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Is Mahmudullah retiring from Test?
Speculation is rife that Bangladesh all-rounder Mahmudullah Riyad may soon bring curtains down on his illustrious Test career.
No wonder the 35-year-old is at the wrong side of his age, but he still appears fit, given the fact that he smashed an unbeaten 150 -- his fifth Test ton and highest in this format of the game -- in the ongoing Harare match.
However, both Mahmudllah and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) are tight-lipped on the T20 skipper's retirement plan.
Read Mahmudullah says “dramatic” goodbye to Test cricket, given guard of honour
Mahmudullah was out of the Test setup for more than 17 months after last seen in the Rawalpindi Test in 2020. It was his second omission from the Test side in the past four years. He was also out of Bangladesh’s 100th Test in Sri Lanka.
The speculation seemed to have erupted from the T20 skipper's emotional outburst following his superb performance in the Harare Test.
Sources close to the all-rounder told UNB that he's determined not to prolong his Test career and might announce his retirement at the end of the Harare match.
READ: Five-for in overseas Test will boost my confidence: Mehidy
The digital news outlet has learnt that Mahmudullah had announced his decision to the teammates before the game on Day 3 of the Test in Harare. But surprisingly, he kept mum in the post-day video message sent to the media by the Board.
Ambassador Lee eyes 3 dynamic strategies to boost Dhaka-Seoul ties
South Korean Ambassador to Bangladesh Lee Jang-keun has said his country wants to take the current relations with Bangladesh to a higher level tapping the enormous potential with focus on three strategies -- elevation, diversification and generation.
“Tapping the enormous potential of cooperation and taking the current relations to a higher level are my goals and responsibility,” Ambassador Lee told UNB in an interview noting that Bangladesh and Korea have enjoyed solid and robust relations.
The South Korean envoy who steps into his second year of current tenure said elevation, diversification and generation are the three key words that he keeps in mind.
“I would like to take the current level of relations to a higher level: elevation. I would like to see more diversified areas of cooperation: diversification. And I would like to place the young people, the new and future generation, at the heart of my endeavour: generation,” Ambassador Lee who stepped into his second year of current tenure explained.
READ: Webinar highlights stronger Dhaka-Seoul trade ties, FTA
He said South Korea has been a crucial partner and friend of Bangladesh during the course of the country’s successful economic development for the past decades.
It is well-known that Korean companies have played a key role in making Bangladesh’s RMG sector as it is today, the envoy said.
However, the level of cooperation between the two countries is still far below its potential. Surprisingly, Ambassador Lee said, bilateral trade volume has not increased at all for more than 10 years. The RMG sector still occupies the largest part in Korea’s investment in Bangladesh.
Ties beyond pandemic
The unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic is causing a great deal of difficulties and challenges. The Korean envoy, however, said both Korea and Bangladesh have handled the situation rather successfully even though Bangladesh is currently tackling another surge of infections.
“As the saying goes, “A friend in need is a friend indeed.” I’m happy to say that Korea has been with Bangladesh in this difficult time,” he said, adding that they have provided various assistances to the Bangladesh government to help successfully address the challenges, including the 50 million US dollars as Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) soft loan at the end of the last year.
The envoy said the prolonged corona pandemic has been causing difficulties in his efforts to take the relations to a new height.
“In particular, we couldn’t fully utilize the momentum of cooperation which we have successfully cultivated before the pandemic, such as the visit of the Korean Prime Minister in 2019,” Ambassador Lee said.
He hoped to revive the stalled diplomatic exchanges and activities during the latter part of this year.
“But, if the current pandemic situation is further prolonged and face-to-face diplomacy further hindered, I’m afraid that it could further slow down our efforts to achieve our desired goals,” said the Ambassador.
He said Covid-19 is offering them an opportunity to think hard about the value and future of our relationship. “For the past year, I had many opportunities to participate in events to discuss and share ideas on the future of our relationship, and I was very encouraged to find the willingness and enthusiasm for stronger future ties from both sides.”
Every good relationship needs good planning and preparation as in the case with personal relationships, the envoy added.
Boat makers in Shariatpur struggle to keep their craft alive
Thirty families in Chandankar area of Sadar upazila are busy building boats which are widely used for commuting in rural areas during this season.
They have kept the boat-making craft alive through generations as it is a family profession for them.
The village is known as ‘boat village’ to others as the residents here earn their livelihoods by making and selling boats.
Read Lockdown-induced price hike making life in Khulna miserable
During monsoon, the demand for boats goes up as people living in low-lying areas and river banks use boats to get around due to the rise in water level in many rivers and frequent floods.
During a recent visit, this UNB correspondent learned that the boat craftsmen are busy in making boats. People of different ages are involved in making boats.
Some were seen cutting logs, some busy in nailing while some were busy in placing dice.
Read Dhaleshwari erosion takes serious turn in Keraniganj
Talking to the workers, they said they need two days for making a small size boat while it needs three days for a big size boat.
Banglar Tiger: The big bull that's a big buzz in Bangladesh!
It's common for celebrities to have fans. But meet Banglar Tiger, who now has more admirers than a human celebrity.
Well, Banglar Tiger isn't any other ordinary bull -- technically a steer, a neutered male popular for its meat -- one finds strolling down the roads. But it's a pure Australian-Friesian variety cattle that weighs around 1,000 kg.
Read: Authorities disperse an illegal cattle market in Panchagarh
And for some reason, this giant steer has grabbed the spotlight in a remote Kurigram hamlet ahead of Eid-ul-Azha -- making news all over the country.
The four-year-old steer is owned by Rajikul Islam, a resident of Paschimdebattar village in Kurigram's Rajarhat upazila. The asking price of Banglar Tiger is Tk 4 lakh, but its owner expects a lakh more for the animal.
Read Digital Haat and more Qurbani Cow online shops targeting Eid-ul-Azha in Bangladesh
"I have decided to sell the steer as it is now suitable for sacrifice. In case the lockdown ends, I'll take Bengal Tiger to a marketplace and auction the animal," Rajikul says.
This is despite potential buyers flocking to his house every day.
"Such a giant cattle is usually not seen in the marketplace. So I have come to see him after hearing his story. I was surprised to see that such a giant steer could be raised at home," says Altaf Hossain, one such potential buyer.
Read:Authorities permit 3 makeshift cattle markets in Chattagram, set 17 conditions
Rajikul says the steer comes with a high cost of ownership. "I spend Tk 400 daily on Banglar Tiger. The bull consumes German grass, rice husk and maize, and is fully vaccinated," he adds.
According to Rajarhat Upazila Livestock Officer Dr Jobaidul Kabir, Rajikul gets expert advice from the livestock department. "The good thing is that he has managed to raise the bull successfully," he says.
Read:1.5 lac cattle ready for slaughter in Chapainawabganj, but will Covid-19 stand in the way?
Dhaka reemerging as Covid hotspot as battle plan ‘fails’: Experts
Though the Coronavirus spread had come almost under control in Dhaka nearly a month back, the national capital is reemerging as the hotspot for the deadly virus transmission and fatalities.
Health experts said the highly transmissible Delta or Indian variant has speared in Dhaka as the government took time to stop inter-district transport services when it was spreading fast in frontier areas. The high density of population in the capital and people’s apathy toward wearing masks, and maintaining health safety rules are also the major reasons why the virus transmission is spreading so fast in Dhaka.
They said ensuring speedy contact tracing, isolation of the infected people and intensifying the lockdown ensuring people’s involvement are necessary to break the transmission cycle while better hospital management, including setting up field hospitals, can reduce the fatality rate.
Also read:Bangladesh unlikely to reach Covid herd immunity anytime soon: Expert
Frightening situation
According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), over 89,000 Covid cases were identified while 1421 patients died of the virus in the past 10 days.
The country reported 11,525 cases on Tuesday and 11,162 ones on Wednesday across the country. Of them, 3,715 or 32.23 percent patients were found in Dhaka city on Tuesday and 3,285 patients or 29.43 percent on Wednesday. But the Covid positivity rate in Dhaka city was just 3.45% in early June.
Padma river embankment risks catastrophic collapse
Residents of Charbhadrason upazila in Faridpur are living in fear of flooding as a large portion of an embankment along the Padma River in Haziganj Bazar has developed cracks.
Locals say vast tracts of land in the upazila could be inundated during the monsoon if immediate steps are not taken to protect the embankment from erosion.
Read:Over 50 Kurigram riverine villages inundated
They claim their repeated pleas to the authorities concerned for the restoration of the embankment along the Padma have so far fallen on deaf ears.
The three-kilometre-long embankment was constructed along the Padma in MPdangi, Charhaziganj Bazar and Charhossainpur areas in 2019-20 financial year. Three private firms were roped in to construct the embankment at a cost of Tk 144 crore.
Read:Riverbank erosion leaves Gashial residents on the edge
Teen-gangs in Dhaka: How close you live to them!
From “Big Boss” to “Disco Boys”- these names stare at passersby from the walls of the capital city’s most residential areas.
These otherwise curiosity-evoking names bared their ugly teeth for the first time in 2017, catching law enforcement agencies by surprise and triggering public concern.
That year, while investigating the murder of 14-year-old Adnan Kabir, law enforcers discovered the crime was the result of a turf-war between two rival teen gangs.
Adnan, a ninth grader, was allegedly a member of a gang called 'Nine Star’ operating in Uttara. He was attacked by members of another teen-gang 'Disco Boys' also based in the same upscale residential-cum-commercial township.
Since then, there has been a proliferation of teen-gangs across Uttara and other parts of the burgeoning capital city of about 20 million people.
Police and Rab estimate that around 50 ‘juvenile gangs’ are currently active in the capital. The number fluctuates depending on the anti-gang drive by the law enforcers.
The gangs -- each usually having 10 to 15 boys’ members -- are reportedly involved in trading drugs besides being addicted to it, police and Rab sources said. The boys are aged between 14 and 19.
Some members even carry illegal firearms and homemade weapons that they use in their turf-wars. Taking control of an area of operation is the main reason for the fight, they said.
They said the gangs are sometimes patronised by political parties to help them settle their own scores with their political rivals.
Commander Mufti Mahmud Khan, RAB media wing director in 2017, said the gang culture took root in Uttara in 2001 with the rise of a short-lived group known as ‘Kankra’.
The investigators gradually found at least 15 ‘juvenile gangs’ active in Uttara area. ‘Disco Boys’ was one of them.
Over the years law enforcement agencies have discovered the existence of several other teen-gangs such as ‘Power Boys’, Nine MM Boys, Bichchhu Bahini, Don Group, Munna Group, Black Cobra apart from Nine Star and Disco Boys.
The gangs usually play a hide-and-seek game with police and Rab.
When law enforcers go hard after them, the gangs keep quiet until the field gets clear again.
The gangs earn money from their drug trading and then spend it mainly on buying their drugs. They also take to petty crimes such as snatching and robbing passersby of their money.
Both social scientists and law enforcers point to the upbringing of teenage children by their families. Also, they blame the easy access to Internet and social media exposing many children to vices.
Dr Sadeka Halim, dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at Dhaka University, said so many varied contents are available on the net now such as tiktok videos, pornography and much more.
Prof Sadeka said even when they (teenagers) attend classes online, they find ways to watch content they are not supposed to.
“The adult gangs take advantage of this,” she said, adding, “Parents need to be more aware so that their children don’t get involved in crimes. This is also the responsibility of society.”
Khandaker Al Moin, director of legal and media wing of the Rab Headquarters said society, families and educational institutions all have responsibility for keeping the children away from crimes.
“We need to keep track of where our children go, who they associate with, and what they do. Overall, everyone must work together to prevent this,” he added.
Also Read: Teen groups' clash leaves one dead in Khulna
Following SC verdict, Jadukata River buzzing with lives and livelihoods again
The Jadukata is one of the 54 transboundary rivers flowing between India and Bangladesh. Originating from the Meghalaya Hills of India, it flows into Bangladesh through Sunamganj's Tahirpur and into Bishwamvarpur upazilas.
Known for its scenic beauty, the Jadukata is a reservoir of natural resources. Mountains stand still near the river and the sky seems to lean on the mountains. Barik tila sits on top of the river.
A Supreme Court decision in June designated two balumahal (sand quarries) in Jadukata. Jadukata-1 is flowing beside Barik tila. Shimul Bagan, the garden of cotton trees, is on the other side, and this is where another sand quarry called Jadukata-2 has been designated.
Read:Bus plunges into canal in Sunamganj, one dead, 5 injured
The ruling of the Supreme Court finally allowed for sand to be lifted from the river again, after being barred for years over environmental concerns. The area from which sand can be legally mined has been very strictly demarcated.
Additionally, it was stipulated that no heavy-duty machinery could be used in the extraction of sand. Since June 12, workers have been lifting sand from the river again, but now by hand in an environment-friendly way as no one is allowed to extract sand with mining explosives.
The precious natural resource in the river is the unlimited sand. Locals say that the world's best sand is found here, and certainly the sand from Sylhet’s hilly rivers enjoys a very good reputation in the construction industry. Like any fast-developing country witnessing construction booms, sand is in high demand in Bangladesh.
The living standards of the workers in the Haor area developed around the Jadukata. Almost all working people lost their jobs because of non-settlement of leases due to legal complications and lawsuits in the high court.
Visiting the area today, the area is buzzing again with workers around the two designated quarries. Thousands of workers are lifting sand in small boats. The sand is being sold on to big traders for cash.
About 50,000 workers have returned to their old jobs. Each worker is earning Tk 1,500 per day.
Shukur Ali, a labourer from Miyarchar, said, "I was in a lot of trouble because of the pandemic as the river remained closed. I wanted to run away from home. But in the end I didn't have to go anywhere as the river opened. I can earn Tk 1,500 by lifting sand from the river."
Read:Illegal sand mining goes on unabated in Kurigram
He also said his family is spending their days happily now.
"I used to spend half a day starving as the river was closed. I am happy now with my family after opening the river," said Alamgir of Ghagtia village.
Every worker UNB spoke to expressed the same. It means the environmentalists’ concerns may be legitimate, but the court verdict has provided a final settlement that all parties must accept.
Bangladesh prepares to face challenges after transition from LDC
Bangladesh is focusing on bilateral free and preferential trade deals as a strategy to overcome the possible losses of global trade concessions after its graduation to a developing economy.
Studies on the feasibility of signing Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) and Preferential Trade Agreements (PTAs) with a number of countries have been completed, according to an official document.
Read:TRIPS transition period for LDCs extended by 13 years
The countries and organisations include Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Japan and Eurasian Economic Commission.
The possibility of Bangladesh signing such trade agreements with China, Myanmar, Nigeria, Mali, Macedonia, Mauritius, Jordan, USA, Iraq and Lebanon is also being explored.
Meanwhile, a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between Bangladesh and India is also on the anvil.
Bangladesh Foreign Trade Institute (BFTI) and Indian Foreign Trade Institute are preparing a report on a joint study on CEPA.
Read Dhaka-Beijing ties can be prime mover for Bangladesh’s transformation: Debapriya
The CEPA is a bit different from FTAs as it covers a lot of issues such as trade in goods and services, investment, intellectual property rights and e-commerce.
Bangladesh has signed a bilateral PTA with Bhutan on December 6, 2020. Under the agreement, 34 Bhutanese products will get duty-free access to the Bangladeshi market and 100 Bangladesh products to get similar access to Bhutan.
The commodities from Bangladesh include baby clothes and clothing accessories, men's trousers and shorts, jackets and blazers, jute and jute goods, leather and leather goods, dry cell battery, fan, watch, potato, condensed milk, cement, toothbrush, plywood, particle board, mineral and carbonated water, green tea, orange juice, pineapple juice, and guava juice.
Read:Dhaka seeks incentive-based package for sustainable graduation of LDCs
The 34 products from Bhutan that will get duty-free access to the Bangladesh market include orange, apple, ginger, fruit juice, milk, natural honey, wheat flour, homogenised preparations of jams, fruit jellies, marmalades, food preparations of soybeans, mineral water, wheat bran, quartzite, cement clinker, limestone, wooden particle boards, and wooden furniture.
Both the countries will be able to increase the number of items gradually through consultation.
PTA negotiations with Nepal are at the final stage.
Read BGMEA discusses export, FDI opportunities with Bangladesh envoy
BREB to install 2,000 solar irrigation pumps; farmers can sell idle electricity to national grid
The use of solar power to run irrigation pumps is not new in the country. But a latest move offers something new and different to the farmers: sell your off-season idle electricity to the national grid and earn an income, too.
Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (BREB) plans to install 2000 solar irrigation pumps under the project allowing farmers to sell their unconsumed electricity to the national grid when irrigation is no longer required.
The solar power-run pumps will replace the existing conventional diesel-run machines in 21 districts under a pilot project, said officials at the BREB.
Read: EGCB signs MoU with Marubeni to build 100 MW solar plant in Sonagazi
They said the BREB’s move comes as part of the government’s long-term aim to gradually replace the existing 1.34 million diesel-run irrigation pumps with solar across the country.
In the first phase of the project, the Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase has recently approved four separate tender proposals of the BREB to install 1295 solar irrigation pumps at a cost of about Tk 157 crore.
“These pumps will be installed in the districts of Noagaon, Dinajpur, Thakurgaon, Gopalganj, Faridpur, Madaripur, Kumilla and Feni under different rural electricity cooperatives known as Palli Biduyt Samiti (PBS)”, according to a BREB document.
Read Bangladesh’s single largest rooftop solar power plant inaugurated in Korean EPZ
BREB officials claimed that under the new system, solar electricity will have a better utilization by transmitting the off-irrigation power to the national grid.
“We have calculated that farmers normally use pumps for 115-120 days of a year for irrigation, while the rest of the year the pumps remain off when solar electricity has no use”, said Shakil Ibn Sayeed, project director of the BREB.
“So, BREB will purchase this electricity from the farmers at bulk rate to ensure a better use of the unconsumed electricity”, he told UNB.
Read Biden’s solar ambitions collide with China labor complaints