21 July, 2015

SECOND EDITION

TUESDAY, JULY 21, 2015

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Shraban 6, 1422, Shawwal 4, 1436

MUHITH BACKTRACKS FROM ECF DECISION PAGE 3

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Regd No DA 6238, Vol 3, No 96

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www.dhakatribune.com | 24 pages | Price: Tk10

MURDER SUSPECT MADE CU BCL PRESIDENT PAGE 4

JUTE DEPT SEEKS DOE’S HELP PAGE 24 Eid-ul-Fitr celebrated with overcast sky and rain n Tribune Report

The country celebrated Eid-ul-Fitr, the largest religious festival in the country, with fervour and festivity despite an overcast weather and rain all over the country.

People from all walks of life were seen braving the rain and appearing at their local Eidgahs – special grounds for Eid prayers – early in the morning donning new clothes to perform the special prayers. Irrespective of their social standings, they embraced each other in greetings.

On Eid day, people needed no invitation to visit each other’s houses to exchange greetings, and the president, the prime minister and the leader of the main political opposition were no exception.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s official residence Gonobhaban was opened at 9am to greet a throng of visitors, who stood in queues for hours to exchange Eid greetings with a smiling Hasina.

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia exchanged

Muslim devotees offer Eid-ul-Fitr prayers at the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque on Saturday

RAJIB DHAR

Massive fire guts over 700 shanties in Badda slum n Kamrul Hasan A massive fire yesterday gutted more than 700 shanties in a slum in Dhaka’s Badda area.

There were no reports of casualties.

Although the authorities did not receive any missing person reports, several residents claimed that they had not seen some of their family members since the fire. Most of the slum’s tenants survived the inferno because

PAGE 3 Six dead in rain-triggered landslide, wall collapse in Ctg

they were away visiting their village homes for the Eid holidays.

Firefighters said the fire started at 1:50pm and was brought under control around 5pm, but could not immediately say what sparked it or estimate the damage caused by the blaze.

A committee has been formed to look into these matters.

The fire that raged over the slum for nearly four hours reduced the 700 to 800 dwellings

PAGE 5 Three people commit suicide during Eid

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Rain threat looms over Chittagong Test n Minhaz Uddin Khan from Chittagong

to ashes. Only the bamboo pillars that held up the shanties were visible after the fire had been doused.

The slum, known as Bhai Bhai Boarding, was built on a large pond opposite the Lion Eye Hospital. The simple dwellings had floors of wood and bamboo fences.

The blaze also damaged several floors of some high-rise buildings adjacent to the slum.

According to weather forecast, thunderstorms are expected to play foul throughout the entire first Test between Bangladesh and South Africa at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong, starting today, but the hosts will be hardly bothered with the rain as they bid to exhibit some good cricket with the red ball.

The Tigers defeated the Proteas in the recently concluded three-ODI series but a different challenge awaits the home side in the opening five-dayer. In the eight previous

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 3

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PAGE 7 US, Cuba open historic new chapter in post-Cold War ties

PAGE 8 The man who cost Greece billions

PAGE 24 Youth killed over relationship, father maimed on Eid day

DT

2 NEWS

TUESDAY, JULY 21, 2015

Khaleda: Movement after party reorganisation n Tribune Report After two abortive movements since January 5 national election to oust the government BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia has once again threatened to launch another campaign after the party’s reshuffle.

“This time the movement will be peaceful.

We will do it along with people of the country,” she said after exchanging Eid greetings with foreign diplomats, eminent citizens and party leaders at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre yesterday.

The former premier said people of the country were passing bad days as prices of daily essentials had gone up.

On law and order Khaleda said it seemed that the country had no rule of law and what is evident in every newspaper that are full of news on murders and abductions.

Habiganj Mayor GK Gaus was on his way to perform Eid prayer when he was stabbed inside the jail that clearly indicates that even prisons are not safe, she said.

Thousands of cases have been filed against

BNP leaders and activists. A lot of BNP leaders are in jail. There is no specific statistic for how many people have so far been abducted.

“So we have to reorganise the party before we launch an anti-government movement.”

The BNP chief said their movement will be meant for the welfare and well-being of people of the country.

Khaleda alleged that the government was plotting to split the BNP. Newspaper reports tend to say the BNP had already split up and there is no unity in the party, she said terming the reports a load of bullshit.

The BNP has always been with the people and it will always be with them, she vowed.

After exchanging greetings with guests, Khaleda went to her husband and party founder Ziaur Rahman’s grave and offered doa there.

Then she went to her younger son Arafat Rahman Koko’s graveyard and offered doa there too along with Koko’s two daughters Zafia Rahman and Zahia Rahman before she returned to her Gulshan residence. l

Syed Ashraf: Govt officials will work neutrally n UNB Government officials will continue to work neutrally where they are with their merit and efficiency as Awami League does not believe in the politicisation of the administration, said the newly-appointed Public Administration Minister Syed Ashraful Islam.

“We don’t believe in the politicisation of the administration … government officials will continue to work neutrally where they are because of their merit and efficiency,” he said as he took over the charge of the Ministry of Public Administration yesterday five days after he was given its portfolio.

A week after being stripped off the portfolio of the Ministry of LGRD and Cooperatives, he was made the public administration minister on July 16.

Syed Ashraf said he needed time to get familiar with the Ministry of Public Administration as he was new there.

About Eid holidays, the minister said the holidaymakers this time had shorter vaca-

tion, but he hurried to add that works in his ministry would continue and there would be a gear-up when all will be back.

Earlier on July 9, Ashraf was removed from the LGRD and Cooperatives Ministry and made a minister without portfolio following the prime minister’s displeasure over his absence in an Ecnec meeting. Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain then replaced him.

Amid speculations that Ashraf may turn inactive in politics and go to London for a long period, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina summoned him to her official residence Gonobhaban on Monday last week and convinced him to call off his London tour, Awami League sources said.

Following the meeting with the prime minister, there had been a rumour for a while that Ashraf would be given a bigger responsibility than what he had performed earlier. Finally, he has been made the minister to look after Public Administration Ministry, a portfolio Hasina kept to herself for long. l

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Eid-ul-Fitr celebrated with overcast sky and rain greetings with well-wishers at Bangabandhu International Convention Centre, on her feet for hours to share the joy of Eid despite her knee problems.

Hasina and Khaleda exchanged Eid greetings with each other, but through messengers.

President Abdul Hamid joined Cabinet members, major political leaders and prominent members of society at the Central Eidgah in the capital for Eid prayers despite heavy rain. The congregation saw a huge number of people from all walks of life as well.

Holiday mood in offices

After a three-day Eid holiday, government and non-governmental offices, banks and newspaper offices reopened yesterday with very thin attendance of officers and staff as the holiday mood still prevails.

Visiting the Bangladesh Secretariat, the

administrative hub of the country, and several government offices, it was found that the attendance was remarkably thin as many officials and employees were enjoying optional holidays, the UNB reported.

Besides, the presence of ministers and state ministers in their offices were relatively low as some of them were still in their hometowns. Those who attended their offices were seen exchanging Eid greetings and pleasantries with their colleagues.

Newly appointed Public Administration Minister Syed Ashraful Islam, who assumed office yesterday, said many officers and employees were enjoying optional leave as the Eid vacation this year was comparatively shorter than usual.

It will take four or five days more for the offices to go back to their normal state, he said.

The three-day Eid holiday fell on the weekend this year. l

Massive fire guts over 700 shanties The slum is owned by a family of five brothers who live in and own the high-rise buildings.

Mehedi Hasan, one of the owners, said that yesterday morning, hours before the fire started, he had seen a person making phuchka, a popular street snack, in a mobile rickshaw-van near the slum.

Mehedi, who lives on the second floor of one of the high-rise buildings, said he saw from his balcony that the fire spread from the phuchka-seller’s kerosene stove.

Authorities have yet to confirm his account. The man who was allegedly making phuchka has not be found either.

Many of the slum’s low-income residents said they did not know where they would go now that their homes and belongings had been destroyed.

One resident, Helena Begum, was seen running to and fro, frantically searching for her daughter and grandchildren. “My daughter Shilpi called me when the fire broke out.

She told me that she was trapped and the heat was becoming unbearable ... I have not found her or her two daughters since the fire was put out.”

Another resident, Rima Akhter, was looking for her mother and infant daughters. She said they were sleeping when the fire broke out and she had not been able to find them.

Mohammad Ali, director general of Fire Service and Civil Defense, said firefighters had trouble accessing the site because the road leading to the slum was too narrow for their truck to enter.

Firefighters could have doused the fire much earlier if the road was wider, he said.

Local lawmaker Rahmat Ullah said he would try to arrange compensation for the victims by taking a bank loan.

Vehicular movement on the Badda Link Road was suspended for over an hour while firefighters tried to bring the blaze under control. l

Satkhira lad is an unknown commodity to four or five Proteas batsmen worked in his favour.

The Tigers’ batting order will be boosted with the return of Mahmudullah, who is likely to replace Liton Kumar Das in the starting XI. In contrast, the Proteas, ranked the world’s best Test side, will start as heavy favourites despite the disadvantage of alien conditions.

With several uncapped players in the squad, this South African unit is wearing a new look for the Bangladesh Tests.

However, the inclusion of veteran fast bowler Dale Steyn will be a shot in the arm of the Hashim Amla-led Test outfit. Backed by the experience of Faf du Plessis and Morne Morkel, Amla will look to continue their recent run of form in the sub-continent which includes an away series victory in Sri Lanka.

The pitch in Chittagong stadium is likely

to be batting-friendly but spinners will get a bit of purchase from the deck as the Test progresses and cracks start to appear.

The match begins at 9:30am and will be telecast live on BTV, GTV and Star Sports 1.

Rain threat looms over Chittagong Test Tests between the two teams, Bangladesh succumbed to an innings defeat seven times, so they will be looking to improve on the head-to-head record.

The stats might be stacked heavily against the Tigers but a lot has changed since the two sides last met back in 2008. The Tigers, ranked ninth in the International Cricket Council’s Test rankings, have come a long way in the limited-over cricket and will be desperate to transform their form into the Test matches against the Proteas.

The upward curve in the performance graph has also been evident in recent Tests as Bangladesh drew the Khulna Test against Pakistan and the lone five-dayer against India.

In the first Test against Pakistan, the Tigers had their backs against the wall but a brilliant batting display by openers Tamim Iqbal

and Imrul Kayes guided them to safety. And although rain played its part against the Indians, the Tigers still drew the only Test.

The Tigers seemed to have settled down with their line-ups for the shorter formats but they are yet to perfect their Test plans, often playing eight batsmen which indicates a defensive strategy.

And when the first South Africa Test rolls into the field today, there is every indication that they will adopt the same approach of playing eight batsmen and only three specialist bowlers. However, new sensation Mustafizur Rahman can at least add a new dimension to the attack.

Many believe the national selection panel should have waited a bit more with the 19-year-old youngster before handing his maiden Test cap, but given the fact that the

Probable Bangladesh squad:

Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim (C), Shakib al Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Liton Kumar Das (WK), Mahmudullah, Taijul Islam/Jubair Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman

Probable South Africa squad:

Reeza Hendricks, Dean Elgar, Faf du Plessis, Hashim Amla (C), JP Duminy, Quinton de Kock (WK), Stiaan van Zyl, Vernon Philander, Simon Harmer/Aaron Phangiso, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel l

DT

NEWS 3

TUESDAY, JULY 21, 2015

Muhith backtracks from ECF decision n Asif Showkat Kallol

Finance Minister AMA Muhith has made a quick u-turn and decided to carry out an international audit of Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation as per IMF condition to take the remaining part of Extended Credit Facility fund.

Just five days ago Muhith said the government would not rather take last $280m under the $1bn ECF than meeting a condition of international audit to the country’s loan fuel oil importer.

At that time he argued that hiring an international firm to audit BPC would violate the state law.

But he has now understood that the law never restricted the authorities to local firm only to audit the BPC. “The law is not against hiring an interna-

tional firm to audit BPC. So the audit can be carried out by an international firm in line with the IMF condition,” finance minister told Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

On July 14 he stated: “The government will not accept a harsh condition of appointing an international auditor for BPC as it is against the law. Besides, I think our firms are capable enough to conduct the audit.”

After overturning this decision, Muhith now hoped that the global lender would extend its ECF time till October as it would expire at the end of July.

Alleging the BPC authorities finance minister said there had been no standard of accounting system in the BPC in last 44 years since its inception.

“They (BPC) have not maintained any type of a standard balance sheet in last 44 years since independence of Bangladesh though

its annual transaction amounts to Tk36,00038,000 crore to import fuel oil from international market,” Muhith said.

“BPC officials, in fact, were not interested in maintaining international standard in auditing and keeping balance sheet. They kept the doors open for corruption,” he alleged.

According to the BPC website, it spent Tk36,587 crore in fiscal year 2013-14 to import crude, refined and lube base oil.

Muhith said the BPC needed massive reforms to its financial transaction and determination of fuel price in local market.

He said the BPC had fixed fuel oil price at $60 per barrel in last 20 years but it should be changed every year.

Fuel prices were $80, $90 and $120 per barrel in various times in the global market, but the BPC had kept the prices unchanged in local market over the years, Muhith said.

He criticised former BPC chairman saying he had no idea of international standard auditing and accounting for an organisation like it.

“When I asked about that, former chairman said he had conducted a feasibility study to this matter. However, he is now free from corruption charges brought by the Anti-Corruption Commission,” finance minister said.

The IMF delayed the sixth of the seven-part tranches for the $1bn loan in November last year after the government failed to meet two of its relevant conditions -- related to the VAT law and audit of BPC. On April 12, 2012, the IMF board decided three-year arrangement loan to Bangladesh under its ECF programme to help the country overcome its macroeconomic pressures. The ECF carries zero per cent rate of interest and the loan is to be repaid within 10 years. l

21 killed in road accidents n Tribune Report

Heavy downpours in Chittagong triggered a landslide in the port city’s Bayezid area on Sunday, claiming the lives of three siblings who were all minors DHAKA TRIBUNE

Six dead in rain-triggered landslide, wall collapse in Ctg n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong At least five children and a woman were killed on Sunday when heavy rainfall triggered separate incidents of a landslide and a wall collapse in Chittagong city’s Bayezid and Khulshi areas.

Two arrests have already been made in connection with the landslide in Bayezid, while murder cases were filed yesterday for each of the incidents.

At around 2:30am on Sunday, a landslide on top of a hill-adjoining house at Amin Colony in Bayezid area claimed the lives of three siblings – Arafat Hossain Farid, 12, Ummay Salma, 2, and Bibi Moriam, 5.

The siblings – children of a local named Shahjahan – were brought out from under the dirt in critical conditions; doctors declared them dead after they were brought to the Chittagong Medical College Hospital.

Elsewhere in Lalkhan Bazaar’s Pora Colony area, three people including a mother and a daughter were killed when heavy rain caused a wall to collapse on their house.

The deceased are Moriam Begum, 30, her daughter Suraia, 2, and another Akhi, 5.

Bayezid police yesterday arrested Md Mohiuddin and Md Sohel – owners of the affect-

ed houses in Amin Colony – in a case filed over the deaths of the three siblings, said the police station’s Officer-in-Charge Pradip Kumar Das. He said the police station’s Sub-Inspector Abdur Rahman filed a murder case against the two in connection with the incident.

Besides, Khulshi police station’s SI Russel Mahmud lodged a murder case against Khokan Ali – the owner of the affected house in Pora Colony – in connection to the Pura Colony wall collapse. Khulshi OC Nizam Uddin said the accused was on the run.

Landslides during the monsoon are a regular occurrence in the port city. Between 1997 and 2007, landslides in Chittagong claimed the lives of at least 60 people, including seven in 2002, 16 in 2000, and 19 more in 1999.

In 2007, a total 126 people were killed in the worst ever landslide in Chittagong; 17 people were killed in a landslide accompanied by wall collapse in the city’s Ambagan in 2011; and 11 persons died in landslide at Matojharna area in 2008.

According to Chittagong district administration, over 50,000 people still live at risky hill slopes that are vulnerable to landslides.

However, different surveys in recent years have put the number over 1 million. l

At least 21 people were killed in accidents on roads in several districts in the last two days.

At least 16 people were killed and 60 others injured in a head-on collision between two buses on the west side of the Bangabandhu bridge on the Dhaka-Sirajganj-Rajshahi Highway early Sunday.

Our Sirajganj correspondent reported that identities of 12 of the victims, other than Minhaz Pradhan, the driver of Azad Paribahan bus, could be ascertained.

The officer-in-charge of Bangabandhu bridge west police outpost said Rangpur-bound Sabbir Hossain Paribahan from Chittagong and Dhaka-bound Azad Paribahan from Gaibandha collided head-on around 5am, leaving 12 dead on the spot. Later, four more people succumbed to their injuries at hospital.

Fire service and police personnel rushed to the spot and rescued survivors.

The injured were admitted to Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College and Hospital in Bogra, Sirajganj Sadar Hospital, and other hospitals and clinics in the district.

Deputy Commissioner Md Billal Hossain, Superintendent of Police Miraz Uddin Ahmed and civil surgeon Debaprada Roy, among others, visited the spot.

“The district administration will provide Tk10,000 to the family of each victim for carrying dead bodies,” said the DC. The accident took place as the bus of Sabir Hossain Paribahan was running on the wrong lane, SP Miraz Uddin explained.

A five-member committee led by Additional District Magistrate Muhammad Kamrul Hasan was formed to probe the accident.

In Noakhali, a trader was killed on Companiganj- Dagonbhuiyan Road in Bashurhat Municipality of Companigonj upazila yesterday, said our correspondent.

Sajidur Rahman Sajid, officer-in-charge of Companiganj police station said the victim, Md Saiful Islam, 27, from Bashurhat, was going to his in-law’s from Companigonj Sadar around 9am by

a motorcycle. When he reached Nutan Bus Stand a pick-up van dashed him from the opposite direction. Saiful received head injury and died on the spot.

Police recovered the body and sent it to Noakhali Abdul Malek Ukil Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy. Police seized the pick-up van, but the driver and helper managed to flee.

Our Natore correspondent said a lawyer was killed in an accident in Kanaikhali area in the town on Sunday afternoon.

Deceased Abdul Mannan, 55, of Kanaikhali village was a prosecutor at the Natore Judge’s Court.

Mizanur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Sadar police station, said a motorcycle hit Mannan when he was crossing the road around 11am. He died on the way to hospital.

According to our Madaripur correspondent: A man was killed and 30 were injured yesterday in Charbhadrason area of Shibchar upazila when a passenger bus plunged into a roadside ditch.

Witnesses said the driver of the bus for Gopalpur, Shariatpur lost control of the steering.

Locals rescued and rushed the injured to Shibchar health complex where one of them died.

In Mymensingh, three people including a father and his daughter were killed and two others injured when a bus collided head-on a car in Bagan area of Trishal yesterday afternoon, reports our correspondent.

One of the victims was identified as Azizul Islam, 40, marketing manager of Eskayef. He was on the car returning to Dhaka after Eid vacation. l

DT

4 NEWS

TUESDAY, JULY 21, 2015

Varsity student killed over Eid gift n CU Correspondent

A private university student has allegedly been killed by his cousin over selecting Eid clothes in Lohagara upazila there on Sunday.

The victim Mezbah Uddin, 24, son of Jamal Uddin, from Amirabad area of the upazila, said police sources. He was a final year student from law department of BGC Trust University, says Lohagara police station OC Md Shahjahan.

However, police later managed to arrest alleged killer Arman, 30. The OC went on that the duo’s uncle gave Panjabi and Lungi to them as gift on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr and a scuffle ensued between Mezbah and Arman in the night over selecting the clothes.

At one stage, Arman made a strong kick targeting Mezbah’s penis leaving him critically injured. He was whisked off to Chittagong Medical College Hospital where physicians declared him dead, the OC continued. l

Murder suspect made president of CU Chhatra League committee n FM Mizanur Rahaman Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) yesterday announced its Chittagong University (CU) unit with Alamgir Tipu as president and HM Fazly Rabbi Sujon as general secretary.

The new President Tipu is an accused in a double murder case while General Secretary Sujon is an accused in a case filed under explosive act, said police and CU sources.

Alamgir Tipu was a student of Economics Departments for the 2006-2007 academic session while Sujon was a student of Finance Department for the 2007-2008 academic session.

Central BCL General Secretary Siddique Nazmul Alam told the Dhaka Tribune: “We formally declared the partial committee of CU

BCL unit making Alamgir Tipu as president and Sujon as secretary for the next one year.

“We have formed the committee on the basis of information gathered from detective personnel, locals and political leaders in Chittagong and talked to policymakers of the BCL,” he added.

Earlier, the BCL CU committee was dissolved on June 10 last year after a clash between two factions on the campus.

According to campus sources and newspaper reports at least five bloody clashes had been taken place after the CU committee was dissolved leaving Tapos Sarkar, a first-year student of Sangskrit Department and also a BCL activist, shot dead.

More than 50 BCL leaders and activists

have also been injured during those factional bloody clashes.

Alamgir Tipu is an accused in the CRB double murder case filed with Kotwali police station on 24 June in 2013. Fazly Rabbi Sujon is an accused in a case filed in connection with trading gun shots between two groups of the BCL on September 27 last year in Shahjalal dormitory.

The case was filed with Hathazari police station, said police sources. Both Tipu and Sujon are now on bail.

Contacted, both the accused said the cases were politically motivated.

The BCL formed its earlier 238-member committee with Mamunul Haque and MA Khaled Chowdhury as president and secretary respectively on June 26 in 2011. l

Language movement hero Razzaq laid to rest n Our Correspondent, Rajshahi Language veteran Abdur Razzaq was buried at the Hatem Khan Graveyard yesterday a Janaza on Rajshahi College premises yesterday.

He died Sunday morning at his son’s Uttara residence at the age of 77.

Son Parves Ahmed Papel said his father came to his place on July 14 to celebrate Eid and suddenly died of cardiac arrest.

The body was kept at the Rajshahi Medical College Hospital and the first Janaza was held on the Rajshahi court premises and the second at the Sonadighi Mosque.

District administration gave a guard of honour to Razzaq, which was attended by local MP Fazle Hossain Badsha, language veteran Abul Hossain, Divisional Commissioner Helal Uddin and Rajshahi DC Mejbah Uddin Chowdhury.

Razzaq was school affairs secretary of Bangladesh Chhatra Union in 1953 and made VP of Rajshahi University Central Students’ Union in 1965. He was elected general secretary of Rajshahi Bar in 1992.l

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina exchanges Eid greetings with dignitaries at her state residence Gonobhaban on Saturday

PM

RAB asked to submit reinvestigation report on Salman Shah’s death n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu

A Dhaka court has again asked Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) to submit report of further investigation in a case filed over the death of popular film actor Shahriar Chowdhury Imon, commonly known as Salman Shah.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Amit Kumar Day passed the order yesterday and set the submission deadline on September 15 as RAB failed to submit the probe report before the court on the scheduled date.

Earlier on April 12, another Dhaka court directed RAB to reinvestigate the case in response to a no-confidence petition filed by Salman’s mother Nilufar Chowdhury.

Nilufar filed the petition before the court rejecting a judicial probe report that said no evidence had been found of the actor being killed and opined that Salman Shah committed suicide.

Earlier, Salman’s mother filed a petition with the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court of Dhaka on December 21 last year seeking time to submit the “no-confidence” petition against the judicial probe report.

On September 6, 1996, the entire country was shocked when popular actor Salman Shah’s body was found hanging from a ceiling fan in his residence. His father Kamaruddin Chowdhury filed an unnatural death case with Ramna Police Station, which he later changed into a murder case alleging that his

son had been murdered.

After completion of investigation on November 3, 1997, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) submitted a final report before the court mentioning that Salman Shah committed suicide.

Challenging the report, Salman’s father filed a revision case. Following the case on May 19, 2003, a Dhaka court directed to conduct a judicial probe in the case.

Eleven years later, on August 3 last year, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Emdadul Haque submitted the judicial probe report before the court saying that he had found no evidence of the actor being killed, and that Salman had committed suicide. l

Madrasa student arrested for rape n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong Police on Sunday night arrested a madrasa student from Jorarganj area of Mirsarai upazila in Chittagong for allegedly raping a 16-year-old girl.

The arrestee, Md Rasel, 18, is a student of a local madrasa and he hailed from Bariakhali area of the upazila’s Katachara union, police said.

Quoting the victim’s father, Sub-Inspector Abdul Hanif of Jorarganj police station said Rasel allegedly raped the girl in absence of her parents, behind her residence on Sunday night.

When her father returned home, he could not find her daughter; later, he found her behind the house in critical condition.

Rasel was detained by villagers when he attempted to flee the scene. Later he was handed over to police, said the SI. A case was lodged with the police station in this regard and the victim was admitted to Chittagong Medical College Hospital Onestop Crisis Centre. l

DT

NEWS 5

TUESDAY, JULY 21, 2015

12 killed across the country during Eid holidays n Tribune Report Atleast 12 people were killed in various incidents in different districts of the country during the Eid holidays.

In Noakhali, three siblings were beaten and hacked to death over previous enmity at Kazibari area of Kazianagar village of Sonaimuri Upazila, Noakhali around 2pm yesterday.

The victims were identified as Md Kamal 36, Md Harun 32, Md Babul, 27, sons of Maksud Ullah.

Kazi Haniful Islam Bhuiyan, Officer-inCharge (OC) of Sonaimuri police station and Nurul Amin Swapan, Chairman of Nateshwar Union parishad, quoting the locals, said the victims had a longstanding land dispute with Saddam, Anowar, Azim, Tawhid, Razu, Sharif, Rafique and Golam Maowla.

They started quarrelling over the land watching a football match, and at one point were attacked by Golam Maowla and his men.

All of the victims died on the spot.

Chairman Nurul Amin Swapan also said the victims were were accused in several cases of drug-peddling, snatching and terrorism in Sonaimuri police station.

Habiganj

In a fierce clash among eight villages in Lakhai

of Habiganj, two people were killed and at least 50 were injured on Sunday. Twenty of the critically injured have been admitted to the Habiganj sadar hospital. The deceased are Kadam Ali, 50, and Bokul Mia, 35 of Singha village.

According to police and locals, the fight ensued after a Molai Mia of Teghoria village got into a quarrel with Shahjahan Mia of Singha village on Sunday. The situation aggravated when their respective villagers and people from nearby villages took support and joined in.

Lakhai police station OC Mozammel Haque said he number of deaths may increase.

Gaibandha

In Gaibandha, unknown assailants shot dead an active JMB member Fazle Rabbi,32, near the sluice gate area of Mamudpur village of Saghata upazila on Sunday night.

Police took into custody assistant teacher of Jumabari High School Md Enamulla Mandal, an ex-JMB member, in this connection.

On the night of the incident, Fazle Rabbi was returning on foot along with Enamulla Mandal when the assailants came on motorbikes and shot at them.

Saghata OC Md Rafiqul Islam said Fazle Rabbi was absconding as he was accused in several cases with the police station.

Kishoreganj

One Abdur Razzak, 65, was allegedly killed by his son over land dispute in Austagram upazila of the district in the early hours of Sunday.

The alleged killer Abdul Motaleb was caught by the locals and handed over to police.

According to police and local sources, there was a long standing dispute over land between Abdur Razzak and his son Motaleb.

Razzak was rushed to Austagram upazila health complex, then shifted to Sylhet Osmani Medical College and Hospital in critical condition where he succumbed to his injuries around 12:30am.

Md. Kamrul Islam Molla, OC of Austagram said Rokeya Begum, wife of deceased filed, a murder case with Austagram police station against him.

In another incident, body of a slaughtered youth was found beside Dakmin Nagar road in Tarail upazila. The deceased was identified as Nayan Akanda, 26, a worker of Subud Bidi factory in Kishoreganj.

Sylhet

In Sylhet’s Biswanath area, a Suzina Begum, 19, was murdered and her mother was injured by miscreants impersonating as guests bearing gifts. Suzina is wife of a Murad Ahmed, who lives in the UK. The assailants quickly fled the house after

HEAVY RAIN TUESDAY, JULY 21 DHAKA TODAY

TOMORROW

SUN SETS 6:47PM

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Spells of rain fail to dampen the joy of Eid for these children who spend the Sunday morning on fun rides at the Shishu Park in Dhaka RAJIB DHAR

In Patuakhali, a Masud Matabbar, 27, was killed by his cousins over a previous enmity. He died while being taken to Barisal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital, said the police.

Barisal Sadar police station OC Tariqul Islam said Masud and his cousins had an ongoing case and this murder was premeditated.

Gobindaganj

The body of an unidentified youth of about 30 years age was discovered by locals yesterday from a Eucalyptus garden in Komorpur Boithakhali village of Gobindaganj upazila of Gaibandha.

Gobindaganj OC ABM Jahidul Islam said there were no injury marks on the body. l

PRAYER TIMES 3:55am 5:21am 12:05am 4:44pm 6:47pm 8:17pm SourceL IslamicFinder.org

Police arrested Chhatra Dal President Rajib Ahsan and five others at ferry terminal in Patuakhali on Sunday. Patuakhali Additional Police super Fayez Ahmed said: “We had information that Chhatra Dal President Rajib Ahsan, accused in several cases, left Barisal for Kuakata by a white car and was carrying narcotics.

“A team of Dumki police stopped his car at the ferry terminal around 11:30pm on Sunday and picked him up along with five other youths. The law enforcers also seized 45 pieces of yaba tablets and a bottle of wine from their possession.” l

Three people commit suicide during Eid n Kamrul Hasan

Three people have committed suicide in Dhaka during the Eid-ul-Fitr vacation. Of them, two are a married couple and the other is a student of Dhaka University.

Police have confirmed that all of them have committed suicide but could not specify the motives.

The couple

Fajr Sunrise Jumma Asr Magrib Esha

Patuakhali

Chhatra Dal president held with yaba pills n Our Correspondent, Barisal

WEATHER

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attacking Suzina and her mother with sharp weapons around 7pm on Sunday. Afterwards, locals took the two injured to Osmani Medical College Hospital. Suzina succumbed to her injuries around 9pm.

Biswanath OC Rafiqul Hossain said, Murad remarried in the UK while being married to Suzina. The two families were in conflict since. This might be a motive, but it cannot be said for sure at this point. No one was arrested, nor a case was filed in this connection till writing of this report.

Rupali and Farhad lived in a house in Mirpur along with two of Farhad’s younger brothers.

Anwar and Delwar, Farhad’s brothers, had gone to their village home in Brahmanbaria for spending the vacation.

According to Anwar and police sources, the couple had a fight over some family matters around 11:30pm on Saturday night. At one point, Rupali locked her husband in a room.

Half an hour later, Farhad called Anwar and asked him to request their landlord to

unlock him. After getting Anwar’s call, Azizul Matobbor, their landlord, came and unlocked Farhad with a spare key.

A little later, Farhad peeped through a keyhole and saw that Rupali’s body was hanging from the ceiling fan. Farhad then called his brother again and told him what he had seen.

The last time they talked was 2:30am.

Around 12 noon, police recovered Farhad’s dead body, which was also hanging from the ceiling fan of the other bedroom in the house.

Landlord Azizul said: “I know Farhad for five years. He ran a salon on the ground floor of my building. He is a very gentle person. It is hard to believe that he could do something like this.”

The two corpses were taken to the Dhaka Medical College morgue around 3:30pm on Sunday for autopsy. The family received the dead bodies yesterday morning and took them to their village home in Brahmanbaria in the afternoon.

The DU student

DU mathematics student Pias’s father Shah Abbas Talukdar is a retired soldier of the Bangladesh Army.

Pias’s uncle Md Rahat said his nephew had an affair with classmate Roshni since they were students of the Adamjee Cantonment College.

“They broke up a few days ago but Pias was still to recover from the separation. He might have killed himself because of that,” Rahat said.

Azizur Rahman, sub-inspector of the Rupnagar police station, told the Dhaka Tribune that they had recovered Pias’ hanging around 2:30am on Sunday. He might have committed suicide around 11:30pm on Eid day.

The SI also said that they had found a scarf – probably the ex-girlfriend’s – with which Pias had hanged himself from the ceiling fan.

The 22-year-old DU student lived in a house in Rupnagar in Dhaka with his family. l

DT

6 WORLD

TUESDAY, JULY 21, 2015

30 dead in Turkey suicide attack n AFP, Ankara

People gather upon the rubble of shops destroyed by a Saudi-led air strike that hit a marketplace in Yemen’s capital Sanaa yesterday. A Saudi-led coalition of Arab states has been bombing the Iranian-allied Houthi rebel movement since late March REUTERS

Saudi reaches out to Hamas as part of wider effort against Iran n Reuters, Riyadh Saudi King Salman’s meeting on Friday with Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal was part of an effort by Riyadh to shore up Arab unity in the face of a perceived threat from Iran that it believes has become more urgent since last week’s nuclear deal.

Saudi Arabia, a conservative Sunni Muslim monarchy, has grown more aggressive this year in countering Shi’ite, revolutionary Iran across the region, believing its influence to be the main cause of instability and insecurity in Arab states.

Riyadh fears the agreement Tehran struck with six world powers to release it from sanc-

tions in return for more intrusive inspections of its atomic facilities will free Iran to increase its support for Saudi Arabia’s enemies in Arab countries.

“It’s part of the grand strategy of countering Iranian influence. It’s the main issue for Saudi Arabia and it’s more urgent after the nuclear deal,” said Mustafa Alani, an Iraqi analyst close to the Saudi Interior Ministry.

Since Salman became king in January, he has tried to build a Sunni coalition against Iran’s regional allies, boosting support for rebels against Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad and waging war against Yemen’s Houthi militia.

The Saudis have for years regarded Hamas

with intense suspicion because the Palestinian militant group is a traditional ally of Iran.

Although the Brotherhood, like Saudi Arabia, is Sunni, Riyadh distrusts it because it combines a call to conservative religious values that might appeal to the kingdom’s citizens with demands to replace dynastic rule with elections.

Salman’s predecessor Abdullah put the Brotherhood on a list of terrorist organizations and backed Egypt’s crackdown on the group, a policy that caused tension with Turkey and Qatar, its two main allies in fighting Iranian influence in Syria and Iraq.

Salman has worked to strengthen ties with Islah, the Islamist group’s offshoot in Yemen. l

Europe seeks end to deadlock on migrant-sharing n AFP, Brussels EU ministers tried yesterday to end a stalemate before an end-July deadline to share the burden of 40,000 mainly Syrian and Eritrean migrants who have landed in overstretched Italy and Greece.

Justice and home affairs ministers arriving for talks in Brussels said they were making progress toward a deal that has eluded the 28-nation bloc since an unprecedented migrant shipwreck in April that killed nearly 800 people jolted them into action.

Ireland’s Minster for Justice and Equality Frances Fitzgerald said agreement has already been reached on relocating 20,000 Syrian refugees living in camps overseas, but not on the

40,000 Syrian and Eritrean asylum seekers who are in Italy and Greece.

EU leaders set the deadline for the end of July for a solution to the issue when they met at a bad-tempered summit in June.

More than 1,900 migrants have died this year making the perilous journey across the Mediterranean to Europe, while around 150,000 people have made the crossing, the International Organization for Migration said.

France and Germany agreed earlier in July to accept some 21,000 refugees and asylum seekers.

Other governments – including those in central and eastern Europe – objected to earlier EU proposals to establish mandatory quotas in meeting the targets.

The call is for them to now make voluntary offers.

Italy, Greece and Malta have borne the brunt of the migrant influx and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has repeatedly urged his European Union peers to do much more to ease the burden.

At the EU leaders’ summit in June, Renzi was said to have lashed out at his colleagues after mandatory quotas were rejected, reportedly saying that “If that is your idea of Europe, you can keep it.”

As well as migrants crossing by sea, thousands more have crossed by land, many reaching Hungary – which said last month it would build a four-metre (13-foot) high fence along its border with Serbia to keep them out. l

At least 30 people were killed yesterday in a suicide bombing in the Turkish town of Suruc near the border with Syria, a government official said.

The blast ripped through a cultural centre in Suruc, which lies opposite the Syrian flashpoint of Kobane and Turkish officials largely blamed the attack on Islamic State militants.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on a visit to the Turkish breakaway state in northern Cyprus, condemned the Suruc suicide attack as an “act of terror.”

The force of the explosion blew out the windows of the building in the centre of the town and set off a blaze, witnesses said.

Television footage showed several people lying on the ground covered in blood and ambulances rushing to the scene.

“The Turkish authorities have strong reason to believe that the terrorist attack was perpetrated by ISIS,” a government official told AFP, using another name for IS. If confirmed, it would be the first such attack by the IS group against Turkey, a regional military power and NATO member.

An official in the prime minister’s office said 28 people were killed and nearly 100 injured in Suruc, which is home to a large number of Syrian refugees.

The blast took place as a Turkish anti-IS activist group based at the cultural centre was preparing to announce a solidarity mission to Kobane. Suruc is home to one of the biggest refugee camps in Turkey housing Syrians who have fled the bloody four-year conflict at home. l

Mitsubishi Materials sorry for using US POW slave labour n Reuters, Los Angeles

Construction company Mitsubishi Materials Corp became the first major Japanese company to apologise for using captured American soldiers as slave labourers during World War Two, offering remorse on Sunday for “the tragic events in our past.”

A company representative offered the apology on behalf of its predecessor, Mitsubishi Mining Co, at a special ceremony at a Los Angeles museum.

“Today we apologise remorsefully for the tragic events in our past,” Mitsubishi Materials Senior Executive Officer Hikaru Kimura told an audience at the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles.

In all, about 12,000 American prisoners of war were put into forced labor by the Japanese government and private companies seeking to fill a wartime labour shortage, of whom more than 1,100 died, said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, an associate dean at the Simon Wiesenthal Center.

Six prisoner-of-war camps in Japan were linked to the Mitsubishi conglomerate during the war, and they held 2,041 prisoners, more than 1,000 of whom were American, according to nonprofit research center Asia Policy Point.

Mitsubishi Materials Corp’s predecessor ran four sites that at the time of liberation in 1945 held about 876 American prisoners of war. l

DT

WORLD 7

TUESDAY, JULY 21, 2015

UN Security Council endorses Iran nuclear deal n Reuters, United Nations

A vintage car with US flags drives by the US embassy in Havana yesterday. The United States and Cuba formally resumed diplomatic relations as the Cuban flag was raised at the US State Department in a historic gesture toward ending decades of hostility between the Cold war foes AFP

US, Cuba open historic new chapter in post-Cold War ties n Reuters, Washington The United States and Cuba quietly ushered in a new era of post-Cold War relations yesterday, formally restoring diplomatic ties severed more than five decades ago and re-establishing embassies in each other’s capitals.

Just past the stroke of midnight, the two countries reached a new milestone in the historic thaw that began with a breakthrough announcement by US President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro on Dec 17.

Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez will preside around 10:30 am (1430 GMT) over the raising of the Cuban flag for the first time in 54 years over a mansion that will again serve as Havana’s embassy in Washington.

The significant symbolic event will be followed by a meeting at the State Department between Secretary of State John Kerry and

Rodriguez, the first Cuban foreign minister on an official visit to Washington since the 1959 Cuban Revolution.

Even before the Cubans held their ceremony, the US Interests Section in Havana, long serving as Washington’s de facto diplomatic post there, issued a statement announcing that yesterday it “officially became US Embassy Havana.”

But no American flag will fly there until a visit by Kerry expected next month. “We wanted the Secretary to be there to oversee these important events,” an official said.

Without fanfare in the pre-dawn hours, maintenance workers hung the Cuban flag in the lobby of the US State Department in Washington where it joined the banners of other countries with which the United States has diplomatic relations.

Differences remain and efforts toward full normalisation between the US and the Com-

munist-ruled island are expected to proceed slowly. Yesterday’s steps culminated more than two years of negotiations between governments that had long shunned each other.

More than 500 people will attend the Cubans’ festivities in Washington, including members of Congress. No invitations went out to hardline anti-Castro lawmakers. The US delegation will be headed by Assistant Secretary of State Roberta Jacobson.

The re-establishment of embassies, agreed to on July 1, opens a new chapter of engagement by easing government contacts heavily constrained since the United States broke off relations in 1961.

A US economic embargo against Cuba will remain in place, and only Congress can lift it, something that majority Republicans are unlikely to do anytime soon despite Obama’s call for it to be rescinded. l

The United Nations Security Council yesterday endorsed a deal to curb Iran’s nuclear programme in return for sanctions relief, but it will be able to re-impose UN penalties during the next decade if Tehran breaches the historic agreement.

The 15-member body unanimously adopted a resolution that was negotiated as part of the agreement reached in Vienna last week between Iran and the world’s major powers.

In return for lifting US, EU and UN sanctions, Iran will be subjected to long-term curbs on a nuclear programme that the West suspected was aimed at creating an atomic bomb, but which Tehran says is peaceful.

Passage of the resolution triggers a complex set of coordinated steps agreed by Iran during nearly two years of talks with the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France, Germany and the European Union.

It says that no sanctions relief will be implemented until the International Atomic Energy Agency submits a report to the Security Council verifying that Iran has taken certain nuclear-related measures outlined in the agreement.

Under the deal, the major powers don’t need to take any further action for 90 days.

Then they are required to begin preparations so they are able to lift sanctions as soon as the IAEA verification report is submitted.

The European Union approved the Iran nuclear deal with world powers yesterday.

US President Barack Obama’s administration has sent the nuclear agreement to Congress, which has the next 60 days to review it.

Once sanctions relief can be implemented, seven previous UN resolutions will be terminated and the measures contained in the resolution adopted yesterday will come into effect.

The resolution allows for supply of ballistic missile technology and heavy weapons, such as tanks and attack helicopters, to Iran with Security Council approval, but the United States has pledged to veto any such requests.

The restrictions on ballistic missile technology are in place for eight years and on heavy weapons for five years. The resolution leaves in place an arms embargo on conventional weapons for five years.

The resolution places restrictions on the transfer to Iran of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes for a decade.

It allows all UN sanctions to be re-imposed if Iran breaches the deal in the next 10 years. l

Most Israeli Jews favour Stung by opposition, Modi return of Gaza settlements seeks consensus on reform n AFP, Jerusalem Most Israeli Jews favour the reconstruction of a block of settlements in the Gaza Strip, a decade after Israel withdrew from the Palestinian territory, a poll published yesterday showed.

Some 51 percent of Israeli Jews said they were in favour of rebuilding the Gush Katif group of settlements, located in southern Gaza and where more than 8,000 Israelis lived prior to the 2005 withdrawal. The poll

published on the NRG news website of 587 people did not include members of the Arab minority, who represent nearly 20 percent of Israel’s population.

Israel evacuated Gush Katif and other Gaza settlements in 2005 under a plan launched by then prime minister Ariel Sharon. Israeli authorities have since prevented its citizens from travelling to Gaza.

The Gush Katif block was the most prominent of Israel’s Gaza settlements. l

n Reuters, New Delhi Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi began work with unions and employers yesterday to build support for the biggest shake-up of labour laws in decades.

It is a change of tack for Modi, who is smarting from widespread opposition to business-friendly land purchase rules he has tried, and so far failed, to push through parliament following an executive decree.

Modi has had to scale-back his ambitions for the short session of parliament that starts on Tuesday, with government officials privately saying the focus will be on passing a law to enable a goods and services tax (GST).

The GST law got the backing of a parliamentary panel yesterday. Passing it would in itself be a victory and go someway to reassuring investors who are growing jittery that economic modernisation is happening more slowly than they hoped under Modi. l

DT

8 WORLD

TUESDAY, JULY 21, 2015

The man who cost Greece billions

Greece makes payments, no longer in default to IMF n AFP, Washington

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras looks on during his speech at the annual conference of the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises in Athens, Greece in this May 18, 2015 file photo REUTERS

n Reuters, Athens Once again Alexis Tsipras was struggling to make a decision. For hours on July 13, the Greek prime minister and Europe’s leaders had been trying to thrash out a new deal to bail out bankrupt Greece and keep the country in the euro zone.

Now a clean copy of the latest text had been printed, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande and European Council President Donald Tusk were satisfied with the terms. So too appeared Tsipras – but he left the room to check the details one more time with colleagues in his leftist party Syriza.

Nearly an hour later he had still not returned. Heads of government and state paced around, fiddling with their phones. The Lithuanian president and Slovenian prime minister said they could wait no longer and left through a backdoor, a diplomat involved in the summit said.

When Tsipras finally reappeared, his response confirmed what Europe’s leaders had suspected for some time: without the full backing of his party, the Greek leader could not commit. The setback reinforced European doubts that Tsipras could control his party.

Friends and associates say the 40-yearold’s calm demeanor belies a man struggling to balance Syriza, Greece’s economic interests and his own leftist ideology.

Tsipras’s strategy going into the bailout talks was to push international partners to the edge, betting they would make concessions to prevent Greece crashing out of the euro zone. In the event, though, he was forced to blink first and then ad-lib his way through the crisis that ensued.

He found himself pressed on the one side by the Germans, who didn’t want to give another penny to prop up Greece, and on the other by his own political party, which opposed the austerity demanded in return for a bailout.

The indecision and delays have cost Greece about 30 billion euros in the last three weeks alone, according to one senior European Union (EU) official. Tsipras’ inability to cut a deal

in early July, which forced Greek banks to close their doors and sent the economy plunging, has pushed up the cost of the latest bailout to 86 billion euros, from the 53 billion euros Greece was requesting only a few weeks ago.

Tsipras would not speak to Reuters for this story. A former Syriza colleague who has known Tsipras since he was a teenager and is now with another party said: “He has grown in leaps politically, but his decisions are a result of his fears. Fear that he will be the prime minister who led Greece out of the euro, fear his party will split, and also fear he is betraying the ideology he has fought for and believed in since he was a child.”

Born in 1974 a few days after Greece’s return to democracy following seven years of military dictatorship, Tsipras joined the youth branch of the Communist Party when he was just 14. Three years later he moved to a more liberal-minded splinter group that would later be renamed Syriza.

At 33, Tsipras was president of the Syriza party, the youngest political leader in the history of modern Greece. By 40, with no experience of national government, he was prime minister, elected on the promise of ending austerity but keeping Greece in the euro zone.

Like the prime minister, Tsipras’ team of close advisers had little experience of government or international politics. In large part, members of his inner circle are trusted friends of a similar ideology and age.

His closest confidant is Minister of State Nikos Pappas, two years his junior. Pappas, an economist, was living in Scotland with no plans to return to Greece when Tsipras asked him to join him in 2008.

Tsipras also brought in British-trained economist Yanis Varoufakis, who had been an academic in Britain, Australia and the United States. He offered a way to build bridges with Europe and the United States. “(Tsipras) took him in because he broke some barriers for us,” said a Syriza insider. But Varoufakis was also radical and outspoken. Appointed finance minister after Syriza won power in January, he proved to be less bridge builder and more destroyer as he negotiated with international

lenders. He angered many in Europe with his blunt rhetoric and unorthodox ideas.

As negotiations floundered, these two key figures in the Greek government went in different directions. Varoufakis, who would not speak for this story, eventually quit.

Tsipras’ inner team started to discuss the idea of a referendum in April. On June 24, Tsipras met for hours at European Commission headquarters with IMF boss Christine Lagarde, EC President Jean-Claude Juncker, European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi and Eurogroup finance ministers.

Two people familiar with the talks said Tsipras appeared to agree at least twice on terms for a bailout, only to request a time-out to consult with his delegation.

Each time, he returned to the room without his normal smile and said the package was “unacceptable,” causing immense irritation and loss of trust, the two sources said.

In the referendum, Greeks voted against tough bailout terms involving austerity. It was a huge victory for Tsipras, but the sense of elation didn’t last. He sought parliament’s approval to go back to the EU negotiating table and, unsure whether he could hold his government together, reached out to his political rivals for support.

During a five-hour parliamentary debate that started after midnight and ended with Tsipras delivering a final appeal in a trembling voice, Syriza was in uproar.

Some Syriza lawmakers rebelled, but Tsipras won the vote with the support of other parties.

Wounded, but armed with parliament’s approval, he returned to Brussels for the final showdown. As EU funding ran out, the government was compelled to close Greek banks and limited people to 60 euros a day from cash machines.

Tsipras looked exhausted. Some European leaders even urged him to get some rest. But with the intervention of the French, a deal was reached under which Greece agreed to accept even tougher economic reforms than had been on offer before. Tsipras announced it to his team calmly: “OK, we signed.” l

The International Monetary Fund said yesterday that Greece was no longer in default on its loans after remitting about two billion euros ($2.2 billion) to make up for missed debt payments.

“I can confirm that Greece today repaid the totality of its arrears to the IMF.... Greece is therefore no longer in arrears to the IMF,” said spokesman Gerry Rice in a statement.

Greece’s ongoing IMF support program was frozen on June 30 when the country, in the middle of tense negotiations with European Union creditors on more funding, failed to make a key payment on outstanding loans from the Fund.

It missed a second payment on July 13 as the negotiations for bridge funding ahead of a huge third bailout program for the cash-short nation were being finalised.

The repayments were finally made possible by a short-term loan of 7.16 billion euros granted by the European Union on Friday.

The government also needs to make a 4.2 billion euro payment to the European Central Bank yesterday. Rice said that now that Athens is no longer arrears, the IMF “stands ready to continue assisting Greece in its efforts to return to financial stability and growth.” l

Victims hail ‘end of nightmare’ as Chad’s Habre stands trial n Reuters, Dakar A lawyer for victims of Chad’s former president Hissene Habre welcomed his trial in Senegal yesterday as “the end of a nightmare” after he was forced to appear before an African Union-backed court for crimes committed in his 1982-1990 rule.

The start of Habre’s trial on charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity and torture ends a 15-year battle by hundreds of victims and rights campaigners to bring the former strongman to justice in Senegal, where he fled after being toppled in a coup.

Habre, armed by Washington as its proxy in a war against Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi, is blamed by rights groups for widespread torture and the killing of up to 40,000 political opponents and ethnic rivals.

Dressed all in white, the 72-year-old had to be forced to appear in the crowded courtroom after he refused to recognise the authority of the Extraordinary African Chambers (CAE) set up especially to try him two years ago.

After an outburst, he was escorted from the courtroom by security men and refused to return. Habre’s lawyers did not attend the trial, alleging a lack of due process.

The tribunal is supported by the African Union but is part of Senegal’s justice system, making it the first time in modern history that one country’s domestic courts have prosecuted the former leader of another country on rights charges.

A successful trial, conducted to high standards and leading to a credible verdict, would strengthen African countries’ argument that they should try their own, amid criticism of the International Criminal Court (ICC) for indicting only Africans. l

DT

EDITORIAL 09

TUESDAY, JULY 21, 2015

INSIDE

Empathetically handicapped Enough with the “it’s not us, it’s them” excuse. We can’t allow this to happen anymore PAGE 12

Salute and farewell, Mr Kabir Mr Kabir has left us, but the anti-corruption movement that he put together in Bangladesh will remain forever indebted to him for his selfless dedication, and highest levels of commitment and integrity PAGE 13

Who is instigating the violence against the Rohingya?

One cannot but shudder at what the consequences might be if someone like Dr Maung and his associates are given free reign over the fate of the Rohingya PAGE 14

Be heard Write to Dhaka Tribune FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, 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

Ensure planning makes tourism sustainable

T

he cabinet’s approval of the Cox’s Bazar Development Authority Act is an important step forward.

It is overdue for there to be an active master-plan and framework in place to oversee the development of Cox’s Bazar.

With its unusually long sandy beach and closeness to other areas of interest to visitors, it has huge potential to keep growing as a major tourist destination.

We welcome the government’s move to encourage public-private partnerships to develop new infrastructure and facilities under a comprehensive 10 year master-plan.

Past lack of oversight and strategy has allowed a lot of unplanned development and poorly managed operations to undermine the resort city’s attractiveness, and worsen local pollution.

There is enormous potential to add to the large numbers of domestic tourists who regularly visit Cox’s Bazar, as seen by the interest being received in the plan from foreign investors.

It is vital to ensure new development is both environmentally and financially sustainable. In a country with land area as small as ours, tourist destinations have to put a premium on protecting the environment and history, which draw visitors to them.

The government must ensure that, in tandem with improving amenities and transport links for tourists, it encourages all visitors and locals to respect the environment and maintain the area’s attractiveness.

This should include more action to prevent litter on beaches and eliminate harassment of tourists to make the resort more welcoming to visitors.

Cox’s Bazar is a major part of the country’s tourism sector. Our expanding economy means the sector should keep growing and employing many hundreds of thousands of people. It is essential we protect its brand image by making respect for people, places, and the environment an integral part of the future development.

It is vital to ensure development is both environmentally and financially sustainable

DT

10 OPINION

TUESDAY, JULY 21, 2015

Can’t we learn to be better towards each other?

BIGSTOCK

Empathetically handicapped n Briarose Deirdre D’Silva

T

he dawn of a new era, they said, when Bangladesh was declared a middle-income country. The feeling of stepping into the big race rather than just juggling between “to eat or not to eat” has never felt better. I felt good that morning, reading about it in the papers. My flag stands tall. My pride has never been more amplified.

A few days, later I brought myself up to the task of watching a 13-year-old boy be beaten to death by a bunch of workers in a factory in Sylhet. The poor lad was asking for water while being beaten, but the “middleincome” countrymen could not respond to that request with kindness. They responded: “Drink your sweat.” I remember reading about something similar happening to Jesus in the Bible. I thought Roman brutality was a bit outdated in the age of guns.

I was clearly wrong, because the middleincome country’s people managed to keep up the gracious name of the famous Roman brutality -- nowadays known as mob brutality. Suddenly, none of the achievements in terms of economic milestones, and none of the cricket legends in the making, mattered. Nothing

mattered except the fact that I lived among psychopaths. It’s a scary feeling, isn’t it?

How is it that a country that brags about hospitality can become so deranged? In that video, I see no criminal master-mind at play.

Enough with the ‘it’s not us, it’s them’ excuse. We can’t allow this to happen anymore

What I clearly see is a group of very, very angry people -- angry over God only knows what, and taking it out on a kid who was not even proven guilty. I used to see heartless people throw stones at dogs out of boredom.

Now I see people doing the same to people.

Where does all this frustration come from?

From the home front, lack of civic sense, lack of morality, lack of empathy, lack of sym-

pathy? If we are lacking so much, how can we actually handle the big race in economic warfare?

Rajon is not the first person to have died at the hands of an angry mob, it has happened a million times before. This time, we saw it on video -- we saw it pop up on our newsfeeds.

We wouldn’t have cared if it didn’t pop up, and that is exactly how isolated we are from the human world. That is how empathetically impaired we are from human suffering.

It is a frightful message that we, as a country, have issues when it comes to chaos and ethics. We are a boiling pot ready to overflow, and this has become more than enough reason to finally take a look at where our collective mental health as a country is headed.

When did we start to process being beaten to death as a legitimate way to go? How did we start to consider taping it as legitimate?

When did the average Bangladeshi become this comfortable with injustice and brutality?

How, as citizens, have we moved so far away from healthy human experiences that, until a crime like this had cluttered our newsfeeds, it didn’t bother us?

Mental health and stability is important.

Today, we see that it has never been more important in our society. We can’t allow our children to be trained as human weapons

of destruction. This is not the country I am ready to leave behind for my children.

Our indifference towards brutality is alarming, and it’s time we took a close look at this. Those were very angry men rejoicing at being able to beat up a helpless child. It’s clearly abnormal, and let’s call a spade a spade -- we are okay with beating a child to death in public, while also verbally taunting him to a very sad death.

Enough with the “it’s not us, it’s them” excuse. Justice is necessary -- yes, it would be sweet. But, more crucially, we can’t allow this to happen anymore. Enough of numbers, names, and stories -- a kid was killed on video, publicly.

Textbooks need to change from dealing with not just academics, but also social responsibility. We need to teach our kids to behave, not just score marks. If we can barely handle our problem of mob brutality, how will we tackle the big global challenges, now that we are a middle-income country?

Let’s raise conscious citizens rather than religious fanatics, uneducated vagabonds, insensitive beasts, psychopaths, and rapists.

This country needs citizens who respect the value of life. l Briarose Deirdre D’Silva is a freelance contributor.

DT

OPINION 11

TUESDAY, JULY 21, 2015

Salute and farewell, Mr Kabir or referred to some individuals known for their expertise. After each of those meetings, I used to bid Mr Kabir farewell with a clearer vision and as a calmer person. He had that effect on me because I soon realised that this person didn’t have an iota of ego.

During Mr Kabir’s time there, we just didn’t put together the largest chapter of TI, but received generous support from the development partners, prepared programs such as the national integrity plan and “making waves,” prepared and published countless reports, and received unprecedented support from the media and gained notoriety while maintaining a highquality governance structure within TIB. Many individuals and organisations became members of the social movement against corruption, and TIB’s byline (which he himself had picked) and its activities took root in various districts of Bangladesh.

In 2001, during one of our regular meetings, Mr Kabir dropped a bombshell: “Manzoor, I have decided to leave the position of chair as I want to create a precedent for future chairs of TIB.” I was devastated, even though I fully appreciated his reasons.

Mr Kabir had nurtured and guided TIB during those crucial years behind the scenes, never coming forward to take the limelight.

Only when it mattered did he step forward.

For example, after months of waiting for TIB’s registration with the NGO Affairs Bureau, I reported to him that we had come unstuck.

He quietly suggested that both of us should go and meet the home secretary. We did, and in less than five minutes, the home secretary questioned: “Why didn’t you come and see me earlier?” This is how TIB got its registration, and subsequently received, and still is receiving, generous support from

Syed Humayun Kabir’s work affected the lives of millions

n Manzoor Hasan

I

t was late 1996, some time in October, when I received a telephone call from Syed Humayun Kabir inviting me to meet him. He introduced himself as the chairman of the board of trustees of Transparency International Bangladesh.

I had little inkling that this conversation would be the beginning of a special relationship which would influence my work -- and me -- in a very profound manner.

I had returned to Bangladesh in 1995 after a long stint overseas and started my law practice. Given the opaque nature of the profession that I had experienced, I started to explore other options.

I was already aware of the objectives of Transparency International, an emerging global anti-corruption organisation which had formed a local chapter in Bangladesh a couple of years earlier. Syed Humayun Kabir and seven other trustees (Tawfique Nawaz, Syed Aminul Huq, Muzaffar Ahmad, Khan Sarwar Murshid, Mahfuz Anam, Samson H Chowdhury, and Ruby Ghuznavi), with encouragement from TI, formed the board with Syed Humayun Kabir as the founding chairman.

Syed Humayun Kabir was actually one

of the two “creators” of the trust, and the initial seed-fund had come from his own pocket, in addition to other in-kind support.

Apparently, they were looking for a CEO to get the Bangladesh chapter off the ground.

At the first meeting, Mr Kabir gave me a full and thorough analysis of the state of governance in Bangladesh and the kind of activities that the board of trustees would expect from me. I knew very little about his background as an innovative entrepreneur, but I was sufficiently convinced by his clear and incisive explanation and expectations, and decided to take on the challenging task of TIB’s executive director.

Mr Kabir made it very clear to me from the very outset that, as the chairman of the board, he would provide me with “full support and protection” to carry out TIB’s activities. I have to say that Mr Kabir didn’t flinch an inch from that position during the period he was the chairperson -- the critical foundational years of TIB. TIB started its activities in 1997 and, over the next few years, we had moved offices four times as we grew to become a force in the country, and became the largest chapter within the TI family of nearly 100.

I always had full access to Mr Kabir, and he never made formality an issue. I never

Mr Kabir has left us, but the anti-corruption movement that he put together in Bangladesh will remain forever indebted to him for his selfless dedication, and highest levels of commitment and integrity

managed to take him to any of the annual meetings of TI as he smilingly declined such offers and suggested the names of other trustees.

He kept reminding me that I had at my disposal a formidable collection of individuals as trustees, and the work of the chapter will be strengthened if they were more and more involved. The best moments for me were the regular meetings, mostly over lunch, that I had with him when I gave him a detailed account of TIB’s activities -- he used to listen intently, and ask me simple but piercing questions.

Those questions were meant to clarify my own thinking rather than his own understanding of the issues. Occasionally, he interjected with some specific suggestions,

various donors.

Mr Kabir has left us, but the anticorruption movement that he put together in Bangladesh will remain forever indebted to him for his selfless dedication, and highest levels of commitment and integrity.

I want to put on record the fact that it was with the greatest of pleasures and immense satisfaction that I worked with Mr Kabir during the first few crucial years of TIB. I, on behalf of millions of anti-corruption fighters, take my hat off to say: “Salute and farewell Mr Kabir. May your dream of a more accountable Bangladesh come true.” l Manzoor Hasan is Barrister-at-Law and Executive Director at the South Asian Institute of Advanced Legal and Human Rights Studies.

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12 LONG FORM

TUESDAY, JULY 21, 2015

Who is instigating the violence against the Rohingya?

The following is based on extensive interviews conducted by the author in the Rohingya IDP (internally displaced persons) camps in Myanmar this year n Azeem Ibrahim

A

dam is 34 years old. He lives in a 10 square-foot bamboo hut in the Thet Key Pyin camp for internally displaced persons (IDP camp) in Sittwe, Myanmar. Just over three years ago, he used to be a construction worker, living a life of relative comfort in the downtown area of Mansi Junction Village. But that may as well have been an entire lifetime ago.

It was June 2012 when his pleasant, peaceful life was torn to pieces -- along with the lives of 35-40,000 other people just like Adam. Their village was attacked on all sides by mobs of people. And not just thugs or gangs on the loose. Military and police too -- entire local sections of Myanmar’s security services. They burned down the houses and forced residents to leave. Some people wouldn’t leave. Or couldn’t leave in time.

They were burnt alive. Some others who tried to resist the attack were hacked to death by the mobs.

Why were Adam and his neighbours attacked? Simply, because they were born.

REUTERS

Today, Dr A Maung is still very much at the forefront of the situation. One cannot but shudder at what the consequences might be if someone like him and his associates are given free reign over the fate of the Rohingya

Or to be specific, because they were born in the Rohingya minority ethnic community, in Myanmar. And this was not an isolated attack. Similar acts of violence flared all across the state of Arakan (Rakhine) in Myanmar that June. And again that year in October.

And again a few months later. And ever since.

Roughly twice every year since 2012, the state of Arakan goes up in flames.

Not that these attacks have been out of the blue. The Rohingya have been at the receiving end of discrimination, hostility, and occasional violent attacks ever since “Burma” gained independence from Britain in 1948.

But the developments in the last three years -- they are something new.

We are in the middle of a full-blown ethnic cleansing campaign, and according to several of the most respected international observers, including UN bodies, the Rohingya are the group most at risk of genocide at this moment in time. Half of the Rohingya population of around 2-2.5 million has been displaced -- the majority to neighbouring countries such as Bangladesh and Thailand.

This is what triggered the Southeast Asian migration crisis we have heard about in the news. But over 150,000 Rohingya people have been internally displaced.

Like Adam, they live in IDP camps. They cannot leave and they cannot find employment.

They are under constant guard by security agencies, ostensibly to “protect them from further attacks” -- in effect they are living in prison camps, where even Medicins Sans Frontieres have been banned from operating.

I recently returned from Myanmar, where I undertook research for my forthcoming book on the Rohingya minority. Whilst there, I had to ask: Who is actually instigating these vicious attacks against the Rohingya? It is difficult to point the finger unequivocally at the government, even as there is evidence that at least some elements of the state administration have either enabled or even participated in certain attacks. And it is equally difficult to pin down any group or population, even as it is clear that many, many people in Myanmar are extremely hostile to the Rohingya.

But one name that repeatedly came up and in the case of which there is very little ambiguity is Dr Aye Maung, leader of the Arakan National Party (ANP), previously known as the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party (RNDP). To put this into its proper context, the stated ideology of the ANP is to “represent the interests of Rakhine people in Rakhine (Arakan) state and the Yangon

region.” In other words, it is a self-declared ethno-centric, xenophobic, and racist party.

And they hate the Rohingya with a burning passion -- for having a different colour OF\\ of skin and most of all for having a different religion (Islam).

One of my sources personally witnessed Dr Maung enter a restaurant in Sittwe in May 2012, only to storm out again furiously when he saw that the Rakhine locals were sitting and eating happily with their neighbours – “the Bengalis” (the term used for Rohingyas in order to de-legitimise their existence in the country). Another witness in June of the same year saw about 10 people from Dr Maung’s party distributing leaflets claiming that a Rakhine girl had been raped by Rohingya men and urging the Rakhine to protect their dignity.

As numerous villages were being burnt to the ground that June, in what appeared to be co-ordinated attacks, as evidence mounted of state complicity and suspicions arose that the ultimate strategy of the attackers is to force the Rohingya out of their communities into IDP camps where they would be at the mercy of their enemies, Dr A Maung told the BBC that “the Bengalis” (Rohingya) were burning their own homes and businesses.

Dr Maung went on to be part of the investigation launched by the Myanmar government into the events of June, which started in October 2012. This investigation cheerfully concluded that “both sides are to blame,” and no serious measures have since been taken to prevent a repeat of the atrocities, which accounts for the regularity with which they recur.

Of course, Dr Maung is but one man. He may be the most visible political character in this odious spectacle, but there are many, many others. There are local leaders of the ruling Union Solidarity and Development

Party which are equally hostile to the Rohingya, such as Hla Maung Tin, chief minister of Rakhine state till 2014, whose “handling” of the situation in Arakan was so patently lacking that it forced the president of Myanmar to remove him, despite the president himself being no big fan of the Rohingya. To say nothing of leaders of the local military units, police, and the notorious border agency NaSaKa, which has long been in the eye of the UN for decades of human rights abuses.

And then there are a whole host of extremist Buddhist monk leaders who insist that the Rohingya pose a threat to the state because of their Muslim faith. Hence the reason why mosques are some of the more frequently targeted buildings for arson when the attacks happen.

All these political actors, usually Rakhine Buddhists with some kind or other of axe to grind, have very much to gain by constantly victimising and attacking the Rohingya.

And by now the situation is to a large extent self-perpetuating. That is how we have come so close to genocide.

The worry now is what happens if there is some kind of trigger -- something that pushes the situation over the precipice from brutal violent and sustained oppression to outright calculated extermination. Today, Dr A Maung is still very much at the forefront of the situation.

And he is looking to become chief minister of Rakhine. One cannot but shudder at what the consequences might be if someone like him and his associates are given free reign over the fate of the Rohingya. l Azeem Ibrahim is an International Security Lecturer at the University of Chicago, and author of the forthcoming Rohingya: Inside Myanmar’s Hidden Genocide (Hurst UK). This article first appeared in The Huffington Post.

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13

TUESDAY, JULY 21, 2015

T-JUNCTION

Hear me roar Photo: Chisty Rahim

INSIDE

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24

DIYs to get more organised

Give your digs a makeover as we help you clean up that filthy mess.

Captive wildlife

If you’ve always been intrigued about the caged animals in our National Zoo, their conditions and the challenges for animal caretakers, this week we give you a 411 on what has been going on.

Plus 2 to hit the market

Good news for all the tech-geeks out there, OnePlus 2 - the next generation smartphone will be here by the end of the month. A bit on the pricier side, let’s find out if it’s really worth investing in it.

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14 T-JUNCTION

Try Out

TUESDAY, JULY 21, 2015

DIYs for a swell dwelling It gets even better when you don’t have to break the bank n Farhana Shahnaz If you are totally jealous of your friend’s awesome crib but don’t have the dough to undergo a major room makeover, raise your hand. We got just the DIYs you need for overhauling your space and we promise you it’s not rocket science. So take out your scissors and glue guns and get crafting!

Tassel garland Shoe box caddy If you are a klutz, this DIY is exactly what you need to tame your clutter.

Materials seeded: • Large shoe box • Toilet paper cardboard rolls or rolls made with cardboard paper • Wrapping paper • Glue

These garlands add flair to any drab wall in no time!

Materials needed: • 1/2 sheet of 20” x 20” or 20” x 24” tissue paper • Scissors • Ribbon or cord Steps: • Fold one piece of your tissue paper in half horizontally and then in half again vertically.

• Leaving about an inch margin from the fold line, start cutting your tissue paper into thin 1/4 - 1/2 inch strips.

• Carefully unfold along the vertical

• •

• •

fold you made earlier and cut the tissue paper in half to reveal two tassels.

Then carefully unfold each half, one tissue paper at a time.

Take the unfolded tissue papers and roll tightly along the middle crease.

Once you are done rolling, fold in half and twist to create a small loop for hanging. Secure the loop with glue if you want.

Create multiple tassels using the same steps.

Insert ribbon or cord into the loops to create your finished garland. And your garland is now ready to hang!

Steps: • Take a shoe box and wrap it with wrapping paper with nice prints.

• Colour the cardboard rolls if you want.

• Arrange the rolls inside the box the way you want.

• Secure the bottom and sides of the rolls to the box with glue and let it dry.

• Store all your pens or craft supplies in this cute caddy. You can also store your cords here.

T-JUNCTION 15

DT

Wildlife

TUESDAY, JULY 21, 2015

Don’t feed the monkeys As carefree as one could be

Photos: Chisty Rahim

n Chisty Rahim The enty fee of the National Zoo of Bangladesh only costs Tk10 per person.

So that explained why the zoo was quite crowded when I paid it a visit last Wednesday. It seemed to me that the general people, regardless of their economic status, are very easily intimidated by something they don’t get to see every day. For me, it was simply a forced-upon venture to give company to a friend, who on the other hand was bound to go there for her project.

It was rousing to see so many people’s interest in wildlife. It somewhat inspired me initially to love and learn more about our country’s wildlife, and I thought to myself, maybe this zoo thing is, in fact, a good thing for the Dhaka residents. But one look at the caged beasts and I started to think otherwise.

The first caged animals you see when you enter through the gates are the deer on your left. Then it’s a long walk onward leading to a map which shows you the location of the different cages. The cages

have strict instructions on the frontier, clearly mentioning the dos and don’ts. But considering the variety of the visitors and the lack of maintenance, it seemed like the situation could’ve been worse - keeping over enthusiastic and unaware (of consequences) visitors from climbing over the fence and petting the animals close up.

And the “Don’t feed the animals” sign seemed hardly noticeable to a majority who actively, through whatever they had in their hands or could find on the ground, fed the monkeys.

With a clear sign instructing the visitors not to feed the animals, the initiative went in vain. No one listened. It seemed as if everyone took more pleasure throwing worthless pieces of brick metal and garbage, rather than actual food that the monkeys could eat. The threatened little creatures squeaked and jumped from one branch to another inside those cages, as the floor was painted with the colourful reflective potato cracker bags and banana peels.

It gets worse. And I have to admit, I don’t really know where to start. The animals

were clearly suffering. They are kept in huge cages with concrete floors and metal nets; completely out of their natural habitat, except for the deers which require a vast and open field to run about, along with grass underneath to graze. They are well provided for.

But my sympathy mainly goes to the majestic Royal Bengal Tigers. The cages are big but extremely smelly. The rusty rods and with less or no gap from the “point of reach” is all too saddening. And surely, it wouldn’t take too long before some idiot gets seriously hurt while trying to get a closer look at the magnificent beast. To paint a clearer picture, the cages are so close to the spectators that they can practically poke the tigers with their fingers if they dared to.

Another disappointment was watching the snakes slither in pain inside their so-

called-home. I have never seen snakes up front before, so I thought to take advantage of the opportunity. However, the tainted black and translucent glass they were kept in, and the metal net in front as well as the lack of proper lighting, made it hardly visible. I tried my best to squeeze in through the crowd who so eagerly flocked in front of the glassed amphibians (with no sign of moving along to the next animal display) and managed to get some quick peeps.

And after all the effort and the fight I put up there, I saw something, something shapeless that moved like a shadow, and that was all I could see. I was later assured by a friend that it wasn’t always like that.

It’s sad to see how poorly we treat animals who were rightfully there before us. Even sadder, there isn’t much change to be had in the horizon. l

DT

16 T-JUNCTION

TUESDAY, JULY 21, 2015

Tech

Simple mathematics gadget

The OnePlus 2 to hit the market at the end of the month n Mahmood Hossain Not too many people are familiar with the OnePlus brand of smartphones. Its sequel should receive the attention it deserves.

Because all the tech-savvy folks out there have nothing but good things to say about the original OnePlus One smartphone. The reason for the lack of exposure is due to its limited supplies and a complicated invite system. While the OnePlus One costs $249 USD for 32GB and $299 for the 64GB version, the phone failed to catch up to the masses.

The popularity, however, fell into the hands of the respectable tech-geeks who valued the Android-based CyanogenMod software.

What does all this mean? This not only gives the user more control over their smartphone, in a more effective way, but it brings out the best in an Android powered phone. The upcoming launch of the OnePlus 2 is set to hit the market on July 27 in China.

That of course, is a huge advantage for us living in Bangladesh. We might have a better opportunity to grab these phones that other countries (even the US) will find difficult to obtain because of those pesky invites.

Ultimately, you may have a chance to hold a device, unlike any other Android phone out there, that will excel in departments where others fail.

The engine What we know so far is that the OnePlus 2 will have the octa-core Snapdragon 810

processor, which you can find in some flagship phones, like the HTC One M9, LG G Flex 2, Sony Xperia Z3+ and the Xiaomi Mi Note Pro. There might be a slight concern of this to overheat, but this phone will be using the 2.1 version of the processor. Qualcomm states that this chip will be cooler than ever.

It will also include a fingerprint sensor and an impressive 4GB of RAM. Like the industry standard, it will use the USB Type C charging port, backed up by a 3,300mAh battery.

Looks and availability The hardware is impressive but the design also has a couple of upgrades, as far as we know. OnePlus 2 might have a similar screen that of the predecessor, sporting a 5.5-inch full-HD display. Although, it’s possible it might come in a higher resolution set at a 2,560x1,440-pixel “QHD” screen. And the leaked images from China, if they are to be believed, reveal that it now has a metal housing, unlike the OnePlus One plastic body. It might give the likes of the Galaxy S6 and iPhone 6 some competition.

The OnePlus 2 won’t be as cheap as the first, that’s for sure. It was stated in a Google+ post that the phone will be available under $450 USD or around Tk35,000. But if you really think about it, that’s still pretty darn good for a phone that has flagship specs in it. We can only watch and wait if the phone will be globally accepted and skip the limited access process. l Disclaimer: This is not the actual picture of the phone. The real phone might differ from the picture used.

Veteran star Ronaldinho joined Rio side Fluminense on Sunday, the fourth Brazilian club of his widelytravelled career

Sport 18

50-OVER FORM GIVES MUSHFIQ HOPE

19

POSITIVE STEYN ON VERGE OF 400-CLUB

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DT

GYPSY

TUESDAY, JULY 21, 2015

LIVERPOOL REACH DEAL WITH VILLA FOR BENTEKE

2015 a breath of fresh air for Tigers n Mazhar Uddin

With the threat of rain looming over the horizon on the eve of the first Test against South Africa, Bangladesh cricketers Liton Kumar Das (L), Nasir Hossain (C) and Imrul Kayes arrive for practice at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

Chandika sets the tempo high n Minhaz Uddin Khan from Chittagong The home side will stick to its strength, whatever the condition may be, and try to cash in on their fearless brand of cricket, informed Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusingha ahead of the Chittagong Test against South Africa, starting today.

Weather will be a crucial factor today as there has been frequent thunderstorms and heavy showers in the last couple of days.

However, the Tigers coach hinted of following their aggressive mindset that fetched immense success in the one-day format lately.

“We don’t play to conditions. We play to our strength because condition can change in two hours. We cannot plan for two hours, it is five-day cricket. If our strength is spin, we

will stick to spin. We will take into account the weather in the next few days and make a decision [today],” said Chandika in the pre-match conference at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium yesterday.

The Bangladesh line-up in the last three Test matches fielded eight batsmen which indicated a defensive mindset. Playing a bowler less also weakened the line-up as Bangladesh suffered from below-par success on the field.

“The mindset will be to play high-tempo cricket. We want to play aggressive cricket, believe in ourselves. We have to play big moments intelligently as well. I am very confident with our Test team as well. We have a really good bunch of players that suit this condition. Mini (Mominul Haque) coming into the team gives us stability at the top. Imrul Kayes was also among the runs in the last series,” said the Bangladesh coach.

“The biggest challenge will be their bowlers. They have a world-class attack in Tests.

How our batsmen handle their fast bowlers will have a big impact on the outcome,” said Chandika.

Meanwhile, 19-year old Mustafizur Rahman is likely to wear his first Test cap as Chandika believes the left-arm seamer brings a different dimension to the team. After his record-making performance in the six ODIs, many thought the Test call-up came early for the teenager.

The former Sri Lankan cricketer said, “He (Mustafizur) is good enough to play Test cricket. Having a left-armer in any bowling attack is a different thing. It takes the condition out of the equation because he gives a different angle. It is an advantage for any team. Whenever we can get him into the Test team, it is an advantage.” l

The year 2015 has been a turning point for Bangladesh cricket, especially in the 50-over format, as the Tigers provided the perfect riposte for their critics and managed to shed the tag of minnows, emerging as the new powerhouse of world cricket.

A change in attitude and body language started to become evident in the 2015 ICC World Cup down under when they overcame England on their way to their maiden quarter-final appearance in the global showpiece event.

The Tigers’ transformation though was only half complete as they had to prove that their World Cup show was no fluke. And, they duly achieved their objective in the ensuing ODI series’ over sub-continent rivals Pakistan and India.

If the critics were yet to be fully convinced then the Tigers had the perfect reply in store.

A solid South African side were duly taken care of as the Tigers recorded an impressive series win in the ODIs. Bangladesh are unlikely to play any more ODI series this year although the Bangladesh Cricket Board is mulling arranging three ODIs and as many Twenty20 internationals against the West Indies in the upcoming months. If the series against the Windies does take place then the Tigers will have the golden opportunity to continue their brilliant run in the 50-over format this year. Including the South Africa ODIs, Bangladesh managed to win 10 of their 15 matches at an impressive winning percentage of 63.

Now that the Tigers have been able to prove their worth in limited-over cricket, the focus will automatically shift to Test match cricket where they have struggled to execute their game-plan more often than not. Test cricket has remained the major headache for the Tigers and they must carry on playing their fearless brand of cricket if they want to change their fortunes in five-dayers. l

BANGLADESH CRICKET IN 2015 ICC World Cup 2015 Match 7

Win 3

Loss 3

Bangladesh vs Pakistan Test ODI T20I

Lost two-match series 1-0 Won three-match series 3-0 Won lone T20I

Bangladesh vs India Test ODI

Drew the lone Test match Won three-match series 2-1

Bangladesh vs South Africa ODI T20I

Won three-match series 2-1 Lost two-match series 2-0

NR 1

DT

18 Sport

TUESDAY, JULY 21, 2015

Amla hoping for change in fortunes n Minhaz Uddin Khan from Chittagong Heading into the first of two Test matches against South Africa, Bangladesh will draw a lot of inspiration from their recent success in the three-ODI series. And now that the attention has shifted to red-ball cricket, the Tigers will look to maintain their limited-over form but Proteas Test captain Hashim Amla is of the opinion that a change in format will prove to be the difference.

“Well, I think Test cricket is a largely different format. Also, we have got quite a few new guys in the team, guys who haven’t played Test cricket, as well as experienced guys like Dale [Steyn], who is back in the Test team.

What it has done is given us awareness of how it is like to play in Chittagong. The way Bangladesh have played in the ODIs, they have been an in-form team, and I’m sure they will be taking plenty of confidence into the Tests,” Amla told the press conference previewing the first Test at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium yesterday.

Although the Proteas played the last of their eight Tests against the Tigers in 2008, they will take heart from the head-to-head record between the two teams. The sides have faced each other eight times with the South Africans winning all of them, including seven by an innings. On top of that, Amla also cited their recent run of good form in the sub-continent as a source of motivation.

“We have been playing really good Test cricket over the last couple of years. I think from my perspective, we have got a lot of new faces in the team, who haven’t played a lot of Test cricket mixed with the guys who have played a lot of Test cricket. So, I am really hoping those guys get to understand what Test cricket in Bangladesh is all about and hopefully some of us can put in some big performances to allow them to grow into Test cricket. We are a team in transition. We hope to get together as a team and grow in the next couple of years,” Amla explained. l

HEAD-TO-HEAD Tests 8, SA won 8, BD won 0, Draw 0

Bangladesh 259 102 Bashar (310) Shahadat (15)

Highest totals Lowest totals Most runs Most wickets

South Africa 583/7d 330 Smith (743) Ntini (35)

50-over form gives Mushfiq hope n Minhaz Uddin Khan from Chittagong Bangladesh Test skipper Mushfiqur Rahim believes they will be able to maintain their recent run of impressive cricket when the first of two Test matches against South Africa gets underway at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong today.

Here are the excerpts from yesterday’s preTest press conference in the port-city.

How is the atmosphere in the dressing room?

We had a very good one-day series. It was not only this series but we have been playing good cricket for the last eight months or so, not only in ODIs but also in Tests. We have played a few Test matches in the last few months and won three of them. Those might have come against Zimbabwe but we had to take 20 wickets. There were rain interruptions but we did end up drawing the Test against India. There was a great comeback against Pakistan in the

Khulna Test and we drew the game so there are many positives that will give us confidence. Although this is a different ball game, I think our players are in good rhythm and hope we will put up a good team effort. Our challenge will be to play good cricket for the next five days.

Our Test successes are rarely savoured, when compared to the ODIs. How do you take that as the Test captain?

We play as Bangladesh team, I don’t think we should differentiate it as ODI or Test team. I feel a little bad to be honest. People have different expectations in Tests for the way Bangladesh are progressing. Everyone wants Bangladesh to do better in this format and be more consistent, even if we don’t win. Everyone wants us to play for five days and see us dominate. I hope we will be able to play in the two Tests against South Africa the way we have played in the last eight months. That way we

can get the results, I believe.

Are you fit enough to keep wickets in the first Test?

I am not hundred percent fit. You need to keep for a long time in Test cricket so there are some risks there. Liton [Kumar Das] kept well in the last Test (against India) and also batted well. I think he will keep [today] but then again you also need to think of the team combination so we are yet to make a decision.

Is Mustafizur Rahman ready for his international bow in Tests?

I think he is in good shape to have a go in this format. Like the coach (Chandika Hathurusingha) said, he will be good for any form of cricket. He has performed in domestic longer-version cricket. South Africa have four of five new batsmen who have never faced Mustafiz before so it should not be a surprise if we play him [today] and he deserves that. l

(L-R) Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Mominul Haque, Shakib al Hasan, Mahmudullah, Nasir Hossain and Soumya Sarkar put the final touch to their preparation at ZACS in Chittagong

MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

DT

Sport 19

TUESDAY, JULY 21, 2015

QUICK BYTES

DALE STEYN: TEST CAREER

Vlaar out for four months after knee operation

Tests 78

Wickets 396

BBI 7/51

BBM 11/60

Average 22.55

Sterling to get game time for Man City against Roma Raheem Sterling, the most expensive English footballer in history, will play for his new club Manchester City against AS Roma in Melbourne, manager Manuel Pellegrini said Monday. The 20-year-old completed his move to the 2014 EPL champions from Liverpool last week in a five-year deal worth an initial £44million that could rise to £49m. Sterling will now be seen playing in Manchester City’s sky blue shirt for the first time in the International Champions Cup at the MCG on Tuesday.

AFP

Roma beat Real Madrid on penalties in ICC

Pele back in hospital Brazilian football legend Pele, 74, is back in hospital in Sao Paulo and has undergone spinal surgery, TV Globo announced on Saturday.

The Albert Einstein hospital did not make any comment on the request of the family, but Globo said that Pele underwent the operation on Thursday and was recovering well. He is expected to be discharged on Monday. According to the Globo Esporte website, Pele underwent arthrodesis, a procedure used to treat pain caused by the motion or instability of the spine.

AFP

Mexico, Panama advance to Gold Cup semi-finals Mexico and Panama advanced to a Gold Cup semi-final showdown with triumphs Sunday, one thanks to a dramatic save and the other on a penalty kick after a controversial call. Mexican captain Andres Guardado scored the lone goal from the spot in the 124th minute to lift Mexico over Costa Rica 1-0 while Panama goalkeeper Jaime Penedo denied Lester Peltier in the ninth round of penalty kicks as the Canaleros advanced 6-5 over Trinidad and Tobago after a 1-1 draw.

AFP

5W 25

10W 5

n Minhaz Uddin Khan from Chittagong

REUTERS

AFP

SR 41.6

Positive Steyn on verge of 400-club

Netherlands international Ron Vlaar will be out of action for four months, much longer than he had initially expected following a knee operation, the defender told Dutch media on Monday. Vlaar underwent a meniscus operation last month and was expecting to be back in action after a month but said complications meant his rehabilitation could take up to four months. The 30-year-old defender is out of contract after three seasons at Aston Villa, where he served as captain.

Italy’s AS Roma beat Spanish giants Real Madrid in a penalty shootout after the International Champions Cup opener failed to produce a goal in regulation time at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday. The first 12 penalty attempts found the net before Italian goalkeeper Morgan De Sanctis kept out Lucas Vazquez’s attempt. Seydou Keita stepped up and converted his attempt to secure the shootout 7-6 for Roma. Los Blancos, ranked as the world’s most valuable sport team but there was no end product as the Serie A team matched them before 80,746 fans at the famous arena.

ER 3.25

South African tearaway Dale Steyn gears himself up on the eve of the first Test against Bangladesh at Chittagong’s Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium today MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

Veteran South African speedster Dale Steyn will be looking to become the second quickest bowler in history, and the fastest among the quickies, to reach 400 Test wickets when the first of two five-dayers against Bangladesh begins today at Chittagong’s Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium.

Proteas Test captain Hashim Amla however, was unable to wait for the 32-year old paceman to cross the milestone and instead congratulated him in advance. Amla hoped Steyn would join the 400-club in the two Tests against the Tigers.

“400 Test wickets is something that is extremely special. He has been a special bowler for us and has made sure of making contributions at crucial times; no matter where it has been. Hopefully, if he can get there during this series, there is no doubt that everybody will enjoy the success because we know the amount of work that he has put in,” said Amla in the pre-Test press conference in the portcity yesterday.

Former Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralidaran is the quickest bowler to reach the 400-club. While Muralidaran did it in 72 Tests, Steyn will be looking to become the second quickest, having played six Tests more. Former New Zealand all-rounder Richard Hadlee is currently the second quickest, having played 80 Tests.

Steyn trails highest South African wicket-taker Shaun Pollock, who has 421 scalps from 108 Tests. l

F1 drivers call for better safety after Bianchi death n AFP, Monaco The Formula One drivers union on Saturday called for better safety measures on race circuits after the death of French driver Jules Bianchi.

Formula One must “never relent in improving safety,” the Grand Prix Drivers Association (GPDA) said in a tribute to the 25-year-old Bi-

anchi who died nine months after suffering critical brain injuries in a crash at the Japanese Grand Prix.

The GPDA called Bianchi “a great talent, a great man and a great friend.”

“Twenty-one years after the deaths of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger, we have now lost Jules, who has died as a direct consequence of an on track accident. l

Australian surfer Mick Fanning being attacked by a shark during the Final of the JBay surf Open on Sunday in Jeffreys Bay. Mick Fanning, 34, was competing in the final heat of a world tour event when a looming black fin appeared in the water behind him. He fought back against the shark, escaping from the terrifying scene without injury AFP

Federer busy with charity work in Africa n Agencies Swiss tennis star Roger Federer, who recently lost the Wimbledon final, is currently busy doing some charity work for his foundation.

Federer got a much needed break as the US Open is still a month away.

“I feel grateful to be able to share time with these amazing kids,” Federer tweeted along with a selfie of his alongside some kids.

The Roger Federer foundation is mainly committed to raise the standard of living of poor and under-privileged children. l

DT

20 Sport

TUESDAY, JULY 21, 2015

Calleri ‘rabona’ sets up Boca win on Tevez return n Reuters

Boca Juniors new recruit Carlos Tevez (L) congratulates Jonathan Calleri (2L) after the latter scored a brilliant goal against Quilmes at La Bombonera on Saturday

Liverpool reach deal with Villa for Benteke n Reuters Liverpool have agreed a 32.5 million pounds ($50.73 million) deal with Aston Villa for striker Christian Benteke, British media reported on Sunday.

The 24-year-old Belgian international will undergo a medical by Tuesday and is unlikely to join his new team on their current tour of Australia, the BBC reported. Liverpool club doctor will leave the tour of Australia and fly back to Britain to conduct his medical, the report said.

Since joining Aston Villa from Genk in 2012, Benteke has scored 49 goals in 101 appearances, helping the team avoid relegation last season. Liverpool made the bid for Benteke after selling Raheem Sterling to Manchester City for a record fee of 49 million pounds ($76.4 million). l

Premier League giants Liverpool defeated Adelaide United 2-0 in the second game of their two-game Australian tour at Adelaide Oval on Monday night. The cricket scoreboard at the Adelaide Oval is adjusted to show the scoreline before the game

Striker Jonathan Calleri chipped a brilliant “rabona” as Boca Juniors marked Carlos Tevez’s homecoming with a 2-1 victory over Quilmes at La Bombonera to stay top of the Argentine championship.

Calleri, executing the rabona by wrapping his right leg round behind his left to chip over goalkeeper Walter Benitez, scored in the 53rd minute of Saturday’s match.

Fellow striker Sebastian Palacios had put Boca in front in the first half. Alexis Canelo pulled one back for Quilmes in the 58th minute.

“I don’t have a left (foot), so it was an option,” Calleri told reporters about his quick thinking when his initial effort came back to him off a defender.

“He missed the easier one and got the harder one. While he was doing the rabona I was cursing him,” coach Rodolfo Arruabarrena said jokingly.

Calleri said he often found space playing alongside Tevez, who made his second debut for Boca after returning from a decade abroad.

“He draws markers and pressures (the defence), he’s Boca’s number 10,” Calleri said.

The sports daily Ole headlined Tevez’s winning return with the words “Very beautiful” in English, a play on “very difficult” which is a standing joke in Argentina at Tevez’s language learning difficulties during his seven years in the Premier League.

Diego Maradona reacts from a balcony next to his daughter Jana at La Bombonera stadium on Saturday REUTERS Boca recovered the lead with 37 points from 17 matches, one point more than San Lorenzo who had gone top for 24 hours with Friday’s 3-0 victory over Arsenal.

River Plate kept third place on 34 points despite fielding a second string side in their 5-1 rout at Atletico Rafaela with veteran striker Fernando Cavenaghi scoring four.

After walking off with the match ball, Cavenaghi said: “I don’t have many, I’m not (Lionel) Messi. It’s a nice souvenir. It’s the done thing and I wanted to take it with me.

“We have a great squad, we must fight for both tournaments,” added Cavenaghi, nicknamed Cavegol. Cavenaghi is the championship’s second best marksman with 10 goals, one less than Marco Ruben of Rosario Central. l

Messi needs to rest: Enrique n AFP, Los Angeles The logistics of Barcelona’s North American tour are tough enough, coach Luis Enrique makes no apologies for letting stars including Lionel Messi skip the pre-season excursion.

The Spanish giants landed in Los Angeles on Sunday to begin preparations for a threematch tour that opens with a game against Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles Galaxy at the Rose Bowl on Tuesday.

Enrique and captain Andres Iniesta were fresh off the bus from the airport when they met with the media, the team having been cheered upon arrival at their hotel by a gaggle of Barcelona fans.

Asked if he owed those fans a chance to see players like Argentinian superstar Lionel Messi and Brazilian Neymar, Enrique said

his first duty was to get those players some much-needed time off.

“That’s simple to answer,” he said. “We have to give a certain minimum number of days of vacation for players to recover from a season that is seemingly eternal,” said Enrique, who has excused Messi, Neymar, goalkeeper Claudio Bravo, midfielder Javier Mascherano and fullback Dani Alvez from the tour after they competed in the Copa America.

“The bottom line is, these players need to rest.”

After taking on the Galaxy, the Champions League winners will travel north to take on Manchester United at the home of the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers on Saturday.

They complete their US swing against English champions Chelsea on July 28 in suburban Washington DC. l

Argentina star Lionel Messi lays the first stone at the construction site of a new soccer stadium in Port-Gentil on Saturday REUTERS

Four of six confederations say would back Platini for FIFA president n Reuters Four out of six continental soccer confederations would back UEFA president Michel Platini if he stands for FIFA president, a source close to European soccer’s governing body said on Monday.

Frenchman Platini, who was re-elected as UEFA president earlier this year, is likely to decide within the next 10 days or so whether to run, the source added.

Platini, who is still undecided whether to run, held meetings late into Sunday night at a luxury lakeside hotel in Zurich where he was repeatedly promised support, the source said.

FIFA’s executive committee was meeting on Monday to discuss reform plans and set a date for a vote to replace outgoing president Sepp Blatter, amid charges against FIFA officials of corruption by the U.S. Department of Justice and Swiss authorities. l

DT

Sport 21

TUESDAY, JULY 21, 2015

Sarfraz, Yasir star in Pakistan’s big win n AFP, Colombo Sarfraz Ahmed scored 77 and Yasir Shah grabbed four wickets as Pakistan thrashed Sri Lanka by 135 runs in the violence-hit third one-day international in Colombo on Sunday.

All-rounder Mohammad Hafeez made up for a year-long ban on bowling due to a suspect action with a polished 54 as Pakistan piled up 316-4 after electing to bat in the daynight match.

Leg-spinner Yasir then shone with the ball as Sri Lanka were bundled out for 181 in 41.1 overs on a slow pitch at the Premadasa stadium.

The match was interrupted for 30 minutes in the second session with Sri Lanka on 158-7 when stones thrown apparently from outside the stadium landed on the field near a Pakistani fielder.

Match referee Javagal Srinath of India immediately ordered the players off the field as anti-riot police squads evacuated spectators from two blocks of stands near the giant scoreboard.

The match, which was witnessed by Pakistan batting great Zaheer Abbas -- the current president of the International Cricket Council (ICC) -- resumed after the short break and Pakistan completed a facile win to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.

Lahiru Thirimanne, who top-scored with 56, was the only Sri Lankan batsman to offer resistance as the rest of the batting collapsed.

Opener Kusal Perera was the next highest contributor with 20. l

SLvPAK, 3RD ODI Pakistan 316/4 (Sarfraz 77, Hafeez 54, Malik 42*) Sri Lanka 181 (Thirimanne 56, Yasir 4-29) Pakistan won by 135 runs

DAY’S WATCH Gazi TV, BTV, Star Sports 1 9:30AM South Africa Tour of Bangladesh 1st Test, Day 1

Star Sports 1 6:00PM International Champions Cup FC Bayern v Inter Milan

Star Sports 2 4:00PM International Champions Cup Man City v AS Roma 8:30PM Pro Kabaddi League Mumbai v Pune

Star Sports 4 ICC World T20 Qualifier 02:00PM Play-Off 1: Afghanistan v Hong Kong 6:00PM Play-Off 2: Namibia v Netherlands International Champions Cup (Wednesday) 06:00AM PSG v ACF Fiorentina 9:00AM Manchester United v San Jose

Comedian throws cash at Blatter n Agencies

Pakistan leg-spinner Yasir Shah celebrates the wicket of Sri Lanka’s Kusal Janith Perera (unseen) during their third ODI in Colombo, Sri Lanka on Sunday AP

Sepp Blatter’s first official press conference since announcing he is stepping down as Fifa president was interrupted by the comedian who plays Lee Nelson today.

The British comic, real name Simon Brodkin, walked in front of the beleaguered head of world football’s governing body before throwing a wad of fake cash into the air. Brodkin was quickly escorted away by security staff.

Blatter rose from his seat and looked flustered by the incident before being coaxed back to his seat by an official.

Some in attendance can be heard laughing.

Blatter said: “This has nothing to do with football”.

Brodkin has made a recent habit of gatecrashing events. He interrupted Kanye West’s headline set earlier this summer. He also dressed up as a member of the England football team and tried to board their pre-World Cup flight. l

Collapses concern Cook after Lord’s rout n AFP, London

England captain Alastair Cook said his side simply had to stop losing early wickets if they were to regain the initiative in the Ashes after a colossal 405-run defeat by Australia in the second Test at Lord’s.

England, set a new fourth innings winning target of 509, slumped to 103 all out in a mere 37 overs after tea as the tourists levelled the series at 1-1 with more than a day to spare on Sunday.

Several batsmen were undone by sheer

pace, with left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Johnson -- who took 37 wickets during Australia’s 5-0 home Ashes whitewash of England in 2013/14 -- leading the way with three for 27 in 10 hostile overs.

ENGvAUS, 2ND TEST Australia 566/8 dec (Smith 215, Rogers 173, Broad 4-83) and 254/2 dec (Warner 83, Smith 58) England 312 (Cook 96, Stokes 87, Johnson 3-53, Hazlewood 3-68) and 103 (Johnson 3-27) Australia won by 405 runs

England’s decline to 42 for three at Lord’s on Sunday was the seventh time in their last 13 Test innings that they had been three wickets down for 43 or under.

This was also the third time in as many series that England had been pegged back after going 1-0 up, with both the West Indies and New Zealand ending all square at 1-1 in shorter campaigns than the five-match Ashes.

For all their talk of playing “aggressive” cricket, a draw was England’s only realistic hope once Australia captain Michael Clarke declared for the second time in the match. l

Zimbabwe square T20 series n Agencies Zimbabwe squared their two-match Twenty20 series against India with a 10-run win in Harare. India had coasted to a 54-run victory in the opening match on Friday but their batting deserted them this time as they fell short of Zimbabwe’s 145 for seven.

Ajinkya Rahane was run out for four off the third ball of the innings but the foundations for an Indian victory appeared to be built by a second-wicket stand between Murali Vijay and Robin Uthappa.

ZIMvIND, 2ND T20I Zimbabwe 145 for 7 (Chibhabha 67) India 135 for 9 (Uthappa 42, Cremer 3-18) Zimbabwe won by 10 runs

The pair put on 53 in 32 balls before Graeme Cremer bowled Vijay and India were wobbling three balls later when the leg-spinner dismissed Manish Pandey lbw for nought.

And when Uthappa fell for a 25-ball 42 in the next over, driving the ball back to the off-spinner Sean Williams, and Kedar Jadhav was run out as panic set in, India were suddenly 69 for five and very much second favourites.

Stuart Binny (24) and Sanju Samson (19) repaired the innings but Cremer (three for 18) broke their sixth-wicket partnership and a target of 41 from the final five overs proved too much as India lost wickets at regular intervals.

Taurai Muzarabani (one for 23) and Chris Mpofu (one for 26) both struck at the end and Bhuvneshwar Kumar became the third runout victim as India finished on 135 for nine. l

Zimbabwe’s Greame Cremer (R) shares a light moment with India’s Harbhajan Singh following the second T20I in Harare on Sunday REUTERS

DT

22 DOWNTIME

TUESDAY, JULY 21, 2015

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Cicatrix (4) 6 Spirit (3) 7 Weak glue (4) 9 Actual (4) 10 Strong winds (5) 11 Commenced (5) 12 Snow runner (3) 14 Prophets (5) 17 Footwear (5) 20 Short sleep (3) 21 Duck with soft down (5) 23 Place of refuge (5) 25 Labyrinth (4) 27 Large (3) 28 Tear (4)

DOWN 1 Emphasise (6) 2 Language (6) 3 Govern (4) 4 No score (3) 5 Acceptance (3) 7 Of sound mind (4) 8 African animal (5) 10 Fuel (3) 13 Mohammedan Scriptures (5) 15 Anger (6) 16 Flatten out (6) 18 Sharp (4) 19 Wrongdoing (3) 22 Eastern ruler (4) 23 Poor actor (3) 24 Solemn promise (3)

CODE-CRACKER How to solve: Each number in our CODECRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 22 represents M so fill M every time the figure 22 appears.

You have two letters in the control grid to start you off. Enter them 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.

A B C D E FG H I J K L M N O P Q RST UVWXYZ

CALVIN AND HOBBES

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.

PEANUTS

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS CODE-CRACKER

CROSSWORD

DILBERT

SUDOKU

DT

SHOWTIME 23

TUESDAY, JULY 21, 2015

A shoe-in from Schumer

CELEBS ON SOCIAL

manisha koirala @mkoirala Morning walk...

Jennifer Lopez @JLo Who saw #LilaAndEve this wknd? Tweet me your fav scene!! In theaters & on iTunes now. http://jlo.lk/ lilaandevetw Russell Peters @ therealrussellp In between shots on rippedthemovie with @faizonlove @t_tea_v rockin’ our Fat Rope Chains!!…

n Showtime Desk Seems like the Amy Schumer starrer Trainwreck is on its way to being a sleeper hit. The stand-up comedian teams up with some key figures in Hollywood, co-starring Bill Hader and letting Judd Apatow take the reigns behind the camera. However, the addition of NBA All-Star, LeBron James has been a pleasant surprise for audience in North America. The unusual one-two punch of Schumer and James is on the rise in being possibly the best comedy of the summer.

The R-rated comedy is Schumer’s debut in film, not to mention penning the script.

The Universal released film has done much better than its expected $30.2 million. It did its biggest business in the major cities of New York City and Los Angeles, where she happens to be a media darling. In fact, eight of the 10 theaters happen to be in those two cities.

Amy Schumer plays a NYC journalist, whose dislike of monogamy is upended when she interviews and dates a sports doctor (Hader), whose best friend is LeBron James (who plays himself in the

film). It’s natural to believe that because of James’ icon status more moviegoers are willing to buy a ticket to see the comedy.

However, after initial showings, James puts on a wonderful supporting performance.

Although, there are a couple of cameos that add to the entertainment many will be eager to watch. What you have is a rated R romantic comedy, that has garnered 66 percent of women in theatres, coming from a film that was only made for a modest $35 million. The numbers are sure to rise in the coming weeks. l

written numerous hits performed by artists such as Carlos Santana (Stormy); Gloria Estefan (Traces); and Garth Brooks (Mr. Midnight), according to the Alabama Music Hall of Fame.

big hit A-Tisket, A-Tasket, in 1938.

He went on to write and arrange music for Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie and The Dean Martin Show. Alexander is survived by two daughters, four grandchildren and 14 greatgrandchildren.

WHAT TO WATCH

In Memoriam

n Showtime Desk

Eid weekend saw a number of notable deaths in the entertainment world. Here is a quick look at the luminaries who left us.

July 18 Alex Rocco The 79 year old American actor, best known for his role as Moe Greene in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather, lost his battle with cancer at his home in Studio City. In a career spanning half a century, Rocco won a Best Supporting Actor Emmy for his role in 1990s sitcom The Famous Teddy Z. Buddy Buie Songwriter/producer Buddy Buie, 74, died of a heart attack on Saturday. Though Buie is known for his work with the Atlanta Rhythm Section, he has also written or co-

George Coe Oscar-nominated actor and longtime Screen Actors Guild activist George Coe breathed his last in Santa Monica, California, after a long-drawn battle with illness. He was 86. Coe’s career spans more than 50 years and includes credits in film, television, commercial and stage work. He also served more than a dozen years on the SAG national board of directors, having the vice president title for two years and creating the template for what became SAG’s first lowbudget production contract.

July 19 Van Alexander The US bandleader-turned-composer died aged 100, of heart failure, at a hospital in Los Angeles. Alexander was instrumental in Ella Fitzgerald’s career, co-writing her first

Douglas Cook The screenwriter credited (along with writing partner David Weisberg) with screenplays for The Rock and Double Jeopardy, breathed his last on Sunday.

His final project, Ariel Vromen’s Criminal, starring Kevin Costner, Ryan Reynolds, Gary Oldman and Jones, and is a thriller about a dead CIA agent whose memories and skills are implanted into the brain of a dangerous outlaw with the hope of thwarting a terrorist, is slated for release next year. l

X-Men Star Movies 9:30pm Two mutants come to a private academy for their kind whose resident superhero team must oppose a terrorist organization with similar powers.

Cast: Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers WB 6:09pm While Frodo and Sam edge closer to Mordor with the help of the shifty Gollum, the divided fellowship makes a stand against Sauron’s new ally, Saruman, and his hordes of Isengard.

Cast: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen Total Recall (2012) Zee Studio 7:10pm A factory worker, Douglas Quaid, begins to suspect that he is a spy after visiting Rekall - a company that provides its clients with implanted fake memories of a life they would like to have led - goes wrong and he finds himself on the run.

Cast: Colin Farrell, Bokeem Woodbine, Bryan Cranston

DT

24 BACK PAGE

TUESDAY, JULY 21, 2015

WHO IS INSTIGATING THE VIOLENCE AGAINST THE ROHINGYA? PAGE 12

CHANDIKA SETS THE TEMPO HIGH PAGE 17

A SHOE-IN FROM SCHUMER PAGE 23

Jute department seeks DoE’s help to stop polythene bag production n Abu Bakar Siddique The Department of Jute has sought the Department of Environment’s help in stopping the production of polyethene or poly bags and sacks in the country as it prepares to implement the Mandatory Jute Packaging Act 2010.

“We have sent a letter at the Department of Environment authorities asking for their cooperation in stopping poly bag production, and we are going to sit in a meeting in this regard soon,” said Mohammad Kefaetulla, director at the Department of Jute.

The environment authorities can help by not permitting poly bag producers to produce the plastic bags and sacks which are used to

package rice, sugar, fertiliser and many other products, sources said.

The government enacted the jute packaging act in January last year aiming to revive the jute industry, making it mandatory for the country’s agriculture sector to make all kinds of packaging with jute material.

The law says that paddy, rice, wheat, maize, fertiliser and sugar must be packaged in jute bags. Violation of the law will result in a maximum sentence of one year in jail or a fine of Tk50,000 or both for using non-degradable synthetics to package commodities.

However, the government’s move to implement the Mandatory Jute Packaging Act 2010 has stumbled due to lack of cooperation

from rice mill owners, the major instruments in implementing the act.

Most of the rice mills in the country are still using contraband plastic sacks that are also detrimental to the environment.

“Implementation of the act has been slow just because rice mill owners, who are not interested in packing their products in jute sacks, have been blocking the initiative,” Kefaetulla said last month.

Asked about the Department of Jute’s letter, Department of Environment Director General Raisul Islam Mondal told the Dhaka Tribune that his department would lend all its support to the jute sector.

The Department of Environment is the authority responsible to issue environmental

clearance to any kind of industry which produces industrial goods, including poly bags.

According to the Department of Jute, around 750 million jute bags are to be used annually and 50% of the jute production will be consumed locally once the packaging act is implemented.

Sources from Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation (BJMC) claimed that the sector would regain strengths overnight if only 20% of the businesses started using bags made of “the Golden Fibre of Bengal.”

Kefaetulla said rice millers use around 1.4 million synthetic sacks annually for packaging their products; if these sacks could be replaced with jute sacks, it could make a significant difference. l

Biman offers 20% discount n Tribune Report

When the country was celebrating Eid festivities on Saturday, a garment worker breaks down in tears in front of the Jatya Press Club in Dhaka where she and her colleagues stage a sit-in amid the rain demanding payment of outstanding wages and bonuses RAJIB DHAR

Biman has announced 20% discount on flights to Middle Eastern countries and Malaysia.

Those travelling from Middle East and Kuala Lumpur can avail the offer as the number of passengers has fallen after Eid-ul Fitr.

Mohammad Shah Newaz, a director of Biman, said that the special offer is valid until August 3.

The offer will remain in place for Biman international flights from Dubai, Kuwait, Doha, Riyadh, Jedda, Muscat and Kuala Lumpur.

The airline operates flights on 18 international routes including London.

Biman’s fleet now stands at 12 with two Dash 8-Q400, four long-haul Boeing 777300ER, two leased Boeing 777-200ER, two Airbus A310-300 and two Boeing 737-800.

The Biman official said the airline offers discounts on different routes on different occasion round the year. l

Youth killed over relationship, father maimed on Eid day n Our Correspondent, Gopalganj

A young man died yesterday after being maimed on Eid day for having a relationship with his cousin in a Gopalganj village. His father was also seriously injured by his nephews.

Ariful, Shafiul, and Rabiul – brothers of the girl – chopped off both hands of Tuhin Mollah and gouged out his eyes on Saturday night for being in a relationship with their sister.

They also cut off both the feet of Tuhin’s

father Showkat Akbar Mollah, a resident of Char Pathalia village of Gopalganj.

The father and son were first taken to Gopalganj General Hospital in critical condition.

They were later sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Tuhin died on the way around 2am on Sunday. His father was admitted to NITOR (pangu hospital).

Tuhin’s family said complications arose between the two families of Showkat Akbar Mollah and his brother Layek Mollah when

the latter found out about the relationship.

They decided to mitigate the problem after the Eid holidays.

However, Tuhin took the girl on a date on Eid day and this angered Ariful, Shafiul and Rabiul. Later that night, they took Tuhin near a pond and hacked him. When Tuhin’s father went to stop them they cut off both his feet.

Inspecting the crime scene, Gopalganj police station’s Sub-Inspector Abdul Khalek said Showkat Mollah and his elder brother Layek

Mollah were in a long-standing conflict over the relationship and some inherited land property.

Gopalganj Superintendent of Police SM Emran Hossain said the incident was mainly due to the feud between the two families and added that a murder case was lodged in this regard.

Police, however, could not arrest anyone in connection with the incident as of yesterday.

Tuhin’s body was taken to Goplaganj Sadar Hospital for autopsy and then was handed over to his family in the evening. l

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