Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has directed the authorities concerned not to hold Iftar party on a large scale at government expense during the holy month of Ramadan. At the same time, the head of the government has discouraged organizing such iftar parties privately. The directives came from a cabinet meeting held at the Prime Minister's Office on Wednesday (Feb 28). Cabinet Secretary, Mahbub Hossain briefed reporters after the meeting. Responding to a question Mahbub Hossain said that private iftar parties have also been discouraged by PM. She also said that if anyone wants to hold such events then they should buy food with that money and distribute it among the poor people.

Bangladesh are keen to restore some pride by avoiding a whitewash as they take on New Zealand for the third and final ODI at McLean Park in Napier on Saturday. The match will start at 4am (Bangladesh Time). The Tigers lost the rain-hit first game by 44 runs before suffering a seven-wicket defeat in the second game despite landmark 169 run knock of Soumya Sarkar. The defeat extended Bangladesh's losing streak in ODI on New Zealand soil to 18. With no series in New Zealand in FTP till 2027, the third ODI would be Bangladesh's last chance so far to end this disappointing streak. If they can do so, they will also avoid the whitewash and fifth straight defeat to New Zealand. The Black Caps, even won a three-match series in Bangladesh by 2-0 ahead of the World Cup. What however ailed Bangladesh was their familiar top order collapse. In the first match, they were reduced to 92-4 in the chase of 245 and later in second ODI, they were slumped to 80-4 after opting to bat first. Soumya Sarkar hammered a record-breaking 151 ball-169 to help Bangladesh recover from ultimate shamble on a good batting track as Bangladesh compiled 291-7 in second ODI. Still they tasted a big defeat, which was a testament of how good the pitch was for batting. Bangladesh's middle order comprised with captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, Liton Das and Towhid Hridoy simply failed to do their job when there was high expectation on them. The Tigers could have got the edge in the last two matches had the middle order not misfired. Mushfiqur Rahim, who is coming to bat at No. 6, failed in the first game but got back to his form with a 67-run knock in the second match. But the individual flashes of brilliance is inadequate in winning the match and that too on New Zealand soil where the Asian teams historically always struggle. "It's really disappointing. We lost a couple of early wickets, that's what cost us today. We had a good tally, but our bowlers didn't bowl well," Shanto said after the first match, emphasizing on total team effort to end their miserable streak in New Zealand. After the ODI series, Bangladesh will play a three-match T20 International series here.     Source: BSS

Users are spending more time online. Among children, social media consumption has skyrocketed compared to pre-pandemic levels. In the US, tech giants are on trial for endangering minors with addictive platforms. Oh why not, just one more post. Not that good? Well then how about the next one? That content will surely be more interesting. Anyone who's been on X, formerly Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or TikTok knows the feeling: Before we realize it, "a quick peek" can easily become an hour or two of doom scrolling. Social media is everywhere. We can access it through our phones, on our computers, at work, or during our free time. We use it to chat, to post, to stay up-to-date, to follow the latest gosssip, to hear what others have to say. But social media has its dark sides. The number of people consuming excessive amounts of social media content is rising. Over 6% of Germany's youth, or about 600,000 girls and boys, are addicted to social media and gaming. That's according to a study by German health insurer DAK and the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), published this spring. It found that over two million minors used social media or streaming platforms in ways it labeled, "problematic." Accordingly, the amount of time children and young adults spend in front of a screen has risen sharply compared to pre-pandemic levels, up to about two hours and 45 minutes a day on social media alone. Helpful or harmful? So are social media just another dangerous contraption? "At the very least, their role is ambivalent," said Tobias Dienlin, assistant professor for interactive communication at the University of Vienna in Austria. "There is a lot of trivial content, but some of it can also be beneficial."  The expert added: "You can use social media in many different ways. You can passively consume content, or you can actively engage with social media to communicate and maintain relationships." As long as this happens in moderation, everything is fine, he said. Things only become problematic, he cautioned, when users start excessively frequenting social media sites. To date, there is no precise medical definition of social media addiction. "But just because a diagnosis doesn't exist, doesn't mean the phenomenon doesn't exist," said Dienlin. The media expert explained that excessive social media consumption became an addiction when users weren't able to get around to other important things in their lives, when they had the desire to use social media less but found themselves unable to think about anything else, and when they started neglecting real-life social relationships. Attractive algorithms Most social media platforms exploit peoples' neurological hardwiring by offering a system of short-term rewards. Likes and emojis provide positive reinforcement, and any unpleasant content can easily be swiped away. "Introducing the possibility to scroll endlessly has meant that users never finish browsing. There's always new content to see," Dienlin said. "Of course that's extremely addictive, because it means users have to actively disengage from their screens. When I finish reading a book, then I'm done. All television shows come to an end. But that's not the case online." What's more, many social media platforms run on algorithms designed to tailor the content we see to our personal preferences. This makes it even harder to control how much we consume. Those who struggle in other areas of their lives are particularly vulnerable to media addiction. "People who already have weak impulse control, or who struggle to organize their daily lives, have an even harder time with social media," Dienlin said. Escapism and echo chambers  To people who are lonely, or depressed, consuming excessive amounts of social media can also be a welcome escape from reality. "In these cases, it helps us regulate our mood and exit uncomfortable situations," the expert explained. "If I'm feeling bored, or overwhelmed, or if I'm feeling ashamed and guilty, and then I reach for my phone and open social media, it's all gone. In an instant." On the other hand, excessive social media consumption can also worsen existing psychological conditions, such as depression or eating disorders. This can happen when users seek out certain harmful content, which algorithms then learn to present more frequently in accordance with the users' stated preferences. US class action again big tech In the United States, hundreds of families have now joined a class action lawsuit against four of the world's largest tech firms. They blame Facebook operator Meta, Chinese TikTok operator ByteDance, Google and YouTube operator Alphabet, and Snapchat operator Snap for not only disregarding the risk of children becoming addicted to social media, but also actively promoting it. Several school districts have also filed suit. Among other things, the plaintiffs claim companies have insufficiently enforced parental controls and age-verification systems, and made it unnecessarily difficult to delete social media accounts. It was long unclear if the lawsuit would proceed, as the defendants denied all accusations, brushing them off as unsubstantiated. But in mid-November, a US district court judge rejected the social media giants' bid to throw out the case. But how meaningful might the case be? Dienlin is unsure: "A lawsuit like this attracts a lot of attention. The way I see it, it's not irrelevant to point these things out. But, as is so often the case, there are two sides to the story. If providers want to make their services more attractive, which any profit-oriented business aims to do, then they of course automatically raise the potential risk for addiction. But users can't deny their responsibility. We have to do both: optimize technology, and also train and help users." The EU has meanwhile launched investigations into YouTube and TikTok, too, on suspicion of violations against child protection regulations. Strategies to prevent addiction Above all, the expert recommended users remain vigilant about their own social media habits, as well as those of their children. "It's good to discuss it as a family, and to practice abstinence, without immediately resorting to thinking that all social media is absolute hogwash." He also recommended restricting time spent on social media, and physically putting phones aside occassionally. It's important for users to rediscover alternatives to their smartphones, too. Dienlin suggested physical activity, pursuing a hobby, meeting friends, or volunteering. "It would be wrong to assume that social media networks are to blame for us feeling down. Oftentimes, being glued to one's phone is indicative of a wider problem. But it can cause more problems," he explained. Even just realizing this, he said, could be the first step out of social media addiction.

Germany's Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) has cautioned against online challenges that involve eating extra spicy food, pointing to a risk of "serious adverse health effects." The warning came after a number of people participating in such contests on social media required medical treatment. The agency said that, in the past, the consumption of excessively spicy food — such as hot chili sauces or chili extract — has been reported to cause "mucous membrane irritation, nausea, vomiting and high blood pressure." Children are particularly sensitive to hot chili products, the BfR added. Dangerous viral challenge The "Hot Chip Challenge" or "One Chip Challenge" has been particularly popular on TikTok and involves eating a single tortilla chip made from two of the hottest chilis in the world. In Germany, the challenge has resulted in the hospitalization of at least one student, according to news portal Tagesschau. A 14-year old student in the US state of Massachusetts died hours after taking part in the challenge. It is unclear whether his death was caused by the spicy chip. The company behind the chips used in the challenge has meanwhile pulled the product from shelves. Warning labels recommended The hot taste of chili-based foods is caused by a chemical compound called capsaicin, which deters animals from eating peppers in nature. The average adult can stomach no more than 5 milligrams of capsaicin per kilogram of body weight, the BfR said. It has advised that warning labels be placed on food products containing more than 100mg per kilo. If not consumed in excessive amounts, studies suggest that capsaicin may have positive health benefits. It is also used in medical products for external use which can ease neuropathic pain.

More than a dozen U.S.-listed Chinese companies have switched from auditors in their home country to ones in the U.S. and Singapore since 2022, reducing the risk they could be thrown off American exchanges, a Nikkei Asia analysis shows. Under a 2020 law called the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act (HFCAA), Chinese companies can be delisted if their auditors fail to comply with U.S. accounting standards. Those requirements include allowing inspections of auditors by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB). Beijing resisted the U.S. effort until last year, when it began to allow the PCAOB to inspect Chinese auditors. Last Wednesday, the regulator released the first results from its inquiries in China and Hong Kong, saying it had found "unacceptable" flaws at two auditors, KPMG Huazhen and PwC Hong Kong. As the HFCAA was being implemented and strengthened by additional legislation, some U.S.-listed Chinese companies moved to avoid the delisting threat by switching their auditing work to companies in the U.S. and Singapore, which has not fought PCAOB inspections. The U.S. Securities and Exchange has identified 174 U.S.-listed Chinese companies with auditors who required inspection. Of these, 24 have changed auditors since 2022, according to a Nikkei analysis of corporate filings, with 15 switching from companies in China or Hong Kong to ones in the U.S. or Singapore. After the churn, 16 of the 24 were being audited by companies in the U.S. or Singapore, compared with two in the Americas before. The number being audited in China or Hong Kong fell from 22 to eight. Legend Biotech, a developer of commercial-stage biotech medicines, told Nikkei Asia that concerns about the HFCAA prompted it to shift its auditing work from Ernst & Young Hua Ming in Shanghai to an E&Y office in New Jersey in 2022. "When this law went into effect, we began to transition [from] a China-based accounting company to a PCAOB-registered accounting company based in the U.S," Tina Carter, corporate communications lead at Legend Biotech, said last Friday. "That process is now complete." ACM Research switched its accounting work to Armanino in San Ramon, California, from BDO China Shu Lun Pan in Shenzhen, which had served the chip material supplier since 2015. The company said it made the move so it would "no longer be subject to the related delisting guidelines of the HFCAA." Singaporean auditors have emerged as major beneficiaries of the U.S. pressure. Nasdaq-listed Fangdd Network, an online real estate brokerage, said in its annual report that on July 25, 2022, it switched to Audit Alliance of Singapore from KPMG Huazhen -- one of the companies criticized by the PCAOB last week. The company's report did not give a reason for the change. Melco Resorts & Entertainment and Studio City International Holdings, listed arms of Macao casino tycoon Lawrence Ho, switched from an E&Y office in Hong Kong to one in Singapore. In their annual reports, both companies noted that E&Y Singapore "is not a PCAOB-identified firm." Mercurity Fintech Holdings said it switched from auditor Shanghai Perfect to Onestop Assurance PAC of Singapore, noting that the latter is registered with the PCAOB and has been inspected by the PCAOB "on a regular basis." The PCAOB last Wednesday released the inspection results for KPMG Huazhen and PwC Hong Kong, saying it found flaws in seven audits by the companies. KPMG Huazhen said in a statement that it "acknowledges the findings of the PCAOB following its inspection." It did not address a Nikkei Asia question about its dismissal by Fangdd. PwC said in a statement that it was "working with the PCAOB to address the issues." KPMG Huazhen and PwC Hong Kong audited 40% of U.S.-listed Chinese stocks by market capitalization. Erica Williams, PCAOB chair, said its inspectors "are on track to hit 99% of the total market share by the end of this year." In March, China's Ministry of Finance fined Deloitte and suspended its Beijing office for three months, citing "serious audit deficiencies" in its work with China Huarong Asset Management, one of the largest bad-debt managers in the mainland. Nana Li, head of Asia Pacific sustainability and stewardship at Impax Asset Management, said, "It will now be very difficult for foreign accounting companies (i.e., the Big Four) to keep many of their clients in China despite their long-term on-shore operations in this market." Source: Nikkei

Captain Paul Stirling led from the front with a belligerent 41 ball-77 as Ireland denied Bangladesh a T20 sweep, securing a seven-wicket victory in the third and final match at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhruy Stadium here today. The Tigers finally won the series by 2-1, thanks to victory in the first match by 22 runs through the DLS method and the second game by 77 runs. Bangladesh recovered from 61-7 before being bowled out for 124 in 19.2 overs after opting to bat first. A brilliant 41 ball-52 of Shamim Patwari was instrumental in providing the side a total to defend with but his valiant effort was not enough as Ireland raced to victory in just 14 overs, at 126-3. Stirling dominated throughout the chase, treating with Bangladesh bowlers in utmost disdain to sail home with a aggressive knock that was studded with 10 fours and four sixes. Fast bowler Taskin Ahmed broke through early, rattling the stump of Ross Adair (7) before pacer Shoriful Islam, one of the two changes of the hosts, had Lorcan Tucker caught by Liton Das for 4. Those two dismissals couldn't dent the mood of Stirling as he reached his 22nd fifty off 31 ball, with a single through long-off off legspinner Rishad Hossain who took 1-19 in 3 overs on debut. Rishad was the only bowler who managed to curb Stirling's aggression and eventually dismissed him for his maiden wicket as Ireland was just 14 runs away from the victory. Harry Tector (14) and Curtis Campher (16) steered the side to the victory with the latter pulling Taskin over fine leg for a six as Ireland secured its first victory on Bangladeshi soil. Shamim Patwari earlier fought lonely and struck his maiden half-century to help Bangladesh recover from a horrible situation. Coming to bat at No. 6 position, Patwari hammered 51 off 42,smashing five fours and two sixes to help Bangladesh propel past 100, which looked completely unlikely after they slumped to 24-3 and then 61-7. Ireland were no match for Bangladesh in the previous matches on the tour, but in a match which is crucial for them to avoid ignominious whitewash, they came out all guns blazing after the hosts opted to bat first. Apart from Shamim Patwari, only three other Bangladesh batters reached double digit figures-Rony Talukdar made 14, Nasum Ahmed scored 13 and Towhid Hridoy added 12. Ireland were lucky to have the wicket of Liton Das, who slashed straight to George Dockrell in deep point against an ordinary delivery of Mark Adair. Najmul Hossain Shanto, then caught at deep midwicket, tried to slog-sweep offspinner Harry Tector before Rony Talukdar, who hit three boundaries, was undone by a quicker delivery of Curtis Campher. Bangladesh were left to 24-3, which was beyond imagination given their performance in the series. The situation worsened when skipper Shakib Al Hasan was out, caught by Ben White at deep midwicket after being baffled by a slower delivery from pacer Mark Adair. Legspinner White then fooled Towhid Hridoy with one that turned viciously before debutant Matthew Humphreys joined the party. He clean bowled another Bangladesh debutant, Rishad Hossain, in his first ball in the T20 International and got the better of Taskin on the third delivery. He finally finished with 2-10 on his debut. Shamim Patwari kept fighting amid the wickets tumbling around him. He got support from Nasum as the duo shared a small but significant 33 runs for the eighth wicket. Legspinner Gareth Delnay broke the partnership before Adair came back to dismiss Shoriful Islam and returned figures of 3-25 finally. Shamim, however, took the side past 100 and then took up his maiden fifty off 40 balls, with a paddle sweep for a boundary through short fine leg. Medium pacer Fionn Hand, however, dismissed him in the last over to deny Bangladesh adding some more runs.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today (Saturday) said the government and concerned stakeholders' collective and timely efforts helped avoid possible disasters saving many lives from the Covid-19 pandemic.   "Bangladesh has successfully managed the Covid-19 pandemic and has been able to save many lives. Considering the population density, many feared huge numbers of people would die from the pandemic. But the government and the concerned stakeholders' concerted and timely efforts helped avert the possible disaster," she said.    The Premier said this in a pre-recorded speech broadcast in the "2nd International Conference on Pain-2022 and the 7th International Conference on Recent Advances in Pain-2022", organised by the Bangladesh Society of Anaesthesiologists Critical Care and Pain Physicians (BSA-CCPP) in the capital.    She said the BSA-CCPP deserves appreciation for giving "National Guideline on Critically ill COVID-19 Patients" and the "Guideline on Rational Use of Oxygen"   During the pandemic, she said: "We have given special appointments to 409 junior consultants in Anaesthesia, 2,000 doctors and 5,000 nurses on an emergency basis to cope with the situation."   The Premier hoped this conference would provide a platform for sharing latest research information and techniques and help form a forum for international researchers from varied areas of pain, pain medication, assessment tools and pain management techniques.   Sheikh Hasina congratulated the BSA-CCPP for organising this important conference and welcomed the local and foreign participants.   Mentioning that people suffer from pain for various reasons, she said, "We seek immediate relief of pain whether it is acute or chronic. Pain-medicine has become a very important sub-specialty of Anaesthesiology in the developed world. BSA-CCPP has been trying to develop this sub-specialty under Anaesthesia department in Bangladesh."   The Premier hoped that the development of this pain sub-specialty will reduce the sufferings of the patients from chronic pain like pains of cancer patients.   "Successful control of pain is the principal aspect in medical treatment. In recent years, the advances of nanotechnology in pain management have been remarkable. Sometimes surgery can be avoidable for patients applying these newer techniques of interventional pain management," she added.    Sheikh Hasina said she is happy to know that BSA-CCPP and Center for Disease Control of Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) are going to jointly publish the "Guideline for Interventional Pain Management" in this conference.   Giving a brief description of her government measures for the overall development of the country's health sector, she said that Bangladesh has made remarkable progress in the health sector in recent times.    "At present, there are five medical universities and 116 medical colleges in the country. The number of government hospital beds has doubled during the last one decade. In the private sector, a good number of super-specialty hospitals have been established in the country," she said.    The Prime Minister said her government has established around 18,500 community clinics and union healthcare centers across the country to reach health services at the doorsteps of the people.    The poor people are being provided with 30 different types of medicine at free of cost, she said.  Source: BSS AH

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today (Monday) directed the authorities concerned to avoid procurement of less important items to cut the government expenditure in this time of global crisis. “The procurement of the items, which are not required immediately, will remain stop now,” she said. The Premier gave this directive while chairing the Cabinet meeting virtually from her official residence Ganabhaban. The Cabinet members and officials concerned were at the meeting room of the Cabinet Division in Bangladesh Secretariat. Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam, after the meeting, briefed reporters about the Prime Minister's directives on several issues including the collision of Biman aircrafts, project costs and the use of cars. Mentioning that all the projects have already been categorised into A, B and C, he said that the A-category projects would be implemented immediately and the full cost of those projects can be spent. In case of B-category projects, he said, up to 75 percent costs can be spent, while the implementation of C-category projects will remain suspended now. The Cabinet Secretary said if any ministry feels that any project needs to be re-categorised, then they will discuss with the finance ministry and will take decision further. He said there is still scope for overseas tours by the government officials under foreign aid and procurement matters, but other overseas visits are restricted. Citing an example, he said no official can go abroad on a study tour spending the government’s money. In the cabinet meeting, the Prime Minister also put emphasis on raising the crops production and careful use of energy. She asked all to exercise austerity in the case of energy and ensure proper use of vehicles– both public and private cars. Regarding Biman Bangladesh Airlines, Sheikh Hasina instructed to specify further the responsibilities of its staffs and make all the on-duty staffs accountable, finding the responsible ones soon in case of any accident. Source: BSS AH

Prospects for a grand redemption of the World Trade Organization dimmed as India stuck to its demands on several fronts during the third day of the trade body’s ministerial conference in Geneva. Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal told a meeting of delegates Tuesday that it would not bend on demands for extensive exceptions on a 20-year negotiation to curb harmful government fishery subsidies, according to a statement on his ministry’s website. He also insisted members water down the WTO’s subsidy rules for government-backed food-purchasing programs aimed at feeding poor citizens, delegates in attendance said. “The Indian delegation has raised everybody’s eyebrows,” Mexican Undersecretary of Foreign Trade Luz Maria de la Mora said in an interview. “You cannot come to a negotiating forum, particularly at this stage, making demands that they brand as non-negotiable.” The tough stance by one of the world’s largest developing economies could threaten a multi-year effort to conclude a package of small but symbolically important deals and may cement the view that the WTO is no longer a viable forum to address the shortcomings of international commerce. “We are getting to the tough spot of the negotiations now,” WTO Spokesman Dan Pruzin said in a press briefing. “The not-so-good news is that we are running out of time. It is crunch time.” The WTO has operated for more than a quarter century on the basis of consensus decision-making -- meaning any one member’s veto can scuttle agreements. That model, critics say, is also why it’s been largely ineffective as a deal-making forum for much of the past decade. The world’s top trade officials are now mulling the prospect of a more polarized era of trade relations where multilateral deals become a relic and like-minded nations move forward without the holdouts. “That should be a concern to India and smaller, poorer countries that rely on the certainty of a rules-based system to benefit from trade,” said Chad Bown, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics.. “They risk that being eroded in ways that we don’t know what a replacement would look like.” Pruzin said delegates may extend the ministerial conference, originally scheduled to conclude on June 15, to try to provide more time to pull off a victory under the leadership of Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. But other attendees were pessimistic that there is anything that could convince India to show flexibility. Prior to Tuesday, many governments were hopeful that a fisheries agreement -- which aims to help prevent overfishing of oceans -- would be the WTO’s first multilateral accord in almost a decade. But India is seeking broad exemptions for its fishing industry, including a 25-year phase-in period and a 200-nautical-mile exclusion for its artisanal anglers. “We feel that without agreeing to the 25-year transition period, it will be impossible for us to finalize the negotiations, as policy space is essential for the long-term sustainable growth and prosperity of our low-income fishermen,” Goyal said. “There are countries which are taking some very strong positions -- very far-reaching demands -- which weakens the purpose of this agreement,” European Union Executive Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis told reporters. Another EU official said the fisheries talks looked to be on the brink of failure, but added that some countries may be hiding behind India’s position on this and other controversial issues of the meeting. A spokesman said Goyal was unavailable for comment. There were also concerns among some delegates that India’s position may jeopardize a pair of broadly supported proposals aimed at alleviating a looming global food crisis and avoid a cascade of international food-export restrictions. India wants assurances that its so-called public stock-holding program, which buys exclusively from the nation’s farmers and has exported in the past, cannot be challenged at the WTO as illegal. Key agricultural exporters like the US, Argentina, Australia, Brazil and Canada fundamentally oppose India’s request to stock up unlimited reserves of subsidized crops and then dump them on global markets -- and there doesn’t appear to be much room for compromise. It remains unclear whether India’s position will also sink prospects for a pair of deals to waive IP rights for vaccines and to extend the WTO’s ban on digital duties, but several delegates weren’t yet ready to declare defeat as the discussions wound down on Tuesday. On the intellectual-property waiver, “there is still work to do but I think there is some optimism that that can be achieved,” Pruzin told reporters. “The others it’s a little bit difficult to say. I think the electronic-commerce moratorium is a challenge.” Ultimately, any failure to conclude multilateral agreements won’t unravel WTO’s system of rules that govern more than $28 trillion worth of trade flows each year. But it could be the clearest sign yet that the world’s trading partners are redrawing allegiances along geopolitical lines. Source: The Economics Times

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin this week, urging him to step back from escalating tensions over Ukraine, Downing Street said Friday.      Johnson "will reiterate the need for Russia to step back and engage diplomatically when he speaks to President Putin this week," a Downing Street spokeswoman said, stressing the prime minister's determination to "avoid bloodshed in Europe". Source: AFP/BSS AH