DIG) of police 

Mizanur Rahman and ACC director 

Khandaker Enamul Basir over Tk 40 

lakh bribery scandal, reports UNB. 

Sheikh Mohammad Fanafillah, ACC 

director and also the leader of the investigation 

team, filed the case with Dhaka- 

1 coordinated district office under the 

Anti-Corruption Commission, said ACC 

public relations officer Pranab Kumar 

Bhattacharya. 

Earlier, the ACC gave its approval to 

file case against former DIG Mizan and 

its director Enamul Basir over the bribe 

scam. A private TV channel reported 

recently that Mizan gave Tk 40 lakh to 

Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) 

Director Khandaker Enamul Basir to 

get clean chit in a corruption case. 

DIG Mizan was an additional commissioner 

of Dhaka Metropolitan 

Police (DMP). 

He was withdrawn on January 9 last 

year following the allegation of threatening 

a female news presenter of a private 

television channel. 

He had also reportedly married a 

woman forcibly and tortured her. 

Mizan allegedly picked the 25-year-old 

woman up in July, 2017 and then 

forcibly married her. 

photo : star Mail 

Ershad finally laid to rest at 

his Rangpur polli nibash 

RANGPUR : Jatiya Party Chairman 

and ex-president Hussain Muhammad 

Ershad was finally laid to eternal rest 

on Tuesday at Polli Nibash in his 

hometown Rangpur where he was the 

most admirable political figure for over 

three decades. 

The former military strongman who 

ruled the country for nine years was 

buried at the grave dug by his party followers 

at the Litchi Orchard of his Polli 

Nibash around 5:53 pm as Jatiya Party 

was forced to revise its decision of burying 

him at Military Graveyard in the capital 

due to rigid stance of party followers 

in Rangpur, reports UNB. 

Huge army personnel took position 

around the prepared grave before the 

burial to maintain discipline as thousands 

of people gathered there to bid 

farewell to their beloved leader. 

Military men carried ex-army chief 

Ershad's coffin, draped in an Army flag, 

to near the grave around 5:35pm. Later, 

a life sketch of the Jatiya Party Chairman 

was read out before observing a oneminute 

silence showing tributes to him. 

Army personnel supervised the burial 

process in presence of Liberation War 

Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Huq, 

Jatiya Party acting chairman and 

Ershad's brother GM Quader his relatives 

and party senior leaders. After his 

fourth and final final namaz-e-janaza in 

Rangpur, Jatiya Party issued a statement 

that Ershad would be buried in Rangpur. 

Showing respect for the love of people 

of Rangpur for her husband and Jatiya 

Party chairman HM Ershad, the party 

statement said Raushon Ershad gave 

permission to bury him at Polli Nibash. 

She also made a request to keep aside 

a place beside Ershad's grave so that 

she can be buried there after her 

demise, it said. 

"It's not possible to ignore the love and 

affection of the mass people of Rangpur 

for former president HM Ershad. So, 

the decision to bury him in Rangpur was 

taken considering the love and sentiment 

of the people of Rangpur," the 

statement reads. 

Earlier, the fourth and final namaz-ejanaza 

of Jatiya Party Chairman HM 

Ershad was held at Central Collectorate 

Eidgah here around 2:28pm with the 

participation of thousands of people. 

Huge law enforcers were deployed in 

and around the Eidgah to fend off any 

untoward incident as local leaders 

announced to thwart party senior 

leader's plan to bury Ershad at Military 

Graveyard in the capital instead of 

Rangpur.

NEWS 

WEDNESDAY, 

JulY 17, 2019 

2 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina speaks at the weekly Ecnec meeting held at the NEC conference 

room on Tuesday. 

Photo: PID 

Guardians in N'ganj worried with growing 

allegations of rape by teachers 

NARAYANGANJ : With the arrest of 

two teachers in the district in a span of 

only one week for repeatedly raping a 

number of students here, many 

guardians have become worried about 

the safety of their children, reports UNB. 

On June 27 last, a teacher of a private 

school at Mijimiji Kandapara in 

Siddhirganj upazila was arrested on 

charges of repeatedly raping around 20 

students and mothers of some of them 

over several years by blackmailing them. 

Law enforcers had also picked up 

headmaster of Oxford International 

School Rafiqul Islam Julfiqar for 

abetting the crime of Ariful Islam, an 

assistant teacher. Ariful who joined the 

school as its English and Mathematics 

teacher eight years ago, used to run a 

coaching centre at a flat near the school. 

He used to take indecent photos of 

female students and rape them through 

blackmailing them using those. He also 

used to take video clips of his nefarious 

acts and used those to violate the girls 

again and again. 

Outsourcing has 

become fervently 

popular these days. 

This is a profession 

that paves the way 

of working with 

utmost freedom. 

Amongst different 

working categories 

of outsourcing, 

image editing has 

attracted a good 

number of young people. It just requires a 

short-term training and the workload is 

pretty much lesser, says a press release. 

BZM Graphics is the name of a successful 

beholder in image editing sector since last 

four years. A few number of young 

entrepreneurs started its journey at 

Mohammadpur back in the year of 2015 with 

only 10 image editors. Now this institution 

holds around 200 skillful image editors 

working both in local and international 

aspects. Within next year, they intend to 

make a huge team consisting of 500 image 

editors. 

As per planning and goal, BZM Academy, 

a subsidiary of BZM Graphics has taken an 

initiative of providing ample training to 

interested applicants. Apel Mahmud, cofounder 

of BZM Graphics said in a talk that, 

graphics designing has a bright future and 

opportunity here and image editing is an 

Gd-1109/19 (5 x 3) 

This is not the end. Ariful reportedly 

raped the mothers of 6-7 victims 

through blackmailing them using the 

indecent photos and video clips. 

Wishing anonymity, a guardian said 

his daughter, now a Class-IX student, 

was first raped by Ariful when she was in 

Class-V. "But she didn't disclose the 

matter." Three months back, Ariful was 

arrested on charge of sexually harassing 

a female teacher of his school. However, 

headmaster Rafiqul Islam got him 

released from the police station, said 

another guardian. 

On July 6, Rapid Action Battalion 

members arrested a teacher of a girls' 

madrasa in Fatullah for 'violating' 12 

minor students. The arrestee is Maulana 

Md Al Amin, founder and principal of 

Baitul Huda Madrasa at Mahmudpur. 

Huge indecent videos were recovered 

from his office computer and mobile 

phone. Al Amin had been molesting and 

violating female students from Class-II 

to Class-V for the past one and a half 

years, said Rab sources. 

BZM Graphics in Outsourcing 

dscc/prd/13/19-20 

important part of 

this huge sector. 

The only 

drawback they have 

is lack of skilled 

manpower. So to 

create opportunity 

towards 

employment they 

have launched 

BZM Academy 

along with their 

other activities. He believes that no one is 

going to remain jobless once they have their 

training course. 

Another co-founder and chief executive of 

BZM Graphics, Einul Bashar Sourav told 

that they have already made contacts with 

Pixelz, a Danish IT company to provide on 

international level training. Basic and 

advanced-both photo editing courses are 

designed according to Pixelz's curriculum. 

The good news doesn't end here! The first 

200 trainees of the three months long image 

editing course can have it absolutely free. Yes 

the early birds can grab it out of any cost! 

Moreover, they are promised to be employed 

just after finished the course. Already three 

batches are on each carrying 20 students. 

Interested ones are requested to contact 

at- BZM Academy, Mahfuja Tower, 36/37 

Probal Housing, ring Road, Mohammadpur, 

Dhaka. 

Dbœq‡bi MYZš¿ 

†kL nvwmbvi g~jgš¿ 

The matter came to light when a victim 

disclosed her molestation to her mother 

after the arrest of Ariful. Both Ariful and 

Al Amin confessed before the court to 

their crimes. Of them, Arif also trapped 

mothers of several students. However, 

they did not disclose the matter thinking 

about the future of their children. 

Upon interrogation by Rab, he said he 

joined Oxford High School as an 

assistant teacher in 2009. He first 

engaged in a relation with a girl in 2014 

and later with several others. 

Besides, a teacher of Morgan Girls' 

School and College at Dewbhog in the 

city was suspended after he was accused 

of making indecent comments as well as 

gestures towards girls. 

The suspension came after students of 

the college filed a complaint with Sadar 

Police Station as the institution 

authorities did not give importance to it. 

Wishing anonymity, a woman of 

Khanpur area in the city said one of her 

two daughters studies in a madrasa and 

the other one in a school. 

Woman's body found 

in 6 pieces in Savar 

dumping station 

SAVAR : Police have 

recovered the body of an 

unidentified woman cut into 

six pieces from a waste 

dumping station at Baliapur 

here, reports UNB. 

Additional 

Superintendent of Police 

(Crime) of Dhaka Saidur 

Rahman said on 

information, a team of police 

first recovered the 

decapitated body without 

hands and legs from the 

garbage dumping station of 

Dhaka North City 

Corporation on Monday 

noon. 

Later, they found the head 

and legs from a separate 

spot of the station, he said, 

adding that the body was 

sent to Suhrawardy Medical 

College Hospital for autopsy. 

He said the woman might 

have been killed 2-3 days 

ago and the dismembered 

body was dumped into the 

dumping station. 

Woman killed in 

Satkhira road 

accident 

SATKHIRA : A woman was 

killed after being hit by a 

truck in Jhikra Haritala area 

of Kalaroa upazila early 

Tuesday, reports UNB. 

The deceased was 

identified as Kamla Rani 

Haldar, 52, wife of late Nitai 

Haldar of Jhikra village and 

a worker of Kalaroa Fish 

Market. 

Munirul Gias, officer-incharge 

of Kalaroa Police 

Station, said a stone-laden 

truck overturned by the 

Jashore-Satkhira highway 

around 6am and hit Kamla 

Rani who was going to the 

market. 

The woman died on the 

spot, he said, adding that 

they recovered the body. 

2 'drug traders' killed in Rajshahi, 

Narayanganj 'gunfights' 

DHAKA : Two suspected drug traders were killed in reported 

gunfights with police in Rajshahi and Narayanganj districts 

early Tuesday, reports UNB. 

The deceased were identified as Alamin, son of Mohonlal of 

Harpur under Kashiadanga Police Station of Rajshahi city 

and Biplab, 32, son of Sultan Mia of Fatullah in Narayanganj 

city. 

Golam Ruhul Kuddus, additional deputy commissioner of 

Rajshahi Metropolitan Police, said police conducted an antinarcotics 

drive at Dam-5 of the Padma River around 3:30am. 

Sensing their presence, drug peddlers opened fire on them, 

forcing them to fire back that triggered a gunfight, he said. 

Later, police recovered Alamin's body from the river, he said, 

adding that he might have drowned while fleeing. Three 

policemen also received injuries during the gunfight and they 

took primary treatment at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital, 

the police official claimed, adding that one shooter gun, two 

bullets and 79 bottles of Phensidyl syrup were recovered from 

the spot. 

Alamin was accused in a several narcotics cases, he said. 

Quamrul Islam, sub-inspector of Detective Branch (DB) of 

police in Narayanganj, said acting on a tip-off, a special DB 

team conducted a drive at a microbus stand of Chandmari in 

Fatulla around 3am. Sensing their presence, drug traders 

opened fire on them, forcing them to fire back in self-defence 

that triggered a gunfight. Later, Biplab was found dead on the 

spot, said the SI, adding that he was accused in 14 cases filed 

with Fatulla Police Station. Three policemen were also injured 

in the gunfight. 

'Drug trader' killed in 

Rajshahi 'gunfight' 

RAJSHAHI : A suspected drug trader was killed in a reported 

gunfight with police in the city early Tuesday. The deceased 

was identified as Alamin, son of Mohonlal of Harpur under 

Kashiadanga Police Station in the city. 

Golam Ruhul Kuddus, additional deputy commissioner of 

Rajshahi Metropolitan Police, said police conducted an antinarcotics 

drive at Dam-5 of the Padma River around 3:30am. 

Sensing their presence, drug peddlers opened fire on them, 

forcing them to fire back that triggered a gunfight, he said. 

Later, police recovered Alamin's body from the river, he 

said, adding that he might have drowned while fleeing. Three 

policemen also received injuries during the gunfight and they 

took primary treatment at Rajshahi Medical College 

Hospital, the OC claimed, adding that one shooter gun, two 

bullets and 79 bottles of Phensidyl syrup were recovered 

from the spot. Alamin was accused in a several narcotics 

cases, the OC said. 

Quader's health condition improves 

DHAKA : The health of Transport Minister Obaidul Quader 

improved further after his bypass surgery in March, doctors 

at Singapore's Mount Elizabeth Hospital said on Tuesday, 

reports UNB. 

Quoting Dr Philip Koh, head of a medical team treating 

Quader, Prof Dr Abu Nasar Rizvi of Bangabandhu Sheikh 

Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) said the minister's 

health was stable. 

Quader's health checkup was completed around noon, he 

said. "All health parameters have improved as expected." 

Approach road collapses in Chandpur 

6 months into its inauguration 

CHANDPUR : The approach road of a 

bridge has caved in in Matlab North 

upazila just six and half months after it was 

opened to traffic, triggering questions 

whether minimum quality is maintained in 

road construction. 

A large portion of the road collapsed on 

the north side of the Matlab Bridge over the 

Dhonagoda River early Saturday, creating 

a big hole, reports UNB. 

Cracks also developed on several spots of 

the road. 

Although officials said the road caved in 

as incessant rains for the last few days 

washed way the soil under it, the local 

upazila parishad chairman blamed the use 

of substandard materials in the 

construction of the road. 

The Matlab Bridge, measuring 304.51 

metres in length and 10.25 metres in width, 

with a 1.86-km approach road on both 

sides was constructed at a cost of Tk 87 

crore. It was opened to traffic on January 1 

last. 

The bridge has facilitated the travel of 

thousands of people to the capital through 

Daudkandi avoiding Cumillla. 

During a visit to the road, it was found 

that different types of vehicles were plying 

the bridge running risks of accidents 

following the collapse of the approach 

road. 

It was also seen that many were avoiding 

the bridge fearing troubles. 

Rickshaw-puller Mohammad Humayun 

said they were running rickshaws taking 

the risk of life. "Accident might take place 

anytime." 

Executive Engineer of Chandpur Roads 

and Highways Department told UNB that 

the road caved in as heavy rain for the last 

few days washed way soil beneath it. 

He also said they were working to 

speedily repair the collapsed portion of the 

road. 

Meanwhile, Matlab North Upazila 

Parishad Chairman AHM Gias Uddin who 

visited the road alleged that the approach 

road collapsed due to the use of low-quality 

materials in the construction. 

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal as the chief guest presented 

medals among 46 BGB officials in recognition of their heroic and accomplished 

work for the year 2018 in various activities of Border Guard 

Bangladesh at Bir uttam Fazlur Rahman Khandakar auditorium of BGB 

headquarters in Pilkhana on Tuesday. 

Photo: Courtesy 

Exports to India will 

increase: FBCCI 

President 

DHAKA : Federation of Bangladesh 

Chambers of Commerce and Industry 

(FBCCI) President Sheikh F Fahim said 

exports of Bangladeshi goods to India will 

be increased, reports UNB. 

He said this while inaugurating the twoday 

long Eastern India Trade Summit- 

2019 in Kolkata of India on Monday 

organized by Confederation of West Bengal 

Trade Associations (CWBTA). 

Government officials and business 

leaders from Thailand, Bangladesh, Nepal, 

Bhutan and India participated at the 

summit. 

FBCCI President in his presentation said 

that bilateral trade between Bangladesh 

and India was USD 9.5 billion in 2017-18. 

As CWBTA's member pool of Trade 

Associations of West Bengal is a strong 

network of more than 1 million traders, the 

network has a potential value chain for buy 

back from Bangladesh as well as exports to 

SAARC, BBIN, BIMSTEC and additional 

market, FBCCI President hoped. 

Sheikh F Fahim further said "Our 

competitive strengths in leather goods, 

pharmaceuticals, ship building, frozen sea 

food, ceramics, jute products, ICT, home 

appliance, fisheries and others are leading 

the way for business diversification." 

"India has been financing many of our 

development projects in power, railways, 

road & transport, textiles, banking and 

telecommunications as a strategic partner 

and major source of FDI." 

Fahim ended his speech with a 

significant update on the index this year 

and a more substantial one in 2020 and 

urged Indian investors to invest in the 

SEZ's and other potentials sectors taking 

the lucrative offers provided by Bangladesh 

Government.

METRO 

WEDNEsDAY, JulY 17, 2019 

3 

The names of seven personalities who will receive 'shilpakala Padak 2018' for their contributions 

to their respective fields were announced Tuesday. 

Photo : TBT 

GD-1107/19 (10 x 3) 

National 

Fisheries Week 

begins today 

DHAKA : The National 

Fisheries Week will begin 

across the country today 

aims at creating awareness 

among mass people to 

produce more fish with 

proper use of water-bodies 

and protect indigenous fish 

species from extinction. 

Prime Minister Sheikh 

Hasina is expected to 

officially inaugurate the 

week by releasing fries at a 

lake of Ganabhaban on 

Thursday, the second day 

of the Fisheries Week. 

On the day, the premier 

will award 'National 

Fisheries Award-2019' to 17 

selected organisations and 

persons for their 

outstanding contribution to 

the sector. 

President Abdul Hamid 

and Prime Minister Sheikh 

Hasina issued separated 

messages on the occasion. 

"The government has 

taken and implemented 

enormous plans, including 

fish culture extension, 

release of fries in open 

water bodies, development 

of fish habitats, installation 

of fish sanctuaries and 

training programmes for 

fish-farmers and fishermen 

in order to develop the 

fisheries sector," said the 

President. 

"Bangladesh has incurred 

3rd position in inland open 

water fish production and 

5th position in fish 

production in enclosure as 

per a report titled 'the State 

of World Fisheries and 

Aquaculture 2018' 

designed by the Food and 

Agriculture Organisation 

(FAO) of the United 

Nations," said Prime 

Minister Sheikh Hasina in 

her message. 

To mark the week, State 

Minister for Fisheries and 

Livestock Ashraf Ali Khan 

Khosru will address a press 

conference at the 

Department of Fisheries 

(DoF) at 11 am today. 

Earlier, a colourful 

procession will be brought 

out from the Department of 

Fisheries at 8am. 

Govt to make big boats for flood-hit 

areas to shift people: Enamur 

DHAKA : The government is going to take a 

project to make big boats, designed by Prime 

Minister Sheikh Hasina's daughter Saima 

Wazed Hossain, for flood affected areas to 

shift people and their belongings to safe 

shelters. 

State Minister for Disaster Management 

and Relief Dr Md Enamur Rahman 

yesterday said this to journalists after the 

first session of the third day of deputy 

commissioner (DC) conference at the 

Cabinet Division at the secretariat here. 

Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul 

Alam chaired the session. 

The state minister said Saima Wazed, also 

chairperson of Bangladesh National 

Advisory Committee for Autism and 

Neurodevelopmental Disorders, has given a 

proposal, design and an estimation of Taka 

10 lakh to build each boat which would be 

able to shift the flood victims and their 

belongings to safe places. 

"We are going to take a project as per the 

proposal," he said. 

Dr Enamur said the DCs gave proposals to 

increase the number of speedboats to work 

during the period of disaster like flood or 

cyclone. 

"The DCs gave a proposal for allocation of 

Taka 3 lakh for procuring boats to shift flood 

DHAKA : Commerce 

Minister Tipu Munshi on 

Tuesday said the price of 

onion will come down by the 

end of July, reports UNB. 

"Price of a number of 

essential commodities 

including onion, ginger and 

garlic are high due to the 

damage of crops during the 

monsoon. Besides, the 

import of onion, ginger and 

garlic was suspended from 

India and China," he said 

after a meeting with deputy 

commissioners (DCs) at the 

Secretariat. 

"Onion prices will stabilise 

in 15 days," he said. 

Replying to a question, the 

Minister said a directive was 

given to the DCs to take 

necessary steps to prevent 

businesses from making 

extra profits or destabilise 

the market by creating 

artificial crisis. 

The DCs have been asked 

to keep vigil to prevent food 

adulteration, he said. 

The prices of onion 

doubled in Dhaka's markets 

within a week. Although 

traders claimed it was due to 

short supply and inclement 

weather, people accused 

unscrupulous traders of 

creating an artificial crisis 

ahead of Eid-ul-Azha for 

extra profits. 

The local variety of onion 

was being sold at Tk 50-60 

victims from the affected areas. We accepted 

their proposal," he said. 

The state minister said a total of 20 

districts of the country have been affected by 

flood till Monday. 

In each district, 700 metric tons of rice and 

4000 packets of dry foods were distributed 

among the flood victims so far, he said. 

Dr Enamur said at first Taka 2.93 crore 

was allocated and later on Monday Taka 37 

lakh more was allocated for each flood 

affected district. 

Besides, 500 tents have been sent to each 

district and an allocation of Taka one lakh 

was made for fodder and Taka one lakh for 

children's food for each district, he said. 

Asked whether the flood situation could 

deteriorate further, he said the situation is 

not such alarming so far. 

According to meteorologists, rainfall may 

occur further in the country, he said, adding 

that if rainfall occurs in China, Nepal and 

India and the water levels of the Jamuna and 

the Brahmaputra rise, the flood situation 

could worsen. 

"We have taken preparations to tackle any 

situation," he said. 

Senior Secretary of Disaster Management 

and Relief Affairs Ministry Md Shah Kamal 

also addressed the session. 

Onion prices to stabilise within 

15 days: Commerce Minister 

while the imported ones cost 

Tk 40-45 per kg in the 

capital. A week ago, the local 

variety of onion cost Tk 30- 

35 and the imported ones Tk 

20-25, traders said. 

Ensure paddy 

procurement directly 

from farmers, 

minister asks DCs 

DHAKA : Food Minister 

Sadhan Chandra 

Majumder on Tuesday 

directed the deputy 

commissioners to ensure 

procurement of paddy 

directly from farmers to 

meet the government's 

target, reports UNB. 

He made the directives at 

the first session of the third 

day of the ongoing Deputy 

Commissioners' 

Conference at the Cabinet 

Division. 

"The government will buy 

4 lakh metric tons of paddy 

from farmers during the 

current boro season. 

However, we had been able 

to procure 1 lakh metric 

tons till Monday," the 

minister said while talking 

to reporters after the 

session. 

He also said the deputy 

commissioners were 

helping procure paddy 

from farmers. 

Sadhan Chandra said an 

office of the Bangladesh 

Food Safety Authority will 

be opened in every district 

to ensure that people get 

safe and pure food. 

Asked about the food 

crisis following the current 

flood in different districts, 

he minister said there is no 

crisis. "We have enough 

foodgrains in stock. We 

have not only food, but also 

relief. We're ready to face 

any situation." 

GD-1108/19 (6 x 4) 

GD-1110/19 (10 x 4)

EDITORIAL WEdnESdAY 

JUlY 17, 2019 

4 

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam 

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

e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com 

Wednesday, July 17, 2019 

Addressing vital health 

and nutrition issues 

It has been found that 58 per cent new born babies in 

Bangladesh are underweight as the mothers suffer from 

poor calorie intakes during the child bearing period. The 

malnutrition of mothers and children do not end there. It 

continues after birth with the result that neither the mother 

or the children--the future citizens of the country-- quite grow 

up into healthy adults . Such young adults are not to be considered 

as possessing enough vitality to contribute gainfully 

to the workforce of the country. 

The workforce is ready to perform at optimum level when 

its members are physically free from handicaps and mentally 

enjoy a similar state. But unfortunately, too many in the 

workforce in Bangladesh fall short on both counts and certainly 

this does not augur well for its economy . According to 

one estimate, monetary loss to the economy due to malnutrition 

could reach up to billions of US dollars for Bangladesh 

in the next 10 years. 

Therefore, attention to nutrition issues and programmes to 

improve the nutritional picture assume critical importance 

and these ought to be essentially looked at from the perspective 

of setting the stage for economic growth and development 

and nothing short. 

It is ironical that at a time when Bangladesh has been experiencing 

bumper harvests for consecutive years, so many 

mothers should be undernourished to give birth to emaciated 

children or 25 per cent of the population are consuming 

less than 1800 calories per day and 15 per cent less than 2160 

calories per day. The problem, thus, lies not in production of 

food but in food availability for the poor at prices they can 

afford. 

Addressing of the malnutrition issue would clearly require 

improving the purchasing power of about 40 per cent of the 

poor and very poor in the population who are malnourished 

because they do not have the resources to buy adequate food. 

The above picture of malnutrition in the country should 

underline the importance of greater activity in this sphere. 

But government is yet to put into implementation any 

appropriate plan of action in this vital area of concern. 

Government should have a plan going to selectively contribute 

to nutrition of specially vulnerable groups such as 

children. Through the publicly run health networks and publicities 

in the mass media it can be tried to disseminate information 

to the poor that they can get ample nutrition from 

consuming cheap but inexpensive food regularly such as 

from seasonal vegetables and locally available fruits. Vitamin 

supplements can be distributed free of costs or at nominal 

prices through the public health networks among the poor 

and the ultra poor. In publicly run schools at junior level, it 

may be planned to provide at least one nutritionally rich 

meal to the young ones . This would also likely help in preventing 

drop outs from schools. 

Other ways and means may also be thought out and implemented 

to make an impact on the nutrition scene. The costs 

of the above measures would not be so prohibitive that government 

would not be able to introduce and run them sustainably. 

There are also other aspects to the nutrition issues in our 

country. For example, the World Health Organization 

(WHO) report estimated sometime ago that 44 percent of all 

deaths annually in Bangladesh are linked to chronic diseases. 

The increasing trend of chronic diseases have been regarded 

as a result of changing lifestyles related to food intake, less 

physical activity and growing tobacco use and air pollution. 

The forces of globalization over the last few decades have 

not only made our markets and economies more interdependent 

but also virtually linked with people all over the world 

through easy modes of cultural exchange, such as: internet, 

movies, tourism, education, etc. All these process all together 

changed people's perception, attitude and behaviour while 

the open markets cater to our new type of needs in the form 

of importing and selling variety of western products like 

Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), pizza, burger, sugary and 

fizzy drinks, etc. 

Besides, local brands of fast-foods are also being popularized 

through rigorous marketing, promotion and advertising. 

The growth and popularization of fast foods are causing 

abundant intake of risky foods with little nutrition value. In 

this respect people's perception regarding being 'smart' plays 

a critical role for example: now-a-days a person is regarded 

smart if he/ she chooses burger over home made foods. These 

junk foods cause people not to eat a proper balanced diet; 

instead people consume large amounts of fat and calories. 

Another impact of globalization is the proliferation of computers, 

televisions, video games and other various forms of 

electronic entertainment which is making people devoid of 

physical activity. Advancement of technology means less 

physical work is needed and electronic means of entertainment 

lead children, adolescents an even adults to spending 

more and more of their time in front of the TV, computers 

and playing video games rather than involving in activities 

demanding more physical engagement. Consequently, more 

and more children, adolescents and adults are suffering obesity 

and other forms of chronic diseases. 

Further, sleeping late in the night has become a regular feature 

for the young generation of the country. This has become 

a practice as people remain busy with Internet and social networking 

sites, movies, video games, etc. The consequences of 

this tendency are taking a grave toll in health causing different 

types of sicknesses related to lack of sleep. 

As chronic diseases have emerged as major health hazards 

for the people of Bangladesh, massive information, education 

and communication campaign should be carried out to make 

mass people aware of the possible grave outcomes of continuing 

the lifestyles that they are adopting in place of the far 

healthier lifestyles of the past. 

T 

Why India resists mediating between Iran and US 

he confrontation brewing between 

Iran and the US in the Persian Gulf 

poses a threat to global energy markets. 

If it should boil over, which of the 

chief players stands to lose the most? 

Actually, neither of them. That unenviable 

role would fall to India, which imports up 

to two-thirds of its crude oil from the Gulf 

region. 

And yet New Delhi has been conspicuously 

silent. Although it has dispatched 

naval vessels and revived contingency 

plans drawn up during the first Gulf War 

of 1990-91, there have been almost no 

diplomatic efforts to mediate in the dispute. 

Meanwhile, tensions between the 

US and Iran cast an ever-lengthening 

shadow over the Gulf region's energy 

exports. 

American stealth bombers, marine 

transport ships, a carrier strike group and 

additional surface-to-air missile batteries 

are roaming the region, while Iran has 

threatened to close off the Strait of 

Hormuz. So far, six oil tankers and Saudi 

oil pipelines have been targeted in mine 

and drone attacks. Iran's recent breach of 

caps on uranium enrichment, which were 

agreed under the 2015 nuclear deal, risks 

raising tensions even further. 

India's economic growth and energy 

supplies are acutely dependent on stability 

in the Gulf. In 2018, India imported 

84% of its total stock of crude oil, almost 

two-thirds of it from the region. US sanctions 

have now cut off oil flow from two of 

India's largest suppliers, Iran and 

Venezuela. Although Saudi oil giant 

Aramco has reportedly offered to increase 

oil sales to India by up to 200,000 barrels 

per day, that is still far short of the 

479,000 barrels per day that would normally 

have come from Iran. Emergency 

Conflict and insecurity have created 

staggering socioeconomic consequences 

in the Middle East and 

North Africa (Mena) region. According to 

Unicef, there are about 71 million people in 

need of humanitarian assistance across 

the Mena region, including 35 million children. 

In addition, 37,000 people are 

forced to flee their homes every day due to 

conflict and persecution. 

Challenges and dilemmas arise in implementation 

of humanitarian action. While 

governmental and non-governmental 

organisations share the responsibility of 

delivering timely and equitable humanitarian 

action, the scale and chronic nature 

of crises in the region have aggravated 

ground realities to the extent where simple 

things are proving to be the difference 

between life and death. 

Ask any disadvantaged local youth of a 

community that hosts refugees about their 

issues and she or he will reiterate that 

while they are sympathetic to the refugee 

cause, they have their concerns too: Will 

they turn out to be a burden we cannot 

afford to bear in the long run? 

Similar feelings and concerns are 

expressed wherever there are issues created 

by the influx of displaced people. To 

address this, we need to better understand 

the needs and aspirations of the hosts in 

reserves are another problem: India has 

less than 10 days' supply to cover contingencies. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi 

has vowed to address the concerns. He 

dispatched two navy ships, the Chennai 

and the Sunayna, in June to reassure 

Indian vessels traversing the Gulf. And 

India has dusted off plans devised almost 

30 years ago that enabled it to carry out 

the largest evacuation in history, airlifting 

170,000 Indian nationals who had managed 

to escape from Kuwait to Amman 

overland, a feat wonderfully captured in 

the 2016 film Airlift. 

India, therefore, has a direct strategic 

interest in deploying its diplomatic 

resources to ease the tensions, and thanks 

to its cordial relations with the US, Iran 

and the Arab Gulf states, it is in a favorable 

position to do so. The newly appointed 

foreign minister, Subrahmanyam 

Jaishankar, appears to have the ideal credentials 

to navigate the complexities; he 

understands both the US - where he 

served as India's ambassador from 2013- 

15 - and nuclear diplomacy, the subject of 

his doctorate. 

So why, in spite of overwhelming selfinterest 

and even necessity, has Indian 

diplomacy been so completely absent? 

HASAn AlHASAn 

There are several reasons. At the regional 

level, Indian policymakers recognize 

the Gulf's entrenched security dilemma, 

where deep mistrust produces cycles of 

escalation that are often difficult to interrupt. 

That mistrust, no doubt exacerbated 

by America's unpredictable behavior and 

Iran's reliably subversive activities, undermines 

any would-be mediator's chance of 

success. This was amply demonstrated by 

the attack on a Japanese-operated oil 

tanker in June, which took place just after 

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe 

wrapped up a two-day mediation effort in 

Prime Minister narendra Modi has vowed to address the concerns. 

He dispatched two navy ships, the Chennai and the Sunayna, in 

June to reassure Indian vessels traversing the Gulf. And India has 

dusted off plans devised almost 30 years ago that enabled it to carry 

out the largest evacuation in history, airlifting 170,000 Indian 

nationals who had managed to escape from Kuwait to Amman 

overland, a feat wonderfully captured in the 2016 film Airlift. 

order to formulate viable solutions that 

serve both the hosts as well as the refugees. 

While government and non-government 

actors attempt to address these challenges, 

the high variability of needs compounded 

with existing structural problems in service 

delivery as well as limited resources 

remain ongoing challenges. One of the 

main challenges today is to redefine the 

image of refugees, from recipients of financial 

aid to people with rights who, if properly 

empowered and supported, can find 

sustainable solutions beneficial to themselves 

and the country they reside in. This 

follows the fact that before becoming displaced 

and labelled as refugees, they were 

productive citizens in their home country, 

and contributed to their economy and 

society in various fields. They can continue 

to do so even as displaced refugees. 

Tehran. Navigating the Saudi-Iranian 

rivalry is a delicate balancing act for India, 

and despite Prime Minister Modi's 

dynamism and emphasis on relations 

with the United Arab Emirates and Saudi 

Arabia over the past five years, India's 

position remains too circumspect for it to 

wade single-handedly into the diplomatic 

minefield of US-Iran relations. The attack 

on Japanese interests after Abe's mediation 

attempt is likely further to dissuade 

New Delhi from taking on such a role in 

the Gulf. 

Quite aside from the somber reality of 

events in the Gulf, India's relations with 

the US have dipped to a historic low point. 

Proactive youth volunteers have created 

several applications to help refugees learn 

the local language of the host countries, in 

addition to advice and tips on how to deal 

with challenges and obstacles 

With this in mind, host countries can 

seek to promote increased social cohesion 

and employability among their youth with 

Youth volunteering is an effective and efficient mechanism to 

alleviate some of the increasing and unmet needs of both 

refugees and their host communities. Volunteering can put 

youth from the host community at the centre of development 

and empower them to become agents of change, by enabling 

them to identify and find solutions to the most pressing problems 

afflicting them and their own communities. 

volunteering opportunities in the most 

vulnerable communities hosting refugees; 

and soft skills training as well as psychosocial 

awareness and community-building 

activities. Youth volunteering is an effective 

and efficient mechanism to alleviate 

some of the increasing and unmet needs of 

both refugees and their host communities. 

Volunteering can put youth from the host 

community at the centre of development 

and empower them to become agents of 

change, by enabling them to identify and 

As part of President Donald Trump's 

"maximum pressure" campaign on 

Tehran, US Secretary of State Mike 

Pompeo announced on April 22 that the 

US would end waivers on oil imports from 

Iran, tightening the noose on India's energy 

imports. On May 31, Trump also 

revoked India's preferential trade status 

under the General System of Preferences, 

in effect raising duties on Indian exports 

to the US. In June, India retaliated by 

imposing additional tariffs on US exports, 

only days ahead of the Group of Twenty 

summit in Japan. 

With US-India relations currently ill at 

ease, the prospect of India taking a prominent 

diplomatic role in the Gulf becomes 

fraught with complications. 

Finally, the Indian foreign service 

remains notoriously under-resourced, 

both by comparison with India's international 

peers and relative to its global 

ambitions, which include aspiring to a 

permanent seat on the UN Security 

Council. According to a 2016 parliamentary 

report, India's diplomatic corps is 

smaller than those of the UK, France or 

Japan. An undernourished bureaucracy is 

just one more pressing challenge that 

India's new foreign minister must deal 

with before venturing into Gulf affairs. 

On the face of it, India has every reason 

to throw its diplomatic weight behind 

resolving the US-Iran problem; after all, 

the country's energy security and, by 

extension its economic growth depend on 

stability in the Gulf. But when history 

shows that failure is very much an option, 

reverting to the traditional position of 

lying low may be the wisest course. 

Source : Asia times 

Iran’s shadow warrior who sows chaos and discord in Iraq 

Preachers of hate are unethical but 

smart. Deceit requires brains and 

minimum wit. But not all preachers 

of hate were created equal. Some are street 

smart and talkative, often making arguments 

that reveal their shallowness. To 

make up for their inadequate intellect, they 

outmuscle their rivals, lead militias, and 

spew hate that they copy from their superiors. 

Such hate preachers become guns for 

hire, even if they insist on wearing traditional 

garments and pretending that they are 

pious and knowledgeable clerics. 

The Iraqi Qais Al-Khazali, a cleric who is 

also the leader of one of Iraq's most notorious 

militias, is one such hate spewer who 

pretends to be a cleric, when in fact his claim 

to fame is working as the operative of one of 

the many Iranian clandestine networks that 

sow war and discord in Arab countries. 

Aged 29, this graduate of geology accompanied 

Muqtada Al-Sadr - who had inherited 

the mantle of his father and one of Iraq's 

foremost Shiite clerics Mohammed Sadeq 

Al-Sadr - to a meeting with Iranian operatives. 

They were promised arms and training, 

if they would take on US troops in Iraq, 

according to declassified US investigations 

with Al-Khazali. A few battles and months 

later, Al-Sadr realized that he had little reason 

to undermine a burgeoning sovereign 

Iraqi state. Al-Sadr disbanded his militia, 

the Mahdi Army, and transformed his 

organization into a political movement. 

Politics is rarely the strong suit of people 

with modest intellectual skills and, without 

a militia, Al-Khazali might have lost his 

prominence. However, he did not lose his 

connection to his Iranian handlers, who 

HUSSAIn AbdUl-HUSSAIn 

sponsored his defection from Al-Sadr to set 

up a splinter group, the Asa'ib Ahl Al-Haq 

(AAH) militia. Al-Khazali's miltia played a 

central role in Iran's two-pronged war in 

Iraq: One against US troops, the other 

against Iraqi Sunnis. Iran connected Al- 

Khazali to Musa Daduq, an operative from 

the Lebanese militia Hezbollah who helped 

to engineer a few of the most atrocious kidnappings 

and killings of US soldiers. 

Washington estimates that Tehran is 

responsible for the killing of 1,000 out of the 

4,000 troops it lost in the Iraq War. With 

US assistance, Iraqi government forces captured 

Al-Khazali in 2007 and jailed him for 

three years, when he was released in a prisoner 

exchange for a kidnapped British contractor. 

Like Saddam, Al-Khazali's propaganda 

is one of cult worship, with news 

about him participating in various activities 

and giving opinions about everything, opinions 

that are usually posted on his Twitter 

account, too. 

Since then, Al-Khazali has been one of 

Iran's most loyal militiamen in Iraq, so 

much so that he not only joined the Popular 

Politics is rarely the strong suit of people with modest intellectual 

skills and, without a militia, Al-Khazali might have lost his 

prominence. However, he did not lose his connection to his 

Iranian handlers, who sponsored his defection from Al-Sadr to 

set up a splinter group, the Asa'ib Ahl Al-Haq (AAH) militia. Al- 

Khazali's miltia played a central role in Iran's two-pronged war 

in Iraq: One against US troops, the other against Iraqi Sunnis. 

Militia Units (PMU), but also opened shop 

in Syria. Al-Khazali even appeared in 

Lebanon, checking out the border with 

Israel, in a flagrant offense against Lebanese 

sovereignty. But who's keeping count in 

Lebanon anyway? 

With Daesh almost annihilated, Al- 

Khazali has been left with little fighting and 

lots of time. He comes up with unsubstantiated 

accusations against Iraqi Sunnis, 

accusing towns such as Tarmiyah, to the 

north of Baghdad, of being a hotbed for 

Daesh fighters, calling for a military campaign 

against the predominantly Sunni 

town. Al-Khazali has also been developing 

his brand. He has taken as his spiritual 

guide Kazem Al-Haeri, a firebrand Iraqi 

cleric who lives in Qom, in Iran. 

"US President (Donald Trump) gives 

the countries of the Sheikhs of the Gulf a 

choice between funding his wars… and 

the demise of their governments," Al- 

Haeri said in a statement. "This is the 

result of throwing themselves into the 

arms of the global arrogant powers after 

their loss of popular support," Haeri 

How our youth can support refugees 

MArIAM Al HAMMAdI 

added, claiming - without any substantiation 

- that Arab governments do not enjoy 

the popular support. "We also call on the 

Iraqi government not to be dragged into 

the lap of global arrogance in its economic, 

security and military contracts," Al- 

Haeri argued, in a clear sign that the Iraqi 

cleric in Qom was unhappy with 

Baghdad's warming relations with Gulf 

capitals. 

In addition to toeing his mentor's and 

Iran's line about the "downtrodden" and 

about "global arrogance," Al-Khazali 

echoes the official Iranian rhetoric, 

depicting an imaginary alliance between 

America, Saudi Arabia, and Israel, as the 

source of all evil in the region. At a conference 

in Tehran last year, Al-Khazali said 

that the Iraqi victory over Daesh was a victory 

over America, Saudi Arabia and 

Israel. That America offered extensive air 

cover and military advice on the ground 

in the battle against Daesh does not seem 

to register with Al-Khazali, or his audience. 

Hate speech, after all, is impossible 

without some spin and a ton of deceit. 

On his militia's website, Al-Khazali's publicity 

seems to copy that of the late Iraqi 

President Saddam Hussein. Al-Khazali calls 

himself Al-Sheikh Al-Amin, a play on words 

with Amin meaning both trustworthy and 

secretary general. Like Saddam, Al- 

Khazali's propaganda is one of cult worship, 

with news about him participating in various 

activities and giving opinions about 

everything, opinions that are usually posted 

on his Twitter account, too. 

Source : Arab news 

find solutions to the most pressing problems 

afflicting them and their own communities. 

The youth hosts can help defuse tensions 

by inducting the refugee youth into the volunteer 

group and work towards shared 

goals, thus building more cohesive societies 

through citizenship development. 

Volunteering is also believed to improve 

the employability of participating host 

youth, by enabling them to participate in 

unpaid work. The role of youth gains 

importance also from the fact that they are 

the ones who come up with new ideas 

using the latest technologies and communication 

tools to create new programmes 

and initiatives that aim to ease the burden 

on refugees and help them regain a sense 

of normality. 

For example, one youth group in Brazil 

suggested converting buses into food 

trucks used by refugees to make and sell 

dishes from their home cuisine to the local 

community of the host country. This 

opened a cultural window for the local 

community to be introduced a new culture, 

as well as gave refugees a sense of 

accomplishment and motivation to lead a 

normal and active life in their new environment. 

Source : Gulf news

ENVIRONMENT 

WEDNESDAy, 

JULy 17, 2019 

5 

El Niño linked to widespread crop failures 

Inga Vesper 

The El Niño climate cycle has been responsible for 

widespread simultaneous crop failure in different regions of 

the world, a study has found, putting pressure on countries to 

prepare for future weather events. 

A paper published in ScienceAdvances showed that the El 

Niño Southern Oscillation, a warm water wave that travels 

across the Pacific every three to five years, causes a variety of 

irregular weather patterns, which affect crops worldwide. 

The findings contradict the long-held assumption that crop 

failures in geographically distant breadbasket nations such as 

the United States, China and Argentina are unrelated, 

according to the International Food Policy Research 

Institute, a partner in the research. 

Researchers also looked at the effect of the Indian Ocean 

Dipole, or Indian Niño, and other climate patterns on crops. 

They found that maize, or corn, was the most susceptible to 

crop failure, with climate variability causing 18 per cent of 

growth volatility globally between 1980 and 2010. Soy bean 

and wheat were less at risk, with climate variability 

accounting for seven per cent and six per cent of year-to-year 

changes in yields respectively. 

To understand El Niño's impact on crops, the team from 

the International Research Institute for Climate and Society 

at Columbia University in the United States analysed earlier 

climate models of El Niño and compared this with data on 

crop harvests. 

El Niño shifts the growing season around the tropics, 

causes winter drought in Africa and South America, and 

changes the timing of monsoon rainfalls in Asia. The study 

showed that El Niño can result in simultaneous crop failures 

in different parts of the world, with certain regions 

particularly at risk. Looking at maize, the phenomenon 

caused 38 per cent of production variance in northeast 

Brazil, 20 per cent in southwest Mexico and 15 per cent in 

West Africa. 

Authors of the report say their findings show the potential 

for mitigating such climate risks. Walter Baethgen, a scientist 

Maize crops are particularly badly affected by climate variability. 

at Columbia's Earth Institute and co-author of the study, 

said: "Knowing the chances of getting high or low yields can 

greatly help farmers to adjust crop management decisions 

for the coming season such as planting dates, fertiliser use 

and deciding what crops to be planted." 

Baethgen and his colleagues hope the results will 

encourage governments and international bodies concerned 

with food security to develop plans to deal with food 

shortages. "[They] can use the information on the probability 

Photo: Uschi Dugulin 

of expected good or bad harvests around the world to 

improve their climate risk management, by establishing early 

warnings and early actions," he said. 

South and Central America are particularly strongly 

influenced by El Niño and this can have both negative and 

positive consequences for crops, the study showed. During 

an El Niño phase, the eastern side of South America 

experiences extra rain and cloudiness, which leads to abovenormal 

yields for maize and soybean but also an increased 

risk of diseases in wheat varieties. 

Oscar Rojas, a natural resources officer at the Food and 

Agriculture Organization's climate and environmental 

division, studies the impact of El Niño on central and 

southern America. He says better understanding of the 

phenomenon's effect on crops could help farmers diversify to 

more adaptable crops such as tuber vegetables or sorghum, 

and adopt farming practices to cope with fluctuating weather 

patterns. 

El Niño shifts the growing season around the tropics, 

causes winter drought in Africa and South America, and 

changes the timing of monsoon rainfalls in Asia. The study 

showed that El Niño can result in simultaneous crop failures 

in different parts of the world, with certain regions 

particularly at risk. Looking at maize, the phenomenon 

caused 38 per cent of production variance in northeast 

Brazil, 20 per cent in southwest Mexico and 15 per cent in 

West Africa. 

"They should prefer short-cycle varieties instead of longcycle 

that would have more chance to be affected by 

drought," he said. "Zero tillage is recommended to avoid high 

evaporation and transpiration in their plot." 

Sea surface temperature patterns in the tropical Pacific 

Ocean were at borderline to weak El Niño levels in April and 

early May 2019 and the likelihood of a strong El Niño this 

year appears low, according to the World Meteorological 

Organization. 

The phenomenon, which is only just starting to be 

understood, is likely to change as global warming intensifies. 

Some scientists predict that El Niño might concentrate in the 

Pacific without traversing its lengths, while others suggest its 

pattern may become less predictable. 

Weston Anderson, also a researcher at Columbia and coauthor 

of the study, says the model can still be helpful in the 

face of climate change, as it details the physical mechanisms 

that cause crop failures during an El Niño. "[This] puts us in 

a good position to continue making and using seasonal 

climate forecasts even if the characteristics of El Niño change 

as the climate changes," he said. 

Measures such as London's ultra-low emission zone are good. 

How Europe’s cities can clean up noxious air 

Beth Gardiner 

Madrid was hailed as a public health 

beacon last November when it rolled out 

ambitious restrictions on the most 

polluting cars. Seven months and one 

election day later, a new conservative 

city council suspended enforcement of 

the clean air zone, a first step toward its 

possible demise. 

Mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida 

made opposition to the zone a 

centrepiece of his election campaign, 

despite its success in improving air 

quality. A judge has now overruled the 

city's decision to stop levying fines, 

ordering them reinstated. But with legal 

battles ahead, the zone's future looks 

uncertain at best. 

Madrid's back and forth on clean air is 

a pointed reminder of the limits to the 

patchwork, city-by-city approach that 

characterises efforts on air pollution 

across Europe, Britain very much 

included.Among other weaknesses, the 

measures cities must employ when left 

to tackle dirty air on their own are 

politically contentious, and therefore 

vulnerable. That's because they 

inevitably put the costs of cleaning the 

air on to individual drivers - who must 

pay fees or buy better vehicles - rather 

than on to the car manufacturers whose 

cheating is the real cause of our toxic 

pollution. It's not hard to imagine a 

similar reversal happening in London. 

The new ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) 

is likely to be a big issue in next year's 

mayoral election. And if Sadiq Khan 

wins and extends it to the North and 

South Circular roads in 2021 as he 

intends, it is sure to spark intense 

opposition from the far larger number of 

motorists who will then be affected. 

It's not that measures such as 

London's Ulez are useless. Far from it. 

Local officials are using the levers that 

are available to them to safeguard 

residents' health in the face of a serious 

threat. The zones do deliver some 

improvements to air quality, and the 

science tells us that means real health 

benefits - fewer heart attacks, strokes 

and premature births, less cancer, 

dementia and asthma. Fewer untimely 

deaths. 

But mayors and councillors can only 

do so much about a problem that is far 

bigger than any one city or town. They 

are acting because national 

governments - Britain's and others 

across Europe - have failed to do so. 

Restrictions that keep highly polluting 

cars out of certain areas - city centres, 

"school streets", even individual roads - 

are a response to the absence of a larger 

effort to properly enforce existing 

regulations and require auto companies 

to bring their vehicles into compliance. 

Wales has introduced special low speed 

limits to minimise pollution. We're 

doing everything but insist that 

manufacturers clean up their cars. 

Nearly four years after the Volkswagen 

scandal exposed rampant rule-breaking 

and bending across the industry, car 

makers are still selling diesels whose 

nitrogen dioxide emissions are many 

times over the legal limit. And of course 

all their old cars, which violate the rules 

even more egregiously, are still on our 

roads too. 

In addition to stunning corporate 

malfeasance, the diesel cheating 

revelations also laid bare the profound 

shortcomings of regulators who failed 

for years to stop it. In the US, authorities 

required Volkswagen to spend billions of 

dollars to compensate customers and 

buy back cheating cars, or fix them so 

they would run cleaner. There are many 

more diesels in Europe, so the harm to 

health has been far greater - more than 

11,000 deaths annually from nitrogen 

dioxide emitted beyond legal limits, 

according to one study. But VW and its 

peers have mostly been able to get away 

with cheaper software tweaks that 

haven't solved the problem. 

Of course, we'll never have truly 

healthy air - or hope of stabilising the 

climate - while cars run on fossil fuels. 

We must move to electric vehicles, and 

away from car-centric cities, toward 

better public transport and 

infrastructure that makes cycling and 

walking easier. But even so, our air 

would be so much cleaner if the cars on 

our roads right now met the pollution 

limits that already exist on paper. 

Insisting manufacturers make those cars 

cleaner would be far more effective than 

policing exactly where they can go. 

Last month, equipment problems 

forced Birmingham and Leeds to delay 

implementation of their planned clean 

air zones. That was about logistics, not 

public opposition - although there is that 

too - but it highlights the inevitable 

difficulties when each city and town 

must fend for itself. 

Diesel owners, like all of us who 

breathe the foul fumes their cars pump 

out, are not perpetrators, but victims of 

one the biggest corporate scandals ever. 

We are all paying a steep price, a cost 

exacted in health harmed and lives lost, 

as well as pounds and pence. The 

question is who will pay to clean up. No 

local official has the power to require a 

vast corporation to rectify its misdeeds. 

Only national governments, and 

European authorities, can do that. 

In April, German prosecutors charged 

former Volkswagen CEO Martin 

Winterkorn with fraud, adding to the US 

indictment he already faced. European 

regulators have moved towards on-road 

testing to remedy the weaknesses VW 

exploited with "defeat device" software 

designed to cheat in-the-lab checks. 

But other loopholes remain. And 

instead of pushing to upgrade or retire 

the millions of cars still shattering 

pollution limits, governments seem to be 

waiting for changes in consumer tastes - 

spurred by local clampdowns - to get the 

dirtiest diesels parked for good. Even 

short of making the companies pay, a 

national scrappage scheme that helps 

owners junk the dirtiest diesels would 

shift the financial burden of a cleanup 

from individuals to the public purse. 

For now, mayors and councils are 

doing their best with the tools they have. 

While Madrid backs away from action, 

Paris is pushing ahead, tightening its 

clean air zone this week and planning to 

ban diesels altogether by 2024. 

Governments’ intervention needed 

to solve the climate crisis 

Anders Levermann 

From climate change to child 

labour, the responsibility for 

solving major societal problems is 

increasingly being shifted to the 

individual. People feel in order to 

save the world they have to be 

"good". Yet that is bad - because it 

paralyses change. Global 

challenges must be tackled by 

institutions. That's why the UK's 

Committee on Climate Change was 

absolutely right to criticise the 

government in the strongest terms 

today for failing to take more 

action against the climate crisis. 

Personal sacrifice alone cannot 

be the solution to tackling the 

climate crisis. There's no other 

area in which the individual is held 

so responsible for what's going 

wrong. And it's true: people drive 

too much, eat too much meat, and 

fly too often. But reaching zero 

emissions requires very 

fundamental changes. Individual 

sacrifice alone will not bring us to 

zero. It can be achieved only by real 

structural change; by a new 

industrial revolution. 

Looking for solutions to the 

climate crisis in individual 

responsibilities and actions risks 

obstructing this. It suggests that all 

we have to do is pull ourselves 

together over the next 30 years and 

save energy, walk, skip holidays 

abroad, and simply "do without". 

But these demands for individual 

action paralyse people, thereby 

preventing the large-scale change 

we so urgently need. We do not 

just need the 5-10% of the 

population willing and able to put 

Students protest in London in May. 

time, money and effort into 

change. We need everyone to turn 

the tide towards sustainability 

worldwide. 

There is hope that lies in the fact 

that we do not have to wait for each 

individual on Earth to become a 

better person and save the planet. 

All we need is to create a consensus 

within society that we should not 

destroy our home and demand 

that governments make this their 

first priority. Some people argue 

that this is a cheap and convenient 

excuse to shift responsibility from 

the individual to the politicians. 

But it is neither cheap nor 

convenient. Each one of us 

remains individually responsible: 

to stay informed, to demand 

something different, and to keep 

politicians and institutions in 

check. 

We don't expect individuals to 

take the lead when it comes to 

other social and economic 

challenges, such as 

unemployment. There is a 

decades-long economic consensus 

that unemployment should be kept 

as low as possible. But you would 

not ask an individual who warned 

that unemployment was too high: 

"so, what action do you personally 

take in the fight against 

unemployment?" Because that 

question is absurd. Unless you are 

the CEO of a big company, or the 

mayor of a city, as an individual 

you have no significant impact on 

unemployment. 

The same is true of the climate 

crisis. What we need is citizens to 

make adamant demands of their 

politicians and institutions for 

more urgent action. Just as no 

party that pledged to increase 

rather than reduce unemployment 

would ever get elected in the UK or 

any other country, no political 

party should be allowed to dodge a 

clear strategy against climate risks. 

This is a challenge for politics, not 

for the individual. 

In a society where 

environmentally and socially 

harmful goods and services are 

often indistinguishable from 

environmentally friendly or fair 

products, it's naive to think that 

asking the individual to save the 

world through consumer choice 

will be effective. And neither is it 

always the moral thing to do: is it 

right to demand from an Indian 

farmer that he cares about climate 

protection? What about the 

struggling single mother in 

London or Berlin with her three 

children? 

If we take civil and human rights 

seriously, we cannot assign solving 

global problems to the individual. 

And the call for greater individual 

responsibility actually risks 

becoming detrimental to the cause 

as it prevents people from realising 

the scale of political change that 

needs to happen. Instead of seeing 

the big picture, people are diverted 

to the fine print on the refrigerator 

shelf in the supermarket. 

There has been a trend towards 

shifting responsibility for societal 

success from our political 

institutions to the individual. But 

it's only as a society that we can 

collectively demand our politicians 

take the action needed to address 

the climate crisis. 

Photo: Peter Marshall

NATIONAL 

WEDNESDAY, JULY 17, 2019 

6 

Organized gang conspiring to 

stop a poultry farm in Juri 

Local parliament member and singer Momtaz Begum was present as the chief guest at a programme 

marking the cheque distribution of Rural Infrastructure Development (TR) Project in Singair uapzila 

recently. 

Photo: Mubarak Hossain 

Cheque distribution of Rural Infrastructure 

Development (TR) Project held in Singair 

MuBARAk hOSSAIn, SIngAIR CORRESpOnDEnT: 

Cheque worth Tk 31 lakh 12 thousand 

520 was distributed for 63 projects 

under the second phase of Rural 

Infrastructure Development and 

Maintenance T.R. (Test Relief) 

program in Singair upazila of 

Manikganj on Monday. local 

parliament member and singer 

Momtaz Begum as the chief guest 

handed over the cheque to the 

Upazila law and order committee 

meeting held in Shayestaganj 

MD MAMun ChOwDhuRy, 

hABIgAnJ CORRESpOnDEnT: 

The 5th upazila law and 

order committee meeting 

was held in Shayestaganj 

upazila on Sunday. The 

meeting was held at the 

temprary office in Biramchar 

area and was chaired by 

upazila nirbahi Officer 

(unO) Sumi Akhter. 

habiganj-3 Mp Alhaj 

Advocate Mohammad Abu 

Zahir was the chief guest at 

the occasion. 

Among others, upazila 

president of the project. 

Marking the occasion, a program 

was organized at the auditorium of 

upazila parishad on Monday. upazila 

nirbahi Officer (unO) Rahela 

Rahmat ullah chaired the occasion 

while local parliament member and 

singer Momtaj Begum was present as 

the chief guest at the occasion. Among 

others, Inspector (OC) khandakar 

Imam hossain, vice president of 

uapzila Awami league Anwara 

parishad Chairman Abdur 

Rashid Talukder Iqbal, vice 

Chairman Md gaziur 

Rahman Imran, women vice 

Chairman Mukta Akhter, 

member of the upazila law 

and order committee and 

Shayestaganj police Station 

OC Md. Anisur Rahman, 

highway police OC liaquat 

Ali, Shayestaganj upazila 

Engineer Md Obaidul 

Bashar, upazila Secondary 

Education Officer Majibur 

Rahman, union parishad 

Chairman hossain 

Mohammad Adil Judge Mia, 

press Club president Asom 

Afzal Ali and Reporters Club 

president Mohammad 

Mamun Chowdhury were 

also present at the occasion. 

The chief guest in his 

speech said that the country 

moving forward under the 

leadership of prime Minister 

Sheikh hasina. Today the 

people of the country are in 

peace. Development work is 

in progress. he also said that 

Shayestaganj was once a 

union. when the Awami 

league government came to 

power, Shayestaganj was 

Begum, joint secretary Shahidur 

Rahman, upazila female vicechairman 

Sharmin Akhter, district 

council member Abdul Alim, kahinur 

Islam Sunny, up chairman engineer 

Shahadat hossain, Shawkat hossain 

Badal, Mizanur Rahman Mithu, 

Abdul halim Raju and Office 

Assistant Office of upazila project 

Implementation Mohammad naeem 

uddin were also present at the 

occasion. 

Madarganj Upazila Chairman Obaidur Rahman Belal as the chief guest addressed a public awareness 

workshop to prevent counterfeit notes in Madarganj upazila on Tuesday. Photo: Julfikar Bablu 

made municipality, thana 

and upazila. Together with 

everyone, we want to build 

this upazila as a model. The 

decision will be taken in 

consultation with the 

concerned leaders to resolve 

the traffic congestion in 

Shayestaganj. In addition we 

all need to work together to 

stop gambling, drug, 

cheating, and crime. Alhaj 

Advocate Md. Abu Zahir Mp 

also proposed a condolence 

message on the death of 

former president hM Ershad 

at the meeting. 

Habiganj-3 MP Alhaj Advocate Mohammad Abu Zahir as the chief guest addressed the 5th upazila 

law and order committee meeting in Shayestaganj upazila recently. Photo: Md Mamun Chowdhury 

SI SuMOn, JuRI CORRESpOnDEnT: 

An organized gang is 

conspiring to stop layer 

poultry farming in Juri 

upazila of Moulvibazar. It has 

been alleged that the group 

have harassed the owner of 

the farm for several months. 

It has been known that 

Dinbandhu Sen, son of 

Dayamoy Sen of Amtoil 

village of west Juri union of 

the upazila, started a layer 

poultry farm with chickens in 

the year 2016 with a loan of 

Tk 20 lakh from krishi Bank, 

Juri branch. from 2016 to 

2017, the chicken's egg 

market was not prospect and 

hence Dinbondhu Sen faced 

losses. After the loss, 

Dinbandhu Sen lost all his 

capital. Many farmers like 

him left the business due to 

the loss. But Dinabandhu 

Sen did not quit. In the year 

2018, he started a farm with 

chicks, food and other related 

equipments from Juri Bazar 

Dealer Bahar Mia on loan. 

The chicks layed eggs after 

rearing of six months. As the 

egg market was good he saw 

profit. Since then a group of 

people started their 

conspiracy to stop 

Dinabandhu Sen's farm. 

Then they filed a written 

complaint to the upazila 

Animal Resources Office to 

close the farm. The farm 

owner Dinabandhu Sena fell 

victim to this. In order to 

Public awareness 

workshop to 

prevent counterfeit 

notes held 

JulfIkAR BABlu, MADARgAnJ 

CORRESpOnDEnT: 

A public awareness 

workshop to prevent 

counterfeit notes was held in 

the upazila auditorium hall 

room in Madarganj upazila 

of Jamalpur on Tuesday. 

Sonali Bank, Madarganj unit 

organized the workshop. 

Sonali Bank, Madarganj 

unit manager Md Shahidul 

Islam chaired the workshop 

while upazila Chairman 

Obaidur Rahman Belal was 

present as the chief guest at 

the occasion. Among others, 

upazila nirbahi Officer 

(unO) Aminul Islam, 

Madarganj Circle Senior 

Assistant Superintendent of 

police Shamiul Alam, ppM 

and District Sonali Bank 

Assistant general Manager 

Md Shahjahan were also 

present at the occasion. 

Women must 

stand up against 

injustice: 

Naogaon SP 

M ShAkhAwATh hOSSAIn, 

MOhADEvpuR CORRESpOnDEnT: 

naogaon Superintendent of 

police Iqbal hossain ppM 

said that women must stand 

against injustice to form 

beautiful society. he said this 

while addressing a view 

exchange meeting on 

community policing at 

Mohadevpur police station 

premises on Tuesday. 

Community policing forum 

organized the meeting. 

Mohadevpurr police Station 

Officer-in-Charge (OC) Sajjad 

hossain chaired the meeting 

while 

naogaon 

Superintendent of police 

Iqbal hossain ppM was 

present as the chief guest at 

the occasion. Among others, 

Additional Sp (naogaon 

Sadar) farzana hossain, 

upazila 

Assistant 

Commissioner (land) Asma 

khatun, upazila women's 

vice Chairman Abeya 

Rahman poly, Additional 

Superintendent of police 

naogaon (Mahadevpur 

Circle) Abdullah Alam, 

Mohadevpur police Station 

OC (Investigation) Siddiqur 

Rahman, president of 

Community policing forum 

Ajit kumar Mondal and 

general Secretary Masudur 

Rahman were also present at 

the occasion. 

The photo shows poultry farmer Dinbandhu Sen at his farm in Juri upazila. Photo: Si Sumon 

cooperate, he filed a written 

petition to protect the farm to 

the upazila livestock Officer, 

District livestock Officer, 

upazila nirbahi Officer, 

upazila Chairman and 

Deputy Commissioner. 

farm owner Dinabandhu 

Sen, neighbors Abdul 

wadud, Abdus Sahid, 

Shahjahan Mia, Dhananjay 

Sen, nirmal Sen, 

Shantangshu Das and Bolai 

Biswas said that there is a 

bamboo garden on the north 

side of the farm, a fish farm 

on the south, Juri river on the 

west and up road about 200 

yards away on the east side of 

the farm. The poultry farm is 

better than any other farm 

and the environment is 

appreciatable. 

But an organized gang took 

false signature from the 

people of the area for the 

construction of road and 

complained about the 

closure of the farm to the 

upazila animal resources 

office. Such a plot cannot be 

accepted to stop a poultry 

farm when the government is 

working for the development 

BRRI invented paddy 

varieties open enormous 

food security prospect 

RAJShAhI: The newly 

paddy varieties invented 

by BRRI have opened up a 

door of enormous 

prospects in food security 

along with mitigating the 

crises of irrigation water 

in all eight districts of 

Rajshahi division, reports 

BSS. 

Dr Shakhawat hossain, 

Senior Scientific Officer of 

Bangladesh Agriculture 

Research Institute, here 

said BRRI released seven 

drought tolerant varieties 

and some of those have 

gained popularity among 

farmers during the last 

couple of years. 

he said there has been 

an enormous prospect of 

bringing harvesting 

intensity coupled with 

increasing food 

production through a 

successful promotion of 

the developed varieties. 

Talking to BSS today, Dr 

Aminul Islam, Chief 

Scientific Officer of BRRI, 

here says the BRRIdhan- 

48 paddy variety has been 

gaining popularity among 

farmers in the Barind 

tract for the last couple of 

years. 

It has been giving 

satisfactory yield with 

scanty rainfall and limited 

irrigation during the Aush 

season in the area. 

The farmers are seen 

interesting towards 

cultivating the newly 

developed variety in the 

vast Barind tract as part of 

their effort to mitigating 

the adverse impacts of 

climate change. 

farmers have brought 

2,37,958 hectares of land 

under Aush paddy 

cultivation in all eight 

districts under Rajshahi 

division during the 

current season. 

Department of 

Agriculture Extension 

(DAE) had set a target to 

bring a total of 2,59,591 

hectares of land fixing 

production target of 

6,98,491 metric tons of 

rice in the division. 

Dev Dulal Dhali, 

Additional Director of 

DAE, said a total of 

39,200 farmers got 

incentives of seed and 

fertilizer for the 

cultivation of Aush paddy 

on 39,200 bigha of lands 

in all the eight districts. 

he says most of the 

beneficiary farmers were 

given seed of BRRIdhan- 

48, a drought tolerant 

paddy variety innovated 

by Bangladesh Rice 

Research Institute 

(BRRI). 

Each of the farmers got 

15 kg Di-ammonium 

phosphate (DAp) 

fertilizers, 10 kg Muriate 

of potash (Mop) and 5 kg 

of Aus seeds. 

To maintain sound soil 

health, it could be 

advisable to grow rice 

using a different system in 

order to improve 

compatibility between 

monsoon rice and upland 

winter crops. 

of poultry farms. 

upazila poultry 

Association president haris 

Mohammad said that 

poultry industry is a part of 

the mega project of the 

government. The 

government cannot accept 

the closure of the farm while 

it is promoting the poultry 

indistry. To protect the farm, 

Dinbondhu Sen is 

demanding from the 

concerned department of the 

government for the 

registration of the farm and 

the environment clearance. 

BREB take 

measures 

to combat 

floods 

93% of the people in the 

country are enjoying 

electricity under Bangladesh 

Rural Electrification Board 

(BREB). BREB is bound to 

provide "uninterrupted" 

electricity supply this huge 

population. But recently 

onrush of water from 

upstream region and heavy 

rainfall triggered flooding 

across the country. 

Electricity is carried out by 

pouring pulse and electrical 

equipment in rain water, a 

press release said. 

During this time electricity 

is conductive as the electrical 

poles and other equipment 

gets wet due to the rain 

water. At this time people or 

cattle may be subjected to 

accidents if they touch any 

electrical poles or other 

equipments. Even death can 

happen in all such accidents. 

The public is urged to take 

the following precautions in 

this regard; 

(1) Stay away from 

electrical poles and electrical 

equipments and advice 

others to stay away; (2) 

Beware that livestock that do 

not come in contact with 

electrical poles and electrical 

equipments; (3) Due to the 

increase of water due to rain 

/ flood, the distance of the 

electrical wires can be 

reduced and accidents can 

occur when it comes to 

contact with sailing boats; 

(4) Dry wood or bamboo can 

be used in order to free a 

person when he gets stuck in 

an electric cable. Receive 

help of an electrician as soon 

as possible; (5) If any electric 

poles are tilted, if the wires 

are torn or if any accident 

occurs, then immediately 

inform the nearest Rural 

Electrification Office. 

Naogaon Superintendent of Police Iqbal Hossain PPM as the chief guest addressed 

a view exchange meeting on community policing in Mohadevpur upazila on 

Tuesday. 

Photo: M Shakhawath Hossain

INTERNATIONAL 

WEDNESDAY, JUlY 17, 2019 

7 

Facebook's new currency plan 

is under scrutiny in Congress 

Facebook's ambitious plan to create a financial eco-system 

based on a digital currency faces questions from lawmakers, 

as it's shadowed by negative comments from President Donald 

Trump, his treasury secretary and the head of the Federal 

Reserve, reports UNB. 

Congress begins two days of hearings Tuesday on the currency 

planned by Facebook, to be called Libra, starting with 

the Senate Banking Committee. Meanwhile, a House Judiciary 

subcommittee will extend its bipartisan investigation of 

the market power of Facebook, Google, Amazon and Apple. 

Trump tweeted last week that the new currency, Libra, 

"will have little standing or dependability." Both Treasury 

Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Fed Chair Jerome Powell 

have expressed serious concerns recently that Libra could be 

used for illicit activity. The Treasury Department has "very 

serious concerns that Libra could be misused by money launderers 

and terrorist financers," Mnuchin told reporters at the 

White House on Monday. "This is indeed a national security 

issue." 

Facebook has "a lot of work to do before we get to the point 

where we're comfortable with it," Mnuchin said. 

The European Union's approval of an 

initial set of sanctions against Turkey 

won't deter the country from pressing 

ahead with efforts to drill for hydrocarbons 

off the island of Cyprus, Turkey's 

Foreign Ministry said Tuesday, reports 

UNB. 

EU foreign ministers on Monday 

approved sanctions against Turkey 

over its drilling for gas in waters where 

EU member Cyprus has exclusive economic 

rights. They said were suspending 

talks on an air transport agreement 

and would call on the European Investment 

Bank to "review" its lending to the 

country. 

They also backed a proposal by the 

EU's executive branch to reduce financial 

assistance to Turkey for next year. 

The ministers warned that additional 

"targeted measures" were being 

worked on to penalize Turkey, which 

started negotiations to join the EU in 

2005. In a statement issued Tuesday, 

the Foreign Ministry said the EU made 

no mention of Turkish Cypriots and 

acted as though they "do not exist," and 

accused the 28-nation bloc of "prejudice 

and bias." 

"The decisions taken by the EU Foreign 

Affairs Council during a meeting 

yesterday will in no way affect our 

country's determination in continuing 

hydrocarbon activities in the East 

Mediterranean," the ministry said. 

It added that Turkey was determined 

to protect its rights and the rights of 

Turkish Cypriots. 

Two Turkish vessels escorted by warships 

are drilling for gas on either end 

of ethnically divided Cyprus. Turkey 

insists that it has rights over certain offshore 

zones and that Turkish Cypriots 

have rights over others. 

Cyprus was split along ethnic lines in 

1974 when Turkey invaded in the wake 

of a coup by supporters of union with 

Greece. A Turkish Cypriot declaration 

of independence is recognized only by 

Turkey, which keeps more than 35,000 

troops in the breakaway north. Cyprus 

joined the EU in 2004, but only the 

internationally recognized south enjoys 

full membership benefits. 

Cypriot officials accuse Turkey of 

using the minority Turkish Cypriots in 

order to pursue its goal of exerting control 

over the eastern Mediterranean 

region. 

The Cypriot government says it will 

take legal action against any oil and gas 

companies supporting Turkish vessels 

in any repeat attempt to drill for gas. 

Cyprus has already issued around 20 

international arrest warrants against 

three international companies assisting 

one of the two Turkish vessels now 

drilling 42 miles (68 kilometers) off the 

island's west coast. 

In this Tuesday, July 9, 2019 photo, a helicopter flies near Turkey's drilling ship, 'Fatih' dispatched 

towards the eastern Mediterranean, near Cyprus. Turkish officials say the drillships Fatih and Yavuz 

will drill for gas, which has prompted protests from Cyprus. 

Photo : AP 

Japan rejects S. Korea's criticism of 

export restrictions, denies retaliation 

for wartime labor row 

Japan on Tuesday described South Korea's 

criticism of its tightening of exports controls 

on some high-tech products as unfounded, 

stating that the measure is not a reaction to 

the ongoing wartime labor dispute, reports 

UNB. 

Japan's top government spokesperson 

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told 

a press briefing on the matter that the move 

by Japan was based on a viewpoint of 

national security and its tightening of export 

controls of some products to South Korea 

was not in retaliation to the wartime labor 

row. Suga's remarks came after South Korean 

President Moon Jae-in a day earlier criticized 

Japan's tightening of export controls of 

fluorinated polyimide, resist and hydrogen 

fluoride to South Korea. 

These products are often used by South 

Korean tech-companies in smartphones and 

TV displays, as well as semiconductors, 

mainstays of South Korea's economy. 

As referenced by local media here, Moon 

said the action runs counter to the development 

of bilateral ties and inferred that it was 

unwise for Japan to deal with a dispute over 

historic matters using economic means. 

He also claimed that Japan had resorted to 

unilateral measures without first trying 

diplomatic or dialogue-based means. 

Bilateral tensions have again become 

strained between both sides, most recently 

over a wartime labor dispute. 

Tokyo believes Seoul has not cooperated in 

trying to resolve this bilaterally, or by way of 

the establishment of an arbitration panel 

involving a third party. Japan has tried to 

maintain that the tighter export controls 

Already under intense scrutiny from regulators and Congress 

over privacy and market dominance, Facebook stirred 

anger on Capitol Hill last month with the unveiling of its plan 

to create a financial ecosystem based on a digital currency. 

Senate and House hearings went on the calendar, and the 

Democratic head of the House Financial Services Committee, 

which is holding Wednesday's hearing, called on Facebook 

to suspend the plan until Congress and regulators could 

review it. 

Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., said that Facebook, with 

some 2 billion users around the world, "is continuing its 

unchecked expansion and extending its reach into the lives of 

its users." She called Libra "a new Swiss-based financial system" 

that potentially is too big to fail and could require a taxpayer 

bailout. David Marcus, the Facebook executive leading 

the project, says in his testimony prepared for Tuesday's 

hearing by the Senate Banking Committee that Libra "is 

about developing a safe, secure and low-cost way for people 

to move money efficiently around the world. We believe that 

Libra can make real progress toward building a more inclusive 

financial infrastructure." 

Turkey says EU sanctions won't 

deter from drilling activity 

Building collapses 

in India; 2 dead, 

several feared 

trapped 

A four-story residential building 

collapsed Tuesday in 

Mumbai, India's financial and 

entertainment capital, killing 

at least two people, an official 

said. Rescuers were looking 

for several others feared 

trapped in the rubble, reports 

UNB. 

Fire official Ashok Talpade 

said dozens of rescuers were 

at the site in Dongri, a crowded 

residential section of 

Mumbai, where they pulled 

out three people alive and 

rushed them to a hospital. 

They included one child who 

was allowed to go home after 

being treated, he said. 

The building was located in 

a narrow lane in a congested 

area, making it difficult to 

send earth-moving machines 

there, Talpade said, adding 

that police were using sniffer 

dogs in their rescue operation. 

Television images showed 

people forming a human 

chain to remove the rubble 

using their hands. 

"The building crashed with 

a heavy sound and we thought 

there was an earthquake," a 

local resident told the New 

Delhi Television news channel. 

Maharashtra state's top 

elected official, Devendra 

Fadanavis, told reporters that 

the building was 100 years old 

and 15 families were living 

there. 

were not a retaliatory measure against South 

Korea, but has said that Seoul had failed to 

show a satisfactory solution to the ongoing 

wartime labor dispute between both parties. 

South Korea's top court ordering some 

major Japanese firms to compensate South 

Korean plaintiffs over forced wartime labor 

during Japan's 1910-1945 occupation of the 

Korean Peninsula, with lawyers being 

allowed to seize the assets of some Japanese 

firms, initially raised the ire of the Japanese 

side. 

Japan, for its part, has claimed the rulings 

are not in line with international law and run 

contrary to the foundation of friendly and 

cooperative relations between the two neighbors 

since the 1965 normalization of diplomatic 

ties. 

Japan believes the matter of compensation 

for wartime labor was "finally and completely" 

resolved under the pact. 

Tokyo has claimed that Seoul has been 

reluctant to show willingness to advance 

talks on the matter through diplomatic channels, 

with Seoul seemingly, from Tokyo's 

perspective, disregarding a deadline to name 

a member to an arbitration panel along with 

Japan and a third country, and, hence, has 

sought outside arbitration on the issue. 

In June, however, South Korea proposed 

that companies from both countries fund 

compensation for the plaintiffs, but Japan 

spurned the proposal for further dialogue on 

the matter in this direction. 

Thursday, however, is the deadline for 

arbitration panel procedures that Japan has 

been requesting South Korea to set up to discuss 

the issue of wartime labor. 

A microphone and a headset stands on the desk of the Samaa local radio Studio in the city of Ghazni 

province eastern of Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, July 16, 2019. The Samaa local radio eastern 

Afghanistan was forced to shut down after repeated threats from the area's Taliban commander, the 

head of the station said on Tuesday. 

Photo : AP 

Afghan radio station closes down 

following Taliban threats 

A local radio station in eastern Afghanistan 

was forced to shut down after repeated 

threats from the area's Taliban commander, 

the head of the station said on Tuesday, 

reports UNB. 

Ramez Azimi, director of the Samaa station 

in the city of Ghazni, the capital of eastern 

Ghazni province, said he had received 

phone calls as well as written warning notes 

purportedly from the Taliban commander. 

The commander was not identified. 

Azimi said Taliban insurgents, who control 

several districts in Ghazni province, threatened 

them because three of the station's 16 

employees are women. The Taliban are 

against women's rights to education and 

work. Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban 

spokesman, denied the insurgents had 

threatened Samaa. 

The Taliban currently control nearly half of 

Afghanistan and are more powerful than at 

any time since the October 2001 U.S.-led 

invasion. On Saturday, a local radio journalist 

was killed in neighboring Paktia province. 

The police said it was not immediately clear 

if the killing of Nader Shah, a newsreader for 

Radio Gardez, was linked to his work or a 

personal dispute. 

Apollo 11 astronauts returning 

to launch pad 50 years later 

Apollo 11's astronauts are returning to the 

exact spot from where they flew to the moon 

50 years ago. 

NASA has invited Buzz Aldrin and Michael 

Collins to Kennedy Space Center's Launch 

Complex 39A on Tuesday. They will mark 

the precise moment - 9:32 a.m. on July 16, 

1969 - that their Saturn V rocket departed on 

humanity's first moon landing. Mission 

commander Neil Armstrong - who took the 

The developments come despite steppedup 

efforts by the United States to find a negotiated 

end to the country's nearly 18-yearlong 

conflict, America's longest war. 

Afghan talks that brought together the 

country's warring sides ended last week in 

Qatar's capital, Doha, with a statement that 

appeared to move closer to peace by laying 

down the outlines of a roadmap for the country's 

future. 

According to Azimi, the Samaa station was 

closed four days ago. Azimi told The Associated 

Press this is its third closure in the past 

four years. The station was forced to shut 

down twice in 2015, the first time for a 

month after which it reopened thanks to 

mediation by the elders, he said. Later that 

year it closed again, for nine months. 

"At one point, four Taliban fighters came to 

our home in Ghazni city to threaten me and 

my brother, who is also working at the station," 

Azimi added. 

Azimi's father, Zarif, a doctor who owns a 

medical clinic and a pharmacy in the city, 

says the threats are worrisome. 

"I can't stay in Ghazni, I can't let the Taliban 

harm my sons or any of my family 

members," he said. 

Norway arrests Muslim cleric 

after Italian terror trial 

A Muslim cleric found guilty in Italy of planning terror has been detained in Norway on an Italian 

arrest warrant, The Norwegian domestic security agency said, reports UNB. 

Iraqi-born Mullah Krekar was detained late Monday, the PST security agency said. It was not 

immediately clear whether he would be extradited. 

The agency tweeted hours after an Italian court found Krekar guilty of attempting to overthrow 

the Kurdish government in northern Iraq and create an Islamic caliphate, and sentenced him to 12 

years. Italian prosecutors had alleged Krekar, who is based in Norway, is behind Rawti Shax, a 

European network aimed at violently overthrowing the government in Kurdistan. Krekar, who has 

denied the allegations, plans to appeal, said his Italian lawyer, Marco Vernillo. In 2015, European 

authorities arrested 15 Iraqi-Kurdish nationals on terrorism-related charges. Rawti Shax recruited 

foreign terrorist fighters to be sent to Iraq and Syria and provided logistical and financial support, 

according to the Italian prosecutors who spearheaded the probe. 

first lunar footsteps - died in 2012, reports 

UNB. 

It kicks off eight days of golden anniversary 

celebrations for each day of Apollo 11's voyage. 

Also Tuesday morning, 5,000 model 

rockets are set to launch simultaneously at 

the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in 

Huntsville, Alabama. At the National Air and 

Space Museum in Washington, Armstrong's 

newly restored spacesuit goes on display. 

Apollo 11's astronauts are returning to the exact spot from where they flew 

to the moon 50 years ago. 

Photo : AP 

7 drowned in 

Russia's Far 

Eastern river 

Seven people, including 3 

children, were drowned in 

the Lena River in a suburb of 

Yakutsk, capital of Russia's 

Far Eastern Republic of 

Sakha (Yakutia) on Monday, 

the Emergencies Ministry's 

Sakha branch said Tuesday, 

reports UNB. 

A group of 11 people were 

on a vacation on an unauthorized 

beach, among 

whom three children 

drowned. Four adults also 

died in their attempt to save 

them, the ministry said in a 

statement. 

Pavel Garin, head of the 

Emergencies 

Ministry's 

Sakha branch, expressed 

condolences and urged 

locals to abide by the safety 

rules. 

4 missing in jade mine 

collapse in Myanmar 

found dead 

Four missing jade miners 

have been found dead after a 

suspended jade mine collapsed 

in Myanmar's Kachin 

state, according to local 

Hpakant township police 

force Tuesday, reports UNB. 

The four bodies were discovered 

on Monday when 

search was conducted after 

they were initially reported 

missing. 

The tragedy occurred near 

Ba La Kha village in 

Hpakant township of the 

state Saturday. 

One jade miner was rescued 

with injury and was 

hospitalized at the Hpakant 

General Hospital for treatment. 

Pakistani journalists 

stage protests to 

denounce censorship 

Pakistani journalists are 

holding nationwide protests 

to denounce rampant censorship 

by the country's 

powerful security services, 

massive layoffs due to budget 

cuts and months-long 

delays in payments of their 

wages, reports UNB. 

Tuesday's rallies, dubbed 

Day of Protests, are spearheaded 

by the Pakistan Federal 

Union of Journalists. It 

says journalists, who face the 

roughest phase in the country's 

history, have decided to 

"fight the unprecedented 

censorship." Afzal Butt, 

president of the union, says 

the rallies are only the 

"beginning of a protest 

movement." Journalists and 

press freedom advocates say 

the country's military is 

pressuring media outlets to 

quash critical coverage while 

the newly elected government 

is slashing its advertising 

budget.

ART & CULTURE 

WedneSdAy, 

jUly 17, 2019 

8 

FBI seeks more victims of Hollywood Con 

Artist after marvel executive targeted 

The FBI has created a website 

for victims of the socalled 

Con Queen of 

Hollywood, a sophisticated 

swindler who for several 

years has been impersonating 

prominent producers, 

studio executives and other 

members of the entertainment 

industry as part of an 

elaborate financial scam. 

"FBI Seeking Victims in 

Indonesia Showbiz Scam 

Investigation," the agency's 

San Diego office announced 

in a release unveiling the 

new site early Monday 

morning. "This on-going 

transnational fraud scheme 

targeting U.S citizens began 

in approximately 2013. The 

FBI is releasing this information 

to prevent individuals, 

primarily those who 

work in the entertainment 

industry, from becoming 

victims of the scam." 

The new FBI missive 

invites victims to submit 

statements with biographical 

data and details about 

their exposure, and 

includes a website address 

for victims to access. 

Running parallel to the 

financial ploy, the Con 

Queen also has been luring 

people into sexually 

charged phone conversations, 

with no apparent 

financial stakes involved. To 

date, nearly two dozen 

prominent executives in 

Hollywood have been 

impersonated, including 

Lucasfilm president 

Kathleen Kennedy and former 

Paramount chair 

Sherry Lansing. 

Several dozen more, 

including up-and-coming 

actors, photographers, 

stunt performers, military 

veterans, makeup artists 

and others, have been targeted 

for potential sexual or 

monetary exploitation. 

This was the case recently 

when the imposter began 

targeting Marvel Studios. In 

April, Victoria Alonso, executive 

vp production at 

Marvel, discovered the Con 

Queen was using her identity 

to conduct lurid fake telephone 

auditions with aspiring 

actors. The fraud 

sparked an internal inquiry 

at Marvel parent company 

Disney and lawyers from 

outside the company were 

brought in to investigate 

further. 

The scam has affected 

hundreds of people on at 

least four continents. Over 

the last several years, the 

Con Queen appears to have 

stolen hundreds of thousands 

of dollars, according 

to victims, law enforcement 

officials and investigators 

tracking the case. 

After disguising herself in 

the identities of high-profile 

personalities - which have 

includedWendi Murdoch, 

the ex-wife of Fox chairman 

Rupert Murdoch, former 

Sony head Amy Pascal and, 

most recently, Alonso - the 

scammer makes contact 

with her marks via email or 

phone offering nonexistent 

work opportunities. 

The Hollywood Reporter 

first detailed efforts to 

understand and dismantle 

the scam in a 2018 cover 

story, "Hunting the Con 

Queen of Hollywood," 

which examined how the 

scammer lures people to 

Indonesia with fake offers 

of work. 

Once the person is in 

Indonesia, the scammer 

promises to reimburse the 

upfront costs that these 

marks pay for services like 

translation, driving and 

logistical help, but never 

does. That money is then 

likely siphoned back into 

her coffers. 

While the sexual component 

of the scam has 

appeared before, the frequency 

appears to have 

ramped up recently. In mid- 

March, using a fake email 

account, the imposter sent 

emails to at least half a 

dozen people, including 

several aspiring actors, pretending 

to be prominent 

casting director Sarah Finn, 

who worked on Avengers: 

Infinity War and Black 

Panther. 

After gaining her target's 

trust with an initial email, 

the imposter then made 

several phone calls impersonating 

Finn's colleague, 

Alonso, of Marvel. Actor 

Brandon Wengrzynek was 

one of those who received 

the fake Finn email and 

subsequent phone call from 

the fake Alonso. 

In the email, the fake 

Finn told Wengrzynek that 

she wanted him to get on 

the phone with Alonso to 

discuss a role for him in an 

upcoming Marvel TV 

series. The imposter then 

posed as Alonso's supposed 

assistant, "James," who 

told the actor that he needed 

to "bring everything 

you've got" to the upcoming 

call with Alonso. When 

the call from the fake 

Alonso came, Wengrzynek 

did as he was told. 

During the call, the Con 

Queen urged Wengrzynek 

to engage in sexually explicit 

role-play in order to convince 

her that he had the 

necessary acting chops. 

Wengrzynek played along, 

to a point, until the conversation 

became too uncomfortable 

and weird. 

"She was absolutely convincing," 

Wengrzynek tells 

THR. "It just blows my 

mind how professional the 

whole thing is." 

Wengrzynek eventually 

contacted a friend in an 

attempt to verify the job 

offer, and only then learned 

that it was fake. 

All three people - Finn, 

Alonso and Alonso's fake 

assistant, "James" - were, in 

effect, "performed" by the 

Con Queen. 

"I want my name to be 

loud and clear," Alonso says 

in an interview. "This is not 

how we work. This is not 

who we are. We would 

never ask people to do that." 

Alonso first learned that she 

had been impersonated in 

mid-April, about 10 days 

before the April 26 debut of 

Marvel's Avengers: Endgame. 

One of the movie's stars 

told her that a stunt performer 

friend of his had 

received what he thought 

was a call from Alonso in 

which she purportedly said 

that Marvel planned to 

replace actor Jeremy 

Renner and was looking for 

another stunt performer. 

Alonso corrected her 

friend, thinking that 

would be the end of it. 

Instead, about a month 

later, she received a call 

from two lawyers who had 

been hired by Disney to 

investigate further. 

"Disney never said we 

think you did this," says 

Alonso, "They just said, 'We 

need to corroborate that 

you didn't.'" "People need 

to understand that this is 

not what Marvel or I would 

ever do," Alonso says of the 

whole ordeal, which left her 

feeling humiliated and 

angry. "It's a horrible, horrible 

thing. I've had an unimpeachable 

30-year career. 

That somebody is claiming I 

have done these things - I've 

spent many, many sleepless 

nights." 

Alonso says she wants as 

many people as possible to 

be aware that the scam is 

still ongoing, despite the 

involvement of law enforcement. 

"This person is preying on 

people's dreams," she says, 

"If something happens to 

you, report it. If it feels 

wrong, it is. Walk away." 

K2 Intelligence, a New 

York based security and 

corporate intelligence firm 

that has been tracking the 

case for more than two 

years, also issued a statement 

Monday: 

"K2 Intelligence commends 

the FBI for establishing 

a web form to identify 

victims of the Indonesia 

Show Business Scam, better 

known as the Con Queen of 

Hollywood, bringing the 

investigation one step closer 

to justice for all victims. 

We are immensely proud of 

our team, led by Nicoletta 

Kotsianas, for working diligently 

on this investigation 

and helping shed light on 

the impersonations of powerful 

women in Hollywood 

and other, prominent highnet-worth 

individuals, as 

well as those taken in by the 

fraudulent scam, traveling 

to Indonesia and fronting 

money never to be reimbursed. 

K2 Intelligence encourages 

all who believe they 

may have been a target of 

this scam to participate in 

this effort and to help law 

enforcement identify the 

true reach of this nefarious 

impersonator and move the 

needle on bringing the 

investigation to a close." 

The FBI opened its own 

investigation late last year 

in the wake of this magazine's 

coverage. The FBI 

issued a warning for future 

potential victims. 

"Please be advised this is 

an ongoing fraud scheme 

and individuals who have 

plans to travel to Indonesia 

for a job opportunity in the 

entertainment industry 

should perform additional 

research and proceed with 

caution," the FBI release 

states. 

So far, the Con Queen 

remains at large. 

The FBI did not respond 

to requests for further comment 

on the status of the 

ongoing investigation. 

-The Hollywood Reporter 

tully 

A struggling mother of three forms 

an unexpected bond with the night 

nanny hired to help with her newborn 

baby. 

Genre 

Director 

Writer 

Cast 

Pink had some strong 

words for those trying to 

mom-shame her after a 

photo she posted on 

Instagram Sunday elicited 

some critical comments. 

In the image, it appears 

that her daughter Willow, 8, 

and son Jameson, 2, are 

running through the 

Holocaust Memorial in 

Berlin, Germany. "His place 

is not definitely a hide and 

seek place, dear Pink," one 

person wrote. 

Pink responded with a 

caption which began 

: Comedy, Drama, 

Mystery 

: Jason Reitman 

: Diablo Cody 

: Charlize Theron, 

Mackenzie 

Davis,Ron 

Livingston 

: 95 min 

Runtime 

Release Date : 4 May, 2018 

Pink responds to criticism 

over her kids running through 

Holocaust memorial 

Actress Pooja Batra confirmed 

she married Nawab 

Shah in a family-only wedding 

ceremony in the 

National Capital in an interview 

with Bombay Times. 

The Virasat actress trended 

all of last week for reports 

stating she's married actor 

Nawab Shah in a secret 

wedding. 

Speaking to Bombay 

Times, Pooja said: "Yes, we 

are married. Nawab and I 

exchanged vows in Delhi, 

with only our families in 

attendance. Our loved ones 

kept asking us why we were 

delaying it (the marriage). I 

was simply going with the 

flow, but then I realised that 

he is the man I want to 

spend the rest of my life 

with, and there is no point 

in delaying it any further. 

So, here we are. We had an 

Arya Samaj wedding, and 

we will register our marriage 

this week." 

Meanwhile, Pooja Batra 

updated her Instagram feed 

with a photo of herself as a 

new bride, sporting traditional 

attire with hands full 

of chudha. 

Speaking to Bombay 

Times, Pooja Batra added 

that she married Nawab 

after dating him for five-six 

months: "I knew of Nawab 

"Berlin, I love you. #holocaustmemorial 

#panamarestaurant 

#cocktailclasses 

#history #herstory 

#worldtour." 

"And for all of the comments; 

these two children 

are in actuality Jewish, as 

am I and the entirety of my 

mothers family," the singer 

wrote. "The very person who 

constructed this believed in 

children being children, and 

to me this is a celebration of 

life after death. Please keep 

your hatred and judgment 

to yourselves." 

by virtue of being in the 

same profession. However, 

we strongly connected after 

we were reintroduced by a 

common friend in February 

this year. I guess we reconnected 

at the right time in 

our life. We were in the 

same space emotionally and 

hit it off instantly." 

Pooja Batra and Nawab 

Shah began after she introduced 

the Tiger Zinda Hai 

actor to her Instagram as: 

"man crush every day." 

The Internet also quickly 

tracked down a boomerang 

video on Nawab Shah's 

feed that suggested he may 

be married to Pooja Batra 

It's not the first time Pink 

has faced down the shamers. 

In April, Pink said during 

an appearance with daytime 

talk show host Ellen 

DeGeneres that she would 

no longer be sharing photos 

of her children after negative 

comments regarding a 

photo showing her son without 

his diaper on. 

"I cried so hard after that 

because I like to share my 

family," Pink said. "It's my 

proudest moment in my 

whole life. I'm prouder of 

my kids than anything I've 

ever done. I just, I won't 

share them anymore." 

-CNN 

Pooja Batra tied Knot 

with nawab Shah 

StorylIne : 

Marlo, a mother of two, is 

pregnant with an unplanned 

third child. Jonah, her son, has 

a developmental disorder that 

doctors have been unable to 

diagnose; she uses the 

Wilbarger Protocol to brush 

his skin in an attempt to 

reduce his sensitivity. When 

Marlo and her husband Drew 

visit her wealthy brother 

Craig's house for dinner, he 

offers to pay for a night nanny 

as a baby shower gift, but 

Marlo rebuffs him. Marlo gives 

birth to a daughter she names 

Mia, and quickly becomes 

overwhelmed and exhausted. 

After Jonah's principal recommends 

that he be placed in a 

different school, Marlo breaks 

down, and she retrieves the 

contact information for the 

night nanny. 

-IMDb 

already. 

Pooja Batra is best known 

for her roles in films such as 

Virasat, Kahin Pyaar Na Ho 

Jaaye, Jodi No 1 and Nayak. 

Nawab Shah has featured in 

small roles in movies like 

Musafir, Lakshya, Don 2 

and Dilwale. 

-NDTV 

H o r o S C o P e 

ArIeS 

(March 21 - April 20) : Confirmation of 

professional success could come your way, 

Aries, and you're probably feeling excited 

and motivated to keep pushing. But you may find that 

increased responsibilities interfere with your social life. 

You wonder if friends have forgotten you. They haven't, 

but it will make you feel better if you squeeze in a few 

hours for your friends each week. Remember what they 

say about all work and no play. 

tAUrUS 

(April 21 - May 21) : More than usual, you're 

probably craving solitude today, Taurus. 

Although you may have committed to 

attending a party or get-together, now the idea may seem 

irritating. You may rather work on some tasks or projects, 

or you might want to go for a workout and release some 

of the tension you feel. The latter idea is good. If you exercise 

early, you might feel like going out later. 

GeMInI 

(May 22 - June 21) : Although you're normally 

a sociable person who feels most comfortable 

in the company of others, Gemini, 

today you may prefer to be alone. You could feel a little 

under the weather, or you could be stressed from job-related 

worries. You probably need rest, but you might also benefit 

from taking a walk to work off some tension, get the 

endorphins going, and help you feel like yourself again. 

CAnCer 

(June 22 - July 23) : You tend to enjoy 

solitude, Cancer, but today you might 

feel more reclusive than usual. Friends 

could invite you out, but you aren't likely to accept the 

offer. You might even feel a little irritated. This is a 

great day to work out or throw yourself into your own 

projects. Your concentration is good and the physical 

activity will get relieve the stress. 

leo 

(July 24 - Aug. 23) : There might be tension 

in the air for no discernible reason today. 

Family members might seem preoccupied 

with problems they can't define. Your natural inclination 

could be to try to cheer them up, Leo, but it probably 

won't work. Don't be annoyed if they don't respond. It 

isn't them. Blame the planets. This is a great day to jog, 

take a cardio class, or otherwise work off stress. 

VIrGo 

(Aug. 24 - Sept. 23) : Some mysterious 

telephone calls might come your 

way - wrong numbers or hang-ups. 

Other people might seem less communicative 

than usual, Virgo, and you may be 

preoccupied. You might feel a bit more nervous 

than usual, but that should go away if you take a 

walk or get some other exercise. If you've been 

thinking about doing some writing, this is the 

day to start. 

lIBrA 

(Sept. 24 - Oct. 23) : Confusion over 

money matters might arise, Libra. You 

may need to check your records to shed 

light on past transactions. Don't worry. All should be 

well once you ascertain the facts. You might have 

some intense dreams tonight. Write them down. 

You will want to remember them later, because they 

might reveal a lot about your current situation. 

SCorPIo 

(Oct. 24 - Nov. 22) : Someone close to you 

might seem more preoccupied than 

usual, Scorpio, and perhaps a bit difficult 

to deal with. Don't take this personally. It has little, if 

anything, to do with you. This person has troubles of 

their own that they don't want to share. You might be 

feeling a bit tense and jumpy, but again, this is nothing 

to worry about. Take a walk or work out at the gym. 

SAGIttArIUS 

(Nov. 23 - Dec. 21) : You might feel a bit 

tense, Sagittarius, and you probably 

won't understand why. The reason? 

The planets. You might jump at unexpected 

noises or take offense where none is intended. 

Relations with others might be a little strained, 

necessitating some communication about how 

you're feeling. Try to work off the tension by taking a 

brisk walk or perhaps working out at the gym. 

CAPrICorn 

(Dec. 22 - Jan. 20) : You probably aren't 

going to feel like socializing even though 

friends want you to go out with them. 

Your patience could be worn a bit thin, Capricorn, and 

you may get annoyed at incidents that normally wouldn't 

bother you. This isn't a good day for group activities 

or parties. It might be best to get a good workout and 

then rest. You will feel much better afterward. 

AQUArIUS 

(Jan. 21 - Feb. 19) : Recent spiritual breakthroughs 

might have you feeling both 

exhilarated and downcast, Aquarius. Your 

sensitive side tells you that this is a definite 

step forward on your spiritual path, but the logical side 

might cause you to doubt its reality. Take comfort in the 

fact that reality is relative and that what you're sensing is 

at least valid for you. Then keep moving ahead. 

PISCeS 

(Feb. 20 - Mar. 20) : Many of your personal 

goals have either been met or are 

in progress, Pisces, and you're feeling 

exhilarated. However, people around you might 

have their hands out. You may be asked to contribute 

to charities or make personal loans to people 

you don't know well. You want to help whenever you 

can, but be discriminating about whom you help 

now. Some may be less than trustworthy.

SPORTS 

WEDNESDAy, 

JULy 17, 2019 

9 

Bijoy played his last ODI against West Indies in 2018 in which he went through a series of low scores. 

Photo: BCB 

Taijul, Bijoy return as Shakib 

rested for SL tour 

Sports Desk: Bangladesh ace allrounder 

Shakib Al Hasan was given 

rest for the three-match series against 

Sri Lanka, slated to begin later this 

month as Bangladesh Cricket Board 

(BCB) announced a 14-member squad 

at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium 

on Tuesday, reports BSS. 

Liton Das was also granted leave 

while pacer Abu Jayed Rahi could not 

find his place for the Sri Lanka ODI 

tour. Taijul Islam and Anamul Haque 

Bijoy filled the two void spots, on the 

back of their superb form. 

"It's [Sri Lanka tour] a very important 

series for us. We didn't change much 

apart from two. As Shakib and Liton 

have opted out from the Sri Lanka ODI 

tour for their personal reasons, we had 

to fill up those spots with Taijul and 

Bijoy," Chief selector Minhajul Abedin 

Nannu said here today. 

"We needed a left-arm spinner, that's 

why Taijul was drafted in while Bijoy 

came in as the replacement of Liton 

Das." 

The three-match ODI series marked 

the return of Taijul Islam in the 50-over 

format after almost two years. He 

played his last ODI against Afghanistan 

in September 2016. 

Bijoy played his last ODI against 

West Indies in 2018 in which he went 

through a series of low scores. "Both the 

players have been doing well in the 

domestic circuit. They also have performed 

well with A team too," Nannu 

clarified the reason behind including 

the duo in Sri Lanka bound squad. 

Taijul, considered as Test material, 

who played just four ODIs since his 

debut in 2014 is set to join the team in 

Sri Lanka straight from India, where he 

is playing for the BCB XI at the Dr 

(Capt) K Thimmappaiah Memorial 

Cricket Tournament. 

He claimed 8-89 in drawn four-day 

match against Vidarbha Cricket Association. 

Bijoy with 37 ODIs under his belt 

also scored an unbeaten 121 in the first 

innings of that match. 

Yasir Ali Rabbi who was in the squad 

in Ireland tri-nation tournament that 

was held just before the World Cup but 

didn't get any opportunity to any match 

in that tour. But Nannu said: "We have 

a settled middle order. Therefore he 

(Yasir) is kept stand by again. Since 

Liton is not there, Bijoy is included." 

Shakib who was in tremendous form 

in the recent World Cup, scoring 606 

runs with 11 wickets, earlier requested 

BCB not to consider him for the series, 

slating to be held from July 26 - 31 in 

Colombo. BCB granted his plea as he is 

supposed to perform the 'Holy Hajj'. 

Liton is expected to get married on July 

28, a reason for which he wasn't considered, 

while Jayed is recently included 

in the BCB A setup after completing 

his World Cup journey without getting 

any opportunity to play. 

There was however injury concern 

over captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, 

senior players Mahmudullah Riyad 

and Mushfiqur Rahim but they are 

dimmed fit to play and included into 

the squad. 

Nannu said the players would have to 

give a fitness test tomorrow (Wednesday) 

but at the same time revealed that 

the physio gave positive nod about 

them. "There was no critical issue 

according to the fitness report that we 

got from the physio. However they all 

will give a fitness test tomorrow and the 

matter will be clear." 

Bangladesh team : Mashrafe Bin 

Mortaza, Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, 

Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah 

Riyad, Mohammad Mithun, Mosaddek 

Hossain Saikat, Sabbir Rahman, 

Mohammad Saifuddin, Mehidy Hasan 

Miraz, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, 

Anamul Haque Bijoy, Taijul 

Islam. 

Everton sign England 

midfielder Delph 

from Manchester City 

Sports Desk: Everton said 

on Monday that they have 

signed England midfielder 

Fabian Delph from Manchester 

City on a three-year 

deal, reports BSS. 

Everton did not say how 

much they had paid for the 

29-year-old England international, 

who joined City 

from Aston Villa in 2015. 

Delph played 89 games for 

City, winning two Premier 

League medals. He also has 

20 England caps. 

"When I look to bring a 

new player into our squad, 

the first thing I look for 

above all the other things is 

quality and Fabian is a player 

with high quality," Everton 

manager Marco Silva 

told the club web site. 

"But what they can bring 

to our dressing room is also 

important." 

The web site also quoted 

Delph. 

"Every time I have played 

against Everton, whether it 

was home or away, straight 

away the first thing that 

comes to mind when you see 

the fans is passion," he said. 

"You are always going to 

hear Evertonians and I'm 

excited to play at home and 

hear them when I am 

playing." 

Solskjaer confident 

De Gea will sign new 

deal soon 

Sports Desk: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said 

Tuesday he was optimistic that goalkeeper 

David De Gea would sign a new deal to 

remain at Old Trafford as Manchester United 

prepared to face old rivals Leeds in Perth, 

reports BSS. 

United's pre-season tour of Australia has 

been overshadowed speculation over the 

futures of several stars, including De Gea 

who is in the last year of his contract and has 

been linked with French champions Paris 

Saint-Germain. 

The Spaniard is reportedly close to signing 

a new five-year deal with United worth in 

excess of œ350,000 a week that would make 

him the highest paid goalkeeper in the world. 

De Gea was rested from United's pre-season 

opener against Perth Glory on Saturday 

but will line up against Leeds on Wednesday 

to wrap up the Red Devils' 10-day visit to the 

Western Australia city. 

"He'll play and hopefully we can agree (on 

a new deal) with David, as I've said a few 

times," Solskjaer told reporters. 

"That'll be up to David to announce when 

that happens, if and when." 

The United boss refused to be drawn on 

whether Leicester City and England centreback 

Harry Maguire was on his way to Old 

Trafford. 

"There's been loads of speculation but I 

can't really say anything," Solskjaer said. 

"There's a limit of players and whoever 

performs will be part of the team and whoever 

doesn't they will have to fight to get back 

in." 

After an unconvincing 2-0 victory over a 

depleted Perth, United will be hoping for a 

better performance against one-time bitter 

enemy Leeds. 

The rivalry has simmered since Leeds' relegation 

from the English Premier League in 

2004 but hostilities between the passionate 

fan bases are still evident with extra security 

measures being put in place by organisers at 

Perth Stadium. 

Solskjaer said United were excited to 

renew the rivalry. "Of course you want to 

have games against the biggest clubs," he 

said. "It's a great occasion for both sets of 

supporters and the players because there 

were great games (in the past)." 

Romelu Lukaku, who is reportedly looking 

to secure a move to Inter Milan, is set to play 

his first pre-season match against Leeds after 

recovering from a "niggle". However, Luke 

Shaw is likely to miss out after suffering a 

hamstring injury in the match against Perth. 

United will have further pre-season games 

against Inter Milan in Singapore on July 20 

and Tottenham in Shanghai on July 25, 

while Leeds will head to Sydney to face Western 

Sydney Wanderers. 

De Ligt has 

agreed to join 

Juventus: 

reports 

Sports Desk: Defender 

Matthijs de Ligt has agreed 

to join Juventus, Dutch and 

Italian media reported on 

Monday, but it was not 

clear whether the Turin 

club had yet agreed a fee 

with Ajax, reports BSS. 

Reports said that the 19- 

year-old Dutch international, 

who captained Ajax 

to the semifinals of the 

Champions League, had 

agreed personal terms with 

Juventus and would arrive 

in Turin on Tuesday and 

undergo a medical on 

Wednesday. 

Media in Italy said 

Juventus would pay Ajax of 

Amsterdam 75 million 

euros ($85 million). 

De Ligt has been linked 

with many of Europe's 

leading clubs after his 

impressive play for resurgent 

Ajax and Netherland 

teams last season. 

He has played 117 games 

for Ajax in all competitions, 

scoring 13 goals, including 

three as the club reached 

the last four of the Champions 

League last season, 

only to lose in the final seconds 

to Tottenham. De Ligt 

scored the winner in Turin 

as Ajax eliminated Juventus 

in the quarter-finals. 

He has played 17 times 

for the Netherlands. 

Earlier on Monday, 

Juventus unveiled Aaron 

Ramsey, the Welsh midfielder 

who had agreed in 

February to join as a free 

agent once his contract 

with Arsenal expired. 

Mushfiq returns to practice to 

quell concern over his fitness 

Sports Desk: Bangladesh's dependable 

middle order batsman Mushfiqur Rahim 

returned to practice ground on Tuesday, 

much to the delight of the team management 

who was worried over his fitness 

issue ahead of the Sri Lanka tour, reports 

BSS. 

Mushfiqur played Bangladesh's last 

World Cup match against Pakistan through 

an elbow injury, which he sustained while 

batting at the nets ahead of the match. He 

also got injured ahead of Bangladesh's 

game against West Indies and there was 

concern whether he could play the match. 

As he played two matches in World Cup 

through injury, there was massive concern 

over his fitness ahead of Bangladesh's 

three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka. 

However Mushfiqur Rahim, who is used 

to maintain a disciplined life, quelled the 

tension once again, being fit in time when it 

mattered most. He was seen spending time 

in gym before began practicing at the central 

wicket of the Sher-e-Bangla National 

Cricket Stadium. The diminutive batsman 

scored 365 runs in eight matches for 

Bangladesh in World Cup with one century 

and two half-centuries. His tally is the second 

highest for the Tigers after Shakib Al 

Hasan's 606. 

But his knock was more worthy as he led 

Bangladesh to two victories out of their 

three. His 78 against South Africa provided 

the backbone of their huge total even 

though Shakib hogged the limelight for his 

all-round performance. He also helped 

Bangladesh to overcome batting debacle 

against Afghanistan and struck an 87 ball- 

83 in extremely difficult pitch. But again 

Shakib Al Hasan snatched man-of-thematch 

award from him with his sterling allrounder 

performance that included 51 runs 

and 5-29. 

His return to practice as it gave the team 

management a sigh of relief and they 

included him in the 14-member squad for 

the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka. 

Bangladesh will leave the country on 

July 20 for Colombo. The three-match is 

scheduled on July 26, 28 and 31. All the 

matches will be held in Colombo Premadasa 

Stadium. 

Mushfiqur Rahim returned to practice ground on Tuesday, much to the 

delight of the team management who was worried over his fitness issue 

ahead of the Sri Lanka tour. 

Photo: Internet 

De Gea was rested from United's pre-season opener against Perth Glory on Saturday. 

Photo: AP 

Stokes sets sights on Ashes glory 

after World Cup triumph 

Sports Desk: Ben Stokes has already 

started turning his attention to the Ashes 

just a day after starring for England in 

their dramatic World Cup final win 

against New Zealand, reports BSS. 

The all-rounder made an unbeaten 84 

as the host nation tied the scores in regulation 

play at Lord's on Sunday and 

batted again in a Super Over shootout 

that also ended all-square. 

The hosts won what Stokes described 

as the "best-ever" final on superior 

boundary count. 

Monday saw a bleary-eyed Stokes on 

the other side of London's River 

Thames, where he was attending a team 

celebration event at the Oval, with Eoin 

Morgan's side parading the trophy in 

front of hundreds of young fans. 

"I've woken up in better conditions, 

but it's an incredible feeling," 

Stokes, who was man of the match, 

told AFP. 

"We would have been devastated if we 

hadn't managed to lift that trophy but 

looking back over that game I think it 

will go down in the history books as the 

best ever, with all the drama of a World 

Cup final. "It's an amazing thing to be 

part of." The World Cup could be the 

first half of remarkable double with 

England, for the first time since the 

inaugural 1975 edition, staging a World 

Cup and Ashes in the same season. 

First comes a one-off Test against Ireland 

at Lord's next week before England 

begin their quest to regain the urn 

against an Australia side seeking a first 

away Ashes series win since 2001 at 

Edgbaston on August 1. 

"We may be world champions but 

also want to be Ashes winners as well," 

said the 28-year-old Stokes. 

"Everyone here deserves to feel like a 

champion because we've just won it but 

when it comes to the Ashes it's going to 

be heads on again because it has to be. 

"Whether you're winning or losing 

games, you've just got to wipe the slate 

clean." - Stokes heartbreak - 

Stokes suffered on-field heartbreak 

when hit for four straight sixes in the 

last over of a dramatic defeat by the 

West Indies in the 2016 World Twenty20 

final. He then missed the 2017/18 

Ashes series in Australia following a 

late-night incident in Bristol that led to 

a charge of affray, over which he was 

found not guilty. But Stokes said Monday: 

"That's all gone and forgotten. It's 

about now and what goes on in the 

future. I'm just going to enjoy this 

moment. 

"In sport, and cricket in particular, 

you ebb and flow with your emotions, 

but we're going to enjoy the next two 

days because we deserve it. I've got this 

medal around my neck so it's all good." 

Stokes also revealed how he had 

coped with the highs and lows of nearly 

winning the World Cup final in regulation 

play before going out to bat again 

for the Super Over. 

"Needing two runs off one ball, all I 

was thinking was 'just don't hit it in the 

air and get caught'. It was just 'don't try 

to be a hero and do it with a six'," he 

explained. "I wish it had gone for two 

because I wasn't best pleased with 

myself walking off and back to the 

changing rooms for that 10-minute 

turnaround. "I actually had to go and 

have five minutes to myself in the shower 

area of the changing room. I was pretty 

annoyed, angry. I had to get my head 

switched back on because I knew there 

was a job out there to do. 

"I was full of adrenaline so I needed to 

make sure my head was in the right 

place." 

N. Zealand coach wants rules review 

after ‘hollow’ WC final 

Sports Desk: New Zealand coach Gary Stead has called for 

the Cricket World Cup's rules to be overhauled, labelling the 

showpiece final "hollow" after England defeated the Black 

Caps on a technicality, reports BSS. 

The teams could not be separated at the end of both regular 

play and a Super Over shootout, so England were handed 

victory because they had a superior boundary count. 

"It's a very, very hollow feeling that you can play 100 overs 

and score the same amount of runs and still lose the game, 

but that's the technicalities of sport," Stead told reporters in 

remarks released by New Zealand Cricket on Tuesday. 

He said such a thrilling match, which has been hailed by 

many experts as the greatest one-day game in history, 

deserved a better way to determine the result. "There's going 

to be many things they look at over the whole tournament - 

I'm sure when they were writing the rules they never expected 

a World Cup final to happen like that," he said. 

"I'm sure it'll be reviewed (and) there's many different ways 

that they'll probably explore." 

Stead shrugged off suggestions England had been mistakenly 

handed an extra run after a throw from a fielder hit the 

bat of a diving Ben Stokes' and deflected to the boundary in 

the final over of regular play. 

England were awarded six runs but former umpire Simon 

Taufel said they should only have got five as the batsmen had 

not crossed for their second run when the throw was made. 

"I didn't actually know that," Stead said. "But at the end of 

the day the umpires are there to rule.

ECONOMY & BUSINESS 

10 

WEDNESDAy, JULy 17, 2019 

Md. Arfan Ali, President & Managing Director of Bank Asia Ltd, is inaugurating a day long training 

on "Islamic Banking & Finance" for 64 Officials and Assistant Relationship Officers (AROs) from 

Consumer Finance Centre (CFC) of the Bank as Chief Guest recently. Md. Abdul Matin, Training & 

Development Consultant, BAITD, Sarder Akhter Hamed, Head of Channel Banking, K.S. Nazmul 

Hasan, Head of PMD (HRD), A.K.M Mizanur Rahman, SVP of Islamic Banking Division, Md. Ahsan 

Ul Alam, VP, Agent Banking Division, Firdaus Bin Zaman, FVP & Head of Consumer Finance and 

Sujit Kumer Sen, AVP, BAITD, were present in the program at Bank Asia Institute for Training & 

Development (BAITD). 

Photo: Courtesy 

Citigroup earnings climb 

on lower expenses 

Citigroup reported increased secondquarter 

earnings on Monday, benefitting 

from higher lending and lower expenses 

despite worries over a slowing economy, 

reports BSS. 

The first of the large US banks to report 

this week, Citigroup notched net income of 

$4.8 billion, up 6.9 percent from the yearago 

period. 

Profits were lifted by a one-time $350 

million gain from the initial public offering of 

the Tradeweb trading platform, which was 

led by Citigroup and other large banks. 

Revenues rose 1.6 percent to $18.8 billion. 

The results, the first from a group of large 

financial companies to report this week, 

come as the banks navigate a tricky 

environment due to the continuing US- 

China trade war and expectations of lower 

Federal Reserve interest rates due to slowing 

growth. Lower interest rates typically pinch 

bank earnings. 

"We navigated an uncertain environment 

successfully by executing our strategy and by 

showing disciplined expense, credit and risk 

management," said chief executive Michael 

Corbat. 

The bank reported a drop in investment 

banking revenues, with advisory and 

underwriting revenues both falling. 

But Citigroup scored increases in both total 

loans and total deposits. 

Expenses dropped, with the company 

spending less on employee compensation 

and technology investments. Citigroup also 

had lower tax payments compared with the 

year-ago period. 

Shares of Citigroup finished down 0.1 

percent at $71.71. 

Other leading banks fell more than one 

percent, including JPMorgan Chase, Wells 

Fargo and Goldman Sachs, all of which 

report earnings on Tuesday. Analysts 

attributed the decline in bank shares to a fall 

in US Treasury yields amid expectations for 

Federal Reserve interest rate cuts. 

Citigroup earnings climb 

on lower expenses 

Citigroup reported increased secondquarter 

earnings on Monday, benefitting 

from higher lending and lower expenses 

despite worries over a slowing economy, 

reports BSS. 

The first of the large US banks to report 

this week, Citigroup notched net income of 

$4.8 billion, up 6.9 percent from the yearago 

period. 

Profits were lifted by a one-time $350 

million gain from the initial public offering of 

the Tradeweb trading platform, which was 

led by Citigroup and other large banks. 

Revenues rose 1.6 percent to $18.8 billion. 

The results, the first from a group of large 

financial companies to report this week, 

come as the banks navigate a tricky 

environment due to the continuing US- 

China trade war and expectations of lower 

Federal Reserve interest rates due to slowing 

growth. Lower interest rates typically pinch 

bank earnings. 

"We navigated an uncertain environment 

successfully by executing our strategy and by 

showing disciplined expense, credit and risk 

management," said chief executive Michael 

Corbat. 

The bank reported a drop in investment 

banking revenues, with advisory and 

underwriting revenues both falling. 

But Citigroup scored increases in both total 

loans and total deposits. 

Expenses dropped, with the company 

spending less on employee compensation 

and technology investments. Citigroup also 

had lower tax payments compared with the 

year-ago period. 

Shares of Citigroup finished down 0.1 

percent at $71.71. 

Other leading banks fell more than one 

percent, including JPMorgan Chase, Wells 

Fargo and Goldman Sachs, all of which 

report earnings on Tuesday. Analysts 

attributed the decline in bank shares to a fall 

in US Treasury yields amid expectations for 

Federal Reserve interest rate cuts. 

China helps Australia's 

economy grow through global 

slowdown: Deloitte report 

Despite a "global 

slowdown," Australia's 

economy has managed to stay 

afloat thanks to a raft of 

stimulus measures and a 

surge in Chinese demand for 

commodities, a new report by 

Deloitte Access Economics 

said on Monday, reports BSS. 

While Australia has 

experienced falls in the real 

estate market, severe 

drought, stagnant wage 

growth and weak consumer 

spending over the past 18 

months, strength in its robust 

resources sector has not 

waned. 

This, combined with record 

low interest rates and 

generous tax breaks that were 

introduced by the newlyelected 

Morrison government 

should help keep Australia's 

economy on track, Deloitte 

Access Economics Partner 

Chris Richardson said in the 

firm's latest Business Outlook 

for the month of June. 

"Overall global growth 

looks set to stay in the slow 

lane through the rest of 2019 

and through 2020 as well, 

though the extent of that 

slowdown looks to be 

contained as central banks 

start to boost their assistance 

to growth, and as government 

budgets do the same," he said. 

"Remarkably, despite the 

global slowdown, the world 

has given Australia a big pay 

rise, as China's stimulus 

means a surge in the demand 

for and prices of Australian 

coal and iron ore." 

Although Australia's 

inflation levels remain 

subdued mainly because of 

low wage growth, Richardson 

said the country's central 

bank is now beginning to 

change direction when it 

comes to monetary policy. 

"For years the Reserve 

Bank of Australia (RBA) 

thought full employment 

meant unemployment of 

"around 5.0 percent," but 

now it thinks unemployment 

can go a little under 4.5 

percent before wages start to 

party. Australia can go 

stronger-for-longer before 

inflation revs up," he said. 

"But getting unemployment 

under 4.5 percent is more 

than the RBA can do by itself, 

so official rates are headed to 

0.75 percent or 0.5 percent 

pretty fast, and things get 

more complicated after that." 

"We may be in for a phase 

in which Australia joins much 

of the world in having interest 

rates very low for some time. 

That change of tack by the 

RBA is keeping the Australian 

dollar under control despite 

sky-high commodity prices." 

In fact, according to 

Richardson, weakness in the 

Australian dollar is actually 

helping the nation's exports 

stay competitive. 

"The falling Australian 

dollar will gradually provide 

some renewed tailwinds 

(aided by Indian and Chinese 

student growth). And global 

commodity prices are bigger 

than Christmas, generating 

such a massive jump in 

mining profits that, despite 

their caution, more miners 

are considering new 

investments," he said. 

"At the state level, China's 

striking stimulus has 

commodity prices riding 

high, and that's helping 

Western Australia and 

Queensland get their mojo 

back." 

China registers 

steady 

investment 

growth in H1 

China maintained steady 

growth in fixed-asset 

investment in the first half of 

this year, with rapid 

investment growth in hightech 

sectors, official data 

showed Monday, reports 

BSS. 

The country's fixed-asset 

investment grew 5.8 percent 

year on year in H1, 0.2 

percentage points faster than 

the growth in the first five 

months, the National Bureau 

of Statistics said on its 

website. 

In the period, total 

investment amounted to 

29.91 trillion yuan (about 4.4 

trillion U.S. dollars), the data 

showed. 

Private-sector investment 

increased 5.7 percent to 18.03 

trillion yuan, 0.4 percentage 

points faster than that in the 

first five months. 

Fixed-asset investment 

includes capital spent on 

infrastructure, property, 

machinery and other physical 

assets. 

Investment in high-tech 

manufacturing surged 10.4 

percent, 4.6 percentage 

points faster than total 

investment growth, while 

investment in high-tech 

services also registered fasterthan-average 

growth of 13.5 

percent. 

Investment in the primary 

industry went down 0.6 

percent year on year, while 

that in secondary and tertiary 

industries rose 2.9 percent 

and 7.4 percent, respectively. 

China's real estate 

investment increased 10.9 

percent year on year in H1, 

slower than the 11.8-percent 

expansion recorded in the 

first quarter, the data showed. 

The figures were among a 

series of indicators released 

by the bureau on Monday, 

including industrial 

production and retail sales, 

which showed that the 

Chinese economy remained 

on a stable track. 

US-China trade 

officials to talk 

again 'this 

week': Official 

Top US and Chinese trade 

negotiators are due to speak 

by telephone in the coming 

days, but no face-to-face talks 

have been scheduled yet, US 

Treasury Secretary Steven 

Mnuchin said Monday, 

reports BSS. 

That would be the second 

call in two weeks by senior 

officials from Washington and 

Beijing as the thaw in fraught 

trade negotiations continues. 

"We expect to have another 

principal-level call this week," 

Mnuchin told reporters on 

Monday. 

"To the extent we make 

significant progress, there's a 

good chance we'll go there 

later." 

President Donald Trump 

and his Chinese counterpart 

last month agreed to resume 

trade talks after discussions 

collapsed in early May when 

the American side accused 

Beijing of reneging on key 

commitments. 

As a result, Trump jacked 

up duty rates on $200 billion 

in Chinese imports but agreed 

last month not to move 

forward with another $300 

billion in import duties. 

He said Monday the tariffs 

are starting to bite on the 

Chinese economy, which saw 

its economic growth hit the 

slowest pace in 27 years. 

Wall Street notches fresh 

records as global stocks gain 

Global stocks edged higher 

Monday, with US indices 

notching fresh records at the 

start of an earnings-rich week 

following mixed Chinese 

economic data, reports BSS. 

Expectations for the 

upcoming earnings period are 

tepid. 

Companies in the S&P 500 

are projected to report a three 

percent drop in second-quarter 

profits compared with the 

year-ago period, according to 

FactSet. The list of companies 

reporting this week includes 

JPMorgan Chase, Netflix and 

Johnson & Johnson. 

Key headwinds to earnings 

include weak demand in China 

and other key international 

markets, higher costs due to 

tariffs and the strong US dollar, 

analysts say. 

"Earnings growth for the 

S&P 500 in the first half of the 

year has been elusive," said 

Briefing.com analyst Patrick 

O'Hare. 

"The direct driver of the 

stock market, however, has 

been the persistence of low 

interest rates and the friendly 

reminder from the Federal 

Reserve that it stands ready to 

use its tools to keep the longest 

economic expansion on record 

going." Shaking off weakness 

during the session, Wall Street 

pushed into the black at the 

session's conclusion, which 

meant another day of records 

after all three major indices 

closed last week at all-time 

highs. 

The gains in the United 

States came after a positive 

session in Europe. London's 

benchmark FTSE 100 index 

closed 0.3 percent higher and 

Frankfurt's DAX 30 put on 0.5 

percent while the Paris CAC 40 

edged up 0.1 percent. 

Asian equities initially 

stumbled but then staged a 

recovery as traders digested 

mixed Chinese economic data. 

China's economy expanded 

6.2 percent in the second 

quarter, the slowest headline 

reading since the early 1990s, 

official data showed. The 

outcome was in line with 

forecasts and within the 

government's target range. 

Yet, despite the slowing 

GDP, other figures showed 

there were some bright spots in 

the Chinese economy, dealers 

said. 

Chinese industrial output in 

June rose 6.3 percent, from 5.0 

percent in May. Fixed-asset 

investment also picked up, 

rising 5.8 percent on-year in 

January-June, from 5.6 

percent in January-May. 

China's 1.3 billion consumers 

also continued to open their 

wallets, with retail sales 

growing 9.8 percent year-onyear 

in June, up from 8.6 

percent in May. 

"The Chinese data, while 

confirming slowdown fears, 

seems to be lifting basic 

resource stocks," Oanda 

analyst Craig Erlam. 

"A decent rebound in 

industrial production is 

naturally driving this, easily 

exceeding expectations, and 

along with retail sales and 

investment figures, arguably 

indicates that worst fears are 

not being realized." 

The GDP number 

nevertheless highlights the 

negative impact the US tariffs 

stand-off is having on China, 

as leaders also try to 

recalibrate its growth model 

from exports and state 

investment to one driven by 

consumer spending. 

Brazil's vice 

president says 

no restrictions 

on Huawei 

China's Huawei will not be 

restricted in Brazil where 

plans are under way to launch 

a 5G network, the country's 

vice president said Monday, 

defying US pressure to shun 

the firm, reports BSS. 

Huawei, a leader in nextgeneration 

5G wireless 

technology, is barred from 

developing 5G networks in the 

United States over concerns 

about its ties to the 

government in Beijing and 

possible security threats. 

The administration of 

President Donald Trump is 

trying to convince its allies to 

do the same. 

But Hamilton Mourao, who 

is considered a moderate 

voice in President Jair 

Bolsonaro's government, told 

reporters Brazil's ties with its 

biggest trade partner China 

could not be "disregarded." 

"There is no veto of Huawei 

in Brazil. Huawei has been 

here for 10 years," Mourao 

said. 

An auction of 5G spectrum 

is expected to be held next 

year. 

FBCCI President attends CWBTA 

Eastern India Trade Summit-2019 

To explore new trading opportunities 

and to build more close partnership 

with the neighboring countries the 

CWBTA Eastern India Trade Summit- 

2019 has been organized at Kolkata 

during 15-16 July, 2019. FBCCI 

President is participating the summit 

leading a Business Delegation of 

FBCCI, a press release said. 

The summit aims to interact with the 

business leaders of partner countries 

on business opportunities, suggestions 

for ease of foreign trade, product basket 

and informative exchanges. 

Hon'ble Minister and Mayor of 

Kolkata Mr. Firhad Hakim as Chief 

Guest inaugurated the 2 day summit 

this morning. Finance Minister of West 

Bengal Dr. AmitMitra was also present. 

High Government Officials and 

Business Leaders from Thailand, 

Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and India 

are participating at the summit.The 

summit is organized by the 

Confederation of West Bengal Trade 

Associations. 

FBCCI President Sheikh F Fahim 

presented paper after the inaugural 

session of the summit.In his paper 

Sheikh Fahim mentioned about the 

liberal and flexible investment regime 

of Bangladesh offering Tax Holiday, 

Tax Exemptions, Accelerated 

Depreciation, Tariff Refund, Double 

Taxation Prevention, 100% foreign 

ownership, full repatriation of capital 

invested from foreign sources etc. The 

FBCCI President said about 

Bangladesh's competitive strengths in 

apparel, leather goods, 

pharmaceuticals, frozen seafood, 

ceramics, jute products, ICT, FMCG, 

home appliance and others are leading 

the way for business diversification. 

The Private sector Leader mentioned 

that, as Bangladesh is a transitioning 

economy, it is imperative that our 

bilateral ties reflect the potential 

opportunities we have to deepen our 

cooperation in: 

o Joint High tech research, 

development and innovationJVs 

on light, medium and heavy 

industries. 

o Knowledge transfer to transition 

from 3rd IR to 4th IR including 

service sector cooperation in ICT, 

nanotechnology, robotics, IOT, 

cyber security, AI, EV, among 

others. 

o In addition, knowledge transfer 

for trade, investment & revenue 

regulatory framework, policy 

planning 

o 

Business process re-engineering 

of MSMEs, 

o Joint exploration and Joint 

ventures on blue economy. 

During the absence of President and 

Senior Vice President of FBCCI Mr. 

Md. SiddiqurRahman, Vice President 

of FBCCI acts as President. 

The FBCCI Presdident along with the 

delegation is expected to return to 

Dhaka on 17 July 2019. 

Asian markets mixed as China 

growth slows further 

Asian markets recovered after an early 

stumble on Monday as data showed 

China's economy growing at its weakest 

pace in nearly three decades, hit by the 

US trade war, while investors debated the 

depth of an expected Fed rate cut, reports 

BSS. 

The world's number-two economy 

expanded 6.2 percent in April-June, the 

worst reading since the early 1990s but in 

line with forecasts and within the 

government's target range. 

The reading highlights the negative 

impact the US tariffs stand-off is having 

on China as leaders also try to recalibrate 

its growth model from exports and state 

investment to one driven by consumer 

spending. 

"While GDP touched a 27-year low in 

Q2, the on-consensus print does lessen 

market fears that China's economy is 

headed for a hard landing," said Stephen 

Innes at Vanguard Markets. 

Observers also pointed out that the 

weakness raised the chances of further 

monetary easing measures from the 

central People's Bank of China, while 

investors were also tracking the progress 

of trade talks between Washington and 

Beijing. 

"While the PBoC has already delivered 

stimulus this year, markets are awaiting a 

bazooka of (bank reserve ratio) cuts and 

additional measures, which will probably 

come if trade talks collapse," said 

OANDA senior market analyst Edward 

Moya. 

"If talks steadily progress, we will still 

probably see the PBoC deliver fresh 

stimulus following the Fed's highly 

anticipated rate cut at the end of the 

month." Hong Kong added 0.3 percent, 

Shanghai rose 0.4 percent, and Taipei 

was also up. 

Sydney dropped 0.7 percent and 

Wellington shed 0.3 percent. Singapore 

and Seoul were also down. 

Tokyo was closed for a holiday. 

The initial drops came despite a recordbreaking 

close for all three main indexes 

in New York on Friday.

MISCELLANEOUS 

WedNeSdAY, JulY 17, 2019 

11 

78 erasmus+ scholarships 

for Bangladesh 

DHAKA : Head of Delegation of the 

European Union to Bangladesh 

Ambassador Rensje Teerink on Tuesday 

hosted the Erasmus+ pre-departure event 

for the 78 Bangladeshi students who 

received scholarships for academic year 

2019-20. 

The students will benefit from an 

Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree 

scholarship under the Erasmus+ 

programme, reports UNB. 

This year, 78 Bangladeshi students have 

been selected to study in numerous 

European cities for completing Masters or 

Doctorates enrolling in different areas such 

as environmental sciences, nanochemistry, 

educational studies, economics, food 

science, health, IT, law and development 

studies. 

It is the most prestigious study 

programme Erasmus+ has to offer, fulldegree 

scholarships are funded and the 

beneficiaries are awarded a joint, double 

degree, or multiple degrees, upon their 

graduation, said the EU Embassy here. 

It is a true investment in the future of a 

young person and of our European idea, it 

said. 

"Worldwide and in Bangladesh, demand 

for highly skilled, socially engaged people is 

increasing. In the period up to 2025, half of 

all jobs are projected to require high-level 

qualifications," said the EU Ambassador. 

She said high-level skills gaps already 

exist. 

Driven by digital technology, jobs are 

becoming more flexible and complex. 

People's capacities to be entrepreneurial, 

think autonomously and creatively, 

communicate effectively and be resilient are 

more crucial than ever, said the EU envoy. 

"Erasmus+ helps its beneficiaries build 

resilience, adapt to the changing global 

environment, seize new opportunities and 

make the most of their talents," she added. 

The new knowledge gained will surely 

have a far-reaching applicability in 

Bangladesh and contribute to making 

progress towards the 2030 Agenda and its 

SDGs. 

Representatives of the EU Member States 

diplomatic missions took part in the event. 

Over 820 mln people hungry 

in 2018: uN report 

World hunger is on the rise in absolute 

number and more than 820 million people 

were hungry in 2018, a UN report said 

Monday, reports UNB. 

After decades of steady decline, the trend 

in world hunger, as measured by the 

prevalence of undernourishment, reverted 

in 2015, said "The State of Food Security 

and Nutrition in the World 2019" report 

launched at the UN headquarters in New 

York. 

While the ratio remained largely 

unchanged in the past three years at 

slightly below 11 percent, the absolute 

number of people who suffer from hunger 

slowly increased, reaching 821.6 million in 

2018, it said. 

The 2018 figure compared with 811.7 

million people in 2017, 796.5 million 

people in 2016 and 785.4 million people in 

2015. 

The report was produced by the Food 

and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the 

UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the World 

Health Organization (WHO), the 

International Fund for Agricultural 

Development and the World Food 

Programme. 

According to FAO Director-General Jose 

Graziano da Silva who spoke at the launch, 

this year, the report used a new indicatorthe 

Food Insecurity Experience Scale 

(FIES) -- to measure the prevalence of 

moderate or severe food insecurity. 

While severe food insecurity is 

associated with hunger, people 

experiencing moderate food insecurity 

face uncertainties about their ability to 

obtain food and have been forced to 

compromise on the quality or quantity of 

their food. 

FIES shows an estimated 2 billion 

people have experienced moderate or 

severe levels of food insecurity, amounting 

to 26.4 percent of the world population. 

In a geographic breakdown, hunger is on 

the rise in almost all subregions of Africa, 

where the prevalence of 

undernourishment has reached 22.8 

percent in sub-Saharan Africa. The 

Caribbean also sees a high level of hunger, 

which stands at 18.4 percent. 

In Asia, despite great progress in the last 

five years, Southern Asia is still the 

subregion where the prevalence of 

undernourishment is highest, at almost 

14.7 percent, followed by Western Asia, at 

over 12.4 percent. 

GD-1106/19 (20 x 5) 

Ganatantrik Bam Oikyo organized a program yesterday in front of National 

Press Club demanding help for the flood victims. 

Photo : Star Mail 

Speakers for need-based 

budget allocation in 

health sector 

DHAKA : Speakers at a roundtable on Tuesday emphasised 

need-based allocation in the national budget for the health 

sector, reports UNB. 

They also criticised the Health Ministry for "failing to 

propose" proper allocations for the development of the 

sector. The speakers were speaking at a roundtable on 

national health budget 2019-20 at Jatiya Press Club. 

Dr M Muzaherul Huq, former regional adviser of southeast 

Asia of World Health Organisation, said a nation cannot 

be developed without development of its heath sector. 

"Poor people are deprived of budget's benefit," he said. 

Prof Dr Sharmeen Yasmeen, chairperson of Public Health 

Foundation, Bangladesh, said the new budget is "not people 

friendly". 

Dr Syed Abdul Hamid, former chairman of health 

economics department of DU, said the Health Ministry could 

not demand allocations needed for the development of the 

health sector. 

"It's a traditional budget. We've to think what the hospitals 

need and how the patients' meals can be improved. These 

things must be considered during budget announcement. 

The budget allocations should be increased [for the health 

sector]," he added. 

Aminur Rasul, coordinator of People's Health Movement, 

said the government should come up with a need-based 

budget for development of the health sector. 

"Good governance is a must. The budget allocation for the 

sector is not properly planned. If the health sector is not 

developed immediately then the youths of the country will be 

destroyed and the government will not be able to meet the 

SDG goals in time," he added. 

Dr Shafib Nahin Shimul, assistant professor of health 

economics department of Dhaka University, presented a 

keynote paper. 

Names of 

Shilpakala Padak 

2018 recipients 

announced 

DHAKA : The names of seven 

personalities who will receive 

'Shilpakala Padak 2018' for 

their contributions to their 

respective fields were 

announced Tuesday. They 

are - Gouro Gopal Haldar 

(vocal), Sunil Chandra Das 

(instrumental), M Hamid 

(dramatics), Mina Barua 

(folklore), Alokesh Ghosh 

(fine arts), Shukla Sarkar 

(dance) and Jayanta 

Chattopadhyay (recitation) , 

reports UNB. 

Bangladesh Shilpakala 

Academy (BSA) Director 

Liaquat Ali Lucky announced 

their names at a press 

conference. President Abdul 

Hamid will hand over the 

award at a function on July 18 

at BSA's National Drama 

Theatre Auditorium. 

Additional Secretary of 

Cultural Affairs Ministry Abu 

Hena Mostofa Kamal will 

chair the event, while the 

State Minister for Cultural 

Affairs KM Khalid will be 

present as special guest. BSA 

director Liaquat Ali Lucky 

will deliver welcoming 

speech at the event.

WEDNESDAy, DHAKA, July 17, 2019, SRABON 2, 1426 BS, JIlquAD 14, 1440 HIJRI 

On Tuesday, Dhaka South City Corporation mayor Mohammad Sayed Khokon visited Dhaka Medical 

College Hospital to visit the Dengu patients. 

Photo: TBT 

Work to retain the glory 

of PGR: President 

DHAKA : President Abdul Hamid on 

Tuesday emphasised the need for 

strengthening the President Guard 

Regiment (PGR) and said efforts to turn 

it into a well-integrated one will continue, 

reports UNB. 

He said this while delivering his speech 

at the Darbar of PGR at Shaheed Capt 

Hafiz Hall at the PGR Headquarters in 

Dhaka Cantonment, marking its 44th 

founding anniversary. 

"The responsibility entrusted to you 

isimportant and glorious ...the purview of 

your responsibilities is expanding day by 

day," he said, adding that he hoped the 

PGR will continue to discharge their 

duties sincerely. 

President Hamid said the organisational 

structure of the PGR has been expanded. 

"Efforts to further consolidate this 

regiment will continue in future," he said. 

"Properly discharge your duties by having 

complete faith in the chain of command," 

the President told PGR members. 

"[I hope] everyone will play a strong role 

in upholding the glory achieved by this 

regiment." 

Hamid said he was impressed to see the 

integrity, devotion and, above all, the 

sense of discipline and professional efficiency 

of PGR members while discharging 

their duties. 

He praised the PGR members for 

working day and night under any circumstances 

and even during inclement 

weather. 

"I'm fascinated by your patriotism, 

sense of duty, superior discipline and 

devotion while discharging [your] sacred 

and important duties," he said. 

President Hamid noted that the PGR is 

another special part of Bangladesh's 

proud army which has a very good reputation 

in the national and global arena. 

He said the army has earned the appreciation 

of people and a worldwide reputation 

for standing by the distressed people 

during any kind of natural calamity. 

Mentioning the involvement of the 

forces in development works, the 

President said: "Bangladesh Army has a 

special contribution towards developing 

the communication system. The construction 

of the Padma Bridge is going on 

under the supervision of the army and it 

(the bridge) is visible now." 

Hamid said many PGR members made 

sacrifices in the past while performing 

duties. "I firmly believe that you'll remain 

loyal to your dutifulness and devotion in 

the coming days." 

He also recalled the greatest Bangali of 

all time, Father of the Nation 

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, 

who established the PGR on July 5, 1975. 

The Army Chief was present on the 

occasion. General Aziz Ahmed and PGR 

Commander Brig Gen Md Jahangir Alam 

greeted the President at the PGR headquarters. 

President Hamid visited the quarter 

guard and signed the visitors' book. He 

also planted a sapling. 

Secretaries concerned to the President 

were also present at the function. 

Spl cell to be 

formed at AG 

office: Anisul 

DHAKA : Law, Justice and 

parliamentary Affairs 

Minister Anisul Huq yesterday 

said a special cell will be 

formed at Attorney General 

(AG) office to inform deputy 

commissioners (DCs) about 

High Court cases related to 

government's interest. 

"We would form the cell 

with five to seven assistant 

attorney generals, which 

would play an important role 

in increasing contact between 

AG office and DCs and to 

ensure quick disposal of 

cases," Anisul told newsmen 

at the secretariat yesterday 

afternoon. 

The law minister earlier 

addressed fifth session related 

to his ministry at the ongoing 

DC Conference 2019 at 

the at the cabinet division 

conference room. 

While replying a question 

on killing of a man inside 

courtroom in Cumilla, Anisul 

Huq said he has talked to 

superintendant of local police 

after the incident and asked 

him to increase security of 

courts. 

"Not only Cumilla, security 

of courts across the country 

would be raised," he said. 

Presided over by Cabinet 

Secretary Mohammad 

Shafiul Alam, the session was 

attended by Law and Justice 

Division Secretary Abu Saleh 

Sheikh Md Zahirul Haque, 

senior officials of cabinet division 

and law ministry and all 

divisional and deputy commissioners. 

Ecnec clears 8 projects 

involving Tk 5,142 cr 

DHAKA : The Executive Committee of the 

National Economic Council (Ecnec) on 

Tuesday approved eight projects involving 

Tk 5,142 crore, including Tk 2,606 crore to 

improve important roads under various 

unions and upazilas of Dhaka division, 

reports UNB. 

The approval came from the weekly Ecnec 

meeting held at the NEC conference room 

with Ecnec Chairperson and Prime Minister 

Sheikh Hasina in the chair. 

"Today's Ecnec meeting cleared eight projects 

involving Tk 5,142.06 crore," said 

Planning Secretary Muhammad Nurul Amin 

while briefing reporters after the meeting. 

Of the total cost, Tk 4,129.81 crore will 

come from the government fund, while Tk 

1,012.55 crore from foreign sources as project 

assistance, he said. 

Among the approved projects, six are new 

and the rest two are revised ones. 

The Planning Secretary said the 

'Expansion and Strengthening of Important 

Upazila and Union roads under Dhaka 

Division Project' will be implemented by 

June 2024. 

According to Planning Commission officials, 

the Local Government Division will 

implement the project in 67 upazilas out of 

88 in 13 districts under the Dhaka Division. 

The main project operations include development 

of some 1001.51 kilometres of road 

and 240 intersections, construction of 5,857 

metres of bridges and culverts, 30 kilometres 

of drain and some 12,000 square metres of 

slope protection. 

The Planning Secretary said Prime 

Minister Sheikh Hasina at the meeting 

issued some directives to the authorities concerned, 

including formulation of a 'master 

plan' by the Cox's Bazar Development 

Authority before taking any development 

project there. She put emphasis on creating 

more 'jhao bon' (coastal forest) in the coastal 

areas of Cox's Bazar to protect the tourist 

town from natural disasters. 

Sheikh Hasina also directed the Deputy 

Commissioner of Cox's Bazar to frame a separate 

'master plan' so that buildings and 

other infrastructures cannot develop haphazardly 

in Cox's Bazar. 

Referring to the approval of the construction 

of supporting infrastructures for the 

Bangabandhu Hi-Tech City-2 Project with 

Tk 344.93 crore, the Prime Minister directed 

the authorities concerned to incorporate 

sports and entertainment facilities as well as 

shopping mall inside the city. 

The Planning Secretary said a project on 

constructing six stadiums in selected upazilas 

placed by the Ministry of Youth and 

Sports was withdrawn from the meeting 

since mini stadiums are being constructed at 

upazila level across the country. 

Sheikh Hasina directed the authorities 

concerned not to construct such upazilalevel 

stadiums using lands of schools and 

colleges rather choose separate places for the 

stadiums. 

She also said these stadiums will have galleries 

on one side while the three other sides 

will remain open. 

The Prime Minister also asked the 

Railways Ministry not to launch Diesel 

Electric Multiple Unit (DEMU) trains but go 

for other trains while introducing train services 

from Dhaka to Bangabandhu Hi-Tech 

Park. 

The Legend of Bingen’s 

Mouse Tower 

INTERESTING NEWS 

On a small island in the Rhine river, outside 

Bingen am Rhein, in Germany, stands 

a 10th century stone tower with a macabre 

legend associated with it. 

The story goes that in the year 970, there 

was a terrible famine in Germany, so severe 

that people devoured cats and dogs just to 

stay alive, yet thousands died of starvation. 

At this time, the archbishop of Mainz was a 

cruel and wicked ruler named Hatto II, a 

despicable miser, whose dominant idea in 

life was to increase his treasures by fair 

means or foul. 

Hatto II had his barn full, but he did not 

spare a single grain for the starving poor, 

instead tried to sell them at such inflated 

prices that most could not afford it. The 

peasants became angry and were planning 

to rebel, so Hatto II devised a cruel trick. He 

promised to feed the hungry people and told 

them to assemble at an empty barn and wait 

for him to come with food. The peasants 

were overjoyed and made their way to the 

barn to await his coming. Once the barn was 

full, Hatto II ordered the barn's doors shut 

and locked, and then set the barn on fire. 

When Hatto II returned to his castle, he 

was immediately besieged by an army of 

mice. To escape the rodents, the bishop fled 

his castle and sought refuge in the tower 

that stands on an island on the Rhine, hoping 

that the mice could not swim. But the 

mice followed him, pouring into the river by 

the thousands, and while many drowned 

even more reached the island. The swarm 

ate through the tower’s doors and crawled 

up to the top floor, where they found Hatto 

II and ate him alive. 

The apocryphal story that has maligned 

the poor Bishop has no historical evidence. 

Bishop Hatto II was by no means a hardhearted 

and wicked ruler. While in office, he 

built the church of St George on the island 

of Reichenau, donated heavily to the abbeys 

of Fulda and Reichenau, and was a patron 

of the chronicler Regino of Prüm. 

Case filed over 

killing of accused 

in Cumilla court 

CUMILLA : A case was filed 

here on Tuesday over the 

killing of an accused by 

another accused in a courtroom 

during hearing on 

Monday, reports UNB. 

Assistant sub-inspector 

Firoz of Bangara Police 

Station, who was present at 

the court during the incident 

in connection with another 

case, filed the case with 

Kotwali Model Police Station 

against lone accused Hasan in 

the morning, said Inspector 

(Investigation) of the police 

station Mohammad 

Salauddin. 

The case was later shifted to 

Detective Branch of police for 

investigation, he said. 

Meanwhile, DB Inspector 

Pradip Mondal has been 

appointed investigation officer 

of the case. 

Hasan, a murder case 

accused, stabbed another 

accused Faruk, son of Ohid 

Ullah of Monaharganj in the 

district, to death in front of 

the Judge in a courtroom 

here during hearing on 

Monday. 

The shocking incident took 

place in front of Judge Begum 

Fatema Ferdous of Cumilla 

Sessions Judge (third) court 

in the courtroom. 

The deceased and the 

attacker happen to be 

cousins. 

Cumilla Police Super Syed 

Nurul Islam said accused 

Hasan started stabbing Faruk 

with a knife indiscriminately 

while the hearing in the murder 

case was going on in the 

court around noon, leaving 

him critically injured. 

In Kurigram district around 4 lac people marooned by flood .The photo was taken from 

Chilmari on Tuesday. 

Photo: Star Mail 

No import of cattle ahead 

of Eid-ul-Azha 

DHAKA : The government has decided not 

to allow any kind of cattle to enter the country 

through the border areas ahead of the holy Eidul-Azha 

to ensure fair prices of the sacrificial 

animals. 

The decision was taken at an inter-ministerial 

meeting held at the conference room of the 

Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock yesterday 

with State Minister for Fisheries and Livestock 

Ashraf Ali Khan Khosru in the chair. 

"The import of the Indian cattle has significantly 

been reduced as the country is now selfsufficient 

in meat production," the state minister 

said in the meeting, said a press release. 

In previous years, it said, around 24-25 lakh 

cattle were annually brought to the country, 

but the number came down to only 92,000 in 

2018. 

The meeting noted that the country has nearly 

1.18 crore eligible sacrificial animals and the 

ministry has taken all out initiatives to ensure 

supply and security of the healthy sacrificial 

animals to the people ahead of the Eid-ul Azha. 

Meanwhile, the Department of Livestock 

Services (DLS) has ensured the availability of 

some 45.82 lakh sacrificial animals like cow 

and buffalo across the country. 

Besides, the country has 72 lakh goats and 

sheep, according to the DLS. A total of 1.10 

crore animals would be required for sacrifice 

during the upcoming Eid-ul Azha. 

The veterinary medical teams would be 

involved at all 24 hats under the two city corporations 

areas, said the DLS. 

The DLS added that it along with the city corporations 

and concerned department will work 

to encourage healthy fattening and preventing 

cattle fattening through providing steroid and 

unhealthy hormone injections. 

Additional Secretary Kazi Wasi Uddin, 

Director General of the DLS Hiresh Ranjan 

Bhowmik, Livestock Research Institute's DG 

Nathuram Sarker and officials of other ministries, 

among others, attended the meeting. 

Writ filed seeking directive to 

provide security to judges 

DHAKA : A writ was filed with the High 

Court seeking a directive to provide proper 

security to judges and courtrooms 

across the country, reports UNB. 

Advocate Ishrat Hasan, a Supreme 

Court lawyer and the wife of a judge, filed 

the petition. 

The writ was filed a day after a gruesome 

killing in a courtroom of Cumilla. 

The shocking incident took place on 

Monday in front of Judge Begum Fatema 

Ferdous of Cumilla Sessions Judge (third) 

court while the hearing in the murder case 

was going on. A hearing on the writ is likely 

to be held at the bench of Justice FRM 

Nazmul Ahasan and Justice KM Kamrul 

Kader on Wednesday. 

Advocate Ishrat Hasan, said, "As the wife 

of a judge, I'm worried at the grisly murder 

inside the courtroom and that's why I've 

filed a petition seeking a directive to provide 

security to all the judges and courtrooms 

across the country." 

6 people die as 

flooding worsens 

in Kurigram 

KURIGRAM : Six people 

drowned in Ulipur and 

Roumari upazilas on Tuesday 

as the Brahmaputra and 

Dharla rivers continue to flow 

above the danger level, leaving 

thousands of people 

stranded. 

Manzil Haque, deputyassistant 

director of Kurigram 

Fire Service and Civil 

Defense, said five people died 

after a boat sank at Natun 

Anantapur in Ulipur. 

The deceased were identified 

as Runa Begum, 28, wife 

of Rezaul Islam; Rupa Moni, 

8, daughter of Mohsin Ali; 

Sumon, 8, Ruku Moni, 8, and 

Hasibul Islam, 7, son of Aynal 

Haque. 

Besides, Saiful Islam, 25, 

from Roumari's Kartimari 

area drowned after coming in 

contact with a live wire in the 

morning. His body was later 

recovered. 

According to the district 

control room, worsening 

floods and river erosion 

affected about 4,00,000 people 

until Tuesday. 

The Brahmmaputra and 

Dharla rivers were flowing 

125cm and 117cm above the 

danger level respectively at 

Chilmari and Bridge points. 

Meanwhile, in Roumari 

upazila, 10 villages were 

flooded after the Wapda Dam 

in Kartimari Chaktabari area 

collapsed on Monday night. 

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, Cell : 01832166882; Email: Editor : editor@thebangladeshtoday.com, Advertisement: ads@thebangladeshtoday.com, News: newsbangla@thebangladeshtoday.com, contact@thebangladeshtoday.com, website: www.thebangladeshtoday.com

17-07-2019

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