July 17, 2016

SECOND EDITION

SUNDAY, JULY 17, 2016

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Shraban 2, 1423, Shawwal 11, 1437

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Regd No DA 6238, Vol 4, No 81

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www.dhakatribune.com | 32 pages | Price: Tk10

Loyalist street action keeps Erdogan in power n Tribune Desk The people of Turkey have spoken: Ataturk’s republic will remain a democracy.

Except that this is not Ataturk’s Turkey any more.

No longer the type of society Mustafa Kemal Ataturk or Ismet Inonu envisioned, Turkey’s staunch

MORE STORIES ON Page 8, 10›› secularism has given way to rule by parties that are outwardly democratic but espouse extremely conservative religious values.

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose government has been preserved by this unprecedented outpouring of rejection of

military intervention in politics, has espoused questionable causes.

Causes like denouncing Bangladesh’s war crimes tribunals and the Holocaust, and restricting women from free movement and opposing contraception have left him and his brand of political Islam in doubt.

So although thousands poured into the streets, faced down elements of one of the most formidable military forces in the Middle East and added a chapter to the history of civil-military relations in the region, Turkey’s failed coup is anything but a clear victory for democracy.

Some observers, however, say most of those people – for who a section of the Turkish military could not succeed in overthrowing Erdogan  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

TURKEY’S MILITARY COUPS 1993 Claims of a “covert coup” intended to prevent a peace settlement with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) 1980 After armed conflict between right and left wings in the 1970s 1971 Military coup known as the “coup by memorandum”, which the military delivered instead of sending out tanks 1960 Coup by group of young military officer outside chain of command, against the democratically-elected Democrat Party

ERDOGAN’S RISE TO POWER 1970s-1980s Active in Islamist circles, member of Necmettin Erbakan’s Welfare Party 1994-1998 1998

Mayor of Istanbul, until military officers made power grab Welfare Party banned, Erdogan jailed for inciting religious hatred

2001 2002-2003 2014

Founds Islamist-rooted AKP with ally Abdullah Gul AKP wins solid majority in parliamentary election, Erdogan appointed PM Becomes president after first-ever direct elections for head of state

IS claims Nice attacker as its ‘soldier’ n Tribune Desk

The Islamic State group claimed Saturday that the Tunisian man who barreled his truck into a crowd in the French resort city of Nice was a “soldier” of the group.

It’s the first claim of responsibility for an attack that claimed 84 lives at a July 14 fireworks display for France’s national holiday, reports The Associated Press.

The claim - circulated on social media by a news outlet affiliated with the group - didn’t name Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, the 31-year-old Tunisian who authorities say was behind the wheel as a truck crashed into revellers Thursday night.

But the statement quoting an IS security member said the man was following calls from the group to target citizens of countries fighting it.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 5

ASEM leaders stand with Dhaka to fight terrorism n BSS, Ulaanbaatar The Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) leaders have highly praised Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for her strides to combat terrorism and assured that their countries would remain with Bangladesh in fighting the demon.

The appreciation came during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s meetings with Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, Myanmar President Htin Kyaw, Indian Vice President Hamid Ansari and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on the fringes of the ASEM Summit on Friday and yesterday.

Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haq briefed reporters after the meetings. PM’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim was also present.

Haq said Myanmar President Htin Kyaw and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina discussed various bilateral issues in a cordial atmosphere as it was Sheikh Hasina’s first meeting with the Myanmar president after establishment of democratic government in Myanmar.

In about 50 minutes of discussion, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina stressed the need for settlement of all unresolved bilateral issues, particularly the refugee and drug trafficking issues through mutual

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina meets with Myanmar President Htin Kyaw at the ASEM Village in the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar yesterday PID discussion. The foreign secretary said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina held a long discussion with German Chancellor Angela Merkel over dinner hosted last night by the Mongolian President in honour of ASEM leaders.

He said the German Chancellor wanted to know about the initiatives of Bangladesh to curb terror-

ism and assured the prime minister that her government would stay with Bangladesh in its fight against terrorism.

Haq said as Angela Merkel was curious about Bangladesh’s rural development and women’s empowerment. The prime minister invited her to visit Bangladesh in next December to join Global

Forum of Migration and Development (GFMD) in Dhaka and take first hand experience on those successes.

Bangladesh as the present chair of GFMD would hand over chairmanship to Germany for next term.

The foreign secretary further said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Indian Vice President Hamid

Ansari during their meeting discussed the ways of effectively combating terrorism.

They expressed satisfaction over the cooperation between the two countries in various sectors particularly in implementing joint projects.

Hamid Ansari hoped that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will join the BRICS Summit along with other BIMSTEC leaders in Goa in India in October next.

The foreign secretary said during the meeting with his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina, Dutch prime minister assured that his government would remain beside Bangladesh in its fight against terrorism.

The two leaders also expressed satisfaction over the process of successful implementation of the Delta Plan, Haq said.

During the meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the Mongolian president offered Bangladesh to extend all support to establish ready-made garment industries in the East Asian country.

The Mongolian president sought Sheikh Hasina’s support for capacity-building of civil servants of his country and collaboration in the pharmaceuticals and veterinary medicine sectors. l

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Loyalist street action keeps Erdogan in power Friday night – were his followers.

The president also received huge support from international media as well as some like-minded current and former heads of states who denounced the coup attempt as unjust move against an elected democratic government when it was under way.

At least 265 army personnel and civilians were killed after the army faction tried to seize power using tanks and helicopters. Some strafed the headquarters of the Turkish intelligence and parliament in the capital, Ankara, while others seized a major bridge in Istanbul, Reuters reported.

Forces loyal to the government fought yesterday to crush the last remnants of the coup attempt which collapsed after crowds answered President Erdogan’s call to take to the streets and dozens of rebels abandoned their tanks. Over 2,800 rebels were arrested.

Immediately after the rebels announced that they had taken over power for democratic order, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim refused to describe the move as a coup. He also warned that those who were in this “illegal act” would have to pay the highest price.

Yildirim later acknowledged it as a coup attempt after gunfire was heard outside the military headquarters, fighter jets buzzed over the capital and vehicles blocked two major bridges in Istanbul. Within hours, Erdogan said that the nation must gather in squares to give response to the attempted coup.

Around the same time, US President Barack Obama pledged to support the “democratically elected government” and also rejected to recognise the coup attempt. Most of the international media following the coup attempt also described it as a threat to Turkey’s democracy.

However, a section of people in Turkey and other parts of the world were rejoiced in social media as they thought the “autocratic” and “anti-women” government would fall.

Erdogan’s AK Party has long had strained relations with the military, which has a history of mounting coups to defend secularism although it has not seized power directly since 1980.

Erdogan warns plotters

The Turkish president accused the coup plotters of trying to kill him and launched a purge of the armed forces, which last used force to stage a successful coup more than 30 years ago.

“They will pay a heavy price for this,” said Erdogan, who also saw off mass public protests against his rule three years ago. “This uprising is a gift from God to us because this will be a reason to cleanse our army.”

The government declared the situation fully under control, saying 2,839 people had been rounded up from foot soldiers to senior officers,

including those who had formed “the backbone” of the rebellion.

Erdogan, who had been holidaying on the southwest coast when the coup was launched, flew into Istanbul before dawn yesterday and was shown on television outside Ataturk Airport, Reuters reported.

Addressing thousands of flag-waving supporters at the airport, he said the government remained at the helm, although disturbances continued in Ankara.

He said the plotters had tried to attack him in the resort town of Marmaris. “They bombed places I had

der multiple military coups during the past five decades, it is especially insulting to be accused of having any link to such an attempt. I categorically deny such accusations,” Gulen said in a statement.

Secretary of State John Kerry said the US had not received any request to extradite Gulen.

The purge appeared to go beyond the military. Citing a decision by the High Council of Judges and Prosecutors, broadcaster NTV reported that authorities had removed 2,745 judges from duty.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

said, adding that they had requested political asylum.

Lawmakers in hiding

The coup began with warplanes and helicopters roaring over Ankara and troops moving in to seal off the bridges over the Bosphorus, which separates Europe and Asia in Istanbul.

Turkish maritime authorities reopened the Bosphorus to transiting tankers after shutting the major trade route from the Black Sea to the Aegean for several hours for security and safety reasons.

Early yesterday, lawmakers were

Flights Resume

Flag carrier Turkish Airways resumed flights yesterday, while some foreign carriers cancelled weekend flights.

At the height of the action, rebel soldiers took control of TRT state television, which announced a countrywide curfew and martial law. An announcer read a statement on the orders of the pro-coup faction that accused the government of eroding the democratic and secular rule of law. Turkey would be run by a “peace council” that would ensure the safety of the population, the statement said.

Turkey has suffered numerous bombings and shootings this year, including an attack two weeks ago

by Islamists at Kamal Ataturk Airport that killed more than 40 people, as well as those staged by Kurdish militants.

After serving as prime minister from 2003, Erdogan was elected president in 2014 with plans to alter the constitution to give the previously ceremonial presidency far greater executive powers. l

IS claims

A civilian beating surrendered Turkish soldiers involved in the coup on Bosphorus bridge in Istanbul yesterday departed right after I was gone,” he said. “They probably thought we were still there.”

His conservative religious vision for Turkey’s future has also alienated many ordinary citizens who accuse him of authoritarianism. Police used heavy force in 2013 to suppress mass protest demanding more freedom.

Smart phone address

In a night that sometimes verged on the bizarre, Erdogan frequently took to social media, even though he is an avowed enemy of the technology when his opponents use it and frequently targets Twitter and Facebook.

He addressed the nation via a video calling service, appearing on the smart phone of a CNN Turk reporter who held it up to a studio camera.

He said the “parallel structure” was behind the coup attempt – his shorthand for followers of Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim cleric whom he has repeatedly accused of trying to foment an uprising in the military, media and judiciary.

Gulen, who lives in self-imposed exile in the US, once supported Erdogan but became a leading adversary. He condemned the attempted coup and said he played no role in it.

“As someone who suffered un-

Soldiers surrender

Gunfire and explosions had rocked both Istanbul and Ankara through the night after soldiers took up positions in both cities and ordered state television to read out a statement declaring they had taken power. However, by dawn the noise of fighting had died down considerably.

About 50 soldiers involved in the coup surrendered on one of the bridges across the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul after dawn, abandoning their tanks with their hands raised in the air.

Witnesses saw government supporters attack the pro-coup soldiers who had surrendered, assault or rebuke them while photos of one soldier beheaded went viral on Twitter.

By yesterday afternoon, CNN Turk reported that security forces had completed an operation against coup plotters at the headquarters of the military general staff. Security sources also said police detained about 100 military officers at an air base in the southeast.

Neighbouring Greece arrested eight men aboard a Turkish military helicopter which landed in the northern city of Alexandroupolis yesterday, the Greek police ministry

REUTERS

hiding in shelters inside the parliament building, which was being fired on by tanks. An opposition deputy told Reuters parliament was hit three times and that people had been wounded. Attacks on the parliament had “largely stopped” yesterday.

A Turkish military commander also said fighter jets had shot down a helicopter used by the coup plotters over Ankara.

Momentum turned against the coup plotters as the night wore on.

Crowds defied orders to stay indoors, gathering at major squares in Istanbul and Ankara, waving flags and chanting.

“We have a prime minister, we have a chief of command, we’re not going to leave this country to degenerates,” shouted one man, as groups of government supporters climbed onto a tank near Ataturk airport.

Kerry said he phoned the Turkish foreign minister and underlined “absolute support for Turkey’s democratically elected, civilian government and democratic institutions.”

European Council President Donald Tusk called for a swift return to Turkey’s constitutional order, saying tensions there could not be resolved by guns. Erdogan has had often prickly relations with the EU, which worried about some of his actions including raids on Turkish media.

his estranged wife had been taken away Friday by police.

The claim of responsibility came as French security chiefs met in Paris and as Nice’s seaside boulevard, the famous Promenade des Anglais, was slowly coming back to life. A makeshift memorial of bouquets, candles and messages had been set up near one end of the expansive avenue.

The suffering is far from over.

Two days after the atrocity, many families are still hunting for missing loved ones, going from hospital to hospital in an effort to find people who’ve disappeared in the chaos of the truck’s rampage Officials said 202 people had been wounded in the attack, with 25 of them on life support as of late Friday.

France yesterday began threeday mourning in homage to the victims – although that hasn’t stopped politicians from sniping at each other over who bore responsibility for the failing to stop the attack.

In an open letter published on the Nice Matin newspaper’s website, regional council President Christian Estrosi – a member of France’s opposition Republicans – described the country’s current Socialist leadership as “incapable.” He said he had requested that the police presence be reinforced in Nice ahead of the fireworks display but was told there was no need.

Cazeneuve, speaking at the Elysee, disagreed, saying that high security had been assured in the region - including at the Cannes Film Festival and the Nice Carnival. Government spokesman Stephane Le Foll warned against attempts to divide the country, calling for “unity and cohesion.” l

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Police: Hasnat, Tahmid in custody n Tribune Desk The law enforcers yesterday finally confirmed that they were interrogating Hasnat Karim and Tahmid Hasib Khan in connection with the July 1 Gulshan terror attack.

“We have to conduct the investigation through interrogation of witnesses, rescuers and others concerned. The puzzle cannot be solved without interrogation,” DMP Commissioner Asaduzzaman Miah told reporters.

He also claimed that none would harassed during the investigation process.

In response to queries, the DMP boss refused to give details of the whereabouts of the duo. Their families and several international human rights groups have been

campaigning for their release.

“They are neither arrested nor detained, but being interrogated,” he said, suggesting the media persons to contact with the investigation officer for details about the duo.

The DMP’s Counterterrorism and Transnational Crimes unit is conducting the investigation of the case.

At least 2 people including 17 foreigners were killed in the attack launched by Islamic State militants on Holey Artisan Bakery and O’ Kitchen building in posh Gulshan area. Two police officials were also killed during the hostage situation that erupted as the attackers had failed to flee the scene after killing most of the guests at the Spanish restaurant.

Five attackers were killed in the rescue mission dubbed Operation

Thunderbolt the next morning. A pizza chef was reportedly mistakenly killed at that time. Another assistant chef of the restaurant, held as a suspect, succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment at a hospital under police custody.

Some 32 people were rescued from the site or released by the militants.

UK citizen Hasnat, a former teacher of North South University, and Canada resident Tahmid, a student of the University of Toronto, were released by the militants just before the operation. They were later taken to the DB office for interrogation, apparently due to their dubious role during the hostage crisis.

Although a DMP deputy Commissioner earlier claimed that they had released the duo before Eid, their family members alleged that

they had not returned home.

The law enforcers have claimed that the members of banned militant outfits Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh, Ansarullah Bangla Team and Hizb ut-Tahrir carried out the attack jointly.

Rights bodies ask for whereabouts

Last week, London-based rights group Amnesty International demanded that the Bangladesh government immediately ensure that he has access to his family, a lawyer and to any medical attention he may require.

Amnesty also said that Hasnat should be released unless he is charged with an internationally recognisable criminal offence and presented before a court.

Meanwhile, Human Rights

Watch has echoed Amnesty to urge the government to protect the rights of Hasnat and Tahmid.

In a statement issued Friday, the New York-based group called on the authorities to admit their detentions and to make clear the whereabouts.

The group urged investigators to conduct thorough investigations in a rights-respecting manner.

HRW also said the authorities needed to either charge or release them immediately. It claimed the length of time the two men had been held incommunicado was a direct violation of their basic rights.

The rights group also called upon both the UK and Canadian authorities to press for consular access to ensure their safety and well-being. l

Home minister: Gulshan attack instigators, perpetrators identified n UNB Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal yesterday said the instigators and the perpetrators of Gulshan café terror attack had been identified.

“Law enforcers are on a manhunt for their arrest, and the mystery behind the incident will be debunked soon,” said the minister while talking to reporters at the Secretariat.

“Law enforcement agencies are conducting investigations against the identified criminals, and they’ll take legal steps as soon as possible. We’re not revealing the details in the interest of investigation,” said the minister.

Replying to a question about the identities of the criminals, Kamal said the attackers are Bangladeshi

nationals but the instigators might be from abroad.

“Detectives had information about attacks across the country before the Gulshan attack. That’s why we ordered our law enforcers to remain alert. After having information about the café attack, Banani thana Officer-in-Charge (OC) Salahuddin rushed to the spot and died at the United Hospital in Gulshan after having hit during the attack,” he said.

“The people who have raised question about OC Salauddin have connection with criminals,” said the minister while responding to another question.

He said terrorism is now a global threat and terrorists are also changing their plot patterns as Gulshan attack added a new dimension. l

A child is being fed Vitamin A capsule yesterday at Dhaka South City Corporation office in Azimpur, Dhaka. Bangladesh observed National Vitamin A Plus Campaign yesterday through administering the capsules to children below five years to prevent diseases that occur due to vitamin deficiencies, mainly night blindness MEHEDI HASAN

Sholakia attacker was Nibras' roommate? n Nayan Khondokar, Jhenaidah Abir Rahman, one of the attackers in Sholakia, Kishoreganj who was killed in the gunfight with police, used to be a roommate of Gulshan attacker Nibras Islam at a men's hostel in Jhenaidah town, claimed their neighbours.

Several locals who live in the neighbourhood where the men's hostel is located in the town's Sonalipara area identified Abir in the photos circulating in media, saying he moved in to the hostel identifying himself as Nibras' maternal cousin.

However, no one was able to

identify the other six tenants in the hostel.

Some local boys said Nibras, who went by the name Sayeed in Jhenaidah, used to play football with them in the field of the mosque adjacent to the hostel, while Abir used to sit on the sidelines.

Two of the boys, who requested anonymity, said: “Whenever we asked his [Abir] name, Sayeed [Nibras] Bhai would always respond, saying he was his cousin.”

They further said Abir did not talk to anyone or showed interest in football. But once in a while he would play cricket with local chil-

dren beside the mosque field.

“He did not behave or move like a normal person,” they said of Abir.

Abir's stay in the hostel was further confirmed by the woman who used to cook meals for the militant duo. Pointing at Abir on a photo, she said: “This man used to live in the same room as Sayeed Bhai.

They used to spend most of their time in their room.”

She said while Nibras sometimes stepped out of the room and went out on a motorcycle, she never saw Abir go anywhere. “I am not sure when Abir Bhai left the hostel.”

Earlier on Thursday, Bilkis Na-

har, wife of retired army official Kawsar Ali who runs the hostel, identified Nibras as one of the tenants who moved in in March and left in the end of June.

Locals suspect that Nibras, Abir and the other potential militants who lived in the hostel were responsible for at least four murders in Jhenaidah in the last four months.

Hostel owner Kawsar Ali, his college-going sons Binsar Ali and Benzir Ali, the mosque's imam Md Rokanuzzaman and assitant imam Sabbir Ahmed Rob were allegedly detained by local law enforcers on July 6 morn-

ing, claimed their families.

But the local police and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) office said they were unaware of this detainment.

Jhenaidah Additional Superintendent of Police Azbahar Sheikh and Jhenaidah Sadar Circle Assistant Superintendent of Police Gopinath Kanjilal also said they knew nothing of the matter and did not know why the five detainees had been detained.

Meanwhile, RAB 6 Jhenaidah camp's Company Commander Maj Munir said law enforcement team from outside Jhenaidah may have arrested them. l

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Police looking for 11 more missing boys, young men

Pakistani social media star allegedly strangled by brother in honour killing

n Tribune Desk

n Reuters, Lahore

At least 11 cases of missing persons have been reported to police in Mymensingh, Gaibandha and Jamalpur since the terror attacks in Dhaka and Kishoreganj earlier this month.

Police are now looking for seven teens and young men who went missing from different upazilas in Mymensingh in the past 18 months, a 12-year-old madrasa student from Jamalpur's Islampur upazila who has been missing for five months, and three men in Gaibandha's Sadullahpur upazila who went missing in the past two years, our correspondents in the districts have reported.

The terrorists who attacked Holey Artisan Bakery in Gulshan, Dhaka on July 1 and Sholakia Eidgah in Kishoreganj on the day of Eid-ul-Fitr on July 7 – killing at least 25 people – had been missing for a long time before they resurfaced before the attacks.

After law enforcement agencies urged citizens to report any suspicious case of missing persons in their families following the terror attacks, there have been hundreds of general diaries (GD) reporting missing persons – especially persons in their teens and 20s – around the country.

Sources at Mymensingh Detective Branch of police said detectives are looking for the seven missing persons and also if they have any militant connections.

As recorded in the GDs, three of the missing persons are from Phulbaria upazila – two of whom are

teenagers, one from Bhaluka, one teenager from Gafargaon, one from Haluaghat and one teenager from Dhobaura, said Nur-e-Alam, additional superintendent of police in the district Detective Branch (DB).

A source in the DB said they are giving high priority to the cases of missing persons in the wake of the recent terror attacks They were reported missing between February 2015 and July this year, he told the Dhaka Tribune.

A source in the DB said they are giving high priority to the cases of missing persons in the wake of the recent terror attacks. “We are conducting search operations around the district based on the information we have gathered so far.”

Meanwhile, a 12-year-old student at Dhengargarh Sultania Hafizia Madrasa in Islampur, Jamalpur went missing on his way to the madrasa on the morning of February 12 this year, according to the GD filed by his father.

Islampur police station OC Dween-e-Alam confirmed the matter to the Dhaka Tribune and said the boy's family had been looking for him by themselves, but came to file a GD with police on Wednesday when news reports on missing young persons began circulating in

media.

Police are looking into this case and working to find out if there are any militant connections, the OC told the Dhaka Tribune.

In Gaibandha, one of the trio, a 28-year-old fabric supplier, went missing on December 16, 2015 in Chittagong, a 40-year-old RMG factory employee went missing in Dhaka on January 15, 2014, and a 20-year-old grocer went missing in the district's Dhaperhat union on April 1, 2015.

Families of all three men filed GDs with police, but police have yet to find their traces, said Sadullahpur police station OC Farhad Imrul Kayes.

When contacted, Gaibandha Superintendent of Police Md Ashraful Islam said police are investigating what the men's regular activities were and whether they had come into contact with militant outfits.

“We are also running campaigns to make people aware of militancy and how to prevent it,” he told the Dhaka Tribune.

Earlier on Friday, our correspondents in Bogra and Chittagong reported at least 22 cases of missing persons reported in the two districts.

In Bogra, 17 persons were reported missing, six of whom have confirmed militant links, police said.

In Chittagong, five persons have been reported missing, three of whom are teenagers and one 12 years old. Three of them were madrasa students. Police have not yet found any links between the missing persons and militancy. l

Qandeel Baloch, a social media star whose exploits divided opinion in conservative Pakistan, was allegedly strangled by her brother in what appears to be an “honour killing”, police and her family said on Saturday.

Baloch’s raunchy social media photos challenged social norms in Pakistan, a deeply traditional Muslim country where women are often repressed by their family or the community. Her killing shocked the South Asian country.

Baloch received multiple death threats and suffered frequent misogynist abuse, but continued posting provocative pictures and videos. In Facebook posts, she spoke of trying to change “the typical orthodox mindset” of people in Pakistan.

Punjab Police spokeswoman Nabeela Ghazanfar told Reuters Baloch, real name Fauzia Azeem, was killed on Friday night in her family home on the outskirts of Multan, a large city in Punjab province.

Baloch’s body was discovered on Saturday and her father Muhammad Azeem told the police that his son Waseem had strangled her, Ghazanfar said.

“Apparently, it is an honour killing but further investigations will reveal the real motives behind this murder,” Ghazanfar said.

Baloch’s father told local media his son Waseem had stayed overnight at the family home and quarrelled with Baloch over money issues and her risque photos.

“He had serious reservations

regarding her pictures being circulated on social media,” Muhammad Azeem told reporters in Multan.

“He escaped after strangling Qandeel.”

Police said they were looking for Waseem, who had disappeared.

Baloch had struggled to reconcile her family’s conservative values with her social media stunts, including a selfie with a famous Muslim cleric that led to widespread condemnation from powerful religious figures.

In the days before her death, she had told local media she was concerned about her safety.

Baloch’s death sparked an outpouring of grief on Twitter and other social media websites and reignited a debate about honour killings in Pakistan.

More than 500 people - almost all women - die in Pakistan each year in such killings, usually carried out by members of the victim’s family meting out punishment for bringing “shame” on the community.

Bikini dance

Baloch is described as Pakistan’s Kim Kardashian and had built a modelling career on the back of her social media fame. She recently also appeared in a music video, gyrating bare legged to an Urdu-language song in high-heels and a seethrough top.

Earlier this year Baloch offered to strip if the wildly popular Pakistani cricket team beat arch-rival India. When they lost, she berated the Pakistani cricketers and posted a video in which she danced for the Indian team wearing a bikini. l

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‘The absence of thinking is evil’ In the final part of a two part interview, Ebrahim Moosa, professor of Islamic Studies and codirector of Contending Modernities at the University of Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs talks to the DhakaTribune’s Abid Azad about the radicalisation of youth How would you describe the relation between a madrasa education and a ‘mainstream’ education?

In places like Bangladesh, education, even secular education, is in serious crisis.

People are not taught to think humanely and intelligently. At secular universities the smartest students think that if they mouth off radical ideas they have a chance to become political leaders.

Everything is based on conspiracy theories about the world. It is not a fact-based world they live in but a fiction-based world tailored to their political interests and that of their peers.

What we need is a return to humanistic education, a focus on the humanities to make us understand who we are as people and individuals. To acquire a deep sense of morality, faith and a complex understanding of history.

Science and social science education does not humanise. It creates technicians. But technicians without a humane core can become dangerous – a danger unto themselves and others.

All the major terrorists: Osama Bin Laden, Anwar Awlaki and the Dhaka [attackers] come from wealthy families. But once you examine them closely, you see that they were not educated to be humane. Their education was flawed.

Even the Islam they learned did not make them sensitive human beings but turned them into automatons.

A humanities education makes you think.

The absence of thinking is evil.

Qawmi madrasa graduates have a challenge getting into the national education system in Bangladesh.

The graduates of the Aaliya madrasas are totally ineffective in making an impact on the real religious lives of the people.

Aaliya madrasas are the greatest disappointment in Bangladesh.

They produce individuals with degrees and certificates but they do not have a deep and sophisticated education.

Qawmi madrasas have the potential but they are too fond of living in the eleventh century and so many of their Qawmi madrasas live in a fantasy world of the past.

Activists of SUJAN form a human chain in Shahbagh, Dhaka yesterday urging people to stand against terrorism and create a peaceful environment in the country MEHEDI HASAN

How should society address the issue of radicalisation?

The government should call a crisis conference in Bangladesh. It should start a process of restoring trust in governance.

That means zero-tolerance for corruption. All politicians engaged in corruption should be jailed.

Or if Bangladesh establishes a truth and reconciliation commission, people engaged in political violence and corruption must confess to their wrongdoing and be banned from political office for at least a decade.

First you need to clear the political field. Bangladesh is a divided society and you desperately need a truth and reconciliation commission like South Africa and Chile.

In parallel you need to reform education from the elementary level to university level. Education should be about developing human beings who care for the world, not just about getting a job.

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Science and social science education does not humanise. It creates technicians. But technicians without a humane core can become dangerous – a danger unto themselves and others

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Bangladesh and neighbouring India has some of the best minds. You need to turn to Bangla classical literature that teaches people how to be humane, caring, justice loving and fact loving.

For that you require clean and honest governance. Politicians must lead by example, not confuse people with fiery speeches that serve their own interests.

The public must challenge politicians and ask them to provide empirical facts not fictions. Education for humanity and humanisation is the top priority.

Right now it seems that both Islamic education and secular edu27

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cation dehumanises people. Hence people resort to destructive behaviour. And conspiracy theories are widespread in Muslims societies.

Millions believe that the attacks in Dhaka, Medina, Baghdad and Istanbul were perpetrated by the United States and Israel.

With this mindset, how can you prescribe a cure? Will banning Peace TV halt the process or radicalisation?

Banning Peace TV will only make Peace TV and Zakir Naik into heroes. People will be able to find Peace TV broadcasts on the internet. How can you block it?

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PRAYER TIMES

Zakir Naik might not encourage violence but he creates an Islamic supremacist mentality that is very toxic. This supremacist mentality does not view all human beings as equals. It creates the false notion that Muslims are superior to others. It is a short step from that mindset to committing atrocities.

Zakir Naik’s toxic propaganda should be countered by the rational voices of Islam. But the Muslim public is so insecure and so much into fantasy-based reality that they flock in their millions to Naik because he enables them to live in the artificial bubble of fantasyIslam.

Peace TV is escapist TV. It enables people to escape reality and feel good about themselves.

Many individuals who watch cannot distinguish between escapism and reality, and inflict their toxic mindsets on innocents around the world, including the victims of the Dhaka shootings. l Sylhet

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Cox’s Bazar

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Fajr: 4:50am | Zohr: 1:15pm Asr: 5:15pm | Magrib: 7:58pm Esha: 8:45pm Source: Islamic Foundation

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SUNDAY, JULY 17, 2016

Former MP MA Mannan passes away n BSS

Professor Dr MA Mannan, a member of the Awami League advisory council and former parliament member, died of old age complications at Green Life Hospital in the capital yesterday.

Dr Mannan, also a renowned neurologist, breathed his last around 1:45pm at the Green Life Hospital at Green Road, Dhaka at the age of 84.

He left behind two sons and a daughter as well as a host of relatives and well wishers to mourn his death.

Prof Mannan, also a language veteran, was elected an MP on Awami League ticket from Kishoreganj 2 (Katiadi-Pakundia) in 2001 and 2008. He was the founder of Bangladesh Tourism and Environment Society and Neurology Foundation.

His body has been preserved at BIRDEM mortuary and he will be buried after the arrival of his two sons from abroad, family sources said.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressed deep shock at the death of Prof Mannan. l

Due to water logging and deteriorated condition of VIP Road in Cittagong city after a recent rainfall, traffic is adversely affected. The picture was taken yesterday from Cement Crossing area in the city RABIN CHOWDHURY

Six-murder trial delayed deliberately

Deal for LNG terminal tomorrow

n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu

Petrobangla is set to sign the final deal with Excelerate Energy Bangladesh Limited (EEBL) to build the country’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG) processing terminal tomorrow.

Under the agreement, the EEBL, a subsidiary of US-based Excelerate Energy, will build the floating storage and re-gasification unit (FSRU) – popularly known as LNG terminal – at Maheshkhali of Chittagong on a build-own-operate-transfer basis.

The EEBL will build the terminal within 18 months of signing the deal. The import of LNG may start in early 2018.

Bangladesh Oil and Gas Corporation (Petrobangla) Chairman Ishtiaq Ahmad confirmed the matter to the Dhaka Tribune.

The Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase on June 22 approved the proposal for setting up the LNG terminal to process the imported LNG into natural gas.

Petrobangla will have to pay a total of $90 million as terminal charges excluding tax, VAT and insurance fee to the terminal operator to use its facilities. It will pay about $159,186 per day as fixed component of fees; $45,814 as operating component fees; and $32,000 to the terminal operator.

The terminal operator on an

Five years have elapsed after the brutal killing of six college students at Aminbazar falsely branding them as robbers, but the trial is yet to make any significant progress allegedly due to negligence of the prosecution.

Families of the victims are also disappointed as the law enforcers fail to produce the prosecution witnesses during the scheduled dates.

They also alleged that the prosecutors were not cordial in dealing with the case.

The sensational murder case remains pending with the Second Additional District and Sessions Judge’s Court of Judge Md Rafiqul Islam.

Since October 30, 2013, only 42 out of 92 witnesses gave their depositions before the court while four or five of them were declared hostile. On the other hand, 14 out of the 60 accused have already made confessional statements before magistrates.

Kazi Nazma Sultana, mother of victim Tipu Sultan, recently said: “It is the responsibility of the government to ensure justice in the case on behalf of the victims. But the trial proceeding is continuing

at a snail’s pace due to weakness of the state counsels.”

Several other families alleged that the prosecutors were reluctant since the families could not pay them fees. In some cases, the prosecution took the side of the accused.

Of the accused, 46 are now on bail, four in jail custody and nine on the run The court’s additional public prosecutor Shakila Jasmin Mitu refuted the allegations.

“We are working hard to dispose of the case within the shortest possible time. But this case has a number of accused and it will take time,” she told the Dhaka Tribune.

According to the case documents, in the night of Shab-e-Barat on July 18, 2011, a gang of criminals killed the six students near Aminbazar Bridge and took the bodies to Keblarchar, over half a kilometre off the killing spot, on the advice of the local police.

Then they called the villagers

saying that they had caught some robbers. The teenagers, who were already dead, were beat up again.

This is how the killings were labelled as mob beating by the accused.

The dead students are Tipu Sultan of Tejgaon College, Towhidur Rahman Palash, Kamruzzaman Kanto and Ibrahim Khalil of Mirpur Bangla College, Shams Rahim Shamam of Maple Leaf International School and Sitaf Jabi Munif of Bangladesh University of Business and Technology. Their friend Al Amin, who was with them at that time and sustained severe injuries, is the lone survivor of the incident.

SI Anwar Hossain of Savar police filed the murder case accusing 500-600 unidentified villagers of Bardeshi village. The charges were pressed on January 13, 2013 against 60 villagers of the village.

The accused were indicted on July 8, 2013.

Of the accused, 46 are now on bail, four in jail custody and nine on the run while an accused Rashad Miah died on January 1, 2014.

The trial was stalled for more than a year as the Savar police had taken the time to file a report on the death of the accused. l

n Aminur Rahman Rasel

average will charge $0.49 per unit of gas for regasification and processing of the imported LNG, Petrobangla officials said.

The government has to spend about of $1.56b annually to import 182.5 billion cubic feet of LNG from abroad at an estimated cost of $8 per million British Thermal Unit (mBTU) – a measure of energy content in fuel.

This means, Bangladesh has to spend about $2.5b annually to supply 500 mmcfd imported gas.

Petrobangla took the initiative to install the LNG terminal six years ago considering the country’s ongoing gas crisis.

The agreement with the EEBL will be signed under the Speedy Supply of Power and Energy (Special Provision) Act 2015. The EBBL already carried out a met-ocean study on June 22 last year via the Maritime Research Institute (MARIN), a reputed organisation from the Netherlands.

Met-ocean study determines the physical environment near an offshore platform. The terminal’s LNG storage capacity will be 138,000 cubic metres, and it will receive a supply of 500-600 million cubic feet per day.

The state-owned Gas Transmission Company Limited has also moved to lay a 91km gas transmission pipeline from Maheshkhali to Anwara to carry the re-gasified LNG to the mainland. l

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SUNDAY, JULY 17, 2016

Rajendrapur-Bhaowal-Mirzapur Road in dire state Raihanul Islam Akand, n Md Gazipur At lest 12,000 people of 10 villages in the district are suffering immensely as the Rajendrapur-Bhaowal-Mirzapur Road has become unfit for traffic movement.

Locals said the recent downpour and lack of repair and maintenance have severely damaged the roads, causing frequent road accidents as well as fatalities.

The road was in an awful condition as crates and potholes had developed on it for lack of renovation.

Many vehicles fall into clearings and holes on this road always.

The condition of the road is deteriorating everyday because of plying of heavy traffic and negligence of authorities concerned in renovating these roads.

Locals alleged that more than 50 industries were built up beside the road illegeally. Goods laden heavy vehicles are plying the road causing the road damage.

They said they were the worst sufferers for dilapidated state of the road.

Abu Saleh, director of Elion Group in Banglabazar area, told the Dhaka Tribune that commuters were suffering severely as thousands of potholes had developed on the road.

“Transportation of my factory

Highway blocked for nationalisation of college n Md Emroz Khandakar, Pabna

A truck turns turtle because of the dilapidated state of the Rajendrapur-Bhaowal-Mirzapur Road in Rajendrapur area of Gazipur. The photo was taken yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE goods are hampered, but the Roads and Highway department did renovation of the road a few years back despite being informed several times about the repair of the road.”

Goods-laden trucks frequently get stuck on potholes that causes long tailback on the road, he added.

Workers Shahidul and Mostofa said a 10-minute ride on road from takes up to almost two hours.

Trader Sultan Mahmud of Rajendarpur area toad the Dhaka Tribune that many portions of the road went under water because of poor drainage system.

He said: “Locals put brick chips on the damaged portion of the road so that traffic could run through the road.”

He urged the Roads and Highway department to take immediate

measures to repair these roads as soon as possible to ease sufferings of commuters.

When contacted, Engineer of Local Government Engineering Department Amirul Islam told the Dhaka Tribune that they had repired the road several times. But the road damaged repeatedly as many industries had been built up beside it. l

Four of a family killed in road crash

Court orders for investigation into bribery case against Shyamal Kanti

Four, including a child, of a family were killed in a head-on collision between a bus and an auto-rickshaw in Subgram area, on the outskirt of Bogra town on Friday night.

The deceased are Ziaur Rahman, 42, son of Nurul Islam from Chachaitara village at Madla in Shajahanpur of Bogra, his wife Reshma Khatun, 35, his son Ashik Babu, 8, and his brother-in-law Anwar Hossain, son of Erfan Ali from Chakkatuli village of Gabtali, said police.

Joly Akter, 12, daughter of Ziaur, is undergoing treatment at Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital in Bogra.

The police and locals said the head-on collision took place when a Rangpur-bound bus hit the auto-rickshaw losing its control over the steering around 8pm. The victims were returning to Chachaitara after attending an invitation at Chakkatuli. l

A Naraynganj court yesterday ordered for investigation a bribery case filed against Shyamal Kanti Bhakta, headmaster of Piyar Sattar Latif High School in Narayanganj.

Sub-Inspector Shakhawat Hossain of Naraynganj Court police said the court led by Judicial Magistrate Syduzzaman Sazzad ordered the officer-in-charge of Bandar police station to ivestigate the case and submit the report by September 4.

Bhakta was beaten up by local people after some unidentified persons using the megaphone of a mosque propagated that he made offensive comments about Islam while he was punishing a Muslim student for not studying.He was rescued by police after he was beaten up and made to do sit-ups holding ears in the presence of lawmaker Osman on May 18.

The school managing committee sacked Bhakta on ground of his

n Nazmul Huda Nasim, Bogra

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Hossain, n Tanveer Narayanganj

"absence from duty" after the incident.

Bhakta "physically tortured students, received money in the name of teachers' appointment, made derogatory comments about Islam, remained absent without leave and used to be late at work," the committee said.

Morsheda Begum, assistant teacher of the school filed the bribary case against him on July 14.

Later, the High Court intervention came as university teachers joined the protest calling the inci-

dent the "highest form of savagery" while angry posts flooded the Facebook with scores of protesters launching a "sorry sir" campaign.

The protesters changed their profile pictures on the social network websites with photos in which they were seen holding their own ears with the "sorry sir" caption in a show of solidarity with the headmaster.

An education ministry probe committee found no evidence that Shyamal Kanti Bhakta had hurt anyone's religious sentiment though, on this allegation, the Narayanganj headmaster was publicly humiliated on a local lawmaker's instruction.

The three-member committee also termed illegal the decision of the school managing committee to suspend Shyamal as the headmaster of Piyar Sattar Latif High School in Bandar area of Narayanganj.

The ministry reinstated him following the probe body recommendation. l

Students, teachers and local people blocked the Dhaka-Pabna Highway demanding nationalisation of Dr Juhurul Kamal Degree College in Sujanagar upazila of the district yesterday.

Officer-in-charge of Sujanagar police station M Nur Islam said agitating students and teachers of the college along with the local people blocked the highway from 10am, which created a long tailback on the road, creating sufferings to the commuters.

On information, police rushed in and removed the blockade around 11:30am.

A group of teachers, wishing anonymity, said Principle Abdul Latif of the college took a large amount of money from them to manage nationalsation of the college.

But the principle along with a group of teachers, loyal to him, embezzled the money, they alleged.

Earlier on Thursday, teachers and students of the college locked the principle at his room. l

Robber killed in B’baria gunfight with cops n UNB

An alleged robber was killed in a gunfight between his cohorts and police at Mirpukurpar in Kasba upazila early yesterday.

The deceased was Lokman Miah.

Officer-in-charge of Kasba police station Mahiuddin Ahammed said on a tip-off that a gang of robbers were taking preparation to commit robbery in the area, a team of police launched a drive there around 2:30am.

Sensing the presence of the law enforcers, the gang members opened fire at them, prompting the police personnel to retaliate that triggered a gunfight.

At one stage, Lokman was caught in the line of fire and died on the spot while his other associates managed to flee the scene.

Later, police recovered the body and sent it to Brahmanbaria Sadar Hospital morgue for an autopsy.

Police also recovered a pipegun, three cartridges and some sharp weapons from the spot.

Lokman was wanted in five cases, including for robbery, the OC added. l

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SUNDAY, JULY 17, 2016

SOUTH ASIA

Myanmar government criticises Buddhist nationalist group

Myanmar’s government has denounced an influential Buddhist nationalist group after failing to speaking against it strongly while others were accusing it of using hate speech and inspiring violence against Muslims. The Ma Ba Tha organisation’s charismatic leader, the monk Wirathu, responded Wednesday by calling the country’s de facto leader, Suu Kyi, a “woman dictator.”

-AP

INDIA

Congress back in power in Arunachal Congress leader Pema Khandu will take oath as the Arunachal Pradesh chief minister on Sunday after the party managed to convince rebel legislators to come back into the fold and avoid a floor test. Khandu was one of the 21 rebel legislators who walked out of the party last year, plunging the Tuki administration in crisis.

-TOI

CHINA

China calls for global cooperation against terrorism

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang called on Saturday for greater global cooperation against terrorism as the Asian giant seeks greater international support for its anti-terror fight. Speaking at an Asia-Europe summit, Li said various security challenges - conventional and unconventional - remain prominent even though those regions had remained generally stable and peaceful.

-REUTERS

ASIA PACIFIC

Philippines won’t sacrifice sea feud victory The Philippines will fight for its landmark arbitration victory to be upheld when it talks about resolving its South China Sea disputes with China, which has refused to recognise the ruling. The Philippine position disclosed by Solicitor General Jose Calida runs against that of China, which opposes use of the tribunal ruling as basis for any negotiations.

-AP

MIDDLE EAST

Iran expresses support for Turkey over coup attempt Iran said on Saturday it fully supported the government of neighbouring Turkey against an attempted military coup, despite Tehran and Ankara’s differences over Syria and other issues. The senior aide to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that Tehran backed Turkey’s elected government against the coup but it expected Ankara to do the same when it came to Syria. -REUTERS

Q&A

Cleric Fethullah Gulen blamed for Turkey foiled coup n Tribune International Desk A lawyer for the Turkish government, Robert Amsterdam, said that “there are indications of direct involvement” in the coup attempt by Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim cleric who is living in exile in Pennsylvania. He said he and his firm “have attempted repeatedly to warn the US government of the threat posed” by Gulen and his movement. According to Turkish intelligence sources, he said, “there are signs that Gulen is working closely with certain members of military leadership against the elected civilian government.”

The president of a group that promotes Gulen’s ideas, the New York-based Alliance for Shared Values, denied the charges. Y Alp Aslandogan told The Associated Press “we categorically deny such accusations and find them to be highly irresponsible.” Earlier in the evening, the alliance said, “we condemn any military intervention in (the) domestic politics of Turkey.”

Some background on Gulen:

Who is Fethullah Gulen?

Trained as an imam, or prayer leader, Fethullah Gulen gained notice in Turkey some 50 years ago, promoting a philosophy that blended a mystical form of Islam with staunch advocacy of democracy, education, science and interfaith dialogue. Supporters started 1,000 schools in more than 100 countries, including about 150 taxpayer-funded charter schools throughout the US In Turkey, they have run universities, hospitals, charities, a bank and a large media empire with newspapers and radio and TV stations.

Turkish President Recip Tayyip Erdogan has long accused Gulen of plotting to overthrow the officially secular government from a gated 26-acre compound in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains. Gulen is rarely seen in public and has been put on trial in absentia at least three times.

Why not deport him?

The US has shown little inclination to send Gulen back to Turkey. The Justice Department has declined to comment on Gulen’s case. In an interview with the AP early this year, Aslandogan, of the Alliance for Shared Values, said: “(Gulen) said that the United States has

a long tradition of democracy and rule of law. ... They will see that these are politically oriented charges, and they will not allow Erdogan to spread his ambition into the United States.”

What’s the status of legal claims against Gulen in the US?

Last month, a lawyer representing the Turkish government said he would continue exposing Gulen’s “unlawful conduct” one day after a federal judge in Scranton, Pennsylvania, dismissed his lawsuit against the cleric. “Despite the outcome of this ruling, a very clear message has been sent to Gulen and his co-conspirators in the Poconos: the days of impunity are numbered, and your unlawful conduct will be brought to light,” lawyer Robert Amsterdam said.

The suit contended Gulen ordered sympathetic police, prosecutors and judges in Turkey to target members of a rival spiritual movement critical of his teachings.

US District Judge Robert Mariani ruled the claims did not belong in US courts.

What the basics of the Gulen movement ?

More than anything, the Gülen movement (which is also known in Turkey as hizmet or “the service”) is known for its schools. They are ubiquitous in Turkey but have also spread abroad to countries like Pakistan and even the United States.

Indeed, Gulen-affiliated groups run over 100 charter schools in the US — the largest charter network in the country.

Gulenists insist they believe in secular democracy, and they have relatively progressive views on many social issues: For instance, boys and girls are educated on equal footing in Gulen schools.

The movement stresses interfaith cooperation, and Gulen had a good relationship with Pope John Paul II, spurring criticism from more conservative Muslims in Turkey.

Gulen’s extensive US charter network has been the subject of considerable scrutiny, both from anti-Islam groups that object to a Muslim cleric having that degree of influence over US education and from government agencies over evidence of mismanagement.

What about the schools?

Some of the US schools have been

MUHAMMAED FETHULLAH GULEN Born on April 27, 1941 (aged 75) JOB Honorary president of Rumi Forum, Washington DC (1999–present) EDUCATION • Home schooling along with memorization of the whole Qur'an and mastering recitation skills (before 1946) • Compulsory elementary education (1946–1949) Is a Turkish preacher, former imam, writer, and political figure. He is the founder of the Gülen movement (known as Hizmet meaning service in Turkish). He currently lives in self-imposed exile in the United States, residing in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania EMPLOYMENT 1955–1958: 1959–1961: 1961–1963: 1964: 1965:

Voluntary Imam / Preacher, Erzurum, Amasya, Tokat, Sivas Deputy Imam, Üçşerefeli Mosque, Edirne Imam / Lecturer, Iskenderun, while serving compulsory military service Qur'an Teacher / Imam, Dar'ul Hadis Mosque, Edirne Senior Preacher (Merkez Vaizi), Kirklareli

1966–1980: Senior Preacher, Izmir, Edremit, Manisa, Bornova 1986–1989: Voluntary Preacher, Istanbul, Izmir, and throughout Turkey (post-retirement service) OTHER EXPERIENCE Speaker: Delivered a series of talks in Turkey and Europe (1975–1977) Founder: Member of the Journalists and Writers Foundation (1994) Infograph: Dhaka Tribune/ Mohammad Razon

investigated by the FBI amid allegations of financial mismanagement and visa fraud. One of the most explosive claims is that the schools are importing Turkish teachers to identify impressionable students and indoctrinate them into Gulen’s movement, sometimes called Hizmet, Turkish for “service.” In May, a complaint filed with Texas education officials accused a network of charter schools associated with the Gulen movement of abusing a visa program to import large numbers of Turkish teachers and violating state and federal laws by paying them more than American teachers.

The complaint also asserted that the network, Harmony Public Schools, skirts competitive bidding rules to award contracts to Turkish vendors. Harmony has denounced the complaint as politically motivated and without merit.

What’s the response to the latest allegations?

In a statement Friday, the Alliance for Shared Values said: “For more than 40 years, Fethullah Gulen and Hizmet participants have advocated for, and demonstrated

their commitment to, peace and democracy. We have consistently denounced military interventions in domestic politics. These are core values of Hizmet participants.

We condemn any military intervention in domestic politics of Turkey. Events on the ground are moving quickly and it would be irresponsible for us to speculate on them. We remain concerned about the safety and security of Turkish citizens and those in Turkey right now. Comments by pro-Erdogan circles about the movement are highly irresponsible.”

What are Gulen’s days like?

An AP reporter was given a tour of Gulen’s Pennsylvania compound this year but was unable to see or interview him. He spends hours a day in prayer and meditation and goes out rarely, mostly to see doctors for ailments that include heart disease and diabetes, according to Aslandogan. Gulen’s living quarters are lined with books on shelves that also hold jars filled with soil from various regions of Turkey. l

Sources: AP, THE GUARDIAN

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SUNDAY, JULY 17, 2016

Was the Nice attacker really a jihadist? n Tribune International Desk Two days after the devastating attack in Nice, which killed at least 86 people and injured hundreds, a muddied picture has emerged of the man who mounted the assault—with still no firm idea yet of whether he was a terrorist at all.

On Saturday, Islamic State claimed responsibility for the Bastille Day attack, trumpeting the truck driver Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel as an IS “soldier” who barreled his heavy-duty vehicle through a crowd packing the seafront Promenade Des Anglais during the traditional fireworks display on Thursday night. IS claimed in a tweet he had struck in retaliation for air war against it in Syria and Iraq, in which France is heavily involved.

But Bouhlel’s acquaintances reject that version, and describe the man they knew as troubled and violent, with no attachment at all to his Islamic faith.

In interviews on Friday and Saturday, old neighbours and longtime acquaintances of Bouhlel—who was killed by police on Thursday night—paint a picture of a volatile loose cannon with a history of violence, who ignored basic Muslim rules and never attended a mosque.

“He was not a Muslim,” says Walid Hamou, who said he was a close friend of Bouhlel’s wife since her childhood, and had seen a lot

of Bouhlel since his marriage a decade ago; “He drank, he ate pork, he danced, he dated lots of women,” Hamou said, sitting in the stairwell of his apartment building in the northern part of Nice on Saturday morning. “He didn’t do Ramadan.

He did not pray.”

Bouhlel’s father Mohamed Mondher Lahouaiej Bouhlel told the French news agency AFP on Friday that between 2002 and 2004, his son had suffered a nervous breakdown, in which “he became angry, he shouted, he broke everything he found in front of him.” He said the two fell out of touch after Bouhlel moved to France in 2005.

The question of whether Bouhlel was a violent troublemaker or an Islamic jihadist is key to French officials. Investigators are trying to determine what motivated Bouhlel, how he carried out the attack, and how police and intelligence services missed the planning for it. It is the third mass-casualty attack in 18 months in France, after the Charlie Hebdo attack in January 2015, and the Paris attacks last November, which prompted President François Hollande to impose a state of emergency.

On Friday the Paris prosecutor François Molins, who is overseeing the investigation, told reporters in Nice that Bouhlel had previous run-ins with police for assault and theft, and earlier this year was given a suspended sentence for an

Trump looks to convention coronation

THE AMERICAS

Brazil to intensify Olympic security after Nice attack A body is seen on the ground July 15 after at least 86 people were killed in Nice, France, when a truck ran into a crowd celebrating the Bastille Day national holiday on July 14 REUTERS altercation with a driver.

In the first hours after the attack, top French officials seemed divided over whether the Nice killings was a terror attack or not.

Prime Minister Manuel Valls—a vociferous proponent of tough action against Islamists—quickly declared it terrorism. But the Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said Bouhlel had no known link with terror groups.

On Saturday Cazeneuve seemed to shift his view, telling reporters after a cabinet meeting that Bouhlel apparently adopted jihadist views at least at the end of his life.

“It seems he was radicalized very quickly,” Cazeneuve said. He did not explain how the government obtained that information.

Police recovered Bouhlel’s cell

phone after killing him, and on Friday took Bouhlel’s wife into custody for questioning and seized computers—all in the search for clues to Bouhlel’s motivations.

Hamou speculated that the upheaval in Bouhlel’s personal life, including financial problems, might have sparked Thursday’s attack. “His wife did not want to see him since he was beating her.

His children no longer wanted to see him,” he says. He speculated that ultimately, Bouhlel simply suffered “a momentary spike of madness.” If so, it was a spike that left dozens dead and maimed, and a city deeply shaken. l

[This is an excerpt from a Time article, which can be found at http:// ti.me/29P2uP6]

Ukraine Ukranian President Petro Porochenko

Brazil will step up security cordons, add further roadblocks and frisk more visitors in Rio de Janeiro for next month’s Olympic Games to increase security after the truck massacre in France, the government said on Friday. Already on guard because of recent attacks in Paris, Brussels and Orlando, Brazilian officials met to re-assess preparations for the Games.

-REUTERS

UK

Johnson to meet EU foreign policy chief on Sunday Britain’s new foreign secretary Boris Johnson will meet EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini on Sunday evening in Brussels but a planned dinner with Johnson’s EU peers has been cancelled, the European Commission said. Mogherini, who chairs EU foreign ministers’ meetings, had planned a dinner with all 28 ministers to discuss foreign policy before a breakfast on Monday with US Secretary of State John Kerry.

-REUTERS

EUROPE

Russia US and Russian ministers John Kerry and Sergei Lavrov

Germany

Spain

USA

Donald Trump will cap his improbable takeover of the Republican party at a convention in Cleveland starting Monday that promises to be contentious and decidedly unconventional. The former Democrat and political neophyte is poised to formally secure the White House nomination for the Party of Lincoln after a thumping primary win.

-AP

NICE TRUCK ATTACK TOUCHES THE WORLD

Britain

DT

World

Switzerland and EU to intensify immigration negotiations Negotiations between Switzerland and the EU on immigration restrictions will be stepped up in the next few weeks, the Swiss government said on Saturday, with a high-level meeting planned for September. Switzerland wants to negotiate a compromise with Brussels, which has insisted it cannot accept any impediments to the free movement of people enshrined in bilateral accords.

-REUTERS

AFRICA

Thailand

Italy India

Australia

African leaders meet amid South Sudan violence African leaders are gathering in the Rwandan capital for a summit that is expected to discuss the latest violence in South Sudan as well as the continent’s uneasy relationship with the International Criminal Court.

Ahead of the summit of heads of state on Sunday, some African states have renewed efforts to quit the ICC despite the opposition of some countries like Botswana.

-AP

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World

SUNDAY, JULY 17, 2016

What we know about Turkey coup attempt n Tribune International Desk The picture from Turkey is clearer on Saturday morning, with president Recep Tayyip Erdogan insisting he remains in charge after a night in which a military faction attempted to overthrow the government, reports The guardian.

But pockets of violence continue, with some of those behind the coup claiming to be fighting on.

Here is what we know:

The attempted coup

An attempted military coup has apparently been defeated in Turkey, in a bid to oust the president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, accusing him of undermining the country’s secular traditions.

Erdogan, who returned to Istanbul in the early hours of the morning from his holiday in the resort of Marmaris, said the attempted coup was “treason” undertaken by “a minority within our armed forces”.

The president urged people to take to the streets in defence of the government, prompting chaotic scenes as thousands protested alongside tanks.

The prime minister, Binali Yildirim, declared the first stage of the coup was over and said coup fighters using military helicopters would be shot down.

There were mass surrenders in Istanbul, with about 50 soldiers on the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul abandoning their tanks with their hands raised.

The head of the armed forces, General Hulusi Akar, who was reportedly taken hostage, has been freed.

But a pro-coup military faction insisted it would continue its fight and there were reports of ongoing clashes in Ankara, where a building in the parliamentary complex was bombed overnight.

FOILED COUP ATTEMPT IN TURKEY Black Sea Istanbul ANKARA

Deaths and arrests

More than 190 people have been killed, according to General Umit Dundar, the acting chief of the general staff, including 41 police officers, two soldiers, 47 civilians and 104 people described as “coup plotters’. A further 1,440 people have been wounded.

Sixteen people involved in the attempted coup were killed in clashes at military police command, and 250 others arrested.

Separately, 13 soldiers who tried to storm the presidential palace in Ankara have been arrested.

In total, 2,839 members of the armed forces have been arrested, among them 29 colonels and five generals. Rear Admiral Nejat Atilla Demirhan and General Memduh Hakbilen, the chief of staff of Turkey’s command for the Aegean region, are said to be among those detained.

Erdogan’s response

In a defiant address to supporters at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport, Erdogan said the armed forces needed to understand that they were not in charge of the state, saying the coup plotters had brought out tanks, but “my people” had taken them back.

In an earlier statement, the president said the failed coup represented an opportunity to “clean out” the armed forces.

He also accused “those in Penn-

200 km

Mediterranean

Violence in Istanbul and Ankara Gunshots against civilians Bombings by rebel jets Air strikes against rebel tanks Men sit a top a military vehicle in front of Sabiha Airport in Istanbul on July 16 REUTERS sylvania” – that is, the cleric Fethullah Gülen and his supporters – of betraying the nation and orchestrating the coup.

Gulen denies involvement

Fethullah Gulen has rejected the claim that he was behind the coup: ‘’I condemn, in the strongest terms, the attempted military coup in Turkey. Government should be won through a process of free and fair elections, not force. As someone who suffered under multiple military coups during the past five decades, it is especially insulting to be accused of having any link to such an attempt. I categorically deny such accusations. ‘’

International reaction

Ü US President Barack Obama urged all parties to back the “democratically elected” government. Ü Officials of the EU – Donald Tusk, Jean-Claude Juncker and Fed-

erica Mogherini – issued a statement supporting the Turkish government: ‘’Turkey is a key partner for the European Union.

The EU fully supports the democratically elected government, the institutions of the country and the rule of law.’’ Ü Steffen Seibert, spokesman for German chancellor, Angela Merkel, said on Saturday morning: The democratic order in Turkey must be respected.

Everything needs to be done to protect human lives.” Ü The UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, said: Military interference in the affairs of any state is unacceptable.” Ü US Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said: We should all urge calm and respect for laws, institutions, and basic human rights and freedoms – and support for the democratically elected civilian government.”

161 loyalists and civilians killed 1,440 injured 104 rebels killed, 2,839 soldiers arrested President Erdogan blames exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen, who denies any link to the plot Turkey on Saturday

Ü Yildirim has called an emergency meeting in parliament on Saturday. Ü Flights were diverted from Istanbul’s Ataturk airport and departures cancelled after reports of explosions there but are now resuming. Ü Turkey has closed border crossings to Bulgaria, which said it was beefing up its own border controls. Ü Media outlets including CNN Turk that were shut down by soldiers during the attempted coup are returning to the air. Ü Authorities in Turkey may be blocking or slowing access to social media networks including Twitter and Facebook. l

Q&A

Why does Turkey have a long history of coups? n Tribune International Desk Turkish authorities said they had regained control of the country on Saturday after thwarting an attempt by discontented soldiers to seize power from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that claimed more than 250 lives. After the bloodiest challenge to his 13-year autocratic rule, Erdogan urged his backers to stay on the streets to prevent a possible flare-up of Friday’s chaos in the strategic Nato member of 80 million people.

Has the military meddled in politics before?

Yes. The military staged three coups between 1960 and 1980 and pressured Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan, a pious Muslim mentor of Erdogan who was disliked by Turkey’s secular establishment, out of power in 1997. In 2007, the military threatened to intervene in

a presidential election and warned the government to curb Islamic influences, but the action backfired and Abdullah Gul, the candidate favoured by a government with Islamic leanings, took office. The apparent coup attempt that is currently unfolding is surprising to many observers because Erdogan’s government had taken steps, including dismissals and prosecutions of high-ranking active and former officers for alleged coup plots, to bring the military to heel.

Despite past tensions, Erdogan’s government appeared to be working effectively with the military in recent years, coordinating on national security issues and also confronting a perceived anti-government faction said to have infiltrated the police and other institutions.

Why would the military intervene in government?

The Turkish military has traditionally

seen itself as the guardian of Turkey’s old secular establishment, a legacy of national founder and former army officer Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, as well as an enforcer of order in times of civil unrest and weak civilian leadership. While it was forced to lower its political profile in the past decade under Erdogan’s government, the country has increasingly been buffeted by an upswing in the conflict with Kurdish separatist rebels, bombings by suspected Islamic extremists - including an attack on Istanbul’s main airport last month that killed dozens - and concern over the war in neighbouring Syria that has pushed huge numbers of refugees across the border into Turkey. Erdogan has also been a polarizing leader with a combative streak, even though he commands deep support among a pious Muslim class that once felt marginalized under past military-influenced governments.

Why is the Turkish military important?

What do Turks think about their military?

The military of Nato member Turkey is a key partner in US-led efforts to defeat the Islamic State group, which controls territory in Syria and Iraq, and has allowed American jets to use its Incirlik air base to fly missions against the extremists. Erdogan recently sought to repair strained ties with Russia after Turkey shot down a Russian jet that had been flying a mission against rebels in Syria, killing a pilot.

Turkey’s location in the turbulent Mideast region, straddling the Asian and European continents, has made it a critical player in international conflicts in the past.

In 2003, Turkey barred US forces from opening a northern front in the war against Saddam Hussein in Iraq in a stunning rebuff to Washington that raised questions about whether the politically powerful Turkish military had undercut a civilian-led initiative to help the Americans.

Turks have a conflicted relationship with their military, an institution that is cloaked in the lore of sacrifice but also tarnished as a past symbol of repression. Military coup leaders in the past drew on the support of Turks who saw them as saviours from chaos and corruption, but they were often ruthless. In a 1960 military takeover in Turkey, the prime minister and key ministers were executed. In a 1980 coup, there were numerous cases of torture, disappearance and extra-judicial killing. At the same time, the military enjoys respect and vast economic resources, and is a rite of passage for almost all men, who serve as conscripts. Soldiers who die in fighting with Kurdish rebels are hailed as martyrs. l

Source: AP

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Discord over South China Sea clouds AsiaEurope summit n Reuters, Ulaanbaatar A key summit between Asian and European leaders in Mongolia ended on Saturday without direct mention of the South China Sea dispute in its closing statement, with diplomats describing intense discord over the issue between Europe and Asia.

China has refused to recognise Tuesday’s ruling by an arbitration court in The Hague invalidating its vast claims in the South China Sea and did not take part in the proceedings brought by the Philippines. It has reacted angrily to calls

by Western countries and Japan for the decision to be adhered to.

China had flagged ahead of the Ulaanbaatar get-together that it did not want the South China Sea to be discussed, saying it was not an appropriate venue.

The closing statement said lead-

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, centre, gestures between Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, left, and Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, right, as they pose with other heads of delegations for a family photo during the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) summit in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia on July 15 REUTERS ers reaffirmed a commitment to promote maritime security, safety and cooperation, freedom of navigation and overflight and to refrain from using threatening force.

Information blackout in India-controlled Kashmir in bid to curb unrest n Reuters, Srinagar Authorities in Indian-controlled Kashmir seized newspapers and shut down cable television on Saturday, aiming to quell a flare up of tensions in the region which has seen violent protests over the killing of a separatist commander by security forces.

Around 36 people have been killed and 3,100 wounded, most of them by police fire, in the worst outbreak of violence in six years in the disputed territory also claimed by India’s arch rival Pakistan.

The state of Jammu and Kashmir has already imposed a curfew and blocked mobile phone services to stop people from gathering in the streets and stage more protests over last week’s killing of 22-year old separatist leader Burhan Wani.

“The clamp-down was necessitated as Pakistani channels that are beamed here through cable television network have launched a campaign aimed at fomenting trouble here,” said a Jammu and Kashmir government minister who declined to be named. “Some newspapers were also sensationalising the violence ... We will take a decision on (their) restoration after July 19.”

Abdul Rashid Mukhdoomi, printer and publisher of Kashmir valley’s largest circulated daily, Greater Kashmir, said police raided his printing press at 2am and “took away all the newspapers that were printed and the printing was also stopped”.

“We were not handed over any order under which the printing and circulation of our newspapers were stopped,” Mukhdoomi said.

Cable TV networks across Kashmir remain shut.

Amjad Noor, owner of Site Entertainment Network which runs a cable network in Srinagar, told Reuters police told his organisation to shut down operations last night.

Separatist leaders on Friday evening called for a 72 hour strike and protests against the killings of civilians. They said in a statement they also supported Pakistan’s call to observe a “black day” on July 19 against the killings.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, has said he was shocked by the killing of Wani and the civilians.

India’s foreign ministry said on Friday it was dismayed by Pakistan’s attempt to “interfere in our internal matters”. l

It also said disputes should be resolved via international law, the United Nations charter and UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, or UNCLOS.

European Council President Donald Tusk told reporters he hoped the court’s decision would create positive momentum in finding a solution to the dispute.

On Friday, the European Union issued a statement noting China’s legal defeat but avoided direct reference to Beijing, reflecting discord among EU governments over how strongly to respond to the court ruling.

While the European Union is neutral in China’s dispute with its Asian neighbours in the South China Sea, Britain, France and Germany want to make clear that Beijing must uphold international law as it seeks a bigger global role.

No bilateral

The panel ruled Beijing’s actions in the South China Sea, through which more than $5tn of trade moves annually, had interfered with the Philip-

pines’ sovereign rights. Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims to the strategic waterway.

There was no bilateral meeting between the Chinese and Philippines foreign ministers, a Philippine diplomatic source told Reuters, though the Chinese initially requested a meeting at the beginning of the summit.

Chinese officials did not speak to foreign reporters during the summit. China’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the summit and the South China Sea. State news agency Xinhua quoted Chinese Premier Li Keqiang as saying on Saturday in Ulaanbaatar that the court’s decision would have “no impact whatsoever” on Chinese sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea. l

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TOP STORIES

Govt likely to review ban on hilsa export

Buying houses worried over losing RMG work orders

Bangladesh government is likely to review ban on hilsa export after the fish are normally available in local markets this season, officials said.

PAGE 13

BD and the culture of innovation – Part I What is the world’s most innovative country? Cornell University, INSEAD and the World Intellectual Property Organization publish a Global Innovation Index report annually in which they rank 140 countries applying 79 indicators.

PAGE 14

Man vs machine: Computer-driven hedge funds win on Brexit night

As hedge fund manager Buford Scott sat at home, watching the TV in shock as it emerged Britain had voted to leave the European Union, his computer-based trading models were quietly boosting his business by 1.5%.

PAGE 15

Capital market snapshot: Saturday DSE Broad Index

4,554.7

0.4% ▲

Index

1,120.8

0.4% ▲

30 Index

1,783.6

0.3% ▲

Turnover in Mn Tk

3,710.1 -17.6% ▼

Turnover in Mn Vol

95.9 -20.4% ▼

CSE All Share Index 13,974.3 30 Index Selected Index Turnover in Mn Tk Turnover in Mn Vol

0.3% ▲

12,869.8

-0.1% ▼

8,502.3

0.3% ▲

354.9

48.6% ▲

6.5 -34.5% ▼

Clothing buyers are reluctant to visit Bangladesh to place work order in the wake of spate of terror attacks DHAKATRIBUNE

n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi Bangladesh Garment Buying House Association (BGBA) yesterday expressed concern over losing export orders for the next season as buyers are unwilling to visit the country on security grounds.

The leaders of BGBA said this at a press conference held yesterday in the capital.

In their addresses, the leaders focused on the present status of RMG sector following the terror attack in Gulshan that killed 20 people including 17 foreigners.

“We apprehend that Bangladesh RMG sector will lose orders for the next season as our buyers are unwilling to visit Bangladesh for security reasons,” said KI Hossain, president of BGBA. “Terrorist activities are happening across the globe, but businesses did not come to a halt. Like the government of other countries, we hope our government will take comprehensive measures to keep business functions going.”

The months of July and August are the time when work orders are placed by the buyers and brands that collect products for summer and Autumn season, he said, adding that the shipment of these orders are executed in November and December.

RMG is a time-bound business, and failing to capture the orders in time would result in getting them shifted to a third country. The lion’s share of RMG export earnings comes during the two seasons.

A political consensus should be developed among all political parties to fight militancy, and based on this, pragmatic steps need to be taken to overcome the existing crisis, Hossain said.

Meanwhile, BAB leaders have called upon the government to issue note verbals to the embassies concerned to issue visa for travelling to a third country to negotiate business deal.

“The buyers and brands are asking us to meet them in a third country like Bangkok and Dubai to negotiate

Evince Textiles share trading begins today n Tribune Business Desk Share trading of Evince Textiles Limited begins today at the country’s two stock exchanges.

The company’s share will be traded under the code of “ETL” in

the N-category, according to Dhaka Stock Exchange.

The company’s IPO was oversubscribed by 33 times as the company received around Tk560 crore application against IPO issue of Tk17 crore, officials said. l

business deals, but it is very tough to get visa easily and meet the deadline,” said Qayum Reza Chowdhury.

“That is why, we are calling for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to issue note verbals to the respective embassies so that they give us visa to travel.”

Following the recent terror attack, two Chief Executive officers (CEO) of Turkey’s companies have already cancelled their visit to Bangladesh while a Japanese company has postponed its visit on July 22 over security concern.

On the other hand, the Italian government has asked its citizens to visit Bangladesh at their own, said Hassan.

Talking on the impact of terror attack, the BGBA president said the recent attack on the Holey Artisan Bakery in Gulshan has cast adverse impact on RMG sector.

H&M, a renewed clothing brand, is mulling over reducing its sourcing from Bangladesh while other brands are also thinking the same, he narrated. l

Extension of 250MW power import deal with India likely n Asif Showkat Kallol Bangladesh wants to extend duration of the 250MW power import from India by another six months as the three-year contract expires at the end of this month.

Bangladesh Power Development Board is likely to place a proposal on the matter at the next meeting of the cabinet committee on public purchase, official sources said. The proposal will also include reducing the price to Tk6.21 per unit.

Under the present contract with Power Trading Corporation of India, the country imports electricity at a rate of Tk6.30 per unit.

If the proposed Tk6.21 price is agreed, it will save the Bangladesh government a total of Tk8.17 crore in six months of power import from India. The government will have to pay Tk648.75 crore to the PTC under the proposed rate. The proposal has been signed by Power Division Secretary Monowar Islam.

Since October 2013 India has been supplying electricity to Bangladesh. Earlier, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid said Bangladesh plans to import 2,000MW of electricity from India.

“We plan to increase the present power import from India to 2,000MW.” The government has set a target to import 15% of the country’s total power demand, he said.

Presently, India is importing 1.5GW hydropower from Bhutan, and exporting around 500MW to Pakistan, 120-150MW to Nepal and around 500MW to Bangladesh.

In 2013 Bangladesh signed a 1.7-billion-dollar deal with India to build two coal-fired power plants in the country’s south to ease a huge electricity shortage.

The plants, which will have a total daily generating capacity of 1,320 megawatts, will help alleviate the severe power shortfalls suffered by impoverished Bangladesh, reports AFP. l

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Govt likely to review ban on hilsa export n Kayes Sohel

Bangladesh government is likely to review ban on hilsa export after the fish are normally available in local markets this season, officials said.

The scarcity of hilsa and subsequently its unusual price hike forced Bangladesh to restrict its export in 2012 for all countries, including India.

Since the ban was imposed, India has been lobbying strongly to lift the ban on the silver fish, which has a very high demand in India particularly in the West Bengal.

The possibility of lifting the ban is being explored, according to agreed minutes of the 10th meeting of a two-day India-Bangladesh Joint Working Group on Trade ended on June 9 in New Delhi.

Upon India’s request for revision of the ban, Bangladesh delegation said that due to insufficient supply of fish and abnormal hike in price of the fish in the local market during last Ramadan, the ban was imposed on the export of all types of fish and it was withdrawn in September, 2012 except hilsa, the minutes read.

“Now the withdrawal of the ban from the export of hilsa is under consideration,” it said.

To pave the way for resuming

Scarcity of hilsa forces Bangladesh to restrict its export in 2012 for all countries, including India hilsa export, the government had already relaxed hilsa export ban under a new export policy 2015-18 formulated in August, 2015.

The new policy says the interested exporters need to seek approval from the Commerce Ministry prior to export hilsa.

Traders and consumers, however, said the prices of hilsa might

surge around 30% once the government lifts the ban.

In July 2012, the government slapped ban on the dazzling silver fish to ensure its supply to local markets and rein in its prices.

It declared hilsa the national fish of Bangladesh since the country gained independence in 1971.

According to World Fish report

published in October 2015, Bangladesh is the leading country in hilsa production, accounting for 65% of the total fish in the world followed by India 10%-15% and Myanmar 8%-10%.

The remaining hilsa comes from other countries.

The government initiated a project to conserve jatka (hilsa less than 10 inches long) in 2004, which has

helped increase production at the rate of over 8% a year, said the report.

The government restricted jatka and mother hilsa fishing in breeding zones —Chandpur, Lakhipur, Barisal, Bhola, Patuakhali, Cox’s Bazar and Chittagong —for eight months between November and June from 2007-08 season.

According to the directorate of fisheries, Bangladesh has caught around four lakh tonnes of hilsa in 2015, up from 3.85 lakh tones in previous year.

Bangladesh produced two lakh tonnes of hilsa in 2009-10.

Hilsa researcher Anisur Rahman of Chandpur Fisheries Research Centre said hilsa production could be raised further if Bangladesh, India and Myanmar jointly ban hilsa fishing at the same time.

“It will help bring down the prices significantly and come back on the dining table of common people of the countries.”

According to the ministry of fisheries and livestock, hilsa makes up 1% of the country’s total gross domestic product and 11% of the country’s total fish production.

A total of five lakh fishermen are directly involved with hilsa catching in the country. The livelihood of another 20 lakh people is indirectly involved with this fish. l

LDCs must ensure 2% contribution Stocks stage late rally n to world trade by 2020 Tribune Business Desk

n Tribune Business Desk

Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed has said the least developed countries (LDCs) have to ensure their 2% contribution to the world trade by 2020 to keep on their economic progress.

The minister, who is now in Kenya’s capital Nairobi to attend the fourteenth session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD 14), passed the remarks while chairing the ministerial meeting of LDCs,

said a ministry release received here yesterday from Nairobi.

Referring to the decision of implementing sustainable development goals by 2030, he said UNCTAD, WTO and concerned organisations have to work jointly for the world trade as well as helping the LDCs in attaining sustainable goals, said BSS. Tofail urged the developed countries to move forward so the LDCs can keep running their economic progress.

As a spokesperson and coordinator of LDCs, the commerce min-

ister would deliver his speech at the ministerial meeting of G-77 for the betterment of LDCs. Tofail who is leading a 15-member Bangladesh team reached Nairobi on July 15.

In the ministerial meeting of LDCs, UNCTAD Secretary General Dr Mukhisa Kituyi, High Representative to UN for LDCs, RRDCs and SIDs Gyan Chandra Acharya, Bangladesh’s Permanent Representative to UN Shameem Ahsan and delegates from Uganda, Ethiopia and Bhutan also spoke on the occasion. l

Stocks reversed marginal losses yesterday to notch modest gains with volatility and limited trade.

The turnaround was mainly led by engineering and banking sectors, which moved up more than 1% each. The Dhaka Stock Exchange benchmark index DSEX rose nearly 17 points or 0.4% to 4,554.

The blue-chip comprising index DS30 edged 5 points higher to 1,783. The DSE Shariah Index DSES was up 4 points to 1,120.

The Chittagong Stock Exchange Selective Category Index CSCX closed at 8,502, rising 24 points.

However, participation in trading on Dhaka Stock Exchange declined about 18% to Tk371 crore over the previous session.

Engineering sector remained in spotlight as it surged 1.4%, driven by BSRM Limited that gained over 3%.

Heavyweight banking sector soared 1%, lifted by Islami Bank, the country’s largest bank, that closed about 6% higher.

Most other sectors, including power, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, cement and food & allied ended flat. The market breadth remained positive as out of 323 issues traded, 146 closed positive, 122 negative and 55 remained unchanged. l

Telenor Youth Forum opens for entries in Bangladesh n Ishtiaq Husain

Telenor Youth Forum, Telenor’s global empowerment initiative that aims to connect young opinion leaders around digital transformation of society, is now open for entries in Bangladesh.

The initiation of the competition was announced at a press conference yesterday held at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon hotel in Dhaka.

Syed Tanvir Husain, director of Center of Expertise, People and Or-

ganization, and Sayed Talat Kamal, head of external communications of Grameenphone Ltd, were present on the occasion.

The Telenor Youth Forum will take place in Oslo, Norway, in December this year.

Gathering young opinion leaders from 13 countries, the event aims to provide a global platform to engage youth and empower a generation of digital natives. This year’s topic is “Digitalization for Peace”.

Under the local selection pro-

cess, entries are expected from students, young academics and innovators. Candidates are expected to present interesting insights into how digital communication foster understanding among people over the bounderies, prosperity and ultimately, peace.

Applications for entries will be taken until August 6, 2016. Application can be submitted online.

Two candidates will be selected from each of the 13 countries, including Bangladesh, where Telenor Group

is present. Ideal candidates for the Oslo event are young opinion shapers, up to the age of 28 years, with fresh perspectives and strong voices.

Entries will be shortlisted through a defined selection process culminating with three finalists being selected by the local team of judges at a final gala event in September.

Selection of the final two candidates, travelling to Oslo in December, will be made by an international selection panel consisting of representatives from civil society, academia

and Telenor top management.

Last year Abreeshme Haque and Sabab Rahman, students of Institute of Business Administration at the University of Dhaka, won the local contest of Telenor Youth Forum and represented Bangladesh in this Telenor initiative in Oslo.

The Forum is an ongoing conversation that is both physical and digital, and not confined to the Oslo event alone, and, since this year, is followed up with a TFY Asia Summit in one of the Telenor Asia BUs. l

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Bangladesh and the culture of innovation – Part I n Sajid Amit What is the world’s most innovative country? Cornell University, INSEAD and the World Intellectual Property Organization publish a Global Innovation Index report annually in which they rank 140 countries applying 79 indicators.

The latest findings are shown in the bubble chart below.

In the 2015 rankings, Switzerland, Britain, Sweden, the Netherlands and America fare the best.

However, when one considers how countries’ levels of innovation compare to their state of economic development, interesting findings emerge as many African countries such as Burkina Faso, Kenya, Mali, Rwanda, and Uganda stand out, as do Brazil, India and China. This highlights that innovation is not necessarily a prerogative of the wealthy, even if necessity is not always the mother of invention.

Understandably, Bangladesh does not yet figure with any degree of prominence in any of the globally accepted innovation rankings. Innovation, entrepreneurship, information technology, start-ups, corporate innovation are all increasingly becoming buzz words in Bangladesh, but it is of course hoped and perhaps expected that the substance will catch up with the buzz. But as of now, we certainly lag behind.

There are cultural, institutional, and systemic factors that hold us back from becoming a more

innovative nation. A critical factor distinguishing innovation-rich countries from innovation-poor countries is the social and familial acceptance of failure. A tolerance for failure is critical to the innovative process, and this mindset is sparse in developing countries where keeping up with the Joneses and materialistic arms-races become the short-term prerogative.

Civil society and media in Bangladesh have taken note of the importance of highlighting entrepreneurial success stories, particularly of risk-takers, such

that, simultaneously, others with the intent and inspiration to follow in their footsteps are encouraged, while the entire process of risk-taking is appropriately glamorized. This is a necessary first step but needs to continue. Civil society and media in particular needs to cast a wider net with regard to the diversity of backgrounds of entrepreneurs whose successes are highlighted.

We don’t know where our next Steve Jobs may be lurking, and it is important to highlight, laud and promote innovation across the societal spectrum.

Then comes the question of STEM or Science, Technology, Engineering and Math education.

Developed countries take STEM very seriously and consider it to be integral to innovation and productivity. Barbara McAllister, Director of Strategic Initiatives and Planning at Intel Corporation writes in Stanford Social Innovation Review: “Unfortunately, there’s a national narrative that STEM is hard, dull, and without emotional meaning. One study indicated that nearly 90 percent of highschool graduates are not interested in a career or a college major involving science, technology, engineering, or math. This is due, in part, to the fact that it’s socially acceptable to be bad at math… We need all students believing that STEM is at the root of public service, personal freedom, creativity, and belonging, because that’s exactly what it is.”

Although McAllister’s commentary is intended for the United States, the importance of STEM has been underscored by developing countries as well, particularly those that are serious about promoting their innovation cultures.

As McAllister points out, the responsibility for encouraging STEM rests with us adults and mentors as well, since it takes a family and social support network to change mindsets of younger generations.

Of course, policy-level changes and greater R&D spending by cor-

porate is also paramount, which will pave the way for more jobs in STEM. However, we also want to avoid the policy trap often loosely referred to as “capital therapy”, which is the belief that additional money will successfully address challenges since innovation is not a metric in which one country can simply outspend the other. One can notice that countries with large allocations for R&D and innovation-related expenditure have also simultaneously invested in enabling environments and creating conditions where innovation and failure are acceptable.

While there is no question about the innate innovative qualities of us Bangladeshis, as evidenced by our achievements despite considerable odds since our birth as a nation, be it in terms of the growth of RMG, success stories in maternal health and infant mortality, or resilience to natural disasters and environmental risks.

However, significant improvement in our innovation quotient is unlikely unless we promote cultural, institutional and attitudinal changes in favor of experimentation, risk-taking and possibly, failing. If such changes can be encouraged in our public and private spaces, we will certainly be in a position to catch up with the comity of innovative nations. l Sajid Amit, Director, Center for Enterprise & Society, ULAB.

Indian sugar mill US: Brexit poses new questions for EU trade group sees no ed, and is a large part of the public n AFP, Washington procurement contracts across the cause for concern The top US trade official said that 28-nation EU that US companies want TTIP to provide greater access to.

Britain’s vote to break with the Euas stocks slide “You have just taken the fifth ropean Union opens new questions largest economy in the world... out for negotiations over an ambitious n Reuters, Bangkok of the equation. That has an impact transatlantic trade treaty.

Indian sugar stockpiles will fall to their lowest in over a decade next year as consumption outstrips supply, but will still be sufficient for the world’s top sugar consumer, India’s sugar millers said on Friday.

Drought in the past two years in India and in the world’s second-largest sugar producer Thailand has shrivelled sugar cane and cut supply. International sugar futures reach a near four-year high in late June.

Indian output in the 2016-2017 crop year should fall to around 23.3 million tonnes, down from 25.1 million tonnes the year earlier due to the drought, said Indian Sugar Mills Association President Tarun Sawhney in an interview with Reuters in Bangkok on Friday. l

US Trade Representative Michael Froman also said he has already been in contact with British officials over how to proceed in organizing US trade with Britain, given that leaving the EU will remove the country from its trade agreement umbrella.

“There is a lot of uncertainty now exactly how the post-referendum negotiations with the EU or with other trading partners are likely to proceed. We do obviously want to obviously maintain and deepen our close relationship with the UK,” Froman told journalists.

“We are of course, with our special relationship with the UK, going to want to do whatever we can to deepen our relationship there in the most appropriate way.”

US Trade Representative Michael Froman also said he has already been in contact with British officials over how to proceed in organizing US trade with Britain AFP But he said the implicit removal of Britain from the EU side in the negotiations over the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, or TTIP, could shift the balance in the talks already far along after three years of negotiations.

“One issue that we are wrestling with is that the UK is a very significant part of the EU, and is a very significant part of what makes TTIP attractive.”

Britain represents 25% of US exports to the European Union, he not-

on the balance of trade at the table,” said Froman.

“We’re going to have to think through what that means, in terms of what we offer and what we require of the EU, because at the end of the day we need a balanced agreement.” Froman stressed that it was too early to say how the US and Britain would organize their trade.

The exit from the EU will mean the country no longer enjoys a very low tariff regime that governs trade between the two sides. Without a new bilateral pact, US tariffs on imports from Britain could automatically jump.

A bilateral trade deal though would depend on how Britain and the EU arrange their own trade, post-Brexit. l

SUNDAY, JULY 17, 2016

Man vs machine: Computer-driven hedge funds win on Brexit night n Reuters, London As hedge fund manager Buford Scott sat at home, watching the TV in shock as it emerged Britain had voted to leave the European Union, his computer-based trading models were quietly boosting his business by 1.5%.

Scott’s algorithm-driven fund, and others like it, beat hedge funds run by humans on Brexit night, not because the computers had correctly predicted the results of the June 23 referendum, but because they followed trends already in place.

Computer-driven funds placed bets on safe-haven assets like the yen and gold, which had performed well in the six months leading up to the vote, against riskier currencies like the Mexican peso - a play yielding a more than 7% return JPYMXN on June 24.

Hedge funds on average were down 0.18% on the day of June 24, while trend-following machine-based strategies gained 0.71%, according to data from industry tracker Hedge Fund Research (HFR).

China’s 2nd-quarter economic growth beats forecasts

n AFP, Beijing China’s economy expanded more than expected in the second quarter of the year, Beijing said Friday, fuelling hopes growth may be stabilising, but analysts warned private investment was worryingly low.

The world’s second biggest economy grew 6.7% year on year in April-June, slightly quicker than forecast in an AFP survey and the same as the year’s first quarter.

The result is also in line with the government’s 6.5-7% target for the full year and will provide some relief as China - and key driver of the global economy suffers its worst rates of growth for 25 years.

“The national economy has achieved moderate but steady and sound development,” National Bureau of Statistics spokesman Sheng Laiyun said.

However analysts said much of the expansion was driven by state investment in infrastructure and credit growth, suggesting it may be hard to maintain in the longerterm.

Markets were unmoved by the figures, with Shanghai’s composite index ending the day flat. l

Traders from BGC, a global brokerage company in London’s Canary Wharf financial centre react during trading June 24, 2016 after Britain voted to leave the European Union REUTERS Some of the biggest hedge funds’ computer-run strategies also known as systematic or quantitative - made huge gains in the aftermath of the vote for Brexit.

British systematic firm Winton Capital, which manages more than $30bn, made a gain of 3.1% on June 24, while Greenwich, Connecti-

cut-based AQR’s $13.3bn computer strategy returned 5.2% - about $700m.

Polls had shown the Leave and Remain camps neck-and-neck before the referendum. But partly on the view that undecided voters tend to opt for the status quo, bookmakers and betting exchang-

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Business

es had largely predicted Remain would win comfortably. Most players in financial markets agreed.

“Almost no one was betting on the actual outcome of Brexit,” said GAM portfolio manager Anthony Lawler in London, a hedge fund investor whose firm recently bought systematic investment manager Cantab Capital Partners, which made 4.1% in the year to June 27.

“Man chose to reduce risk given the unknown. Machines chose to be long safe-haven assets because that trend was already in place.

Machines won.”

This does not necessarily mean machines would tend to outperform during big global events - a Remain vote might well have seen humans come out top - or during unexpected twists. Machine models were down 2.42% in 2015 while hedge funds on average were down 1.12%, according to HFR. But in this case machines fared better because, with no preconceived ideas about the result, they followed the same strategies as previously, strategies which a Leave vote happened to favour. l

UK needs prompt, muscular stimulus

n Reuters, London The Bank of England needs to act “promptly as well as muscularly” to stimulate the economy and boost confidence, its chief economist said on Friday, a day after the central bank upset markets by not cutting rates.

In his first speech since Britain voted last month to leave the European Union, Andrew Haldane said the BoE needed to come up with a “package of mutually-complementary monetary policy easing measures” in time for a rate-setting meeting on Aug 4.

Sterling fell almost a cent against the US dollar GBP after the speech, reversing some of the gains made after Thursday’s surprise decision to keep rates on hold.

Investment bank JP Morgan changed its forecast for British interest rates after Haldane’s speech, predicting the BoE would cut rates to zero next month, rather than to 0.25%.

Only one BoE policymaker, Gertjan Vlieghe, voted to cut rates this week, but most others said looser policy was likely to be needed at next month’s Monetary Policy Committee meeting, once they had better forecasts for the economy. l

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16

Career

SUNDAY, JULY 17, 2016

Keeping your castle afloat Maintaining cash flow to secure your start-up growth

n SK Farhan Rahman

If, for any unforeseen circumstances, the cash burn rate is very high compared to the cash inflow, the business might decide to downsize its workforce.

Downsizing shouldn’t even be an option unless absolutely necessary, as it creates a negative sentiment in the market.

“Cash is king” is one of the oldest teachings of business, and while keeping an eye on cash collections probably isn’t what drives a person to entrepreneurship, it’s definitely the most crucial part of running any business. The sad truth is that, cash flow surprises lead to the death of many startups, amounting to almost 90% of the total failures, according to a survey. No business can sustain at the end of the day without managing cash flow, period.

Bijon Islam, the CEO of LightCastle Partners, provides a rather unique insight on maintaining cash flow to secure a start-up’s growth.

Cash flow challenges for different industries

While most industries do face varying aspects of cash flow problems, it is not always the same for all of them; challenges usually differ from industry to industry.

Each industry is uniquely equipped with their own arsenal, effectively solving cash flow challenges as they see fit.

Importance of cash flow at the growth stage

Prepaid Model Prepaying for goods and services provided is considered to be the most effective model as a whole.

Telecommunication industries are a prime example, as most, if not all, take full advantage of said model. As such, their cash inflow is usually higher and quicker than most industries. It’s safe to bet that most companies in the telecom sector find it easier to maintain a positive cash flow than most of the other industries.

For many businesses, especially for start-ups, growth is one of the key indicators of success.

Growth in itself is a big enough problem to crack, particularly cash flow management during the growth stage. In order to grow successfully, the business needs to be prepared to manage all funds effectively. Here’s why cash should be the primary concern.

Scaling the business Unlike other businesses, start-ups are able to scale at an extremely rapid pace. Initially, they start slow when selling a product for the first time, but just when it gains some traction and becomes popular, scaling becomes a necessity. For that to happen, the business needs a positive flow of cash into the businesses. Meaning, the start-up should be earning more than they are spending just to have some surplus capital they can invest in the expansion process.

The unavailability of cash during the growth stage greatly hinders the business, and it usually falls behind competitors smart enough to maintain their cash flow. Simply put, there’s no way a start-up can even hope to grow without some liquid assets to invest if necessary.

Flexibility Cash flow, at least a positive cash flow, gives your start-up the added flexibility in making critical decisions or responding to impending problems. Free cash in hand will always be your saviour from a tight spot; cash is king after all.

A properly planned cash flow management system will boost confidence, confidence that

Complexities of large bureaucracies Even if they are in the same enables the founders and cofounders to make a critical or risky purchase in the short term, rather than waiting for it in the long run.

Unavailability of cash in such situations would increase costs, opportunity costs to be more specific, resulting in inefficiency in the long run. A positive cash flow portrays positive sentiments to any investors or lenders, making your business more appealing and desirable for incubation.

Maintaining a consistent flow of cash

As a start-up business founder, one of the biggest and most common mistakes you can make is to place secondary goals ahead of the cash flow necessities. The business must have a steady inflow of cash, at least to ensure the operational expenses. Let’s look at the most efficient ways of maintaining a consistent flow of cash.

Clients This is where the owners, founders, and co-founders need to get their hands dirty. Let’s be honest, not all clients are paying

clients, nor do they pay on time.

Predicting and maintaining cash flow becomes a gigantic headache when payments are not administered on time. Bijon Islam says “A client is not a client until he pays you. Don’t even record him as your client in your books until and unless he clears his dues.”

Racking their brains, the founders will undoubtedly come with a strategic plan to pursue the right clients. Pursue the clients who you can trust, the clients who are well reputed in the market for paying on time. Build a database of said clients, and the cash will come gushing in.

There’s no need to waste time on a risky client, prone to late payments, just because paying jobs are at a minimum. “Even if there is a scarcity of paying clients, don’t take on a flaky client just to add revenue. Chances are, you’ll spend some money on your end to deliver the end product or the service, but the client will take weeks, months even, to clear the payment. Definitely not worth the trouble,”adds Bijon Islam.

“A client is not a client until he pays you. Don’t even record him as your client in your books until and unless he clears his dues.”

Planning the burn Any start-up should know what its expenses are, how much cash it will burn for the next month or for the next six months. Financial management of the company will reign supreme in this case, if it is fully functional that is. Efficient financial management will be able to tie the cash burn with the cash inflow, limiting the requirement for external sources of funds as a result. A very effective method that Bijon Islam follows is sales commission. When the inflow is high, the sales team is rewarded with handsome commissions, and when sales are low, they end up with their basic pay only.

industry, two companies may not face the same cash flow challenges. Big bureaucracies usually have a better cash flow management system compared to most small companies owning to the highly efficient financial management teams at their disposal. Lastly, large firms are usually centralised, therefore cutting down costs by reaping the benefits of economies of scale and economies of scope. l Article was reprinted under special arrangement with www.start-up-bd.com

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17

Intenships

SUNDAY, JULY 17, 2016

A guide to corporate culture n Muzakkir Hossain In its most basic sense, corporate culture (or office culture) alludes to how employees in a company interact with the world inside and outside the office walls.

Corporate culture is generally left out of the rulebooks; rather it is implied and drawn from the characteristics of its employees.

Superficial elements like dress codes and office setups are just the tip of the iceberg. The better part of corporate culture is reflected in the business values and mission of the company

Why it matters

Corporate culture plays a huge factor into how well a company runs and what sort of clients it attracts. A company will only attract employees whose value match that of the corporate culture and the same goes for clients.

Different types of cultures Although the term “corporate culture” only emerged in the early 90s, the concept of it dates as far back to the inception of offices. In its short lifespan, Bangladesh has seen two major types of office culture: the relaxed government office and the fast paced environment in the private sector. Recently however, we have also witnessed the emergence of an employee-friendly corporate culture, mostly in start-ups inspired by Silicon Valley. These trends turn away from the individualistic and hierarchical corporate structure that we can see in large private corporations.

To find an example of a contemporary corporate culture we have to look beyond the borders of our country to the United States. Since the tech boom, companies like Apple, Google and Netflix have demonstrated that high rates of growth and an employee - friendly corporate culture can coexist.

Instead of pitting employees starting at the bottom of the corporate ladder with entry level jobs against each other, these tech behemoths do away with borders, literally and metaphorically.

Hierarchical leaderships, closed cubicles and corporate bureaucracy are done way with to encourage innovation and efficiency. The casual corporate culture of late has found its way into large financial corporations who, along with law firms, have been the most resistant to change in corporate culture. An obvious indicator is JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s change in dress code from business formal to business casual.

This should make it easier for them to sit eye-to-eye with clients, most of whom dress business casual anyway, and to attract young millennials.

Components of a positive culture

To create and cultivate an efficient workplace culture, first and foremost the company needs to decide what kind of company it wants to become. Harvard Business Review, suggests six parts towards building a successful corporate culture

PHOTOS: BIGSTOCK

Vision A vision (or lack thereof) can make or break a company. Often, a vision is represented by a mission statement or vision statement which gives the company and, in turn, its employees a purpose.

If given enough significance, this vision will determine what employees work towards.

Mission statements can be short and succinct like “Undisputed Marketplace Leadership” by The Hershey Company or otherwise, like “UWC makes education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future.” by United World Colleges. Regardless of how long or how short the mission statement is, the vision of the company should exist in the heart of every employee to ensure that they are working towards achieving something they believe in.

Values Where a vision points in the direction a company should go, its values guides it towards that goal. A company’s values sets out guidelines for employees on how to interact with each other and clients. While companies will have a diverse range of “visions”, the values of successful companies are, for the most part, alike. Values normally revolve around key topics like professionalism, morals and client relationships.

Practices This goes hand in hand with the previous part. No matter how long a list of values a company promises to abide by, they are useless until they come into practice and are reflected in

The casual corporate culture of late has found its way into large financial corporations who, along with law firms, have been the most resistant to change in corporate culture

employees’ practices. As a business owner it is up to you, eventually, to make sure that your business values are practised religiously.

People This, again, links back to the previous point about practices.

After all, who will be practising the company values? The employees.

And what is better than trying to tirelessly drill your values into an employee? Hiring an employee who is a cultural match! It will be impossibly easier to build a successful company if the people working with you believe in the same future and the same core values as the company.

Narrative Every successful person seems to have a story. Right? Steve Jobs.

Abraham Lincoln. Mahatma Gandhi. The truth is, everyone has a story but it is how you connect with your unique story with your core values that can help you succeed. The connection to office culture here is that a company’s employees should also look

back at the company history and connect that with the company’s vision and values. As a business owner, make this a part of your company, as an identity to unify your employees.

Place Silicon Valley is known for its offices with open plans and green environment. While that might have a lot to do with cost saving and sustainability, the real reason behind that is to break down borders (literally) and encourage informal interaction between employees. Even in a non-tech environment, an open environment means more interaction (between colleagues of similar cultural mindsets) and less people watching NSFW videos.

The end result here? Increased productivity.

Whether you are a fresh graduate wondering what the hell your seniors were ranting about or you are an entrepreneur looking to build the next Google, you should now know the ropes around corporate culture. That’s one thing off your “to learn” list. l

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18

Interview

SUNDAY, JULY 17, 2016

Safe naki?

Web security from the viewpoint of an e-commerce company

n SK Farhan Rahman Tausif Ahmad is the Chief Operating Officer of HungryNaki.

A passionate foodie and Gunner by heart, this person is known in the company as a “jack of all trades.”

Tell us a bit about HungryNaki.

How did it all start and where is the venture now?

Well, previously I used to work in a German-based company right here in Bangladesh named “Rebate Networks.” Eventually, the inner-calling of venturing into unchartered territory got me to start something of my own. I was always passionate about food, but believe it or not – we initially started off with fashion. Later, the other co-founder and I decided to switch to the food industry for good. We Bangladeshis had always been suffering from immense traffic jams and that led us to realise the immense potential of an online food delivery platform.

With 4 delivery staff and serving 30 restaurants, HungryNaki finally began its journey on 1st October of 2013. Currently we are proudly serving over 750 restaurants in the three major cities of Bangladesh – Dhaka, Sylhet and Chittagong, backed with an incredible team of 75 members.

What are the changes and shifts that you have witnessed in the e-commerce industry of Bangladesh?

The e-commerce industry of Bangladesh is extremely dynamic.

What is 5 years in reality is around 20 years in the e-commerce hemisphere. The revolution started around the early 2013s.

Clickbd.com was the first website to pioneer the local e-commerce scenario. And then other sites eventually followed.

The perception of the consumers shifted dramatically as well. There used to be no online transactions before; customers physically met with the buyer where the exchange used to take place. Also, there has been a tremendous increase in the usage of credit and debit cards. And people have finally grown a sense of trust and comfort in ordering food online and the response is ever-growing.

If I go deeper into consumer research, you’ll be amazed to know that a significant portion of our customers belong to the 30-40 year old corporates. Even people aged 50 years or more

are now comfortable enough with smartphone applications.

That’s how far the Bangladeshi e-commerce industry has come.

What do you think about web security and its impact on your business?

Since we are operating in the e-commerce sector, we constantly need to deal with the information of our customers – some of which are very confidential. People need to give us their contact information, email addresses and even their residential addresses; it can spell disaster for them if such information ends up in the wrong hands. But our team at HungryNaki has been handling the aforementioned information with utmost care, ensuring different layers of security on our database.

The technology that we use is quite unbreakable.

Tell us about the other types of online thefts.

Technology has become an integral part of our lives. And so are the dangers of it. We at HungryNaki also face several types of problems. People illegally order food from others’ cellphones.

Sometimes people manage to get access to others’ accounts and request fake orders and our delivery people have to go through a lot of ordeal because of this.

And how do you plan to eradicate these problems?

We at HungryNaki are extremely aware about the amount of sensitive data that we have to deal with. Even if there is a slight chance of a breach in our customers’ privacy, we immediately call our customers and warn them beforehand. Our latest breakthrough is that we have come up with a “Phone verification process.” Since there are people trying to forge others numbers and illegally order through their cell phones, they need to verify first before they can log in and order food.

How did the food industry revolutionise in Bangladesh?

The food industry had been through a massive boom in the last few years. Restaurants have been opening up like never before. The biggest franchises have moved from all the crowded locations to the most remote locations of the city. Another new entrant into

People now readily embrace cuisines that surpass the boundaries of our country

the food market is the outbreak of food carts. It is amazing to see these little carts cater to the needs of people from every locality.

Even a few years back, we used to fantasise about the street carts in the streets of New York and Brooklyn and now this has become a reality in Bangladesh.

Changes have come up in people’s tastes as well. People now readily embrace cuisines that surpass the boundaries of our country. Restaurants specialising in Turkish, Mexican and even Japanese cuisine are opening up. And the response is massive.

Burger has become a staple food for today’s generation. What was once consumed as an occasional evening snack only has now become a part of our everyday meal.

People are now more open to eating out. Hangouts have

become something very common.

Weekends are not the only time to visit restaurants or fast food shops anymore.

Where do you see HungryNaki in the nearby future?

Considering the fact that HungryNaki is a completely home-grown company, we would like to become the poster-child of e-commerce in Bangladesh. In Bangladesh, there are not much stories in the e-commerce industry where the companies have massively operated in the global scenario.

Our expansion plans will initially start with successful operations in other districts of Bangladesh. This would hopefully lead to a sustainable business model that we would be using to migrate into other countries of

the South-Asian continent, e.g.

Malaysia, Singapore, Bangkok etc.

What are your views regarding the future of web security?

To be honest, technology in Bangladesh has already come a long way. Protecting consumer data is indeed a difficult job, but with the adept use of a perfect combination of technologies and relevant knowledge, I believe we can protect any amount of data.

Threats and malwares won’t disappear within a day, and so won’t the chances of “holding the door” against it. l

Article was reprinted under special arrangement with www.developershaat.com

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SUNDAY, JULY 17, 2016

Gossiping and other skills It’s bad, but not all bad

n Noor-E-Shahrin

ack when we were in kindergarten, our teachers made us play Chinese Whispers in class after lessons. When the last person said the phrase out loud, to our utter amusement, it’s nowhere near to what the first person had said. The moral of this game is ‘gossiping is a dangerous habit’; when a story said in hushed tones is passed on from ear to ear, the data gets corrupted during transmission and there are as many different stories as there are mouths. And yet, all we ever do is get indulged in heated conversations about who is dating who, what is going on with her marriage and what not.

The question is, can gossiping ever bring about a positive outcome?

The answer is, apparently, yes. Professor Robin Dunbar of University of Oxford suggested, in his book Grooming, Gossip and the Evolution of Language, that the practice of discussing rumours and other people’s lives works as a catalyst during social bonding. If you are struggling to blend into a new environment, gossiping with your new colleagues or classmates can teach you a thing or two about how things work around there and get you updated about who are the cream of the crop there.

Frank McAndrew, professor of psychology at Knox College, said that knowing about the actions of a person and how people reacted to it can help you decide what you want to do in similar situations.

Gossip allows you to compare yourself to the subject and get motivated to improve yourself, maybe set some goals, so that you are not the next target of speculation.

throw our heads back and laugh, or pull each other’s leg and just have a good time.” Gossiping with your amigos can also let you give off steam, turn down the frustration and chill. “It helps to get rid of personal tension and struggles for a while”, said Saraf, an 18 year old.

But of course, the negative impact of gossiping is unavoidable. Gossiping takes the wrong turn when the story is partially or completely incorrect.

“Gossip that isn’t true has terrible effects; the subject might be harassed because of such rumours,” says Rifah, an 18 year old, “No one has the right to talk about other people and ruin their lives just for fun.”

Even if the gossip is accurate but based on a very sensitive issue, it’s best if we can avoid mentioning it. Sabira, an 18 year old, said, “Gossiping is a type of back-biting, which is evil.” So, if you think that a person had some negative attribute, keep the thought to yourself. Otherwise, your habit of back-biting will make you the subject of their gossip; they will backbite about how you backbite and you will get caught up in a meaningless paradox. It’s not always you gossiping about others; someday, Karma will catch up with you and you will be standing in the limelight of rumours.

Once one takes a break from idle chatter, they realise they have been missing out on the bigger picture. Samreen, a fifteen year old, said, “Gossiping is something I absolutely despise. It’s nothing but shallow discussions and judging people.” Rumour mongering is a pathetic waste of time. Unless you are Taylor Swift or Kylie

When you meet someone new in your work place or friend circle, it’s better to do some background check before you get too comfortable with him or her. Gossip can keep you from mingling with the wrong bunch.

If there are betrayers or rotten apples in your friend circle, the word on the street can give you enough evidence to ostracise them and preserve the greater harmony.

And what is life without some entertainment? To ladies, having a get together is synonymous to gossiping away all day about celebrities, family problems and the list goes on. Shilon, a 19 year old, said, “Through gossiping we

Jenner, because the rumour mill is a common part of a celebrity’s career. For them, no publicity is bad publicity.

All budding friendships need a common denominator. Sometimes during gossiping, two or more people find out that they despise the same classmate or colleague.

That’s how they are united; against a common frenemy. Although this isn’t harming anyone on an immediate level, whether this is ethical depends on the context.

But, sometimes gossiping about that other person’s problems and failures tend to make us happy and feel superior. That’s downright schadenfreude; you

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don’t want to be a vulture feeding on other people’s misfortunes.

All our conversations are made up of three things: the truth, the lie and what you have been told is the truth, but is in fact a lie.

These combine in different ratio to form several types of gossips.

It’s your choice which gossip you want to get involved in. Discussing about petty life issues is a part of human nature and is a practice prevalent in all societies. But try to be casual and friendly about it; being mean-spirited is definitely not earning you anything. A high school teacher, Arsalan Zaman, said, “I’d walk away from a gossip to avoid painting an image of a co-worker based on his speech or action that has not been directed towards me.” If you see yourself being pulled into a gossip that you think is unethical, nod in acknowledgement and run for your life. l

DT

Feature

Gossip allows you to compare yourself to the subject and get motivated to improve yourself, maybe set some goals, so that you are not the next target of speculation

DT

20 Editorial

SUNDAY, JULY 17, 2016

TODAY

Why the Holey attack is the work of IS While politicians may deny the existence of groups like IS in the country, law enforcement knows the key players, and is tracking the right people PAGE 21

A political earthquake In a world which is getting ahead by building bridges, the UK saw progress in breaking them

BIGSTOCK

PAGE 22

Export growth shows nothing will hold us back

The coup failed, but Erdogan is no hero Erdogan has been democratically elected several times with handsome majority, but he has consistently shown little regard for liberal principles PAGE 23

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

The views expressed in Opinion articles are those of the authors alone. They do not purport to be the official view of Dhaka Tribune or its publisher.

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angladesh’s export earnings for the fiscal year 2015-2016 have seen a 10% increase from last year.

The fact that we have outdone our export earnings target of $33.5 billion by such a large margin is a testament to the robustness of our exporting sector, and is good news for all.

Much of this growth is attributable to the relative political stability the nation has seen recently.

In the wake of the Rana Plaza tragedy, the garments sectors has done much to bring its safety standards up to speed, and that has helped garment exports see a steady growth.

Since the RMG sector is responsible for 80% of all our exports, growth in garments is indeed largely responsible positive effects throughout the economy, generating employment and contributing to overall economic growth.

We need to get behind this success and make sure Bangladesh stays on track. We need to work on increasing productive to become even more competitive in the global market than we already are. Increased investment in education and training, continued improvement of worker safety, and the reduction of interventionist policies and red tape will go a long way in increasing productivity.

Much doom and gloom regarding exports was predicted in the aftermath of Brexit, and we need to make sure Bangladesh does not get hit badly. For that, non-traditional markets can be explored, and special attention must be given to industries that are lagging behind.

It is also important to improve the capacity our sea ports. A proper deep sea port would go a long way in making trade easier.

The fact that we have outdone our export earnings target of $33.5bn by such a large margin is a testament to the robustness of our exporting sector

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21

Opinion

SUNDAY, JULY 17, 2016

Why the Holey attack is the work of ISIS And why it is time to admit it

n Amarnath Amarasingam

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erhaps nothing has confused international analysts of modern jihadism in Bangladesh more than the government’s continued denial that groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda exist in the country.

This denial continues even as secular activists and writers are assassinated, as places of worship are targeted, and even after deadly attacks like the one at Holey Artisan Bakery.

In her 12-minute speech following the attack, Sheikh Hasina Wazed did not mention ISIS, but instead placed blame on their opposition, the BNP, and Jamaat-e-Islami. Other times, the government has placed blame on the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen (JMB).

On first look, such scattershot placing of blame seems probable.

Indeed, the previous BNP government did have confirmed links with the JMB. But the attack on Holey is almost certainly the work of ISIS. Let me explain why.

First, the way in which the social media campaign played out during and after the attack carried strong signatures of ISIS propaganda. As the attack was happening, for instance, ISIS media channels posted, almost in real time, photos and details about the assault that turned out to be accurate. These included the number of people killed as well as photos from inside the bakery.

Shortly after the attack, ISIS media channels also posted images of five smiling attackers in front of the Islamic State flag. This was all accompanied by official claims of responsibility and a video promising more attacks.

In other words, unlike previous attacks in Bangladesh, by both ISIS and AQIS, the media campaign behind this particular assault was planned in advance.

I would argue that this was done to ensure that the government, or whoever, could not credit anyone else. The attackers, and their handlers, wanted to make sure that they got all the credit this time.

When attacks like these happen, and the ISIS claims credit, many people often say that this is to be expected. They argue that “of course ISIS will take credit -- it’s a terrorist organisation, and terrorist organisations lie.”

Contrary to popular view, however, IS has never taken credit for a mass casualty attack they didn’t do.

Denial won’t solve the problem

To an outside observer, it appears that, while politicians may deny the existence of groups like IS in the country, law enforcement knows the key players, and is tracking the right people. The government, perhaps, feels like it can score political points at home by denying the existence of these groups, while quietly attempting to eliminate them

Let that sink in for a moment.

For directed and networked attacks, they take credit. For inspired attacks like Orlando and San Bernardino, the timing of the claims suggests that ISIS went out of its way to verify that these pledges of allegiance by the attackers were real before “accepting” them.

Second, there is the more complicated question of the relationship between JMB and ISIS. Unlike in Egypt or Libya, there is no Islamic State wilaya (province) in Bangladesh. Unlike with Boko Haram, there has been no public pledge of allegiance from JMB to ISIS. Indeed, many individuals investigated by Bangladeshi authorities

appear to have strong JMB ties.

As such, it seems obvious that the attack on Holey was the work of JMB. However, this view fails to understand the ever-changing relationship between ISIS and its supporters around the world.

While the wilaya model was pursued by ISIS in the past, there is some evidence of internal dissent and debate. The old view inside the organisation was that expansion everywhere was beneficial to the ISIS brand. The new view is that careless and premature expansion could in fact hurt the brand.

As my colleague and friend Aymenn Jawad al-Tamimi, a fellow at the Middle East Forum, tells me: “The wilayas failed to galvanise

the jihadi world. They didn’t lead to mass defections to ISIS. And they did not realise state governance.” As such, the notion of a secret bay’a (oath of allegiance) does indeed exist within ISIS discourse, and seems to be increasingly common.

While there is no clear evidence that JMB has given a secret bay’a to ISIS (because it is secret), it is clear, as acknowledged in the Islamic State’s Dabiq magazine, that the networks and operatives are in place.

Indeed, it may be the case that different factions are forming within JMB, with one loyal to ISIS, and the bay’a will remain secret until ISIS feels that it can gain control over the whole group.

In essence, then, the fact that some of the Dhaka attackers have JMB connections is not an argument for why ISIS wasn’t involved. Rather, it is a clear indication that ISIS is siphoning off members from JMB, or that JMB is growing closer to ISIS. There are some hopeful signs, however. To an outside observer, it appears that, while politicians may deny the existence of groups like ISIS in the country, law enforcement knows the key players, and is tracking the right people.

The government, perhaps, feels like it can score political points at home by denying the existence of these groups while quietly attempting to eliminate them.

One wishes this to be true, because, if law enforcement is in just as much denial as the political class in Bangladesh, it will mean that ISIS will increasingly plant roots in the country, and deadlier attacks are right around the corner. l Amarnath Amarasingam is a Fellow at The George Washington University’s Program on Extremism.

He can be followed on Twitter @ AmarAmarasingam.

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DT

Long Form

SUNDAY, JULY 17, 2016

A political earthquake that shattered the Richter scale The road ahead for Britain is shrouded in uncertainty. This is the concluding part of a three-part long form

This dog’s support wasn’t enough to keep the UK in the EU

n Nabila Rafique

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he early hours of June 24 ushered in a different truth, a whole new reality, and a new country -Britain voted to be out of the EU. The older generation, the commoners, had won the day and taken back control of the country.

Within minutes of the official declaration of the results, another phenomenon kicked in as well.

The pound dropped by 8%, the lowest since 1985. And it continued to drop until 10am, when the bank of England Governor Carney made an appeal for calm. The PM resigned. The Scottish first minister declared a second independence referendum from the UK. Within 48 hours, we also saw total carnage in the Labour shadow cabinet.

We saw a vote of no confidence made against Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, the shadow foreign minister sacked, and 12 prominent members resigned. We also saw EU foreign ministers pressing for an exit proposal to understand the ramifications Brexit would have for wider Europe. The world looked on and wondered.

The weekend which followed the Friday results was frantic and weary. However, this did not stop Boris Johnson from spending a

day playing cricket. He must have been the only person so utterly unaffected by what he helped realise.

Reality was now sinking in, and the gravity of what had happened began to emerge. Within hours of the results, Farage declared that the £350 million figure was not true.

The UK had not been doing its trade deals with countries separately on its own, and would need years to write up and enact the equivalents of laws it enjoyed while being part of the EU. It will also take years to disentangle national laws from EU laws. Also, most importantly, it has to formulate the basis of the relationship it will have with EU from here on in. Will it continue to have the single-market which would also means the same trade arrangements?

Foreign Minister Phillip Hammond said that the EU may not accept anything else, since the prime purpose of the union is one of economic alliance. Will the new relationship continue the freedom of movement whereby people across the EU and the UK are able to freely move, live, and work?

The UK now has a lot on its plate, and it is too early to predict.

However, In supporters like me are no doubt heart-broken. In a world which is getting ahead

REUTERS

by building bridges, the UK saw progress in breaking them. How could educated English folk have made such a decision? I analysed the Leave campaign points, and it made perfect sense.

Vote Leave spoke to the masses.

They translated their message into simple easy bits for people to feel and contemplate. This was a far cry from the Vote In, who were simply forecasting gloom and brandishing experts.

The 16-page booklet was complex. The official website, eureferendum.gov.uk and strongerin. co.uk, just had information -- no names of members, no letters, and no list of speeches.

It showed the critical need to engage with the grassroots, and the ability to spot the right moment to stay ahead. No doubt, being the underdogs, Vote Out started early with focus, whereas the In campaign simply woke up in the last moment.

It showed that the common people rightly worried about their own livelihoods, homes, and children before they are in a position to appreciate diversity, multi-culturalism, and open borders.

It showed, regardless of whether we are white, black, or brown, educated or uneducated, that, as humans, we will always

In a world which is getting ahead by building bridges, the UK saw progress in breaking them. How could educated English folk have made such a decision? think of our own immediate needs before we are in a position to think for others.

Whereas I understand the voters, I will continue to have reservation of the pledges of Vote Leave, most and all of which I hold as being untrue, archaic, and formulated to play up on insecurities.

Chuka Umunna, a Labour MP, said he will hold Vote Leave to account for every pledge they made, a promise I hope he keeps.

The level of falsehood has been phenomenal, and that begs me to question the mandate of this referendum.

With all due respect, surely ordinary people could not have understood the lies, let alone the ramification of the unwinding of the membership process.

Furthermore, the result is of 52% of the 72% who voted. 28% of registered voters did not vote, therefore Vote Leave cannot

be said to have commanded a majority.

A petition to hold a second referendum had already gathered nearly 4 million votes and counting. In David Cameron’s speech on Monday, we learned that there will be no such referendum.

No second chance to anyone who realised and now regrets.

So where is the UK heading?

Mr Cameron is now so gutted that he misjudged the pulse of his people that he does not want to do anything other than to give effect to the referendum, making way for his successor Theresa May. As far as he is concerned, the exit will happen, it’s just a matter of when and in what terms. Until then, we have to hold our breaths and pray that the worst had already happened, and is not yet to come. l Nabila Rafique is a Barrister.

DT

23

Opinion

SUNDAY, JULY 17, 2016

The coup failed, but Erdogan is no hero The Turkish president needs to take a serious look at his own actions now

n Shafiqur Rahman

A

t the time of writing of this article, the attempted coup against Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has apparently failed, and is in the process of being methodically reduced.

Erdogan has returned to Istanbul, and addressed his fired-up followers, whose brave defiance in the street in facing the armoured might of military units was instrumental in the probable defeat of the coup.

Thousands of military officers and other ranks have already been arrested or detained. Amidst all the chaos, one thing is clear: Erdogan, already a leader hoarding more power than any since Kemal Ataturk, will become a giant among pygmies in the Turkish political landscape.

Many of his detractors used to mock Erdogan as a Neo-Ottoman Sultan because of his power grab, grand ambitions, and huge but fragile ego.

But that moniker may soon become too close to truth to have any more sarcasm value. That will

accomplishment has been building a solid base of support among the socially-conservative middle and working class people in the Asian part of Turkey.

That large segment of people had been brutally suppressed politically and exploited economically by previous military regimes for decades. Over the years, Erdogan’s regime has not only given them political voice, but also raised their economic prospects considerably. They are not going to abandon their champion that easily.

While Erdogan’s domestic economic stewardship is nearly irreproachable, his foreign policy in the near and far abroad has been quite disastrous. A few years earlier, when Arab countries were buffeted with gusts of Arab Spring, and people were looking towards Turkey for regional leadership, it looked for a while that Erdogan’s dream of re-establishing some kind of Ottoman sphere of influence among the countries that belonged to the empire is more substantive than a pipe dream.

But Erdogan backed all the wrong horses in the Mad Max-type

and proved so hard to roll back.

It is not just the misadventures of foreign policy but Erdogan’s abrasive interactions with other leaders of the world left Turkey often diplomatically friendless and isolated.

There is a clear division in the reactions to the attempted coup in the world society. There is little doubt that, among the secularliberal section of the political spectrum, most people would have expressed sadness if the coup was successful and Erdogan was ousted. Erdogan has been attracting distrust and antagonism from liberals for a long time.

His throwback social conservatism, his staunch religious reactionaryism, his frequent dalliance in bizarre theorising, all these have earned him little favour with liberals.

But the most damaging things are Erdogan’s unrelenting push for centralised power grab, and his vicious crusade against press freedom.

Among all countries of the world, Turkey arrested and jailed the highest number of journalists for two consecutive years in 2012

Erdogan has been democratically elected several times with a handsome majority, but he has consistently shown little regard for liberal principles. A failed coup is a victory of democracy over elitism, but if the principles of liberty keep getting short-shifted in Turkey, democracy itself will be under threat soon But not all Turks are in Erdogan’s camp not be a welcome development for those who want Turkey to be a liberal democracy.

Erdogan is a fascinating character study. He came from a humble background, he was raised in a religiously conservative family, and he did not have the stellar education that is the gateway to the ranks of the elite in Turkey.

Yet, when he was the elected mayor of Istanbul, Turkey’s epicentre of secular-elite society, he managed to govern pragmatically and efficiently.

Even his ardent fans wouldn’t characterise him as a leader of high intellectual or economic sophistication, but he has been at the helm of Turkey since 2003, and during these 13 years, very few the OECD countries have been able to match Turkey’s steady economic growth.

Erdogan’s main political

race that engulfed the Middle East in the last few years. Erdogan pushed for ouster of Gaddafi in Libya, he supported the Tahrir Square movement in Egypt, backed the Morsi government, and refused to recognise Sisi’s government when it ousted Morsi.

Most disastrously, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and the Emirates banded together to support all the sundry rebel forces that were trying to depose the Assad government in Syria. The ensuing devastations of Syrian Civil War have made the long Lebanon Civil War of 1980s seem a jaunt in the park.

Not the mention that, out of the witch’s cauldron of Syrian war, there emerged the demonic entity IS. Many experts of international affairs fault Erdogan’s ambivalent policy towards IS as one of the reasons why the group is so entrenched in Syria and Iraq

and 2013. In 2015, Turkey was still among the top countries that jailed journalists for the slightest pretexts.

Such behaviour may be expected of one-party states like China or theocracies like Iran, and Saudi Arabia, but not from a supposed developed democracy and a potential EU member.

Is it any wonder why most international media houses and broadcasters, organisations that employ journalists, didn’t feign to be too worried about the political fate of Erdogan while the coup was going on?

For most people in the Islamic world, Erdogan is a great hero who stood up to big powers like Russia, gave an earful to Israel and supported different Muslim causes without qualification.

Understandably, they bitterly condemned the coup attempt from the beginning and is now

professing great joy at its failure.

They are also condemning secularliberals for not standing up for a democratically elected leader fight against military-backed elitism.

Democracy and liberaldemocracy are not the same thing. A country can have democratically-elected regimes but be highly illiberal. Voting by a majority does not guarantee rule of law, freedom of expression, equality of opportunity, minority rights, separation of church and state, etc -- conditions that liberals hold dear.

These traditions grew out of Enlightenment movement which was not overlapping with democracy in many countries.

Many countries in early modernity were not democracies but were firmly at the forefront of liberalism. Many elected majorities brutally suppressed liberties among the people, sometime with

REUTERS

the consent of the people.

That’s why liberal principles have to be zealously guarded in a liberal democracy, especially against aggressive powers of a majoritarian power.

Erdogan has been democratically elected several times with a handsome majority, but he has consistently shown little regard for liberal principles.

A failed coup is a victory of democracy over elitism, but if the principles of liberty keep getting short-shifted in Turkey, democracy itself will be under threat soon.

It may be too much to ask, but a victorious and empowered Erdogan should embark on a path of humility and self-restraint rather than triumphal selfaggrandisement, for the sake of the Turkish Republic. l Shafiqur Rahman is a political scientist.

DT

24 Sport

SUNDAY, JULY 17, 2016

TOP STORIES

Of title dreams, hopes and expectations With the ninth edition of the Bangladesh Premier Football League getting underway in Chittagong next Sunday, the top-flight teams are busy putting the finishing touch to their preparation. PAGE 25

Amir gets lukewarm reception on return Pakistan’s left-arm paceman Mohammad Amir got a muted reception at Lord’s on the second day of the first Test on Friday as he bowled for the first time in a Test since being banned for spot-fixing in 2010. PAGE 26

Raonic, Halep withdraw from Rio Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic of Canada and women’s world number five Simona Halep of Romania have pulled out from next month’s Rio Olympics in Brazil due to fears over the Zika virus. PAGE 27

Chelsea sign France midfielder Kante Former English Premier League champions Chelsea have signed France midfielder N’Golo Kante, who starred at the Euro 2016, from reigning champions Leicester City on a five-year contract, the Londoners said yesterday. PAGE 28

Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib al Hasan starred with both bat and ball as his side Jamaica Tallawahs registered a five-wicket win over Guyana Amazon Warriors in the Caribbean Premier League Twenty20 at Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica on Friday. Shakib dismissed Guyana’s stumper-batsman Anthony Bramble before smashing an unbeaten 47-ball 54 to guide his team to second position in the six-team points table

Shakib, Gayle rescue Tallawahs from 2 for 4 n Agencies Jamaica Tallawahs overcame a dramatic top-order collapse, that saw them slump to 2 for 4 in the first seven balls, to chase down 129 against Guyana Amazon Warriors at Sabina Park. Shakib al Hasan and Chris Gayle, who batted at No. 7, put on an unbeaten 87-run stand to take Tallawahs home. Gayle had injured his back while fielding in the first innings and left the field in the 17th over, which meant he could not bat for the first 18 minutes of the chase.

The win pushed Tallawahs to second on the points table, behind Amazon Warriors who have played seven games.

Two wickets from Sohail Tanvir within the first five balls and the run-out of Andre McCarthy, who failed to slide his bat in despite making his ground, in the first over left Tallawahs tottering. Their situation got worse when Kumar Sangakkara was adjudged caught behind off debutant Ali Khan’s first ball, in the second over. The

Kingston crowd was stunned and a padded-up Gayle was watching from the dressing room, counting down his minutes.

Andre Russell, batting at No. 6, put the chase on track by hitting a six and a four in the first four balls he faced. He clubbed a 15-ball 24 but was dismissed when Adam Zampa took a one-handed diving catch at backward square leg off

Shakib was adjudged the player of the match for his all-round exploits

Veerasammy Permaul at the end of the fifth over. To the crowd’s respite, Gayle finally walked out with the score 45 for 5.

Shakib and Gayle, who has not opened the batting on just three other occasions in his T20 career, provided impetus from the outset - six boundaries were struck in the first 12 balls of their partnership. Tallawahs needed 50 runs from 13 overs at that stage with a required rate of under four. One boundary was hit in the next six overs but Tallawahs cantered to the target with 25 balls to spare.

After being inserted to bat, Amazon Warriors lost captain Martin Guptill, playing his last game of the season, for a duck.

Chris Lynn struck an 18-ball 33 and Jason Mohammed anchored the innings with a 51-ball 46 but a failure to put together substantial partnerships meant Amazon Warriors could only post 128. Dale Steyn finished with 2 for 31 and best bowler was Pakistan left-arm spinner Imad Wasim who bowled an economical spell of 4-0-12-2.l

SCORECARD GUYANA AMAZON WARRIORS Smith lbw b Imad Guptill c Sangakkara b Steyn Lynn c Russell b Imad Jason not out Bramble c Russell b Shakib Barnwell run out (Powell) Permaul b Steyn Tanvir not out Extras (b 1, lb 2, w 3)

R B 11 10 0 7 33 18 46 51 6 11 8 7 3 5 15 11 6

Total (6 wickets; 20 overs)

128

FoW: 1-8 (Guptill), 2-36 (Smith), 3-55 (Lynn), 4-86 (Bramble), 5-99 (Barnwell), 6-105 (Permaul) Bowling Russell 3-1-23-0, Steyn 4-0-31-2, Imad 4-0-12-2, Mathurin 3-0-13-0, Shakib 2-020-1, Williams 4-0-26-0 JAMAICA TALLAWAHS Walton c Bramble b Tanvir McCarthy run out (Barnwell) Sangakkara c Bramble b Ali Powell c Ali b Tanvir Shakib not out Russell c Zampa b Permaul Gayle not out Extras (lb 1, w 4, nb 2)

R B 2 2 0 0 0 2 0 2 54 47 24 15 45 29 7

Total (5 wickets; 15.5 overs)

132

FoW: 1-2 (Walton), 2-2 (McCarthy), 3-2 (Powell), 4-2 (Sangakkara), 5-45 (Russell) Bowling Tanvir 3-0-14-2, Ali 3.5-0-49-1, Permaul 2-0-27-1, Smith 2-0-11-0, Zampa 3-0-20-0, Emrit 2-0-10-0 Jamaica Tallawahs won by five wickets MoM: Shakib al Hasan (JT)

25

DT

Sport

SUNDAY, JULY 17, 2016

Belgium sack coach Wilmots n Reuters, Brussels Belgium sacked national coach Marc Wilmots on Friday after their highly fancied team of talents failed to advance beyond the quarter-finals at Euro 2016 this month, Belgian FA president Francois De Keersmaecker said.

A search was under way for a coach with international experience to take over before a friendly against Spain on Sept. 1 ahead of the World Cup qualifiers.

He thanked Wilmots for his achievements over the past four years and said an understanding had been reached over Wilmots contract, which had a compensation clause if he were sacked.

The former Schalke midfielder, 47, took the Red Devils to the quarter-finals of the last World Cup and top of FIFA’s world ranking chart with a team built around Chelsea’s Eden Hazard and Manchester City pair Kompany and De Bruyne.l

Bangladesh paceman Mustafizur Rahman is all smiles prior to departing the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s Academy ground yesterday. Mustafizur is currently waiting for his visa upon which he will fly to the UK and join his county side Sussex, who are scheduled to face Essex this Thursday in the NatWest Twenty20 Blast. It was learned that the left-arm pacer will get his visa any day now MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

Of title dreams, hopes and expectations n Tribune Report With the ninth edition of the Bangladesh Premier Football League getting underway in Chittagong next Sunday, the top-flight teams are busy putting the finishing touch to their preparation.

And on the eve of the much-awaited kick-off, the respective sides faced the media at the Bangladesh Football Federation House yesterday, outlining their plans for the upcoming season.

from the defeat. We have drafted a team capable of being the champion. I hope we will become the champions,” said Mamunul to the media.

Manager Shakil Mahmud Chowdhury echoed the same sentiment to that of skipper Mamunul, stating that they would fight hard for the crown.

Mohammedan Sporting Club

In contrast, the Black and Whites have made a mixed start to the ongoing season, having fallen in the first hurdle in the Independence Cup and the quarter-finals of the Federation Cup. Keeping their recent performance in mind, head coach

Chittagong Abahani

The port city outfit lifted the season-opening Independence Cup but exited meekly in the group stage of the recently concluded Federation Cup. Ahead of their top-tier opener, captain Mamunul Islam informed that they would be looking to learn the lessons from their Federation Cup debacle when they begin their league mission.

“After our title win in the Independence Cup, no one could accept our group stage exit in the Federation Cup. We have to take lessons

Joshimuddin Joshi struck a cautious note before their league opener.

“Our squad is not worthy of being the champions. With that said, we will try to win the hearts of the crowd. I hope we will do well. We will try to finish in the top three,” said Joshi.

On the other hand, captain Ismael Bangoura said, “Preparation has been good. We want to give a good account of ourselves. Our dream is to be the champions.”

He added, “We have quite a few problems. We were not upto the mark in the first two tournaments of the season. We want to overcome our mediocrity.”

Team BJMC

(L-R) Captains of top-flight teams Team BJMC, Arifuzzaman Himel, Feni Soccer Club, Akbar Hossain Ridwan, Chittagong Abahani, Mamunul Islam and Mohammedan Sporting Club, Ismael Bangoura pose for a photo at BFF House yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

Unfancied BJMC were ousted in the group stage of the Independence Cup so it was quite a surprise when they punched above their weight in the Federation Cup, reaching the last four. Head coach Saidul Islam therefore, expressed optimism regarding their forthcoming league campaign.

“My team will play well, and earn good results. Last time, we ended seventh. This time around,

we want to improve on our previous display,” said Saidul.

Captain Arifuzzaman Himel also sounded positive when queried to give his thoughts on the team’s prospects.

“We are trying to overcome the shortcomings in our squad. I hope we will reach a respectable position in the standings. Everyone saw what we did in the Fed Cup. We only want to continue it,” said Himel.

Feni Soccer Club

Among the four domestic sides that addressed the media yesterday, Soccer Club are perhaps the most under-performing outfit this season, having exited in the group stage of both the Independence Cup and the Federation Cup. However, despite the recent run of bad form, head coach Ladi Baba Lola refused to rule out his charges’ chances in the league, even going on to predict that they would finish in the top two.

“Training began [yesterday]. We can surprise everyone. Anything can happen. Its not impossible to finish in the top two,” said Lola.l

DT

26

Sport

SUNDAY, JULY 17, 2016

Amir gets lukewarm reception on return

Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir bowls against England during their first Test at Lords yesterday REUTERS

Misbah out for nought as England fight back n AFP, London Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq followed his first-innings hundred with a duck as England fought back on the third day of the first Test at Lord’s yesterday.

At tea, Pakistan were 111 for four in their second innings - a lead of 178 runs.

DAY THREE, AT TEA PAKISTAN 339 & 111/4 (Younis 19*, Shafiq 29*) v ENGLAND 272 (Cook 81, Yasir 6/72) Pakistan lead by 178 runs A becalmed Younis Khan, who played several exaggerated leave shots, was 19 not out off 86 balls.

But Asad Shafiq had kept the scoreboard ticking over with an unbeaten 29 off 46 balls including five boundaries.

Yesterday’s second session saw England all-rounder Chris Woakes follow his Test-best six for 70 in the first innings with two wickets.

Pakistan were 40 for one at lunch after Mohammad Hafeez had carelessly fallen for a duck in cutting Stuart Broad straight to Joe Root at second slip.

But they lost opener Shan Masood soon afterwards when the left-hander, once more fallible out-

side off stump, flat-footedly edged Warwickshire paceman Woakes to England captain Alastair Cook at first slip.

Azhar Ali (23) then fell lbw to a desperately tight umpire’s call as Woakes reduced Pakistan to 59 for three.

Misbah, in his maiden Test knock at Lord’s, had made 114 in Pakistan’s first innings.

But yesterday he fell for nought when he hoisted off-spinner Moeen Ali legside and Alex Hales, running round to the mid-wicket rope, held a good catch.

Pakistan had never previously lost a Test when Misbah had made a hundred and never won one when he had made a duck.

With conditions set fair on a sunny day at Lord’s and more than two days left in the match, something had to give.

Younis, on 11, was given out lbw by umpire Joel Wilson after a prolonged and theatrical appeal from fast bowler Steven Finn on his Middlesex home ground. But a review showed the ball missing leg stump and Younis survived.

Shafiq then seized on a loose ball to cut Finn for four.

Earlier, leg-spinner Yasir Shah took six wickets as England were bowled out for 272 - 67 runs behind on first innings.l

Pakistan’s Mohammad Amir got a muted reception at Lord’s on the second day of the first Test on Friday as he bowled for the first time in a Test since being banned for spot-fixing.

The left-handed pace bowler, who served half of a six-month prison sentence and was banned for five years for deliberately bowling no-balls against England at the same ground in 2010, was unlucky not to mark his first spell back with a wicket.

He was treated to a few shouts of “no-ball” from the crowd after his first delivery, but his return to Pakistan’s bowling attack otherwise passed largely without incident.

Earlier, England all-rounder Chris Woakes notched his first five-wicket Test haul to restrict the visitors to a first innings total of 339.

Woakes, who ended the innings with figures of 6-70, struck twice in the same over to pick up the wickets of Sarfraz Ahmed and Wahab Riaz, and leave the visitors reeling.

Sarfraz, who was just starting to cut loose, smashed a shortish delivery straight down the throat of James Vince at backward point before Woakes struck again almost immediately.

He sent a lovely ball veering past the edge of the incoming Riaz’s bat, before splaying the stumps with his next delivery to send the batsman back to the pavilion with a duck.

Stuart Broad bowled Misbahul-Haq in the next over to leave Pakistan on 316 for nine, and the skipper walked off to an ovation from the ground in recognition of his fine knock.

The 42-year-old became the oldest player in 82 years to score a Test century on Thursday with an unbeaten 110, but finished on 114 after adding just four runs on Friday.

Broad then enticed Amir, who was greeted with a ripple of applause as he came out to bat, to edge the ball to Joe Root at slip on 12, as he finished the first innings on 3-71.

Broad, who smashed his highest Test score of 169 in that 2010 series, gave a smile but did not speak to Amir who was Pakistan’s last man out.

The tourists drew blood soon after the changeover when England opener Alex Hales edged an impeccable outswinger from Rahat Ali to Azhar Ali at third slip in the second over.

That brought an early introudction for Joe Root, whose elevation to number three dominated headlines in the build-up.

It was England captain Alastair Cook, though, who made the brighter start, finding the boundary three times in a single over from Rahat to race to 35 from 31 deliveries.

Cook rode his luck at times and was fortunate to survive being dropped by Mohammad Hafeez in the seventh over to deny Amir a wicket on his return.

Root chipped in with five boundaries of his own to reach 23 and help steer England to 64 for one at lunch.l

MOST RUNS AS A TEST OPENER PLAYER

TEAM

Alastair Cook

(ENG)

CAREER SPAN MAT

INN

NO

RUNS

HS

AVE

100S

50S

2006-

123

219

12

9630

294

46.52

26

47

Sunil Gavaskar

(IND)

1971-1987

119

203

12

9607

221

50.29

33

42

Graeme Smith

(ICC/RSA)

2002-2014

114

196

12

9030

277

49.07

27

36

Matthew Hayden

(AUS)

1994-2009

103

184

14

8625

380

50.73

30

29

Virender Sehwag

(ICC/IND)

2002-2013

99

170

6

8207

319

50.04

22

30

Geoffrey Boycott

(ENG)

1964-1982

107

191

23

8091

246no

48.16

22

42

Graham Gooch

(ENG)

1978-1995

100

184

6

7811

333

43.88

18

41

Mark Taylor

(AUS)

1989-1999

104

186

13

7525

334no

43.49

19

40

Gordon Greenidge

(WIS)

1974-1991

107

182

16

7488

226

45.10

19

34

Mike Atherton

(ENG)

1990-2001

108

197

6

7476

185no

39.14

16

45

Cook breaks Gavaskar opening record n AFP, London

England’s Alastair Cook in action against Pakistan during the first Test

REUTERS

England captain Alastair Cook broke India great Sunil Gavaskar’s record of 9,607 for the most runs as a Test opening batsman while making 81 against visiting Pakistan at Lord’s on Friday.

The 31-year-old England captain had already become the youngest player in the history of cricket to score 10,000 Test runs but 13 of his innings were not as an opener.

But he broke Indian great Gavaskar’s opening record when he cut Mohammad Amir for four in familiar fashion to go to 61. Former South Africa batsman Graeme Smith is in third position Australian opener Matthew Hayden in fourth. l

27

DT

Sport

SUNDAY, JULY 17, 2016

QUICK BYTES Draxler to stay put at Wolfsburg Germany midfielder Julian Draxler will stay at VfL Wolfsburg this season, sports director Klaus Allofs has said. The 22-year-old has been linked by British media with a potential move to Premier League side Arsenal. Draxler, who joined Wolfsburg from Schalke 04 on a five-year contract in August, played 21 league matches and scored five goals as the Bundesliga club finished eighth in the standings last season and missed out on European football.

–REUTERS

Payet vows to remain at West Ham West Ham United’s France attacking midfielder Dimitri Payet has made it clear that his immediate future remains with the Premier League side despite speculation that he could soon leave. The east London club’s co-chairman David Gold has pinned a 50 million pounds ($66.39 million) price tag on the exciting Frenchman, who has been linked by British media with a possible move to Chelsea, Manchester City and Paris St Germain.

–REUTERS

Shevchenko named as Ukraine head coach Ukraine’s former striker Andriy Shevchenko was appointed national team manager on Friday to replace Mykhailo Fomenko who quit after Euro 2016, the country’s soccer federation said. The 39-year-old, Ukraine’s record goalscorer who also played for Dynamo Kiev, AC Milan and Chelsea, was officially presented by federation president Andriy Pavelko at a news conference.

Fomenko resigned after Ukraine finished bottom of Group C without a point at the European Championship, having failed to score a goal in their three matches in France.

–REUTERS

DAY’S WATCH CRICKET STAR SPORTS 4:00PM Pakistan Tour of England 2016 1st Test, Day 4

SONY SIX 4:00AM (Monday) Caribbean Premier League Barbados v St Lucia

FOOTBALL SONY SIX 7:30PM Premier Futsal League Kochi v Chennai Bangalore v Goa

Pierre-Hugues Herbert of France (L) returns the ball next to his compatriot Nicolas Mahut, during their doubles match against Czech Republic’s Radek Stepanek and Lukas Rosol (unseen) at the International Tennis Federation Davis Cup quarter-final in Trinec, Czech Republic yesterday AFP

Raonic and Halep withdraw from Rio tennis over Zika n Reuters

Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic and women’s world number five Simona Halep of Romania have pulled out from next month’s Rio Olympics due to fears over the Zika virus.

They, along with twice Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka, who is pregnant, will not be making the trip to Rio even though they were included in the final list of participants issued by the International Tennis Federation on Friday.

The big-serving Raonic, who lost to Andy Murray in the men’s championship match at the All England Club on Sunday, was the first tennis player to pull out of the Aug 5-21 Olympics due to concerns over the mosquito-borne Zika virus.

“It is with a heavy heart that I am announcing my withdrawal from participation in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games,” world number seven Raonic, 25, said in a statement issued by Tennis Canada.

“After much deliberation with my family and coaches, I am making this decision for a variety of health concerns including the uncertainty around the Zika virus.”

The Zika virus, which the World Health Organisation says is spreading rapidly in the Americas, has been linked to severe birth defects

in infants born to infected women, and possible neurological problems in adults.

Halep, who last month told Reuters she was “very worried” about the long-term effects of the Zika virus, consulted with many doctors before issuing her decision shortly after Raonic.

“I regret to announce that I have decided I will not compete in the Olympic Games. The reason for my decision is the concern regarding the danger posed by the Zika virus,” Halep, a runner-up at the French Open in 2014, said on her Facebook page.

“After several talks with doctors and my family, I concluded that the risks are too high for my career and for my health, especially as a wom-

Simona Halep (L) and Milos Raonic

an. Family is much too important for me and I can’t risk not being able to have one of my own after my career in tennis is over.

Raonic and Halep joined a growing list of athletes to have pulled out of the Rio Games over health concerns triggered by the outbreak of the Zika virus in Brazil, including a number of high-profile male golfers. Belarussian Azarenka also robbed the Olympics of some star power as the world number six said earlier on Friday that she will miss the rest of the season because she is having a baby.

Raonic, beaten in the second round of the 2012 London Games

by Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, said he hopes his decision would not influence others.l

France lead Czechs 2-1 after doubles struggle n AFP, Prague The world’s top doubles pair of Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert put France 2-1 ahead of the Czech Republic in their Davis Cup World Group quarter-final on Saturday.

Wimbledon champions Mahut and Herbert, ranked first and second in the world, beat Radek Stepanek and Lukas Rosol 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in just over three hours.

Mahut and Herbert took only 25 minutes to cruise through the opening set on the hardcourt of the Werk Arena in the eastern Czech steel hub of Trinec.

The Czechs recovered in the second set, making fewer mistakes and taking a 3-0 lead which they converted into a 6-3 win.

The French pair regained their dominance again in set three, winning 6-3, but the Czechs, led by 37-year-old veteran Stepanek, fought back in the fourth with two breaks to one. Finally, Rosol lost his serve to love in the first game of the last set and that was all the French needed to take the set 6-4.

On Friday, the Czechs took a lead as world number 78 Rosol stunned 10th-ranked Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 7-6 (10/8), 6-4.

Lucas Pouille, ranked 21st, then swept 50th-ranked Jiri Vesely 7-6 (7/2), 6-4, 7-5 to put France level in his Davis Cup debut. l

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Patient Umtiti hungry to learn at new club Barca n Reuters, Barcelona

Former Brazilian footballer and Goa’s captain Ronaldhino in action against Kolkata (red) during their Premier Futsal Football League match at Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai on Friday AP

France international Samuel Umtiti has completed a “dream move” to Barcelona knowing he is not guaranteed a first-team place but says he is willing to learn to prove his potential.

The 22-year-old centre back, who had a fine season with Olympique Lyonnais, earned his first France cap in their 5-2 Euro 2016 quarter-final triumph over Iceland.

He has signed a five-year contract with Barca following his 25 million euros ($27.67 million) move from Lyon and his buy-out clause has been set at 60 million euros.

“I’m thrilled and very moved to be here,” Umtiti said at his official unveiling on Friday. “This is a dream come true... Barca was the club of my dreams.

“I like Barcelona’s mentality and their style of play. I hope I can adapt rapidly to the team and I will do everything possible to prove that I can be a part of this family.

“There are great players at this club and I can’t wait to play with them.”l

Chelsea sign France midfielder Kante from Leicester n Reuters, London

Chelsea have signed France midfielder N’Golo Kante from Premier League champions Leicester City on a five-year contract, the Londoners said yesterday.

Kante, 25, is new manager Antonio Conte’s second acquisition, following Olympique Marseille’s Belgium striker Michy Batshuayi, and arrives after playing at Euro 2016.

“I am so happy to have signed for one of the biggest clubs in Europe. It’s a dream come true for me,” Kante told www.chelseafc. com.

“The opportunity to work with Antonio Conte, a brilliant coach, and some of the best players in the world was simply too good to turn down.”

The clubs did not disclose fi-

nancial details but British media put the fee at 32 million pounds ($42.20 million).

Kante was Claudio Ranieri’s first signing at Leicester, joining for six million pounds after two seasons at Caen.

He had a successful season last term, helping the 5,000-1 outsiders win the title for the first time before joining up with France.

Kante played in the opening match but was banned for the quarter-final, came on in the semi and was an unused substitute in the final which the hosts lost 1-0 to Portugal after extra time.

Kante played in all but one of Leicester’s league games and made most overall tackles and interceptions in the competition.

His efforts saw him named in the PFA Team of the Year.

“My first season in English football was very special and now I hope to go on to achieve even more during my time as a Chelsea player,” said Kante.

His campaign contrasted with Chelsea’s dismal season as they finished a lowly 10th and failed to qualify for Europe.

Technical director Michael Emenalo said: “N’Golo is a fantastic

signing. He is a perfect fit in terms of Antonio Conte’s philosophies and the style of football he wants to play.

“For a player of his age he has already built up a wealth of experience and his exceptional quality will without doubt be a great addition to the team.”

Born in Paris, Kante played for amateur side Suresnes until he was 19 when he moved north to join Boulogne. He was spotted by second-tier Caen and moved to the Normandy club and helped them earn promotion to Ligue 1 in his first season. l

Shaw makes comeback in Mourinho’s first game n BBC Manchester United defender Luke Shaw returned from a 10-month injury lay-off in Jose Mourinho’s first game in charge of the club in a friendly at Wigan.

Left-back Shaw has been out since suffering a double fracture of his right leg last September and played the first half against the Latics.

New United signings Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Eric Bailly also started as they made their debuts

at the DW Stadium.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has also signed for the Old Trafford outfit but was absent.

The Swedish forward is on holiday having played at Euro 2016 and, along with the likes of Wayne Rooney, Marcus Rashford and Chris Smalling, was unavailable after recent international commitments.

The game was goalless at halftime but Mourinho made seven changes after the break, with Will Keane and Juan Mata among those coming on. l

Participants of the Under-12 Cricket Carnival pose for a photo yesterday. The Bangladesh Cricket Board, alongside the National Sports Council, organised the Carnival across the country to encourage the youngsters to take up the game

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Wander (4) 5 Staggers (5) 9 Suffer (6) 10 Insect (3) 11 Tidy (4) 12 Temperate (5) 14 Icy cold (5) 16 Biblical garden (4) 19 Wise man (4) 21 Cleat (5) 24 Trembling poplar (5) 27 First man (4) 29 Golfing aid (3) 30 Expunge (6) 31 Scrutinises (5) 32 Middle East port (4)

DOWN 1 Tear (4) 2 United (3) 3 Proverbs (6) 4 Silent (4) 5 Dwelt (7) 6 Flow back (3) 7 Sheltered side (3) 8 Liquid part of blood (5) 15 Lyric poem (7) 16 Traditional stories (6) 17 Required (6) 18 Annoying children (5) 20 Respectful fear (3) 22 Festive (4) 23 So be it! (4) 25 Dry, of champagne (3) 26 Vegetable (3) 28 Consumed (3)

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Downtime

SUNDAY, JULY 17, 2016

CODE-CRACKER How to solve: Each number in our CODECRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 10 represents A so fill A every time the figure 10 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.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

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

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SUNDAY, JULY 17, 2016

Showtime

Lucky Akhond seeks financial aid to fight cancer

n Showtime Desk Veteran musician and freedom fighter Lucky Akhond, has now asked for financial aid from the government and his fans at a major point of fighting cancer.

Ailing Akhond, who was diagnosed with lung cancer in September last year, has already gone through a surgery and a series of chemotherapy sessions abroad, but apparently refraining from taking five more chemotherapy sessions as prescribed by the physician due to a financial crisis.

Recently, after returning from Bangkok, his physical condition

deteriorated and he was admitted to the Ibrahim Memorial Cardiac (BIRDEM) Hospital in the capital’s Shahbagh area. He might be transferred to United Hospital at any time, according to his daughter Mamminti.

Although Akhond had refused to take any financial help in the beginning, recently at a television interview, the talented artist had sought help from the government and his fans.

In an interview with Maasranga Television, Akhond said: “Government aid will be good. I ask for help for my treatment from the government and my fans.”

A bit embarrassed, his daughter Mamminti told a Bangla news portal: “I do not want to talk about it anymore. The news was aired in one or two media sources. Don’t want too much coverage. Right now, I am very busy with my father. He has been in a very bad physical condition for the last two days. Now I will transfer him to United Hospital.”

A few days back, Akhond was admitted to the hospital, following severe backaches due to the reaction of chemotherapy. After having treatment for six months in Bangkok, he had returned to the country on March 25 and

was spending most of his time at home. His physical condition also had improved quite a bit following the chemotherapy.

However, last month, he was scheduled to fly to Bangkok again to receive five more chemosessions there, as prescribed by his doctor. Sources said that because of financial constraint, the legend has refrained from taking further treatment.

Lucky Akhond has sung many famous tracks and composed music for many others. “Amay Deko Na”, “Ei Nil Monihar”, “Kobita Porar Prohor Esheche”, “Jekhane Shimanto Tomar”,

“Mamonia”, “Likhte pari na Kono Gaan”, “Bhalobeshe Chole Jeo Na”, “Bitrishna Jibone Amar”, “Ki Kore Bolle Tumi”, “Eto Dure Je Chole Gecho” to name a few. l

News that her husband used to beat her and never told their son she was his mother. The entire marriage was forced. “He tortured me day and night during the one year I was married to him. After a year, I ran away with my son and sought refuge in Darul Aman.”

Even though she was reviled by the hateful and ignorant generation, she was praised by the youth of the nation because of her forthright attitude. It’s unfortunate she had to lose her life over a disagreement with her own sibling. l

To send help: Lucky Akhond Bangkok Bank, Thailand Account number: 113.4.91868.7 Uttara Bank Ltd Account number: SB 1476 Dutch Bangla Bank Account number: 162.101.137359

Consequences of being bold n Mahmood Hossain The headlines will read something along the lines of “Qandeel Baloch strangled to death by her older brother”. It’s suspected to be an honour killing. When was there ever honour in killing or murdering someone? We live in a time where our every single step is being scrutinised, especially felt by well-known celebrities.

Qandeel (also known as Fauzia Azeem), unfortunately, met her end at the very young age of 25.

The model, actor, singer had become a huge Internet sensation, hailing from the country of Pakistan. Now, we all know how risky that type of lifestyle can be in a not-so-liberal environment.

It’s gotten so far to the point where a brother can murder his younger sister over an argument; then, stating it was over honour. Her

parents had stated that their son had strangled her but only found the body the next morning.

And as expected, the authorities have placed an arrest on the starlet’s brother, who just happens to be on the run. The family had heard that her brother had told her to stop modelling. She was constantly threatened by her brother to stop uploading pictures and videos on social media that would garner the wrong attention.

Qandeel was recently quoted saying, “I know I will not be provided security and I am not feeling secured here so have decided to move abroad with my parents after Eid-ul-Fitr.”

Sharmeen Obaid, a Pakistani filmmaker who recently won an Oscar for A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness, went onto make a statement about the recent tragedy, “I really feel that

no woman is safe in this country, until we start making examples of people, until we start sending men who kill women to jail, unless we literally say there will be no more killing and those who dare will spend the rest of their lives behind bars.”

The filmmaker’s movie made plenty of positive waves around the world, so far to have it hailed

by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Sharif had vowed back in February to push through the anti-honour killing legislation.

Unfortunately, passing such a bill isn’t an easy process, especially in this region of the world. There have been plenty of activists who condemned the recent attacks on women, yet not much progress has been made concerning new laws.

It was also revealed that the social media celebrity had once married and divorced, even had a young son. She had told Express

Ben and Jennifer put divorce on hold n Showtime Desk More than a year after the couple of 10 years announced their split, neither party has filed divorce paperwork. In fact, talk of divorce between Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner has ceased altogether, sources reveal in the new issue of Us Weekly.

According to a source close to Garner, the actress mentioned that the divorce was going through very soon, and then a few weeks ago, things changed. It does not seem to be moving in that direction.

The Justice League actor, 43, and the actress, 44, are cohabiting in their $17.5 million, five-bedroom mansion, albeit in separate bedrooms. Garner revealed in the March issue of Vanity Fair that she sleeps with their oldest daughter, Violet; Affleck bunks in the guest room, according to a close source.

“Jen seems to still be in love with Ben but doesn’t allow her mind to go there,” according to the Garner source. “She just focuses on the kids.”

The man down the hall is also having trouble letting go. “If it was up to Ben,” adds a second insider, “they would be together. He feels like he can’t live without Jen.” Still, an Affleck source insists

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WHAT TO WATCH X-Men: Days of Future Past Star Movies 4:10pm The X-Men send Wolverine to the past in a desperate effort to change history and prevent an event that results in doom for both humans and mutants.

Cast: Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Halle Berry, Nicholas Hoult

The Terminator HBO 7:20pm A human-looking indestructible cyborg is sent from 2029 to 1984 to assassinate a waitress, whose unborn son will lead humanity in a war against the machines, while a soldier from that war is sent to protect her at all costs.

Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn, Linda Hamilton, Paul Winfield, Lance Henriksen, Bess Motta lawyers are hammering out the details of their divorce privately.

“They were never in a rush to file.

This was always the plan.”

After Affleck’s affair with nanny

Christine Ouzounian last summer, the couple have been committed to co-parenting their children Violet, 10, Seraphina, 7, and Samuel, 4.l

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Showtime

Cowboys & Aliens Star Movies 7:30pm A spaceship arrives in Arizona, 1873, to take over the Earth, starting with the

Wild West region. A posse of cowboys and natives are all that stand in their way.

Cast: Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, Abigail Spencer, Buck Taylor Machete WB 11:10pm After being set-up and betrayed by the man who hired him to assassinate a Texas Senator, an ex-Federale launches a brutal rampage of revenge against his former boss.

Cast: Danny Trejo, Steven Seagal, Michelle Rodriguez, Jeff Fahey, Cheech Marin, Lindsay Lohan Kung Fu Panda HBO 9:30pm In the Valley of Peace, Po the Panda finds himself chosen as the Dragon Warrior despite the fact that he is obese and a complete novice at martial arts.

Cast: Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu l

Bollywood: half of the year gone with no big blockbusters

n Showtime Desk After six months into 2016, it seems to be an “okay” year for Bollywood this time around. So far the year has given us no big blockbusters, unless you count Sajid-Farhad’s Housefull 3, which made more money than all the releases this year. However,

the real successes this year at the Indian box office so far, has nothing to do with Bollywood.

Disney’s The Jungle Book and Manjule Nagraj’s Marathi film Sairat are the biggest hits of 2016.

In fact, Sairat, a regional film that created a Pan-India sensation, could be described as the Bahubali of 2016. The Bollywood hits of 2016 include Raja Krishna Menon’s

Airlift and Ram Madhavan’s Neerja, films that blended a serious theme with gripping storytelling and sailed across the box office.

Interestingly, both Madhavan and Menon made one longforgotten film; Madhavan’s Let’s Talk and Menon’s Barah Aana, before hitting big-time this year.

Shakun Batra’s Kapoor & Sons and R Balki’s Ki & Ka did promising business. But meritorious critically acclaimed films like Mozez Singh’s Zubaan, Ribhu Dasgupta’s Te3n, Pawan Kriplani’s Phobia, Anu Menon’s Waiting and Nagesh Kukunoor’s Dhanak sadly went without an audience.

The success stories like Airlift, Neerja, Kapoor & Sons, Ki & Ka, Baaghi, Housefull 3 and Udta Punjab have kept Bollwood’s profit stream alive. But the real success story belongs to The Jungle Book. Hollywood has made its huge presence felt and has started making things difficult for

Bollywood. The Jungle Book, The Conjuring 2, Captain America Civil War were all big successes at the Indian box office.

Critics are being optimistic about the second-half. Some of them have said, “The secondhalf is expected to be bigger and better, as in, this half falls on national holidays and all the major festivals of all the religions

like Eid, Diwali, Dussehra, Xmas etc. The huge money-spinners in the second-half can be Sultan, Mohenjo Daro, Rustom, Great Grand Masti, Dishoom, Dhoni, Aye Dil Hai Mushkil, Shivaay, Befikre, Dangal etc.” Otherwise, there are possibilities of going under the Hollywood-shadow for the next six months or so. l

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BUYING HOUSES WORRIED PAGE 12

Back Page SHAKIB, GAYLE RESCUE TALLAWAHS FROM 2 FOR 4

PAGE 24

BEN AND JENNIFER PUT DIVORCE ON HOLD PAGE 31 NSU acting proVC arrested n Tribune Desk

Members of Bangabandhu Sankskritik Jote light candles at the altar of Shikha Chironton (the Eternal Flame) in Suhrawardy Udyan, Dhaka yesterday observing Gonotontro Oboruddho Dibosh MEHEDI HASAN

Police have arrested three people, including NSU acting pro-VC Dr Gias Uddin Ahsan, for renting out a flat to the attackers of Holey Artisan Bakery, said Maksudur Rahman, DMP deputy commissioner.

The other arrestees are Gias’ nephew Alam Chowdhury and building manager Mahbubur Rahman Tuhin.

A team of Counterterrorism and Transnational Crimes unit arrested them around 5pm yesterday.

Police said associates of the five attackers moved into the flat in Bashundhara R/A on May 16, but Gias Uddin did not collect the required information from the tenants to submit it to police, as per the DMP directive.

Police suspect the five attackers started living in the flat in the beginning of Ramadan, and the plan for the attack was finalised there. l

Youth feeling brunt of terror stigma n Tribune Desk As details from the July 1 attack on Holey Artisan bakery continue to emerge, and policy-makers adjust their strategies accordingly, reactions across the board have ranged from horrified to angry to fearful.

With the identities of the perpetrators now known to all, the nation’s attention has, perhaps somewhat belatedly, turned to the subject of the youth, and predictably, with censure rather than productive solutions.

“My mother met up with a few of her friends the other day. She was telling them that I have recently started praying and that she was happy about it. Her friends knew I go to Scholastica and proceeded to tell her to look after me and make sure I am friends with the “right” people. They seem to be sure that there is a “wrong” crowd in my school that I should stay away from,” says Waseka, a 12th grader.

Pointed asides are some of the more polite reactions the young ones are getting.

“I graduated from Scholastica a few years ago. My sister is currently studying there in grade 7. My relatives have been pressuring my mother about my

sister. My uncle told her to be glad that I hadn’t been brainwashed while I was studying there and that my mother should change my sister’s school just to be on the safe side. How ridiculous is this?” bemoans Farhan, 22.

Even a policeman told me that he could not help but check people like us - students While Scholasticans bemoan their new-found notoriety, students of other English medium schools are speaking up in solidarity and understanding.

“If you judge a whole institute by the actions of a few students then you might as well regard all Muslims as terrorists. The whole story still remains hidden, completely unknown,” says Mahidun Nabi, a Sunnydale student.

The increased security precautions taken at universities don’t go down well with everyone either.

“Even a policeman told me that he couldn’t help but check people like us - students - particularly since the terrorists are of our age, while searching my bag. And thanks to the media, my parents are worried sick. My mom has

been asking about my whereabouts and about the people I mix with,” adds Baizid, 23.

Not all students are reacting negatively to the stereotyping or the security measures, however.

“There’s been everything from shock, outrage to finally unity from the students of NSU. Many are angry about the generalisations, the stereotyping, but personally, I feel there is no reason to be this angry.

“Let’s face it: NSU has had the largest number of militants at 11, with Chittagong University and BUET coming in at second place with six militants according to a news report. These are facts. No matter how strongly we believe in the institutions’ capabilities, the truth of the matter is that there is a problem and that problem needs to be addressed. Any surveillance, scrutiny from the UGC and external bodies will only help strengthen the universities’ fight against terrorism.

“Prevention is better than cure and frankly, for those that believe there is no problem, let’s just look at these surveillance measures as a method to ensure that we can prevent militants from growing in our midst,” opines Amreen, an NSU student. l

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