30 Aug, 2014

Bhadro 15, 1421 Zilqad 3, 1435 Regd No DA 6238 Vol 2, No 148

SATURDAY, AUGUST 30, 2014 | www.dhakatribune.com | SECOND EDITION

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AVENUE-T

8 | PRESCRIPTION

9 | HERITAGE

14 | SPORT

HELPING YOUR CHILD THROUGH A DIVORCE

TIRED AND DOWN? TEST YOUR THYROID

DHAKA, THE CITY OF PALACES

OVERWORKED RONALDO CLAIMS HE IS CLOSE TO BEST

250 villages submerged in Bogra, Kurigram Over 2 lakh people marooned; river water still rising in Jamalpur, Gaibandha lakh in cash were allocated for the n Tribune Report flood victims in the two upazilas. AnThe flood situation in the north of the country has worsened significantly as some 150 villages in Bogra have submerged, marooning around 2 lakh people, while 100 more villages in Kurigram have gone under water.

Water level in the rivers in Jamalpur and Gaibandha also continued to rise above danger level yesterday.

The fresh submerging in Bogra and Kurigram took place as flood embankments collapsed.

Flooding has caused communications to break down in the northern districts Our Bogra correspondent reports: Flood hit around 150 villages at Sariakandi and Dhunat upazilas after around 400 metres of the flood control embankment gave in to the pressure of the increasing water in the Jamuna River at Sariakandi’s Rouhodor Bazar area on Friday night.

Witnesses said five to seven metres of the embankment had suddenly collapsed around 1am and then within a few minutes a vast stretch of the embankment had disintegrated.

District Relief and Rehabilitation Officer Md Arifuzzaman said around 2 lakh people were surrounded by floodwater in 100 villages of Sariakandi upazila and 30 villages of Dhunat in the district.

A total of 55 tonnes of rice and Tk50

other 500 tonnes of rice and Tk20 lakh were sought for them, he said.

Water Development Board Executive Engineer AKM Momtaz Uddin said water level in the Jamuna would return to normalcy by today. Unless water fully receded, the collapsed embankment could not be repaired.

In Kurigram, flood situation deteriorated as water in the Dharla and Brahmaputra rivers increased intermittently.

More than 100 villages were inundated anew as the Raniganj flood control embankment gave way to floodwater at Chilmari upazila, taking the total number of flood-affected villages beyond 400 in the district, says our correspondent.

Miseries of the flood-hit people knew no bounds in the district as they were not getting relief compared to their demand.

Communications system has also broken down in the district.

The Dhormopur point of Datbhanga road collapsed at Roumari upazila. Besides, many more dirt roads went under floodwater in the upazila. People were seen moving from one place to another using boats and rafts.

Flood-hit people, along with their livestock, were seen taking shelter on embankments or high land at many places. Many others have been living on boats or bamboo scaffolds for 15 days in a row. There are also remote areas where no relief has yet reached.

The flood-hit people are also suffering from scarcity of dry food and pure drinking water.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

Members of a family try to salvage their belongings by loading them on a boat yesterday after their house went under water following the collapse of the Rohadoho flood protection embankment in Bogra’s Sariakandi upazila DHAKA TRIBUNE

FARUQI MURDER CASE

Police trying to track down mystery woman n Tazlina Zamila Khan Police were trying to track down a woman who had visited the house of Shaikh Nurul Islam Faruqi hours before he was murdered Wednesday, as Islamist organisations called for the investigation to be expedited.

At a demonstration in the capital yesterday, Bangladesh Islamic Front, Ahle Sunnat wal Jamaat and its student wing, Islami Chhatra Sena, demanded that Faruqi’s killers be arrested. They threatened to enforce a hartal on Sunday if police failed to arrest the killers by today. However, a formal hartal announcement has not yet been made.

Pakistan army steps into the breach

Cable TV trade power-struggle behind Moghbazar triple-murder n Tribune Desk n Ashif Islam Shaon and Pakistan’s military has stepped in to Mohammad Jamil Khan

The triple murder at the capital’s Moghbazar might have been the outcome of a power-struggle over dominating the local cable TV business as well as holding control over a piece of land that belonged to the Bangladesh Railway, investigators have said.

The group of gun-wielding assailants, allegedly led by a local criminal known as Kala Babu, reportedly planned to kill Shamim Hossain alias Kala Chand when they carried out the attack on Thursday night.

Meanwhile, Kala Chand, brother of victim Ranu Akter Brishti, filed a case with Ramna police station late last night, accusing Kala Babu and 14 others, said Ramna division Deputy Commissioner Iqbal Hossain.

Locals claimed that Babu and Chand had a feud over dominating the area’s cable TV business. Chand, the general secretary of Sramik League’s railway unit, reportedly used to earn around Tk12 lakh monthly from running the area’s cable TV business.

Seeking anonymity, a Detective  PAGE 2 COLUMN 3

intervene in the ongoing political crisis gripping the country, to play the role of mediator between the government and opposition figures calling for Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s resignation.

The leader of the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan, and Canada-based anti-government cleric, Tahir-ul-Qadri, have been holding

Nawaz Sharif refused to step down and asserted his party’s constitutional mandate to rule separate rallies and sit-ins attended by thousands of demonstrators in Islamabad since August 14. They are calling for Sharif to resign over alleged voter fraud and government inefficiency.

The two men separately met with Pakistan’s army chief General Raheel Sharif (no relation to Nawaz) late on Thursday night, an army spokesperson confirmed, after earlier talks with the

government fell through.

The country’s interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said discussions with government negotiators resumed yesterday.

The prime minister met with General Sharif earlier on Thursday, the latest in a series of meetings between the two.

Khan and Qadri earlier told supporters they had accepted the army’s role as “guarantor” and “mediator” in the crisis.

‘Voter fraud’ Pakistan’s military, which has ruled the country for nearly half of its 67 years of independence, frequently intervenes in politics and has carried out repeated coups against elected governments.

The army last took over the country in 1999, when then-army chief Pervez Musharraf deposed PM Sharif and ruled the country for nine years.

Khan has accused Sharif’s PML-N of widespread voter fraud during the country’s 2013 general elections, in which the PML-N won 189 out of a possible 342 seats.

The then-incumbent Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) won 46 seats, while Khan’s own party, the PTI, took 34 seats.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 3

INSIDE 4 | News

Most house tutors of DU residential halls allegedly avoid their assigned duties although they enjoy all facilities and logistic supports.

5 | News

It has been more than one year since a construction company was entrusted with the renovation works of Jirabo-Bishmail and C&D-Ashulia roads, but half of the repair works are yet to be completed.

6 | Nation

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina promised a public medical college in Chandpur four years back, but even so the government is yet to put it in place.

11 | Op-Ed

Sometimes, we humans seem like a pathetic species. Sometimes, it seems that we actually don’t have the right to call ourselves humans.

The mystery woman had telephoned the slain cleric repeatedly in order to visit him at his home. Witnesses said the woman, who looked to be in her forties, was nervous and behaved oddly during her two-hour stay at Faruqi’s house.

“Where the woman came from is still a mystery. We are trying to track her down. We have seized Faruqi’s SIM cards and mobile telephone sets,” Dhaka Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner of Tejgaon zone Biplob Kumar Sarker told the Dhaka Tribune.

Faruqi’s wife, Lubna, told the Dhaka Tribune: “If the woman is not using her previous SIM card any more, the police

can still trace the mobile set. If she is caught, the main culprits will be traced.”

About the visitors to Faruqi’s house who had been detained for questioning, he said: “The three detainees were victims of the incident. We found no evidence of their involvement in the killing and released them on Thursday.

Information obtained from them may help the investigation.”

Investigation Officer Munshi Sabbir Ahmed told the Dhaka Tribune: “Family members have told us about the mysterious woman. I do not want to disclose any more information at this time in the interests of the investigation.”

He said: “The members of the

household said the mystery woman identified herself as Asma, which could be a fake name. Her connection to the killing is not yet clear. We are investigating the case from different angles.”

The central president of Islami Chhatra Sena, Nurul Islam Chishti, told the Dhaka Tribune that a formal announcement of Sunday’s hartal will be made today at a party press conference.

Bangladesh Islamic Front Secretary General MA Matin said they had not yet decided to call a hartal, but did not see improvements in the police investigation. He said the group’s position on a possible hartal would be clarified today.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 5

2

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Saturday, August 30, 2014

Shahriar discusses $300m credit with Turk Exim Bank n UNB State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam had a meeting with the top executives of Turk Exim Bank in Ankara and discussed ways and means to utilise a US 300m dollar annual line of credit.

The government is going to borrow $300 million under suppliers’ credit, as line of credit (LoC) from Turkey, to implement different public private partnership (PPP) projects.

The credit would be utilised by the private sector ventures in Bangladesh, said a Foreign Ministry media release yesterday.

The state minister, during the meeting held on Wednesday, emphasised that the credit line could be used for infrastructure projects in Bangladesh as well as for financing Turkish exports to the country.

He also requested the Exim Bank to reduce the rate of interest on the credit line.

Shahriar invited potential Turkish investors to take advantage of the favourable business environment in Bangladesh.

Agreeing with the suggestion, Turk Exim Bank officials informed that they would send a high-level delegation to Bangladesh in October this year for fur-

ther discussion and find the means for early utilisation of the credit line.

The state minister also held a meeting with the president of the Ankara Chamber of Commerce, Salih Bezci.

They both agreed to strengthen further trade cooperation between Bangladesh and Turkey.

The bilateral trade between the two countries now stands at $1.2 billion, hugely in favour of Bangladesh.

Shahriar also briefed the Ankara Chamber of Commerce about the most favourable foreign direct investment regime in Bangladesh and invited its members to take full advantage the facilities. l

PATC employee hacked to death n Our Correspondent, Savar

Suranjit expresses concern over recent killings

An employee of Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre (PATC) has been hacked to death by unidentified miscreants.

The dead Akbar Ali, 38, was an Office Assistant of the BPATC. His wife Latifa Begum said the family went to visit a relative in Dhaka on Thursday afternoon without her husband. “I tried to talk to him over phone since Friday morning but failed and returned home in the afternoon. Seeing the messy condition of the house, I started searching for my husband. Later, we found the body of my husband floating in a ditch beside the house and informed the police,” she added. l

n Emran Hossain Shaikh Awami League Senior Leader Suranjit Sengupata yesterday expressed concern over two incidents of killing that took place in the capital.

“The people are frightened over the incidents of killings of Khatib of Supreme Court Jame Mosque Moulana Nurul Islam Faruqui and three persons in Maghbazar that occurred within 24 hours’ duration,” Suranjit, member of advisory body of the ruling Awami League, said while addressing a rally in the capital.

The programme was organised by the Bangabandu Academy at the Institute of Diploma Engineers’ in the capital.

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE DISAPPEARED

ASK suggests stopping plainclothes operations n Tribune Report

Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK) has expressed concern over the increasing rate of forced disappearances in the country in recent years.

In a press release, it has suggested that law enforcers stop carrying drives in plain-clothes.

On the occasion of International Day of the Disappeared, also known as the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, today, they issued the press release.

According to media reports, this year 76 people have been allegedly disappeared by law enforcement agencies among whom 23 were recovered dead.

In 2013, the number of victims was 53

which was 55 in 2012.

The statement also said such incidents reduced general people’s faith on law enforcement agencies.

Government never takes any responsibility of the acts. In many incidents no case is filed.

Unexpected statements from the government discourage relatives of the victims to take any legal aid which is a clear violation of section 11 and 32 of the constitution. Government should take initiatives according to the constitution, the statement read.

In the statement, ASK urged the government to form an independent investigation commission to inquiry the enforced disappearance incidents and ensure people’s safety. l

Class III student raped n Our Correspondent, Chandpur One person was arrested yesterday in charges of raping a student of class three in Faridganj of Chandpur.

Police said, the accused Billal Hossain, 40, raped the minor girl, 9, while she was returning home from school on

August 25. A local leader tried to sweep the incident under rug by offering to resolve the issue. However, the child’s mother filed a case three days after the girl’s condition deteriorated.

Faridganj OC Nazmul Haq said, a physical examination of the child had found primary signs of rape. l

250 villages submerged  PAGE 1 COLUMN 2

Many have been also affected by water-borne diseases such as diarrhoea.

Under government and non-government initiatives, relief materials were being distributed yesterday among the flood victims, but they were too small to meet the demand of all the flood-hit people.

Sources in the district administration said 800 tonnes of rice and Tk11 lakh were so far doled out to the flood-affected people in the district.

Jamalpur

Our correspondent reports that flood condition deteriorated in the district as water rose in the Jamuna, increasing 11cm in the past 24 hours and flowing 71cm above danger level.

Fresh areas were flooded because of the rise of water in the river.

So far, around 2.5 lakh people were affected by flood in seven upazilas of the district.

Severe food crisis cropped up among the people over the past two weeks. The district administration distributed 141 tonnes of rice and the dry food worth Tk11 lakh were distributed in the district.

However, people from remote areas alleged that they had not yet got any relief. Some points on the Melandah-Mahmudpur and Islam-

pur-Guthail roads went under water, disrupting communications.

The Department of Agricultural Extension said so far 20,436 hectares of cropland went under water.

Deputy Commissioner Md Shahabuddin Khan said they had an adequate amount of relief in stock. Yet, more was sought from Dhaka.

Gaibandha

Miseries of around 100,000 people in the district increased as water level continued to rise in the Ghaghot, Brahmaputra and Korotoa rivers.

A crack was spotted yesterday on the Wapda dam near the Komornoi Mia Para of the city, reports our correspondent in the district.

The Water Development Board started repairing the dam after halting vehicular movements on the embankment, said a WDB engineer.

Abdul Baki Sarkar, chairman of Udakhali union parishad under Phulchhari upazila, said Brahmaputra water was spilling over the flood control dam, and people living in that area were passing days amid fear of submersion.

Magistrate Nazmul Huda from the district’s Disaster Management and Relief office said more people were getting affected by flood every day. Over the past couple of days 1,020 more houses were inundated. l

Urging law enforcement agencies to remain alert about the rise of criminal activities, the former minister said a vested quarter had been deployed across the country in a bid to deteriorate law and order situation of the country.

“Such anarchy should not be continued. The police force and the ministry of Home Affairs should assure people that they are taking effective measures against such mishaps,” he said.

The leader said: “Those who want to took advantage for deterioration of the law and order situation in the country have become active again. The government should handle the matter seriously.” l

Police escort Baily Akhtar Rahima and Rasheda Khaman Parvin, the two accused of sealing a newborn from Dhaka Medical College and Hospital, to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court yesterday FOCUS BANGLA

Pakistan army steps into breach  PAGE 1 COLUMN 3

Qadri has called for the elected government to be dismissed and replaced by an appointed government of technocrats, who would then rewrite the constitution.

The cleric and his supporters reject the country’s current system of governance.

PM must resign

Khan has said he would accept a judicial commission to investigate his allegations of vote rigging, but would not accept the commission’s findings as long as Sharif remained in office.

“As long as Nawaz Sharif is the prime minister, there will not be an independent or impartial investigation,” he told supporters shortly after his meeting with the army chief.

Asad Umar, a PTI negotiator, told Al Jazeera that his party had accepted the army’s role in the crisis “because the government is simply unable to come to a political solution.”

“Whatever decision is taken, however, it will have to be within the bounds of the constitution,” he said.

PM Sharif defiant

PM Sharif struck a defiant figure speaking on the floor of the national assembly yesterday, as he refused to step down and asserted his party’s constitutional mandate to rule.

“I have taken an oath under the constitution, it is my view that... it is my responsibility and obligation to uphold every letter of that resolution,” he said, referring to an August 21 resolution passed by the National Assembly that rejected the “unconstitutional” demands of Khan and Qadri.

The government ordered police in Lahore to register a murder case against PM Sharif and 20 others on Thursday, in a case relating to the killing of 11 Qadri supporters by police on June 17.

Qadri rejected the move, even though the registration of the case had been a key demand of his Pakistan Awami Tehreek, saying the case did not contain a full list of suspects and failed to charge them under anti-terrorism laws, as he had demanded. l

Faruqi murder case  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

On Thursday, Faruqi’s son Faysal Faruqi filed a case with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police station, accusing some 10 unnamed people in the killing of his father.

Faysal told the Dhaka Tribune: “The woman played the role of informer.

She came to examine the environment and security arrangements of the house. She may have checked for security cameras inside the house.”

He said: “We told the police about her. The woman’s movements were suspicious and she appeared to be nervous during her visit.”

RAB Additional Director General Col Ziaul Ahsan told the Dhaka Tribune: “Up to now, we do not have any further information about the woman.”

Faruqi’s namaz-e-janaza was held at the National Eidgah yesterday after Jumma prayers.

Baitul Mukarram Khatib Professor Mohammad Salahuddin conducted the janaza.

Chief Justice Mohammad Mozammel Hossain, Md Ibrahim Bahar, president of Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh, Faruqi’s sons Ahmed Reza Faruqi and Faysal Faruqi and others attended the janaza.

Faruqi is expected to be buried in Panchagarh today around 11am next to his father’s grave, after the last janaza is held.

On Wednesday night, unidentified armed assailants slaughtered Faruqi, a presenter of religious programmes on Channel i, at his residence in the capital’s east Rajabazar area.

The deceased was the presidium member and international affairs secretary of Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat – an organisation known for opposing the views of Jamaat-e-Islami.

Apart from anchoring the “Shantir Pothe” and “Kafela” programmes on Channel i, he owned Faruque Tours and Travels Private Limited, a Hajj travel agency, and served as the imam of the Supreme Court Mosque. l

Cable TV trade power-struggle behind Moghbazar triple-murder  PAGE 1 COLUMN 1

Branch official told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday that a local criminal named Rony, a known associate of absconding criminal Zishan, was behind the attack.

He added that a leader of Jubo League’s central committee – who was also suspected to have used the services of Kala Babu to carry out several murders in Moghbazar and Badda – was the mastermind of Thursday’s triple murder. The detective, however, refused to disclose the name of the leader.

Other known cohorts of Rony, including Riham, Shovon, Maruf, Farukh, Mosharraf and Al-Amin, were part of the group that carried out the attack, said the DB official.

Although Chand was the intended target in Thursday’s attack, his absence in the house prompted the assailants to kill Chand’s friend Billal Hossain and tenant Munna as well as injuring Chand’s younger brother Ridoy. When Chand’s elder sister Ranu Akter Brishti tried to resist the killers, she was also shot and killed.

A police source told the Dhaka Tribune that Rony had emerged as the most prominent player controlling the cable TV business in the area after forcing out another criminal, Zakir, who previously controlled the trade. Both Rony and Zakir were reportedly mentored by Zishan, a listed top criminal who fled to Dubai in 2001.

When Rony was dominating the business in the area, he was joined by several other newcomer goons including Mahbubur Rahman Rana. However, Rana soon started to outshine Rony and was able to secure a post in Chhatra League’s Ramna committee.

Growing tension between Rony and Rana reportedly led to the latter’s murder on February 23 this year; three of Rony’s associates are currently behind

The sister of Ranu, who was one of the three killed in the Moghbazar triple-murder on Thursday, breaks into tears after seeing her sister's body yesterday MEHEDI HASAN bars in the murder case.

Following Rana’s death, Rony lost his dominance over the cable TV business while Rana’s brother Mithu reportedly took over the trade and asked Kala Chand to take care of a portion of the business.

Plotting his revenge over losing business, Rony allegedly befriended Kala Babu who already had disputes with Chand over a piece of land.

The disputed land, which was allegedly grabbed from the Bangladesh Railway by local influential Jubo

League leader named Abdul Khalek, was “bought” by Chand from Rony for around Tk7 lakh. Babu held a grudge over Chand as he also wanted to own the land.

This dispute might have also played a key role behind the attack, sources said.

Meanwhile, the police were unable to arrest any of the suspected killers as of last night; however, they held two aunts of Kala Babu from a house in Moghbazar’s Sonalibagh area, but released them after interrogation.

Sources at the Criminal Investiga-

tion Department, on the other hand, said they had detained a close associate of Kala Babu from the capital’s New Market area on Thursday night.

However, the detainee’s name was not disclosed to the media.

Asked about progress in the case, Deputy Commissioner of Ramna division Iqbal Hossain said they had interrogated the two relatives of Babu who had provided important information about the fugitive suspect’s whereabouts.

“The whole gang will be arrested soon,” he added. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

3

Saturday, August 30, 2014

UN peacekeeper brought back the uranium says DB Police try to locate a doctor who acted as middleman Jamil Khan and n Mohammad Ashif Islam Shaon The Detective Branch of police are exploring a new lead in the case regarding the recent recovery of uranium-like substance in the city, after learning from the arrestees that the “uranium” was smuggled into the country by an official returning from a UN peacekeeping mission.

During their remand session, the arrestees reportedly disclosed information about the source of the seized material as well as describing the involvement of a middleman who sold the substance.

Seeking anonymity, a DB police official who is involved in the investigation process, told the Dhaka Tribune that during the interrogation, the suspects had told them that one of their associates – Rajon – paid Tk10 lakh to a doctor in Bogra for getting a box that contained the uranium-like substance.

The transaction took place at a hotel in Bogra upon the condition that the doctor would be paid an additional Tk50 crore once the “uranium” was sold, the source at the DB police added.

Later, the box was recovered by the DB police from the house of Aslam Mia in the capital’s Banani, where Rajon had left it for safekeeping.

Earlier last week, the DB police acted on a tip-off to carry out several drives in the capital’s Dhanmondi, Uttara and Banani areas and arrest eleven members of an alleged uranium trading syndicate as well as recovering large amounts of a substance believed to uranium.

Primary investigation by the police found that the arrestees targeted rich people with promises of exponential profits through the sale of uranium. The group reportedly informed the potential buyers that the “uranium” had been brought into the country by an official returning from a UN peacekeeping mission whose “luggage was not searched at the airport” as part of special measures for the peacekeepers.

A senior DB police official said they

were now focusing their investigation on identifying and locating the doctor as his arrest might unravel the mystery behind the case.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, the recovered substance was sent to the laboratory of the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC) to verify whether the material was really uranium like the arrestees claimed it to be.

Krishna Pada Roy, deputy commissioner of the DB police, confirmed that the substance has been sent to the BAEC laboratory, and expressed hopes that the lab results – that are expected to arrive within next week – would clarify whether the recovered material was uranium.

The procedure to send the uranium-like substance to the BAEC was done as per an order of a court, he added.

Asked about the progress in the case, Krishna said they were carefully moving ahead with the case, but said the DB expected the mystery to be solved soon.

On the other hand, at the end of the four-day remand for the 11 arrested suspects, the police yesterday again took eight of the arrestees into a fresh threeday remand.

Metropolitan Magistrate Joynob Begum granted the remand plea after Rabiul Alam, investigation officer of the case and also a DB inspector, placed the arrestees before the court seeking a fresh seven-day remand. In the remand plea, Rabiul mentioned that the police needed more time for interrogation as they were getting sensational information from the suspects.

The eight accused who were put on a fresh round of remand are Moynal Hossain Sagor, Humayun Kabir, Kaiyum Chowdhury, Kayesh Ahmed, Mahfuzur Rahman Nasim, Aslam Mia, Mainuddin Sarowar Rajon, and Tofayel Ahmed Patowari.

Three arrestees – Mohammad Khaleq, Swapan Mollah, and Mohammad Firoz – whose previous round of remand ended, were sent to jail. l

Workers of Tuba Group stage a protest in front of the National Press Club yesterday demanding reopening of all of its factories and payment of arrears of its workers as per the labour law MEHEDI HASAN

Dhaka-Shillong-Guwahati bus service likely soon n Rabiul Islam Bangladesh and India are working on launching a new bus service between Dhaka and Guwahati via Shillong to facilitate the movement of the people of the two neighbouring countries.

The Communications Ministry has planned to launch the bus service in December this year, a senior official said. A meeting in this regard was held at the ministry on Thursday while an inter-ministerial meeting would be held on September 11.

“We are taking preparation to launch the bus service on this new route within the shortest possible time,” Communications Secretary MAN Siddique told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

The clearance from the Home Ministry and the National Board of

Revenue is required for launching the bus service. “I can’t tell you the timetable, but we are going ahead,” he said, adding that the people would be able to travel to India at low cost.

‘A feasibility study would be carried out soon and a technical team would visit India to examine the roads’ Earlier, both the countries agreed to introduce bus service between Dhaka and Guwahati when Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj made the proposal during her three-day visit

to Dhaka in June this year.

Sushma who visited Dhaka from June 25-27 said India and Bangladesh should work on a possible bus service between Dhaka and Guwahati.

The total straight line distance between Dhaka and Guwahati is 309km (kilometre). If a bus runs at the speed of 50km per hour, it will take 6.18 hours to reach Guwahati. Starting from Dhaka, bus would run through Sylhet to Shillong in Meghalaya to Guwahati in Assam.

An official concerned said a feasibility study would be carried out soon and a technical team would visit India to examine the roads there.

An Indian team would also come to Bangladesh.

The official said if the bus service is introduced, the people-to-people contact would increase and ultimately

the people would benefit.

Bangladesh Bus Truck Owners Association President Md Faruk Talukder Sohel said if the government wants to deliver better service to the people, it should promote private sector.

Dhaka-Kolkata bus service started in July, 1999.

Currently, two buses having seating capacity for 40 are running between Dhaka and Kolkata every day.

These are fully air-conditioned and super deluxe buses of international standards. Fare is Tk1,500 (for two ways) per passenger.

The bus service between Dhaka and Agartala started on September 22 in 2003. An air-conditioned super deluxe bus having seating capacity for 40 passengers runs on the route with fare Tk600 (for two ways). l

Hanif: BNP might be involved in recent killings

Bangladesh to seek Japan’s assistance for 10 ICT parks

n Tribune Report

n Muhammad Zahidul Islam

Awami League Joint Secretary General Mahbubul Alam Hanif yesterday said the BNP might had a hand in the recent killings.

“Those who wanted to create unrest in the country might be behind the killings,” he said while visiting the Suhrawardy Udyan to see the preparations taken for two rallies to be held there on the occasion of the National Mourning Day. Hanif said the war criminals of BNP are trying to create instability in the country.

“The involvement of BNP leaders in the killings should be investigated,” he said. The Awami League leader said the recent killings should not be a cause for concern.

“These incidents should not be taken as a notion that the law and order situation in the country has deteriorated as such incidents happen all over the world,” he said.

“People laugh when they listen to BNP leaders threatening tougher movement after Eid-ul-Azha, and we also cannot but laugh. They will not be successful in staging the movement as they have no strength to do so,” said Hanif.

“There will be consequences if the BNP leaders make chaos in the name of movement,” he added.

Two separate programmes organised by Awami League Dhaka city unit and Chhatra League will be held at Suhrawardy Udyan today and tomorrow. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will address both the programmes as the chief guest.

Meanwhile, for the first time after the January 5 elections, both the Awami League and the BNP are holding programmes in the capital today.

The BNP will form a human chain outside its Nayapaltan office marking the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances.

Hanif yesterday said the BNP had deliberately ogranised its programme today to coincide with the programme of his party. l

Bangladesh government will seek financial assistance from Japan to establish at least 10 Information and Communication Technology (ICT) parks in different districts of the country.

The government is going to approach the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe in this regard during his visit in Bangladesh next week.

ICT division under the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications has recently prepared the list of districts upon consultation with the planning ministry.

The selected districts are Cox’s Bazar, Chittagong, Manikganj, Sylhet, Comilla, Barisal, Khulna, Rangpur, Gopalganj and Mymensingh.

Sources in the division said every ICT park might cost around Tk300 crore totaling to an amount of Tk3,000 crore to develop the whole project.

“After Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to Japan the planning ministry asked us to submit a plan within a day only,” a senior official of Hi-Tech Park, Gazipur, the first state-level Hi-Tech zone established by the government, told the Dhaka Tribune last week.

As per the government decision, the park would have provisions for attracting foreign companies to set up operations in the country, as well as developing indigenous technological capability for the development of the local industries.

The park would also try to create conducive atmosphere for establishing ICT, engineering, electronics, telecommunication, biotechnology and other related knowledge-based industries.

The 10 districts were finalised on August 19 during a meeting held among Planning Minister A H M Mustafa Kamal and Telecommu-

Communications between Kalapara and Kuakata remain snapped after a bailey bridge on the Adharmanik River collapsed in the early hours of yesterday. Locals blamed excessively loaded trucks for the collapse FOCUS BANGLA

Fakhrul: Tarique will be brought back after restoring democracy n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir yesterday said the party’s Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman will be brought back to the country after democracy is restored in the country following an all-out movement.

“The government has snatched democracy away from this country. To overcome from such a situation, there is no alternative but to wage an all-out movement. The government will forced to hold an election compelled by this movement,” he said while addressing a discussion meeting at Dhaka Reporters’ Unity in the capital.

Tarique, who has been in the UK for more than five years and faces sever-

al cases in Bangladesh, has often been making conflicting claims since the January 5 election.

As such, he once claimed that BNP founder Ziaur Rahman was the first president of Bangladesh.

Earlier on August 25 at a programme in London, Tarique alleged that Hasina had struck a deal with the killers and masterminds of her father’s assassination just to cling to power.

Fakhrul raised question on who took oath walking over the blood of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in the Khandakar Mustque Ahmed’s cabinet.

“HT Imam conducted Khandakar Mustaque’s oath taking ceremony,” he noted.

“Army Chief KM Shafiullah and Air Force Chief AK Khondakar saluted who

on that day? They are today with the government. Tarique Rahman presented the truth and the ministers are cursing him with indecent comments,” he said.

Terming the current situation of the country dreadful, the BNP leader said: “The government has shunned the path of justice by empowering the parliament to impeach the judges.”

Lauding Tarique Rahman, the party spokesperson also added: “I do not judge Tarique Rahman as son of Ziaur Rahm and Begum Khaleda Zia. I see him as future leader of the country. He dreams of a prosperous and poverty free country.

“People of Bangladesh are not ungrateful. We want to give you hope that you would be brought back in the country resuming democratic atmosphere.” l

nication and Information-Communication Technology Minister Abdul Latif Siddiqui.

Earlier Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina decided to set up at least one ICT village in every district of the country.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is scheduled to visit Bangladesh on a twoday official tour on September 6 She made the announcement in a meeting with the Telecommunication and Information-Communication Technology in July.

Hi-Tech Park officials said they would need at least three years to complete the project.

“We have acquired lands in Chittagong and Sylhet while we need to acquire lands in rest of the districts. For the ICT parks our priority is university based towns,” a Hi-Tech park official said.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is scheduled to visit Bangladesh on a two-day official tour on September 6.

In May this year, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visited Japan and sought assistance in some development projects to be taken in Bangladesh.

During her visit, Japan pledged to provide an assistance of 600 billion yen ($6bn) to Bangladesh over the next five years. l

4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Saturday, August 30, 2014

Most DU house tutors avoid responsibilities n DU Correspondent Most of the house tutors of Dhaka University residential halls allegedly avoid their assigned duties although they enjoy all facilities and logistic supports meant for carrying out their responsibilities properly.

According to the Dhaka University Ordinance 1973, the hall authorities are supposed to supervise seat allocation, monitor arrival and departure of residential students, ensure their health and hygiene besides other rules and regulations.

However, most of the students staying in different residential halls of the university – legally or illegally – do not even know who their house tutors are.

The situation in dormitories for male students is far poorer than those in the halls for female students.

Officials at different halls alleged that students, who had been suspended or expelled from the university in different cases, were still staying in the halls and the house tutors concerned did not take any step in this regard.

Dhaka University has around 200 house tutors and assistant house tutors at its 19 dormitories. More than Tk63 lakh was allocated as allowances for the provosts and house tutors in the 2014-15 fiscal year. House tutors get one point each every year for serving in the post and such points are counted during their evaluation. The teachers also get residential accommodations near their assigned halls so that they can carry out their duties properly.

The accommodation system and food services at the residential halls of the university have allegedly been a farce for long.

Residential students alleged that the house tutors rarely visited the dining rooms to ensure that the students were not served with sub-standard food and hygienic environment is maintained in the kitchens.

Ekhlas Chowdhury, a boarder of Zahurul Haque Hall, said the students would have been benefited more in various sectors, including accommodation and food, if the house tutors paid more attention to them.

The first year and second year resi-

dential students are the worst sufferers of acute accommodation problem, as student wings of political parties in power have allegedly always controlled the seat allocation process for a long time.

Seeking anonymity, a class IV employee of Sir AF Rahman Hall, who has been serving there for more than 25 years, told the Dhaka Tribune: “Once the hall administration was very strict, but since last 20 years the ruling party-backed student bodies have been controlling everything in the halls.”

At present, the hall authorities allocate seats only in papers. Because of the alleged intervention by the Bangladesh Chhatra League, the student wing of the current ruling party, the hall authorities complete their duties by just publishing the names of students who get seats.

After visiting several dormitories, this correspondent found that a large number of first and second year students have been spending nights on balconies and roofs or at the hall mosques.

Currently, if a first year student wants to stay in the hall he is attached to, he has to seek permission of the Chhatra League leaders concerned, as there is no visible seat allocation process in effect for the freshers.

The Chhatra League leaders first allow them to stay in some particular rooms that are known to the students as “gono room” – an overcrowded room – where 15-30 students live, on condition that they would join the Chhatra League. Gradually, on the basis of their performance in political activities and their loyalty to the party, the leaders shift them to “better” rooms.

Acknowledging the overall situation, Surja Sen Hall Provost Dr ASM Maksud Kamal told the Dhaka Tribune that sometimes the hall administration, especially the house tutors, had nothing to do but avoid some of their duties in the face of pressure from the student wings of the political parties.

When contacted, DU Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr AAMS Arefin Siddique said: “We will carry out monitoring to ensure that house tutors deliver their best efforts for the students.” l

A farmer and his daughter pass a busy time preparing saplings of winter vegetables at their farmland in Rajshahi city’s Bypass area yesterday. Farmers in the country’s north are expecting a good harvest this year AZHAR UDDIN

Sporadic protests of Chhatra Sena over Faruqi murder n Tribune Report Activists of Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Sena, student wing of Bangladesh Islami Front, staged demonstrations in different districts of the country yesterday demanding quick arrest of the killers of Ahle Sunnat international affairs secretary Shaikh Nurul Islam Faruqi.

Our Chittagong correspondent reports: Hundreds of followers of the outfit brought out a procession from Jamiatul Falah mosque of the port city after Jumma prayers and they put a blockade on Muradpur intersection by setting fire to some tyres, leaving vehicular movement there disrupted.

Confirming it, Chittagong Metropolitan Police (North Zone) Deputy Commissioner Harun-or-Rashid, said they drove away the blockaders around 3:30pm.

Besides, another group of the organisation brought out a procession from

the mosque and paraded thoroughfares, which finally ended before Chittagong Press Club.

On the other hand, the district administration earlier had not given the permission of holding Faruqi’s namaze-janaza on the premise of the mosque apprehending the deterioration of law and order.

On Wednesday night, unidentified armed assailants slaughtered Faruqi, a presidium member of Islamic Front Bangladesh, a platform of several Islamist groups, and also a presenter of religious programmes on Channel i, at his residence in the capital’s East Rajabazar area.

Our Khagrachhari correspondent adds: The district unit activists of the organisation brought out a procession from the central Eid Gah of Sadar upazila and paraded different roads of the town. Later, they held a mass gathering

at the Shapla intersection.

From the gathering, the leaders demanded the immediate arrest of the killers. Sadar police station OC Mizanur Rahman said no untoward incident occurred centring the rally due to having necessary number of law enforcers deployed.

Our Natore correspondent reports: There were procession, human chain and rally by Chhatra Seta in the district town after Jumma prayers.

The district unit activists held a human chain held in front of the local police lines on the Natore-Rajshahi highway in Borohorishpur area, from where they brought out a procession and then they held a protest rally in the Horishpur bypass area.

In the rally, the speakers criticised the government for being failed to arrest the Faruqi’s killers and they warned of a tougher movement unless the arrest is made soon. l

Strike at CU demanding reopening of closed halls n CU Correspondent

Scores of people attend the namaz-e-janaza of slain Nurul Islam Faruqi, a host of an Islamic television programme, at the National Eidgagh ground in the capital yesterday NASHIRUL ISLAM

Hindu idols damaged in Barisal n Our Correspondent, Barisal Unidentified miscreants damaged idols at a temple in Barisal’s Gournadi yesterday.

Kaliya Daman Guha, upazila president of Bangladesh Hindu-Bouddha-Christian Oikya Parishad, said the miscreants damaged the idols of Shitla temple situated inside Shilbari, an area dominated by the “Shil”s in the municipality. The temple was at Nirmal Shil’s residence.

The miscreants had also thrown away attires of the idols in a nearby pond, he said.

The incident might have taken place following land disputes among different residents of Shilbari, said Gournadi police station OC Abul Kalam.

A drug addicted youth named Abdul Quaium, 26, was arrested on Tuesday for stealing and throwing away different items from that temple, he said.

Police had started investigation and preparation for lodging a case was on, said the OC. l

Fraud in the name of recruitment into Padma bridge project, 3 held n Our Correspondent, Shariatpur The local police yesterday arrested three suspected fraudsters whose gang pocketed about Tk60 lakh from the job aspirants in the name of recruiting them into the much-hyped Padma bridge project.

Jajira police station sources said they caught the cheaters – Atikur Rahman of Netrokuna, Mahbubur Rahman of Naogaon and Rafiqul Islam Rana of Khulna – from a rented house in Nauduba area.

Police and the affected job seekers sources said one Sikder Trading Company allegedly located in the capital’s Gulistan area on July 25 made a recruitment advertisement of Padma bridge construction project on a bangla daily and thereby several hundred people, particularly from the country’s north-

ern districts, applied to the job.

On August 15, the company issued appointment letters stating monthly salary of Tk37,000 to 108 workers in return for Tk50,000-60,000 as bribe and directed them to join work 12 days later.

However, the workers noticed of being victim of fraudulence after visiting their workplace as quoted in the letter and they informed police.

Shariatpur Deputy Commissioner (DC) Ram Chandra Das said there was information that a gang of the job tricksters brought more than 100 workers in house of Naudoba area a couple of days ago, following which they made the arrest.

The ringleader of the gang has been out of trace while the legal action would be taken against the arrested, the DC continued. l

Students residing in Chittagong University’s Shah Amanat and Suhrawardi Hall have threatened to enforce a strike on campus from Sunday demanding reopening of residential halls, which were closed following a clash between two political student bodies.

Under the banner of “General Student of CU,” the protesting student also served a 72-hour ultimatum to the university authorities to reopen the dormitories.

Asiqur Rahman, spokesperson of the platform, said the authorities have pushed the students into immense hardship by holding the scheduled examination on time when two of its dormitories were closed following clashes between Bangladesh Chhatra League and Islami Chhatra Shibir on the campus.

“If our demands are not met by Saturday, we would enforce the strike at the campus from Sunday. If needed, we

will blockade the campus-bound shuttle train and connecting roads to create pressure on authorities,” he added.

Terming the students as Shibir men, CU Proctor Siraj Ud Dowla told Dhaka Tribune that the university will take legal steps to uphold a congenial educational atmosphere on the campus.

Connected, Mustafizur Rahman, president of CU Shibir, denied their involvement with the students’ movement, however, he said Shibir would express their solidarity in the sake of general students’ interest.

University authorities had closed the Suhrawardi Hall after a gunfight took place between BCL and Shibir on 24 August.

The Shah Amanat Hall was closed since January 12 after an emergency meeting of CU after another fierce clash of BCL and ISC that left Mamun Hossain, a 4th year student of Soil Science also the Hall unit president of Shibir, dead. l

Quader: BNP leaders have to win their fear n Our Correspondent, Natore BNP leaders have to win their fear before they stage anti-government agitations, said Communication Minister Obaidul Quader.

Bashing BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia, Quader said she announced to organise movement against the government this month but her party leaders were too scared to come out of their rooms.

“To stage agitations, they [BNP leaders] have to win their fear first. Otherwise, they will just be sitting idle in their rooms,” the minister said while addressing a meeting at Singra court field yesterday.

“The BNP has to refrain from destructive politics if its leaders want to include the general people in their movement,” he said.

Commenting on the broadcast policy, Quader said the government would scrutinise it if any inconsistency arises following its implementation.

Earlier in the day, the minister inaugurated the extension of the upazila administration built at a cost of Tk4.5 crore. l

Prisoner dies in Chittagong hospital n FM Mizanur Rahaman A prisoner, while undergoing treatment after a mob beat him up over alleged theft, died at Chittagong Medical College Hospital yesterday.

Abbas Ali, 23, succumbed to his injuries at the hospital at noon, said Md Sogir Mia, senior jail super of Chittagong Central Jail.

Abbas was a muazzin of Hadiya Para Jam-e Masjid in Satkania upazila.

Sogir said Abbas was beaten up mercilessly by a mob on charge of stealing a CNG-driven auto-rickshaw and was later handed over to police on Monday night.

A court sent him to jail after police had produced him before it on Thursday.

As per a court order, Abbas was admitted to the jail hospital and was later shifted to CMCH when his condition deteriorated. l

NEWS IN BRIEF One killed, 50 injured in Sylhet clash A person has been killed and some 50 people were injured in a clash between two groups at Shaheb Bazar under Sylhet sadar upzila. The deceased is Masukur Rahman, 26, son of late Abdul Bari of Dewairbohor village and a member of Shaheb Bazar Social Welfare Association. Locals said the inhabitants of the area locked into a clash with Krishok Shongram Porishad before some days when the organisation tried to establish supremacy in the area. They said both the sides locked into another clash today [Friday] over previous feud.

Sylhet Metropolitan police additional commissioner SM Rokon Uddin said: “The locals locked into a clash with the leaders and activists of Krishok Shongram Porishad around 10:30am, leaving Mashukur dead and injuring the others.”

He said: “On information, police went to the spot and brought the situation under control.” Police also detained five people in connection to the incident. – Our Correspondent, Sylhet

Father, son among 3 killed in Habiganj road accident Three people, have been killed and five others injured in a head-on collision between a CNG-run auto rickshaw and a microbus at Saidpur under Nabiganj upzila in Habiganj. The deceased are Maulana Mohammad Rezaul Karim, 24, of Kamalpur village, Kazi Syed, 90 and his son Imam Maulana Hafizur Rahman, 40, of Timirpur village. A Sylhet-bound microbus collided head-on with an auto rickshaw at Saidpur on Friday afternoon, killing three on the spot and injuring the

others. The injured have been sent to Sylhet Medical College Hospital. Sheerpur highway police station Sub-Inspector Nazrul Islam said: “The bodies have been sent to morgue.” – Our Correspondent, Sylhet

One dies as trawler capsizes in Meghna A person has been killed as a salt-loaded trawler capsized in the Meghna river near Haimchar area of Chandpur. The deceased was identified as Ershad, hailed from Mirsarai of Chittagong. Haimchar police station Officer-in-Charge Moniruzzaman told the Dhaka Tribune that the salt-loaded trawler “MV Osman” capsized in the river after its engine broke down because of strong currents around 11am. Local fishermen rescued eight persons from the trawler. The body was kept at Haimchar hospital. – Tribune Report

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

5

Saturday, August 30, 2014

BCL factional clash at DU leaves one critically injured

PITIABLE STATE OF JIRABO-BISHMAIL AND C&D-ASHULIA ROADS

Ongoing renovation multiplies miseries of commuters

n Du Correspondent A DU student was critically injured on Thursday night in a clash between two groups of BCL at Dhaka University campus.

The injured was identified as AlAmin, a first year student of Criminology department, also a member of Bangabandhu Hall BCL unit and a follower of the that unit’s President Darus Salam Shakil.

Eyewitnesses said Al-Amin was assaulted around 8pm by a Mohashin Hall unit BCL activist Liton and his accomplices, when Amin tried to protect his girlfriend from their teasing.

After the incident, AL-Amin called his hall mates (Bangabandhu hall BCL men) and they beat up the Mohashin hall activists. Later the Mohashin hall activists attacked Al-Amin with lethal weapons when he was alone in TSC area around 9:30pm and left him critically injured.

Al-Amin was rushed to Dhaka Medical Hospital, and when his condition deteriorated the on duty doctor referred him to Intensive Care Unit. On Friday noon Al-Amin was shifted to Cabin-2.

The duty doctor said he was out of danger, but must be kept under strict supervision.

DU Proctor Amzad Ali told the Dhaka Tribune that stern actions would be taken against the culprits.

Mehadi Hasan, secretary general of Mohashin hall BCL, said the hall unit BCL decided to suspend Liton form the organisation permanently. l

n Our Correspondent, Savar

It has been more than one year since a construction company was entrusted with the renovation works of Jirabo-Bishmail and C&D-Ashulia roads, but half of the repair works are yet to be completed.

The construction company named Mir Akter Hossain has already withdrawn Tk11.6 crore from Savar upazila LEGD department, showing completion of 35% of the renovation works completed.

The construction company was given the work order involving Tk36.31 crore on July 23, 2013 and was asked to finish the renovation within one year.

Later, the company took five months more from the authority concerned to finsh the work.

According to the new time-frame, the construction company has to finish the work within December 23. People who are involved in the re-building of the road said merely 10% of the repair work has been done.

During a visit to the two roads, this correspondent found that the construction company could not even install pipe for the drainage system.

The company was able to finish installing pipes for drainage system for four kilometres in the last 13 months while two kilometres of C&D-Ashulia road is done.

The Jirabo-Bishmail road that stretches six kilometres and C&D-Ashulia road that stretches six kilometres were built a few years ago as link roads of the Dhaka-Aricha and the Dhaka-Abdullahpur Highway.

Local people said the road had virtually turned into a death trap as the company dug up holes instead of repairing the road.

They said they had been suffering because of the dilapidated road for the last seven years and now the repair works multiplied their miseries.

As people of the locality had been suffering because of the sorry state of the road for seven years, the local LGED department invited a tender bid last year and Mir Akter Hossain construction company was given the contract.

Children going to schools and colleges, garment workers, labourers who work at neibouring factories, suufers

RU BCL GS expelled n RU Correspondent Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) yesterday expelled the general secretary of its Rajshahi University (RU) unit, SM Touhid Al Hossain Tuhin, for his alleged anti-party activities.

Khaled Hasan Biplob, joint secretary of the executive committee had been made acting general secretary of the unit. l

WEATHER

LIGHT RAIN SATURDAY, AUGUST 30 DHAKA TODAY TOMORROW SUN SETS 6:19PM SUN RISES 5:40AM FORECAST FOR TODAY Dhaka

32

26

Chittagong

30

26

Rajshahi

33

25

Rangpur

33

26

Khulna

31

25

Barisal

31

25

Sylhet

32

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Cox’s Bazar

28

25

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

36.1ºC Sylhet

24.4ºC Srimangal

Source: Accuweather/UNB

PRAYER TIMES Fajar Sunrise Zohr Asr Magrib Esha

4:22am 5:38am 12:00am 4:31pm 6:20pm 7:38pm SourceL IslamicFinder.org

Vehicles are seen crossing a big pothole which has developed on Jirabo-Bishmail road at C&D bus stand point in Savar. The photo was taken on Thursday most for the the roads.

Many factory owners said they were incurring a huge losses as they could not transport their goods properly.

Roman Mia, a trader from Kalma area of Savar, said: “The construction company could not even finish working on the drains. When will they finish the entire work?”

Abdul Gafur, Sohrab Mia, Razzob Ali, some other businessmen, echoed the similar doubts.

As the LGED department is not properly monitoring the work, the con-

struction company is taking advantage of the situation.

Hundreds of vehicles ply the road every day and many of those meet with accidents for the rundown state of the road.

Local people said some portions of the roads have become unfit even for walking.

Managing Director of Footwear Ltd Md Nazmul Hossain said they could not deliver products on time as goods-laden vehicles often got stuck on potholes.

Abdul Haidar, a student of Class X at

Jirabo Government High School, said before the starting of the renovation works, they could go to school on foot, but now it was impossible to walk on the road.

Students of the school urged the authority concerned to take measures so that the construction company could finish the renovation works immediately.

Project Manager of Mir Akter Hossain Company Saifur Rahman could not be reached over phone despite several attempts.

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sources at the construction company told the Dhaka Tribune that they could not finish the work within stipulated time because of last year’s political unrest.

Azharul Islam, an official of the LGED department, also expressed his doubt whether the company could complete the work within the allotted time period or not.

However, Nirbahi Officer of Savar sadar upazila Khandakar Asaduzzan expressed his hope that the company would finish the work by December. l

DMCH morgue gets four new freezers n Moniruzzaman Uzzal

Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) is set to get four new freezers, capable of preserving 20 bodies in total, in its morgue.

Of these four, two of them come with a capacity of preserving six bodies each while the rest two can store four body each at a time.

Talking to the Dhaka Tribune, Professor Dr Habibuzzaman Chowdhury, head of DMCH’s forensic medicine department, said the new four freezers have reached at the college campus on Thursday and will be installed by today.

“I hope these new freezers will be functional by this week,” he added.

The forensic medicine department had been trying to set up new freezer at the morgue for last few year, howev-

er, the new freezers came after the only mortuary freezer, which could store up to 12 bodies at a time, went out of order on August 10.

Being the largest public hospital in the capital, most dead bodies related to crime and accidents end up at DMCH for autopsy from the capital and in many cases from different corners of the country.

Documents show that on an average, four to five dead bodies are brought here every day. The DMCH morgue played a very crucial role during times of calamities like the BDR mutiny in 2009, Tazreen Fashions factory fire in 2012 and last year’s Rana Plaza tragedy.

Private hospitals in the capital and outside, those who have freezing facilities, do not generally entertain cases of unnatural death and such bodies are forwarded to the DMCH.

But since the DMCH morgue freezer has been out of order, sources said only one dead body was being kept in an air-conditioned room, however, the AC proved to be incapable of keeping the body from decomposing.

In order to detect the identification, morgue staff generally preserve unidentified dead bodies in the mortuary freezer for several days. But in the last 15 days, the preservation process was greatly hampered, spreading a stench in and around the area.

Several senior forensic doctors told the Dhaka Tribune that DMCH’s morgue had not been modernised and was still using medieval instruments to conduct autopsies.

The current mortuary of the hospital does not even have a table or an operating light. The dissections are conducted on the floor with hammers and shovels.

There is no water supply for cleaning the wastes and mostly the heat inside the morgue gets unbearable as its air conditioners seldom work.

Since there is no proper drainage system, water gets clogged on the floor every time there is rainfall. Medical students are also forced to stand for hours during practical classes, because it has no gallery.

According to the senior forensic doctors, an ideal morgue should have adequate number of trolleys for carrying bodies, coolers for preserving bodies; properly air conditioned rooms, arrangements for hot and cold water for cleaning stains, portable x-ray machines, modern cameras for taking pictures; focusing lights for close observation; hard tools; stainless medical equipment and a gallery for students. l

One held with 8.4kg gold at Dhaka airport n Tribune Report

Barisal schools to utilise multimedia tools in nearly three years

Customs intelligence arrested one person along with 72 gold bars weighing 8.4kg worth about Tk4.2 crore from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in the city yesterday morning.

The arrestee identified as Mohammad Azim Uddin, 25, son of Chenu Miah, hailed from Feni landed the airport by a Dubai air around 10:30am, said Moinul Khan, director general of customs intelligence.

“We have arrested him from green channel area of the airport and seized 72 gold bars weighing 8.4kg concealed in his body,” he said.

“The market price of the seized gold bar is estimated at Tk4.20 crore,” Moinul said, adding that lawful action will be taken shortly against Azim for carrying gold illegal.

Azim was handed over to Airport Police to take lawful action. l

Most of the stuff distributed for introducing multimedia lessons in classroom either remain unopened or are allegedly in use by teachers and staff of educational institutions in Barisal division.

Teachers and school officials, however, said the lack of supervision and training, and power outage were the reasons why the tools could not be utilized.

Dr Mustafizur Rahman, deputy director of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education, said the rural areas mostly experience frequent power cuts, and also lack proper infrastructure, hindering the distribution and utilisation of the tools.

“We want to implement the multimedia system and we have already wrote to institutions to implement it soon,” he said.

Sources said the multimedia classroom project was initiated in 2012 to digitise the country’s education system,

n Our Correspondent, Barisal

and the tools were distributed since January of the year.

Till January this year, a total of 1,120 secondary and 738 higher secondary institutions in Barisal division received pricey multimedia equipment such as computers, laptops, Internet modems, projectors, screens and at least two teachers from each institution were provided necessary training in how to conduct multimedia-based classes.

Shafiqul Islam, headmaster at Kagashura Secondary School in Barisal, said three teachers of the institution received training and the equipment was supplied last year.

“However, we are yet to make the structural changes and decorate the classrooms in ways required to implement the system,” he said.

Computer studies teacher at the school Rehana Parvin was elected upazila vice-chairman as a ruling party candidate and is now busy in performing duties related to public services.

The other tools that were provided by the government are yet to be opened, said Shangkar Gupta, one of the teachers at the school who received training.

Jasimuddin, another teacher of the school, alleged the people who received training were not interested in taking multimedia-based classes.

Shushanta Mallik, a Bangla lecturer at BN Khan College, raised the same allegation against two lecturers of the college.

Asadul Islam, assistant inspector of schools at Barisal district education office, said the tools distributed in many institutions to implement the project are being damaged because they remain unused for long.

“More than 50% of the schools in the division are yet to implement the system and the tools are also used for personal purposes in some institutions,” he said. “However, the lack of proper infrastructure and uninterrupted power supply are also the obstacles,” he added. l

Shops, houses gutted in Chittagong n Tribune Report Eight thatched shops of a kitchen market and two houses were gutted in a fire at Baluchara area of Chittagong-Hathazari road under Bayezid police station in Chittagong yesterday morning.

However, no causality was reported in this incident, said fire brigade sources.

Mohammed Iyahiya, assistant director of Fire Service and Civil Defense Headquarters in Chittagong said the fire had originated from an electric short circuit at one of the shops in the market around 11:20am, engulfing adjacent establishments.

Receiving information, two fire fighting units from Bayezid and Chandgaon Fire Stations went to the scene and managed to douse the fire after one and half an hours attempt.

The fire caused a loss of about Tk5 lakh, said the sources. l

Six shops gutted n Our Correspondent, Sylhet At least six shops were burnt down at Dakkhin Surma upazila’s Kodomtoli in Sylhet yesterday.

Witnesses said the fire occurred at the Fensi Aluminum Crockeries Store around 2:30pm and it spread to five other shops in a flash.

The five other shops were Bhai Bhai Tyre, Abdul Munim Electric Workshop, Jabed & Brothers, Iron Steel and Taher Krishipanya.

Two other flower shops were also damaged in the fire.

Dakkhin Surman Fire Service Station Leader Syed Faruk Mia said they had rushed to the scene hearing of this fire and doused it in a frantic effort of around 50 minutes, He added that the fire might have started from electric short-circuit at the crockeriss store and put up the loss from the fire at around Tk55 lakh. l

Railway employee dies in Chittagong n Tribune Report A railway employee died after falling from a railway bridge at Sitakunda upazila in Chittagong yesterday.

The dead Mofajol Rahman, 60, was son of Danu Mia from Choddogram of Comilla, said police sources.

Assistant Sub-Inspector Pankaj Barua of Chittagong Medical College Hospital Police Outpost said the person fell from Bridge No 34 located between the Kumira area and Sitakunda upazila rail track while he was working on it, leaving him critical injured.

He was later taken to CMCH where duty doctors declared him dead around 3pm, added the official. l

6

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Nation

Saturday, August 30, 2014

Chandpur medical college yet to see Absence of judge hampers judicial activities in Gazipur light despite PM's pledge n Our Correspondent, Chandpur Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina promised a public medical college in Chandpur four years back, but even so the government is yet to put it in place.

Political inertia has made implementation of the PM’s promise uncertain, locals allege.

On April 25, 2010, Hasina had promised to establish a medical college in Chandpur. In a followup action to this, the Health Ministry notified the Directorate of Health about this.

As per the ministerial directive, Dr Md Abdul Basit, acting director for planning and research at the Directorate of Health, wrote to the director, (health) of Chittagong division.

The letter sought a report along with opinions after choosing feasible sites for establishing the college in the district.

A team of senior health officials, including the then acting director Dr Sheikh Shahabuddin Ahmed and assistant director (administration) Dr Salauddin Mahmud visited the district on January 3 last year.

On April 25, 2010, Hasina had promised to establish a medical college in Chandpur They also held a meeting with district administrative officials and civil society leaders at the civil surgeon’s office and discussed the matter.

They visited quite a number of sites, chose a few of them and proposed them as the college’s possible sites. They also said they would send their proposal very soon.

Plans were then afoot that the foundation stone of the medical college would be laid well before the 10th parliamentary election.

Former civil surgeon Abdus Sattar Mia told the Dhaka Tribune that three sites each next to the civil surgeon office, Chandpur Fisheries Research Institute and Technical Institute had been proposed for establishing the college.

“After maintaining all formalities, we had also sent a file to the Chittagong divisional health office.”

Director Alauddin Ahmed Majumder, health, Chittagong Division, told the Dhaka Tribune: “We sent a report along with opinions on the feasible sites for establishing the college six months ago, but we have not yet heard anything from them.

Moreover, the place where the college will be established has not still not been chosen finally.”

Deputy Commissioner Md Ismail

Hossain told the Dhaka Tribune: “There were talks about this last year. A few sites had also been selected. Whatever we were supposed to do, we had done. Now I do not know anything about it.”

Chandpur Awami League Vice President Alhaz Osman Gani Patowari said Dr Dipu Moni, MP for Chandpur 3, was trying to get the college set up in the district in line with the prime minister’s promise made four years back.

MP Dipu Moni, a former foreign minister, however could not be contacted on the phone.

Chandpur District Awami League President and MP for Chandpur 4 Dr Mohammad Shamsul Hoque Bhuiyan said: “I do not know whether the prime minister has ever made any promise to set up a public medical college here.

“However, there is a proposal to set up a private medical college here. It is possible.” l

Two teachers transferred over sexual abuse n Our Correspondent, Gopalganj In a punitive measure, two teachers have been transferred for stalking and sexually abusing students at Binapani Government Girls’ High School in Gopalganj district town.

Biology teacher Subhash Chandra Biswas was transferred to Shariatput Govt Girls’ High School and physics teacher Azharul Islam to Goalanda Shaheed Smriti Govt Girls’ School in Rajbari.

Confirming this to the Dhaka Tribune yesterday, headmaster Emran Hossain said he received an order from the Secondary and Higher Education Board regarding their transference on Thursday.

Later Subhash and Azahar were notified about this. Of them, Azhar had already collected a release order from here and gone to join his new workplace, he said.

Earlier on Monday, a class VII student had complained to the headmaster of Binapani Govt Girls’ High School that girls had been being stalked and harassed by both Subhash and Azhar for so long.

District Education Officer (secondary) Reshma Akter was assigned to look into this. She submitted the investigation report on Wednesday. l

Pirate leader Mia Sikdar arrested n Our Correspondent, Noakhali Miya Bahini’s Chief was arrested in a raid by police around 12pm yesterday at Charbata Union under Subornopur Upazilla in Noakhali.

The arreste Mia Sikdar, 38, is the son of late Abdul Munaf from East Charbata Union.

Miya was a former commander of Bashar Bahini, which he leads now.

Moreover, he is one of the assistants of Jahangir Bahini in Ramgati, Jasu Bahini in Urir char and Sandip Bahini.

Recently, Sikdar surrendered to a court because of pressure from authorities, but became active again after being released on bail He became dominant in the area after Bashar Bahini’s chief Bashar was killed in a gun battle. Recently he surrendered to court due to pressure from authorities, but became active again after being released on bail.

There are several cases filed against him with different police stations.

Charjabbar police station’s Officerin-Charge AKM Enamul Kabir confirmed the arrest to the Dhaka Tribune.

“He used to be a pirate, but now he has given up robbery and at present there is no cases filed against him with Charjabbar police station,” said Enamul Kabir.

“Terrorist Miya was arrested on secret information. Several cases have been filed against him in other police stations including Hatia police station,” he added.

Hatia police station’s Officer-inCharge Syed Fazle Rabbi said, “There are two cases of robbery and killing after abduction filed against him. He absconded after a warrant was issued against him in the murder case.” l

Students take part in an art competition at Naogoan Shilpakala Academy yesterday, the last day of Sultan Festival DHAKA TRIBUNE

Ordeal for passport seekers in Comilla n Our Correspondent, Comilla Brokers and corrupt employees at Comilla Regional Passport Office are bypassing the rules and regulations making it next to impossible for passport seekers to get them on time without paying a bribe.

It would be impossible to attain a passport without maintaining a liason with a broker, passport seekers say.

Those who have already got their passports suggest maintaining liasons with brokers before going to get their passport.

The authenticity came to light as a passport seeker filed a complaint with deputy commissioner about how he had to suffer while getting a passport there.

In the complaint, the Complainant Md Alauddin, a lecturer at Brahmanbaria Kashba T Ali Degree College, stated that he had applied for his passport by maintaining all the official procedures, including the payment of the passport fee, on April 24.

Despite no shortcomings in the application, his application was cancelled.

He contacted Senior Office Assistant Shafizul Haq, who suggested that he should apply again by

maintaining the “system”.

However, he held firm that he would in no way pay a bribe.

Seeing that he would not be talked into bribing, an official recommended taking his photo and fingerprint.

After his photo and fingerprint were taken, he left the premises.

As per passport form, his passport should be issued and delivered on May 19. As such, he went, but was told that they was not yet ready with his passport.

He happened to be in contact with an Ansar member called Rahman at Room No 202 at the passport office on June 23, when Rahman told him that he would not be able to get his passport until he payed Tk 1500 as bribe.

He was still determined not to pay any bribe and had to return upset from the passport office three times.

On August 10, he again went to the passport office, when he was told that the police verification report had not yet arrived.

Immediately, he contacted DSB Officer-in-Charge Humayun Kabir who told him that he had sent the verification report on May 8.

Based on this allegation, our correspondent could learn from

people around the passport office that a person had to give Tk 2500 as bribe in order to get their passport without any delay or harassment.

Of the bribe money, TK 2000 goes to the passport office and the rest to the broker who handle the passport on behalf of its seeker.

Brokers were also seen publicly dealing with the passport seekers by opening shops on the ground floor of the market adjoining the passport office.

Talking to the Dhaka Tribune, Lecturer Alauddin said: “The harassment that I have gone through for getting my passport was a nightmare. I have been phoned from the office to get my passport.”

He believed he would not have been called up for getting his passport had he not complained to the deputy commissioner about this.

Deputy Commissioner Md Hasanuzzaman (Kallol) said: “I have received a complaint about harassment at the passport office.

I have assigned an official to delve into this matter.”

Deputy Director at Comilla Regional Passport Office Mohammad Toufiqul Islam Khan was contacted about this; he said he did not know anything about any harassment at the passport office. l

Schoolboy rescued one day after abduction in Comilla n Our Correspondent, Comilla Local people of Chauddagram in Comilla rescued a child who was abducted from Manoharganj of the same district, and handed the abductor over to the police yesterday.

The rescued child is Zahirul Islam, 7, the son of Golap Rahman, who is an expatriate in Saudi Arabia.

The abductor was identified as Badsha, 22, the son of Abu Hanif from Baishgaon village in Chauddagram.

Police sources said the locals saw Badsha and Zahirul in Baidder Bazar around 10pm on Thursday and suspected foul play. When they started questioning Badsha about the child, the abductor tried to flee the scene, but the locals caught him after a chase and informed the police. Police brought Badsha and Zahir to the police station around 2am yesterday. Later, around 11am, Zahir was returned to his Mother.

Zahir was abducted from his school on Thursday morning. Later, the criminals demanded Tk2 lakh

from his mother over the phone.

Zahir’s uncle filed a case regarding the abduction with Manoharganj police station on the same day.

The rescued boy said kidnappers forcefully took him on a CNG run auto-rickshaw and threatened him of killing if he had talked about the abduction to anybody.

Officer-in-Charge of Manoharganj police station Abdul Hai Sarkar said Badsha admitted that he abducted the child for money.

Police was investigating if anyone else was involved in the kidnapping, he added. l

Around 1,400 cases await verdict in the court

n Our Correspondent, Gazipur The plaintiffs and the accused suffer alike in Gazipur because of the slow progresses of their cases in the second court of joint district judge, as there is no judge appointed in that court for over two years and six months.

Assistant Public Prosecutor (APP) Ataur Rahman Akash said Md Ali Ahsan, the judge in first court of joint district judge, was taking decisions about cases from the second court when he could find time after conducting cases in his own court. However the first court’s judge could not do much more than taking decisions regarding bails in different cases.

Rehan Uddin, a complainant, said he was coming to the court days after days only to get new dates to appear before the court, without any progress in the prosecution because of the absence of judge.

Shuva Rani, an accused in a case lodged with the second court, from Joydebpur,

complained that she was coming to the court for months and no one can say anything surely about the appointment of a judge in that court.

Md Azad Ali, assistant record keeper in the second court of joint district judge, said around 1,400 cases await verdict in that court.

Haris Uddin, a lawyer, said cases were piling up as there was no judge in the court and all the parties involved in the cases are suffering. Another lawyer Emdadul Haque Masum said it was becoming more difficult to appease the clients, who found no progress in their cases after coming to the court for years.

Shamsul Alam, former general secretary of Gazipur Lawyers’ Association, said pressure of cases awaiting verdicts is very high in this busy city. Many people were having a hard time because of the absence of judge in the court. They urged the Ministry of Law more than once to solve the crisis, but the problem prevailed, he added. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

World

Saturday, August 30, 2014

7

UN: Syrian refugees top 3m, half of all Syrians displaced n Reuters, Geneva Three million Syrian refugees will have registered in neighboring countries as of Friday, but many remain trapped by the advance of Islamist militants or are having difficulty in reaching open border crossings, the United Nations said.

Syrians desperate to leave their war-engulfed homeland are forced to pay hefty bribes at armed checkpoints proliferating along Syria’s borders, or to smugglers, the UN refugee agency said.

The record figure is one million refugees more than a year ago, while a further 6.5 million are displaced within Syria, meaning that “almost half of all Syrians have now been forced to abandon their homes and flee for their lives,” it said.

“The Syrian crisis has become the biggest humanitarian emergency of our era, yet the world is failing to meet the needs of refugees and the countries hosting them,” Antonio Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, said in a statement.

Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie, who serves as UNHCR special envoy, said in a separate statement: “Three million refugees is not just another statistic.

It is a searing indictment of our collective failure to end the war in Syria.”

The vast majority of Syrian refugees remain in neighboring countries, with the highest concentrations in Lebanon (1.17 million), Turkey (830,000) and Jordan (613,000), the UNHCR said.

Some 215,000 refugees are in Iraq with the rest in Egypt and other countries. Syrians have also been among migrants who have drowned in the Mediterranean trying to reach Europe, Jolie said.

In addition, the host governments estimate that hundreds of thousands more Syrians have sought sanctuary in

Ebola outbreak: Senegal confirms first case n BBC Senegal’s health ministry has confirmed a first case of Ebola, making it the fifth West African country to be affected by the outbreak.

Health Minister Awa Marie Coll Seck told reporters on Friday that a young man from Guinea was confirmed to have contracted the virus.

The man was immediately placed in quarantine, she added.

The current outbreak, which began in Guinea, has killed more than 1,500 people across the region.

At least 3,000 people have been infected with the virus. The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned it could get much worse and infect more than 20,000 people.

Guinea riot Senegal had previously closed its border with Guinea in an attempt to halt the spread of Ebola, but its frontiers are porous.

It had also banned flights and ships from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone the three worst-hit countries.

But the Guinean health services reported on Wednesday “the disappearance of a person infected with Ebola who reportedly travelled to Senegal,” according to Senegal’s health minister.

A young Guinean student later turned up at a hospital in the capital, Dakar, said Ms Seck, but he did not reveal that he had had contact with Ebola patients in his own country.

Senegal, a major transit hub for aid agencies, has a large Guinean population.

Separately on Friday, residents of Guinea’s second largest city, Nzerekore, rioted after its main market was sprayed with disinfectant in an attempt to halt the spread of the virus.

The exact cause of the riot is not clear - some people reportedly feared the spray would spread Ebola. Police responded by firing tear gas.

A 24-hour curfew is currently in place in the city, which is the capital of the Forest Region, where the Ebola epidemic has its epicentre.

However the BBC’s Alhassan Sillah in Guinea says the town has miraculously remained free of Ebola so far.

There have been relatively few cases in Guinea recently, with far higher infection rates in Liberia and Sierra Leone, and six deaths in Nigeria.

On Thursday, the WHO unveiled a plan aimed at stopping transmission of the virus in the next six to nine months.

Among its recommendations, it said countries affected should conduct exit screening to prevent the disease from spreading to a further 10 countries.

The plan calls for $489m (£295m) to be spent over the next nine months and requires 750 international workers and 12,000 national workers across West Africa. l

their countries without formally registering, the agency said.

Journey out becoming tougher

But there are worrying signs that the journey out of Syria is becoming tougher for desperate families, it said.

Some areas of Syria are emptying out as the front lines in the conflict shift. “Recent arrivals to Jordan, for example, are running from attacks in the areas of al-Raqqa and Aleppo,” the UNHCR said, referring to northern areas of Syria controlled by Islamic State forces.

“The borders are open in Lebanon.

They’re managed in Jordan and Turkey, that is in those countries feeling very legitimate security concerns, they are screening people who are coming in,” UNHCR chief spokeswoman Melissa Fleming told a news briefing.

“In Iraq, the border is closed, it was closed some time ago in Anbar province and actually now it’s no longer controlled by the government of Iraq,” she said.

The border in Iraq’s northern Kurdistan region has been closed also for some time except for Syrians returning to Syria, Fleming said.

“And in fact about 300 Syrians are actually returning to Syria every day. So this gives you a picture of the situation when you actually decide to return to Syria, or to flee to Syria as some Iraqis have, things must be pretty bad in Iraq.”

Islamic State forces have swept through western and northern Iraq this year, causing alarm in Baghdad and drawing the first US military air strikes since US forces withdrew in 2011. The United States is pushing to build an international campaign against Islamic State jihadist fighters in Iraq and Syria, including partners for potential joint military action, Obama administration officials said on Thursday. l

A man uses a video camera to film destroyed buildings in the in the northern city of Aleppo yesterday, following a reported barrel bomb attack in the area by Syrian government forces. In Aleppo, devastated by two years of fighting and regime attacks, rebels and activists are eager for US strikes against jihadists they say have stolen their anti-government uprising AFP

UN tries to locate Fijian On Russian troops in peacekeepers seized on Ukraine, honesty is not Golan Heights everyone’s best policy n Reuters, Quneitra, Golan Heights UN officials shuttled along the rocky frontier between Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Friday, trying to establish the whereabouts of 43 United Nations peacekeepers seized by al-Qaeda-linked militants inside Syria.

Israeli forces took up positions at Quneitra, a fortified crossing between Syria and the Golan, barely 400 metres from Nusra Front militants, who attacked a UN base on the Syrian side of the border on Wednesday and seized the 43 Fijians.

About 80 UN soldiers from the Philippines, all of whom serve with UNDOF, a UN force that has monitored the disengagement zone between Israel and Syria since the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, remain locked down in two camps on the Syrian side of the frontier, military officers in the Philippines said.

Officials from UNDOF, which has about 1,200 peacekeepers from six countries operating in the zone, declined to comment as they left one of their compounds on Friday.

Israeli soldiers, including some redeployed from Gaza, prevented anyone moving too close to the border.

“We’re not doing anything, we’re just watching,” said an Israeli officer,

his platoon hunkered down behind a mound of rocks a few hundred yards back from the crossing, the blue UN flag fluttering above the compound in the near distance.

From a lookout point on the Israeli-controlled side, with views across southeastern Syria, Nusra Front rebels could be seen moving on motorbikes and in pick-up trucks, while further away the Syrian army battled opposition forces.

The sound of shelling and heavy gunfire echoed across the valley and plumes of smoke rose from buildings as the fighting played out barely two km (1.2 miles) away.

It is the third time in two years that UNDOF troops have been seized on the Syrian side of the demarcation zone, a measure of the instability since the uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad began. Until then, UNDOF had been one of the quietest UN peacekeeping posts anywhere in the world.

In both previous cases those seized were released within days, UN officials said. But the situation appears to be more precarious this time. A militant close to the Nusra Front said the Fijians had been taken because they had been providing medical treatment to wounded soldiers from Assad’s army. l

n Reuters, Moscow The Ukraine conflict has evoked many memories of the Cold War, including a footloose attitude to the truth. But even as Russia’s denials of involvement stretch credibility to breaking point, for some they remain a convenient fiction.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is chief among them; denying a Russian role will keep his domestic audience in ignorance of a war they don›t want - especially useful if the battle goes badly.

But there are also some European powers, including Germany and France, who despite being on the opposite side of the crisis share Putin’s desire not to paint it as an out-and-out war between Russia and Ukraine.

For them, stating unequivocally that Russia has attacked Ukraine would force them to impose more costly sanctions, and could block the path to a truce with Russiathey hope will resolve the crisis.

Some say the evidence of Russian involvement has built to a point where it now strains credibility to assert that Russia’s military is not helping the rebels in eastern Ukraine.

That is especially so after the past 72 hours when, according to Kiev, Russia

VO LC A N O E RU P T S I N PA P UA N E W G U I N E A

has pushed in troops and hardware to avoid a collapse of its pro-Moscow separatist allies.

“The mask is coming off,” said Samantha Power, the US ambassador to the United Nations. “In these acts, these recent acts, we see Russia’s actions for what they are: a deliberate effort to support, and now fight alongside, illegal separatists in another sovereign country.”

Nato has released satellite imagery it said showed Russian combat forces inside Ukrainian territory. A group of captured servicemen from Russia were recorded on video describing how they were ordered into Ukraine, though officials in Moscow said they crossed the border by mistake.

A Reuters reporter saw armoured vehicles and uniformed men, all with identifying markings removed or covered up, massing on the Russian side of the border withUkraine. They were a short drive from the Ukrainian village where residents reported seeing identical troops manning checkpoints.

In the northwest Russian city of Pskov, reporters were chased away from a cemetery where, according to accounts on social media, two Russian paratroopers killed inUkraine were secretly buried. l

n Reuters, Lake Seliger, Russia Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russia has no desire to get involved in large-scale conflicts, but should be able to respond to any threat.

“Russia is far from being involved in any large-scale conflicts. We don›t want that and don›t plan on it. But naturally, we should always be ready to repel any aggression towards Russia,” he said, speaking to a youth camp outside Moscow.

Russian forces are engaged in direct military operations inside Ukraine in a blatant violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, Nato Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on Friday.

“Despite Moscow’s hollow denials, it is now clear that Russian troops and equipment have illegally crossed the border into eastern and south-eastern Ukraine,” Rasmussen said. “This is not an isolated action, but part of a dangerous pattern over many months to destabilise Ukraine as a sovereign nation,” he added.

He said Nato would fully respect any decision by the Ukrainian parliament to abandon Ukraine’s non-aligned status and set the country on a course to seek to become a Nato member. l

New Turkish cabinet spells little policy shift, Erdogan stays dominant n Reuters, Ankara

A photo taken yesterday, shows Mount Tavurvur erupting in eastern Papua New Guinea, spewing rocks and ash into the air, forcing the evacuation of local communities and international flights to be re-routed AFP

Putin says Russia should be ready to respond to any aggression, Nato blames Russia for Ukraine insurgency

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu kept key members of Turkey’s economic management team in place and named Ankara’s point man on Europe as foreign minister in a new cabinet on Friday, moves signalling President Tayyip Erdogan’s continued domination.

Erdogan, who had dominated politics as prime minister since 2003, was sworn in on Thursday as Turkey’s first popularly-elected president, cementing his position as its most powerful leader of recent times.

Erdogan is likely to retain influence over the new team, with his former aide Yalcin Akdogan and Numan Kurtulmus, the deputy chairman of the ruling AK Party and another close ally, both named as deputy prime ministers.

“This cabinet carries Erdogan’s signature,” said Huseyin Yayman, a columnist and political science professor

at Ankara’s Gazi University.

The new government takes office at a challenging time for Turkey, with economic growth - one of the pillars on which the popularity of the AK Party is based - slowing and the map of the Middle East being rapidly redrawn around it.

Outgoing EU Affairs Minister and career diplomat Mevlut Cavusoglu becomes foreign minister, replacing Davutoglu, suggesting that reinvigorating Turkey’s stalled European Union membership negotiations could be a priority.

Volkan Bozkir, the former head of parliament’s foreign relations commission who has held several diplomatic posts in Europe, takes over as EU minister.

Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan, who had responsibility for economic affairs in the last cabinet, Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek and Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci all kept their posts, as did Energy Minister Taner Yildiz. l

8

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Prescription

Saturday, August 30, 2014

Tired and down? Test your thyroid T

be due to these causes:  A pituitary disorder  A defective thyroid  Lack of the gland entirely A hypothyroid infant is unusually inactive and quiet, has a poor appetite, and sleeps for excessively long periods of time.

he thyroid is a bow-shaped gland that sits at the base of the neck. It releases hormones T3, T4, TSH. Through these hormones, the thyroid gland influences almost all of the metabolic processes in your body. Thyroid disorders can range from a small, harmless goiter (enlarged gland) that needs no treatment to life-threatening cancer. The most common thyroid problems involve abnormal production of thyroid hormones. Too much thyroid hormone results in a condition known as hyperthyroidism. Insufficient hormone production leads to hypothyroidism.

How does hypothyroidism present

About the thyroid gland

Causes of hypothyroidism include

Hashimoto’s thyroiditis: In this autoimmune disorder, the body attacks thyroid tissue. The tissue eventually dies and stops producing hormones.  Removal of the thyroid gland: The thyroid may have been surgi

FOOD THERAPY

Best foods for healthy skin?

Spinach and other green leafy vegetables  Tomatoes  Beans, peas and lentils  Fish, especially salmon  Nuts On the flip side, some foods seem to be associated with skin damage. For example, some research suggests that a diet high in fat and carbohydrates promotes skin aging.

Remember, many of the best foods for healthy skin also promote good health overall. Rather than focusing on specific foods for healthy skin, concentrate on a healthy diet in general. Drink plenty of water. Eat more fruits and vegetables. Trade red meat for fish. Choose low-fat or fat-free dairy products. Include nuts, seeds and beans in your favorite meals. Opt for whole-grain breads and pasta. Limit sweets. Try to go for variety for making healthy choices. l 

BIGSTOCK

Research on the best foods for healthy skin is limited. Still, antioxidant-rich foods seem to have a protective effect for the skin. Consider these skinfriendly foods:  Carrots, apricots and other yellow and orange fruits and vegetables  Blueberries

Why magnesium is a good stress buster

There’s a good reason why magnesium is known as “the great calmer.”

“Increased magnesium relaxes nerves and muscles while also building and strengthening bones and aiding smooth blood circulation,” nutri-

tionist Michele Chevalley Hedge says.

“Stress, poor quality sleep, constipation, muscle spasms, headaches and migraines are just some of the symptoms you may experience if your diet is lacking in magnesium.”

Eating magnesium-rich foods such as kale, pumpkin seeds, spinach, beetroot, bananas and quinoa will help, and Chevalley Hedge advises having a bath daily with half a cup of Epsom salts, and sipping a rooibos tea, as these both contain magnesium. l

BIGSTOCK

Coconut has anti-ageing properties

Coconut water is the clear fluid found within mature and immature coconuts, containing 95 per cent water, the remainder of coconut water is a combination of sugar – a very acceptable (ie low) 2.6g per 100g, traces of protein, fat and a variety of minerals including calcium, magnesium, and a good dollop of potassium at 105mg per 100g. In

addition, coconut water contains small amounts of B1,2,3,5,6 and folate(B9).

Kinetin – a naturally occurring cytokine (plant hormone) in coconut water has anti-ageing effects, and is used in cosmetics to reverse the effect of sun damage on skin. Kinetin also has an anti-platelet action, which may be protective against the formation of clots that lead to stroke and heart attack. Another cytokine, Trans zeatin, also found in coconut water, has been found to have the effect of stopping the enzyme that breaks down acetylcholine, an important neurotransmitter. Acetylcholine is necessary for REM sleep, proper muscle function and memory. l

| Compiled by Dr Kazi Mahbuba Akhtar

cally removed or chemically destroyed.  Exposure to excessive amounts of iodide: Cold and sinusmedicines, the heart medicine amiodarone, or certain contrast dyes given before some X-rays may expose you to too much iodine.You may be at greater risk for developing hypothyroidism if you have had thyroid problems in the past.  Lithium: This drug has also been implicated as a cause of hypothyroidism.  Untreated for long periods of

time, hypothyroidism can bring on a myxedema coma, a rare but potentially fatal condition that requires immediate hormone treatment.

Hypothyroidism poses a special danger to newborns and infants.

A lack of thyroid hormones in the system at an early age can lead to the development of cretinism (mental retardation) and dwarfism (stunted growth). Most infants now have their thyroid levels checked routinely soon after birth. If they are hypothyroid,

The writer is Medicine specialist at Samorita Hospital, Dhaka

Many benefits of ginger

Who should not take cough medicine or cough syrup?

n Prescription desk Ginger has been used in Asian, Arabic and Indian cultures as a herbal medicine since ancient times. While it originatDID YOU ed in South-East Asia, it KNOW? spread across Asia and other tropical regions and was exported to ancient Rome from India.

Ginger reached the west at least 2000 years ago and was imported in a preserved form. This flavoursome plant is used in many recipes and, in some Asian cuisines, it is pickled and served as an accompaniment. The healing property of ginger comes from the volatile oils, such as gingerols, that are responsible for its strong taste. The rhizomes from younger ginger plants are generally used for cooking because the older the plant is, the more essential oils are present and the stronger the flavour. Rhizomes from older plants are harvested for medicinal uses.

Ginger products can be used in fresh, dried, powdered form, as oil, tinctures or extracts.  Most frequently used to aid digestion, ginger is believed to increase saliva and other digestive fluids, alleviating indigestion and associated

Got a cold and need medicine for a nagging cough? While there is no quick fix for your cough, some over-the-counter (OTC) cough syrups and cough medicines may give you relief. Three types of cough medicines are available OTC for the temporary relief of cough caused by a cold or bronchitis. These cough medicines include cough suppressants, oral expectorants. Cough suppressants relieve your cough by blocking the cough reflex. Dextromethorphan is the most common cough suppressant. Dextromethorphan does not have the pain-relieving and addictive properties of codeine, a narcotic cough suppressant that requires a doctor’s prescription.

If you have a dry, hacking cough, dextromethorphan may give you relief. Generally, these cough syrups and cough medicines are not used to suppress a cough where you cough up mucus. A productive cough helps clear secretions and mucus from the airways. Talk to your doctor if you have a productive cough that’s preventing you from sleeping. An expectorant is a drug that thins mucus so you can cough it up easier. While many experts say that drinking water is the most effective way to loosen mucus, you can also use such medications as guaifenesin to thin mucus so it can be cleared from the airway. Clearing thick mucus from the airways can decrease coughing. The most frequent side effect of expectorants is nausea and vomiting.

BIGSTOCK

tions in your body. It seldom causes symptoms in the early stages, but, over time, untreated hypothyroidism can cause a number of health problems, such as obesity, joint pain, infertility and heart disease.

When to use cough syrups

BIGSTOCK



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problems such as flatulence.

It is known to relieve nausea and morning sickness. If you take ginger for morning sickness, use it for no longer than four days.

Ginger is recommended to those who suffer from motion sickness.

You can buy ginger tablets from your pharmacist or try drinking a cup of ginger tea before your journey.

Ginger is believed to have anti-inflammatory qualities that may relieve swelling and pain.

As a tea it is said to ease headaches and sore throats or assist if you have a cold or flu.

Fresh ginger is used for asthma, coughs, colic, heart palpitations,

swellings, dyspepsia, loss of appetite and rheumatism, while the dried root is used to “strengthen” the stomach, inhibit vomiting and treat diarrhoea.

Cautions

Ginger may interact with some prescription medications.

It is better not to take more than four grams of ginger in a single day.

Side effects may include bloating, gas, heartburn and nausea.

Children under two should not have ginger.

Avoid ginger if you have a bleeding disorder or if you are taking blood thinners, including aspirin. l

Coughing up mucus may help keep your lungs clear. This is especially true if you smoke or have asthma or emphysema. Dextromethorphan can interact with many medicines including antidepressants like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as paroxetine, escitalopram, or sertraline; serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) such as monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOI). Do not take dextromethorphan if you are on other medication unless cleared by your doctor. In addition, some combination cold and cough medicines contain decongestants. If you have high blood pressure or heart disease, avoid taking these drugs. Decongestants can raise blood pressure. l

| Compiled by: Shirsho Saaeadat

Household chemical health risk n Prescription Desk A recent study questioned the use of some everyday chemicals. The study said, some everyday chemicals can increase the risk of cancers, diabetes, obesity, falling male fertility and a number of neurological problems in both humans and animals.

HEALTH In last May, the European Environment ALERT Agency (EEA) released a review which made a direct connection between endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and health problems. EDCs are chemicals that interfere with the body’s endocrine system, which regulates the hormones needed for all biological processes.

EDCs exist in both natural and synthetic forms. Some are used in medications such as the birth control pill, while EDCs such as bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates are used in food packaging and plastic containers, and others are used in agricultural pesticides, lubricants and solvents.

Toxicologist Dr Peter Dingle said, “This is a big issue which we need to take very seriously. EDCs have now permeated every part of our lives, from food to baby toys, bedding to bags. While there is growing evidence against EDCs, there is just so much we don’t know and

yet we are exposed to them everywhere, all of the time.

“This is not the first report to link endocrine disruptors with a whole lot of illness – and it won’t be the last.

The increase in diabetes, obesity and cancers and the decrease in male fertility can definitely be linked to the growing prevalence of these chemicals in our lives.”

Adverse reactions are happening at much lower doses than previously considered safe, and the research also shows that it is the lower-income people who are most exposed and most affected. So it is not okay for a middleclass bureaucrat to say there is nothing to worry about.

The EDCs of today are no different to the DDT pesticides of the 1950s or the PCBs [found in paints and lubricants] in the 70s. These chemicals are introduced into our lives and later we find out how much damage they cause. If these chemicals are allowed to continue infiltrating our lives, we need to lower our own exposure.

Get rid of plastic. Never heat plastics in the microwave.

Don’t store food in plastics and use glass where possible.

Dr Dianna Magliano, a senior epidemiologist at Melbourne’s Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, said, “It may all turn out that the current exposure levels pose no real dangers to humans, but I have seen the results of studies on what these chemicals do to worms and frogs.”l

BIGSTOCK

The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland that sits low on the front of the neck.

Your thyroid lies below your Adam’s apple, along the front of the windpipe.

The thyroid has two side lobes, connected by a bridge (isthmus) in the middle. When the thyroid is its normal size, you can’t feel it.

The thyroid secretes several hormones, collectively called thyroid hormones. The main hormone is thyroxine, also called T4. Thyroid hormones act throughout the body, influencing metabolism, growth and development, and body temperature. During infancy and childhood, adequate thyroid hormone is crucial for brain development.

Although the effects can be unpleasant or uncomfortable, most thyroid problems can be managed well if properly diagnosed and treated.

Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) is a condition in which your thyroid gland doesn’t produce enough of certain important hormones, a drop in hormone production leads to lower energy levels.

Women, especially those older than age 60, are more likely to have hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism upsets the normal balance of chemical reac-

The signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism vary, depending on the severity of the hormone deficiency. But in general, any problems you have tend to develop slowly, often over a number of years.

Hypothyroidism signs and symptom may include:  Fatigue  Increased sensitivity to cold  Constipation  Dry skin  Unexplained weight gain  Puffy face  Hoarseness  Muscle weakness  Elevated blood cholesterol level  Heavier than normal or irregular menstrual periods  Depression  Impaired memory Diagnosis of hypothyroidism is based on your symptoms and the results of blood tests that measure the level of Thyroid Stimulating Hormone(TSH) and sometimes the level of the thyroid hormone thyroxine (T4). A low level of thyroxine (T4) and high level of TSH indicate underactive thyroid. The good news is that accurate thyroid function tests are available to diagnose hypothyroidism, and treatment of hypothyroidism with synthetic thyroid hormone is usually simple, safe and effective once you and your doctor find the right dose for you. l

QUICK TIPS

BIGSTOCK

Do you mostly feel tired and sleepy, losing your interest in your regular work, gaining weight recently without eating much? These can be due to hypo function of thyroid gland, which is known as hypothyroitism. A simple test can diagnose this problem and you can have your treatment easily treatment begins immediately. In inn Dr Anup Kumar Saha fants, as in adults, hypothyroidism can

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Heritage

Saturday, August 30, 2013

9

Dhaka, the city of palaces

The race course in Dhaka as pictured in 1890

“S n Tim Steel

pace, grace and pace,” was an advertising slogan for the ever popular Jaguar cars of Britain, used throughout the 1950s and 60s, to market cars still in great demand by the affluent across the world.

It might, however, have referred, too, to the Dhaka City of its day.

Vintage photography still reveals the spaces, and even if the photography is mostly black and white, there remains sufficient in colour to envisage the rich tones of green, seasonally alive with blossom, within such spaces.

The photography also exposes us to the grace of the fine mansions and palaces that once fronted so many of the streets of the old city, not to men-

The Ramna racecourse in Dhaka in 1875 close to two thousand years.

For, certainly, the last five hundred of those centuries, it has housed merchants, administrators, and the aristocracy of the landed and commercial interests of these rich lands. It is, therefore, unsurprising to find streets, if not, as was once said of London, with a similar provenance, “paved with gold,” at least lined with palaces and mansions.

But the 19th century, palatial residence in Dhaka of the Bhawal Zaminders stands amongst so many, varying in age. From such as Lalbagh Fort’s Governors Residence, and the Mughal contemporaries like Jinjira and Bara Katra, close to the banks of the Buriganga River, on whose banks it once stood, to perhaps the most recent, as well as best preserved, the famous Rose garden.

With unquestionable origins, the city has stood close to the great crossroads of the northern India

tion, unsurprisingly, the banks of the Buriganga River.

There was a time when men and women of wealth, education and taste knew how to exhibit their lives with style and refinement!

And the once upon a time racetrack, and not to mention the splendid racing crafts of the river, add a sporting pace to the revelations.

The great work undertaken by the Urban Study Group to attempt the protection the Bhawal Raja Palace in old Dhaka, underlines the richness of the palatial heritage of this ancient city. And the ever present threats to that heritage, despite its manifest potential value in the international tourism market Bhawal Raja’s Palace has not been the first such attempt to conserve the heritage, and it almost certainly has not been the last. There are over 2,000 identified heritage buildings in Dhaka, and thousands across the nation, including over 120 identifiable palaces outside Dhaka. And mosques, temples and ruined Buddhist monasteries and universities as well as more modest buildings that are amongst those thousands.

However, it is easy, even now, to walk through some streets in Old Dhaka, and imagine the grandeur that once was this city before, during and after its being superseded by Calcutta in the mid 18th century as the administrative hub of affluent Bengal.

In its time, Dhaka was the capital of the ancient Bengal, described by the sixth Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb as, “the paradise of nations for its wealth and trade.”

Wealth and trade that brought his Mughal forebears to India, as it had, earlier, brought both Alexander the Great, and the early Pathan rulers, and was to bring the European successors to Aurangzeb’s famous dynasty.

With unquestionable origins, at least under early Buddhist rulers in the sixth or seventh centuries, the city has stood close to the great crossroads of the northern India, the waters meet of Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna, gateway of central Asia, the Himalayan Empires and nations, and entrepot of world trade, for at least

For the ensuing two or three centuries after the Mughal domination, wealthy landholders, dignitaries and merchants built many more such grand residences. It is not hard to understand Aurangzeb’s appreciation of the wealth generated from this hub.

Indeed, although the administrative powers may have shifted to Calcutta, it is very evident that wealth continued to flow along the rivers and through the streets of Dhaka.

Rulpial Palace, still, although falling into disrepair, and occupied by businesses and itinerants, was undoubtedly one of the finest, after, per-

that, “Space, Grace and Pace!”

Four centuries of palatial building, financed by immense wealth, disappearing, so the older denizens of the city say, in a period that may well be as brief as forty years, in pursuit of recovering some of that wealth, one presumes.

Actually, that may, perhaps, be something of a miscalculation. Statistics suggest that inbound tourism could easily produce above $7-8bn a year of much needed foreign exchange, and this vanishing heritage could, otherwise, have proved a major attraction as, around the world, such heritage buildings usually do.

Such tourists, no doubt, like any casual, informed, visitor, would not find it difficult to conjure up visions of the elegance of which a photographic heritage fails, largely, to do justice.

Walking these congested streets, peering through modern structures to the remaining facades of such magnificence, it really is not so difficult, still, to imagine their interiors of their day, behind those grey and crumbling remains of those days.

It is so easy to see those mansions and palaces, bright with candlelight and chandeliers, lamps and swags of valuable fabrics for which Bangladesh has been famous for thousands of years.

Sparking gems ... one of the most famous, the, “Dhaka Diamond,” once in the possession of the Dhaka Nawab ... glittering between carriage and porchway. Great orchestras, and sounds of revelry by night. Richly clad elephants, horse racing and junketing. The Dhaka, in fact, of days, not so long past.

The Rose Garden Palace, probably the last such to be built in Dhaka, in the early twentieth century, survives, in private hands, almost intact, and much in demand for wedding parties and commercial receptions. The garden itself, like the ever shrinking grounds, maybe but a shadow of its original self, but still represents a spacious oasis in teeming Old Dhaka.

Few cities, anywhere in the world, could boast such an array of conspicuous affluence and architectural magnificence as pre Liberation War Dhaka

haps, the finest of them all, the mid nineteenth century, Ahsan Manzil.

Commonly known as the “Pink Palace,” the residence of the nawab of Dhaka, it still stands, reasonably conserved, though with its land partially invaded, on the Buriganga banks.

The Reboti Mohan Das Residence, home of an early commissioner and money lender, and Jatindra Kumar Saha’s residence known as Mangalaloy, the home of a Tangail Zaminder, vie, with Sutrapur Zaminder’s Residence, and that of Devi Nibash, or of Prassana Babu, amongst the masterpieces of, mostly, 19th century magnificence, for conservation. The list might be endless, were all recorded, but even the departments of the cultural ministry seem to lack such a record.

Few cities, anywhere in the world, could boast such an array of conspicuous affluence and architectural magnificence as pre Liberation War Dhaka.

This, unquestionably, was a city of

The Bara Katra

Ahsan Manzil by the Buriganga

Is it likely that the towering blocks that now surround the Rose garden, where the railway has not, anyway, trimmed the land, are so steadily replacing these splendours of the past will ever attract visitors again to these wonderful streets of history?

The real irony, of course, is the growing numbers of Bangladeshis who, travelling abroad in ever increasing numbers, post on social networks pictures of the historic buildings elsewhere in the world. Before it is too late, it may well be appropriate to add, to this piece, Dorothea’s memorable words from that great movie, The Wizard of Oz, “There’s no place like home.”

As true of heritage and culture, as of any other appeal to the senses and emotions; in the case of Bangladesh, there really is no place quite like home. l Tim Steel is a communications, marketing and tourism consultant.

Rose Garden in old Dhaka, the birthplace of the Awami League

PHOTOS: WIKIMEDIA

10

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Editorial

Saturday, August 30, 2014

CODE-CRACKER

Biman’s losses are beyond the pale

B

iman Bangladesh Airlines incurred net losses of over Tk210 crore in the last fiscal year.

This was nearly twice as high as management had been predicting. Reported losses in the last four years alone total over Tk1,220 crore.

These figures underplay the true costs to the taxpayer of subsidising the state-owned airline, as they do not account for debts accumulated over the years, or for future borrowing that may be required to maintain cash flow, as more suppliers demand advance cash payments for services.

Efforts to improve reliability and service levels and major investments in new aircraft are clearly not delivering any meaningful increase in income or profitability. That this comes at a time when there is an annual growth rate of 8% in demand for air travel in the country, tells its own story about Biman’s inefficiencies.

It is high time the government acted on the logic of turning Biman into a public limited company. It should move towards full privatisation to root out the obstacles and interference which plague Biman.

With many better-funded airlines providing services, both internally and internationally, passengers will not be affected and may even gain, if private management is able to turn the airline around.

Taxpayers’ money can be better spent on training more flight engineers and pilots within the country and improving safety and infrastructure.

Government funds should focus on ensuring first rate airport hubs out of which well managed airlines can operate, rather than perennially propping up Biman’s losses.

Spend taxpayers’ money on training staff and improving airports, not propping up Biman

Be heard Write to Dhaka Tribune FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Sukrabad, Dhaka-1207 Email letters.dt@dhakatribune.com Send us your Op-Ed articles: opinion.dt@dhakatribune.com www.dhakatribune.com Join our Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/DhakaTribune

Foreign workers under NBR radar August 26

Shafaat Ahmed This problem can easily be solved by NBR by sharing information with immigration officers on arrival. These immigration officers in each port of entry have data on all who enter that nation.

The NBR employees have to do their job properly by following through in screening prospective taxpayers. They should be computer literate to e-mail all the information to the main NBR desk.

There is no need for permanent employees; a muster roll-guy can do this work easily.

Safia Azim Curious to know what proportion of these Tk4 lakh are Indians/Sri Lankans/British etc, as well as where and in what capacity they are employed.

Of the top of my head, I can say this would include representatives of RMG buying houses,

N

ew light has been shed on the nation’s poorest areas by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, which has analysed statistical data with donor agencies, to develop more accurate maps of poverty stricken areas.

Kurigram has the highest poverty rate of any district at 63.7% followed by Barisal at 54.8%. Only five out of 64 districts show poverty rates below 20%.

There are clear correlations between areas suffering river erosion, salt water intrusion and low primary school completion rates, with the areas showing the highest prevalence of poverty.

While broad trends may have been predicted, the detailed geographical variations identified can help provide more effective targeting of policy interventions at local district level.

There is still a long way to go however. The nation has progressed well on the millenium development goals and gone some way towards reducing the most extreme types of poverty. But inequality means that the GDP growth rate of c.6% is only translated into reductions of poverty at around 1% each year.

Targeting the poorest communities by improving access to capital and equipment to farmers can make a big difference to poverty rates by improving the lives of the rural poor.

Most of all though, we need to improve investment in education and skills. Bangladesh spends less than 2.5% of GDP on education. This figure must be increased so the labour force is able to add more value to the economy.

Helping more people develop the skills to improve their lives is the best way is the best way to create jobs and sustain growth.

Increased investment in education is the best way to create sustainable jobs

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

SUDOKU How to solve: Fill in the blank spaces with the numbers 1 – 9. Every row, column and 3 x 3 box must contain all nine digits with no number repeating.

Bangladesh all set to join $50bn BRICS bank

Improve human capital to fight poverty

production managers or other skilled personnel in export-oriented industries (like a pattern maker in garments), development and NGO workers, researchers and academicians in private/public institutions, medical consultants in hospitals and other health-services, people in the media/newspapers/ television channels as well as ad agencies, and in various outsourced or off-shored IT or call-centre services from EU/US etc.

Not that I am against employing non-Bangladeshis, in fact quite the opposite, but a descriptive breakdown along with the kinds of salaries foreigners receive, as opposed to their local counterparts, would be interesting. I think a well-investigated expository article by DT, or any of our papers, would inform the right people, those who can make that difference about the kinds of skills the country really needs to develop and very quickly too.

How to solve: Each number in our CODE-CRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 16 represents R so fill R every time the figure 16 appears.

You have one letter in the control grid to start you off. Enter it in the appropriate squares in the main grid, then use your knowledge of words to work out which letters go in the missing squares.

Some letters of the alphabet may not be used.

As you get the letters, fill in the other squares with the same number in the main grid, and the control grid. Check off the list of alphabetical letters as you identify them.

August 22

Bangladesh under the paedophile’s gaze August 25

Ziaul Ahsan Very good decision indeed.

SK If this bank isn’t about political egos, then good.

But to me, it seems to be a way that Russia wants to get back to the Cold War era. Brazil is in a financial mess. 72% of the global ultra-poor live in India and China. Not sure how well South Africa shall do with the rising inflation, as I hear.

Beef across the border August 21

Tanvir Ahmed A burning topic, but very hard to understand the language. Maybe the use of simpler English would have been nice?

Shaquib Quoreshi No, I disagree with the author. More brothels are needed.

Ashraful Islam Siam It’s happening in our country?! I can’t believe it!!

Shakil Khan Whenever I see a picture of cows, it always reminds me of barbecue.

The art of henna on the hands of innocence August 24

Kenmei Tsubota Thanks for this information.

Launch owners profit as victims denied damages August 23

Aminul Islam Sajib “Influential political leaders” indeed. They are the source of all the problems in our country.

Unfortunately, they are the ones who run this country as well. So you see, this nation isn’t going anywhere.

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Former Iranian leader (4) 4 Flower (5) 9 Pen point (3) 11 Facial feature (4) 12 Gems (5) 13 Wading bird (4) 14 Examine (4) 15 Select group (5) 19 Wear away (5) 21 Harbour town (4) 25 Be adjacent (4) 26 Sky-coloured (5) 28 Acting part (4) 29 Mouse-coloured (3) 30 Prophets (5) 31 Curved (4)

DOWN 1 Shoemaker (4) 2 Part of the body (3) 3 Lessen (5) 5 Combined (6) 6 Part of the ear (4) 7 Egyptian goddess (4) 8 Nuisances (5) 10 On the move (5) 16 Missive (6) 17 Now (5) 18 Boxes (5) 20 Ooze out (5) 22 Musical instrument (4) 23 Govern (4) 24 Fasting period (4) 27 Cricket score (3)

Up against cancer Mahjuba Hussain This article is quite good actually. Wonder how you found enough time to write it!

August 23

Ashraful Alam Sagar Informative and insightful!

It was the human shield that saved Hasina

CALVIN AND HOBBES

August 21

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS CODE-CRACKER

PEANUTS

Matt Islam The cameramen/journalists for these shots must be given a bravery medal. Very often we forget the sheer tenacity and courageous efforts of these very badly portrayed professionals. To the cameramen/photojournalists of the world, I raise you a glass and salute you.

CROSSWORD

Much power gets wasted in streetlamps August 24

SUDOKU

Md Ashraf Husain Irresponsible operators should have their jobs terminated. Instead, new operators should be appointed, and on a daily basis as needed.

Op-Ed

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Saturday, August 30, 2014

11

A bride-in-waiting n FS Aijazuddin

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ities have often been included in the dowry of important brides.

Bombay (now Mumbai), for example, was part of the dower taken by the Portuguese princess Catherine of Braganza when she married the British King Charles II in 1661.

To any eligible Pakistani woman, merely being married to Imran Khan would have been blessing enough. Imagine the thrill of having not a city but a whole country, a “New Pakistan,” included in one’s dower. It is enough to transform any commoner into a princess.

No one is so old that he does not think he could be a prime minister once, and a bridegroom again

Upholding all-American values?

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Hypocrisy of many colours

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n Ekram Kabir

ometimes, we humans seem like a pathetic species.

Sometimes, it seems that we actually don’t have the right to call ourselves humans.

Sometimes, our hypocritical acts show an ugly and dark side that might put violent and ferocious animals to shame. Some recent events have shown how the mighty, who call themselves democratic nation-states, have reacted to humanitarian crises.

I feel like echoing our prime minister when she questioned: “I was stunned seeing the world conscience silent. If there’s one incident of death in Bangladesh, we keep receiving letters from protesting and criticising congressmen. Today, hundreds of children and women, including pregnant mothers, are being killed in Gaza. Why is everyone silent now?”

I’m sure everyone remembers how the British politicians argued in favour of sending troops to Iraq and Afghanistan. They were quite successful from their point of view. But in the process, more than 100,000 Iraqi civilians died for no fault of their own. They were all innocent apolitical persons.

In 2003, 179 British soldiers were killed. Then again, the British killed 20,000 Afghan civilians in that country where 453 of their soldiers died. The total number of violent civilian deaths recorded since the 2003 invasion has now exceeded 114,000. And the total number of civilian deaths in Afghanistan now stands at 20,000. My question is: What did they actually achieve

at the cost of all those innocent lives?

Do they have any explanation for their actions?

Coming back to Gaza, recently, on August 3, 10 people died as an Israeli shell landed on a street near an UN-run school. But, before any type of investigation of the incident was carried out, America condemned it, saying: “The United States is appalled by today’s disgraceful shelling outside an UNRWA school in Rafah … We once again stress that Israel must do more to meet its own standards and avoid civilian casualties.”

always put up a face to resolve every problem that pops up anywhere in the world but be soft to Israel no matter how many children and pregnant women are being killed.

US congressmen, as they do when it comes to countries like Bangladesh, won’t even send any letter, there won’t be a special congressional or House of Lords caucus to discuss the killings.

Look at what happened in St Louis recently. The death of Michael Brown by a police officer there has already shown that the so-called values of hu-

America will always put up a face to resolve every problem that pops up anywhere in the world

A similar incident happened in June 2007, when American troops killed seven Afghan children when they intentionally bombed a school, which they said was being used by their enemies. The only difference between the Israelis and the Americans was that the Americans didn’t fire blindly at their attackers, they intentionally bombed the school. But they thought there were no children in the school, and the children died. Of course, they said it was a mistake.

We all know that America will

man rights in that country are actually not what America wants the world to believe. The incident has indicated how discriminatory their society is.

The public representatives of this same society have been condemning the extra-judicial killings in Bangladesh and other places in the world. According to USA Today, on average, at least 400 police killings each year are reported to the FBI. A 2011 Reuters report by David Morgan says American Muslims are facing a rising tide of religious discrimina-

tion in US communities, workplaces, and schools even more than a decade after the September 11 attacks. We don’t need too much effort to find out whether what this report says is true or not. We all know about the disappearance of members of the Muslim community in America. When people don’t come back after their disappearances, we all can assume what could have happened to them.

When we talk about human rights in another country, we must assess how much humane our own acts are.

I feel tempted to talk about the state of the Native Americans, the so-called “Red Indians,” or “Injuns.” I also feel tempted to mention how the American nation treated their so-called “salves.”

We all know what happened to the ancestors of Native Americans.

It sounds amusing when the State Department imposes trade barriers and condemns labour rights in countries around the world. Has the US government paid the reparations to the descendants of Native and African American population who were brought to the country as salves?

If not, then should the US government talk about how much a garment worker’s minimum pay in Bangladesh should be?

We know that nation-states such as these have the strength to do many things that aren’t accepted by the people across the world. We’d love to see these countries realise this fact, and start thinking of doing something about it. l Ekram Kabir, a journalist, is a DT columnist.

Who the bride-to-be is, only Imran Khan’s inner circle would know. He has drawn a discreet veil over her identity. He wants to wait until his “New Pakistan” has settled in before he is prepared to settle down. If he keeps his promise to his followers (and to her), and if he continues his monorail policy of confrontation with the Sharif brothers, this bride-in-waiting may have to cool her hennaed heels for weeks, perhaps for months, possibly even for years.

It is already a full fortnight since Imran Khan and Maulana Tahirul Qadri – the twin horns of Nawaz Sharif’s dilemma – led their cohorts to a sit down outside Parliament House in Islamabad. “A week,” the British Prime Minister Harold Wilson once said, “is a long time in politics.” By that measure, to many suffering Pakistanis, this past fortnight has seemed like an eternity.

They have watched their hapless capital hostage to two demagogues – one a fiery cleric stoking a religious revival and exhorting improved governance; the other a passionate socialite do-gooder predicting the advent of a New Pakistan, with himself as its prime minister.

Imran Khan’s courage cannot be questioned, nor his integrity impeached. He is audacious, persistent, and uncompromising. He is also impatient, impetuous, and impulsive.

It is no secret that he regards himself as his own best adviser and therefore, like the lawyer who elects to defend himself, he has a fool for a client.

Posing as a modern Moses determined to convert Egypt into the Promised Land, he has refused to accept anything less than the head of the pharaoh. He may have to settle for the bitter herbs of isolation.

It has taken a talent of Imran Khan’s proportions to have alienated in the space of a fortnight almost everyone of significance in the country – the prime minister of the country, the chief minister of its largest province, the spectrum of parliamentary parties, his storm ravaged electorate in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the judiciary,

ex-chief justices, the election commission, the police – to name just a few of his freshly-moulded enemies.

It would take courage equal to Imran Khan’s stature to admit that he could have been wrong. Winston Churchill once wrote of a similar aspirant for a prime ministership – the inflexible Lord Curzon who in 1923 saw his prize awarded instead to Stanley Baldwin – that because Curzon would not stoop, he did not conquer.

Imran Khan must have realised (as those around and beneath him already have) that his use of intransigence was perhaps not the best crowbar to prise Nawaz Sharif out of his seat. Patience brings its own rewards; impatience exacts its own penalties.

Mian Nawaz Sharif has opted to answer Imran Khan’s rhetoric with silence, defamation with decorum.

He can, however, be faulted for his judgement: First, in defending his favourite Khawaja Saad Rafique whose questionable victory in NA 125 (Imran’s Khan’s posh stronghold) triggered the present fracas. Secondly, for nominating the very same Saad Rafique to conduct the parleys with the Tahirul Qadri’s PAT and Imran Khan’s PTI. Provocation could not have been more contemptuously personified.

Sooner rather than later, Tahirul Qadri’s “People’s Parliament” and Imran Khan’s face-painted followers will have to return to the reality that is Pakistan. After that, all of them – leaders and the led - will have time enough to assess the brevity of their victories and the length of their failures.

Constitution Avenue will have been cleared and the organs of the federal government allowed to return to their offices. There, they will find their in-trays piled high with recurring, inescapable problems such as a tottering economy, a falling rupee, unwanted IDPs, water disputes with India, skirmishes on the LOC in Kashmir, law and order, etc ad infinitum.

Whatever these two container-orators may or may not have learned from this avoidable episode in our nation’s history, Pakistan’s public is certainly better educated. It has witnessed demagoguery at its best, and worst.

It has taken a talent of Imran Khan’s proportions to have alienated almost everyone of significance

It has learned to be wary of TV anchorpersons peddling poisoned opinions.

It has realised that the demons of our past have not been completely exorcised. And, it now knows that Imran Khan (an agile 62-year-old) is getting married.

To paraphrase Cicero, no one is so old that he does not think he could be a prime minister once, and a bridegroom again. l

FS Aijazuddin is an author and art historian.

This article was first published in Dawn.

Who’s that knocking at my window? n Syed Ishtiaque Reza

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s it very difficult to describe Dhaka?

Dhaka is raw, hard, full of rubble and odor, and so much dirt.

Bangladesh is beautiful, but the capital is uncomfortable. Dhaka was once known as the city of mosques, but now one can easily call it a city of beggars.

Anywhere your car stops in the city, beggars are there to knock on the car window.

The growing number of beggars might give us the impression that this is perhaps the easiest way for many to earn bread and butter in this city.

Beggars are a nuisance in Dhaka. At every road junction of Dhaka, you meet them day in and day out.

Starting from children to aging men and women, the beggars are there on the roads from early morning to midnight. Not only physically challenged people, but also physically fit women and children are seen on the streets begging.

The economic growth in many areas is quite visible through the infrastructural and industrial growth in the

cities, but those can be overshadowed by the plight of the beggars of the metropolis. A nation may be poor, but does it mean that the number of beggars will rise everyday in the capital?

Begging – a long-term problem – deserves serious attention of the policy planners. Sensible approach is required to get rid of it, as it does not bring anything good to the society except disgrace.

Long ago, a weekly magazine had a cover story on Dhaka city beggars.

It was a revealing story. It said if you think that unemployment and disability are the only factors propelling people towards begging, you are wrong.

Many of the “able bodied” resort to begging, and some of the beggars are even rich.

Yet, they beg as no other profession could give them so much money.

Metropolitan police, social welfare department, and other departments concerned have been promising for years that Dhaka beggars would be rehabilitated to ensure that the dwellers of the city are spared from the alms-seekers, who try out all their tricks to get what

they want. But nothing was done about this so far.

It is not possible to know the specific number of beggars. Various reports say the number could be 700,000, and it is rising every single day. Jobless and homeless people from across the country often come to Dhaka to find work and finally end up begging on the streets. There are beggars who have been running this business for generation after generation.

Poverty is a severe problem, but the troubling part is that a vested syndicate is reportedly active in this trade.

Though many people end up begging because of poverty, it has become a menace. Recently, begging has become a part of organised crime.

Police and RAB officials say syndicate members are adopting heinous strategies such as kidnapping children and making them disabled forever in order to force them to beg. According to law enforcers, thousands of beggars are being controlled by hundreds of unscrupulous influential people for begging in groups in different places of Dhaka.

The groups that trade in begging collect paralysed, blind, and disfigured children, men, and women, and deploy them to beg at public places on a salary or commission basis. There is also allegation of criminalising the beggars instead of rehabilitating them.

If you think that unemployment and disability are the only factors propelling people towards begging, you are wrong

The question is how the metropolis can be cleared of these fortune-seeking beggars, as they are making the lives of the commuters difficult. Keeping the city roads free from beggars is a

daunting task. We have seen crackdowns on beggars by the successive governments. In fact, they return shortly after such drives.

During the last ICC Cricket World Cup, the government took steps to remove beggars from the streets of Dhaka and Chittagong cities where the matches took place. The government allocated Tk12.5cr for conducting a survey on beggars and to draw a rehabilitation program on the basis of its report.

A good number of NGOs were selected to help implement the rehabilitation program of the beggars, which was also a pre-election pledge of the present government. After the cricket World Cup was over, the beggars in Dhaka and Chittagong cities again returned to the streets.

It is true that a permanent solution to the nagging problem of begging is not easy to find. But the government should try harder to find a solution for this problem. The capital city is like the face of a country. The face should not give a bad impression to foreign guests who are coming here for

various purposes.

A comprehensive plan might solve the problem. The plan should include the private sector and NGOs to chalk out proper rehabilitation programs.

Since beggars are not used to hard work, they might resort to begging again if a detailed plan is not drawn up.

Industrialists can come forward to help the government rehabilitate beggars by giving them jobs in their industrial units. If banning begging is not possible, then the government must seriously think of a plan to rehabilitate beggars in various shelters and old homes, and provide the able bodied ones with vocational and technical training.

The problem of begging needs to be addressed cohesively, involving sustained, long-term, and collective action. Political will, the efforts of local administrations, NGOs, and the public will – all are needed to achieve this target. l Syed Ishtiaque Reza is Director of News, Ekattor Television.

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

Entertainment Indian documentary to be screened at Dhaka Art Center n Entertainment Desk An Indian documentary film titled “Pony & Me” will be showcased today at 5.30pm at the auditorium of Dhaka Art Center in the capital. Bangladesh Documentary Council arranged the screening in cooperation with Dhaka Art Center.

The documentary is on the armed conflict and violation of human rights in Manipur, India. Sunzu Bachaspatimayam, the director of the film, will join the post screening discussion from India via Skype. The screening is free and open for all. l

Shokh worried about success of second film n Milan Afridi

S

hokh’s second film “Olpo Olpo Premer Golpo” released yesterday at 100 cinemas across the country. Her rumoured ex boyfriend Niloy is the lead actor of the movie.

The release of the film created quite a hype in the social networks and ofcourse the supposed relationship between the lead actors helped maintain the hype.

Dhaka Tribune caught up with the starlet about the film, her chemistry with Niloy and more.

How does it feel to have completed your second film?

Obviously I feel good but I am worried as well.

This is a small budget production and I am unsure about the audience acceptance of the movie. My debut film “Bolo Na Tumi Amar” was directed by MB Manik and Shakib Khan was the hero. It was a big budget film and the

audience loved it. I am unsure whether “Olpo Olpo Premer Golpo” will make it big or not.

Rumour mills are turning with the news that you are getting back with Niloy. It it true?

Who said that? It is not possible ever because we have both moved on and it is all water under the bridge now. But I can say that the audience will surely enjoy our chemistry in the film. We were dating while shooting for the film.

Have you signed up for any other film?

I was really worried about the release of this film. Now that it is out, I will definitely think of doing more films.

We heard that you are to work with Shakib Khan in Ananya Mamun’s directorial venture.

No, I am not acting in the film. The offer was not matched perfectly so I have decided not to take up the project. To be honest, I do not feel like saying yes to everything. l

Saturday, August 30, 2014

Tagore singer Anima Roy performs at IGCC n Entertainment Desk Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre (IGCC) in association with Asian Paints, IRCON and Marico Bangladesh is organising an evening of Rabindra Sangeet by Anima Roy at 6:30pm on August 30, 2014 at their Gulshan premises.

Born in Dhaka, Anima Roy trained under stalwarts like Wahidul Haque and Sanjida Khatun through Chhayanaut and Tagore singer exponents like Mita Huq, Sadi Mohammad and Rezwana Choudhury Bannya. She is a founder of a music and art school Surbihar and is now working as a lecturer in the department of Drama and Music in Jagannath University. She

is a grade A artist of Tagore songs in the Bangladesh TV and Radio. She is also an enlisted anchor for the Bangladesh TV. Anima Roy has performed in almost all of the satellite channels of Bangladesh as a Tagore singer and at Tara Music in India on their special program “Aj Sokaler Amontrone” and at “Chirontoni.”

She is a member of “Bangladesh Rabindra Sangeet Shammilan Parishad” and “Bangladesh Rabindra Sangeet Shilpi Shangstha.” She is also the Cultural Secretary of Rabindra Academy. Anima has released five Audio CDs namely “Ochena Porodeshi,” “Kotha Jao,” “Ami Chitrangada,” “Icchamoti” and “Robir Alo” till date. l

Hello Kitty is not a cat n Entertainment Desk

Hello Kitty - despite having a name that’s 50 percent devoted to the term that refers to a young cat - is no feline. She is, rather, a little girl, the Los Angeles Times reports.

“She’s never depicted on all fours,” Christine R Yano, an anthropologist with the University of Hawaii who is curator of a Hello Kitty retrospective at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles in October, told the newspaper.

It’s not a matter of opinion, either, Yano said.

When she was preparing written texts for the

museum’s exhibit, she made the mistake of referring to Hello Kitty as, well, a cat.

“I was corrected - very firmly,” Yano told the Times. “That’s one correction Sanrio (the company that owns the character) made for my script for the show.”

“Hello Kitty emerged in the 1970s, when the Japanese and Japanese women were into Britain,” Yano told the Times. “They loved the idea of Britain. It represented the quintessential idealised childhood, almost like a white picket fence. So the biography was created exactly for the tastes of that time.” l

Naila Nayem featur ed in 9GAG n Entertainment Desk Naila Nayem, a model and actor who is in vogue for her appealing and tantalising images available in the social media has recently been featured in 9GAG, a website whose content is generally referred to as “memes” or “internet jokes.” Naila landed in the site with one of her alluring pictures and a caption that reads: “Guess which country.”

About the picture, Naila wrote on her Facebook: “Wow, I’m at 9gag.com! It’s said that, I’m probably the first Bangladeshi regarding whom a post has been posted [sic] a 9gag.com! Feeling I’m proud of being a Bangladeshi.” l

Bruce Springsteen to release picture book for children n Entertainment Desk “Outlaw Pete,” which is based on a ballad from Bruce Springsteen’s “Working on a Dream” album, will be published by Simon & Schuster on November 4.

The publisher said Thursday that the book will feature Springsteen’s lyrics and illustrations by Frank Caruso. Springsteen’s song was inspired by the children’s book “Brave Cowboy Bill,” which came out in 1950. Springsteen has said that his mother used to tell him bedtime stories about Cowboy Bill.

Another rock n roll superstar, Keith Richards, has a picture book out this fall. “Gus & Me,” scheduled for release September 9, is a tribute to Richards’ grandfather, musician Gus Dupree. l

Man of Steel HBO 9:30pm

Forced to confront his secret extrastellar origin, Superman learns to fight for Earth when it gets invaded by members of his own race.

Hollow Man Star Movies 9:30pm

Sebastian is an excellent scientist heading a top-secret research project. A special serum that can make the user totally invisible is developed.

HOLLYWOOD POWER COUPLE BRANJELINA TIES THE KNOT n Entertainment Desk

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt fell in love on the set of 2005 action film “Mr & Mrs Smith” - spawning the media phenomenon of “Brangelina” that has dominated celebrity journalism and the tabloids ever since.

They finally tied the knot after nine years together at a secret wedding in the south of France described as a “family affair” with their six children.

The A-list Oscar winners were married by a US judge on Saturday in a small chapel at Chateau Miraval, in the picturesque village of Correns, a spokeswoman for the Tinseltown royal couple said.

George Clooney was among the celebrity friends to congratulate them.

“I’m really happy for Brad and Angie and their whole family,” said the 53-year-old veteran bachelor, who announced his own engagement in April.

Jolie was walked down the aisle by her eldest sons Maddox and Pax. Daughters Zahara and Vivienne threw petals, while the couple’s other two children, Shiloh and Knox, were the ring bearers.

“It was very much a family affair,” the spokeswoman said in a statement.

A source told Access Hollywood: “The dress was very traditional, but very Angie, it was comfortable but plain white floor-length antique lace and silk. She definitely wore something that once belonged to her mother Marcheline Bertrand. A small gold locket with a photo of her mum inside it.”

Pitt, 50, and Jolie, 39, obtained a marriage license in California from a local US judge who travelled to France to conduct the wedding, which was described as a “non-denominational civil ceremony.” l

Dena Paona

Zila Shilpakala Academy, Cox’s Bazar stages Dena Paona on August 28 in the main hall of BSA. The play is an adaptation of a short story by Rabindranath Tagore and the staging is part of the theatre festival Shahitto Nirbhor Jatiyo Nattaya KHAN HASAN MUHAMMAD RAFI Ayojon 2014

Did you know?

AB de Villiers is the only player to average at least 50 in ODIs with a strike rate above 90, minimum 50 innings

Sport

Saturday, August 30, 2014

14 Alonso calls

Bayern move toughest decision

14 Argentine

Cambiasso joins Leicester City

Sushil denies hosts, crowd n Shishir Hoque from Sylhet In front of an enormous crowd, the Bangladesh Under-23 team fell to a narrow 1-0 defeat against the Nepal U-23 side in the second and final match of the SS Steel International Football Friendly Series at the Sylhet Zila Stadium yesterday.

Sushil KC broke the hearts of the brimful crowd as he came off the bench to score the all-important goal in the 78th minute of the game. The twomatch friendly series ended 1-1 with Bangladesh winning the first match by the same scoreline.

Above everything else, the game will be best remembered for its fanatic gathering at the north-eastern stadium as nearly 50,000 spectators gathered inside the stadium, more than double the capacity. Sylhet hosted its first ever international football game and the headlines will no doubt belong to the supporters who, surprisingly and against the law, occupied the main ground of the stadium watching the game from the sidelines.

After winning the first game in Dhaka, the boys in Red and Green were unable to handle the pressure of the raucous gathering and failed to replicate the heroic performance they exhibited on Tuesday.

The visitors scripted their first attack with just two minutes into the clock but Bangladesh goalkeeper Russel Mah-

mud Liton came to the rescue. A Rabin Shrestha free-kick found an unmarked Jagjeet Shrestha inside the box whose shot was brilliantly saved by Liton.

The home side had their first opportunity of the game in the 23rd minute but the referee blew his whistle for offside which did not look like one. Skipper Mamunul Islam provided a through pass for Sohel Rana who dribbled past two defenders before passing it to Yousuf Sifat.

Sifat had an open net in front of him but was judged to be in an offside position.

Two minutes later, Mamunul’s freekick created a good chance for Atiqur Rahman Meshu but the defender failed to connect the ball. A minute later, Mamunul’s long ball fell kindly inside the penalty area. Wahed Ahmed and Toklis Ahmed Tonmoy were there to take advantage but a misunderstanding from the Bangladesh forwards led to a Nepalese defender clearing it to safety.

The hosts were unlucky not to grab the lead in the 70th minute when Sohel’s powerful strike from outside the box hit the lower side of the woodwork following a free-kick from Yeamin Ahmed.

Substitute Sushil, who replaced Heman Gurung in the second half, put the visitors ahead in the 78th minute.

The substitute midfielder placed a low Rabin cross from the left flank after which the hosts were unable to come up with an equaliser. l

IIDFC Ispahani Stellar Digital Dhaka Tribune STS Group R’afrooze Storage Chevron

3-4 1-5 0-7 2-7 1-2 3-4 2-1 2-2

An overview of the jam-packed Sylhet Zila Stadium during the second friendly football match between the Bangladesh Under-23 team and the Nepal U-23 side COURTESY

n Shishir Hoque from Sylhet

HRC Group Gemcon Beximco Pharma Bando Design Beximco Textile Magnito Digital Therap BD Accenture

(Won 6-5 in penalties)

Midas

0-5

15 Utseya hat-trick

in vain as Proteas beat Zimbabwe

Bangladesh’s Dutch head coach Lodewijk de Kruif blamed the inexperience of his players while playing in front of a huge crowd as Nepal pipped the hosts 1-0 in the second and final international football friendly yesterday.

The Dutch coach also blamed the players for engaging themselves in offthe-field activities rather than concentrating on the game.

“I’m very disappointed about the performance of my players. My motto is always to protect my players as best as I can but today (yesterday) they were not ready for the 40-50,000 crowd,” said an annoyed De Kruif after the game.

“My boys were busy selling tickets, bringing their family members inside and not concentrating on their game.

They were busy with all kinds of hectic situations and were not ready for that so I’m very disappointed.

“I want to play five or six matches every year by facing the crowd like this.

Then my players will adopt the condition and will not be nervous.

“It’s not like they do not know how to play the game. They played good football in the previous match and also before that.

“The crowd was fantastic. I want to say thank you and also apologise to them because we could not win the game. I’m surprised and very happy that a lot of people in Bangladesh love football,” he added. l

Unreal crowd at the Sylhet Zila Stadium

Be it cricket or football or hockey or any other sports, an AbahaniMohammedan clash is always an exciting occasion for the players and fans alike. Similarly, the encounter between the two sides in the final of the Metropolitan Women’s Cricket League today at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium is once again expected to have an extra edge.

Mohammedan sealed their berth in the final after defeating Gulshan Youth Club by 99 runs in the first semifinal while Abahani registered their place following their eight-wicket win over Khelaghar Samaj Kalyan Samity.

The highest scorer of the tournament, Jahirul Islam City Club’s Sharmin Akhter Supta with 290 runs, however, will not be featuring in the final but the highest wicket-taker of the competition, Abahani’s Lata Mondol with 17 scalps will get the opportunity to add to her wickets tally. l

RESULTS

13

De Kruif blames inexperience n Shishir Hoque from Sylhet

Abahani-MSC clash in women’s final today n Mazhar Uddin

Qubee

DHAKA TRIBUNE

BAT

EXHIBITION MATCH SQUADS Dhaka City 1. Shakib al Hasan (National Cricketer) 2. Ahad Bhai (MD, Stellar Digital) 3. Kyle Kelhofer (Country Manager, IFC) 4. Naomi Hossain (Director, NU Vista Pharma) 5. Star Faruque (Director, Winners Creation) 6. Shafiqul Azam (MD, Midas Financing) 7. Sadequl Arefeen (MD, Spellbound) 8. Tassafy Hossain (Founder, One Billion Rising) 9. Ashiqur Rahman (Excalibur Entertainment) 10. Rezaul Hossain (COO, bKash) Bangla United 1. Mahmudul Haque (MD, Vizrt) 2. Moinul Haseeb (VP, Trust Bank) 3. Mozammel Hossain (VC, Runner Group) 4. Mainul Huda (CFO, Qubee) 5. Sonia Bashir (Country Manager, Microsoft) 6. Samiur Rahman (Head of Retail, IPDC) 7. Zakir Ahmed (Head of Finance, Gemcon) 8. Mujibul Hassan (Division Head, SWISSCONTACT) 9. Neda Shakiba (ULAB) 10. Abdul Mabud (CMO, Bangla Trac) 11. Daniel Muhor (GM, The Westin)

An action between Shamima Aktar of Bangladesh Ansar (Blue) and Sharmin Aktar of Md Ali Boxing Club, Jessore (Red) in the Walton 1st National Junior Womens Boxing Tournament in the 45kg category at the Mohammad Ali Boxing Stadium yesterday.

Shamima won the match MUMIT M

The huge crowd who had thronged to the Sylhet Zila Stadium for the second and final friendly football match between the Bangladesh Under-23 team and the Nepal U-23 side has probably broken all the previous records in recent times.

More than 50,000 supporters were present inside the stadium which has a capacity of not more than 25,000. A little over 25,000 fans watched the game from the main ground, gathering inches away from the touchline, previously unheard of in the history of Bangladesh football.

The overload of the spectators forced the match officials to delay the game for an hour which was originally scheduled to get underway at 5pm.

It was learned that the number of tickets sold for the game was more than the capacity of the stadium with around 40,000 tickets sold for the final friendly of the SS Steel International Friendly Series between the two sides.

The ones who had arrived early to the venue managed to get inside the galleries but the supporters who were unable

to make it to the venue gathered outside the stadium.

Just before kick-off when the national anthems of the two sides were played out, the fans broke out and unlocked the main gate of the stadium and, like a troop of ants, they invaded the main ground. The officials had no other option but to stop the game.

Some of them even tried to enter the press box and were successful.

Most of the supporters who entered the main ground unlawfully had the tickets of the game and some of them were carrying VIP tickets.

The game, however, kicked off an hour later with the supporters hovering just outside the touchline of every corner of the pitch. The security of the players was at risk and concerns surrounding the game was obviously there but against all odds the game rolled on.

Bangladesh Football Federation general secretary Abu Naeem Shohag explained why they started the game. “The match commissioners instructed the referee to start the game when he was certain that the crowd could be controlled

Thunderbolt and Lightning at the STM n Arsalan Quddus The penultimate day of the Ascent Cup saw the quarter finals of the cup and plate being played out yesterday. The usual heavy weights like Beximco Pharma, IIDFC, Bando Design and Gemcon were all present at the STM, bright and early proudly displaying their jersey colours and logos to their adoring fans.

Rashidul scoring a consolation for the financing firm.

Ispahani’s elation from beating Securex yesterday was short lived as they faced a rampant Beximco Pharma, who showed them no sympathy in 7-0 hiding. Adil, Sunny, Mukul and Shuvo all taking turns in making the Ispahani keeper retrieve the ball from the back of his nets.

Bando Design took Stellar Digital to the

cleaners in a 7-2 bashing. Their mercurial captain cum CEO, Imranur Rahman scoring a spectacular 5 in this match, bringing his goal tally to a whopping 19. I have covered this tournament for many years and I cannot recall anyone scoring this many goals. He is natural shoo in for the Golden Boot undoubtedly. Stellar Digital kept looking at the ref in the final minutes to put them out of their misery, but a back heeled flick from Imran just about knocked the stuffing out of Stellar.

First off was an out and out thriller with Qubee taking on the in-form HRC Group in the Plate Quarter Finals. Qubee’s Noor E Alam started the scoring but very soon found out that tea giants meant business.

In the end, a lapse of concentration from the Qubee keeper cum captain Mesbaur saw the ball slip through his gloves, as HRC took all 3 points and well on their way to the semis. Ferdous & Sejon both scoring doubles. Qubee’s performance in this tournament has been an eye opener and we wish them more success in the years to come.

It was a case of déjà vu as last years Cup Quarter Finalists IIDFC and Gemcon locked horns again this year. However, unlike the previous year, Gemcon romped into the semis with a 5-1 drubbing. Shamim on a hatrick and Prosanto Hombrom on a brace.

It was the end of the road for last years cup Champions, Dhaka Tribune who were involved in an intense battle with Beximco Textiles. The quality of football was much appreciated by the crowds despite the low score line.

BexiTex will no doubt be thanking their stars on securing a scalp like Tribune, however one is rarely allowed to rest on one’s laurels in this tournament, especially considering how tough it will be when they face their next opponents in the plate semi finals.

In other matches, we saw the STS Group’s fine run in this tournament come to an end as Magnito grabbed all 3 points to progress to the Semi Finals.

A mouthwatering clash awaits as face Beximco Textiles today.

We bid farewell to Jabed, Rezwan, Shahid, Dr Lodi and Dr Rubaiyat of STS Group who’s exploits will be remembered in the STM Hall for a long time to come.

In the last day today, an exhibition match involving the CEOs/MDs/Heads of different organistaions will be played just before the finals at approximately 4:30pm pm. l

Bando Design (Yellow) are up against Stellar Digital in the Ascent Corporate five-a-side Soccer Cup yesterday COURTESY

Arsalan Quddus is a key member of the organiser Excalibur Entertainment, a die hard Manchester United fan and also a passionate football fanatic.

beyond the chain of security forces.”

One of the main concerns of the organisers before the game was how to control the game as it was inevitable that the crowd would surpass the capacity of the seats after 90 percent of the tickets were sold out a day before the game.

The organisers must admit their failure in not being able to control the situation and they struggled a lot at times while controlling the fans during the game.

Security forces and the number of volunteers were also not upto the mark in controlling the crowd. Only 400 policemen were present when the game started but it was not enough and the amount of law-enforcement authorities were increased after the situation worsened.

Shohag informed that around 150 policemen were added to the original roster.

Sylhet District Football Association president Mohiuddin Selim said, “We sold 25,000 tickets according to the capacity of the stadium. But many general fans thought that they could get the tickets before the game and gathered around the venue as the game was about to begin.” l

Sunny to replace Gazi in Test squad n Mazhar Uddin Left-arm spinner Elias Sunny is likely to be called up to the Bangladesh side for the upcoming two-match Test series against the West Indies in place of off-spinner Sohag Gazi whose bowling action was recently deemed to be susceptible during the second ODI about a week ago.

It was learned that the selectors are willing to send Sunny to the Caribbean as the left-arm spinner is currently the best possible option available at the moment. According to sources, the team management is looking to add some strength in the lower-order batting department alongside inserting an extra spinner after the departure of Gazi from the West Indies.

However, Sunny informed that he was yet to receive any message from the Bangladesh Cricket Board regarding his inclusion. “I did not receive any call from the board about joining the Test squad and I can only comment regarding the issue after getting the confirmation,” said Sunny.

The 28-year old spinner made his Test debut against the Windies at home in 2011 and picked up the man-of-the-match award after taking seven wickets in the match. However, Sunny played the last of his four Tests last year against Sri Lanka in Galle where the spinner went wicket-less. l

14

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

Saturday, August 30, 2014

REACTION TO UCL DRAW Group A

hit top form earlier than us.”

Atletico Madrid (ESP), Juventus (ITA), Olympiakos (GRE), Malmo (SWE)

Group E

Atletico sporting director Caminero: “Big teams, all of them champions of their respective leagues. We are going to meet some great players who will make it very difficult but we will compete at our top level, as we always do, to reach the last 16.”

Bayern sports director Sammer:

Juventus chief executive Marotta:

Man City’s director of football Txiki:

“Sincerely, it’s not too bad a group. Of course, there are pitfalls: Malmo are in full activity in a championship that finishes in November. But we will honor the shirt we wear.”

“It’s a very, very, tough group.

They are very strong teams.

I think (it’s the toughest group). It’s spectacular all the clubs try to play good football. It will be an amazing group. We are happy with the squad we have for this season. We’ve signed some very good players. We want to improve in the Champions League.”

Group B Real Madrid (Spain) Basel (Switzerland) Liverpool (England) Ludogorets (Bulgaria)

Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo:

Legia Warsaw fans display a giant banner of a pig, referencing the Union of European Football Associations (Uefa), after the Polish club was ejected from the Champions League, during their Europa League playoff match against Kazakhstan’s Aktobe in Warsaw on Thursday. Legia beat Celtic 6-1 on aggregate in their third qualifying-round tie, but they failed to take their place in the playoff round after Uefa ruled they had fielded an ineligible player REUTERS

Don’t expect Di Maria to transform United: van Gaal n AFP, London Louis van Gaal admits not even his record-breaking swoop for Angel Di Maria will be enough to revive Manchester United immediately as the Argentina star prepares for his debut at Burnley on Saturday.

Van Gaal shattered the British transfer record with his £59.7 million ($98 million) signing of Di Maria from Real Madrid as he continued a major overhaul of United’s underachieving squad which has exceeded £130 million since he took charge.

Di Maria should get his first taste of the Premier League at some stage during United’s trip to Turf Moor, but van Gaal isn’t expecting miracles from the midfielder despite his impressive pedigree.

United are still waiting for their first victory under van Gaal after losing to

Swansea, drawing with Sunderland and then suffering an abject 4-0 defeat at League One minnows Milton Keynes Dons in midweek.

FIXTURES Burnley Everton Man City Newcastle QPR Swansea West Ham

v v v v v v v

Man Utd Chelsea Stoke Crystal Palace Sunderland West Brom Southampton

“I think we have to look to the future and what we are doing now which is restoring and rebuilding a new team.

“We cannot expect after two days’ training that Di Maria is the miracle what I already read about.

“You have to work for the miracle.

He has to adapt to the qualities of the team but also the team has to adapt to

his qualities.”

Chelsea have a 100 percent record, but those wins came against newly-promoted Burnley and Leicester, making Saturday’s trip to Everton the first serious test of the Blues’ title credentials.

Mourinho’s side are likely to come up against one or both of their former strikers Romelu Lukaku and Samuel Eto’o.

Lukaku, who hopes to recover from a toe injury, and Eto’o, who could make his debut after joining Everton this week, were both allowed to leave Chelsea by Mourinho and Blues captain John Terry knows the old boys will be out for revenge.

Champions City are also off to a 100 percent start and will expect to maintain their winning record at home to Stoke City.

Neil Warnock begins his second spell in charge of Crystal Palace with a trip to Newcastle. l

Spurs, Inter in Europa draw, Lyon, Hull miss out n AFP, Paris Tottenham and Inter Milan on Thursday qualified for the Europa League group stage draw but among those failing to make it across the play-off line were Lyon and Real Sociedad.

Also missing from Friday’s draw in Monaco were Hull City, Spurs’ Premier League rivals who agonisingly on their first European adventure lost out on away goals to Belgian outfit Lokeren.

Tottenham continued their bright start to the season with a 3-0 win at White Hart Lane over Cypriot outfit Limassol earning them a 5-1 aggregate victory. l

KEY RESULTS Villarreal (ESP) M’gladbach (GER) Inter Milan (ITA) Hull City (ENG) Tottenham (ENG)

Astana (KAZ) 4-0 Sarajevo (BIH) 7-0 Stjarnan (ISL) 6-0 Lokeren (BEL) 2-1 3-0 AEL Limassol (CYP)

Overworked Ronaldo claims he is close to best n

Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo (C) reacts after winning the UEFA European Best Player of the Year award, next to Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer (L) and Bayern Munich midfielder Arjen Robben on Thursday in Monaco AFP

UCL DRAW IN NUMBERS

6

Chelsea have won their last six games in Europe against Portuguese sides, each by a single goal

2

Manchester City have won two of their last three matches against Bayern Munich in the Champions League (L1)

3

Liverpool have won all three of their European Cup/ Champions League games against Real Madrid

0

Chelsea have never conceded to Schalke in four Champions League games

3

Arsenal have faced Borussia Dortmund in three of their four Champions League campaigns.

10 0

Chelsea have progressed from the CL Group Stage in 10 of their last 11 apps, failing only as reigning champions in 2012-13.

2014-15 will be the first edition of the Champions League not to feature Man Utd since 1995-96.

Reuters, Barcelona

Cristiano Ronaldo admits that he suffered for pushing himself too much at the end of last season but is now close to his best as Real Madrid prepare to face Real Sociedad this weekend.

The Portuguese forward, who was named UEFA’s Best Player in Europe on Thursday, suffered knee problems at the end of the last campaign and was not fully recovered by the World Cup. “In life you don’t win without mak-

ing sacrifices and you have to take risks.

Perhaps in other circumstances I would have acted differently,” Ronaldo told.

“Things went well and I beat the record of goals in the Champions League.

I then had holidays where I could rest a month and only had treatment and looked after my body. Last week I was running okay but I still need some days to be at my best although it will be soon.

“Clearly I did (force myself too much). I should probably have stopped and now I would be fine.”l

Alonso calls Bayern move toughest decision n AFP, Madrid Spain’s midfield hero Xabi Alonso said Friday that moving from Real Madrid to Bayern Munich had been “the most complicated” decision of his career.

Alonso spoke about his “new adventure” after Real confirmed that it had reached agreement with the German champions for a transfer that Spanish media said was worth 10 million euros ($13 million).

The 32-year-old passed a medical in Munich on Thursday.

A member of the Spanish side that won the World Cup in 2010 and the European Championships in 2008 and 2012, Alonso joined Real from Liverpool in 2009.

Alonso told a press conference that the transfer decision had been “the most complicated of my life.”

“After winning the ‘Decima’ (10th title), I sensed a new cycle opening at the club and that I should do the same,” he said.

“Perhaps many things ended and that to stay at my best level I needed

this change.” Thanks for everything.

That’s all,” Alonso added on his Twitter account after the press conference.

Alonso, who played 114 games for Spain, had been tipped to move last year, but in January signed a contract extension with Real until 2016.

His experience, midfield vision and brilliant long passes will be a valuable boost to Bayern’s Spanish coach Pep Guardiola who has serious midfield troubles.l

“It (playing Liverpool) is going to be tough. In general the group is nice, it’s good for Real Madrid. “We are going to try and do the same again this season. It will be difficult but Real Madrid are always thinking big, thinking huge.”

Liverpool manager Rodgers: “Initially, we’re excited. To be back in it again, no matter who we were going to play, it was always going to be exciting.

But to have Real Madrid in your group, the champions last season, is going to be special. I’m already thinking of Anfield on that night.”

Ex-Liverpool defender Carragher: Great draw for LFC decent chance to get through and the experience for the players of playing against Madrid.

Real away my first Euro trip as a fan.

Group C Benfica (Portugal) Zenit (Russia) Bayer Leverkusen (Germany) Monaco (France)

Leverkusen’s sporting director Voeller: “We’ve copped the best team in the fourth pot with Monaco. Before that we had perhaps been a bit lucky, but with Monaco in there it’s become a very even group. It will be difficult to qualify, but we are optimistic, we have nothing to lose and we want to reach the last 16 like last year.”

Monaco striker Germain on Twitter: “This is a fairly homogeneous group...I hope we will have our say.

We could have fallen on a more difficult group, even if those are teams with European experience.”

Zenit midfielder Javi Garcia: “We are in a very even group, I would even say that it is the most even group out of them all. The four teams each have an equal chance of getting through to the knockout stages. Personally, I am really glad that I will get the chance to play in Lisbon again.”

Group D

Cambiasso joins Leicester City n Reuters Former Argentina and Inter Milan midfielder Esteban Cambiasso has joined Leicester City on a one-year deal, the English Premier League club said on Thursday.

Cambiasso, 34, was a free agent after being released in the close-season by Inter, where he spent 10 years and won five Serie A titles and the Champions League. He made more than 50 appearances for Argentina and scored one of the goals of the tournament at the 2006 World Cup, finishing off a 26-pass move in an 6-0 rout of Serbia.

Cambiasso began his playing career at Independiente, before having spells at River Plate and Real Madrid.l

Bayern Munich (Germany) Man City (Eng) CSKA Moscow (Russia) Roma (Italy)

Arsenal (England) Dortmund (Ger) Galatasaray (Turkey) Anderlecht (Bel)

Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp: “We are meeting some old acquaintances and some fresh faces. I have never played in Anderlecht or Istanbul. Before the draw we didn’t really wish for any particular opponents so we are taking it as it happened.”

“The group is hugely attractive but also very, very difficult. It is, however, also the right challenge for us.”

AS Roma president James Palottta: “Will it be difficult for us?

It will be difficult for the teams who have to play us. You have to play and beat the best if you want to progress in the Champions League “It will be enjoyable to meet up with (Bayern and former Roma defender) Benatia again; the whole team is looking forward to the challenge.

Group F Barcelona (Spain) PSG (France) Ajax (Netherlands) APOEL Nicosia (Cyprus)

Barca sporting director Zubizarreta: “When you start your draw with PSG, you know that they have a very difficult opponent.

After that, we have Ajax which is a team historically very closely linked to Barca. We had never played against them in Europe and this is the second season running that that happens, history repeats itself. Apoel is a novelty for us but my memory tells me that Apoel in Europe is always a very difficult team to beat. We will play in the same way against PSG as against Ajax or any other team.”

PSG President Nasser Al-Khelaifi: “I don’t think this is going to be easy. Zlatan Ibrahimovic will rediscover his old teams, Ajax Amsterdam and Barca, who we played two years ago.

This year I hope we have a better team to win against Barca. I am very proud of PSG and it makes me proud when I sense the respect of other clubs.

Ajax coach Frank de Boer: “We showed last year that we can cause surprises, but with these teams (PSG and Barcelona) it will be difficult to come first or second in the group.

“PSG have ambitions to win the Champions League within four or five years. I think we are now in the third year. They certainly have a very strong team. A good team with many stars, but we are also a good team.”

Group G Chelsea (England) Schalke 04 (Germany) Sp Lisbon (Portugal) Maribor (Slovenia)

Schalke sports director Horst Heldt: “We still have a bill to settle with Chelsea.

They are the favourites in the group and for us it is about performing well against the other clubs and again go past the group stage.”

Group H Porto (Portugal) Shakhtar (Ukraine) At Bilbao (Spain) BATE Borisov (Belarus)

Porto coach Julen Lopetegui: “We know that the Champions League is always complicated.

It’s a difficult, tough group and I think it will

Galatasaray midfielder Olcan Adin: “I believe we can qualify. On paper, Anderlecht might seem like the weakest team in the group but the away game will certainly be difficult. Their domestic league has already started and they might

be very even.

“Athletic are a team with tremendous energy and great power who deserved to get to this stage against Napoli.”

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

Utseya hat-trick in vain as Proteas beat Zimbabwe

QUICK BYTES

Chennai Titans in talks with Ronaldinho An ISL stint will allow Ronaldinho to play for an MLS side early next year, which is the player’s desire. Player keen on short-term contract, which is likely to work in franchise’s favour Indian Super League franchise team Chennai Titans is in talks with two-time FIFA World Player of the Year, Ronaldinho.

The Hindu has learnt that the Brazilian legend has been approached by the Chennai team, according to a highly-placed source. The player’s brother, Roberto de Assis, who is also his agent, is negotiating the terms of the contract. If progress is made, he will arrive in India with Ronaldinho to finalise the deal, the source said. Titans - which was represented by cine star Abhishek Bachchan at the ISL’s emblem launch function in Mumbai on Thursday - is looking to sign Ronaldinho for a period of two years.

–The Hindu

n Reuters, Harare

Man City exit looms for Richards and Sinclair The Manchester City careers of Micah Richards, Scott Sinclair and John Guidetti appear to be over after manager Manuel Pellegrini said the trio were not part of the squad for this season. Former England defender Richards, who made his debut for the club in 2005, has rarely featured under Pellegrini, kept out of the side by Pablo Zabaleta and further marginalised by the arrival of Bacary Sagna from Arsenal. Sweden international Guidetti has not played a league match since joining in 2008, while Sinclair was sent out on loan to West Bromwich Albion last season. “We’ll see what happens in the next 48 hours, they know they are not part of the squad because we have enough players for the squad but I don’t have any news about them at this time,” Pellegrini told reporters ahead of Saturday’s Premier League match against Stoke City. The Chilean said striker Sergio Aguero, who has netted in both City’s league wins this season over Newcastle United and Liverpool after coming on as a second-half substitute, was fit to play after photos appearing to show him in pain during training on Thursday.

–Reuters

Crystal Palace re-sign winger Zaha on loan Crystal Palace have re-signed winger Wilfried Zaha from Manchester United on a season-long loan, the Premier League club announced on Thursday.

The 21-year-old joined United from Palace for 15 million pounds ($24.87 million) in January last year, but returns to Selhurst Park having failed to break into the first-team at Old Trafford. “I’m just buzzing to be back, to be in and around the lads again,” he said on the Crystal Palace website (www.cpfc.co.uk).

“There have been rumours for a while, but it was only yesterday that it got sorted out and I was happy it got sorted out ASAP because I just need to get out and play. “The best place to come back to is Palace where I am loved.”

–Reuters

DAY’S WATCH Ten Cricket 10:30AM Pakistan tour of Sri Lanka 3rd ODI Star Sports 1 3:30PM India tour of England Third ODI 12:45AM Italian Serie A Roma v Fiorentina Star Sports 2 Braclays Premier League 5:45PM Burnley v Man United 8:00PM Man City v Stoke City 10:30PM Everton v Chelsea

Zimbabwe bowler Prosper Utseya celebrates a wicket during their ODI triangular series match against South Africa at the Harare Sports Club yesterday AFP

15

Saturday, August 30, 2014

South Africa survived a batting collapse precipitated by a hat-trick from spinner Prosper Utseya to beat Zimbabwe by 61 runs in the third match of the triangular series on Friday.

Utseya, who finished with career-best figures of five for 36, became only the second Zimbabwean to take a hat-trick in a one-day international as South Africa delivered an off-key batting performance to be bowled out for 231.

But Zimbabwe, with their best chance of rare win over a major cricketing power, fell well short of the target as they were bowled out for 170 off 38.3 overs.

South Africa, who convincingly beat Australia thanks to a fine batting display on Wednesday, raced to 142 after 24 overs before stand-in captain Hashim Amla was stumped off Utseya for 66.

Five runs later fellow opener Quinton de Kock also departed, caught for a run-a-ball 76 as he tried to reverse sweep to become the first of Utseya’s hat-trick victims.

Rilee Rossouw was caught at first slip from the next ball and the big-hitting David Miller was trapped lbw as Utseya bowled an attacking line to the left-hander.

Utseya took his fifth wicket when he trapped JP Duminy lbw.

South African wickets continued to tumble at regular intervals as they teetered at 195 for nine with seven overs left before a last-wicket partnership of 36

lifted them to a more respectable total.

Imran Tahir made 23 not out to ensure the visitors used up all but one ball of their allocated 50 overs.

Impressive hitting from Sikandar Raza and Hamilton Masakadza gave Zimbabwe a confident start but spinner Aaron Phangiso bowled the beefy Masakadza with his fourth ball and uprooted the wicket of the dangerous Brendan Taylor for a duck.

BRIEF SCORE

South Africa 231 all out in 49.5 overs (de Kock 76, Amla 66, Utseya 5-36, Nyumbu 3-42) Zimbabwe 170 all out in 38.3 overs (Williams 46, McLaren 3-24, Steyn 3-36) South Africa by 61 runs Sean Williams and Malcolm Waller put together a 46-run fifth wicket partnership but Waller was caught off a short delivery from Dale Steyn and Williams, who top-scored for Zimbabwe with 46 runs off 79 balls, holed out to Amla at midwicket off Ryan McLaren.

The last four wickets went for 17 runs to give South Africa, whose regular one-day captain AB de Villiers missed the game with a viral infection, a comfortable win with more than 10 overs to spare.

“We have to learn to win games.

We work hard in the nets but come the games we fall short,” Zimbabwe captain Elton Chigumbura told reporters. l

Tigers’ lone threedayer begins today n Mazhar Uddin Following a disastrous run in the just-concluded three-match one-day international series, the touring Bangladesh side will now shift their focus to the longer format as they face St. Kitts and Nevis today in the solitary threeday practice match at Warner Park.

The visitors will be looking to regain their confidence in the three-dayer before taking on the hosts in the first of two Test matches on September 5.

Despite losing the ODI series 3-0, Bangladesh salvaged some consolation in the third and final one-dayer against the West Indies as opener Tamim Iqbal and skipper Mushfiqur Rahim registered half-centuries.

The lone T20I, which followed the ODIs, was abandoned due to rain as Bangladesh were batting on 31 runs without loss in 4.4 overs. The visitors’ top-order, however, is still a matter of concern as Imrul Kayes has struggled throughout the limited-over series. The absence of all-rounder Shakib al Hasan was felt strongly not only in batting but also in the spin department.

The Bangladesh spinners are expected to play a vital role in the Test series. Veteran spinner Abdur Razzak, who has been toiling without any success recently, makes way for left-arm spinner Taijul Islam. Taijul is likely to make his Test debut after he impressed during Bangladesh ‘A’ team’s tour of the Caribbean recently.

The pace-bowling department will rely heavily on young paceman AlAmin Hossain who was the highest wicket-taker from both the sides in the ODI series. Al Amin bagged 10 wickets while another pace bowler Robiul Islam is also expected to feature in the Tests after earlier proving his worth in the longer format of the game. l

Sevilla, Everton get tricky draws Shakib unavailable n AFP, Monaco

EUROPA LEAGUE GROUPING

Spanish holders Sevilla and English side Everton have been handed tricky ties in the draw for the UEFA Europa League groups stage made in Monaco on Friday.

Sevilla, bidding for a record fourth title in the second-tier European competition, won last season by beating Benfica on penalties.

But in their path are Standard Liege of Belgium and Dutch two-timer winners Feyenoord, in a Group G which also includes Croatian minnows Rijeka.

English side Everton have been drawn in Group H alongside Wolfsburg of Germany, French side Lille and Turkish outfit Krasnodar, who advanced past Real Sociedad in the preliminary rounds.

Wolfsburg also have several topclass players such as Ivica Olic, Josuha Guilavogui, Kevin De Bruyne and Brazilian Luiz Gustavo.

Eliminated by Porto in the Champions League, Lille can count on their tight defence which helped them to

Group A Villarreal (Esp) M’gladbach (Ger) FC Zurich (Sui) Limassol (Cyp) Group B Copenhagen (Den) Club Bruges (Bel) Torino (Ita) HJK Helsinki (Fin) Group C Tottenham (Eng) Besiktas (Tur) P Belgrade (Ser) Asteras (Gre) Group D Salzburg (Aus) Celtic (Sco) Dinamo Zagreb (Cro) FC Astra (Rom) Group E PSV (Ned) Panathinaikos (Gre) Estoril (Por) Dynamo Moscow (Rus) Group F Inter Milan (Italy) Dnipro (Ukr) St Etienne (Fra) Qarabag (Aze) third in Ligue 1 last season.

In Group C, Tottenham are favourites but face three tough trips to Besiktas in Turkey, Serbian side Partizan Belgrade and Greek outfit Asteras Tripolis.

England ponder options after Botham blast n AFP, Nottingham England will have criticism from allround great Ian Botham ringing in their ears as they try to get back on level terms with India in the third one-day international at Trent Bridge on Saturday.

Wednesday’s huge 133-run defeat by India in Cardiff was almost a textbook demonstration of what have been England’s major weaknesses in one-day cricket in recent years.

It prompted a disillusioned Botham, now a commentator with Sky Sports, to write off England’s chances at next

year’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

“We have absolutely no chance of winning the World Cup as on the evidence I’ve seen here we are miles behind the rest,” said Botham.

After the match, England captain Alastair Cook labelled retired former team-mate Graeme Swann a “so-called friend” for suggesting in his new role as a radio commentator that England “do not have a cat in hell’s chance” of winning the World Cup and that the team would be better off if he didn’t lead them at the tournament.l

Group G Sevilla (Esp) Std Liege (Bel) Feyenoord (Ned) HNK Rijeka (Cro) Group H Lille (Fra) Vfl Wolfsburg (Ger) Everton (Eng) FK Krasnodar (Rus) Group I Napoli (Ita) Sparta Prague (Cze) Young Boys (Sui) Slovan Bratislava (Slo) Group J Dynamo Kiev (Ukr) Steaua (Rom) Rio Ave (Por) AaB Aalborg (Den) Group K Fiorentina (Ita) PAOK Salonika (Gre) Guingamp (Fra) Dinamo Minsk (Bel) Group L Kharkiv (Ukr) Trabzonspor (Tur) Legia Warsaw (Pol) Lokeren (Bel) Celtic avoided meeting Legia Warsaw, the side who they controversially beat in Champions League qualifying, and are in Group D alongside Salzburg, Dinamo Zagreb and Astra Giurgiu.l

for Knight Riders n Cricinfo Shakib Al Hasan, the Bangladesh allrounder, will be unavailable for selection for Kolkata Knight Riders for the Champions League Twenty20. Even though the BCB this week relaxed the ban imposed on Shakib by allowing him to play domestic cricket form September, he still needed a fresh No Objection Certificate (NOC) to play in the CLT20.

The BCB reduced Shakib’s six-month suspension by three-and-a-half months, allowing him to be available for selection from September 15. However, the BCB’s ban on NOCs, required for Shakib to participate in overseas leagues, remain in place until the end of 2015.

“Clearly for Champions League Twenty20 he is not available to us,” Venky Mysore, the Knight Riders’ chief executive, said. “Although we have the options it is unfortunate considering he is an important player for us. We just have to respect the BCB’s decision.”

Shakib was an important contribu-

tor to Knight Riders in their title-winning 2014 IPL season, scoring 227 runs at a strike rate of 149.34 and taking 11 wickets with an economy rate of 6.68.

It is understood that technically the existing NOC submitted by Shakib to the franchise is valid till December 2015 but due to the stringent posture taken

Although we have the options it is unfortunate considering he is an important player for us by the BCB with respect to his recent actions, Shakib would have needed to get a fresh NOC in order to make himself available to play for Knight Riders.

Incidentally, even if it is an extenuating circumstance, the tournament rules do not allow the Knight Riders to seek a replacement for Shakib. It is understood that only players who have featured in the IPL can be called up as replacements.l

Campbell-Brown wins Diamond League on return n AFP, Zurich Jamaica’s Veronica Campbell-Brown has her eyes firmly fixed on next year’s world athletics championships in Beijing after claiming her first win at a Diamond League meet since her doping controversy in Zurich on Thursday.

Campbell-Brown won the women’s 100m in 11.04sec at the 13th in the 14leg Diamond League series.

“My season has had highs and lows,” said former double Olympic 200m champion Campbell-Brown, who had a two year ban overturned in February.l

Jamaica’s Veronica Campbell-Brown celebrates after wining the women’s 100m final at the Diamond League Athletics meeting Weltklasse in Zurich on Thursday AFP

Spanish La Liga 1:00AM Atletico Madrid v SD Eibar 3:00AM Espanyol v Sevilla

Bellis dream ends as big guns advance

Sony Six

Top seeds Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic were forced to take a backseat to America’s latest tennis sweetheart on Thursday, as 15-year-old Catherine Bellis hogged the Flushing Meadows limelight once again.

However, Bellis, who shot from obscurity to fame with a shock first round win over Australian Open finalist Dominika Cibulkova, could not deliver the fairytale American tennis fans had hoped for, falling 6-3 0-6 6-2 to Kazakhstan’s Zarina Diyas.

n Reuters, New York

6:30PM World Kabaddi League 2014 Delhi: Day 7 3:00AM Major League Soccer 2014 Toronto FC v New England Revolution Ten Action French Ligue 1 2014/15 8:30PM AS Monaco v Lille 12:00AM FC Nantes v Montpellier Herault

Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi (R) and his teammate Fawad Alam play football during a practice session ahead of their final ODI match against Sri Lanka in Dambulla yesterday REUTERS

Murray, the 2012 U.S. champion and 2013 Wimbledon winner, looked fresh and strong in cool, breezy conditions as he rolled to a 6-3 6-3 6-4 victory.

Milos Raonic blasted his way into the third round with a 7-6 (4) 5-7 6-4 7-6 (3) win over Peter Gojowczyk while women’s seventh seed Eugenie Bouchard, trying to reach a fourth consecutive grand slam semi-final, scored a 6-2 6-7 (4) 6-4 decision over Romania’s Sorana Cirstea. Ninth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France cruised by Aleksandr Nedovyesov of Kazakhstan 6-3 6-4 6-4 and big-serving American John Isner, the 13th seed, beat German Jan-Lennard Struff in straight sets.

Hard-hitting American Sam Querrey

limited his time spent on court against a healthy Guillermo Garcia-Lopez with his racket, beating the 28th-seeded Spaniard 6-3 6-4 6-4.

A former world number one failed to survive the second round, however, as error-prone eighth seed Ana Ivanovic of Serbia was ousted by 42nd-ranked Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic 7-5 6-4.

Also shown the door was Australia’s 2011 U.S. Open champion Sam Stosur, who lost a third-set tiebreaker 10-8 to Kaia Kanepi of Estonia. Third seeded Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova booked her expected place in the third round, however, with a 6-4 6-2 victory over fellow Czech Petra Cetkovska. l

16

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Back Page

Saturday, August 30, 2014

FLOOD CONTINUES TO WREAK HAVOC

Clockwise from top left: Hundreds of residents of Bogra’s Sariakandi and Chandanbaishar take refuge on the road with their belongings after the floodprotection embankment in the area collapsed following an unusual rise in water levels of Jamuna River. Flood water inundates Mahmudpur High School in Jamalpur. Flood victims squat on a portion of the collapsed embankment.

WDB officials dump sand bags on an embankment on the Brahmaputra River at Chilmari upazila in Kurigram DHAKA TRIBUNE

Tuba labourers claim to be blacklisted n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi Ex-Tuba Group workers are struggling to stay afloat as their savings run dry and factory owners, they claim, refuse to give them jobs.

The recently laid-off garment workers claim they have been tainted by the tar brush of labour unrest, and are being denied employment at other garment firms.

Former workers of the group said they were denied work by factory owners in Badda, Rampura, Gazipur, Savar, Mirpur and Ashulia.

“I did not do anything wrong by participating in the demonstration. It was an effort to get our due wages and Eid bonus,” Moina Akter, a worker of Bugshan Garments, a sister concern of Tuba Group, told the Dhaka Tribune.

The wrongful thing was that the owner was delaying paying the workers their wages, said Moina.

First we were treated badly by Tuba Group, now we are suffering because we resisted that bad treatment, she added.

“I went looking for a job at Hakim Tower, Holland Centre and Lutfon Tower in the Badda area, but when they found out I used to work at Tuba, they did not hire me,” Maksuda Begum said.

“We do not want to hire Tuba Group workers because they create unrest in the factory,” Maksuda quoted a wouldbe employer as saying.

“I applied for a job and an officer said new posts would be filled after Eid-ulAzha, but when he found out I worked for Tuba Group, he said there were no vacancies,” said Akbor Hossain, who visited factories at Savar, Ashulia and Gazipur in search of a job.

“I cannot afford to stay in Dhaka if do not get a job by next month,” he added.

In the face of government pressure, the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) paid Tuba workers two months’ overdue wages but did nothing to ensure workers’ re-employment.

“There is nothing the BGMEA can do about Tuba Group workers getting

Minor domestic help beaten by hot spatula n Mohammad Jamil Khan An 11-year-old domestic help is undergoing treatment at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) after allegedly being tortured by her employer.

The victim was identified as Sohagi, daughter of Kalim Uddin. She came to the capital from Malkana village of Shariatpur district.

Police recovered the girl yesterday from house no 39 situated on Green Road in the capital, said Kolabagan police station Sub-Inspector Moniruzzaman.

According to Sohagi’s statement, yesterday morning Sohagi’s employer Sonia beat her up with a hot spatula and threw her out of the apartment situated on the seventh floor of the building.

As Sohagi was crying standing on the lobby outside the apartment, residents of other apartments of the building saw her. When they asked what happened, she described that she had been bearing inhumane torture from her employer.

Being informed, police rescued the girl and admitted her to DMCH. Sonia Akther was taken into custody, said the SI. He said there were marks of injury

re-employed elsewhere. A lack of sufficient orders from abroad means that there are fewer jobs on offer,” BGMEA vice president Shahidullah Azim told the Dhaka Tribune.

‘I applied for a job and an officer said new posts would be filled after Eid-ul-Azha, but when he found out I worked for Tuba Group, he said there were no vacancies’ “The Tuba Group episode does not matter much as far recruitment is concerned.

If there were sufficient orders from buyers, there would be jobs,” said Azim.

“We do not have information about this but we will consider it seriously if workers come forth with allegations,” Labour and Employment Secretary Mi-

kail Shipar told the Dhaka Tribune.

“Although the private sector is not legally bound in this regard, we will look into it,” he added.

On August 18, Tuba Group owner Delowar Hossain announced that he had shut down the group’s five factories in accordance with article 13(1) of the Labour Act 2006.

The closure of the five RMG units – Tuba Fashions, Tuba Textiles, Mita Design, Taif Design and Bughsan Garments left 1,600 workers without jobs.

On July 28, over 1,200 workers of the five factories went on an indefinite hunger strike at Hossain Market in the Badda area, demanding payment of three months’ overdue wages, overtime dues and Eid bonuses.

Following the demonstrations, the BGMEA, under government pressure, paid two months’ wages to more than 1,600 workers of Tuba Group.

Later on August 10, Tuba Group paid the workers’ wages for the month of July and all overtime dues, but Eid bonuses were not paid. l

2 Bangladeshis killed in UAE n Rabiul Islam Two Bangladeshi workers died after falling from an under-construction building on King Faisall Road of Sharjah on Wednesday, reported Gulf News on Thursday.

Khaleej Times, however, reported two workers died on the spot after a temporary lift at an under-construction building on King Faisal Street crashed to the ground from the ninth floor after the cables supporting it snapped.

“I have read the news in three newspapers and I phoned to the police station but did not get any information,” A K M Mizanur Rahman, first secretary (labour) at Bangladesh Consulate in Dubai told the Dhaka Tribune over phone from UAE yesterday.

He also said: “I have known that they were working illegally and the company did not want to provide information on them as it has to pay fine.”

“We would be able to get information on Sunday,” Mizanur added.

According to the Gulf News, the ac-

Two held for rape attempt n Our Correspondent, Sylhet

Police arrested two persons, including a woman, in connection with allegedly trying to rape a mentally challenged girl on Thursday.

The arrestees are Aminul Islam alias Geda Mia, 35, of south Surma and Rahi-

ma Begum, 40, of the same area.

Officer in-Charge (investigation), Anwar Hossain of south Surma thana said, three days ago Rahima lured the victim, 15, to her house where Geda Mia tried to rape her. Upon information, police rescued the minor and arrested both the culprits. Rahim was

arrested for aiding in the rape attempt, he added.

A forensic examination of the victim was done before handing her over to her father.

A case was filed under the Prevention of Oppression Against Women and Children Act in this connection. l

Genetic clues to spread of Ebola n BBC

on Sohagi’s face and different parts of body. Process for filing a case in this connection was going on.

Sohagi’s parents had been informed and they are on their way to the capital, SI Monir said.

In a weak voice, Sohagi told the Dhaka Tribune that Sonia used to torture her following complains of Sonia’s fiveyear-old daughter.

Yesterday she accidentally had broken a glass following which Sonia beat her up with hot spatula and threw her out of the house, she said while crying. l

Scientists have tracked the spread of Ebola in West Africa, revealing genetic clues to the course of the outbreak.

Genetic analysis of patient samples suggests the virus spread from Guinea to Sierra Leone at a single funeral.

The virus is mutating and must be contained rapidly, warn African and US experts. But they say there is no evidence the virus is changing its behaviour.

The current outbreak is the largest ever, with more than 3,000 cases. The number of cases could exceed 20,000 before the outbreak is stemmed, according to the World Health Organization.

“We’ve uncovered more than 300 genetic clues about what sets this outbreak apart from previous outbreaks,”

said Stephen Gire from the Broad Institute and Harvard University in the US. “Although we don’t know whether these differences are related to the severity of the current outbreak, by sharing these data with the research community, we hope to speed up our understanding of this epidemic and support global efforts to contain it.”

The data, published in Science, suggests the virus made the leap from animals to humans only once in the current outbreak.

The strain emerged in Central Africa in the past 10 years, probably carried by animals such as fruit bats or primates.

The first human cases appeared in Guinea, then the disease spread to Sierra Leone, reportedly at the funeral of a traditional healer.

There is evidence the virus is mutating, “underscoring the need for rapid con-

tainment”, the team writes in Science.

“The longer the outbreak happens, the more opportunity the virus has to accumulate mutations,” Dr Gire said.

But he said there was no evidence at present that the virus was changing its behaviour and becoming better adapted to humans.

Commenting on the research, Prof Jonathan Ball, a virus expert at Nottingham University, said: “Clearly this virus is evolving, but what’s not clear is whether or not the mutations it’s accumulating affect the way it behaves.”

The genetic samples came from 78 patients at a hospital in Sierra Leone who were infected in May and June.

These were compared with existing virus samples from Guinea.

Five of the 58 experts named on the paper died from Ebola in Sierra Leone during the study. l

cident took place on Wednesday morning around 9.30am.

Workers at the site reported the incident to the police operation room.

The 40-year-old worker was identified as MHA died on the spot and paramedics transferred his body to Kuwaiti Hospital and then to the forensic laboratory.

The second worker later succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at Al Qassimi Hospital, official said.

The case is with Al Buhairah police station for further investigations.

Police are urging construction companies to ensure that all safety measures are in place at their work sites in order to avoid similar accidents.

According to Khaleej Times police have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the accident and identify them.

Police took into custody the management officials of the company that employed the workers illegally as they had absconded from their original sponsors. l

DMCH baby thieves on remand

n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu

A Dhaka court yesterday placed two women on a three-day remand in the case filed in connection with the kidnapping of a newborn from the Dhaka Medical College Hospital on August 21.

Metropolitan Magistrate Jaynab Begum passed the order when Shahbagh police station Sub-Inspector Ferdous Alam, also investigation officer of the case, produced the suspects before her court seeking a seven-day remand for interrogation. The remanded are Rasheda Khanom alias Parvin, 48, and Belly Akter alias Rahima, 45.

On Thursday, acting on a tip-off, RAB rescued the kidnapped child from Gazipur’s Board Bazar area and detained the two women in connection with the incident.

Also at a press briefing on the same day, RAB’s Legal and Media Wing Director Mufti Mahbub Khan said Parvin, a professional midwife, kidnapped the newborn after befriending Runa, a mother of twin babies, at the DMCH. He added that RAB personnel acted on a tip-off and arrested Parvin from her house in Gazipur; while based on her information, the baby was found at Rahima’s house.

During preliminary interrogation, Parvin confessed to RAB officials that she had sold the baby to Rahima for Tk40,000, Mahbub added. l

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