19 July, 2016

SECOND EDITION

TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2016

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Shraban 4, 1423, Shawwal 13, 1437

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Regd No DA 6238, Vol 4, No 83

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

RANA PLAZA COLLAPSE

Owner, 40 others indicted n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu

A Dhaka court yesterday indicted 41 people, including Rana Plaza owner Sohel Rana, in a case filed over the country’s deadliest industrial disaster that killed over 1,100 people in April 2013.

The trial started yesterday following charge framing against the accused by the Dhaka District and Sessions Judge SM Kuddus Zaman.

The court framed the charges against them after it took the charges, including murder charge, into cognisance more than one year af-

ter the submission of charge sheet in the case.

The court also fixed September 18 to start recording of witness deposition. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) mentioned names of 594 people in the charge sheet as witnesses including a number of wounded victims to probe the case.

During charge framing, 34 accused including Sohel Rana and his parents were present in the court. They claimed innocence and demanded justice after the prosecution read out the charges to them.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 3

The file photo shows the collapsed Rana Plaza factory building in Savar. The eight-storey Rana Plaza that housed five garment factories, a shopping complex and a branch of Brac Bank, collapsed on April 24, 2013 killing over 1,135 people, mostly female workers, and injuring over 2,500 others MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

NSU teacher denies having militant links University suspends acting pro-VC Gias Uddin Jamil Khan n Mohammad and Shadma Malik The acting pro-VC of NSU, who was arrested in connection with the Gulshan terror attack, has denied having any involvement with the attackers or any sort of militant activity.

During police interrogation, North South University Professor Gias Uddin Ahsan said his wife owned the flat in Bashundhara where the building manager was responsible for renting it out.

Meanwhile, the North South University au-

thority suspended Gias Uddin yesterday for an indefinite period.

On the first day of an eight-day remand, Gias said his family did not live in that house while his nephew used to collect rent from the tenants.

A senior official of police’s counter-terrorism unit told the Dhaka Tribune that the NSU teacher was visibly shocked when he heard that the Gulshan attackers had used his wife’s flat as their base.

Seeking anonymity, the official who was  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

RANA PLAZA COLLAPSE At least 1,136 people died About 1,169 were injured ●

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Murder and building code violation cases filed

41

Chargesheet against , including building owner Rana ● 7 accused now in jail, 27 on bail, 7 absconding

Property loss of around Tk

94.42cr

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USA later suspended GSP facility for BD

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Codename ‘Banglar Bagh’ n Mohammad Jamil Khan A suspected militant leader who goes by the codename “Banglar Bagh” might have played a key role in planning the recent attacks in Gulshan and Sholakia, investigators have found out after intercepting communication among militants.

The name was first picked up by investigators when they were analysing an encrypted instant messaging service named Threema which militants use to communicate among themselves.

A source close to the investigation told the Dhaka Tribune that they believed that “Banglar Bagh” was just a fake name being used by militants.

Work is going on to find out the true identity of the so-called

“Banglar Bagh” or whether he might have masterminded the recent attacks.

The source added that “Banglar Bagh” was not a codename for a suspended army Major named Sayed Ziaul Haque, who investigators earlier believed was a mastermind behind the recent string of attacks.

30 suicide groups on the move

Like the Gulshan attackers, there are at least 28 to 30 more groups that are constantly on the move – waiting for directives from the high ups to carry out suicide attacks, investigators said.

Each of these groups contained around seven to eight members, they added. These militants were concealing their identities to rent houses that become their temporary headquarters. l

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina speaks with cabinet members during yesterday's cabinet meeting held at the Secretariat

BSS

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

NSU teacher denies involved with the interrogation process, said Gias also expressed his regret for not handing in his tenant information to the local police station.

However, the counter-terrorism official said they were not convinced with the NSU teacher’s statement as militants often gave false information during interrogation.

Investigators are now analysing technical evidence including mobile phone records of Gias to verify his claims of innocence.

Sources, however, told the Dhaka Tribune that around 15-20 people linked with the NSU – especially those close to Gias – were being investigated for suspected militant links. Those suspects’ mobile phone records were also being checked.

Investigators suspect that the Bashundhara flat was used to do the final planning for the Gulshan attack and to also store the weapons and grenades.

The attackers’ photos that were released by the so-called Islamic State might have also been taken inside the house, investigators said.

Meanwhile, former schoolteacher Nurul Islam, who owns the Shewrapara house which was used as a militant den, also denied having any links to terrorism.

Sources quoted Nurul as saying

that he had thought that the young tenants were too gentle in nature.

Like Gias, Nurul also said he was sorry for not providing tenant information to the local police.

On Saturday evening, police arrested the NSU professor and two others – Mahbubur Rahman and Alam Chowdhury. Later, the counter-terrorism unit carried out another drive to detain Nurul.

Besides, another suspect named Milon Hossain, who reportedly had close links to one of the attackers, was arrested from Savar.

All the arrestees were placed in court under Section 54 with pleas for a 10-day police remand. The court granted eight-day remand for the first four and a five-day remand for Milon.

NSU suspends Gias Uddin

The North South University authority yesterday suspended its acting provice chancellor Gias Uddin Ahsan.

Belal Ahmed, the university’s deputy director of public relations, confirmed to the Dhaka Tribune that Gias has been suspended.

However, the private university did not give any official reason why Gias had been suspended.

The suspension, executed on Monday, will remain effective until further notice, Belal said. l

Owner, 40 others indicted The accused include Sohel Rana’s parents Abdul Khalek and Morzian Begum, owners of five factories, former mayor of Savar municipality and 14 government officials.

Before charge framing, Judge Kuddus Jaman also heard the discharge petitions filed by lawyers Aminul Gani Titu, Faruk Ahamed, Md Borhanuddin and some other counsels on behalf of the 34 accused.

The court rejected the petitions saying that there were no scopes for their release from the charges as the charge of murder of many innocent people was brought against them.

Public Prosecutor Khandaker Abdul Mannan said: “Thirty-eight accused including Sohel Rana were charged with murder while three were indicted on charge of sheltering and helping the building owner to flee after the incident.”

On June 14, Dhaka Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Md Mostafizur Rahman framed the charges under Section 12 of the Building Construction Act 1952 against the 18 accused and fixed August 23 to start recording deposition of prosecution witnesses.

Earlier on June 1 last year Bijoy Krishna Kar, assistant superintendent of police of the CID and the investigation officer of the case, submitted two charge sheets – one for killing and the other for violating the building code – to the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court of Dhaka.

The CID took two years to submit the charge sheet in the case.

The delay was caused by the government’s alleged dillydally over giving permission to implicate its officials and recording of statements of a large number of witnesses.

On December 21 last year, the

court accepted the charge sheet against the 41 accused in a murder case filed over the Rana Plaza collapse.

According to the case, the shoddily constructed commercial building came crashing down on the morning of April 24, 2013, leaving 1,136 people dead and injuring 1,169 more.

Media and labour organisations put the number of injured at over 2,500. Still around 100 people are reportedly missing.

The man-made disaster triggered a huge outcry at home and abroad over workers safety in Bangladesh’s RMG sector, the country’s highest foreign currency earner. The collapse prompted the government and foreign buyers to do more to ensure labour rights and workplace safety.

Following the incident, three cases were filed – one for building code violation, one for culpable homicide and the other for murder.

As per the charge sheet, the CID found that Sohel Rana and managements of the five factories had forced workers to enter the building against their will, even though the building had developed major cracks the day before the incident.

That is why the charge of murder instead of culpable homicide was brought against the 41, the investigation officer told the Dhaka Tribune.

The murder case filed by the widow of a victim named Jahangir Alam was initially tagged with the homicide case. During the probe, however, the homicide case was converted into a murder case.

The indicted 41 accused are Rana Plaza owner Sohel Rana, his parents Abdul Khalek and Morzina Begum, former Savar Municipality Mayor Refat Ullah, former

Ward Councillor Mohammad Ali Khan, its Engineer Rafiqul Islam, Sub-assistant Engineer Raqibul Hassan Russell, Chairman of New Wave Bottom Ltd Bazlus Samad Adnan, Managing Director of New Wave Style Ltd Mahmudur Rahman Taposh, Chairman of Ether Tex Ltd Anisur Rahman, Managing Director of Ether Tex Ltd Jannatul Ferdous, Chairman of Fantom Apparels Aminul Islam, site engineers Sarwar Kamal, Abu Bakar Siddique and Mohammad Madhu, the then chief executive officer of Savar Municipality Uttam Kumar Roy, its the then assistant engineer Mahbubur Rahman, Urban Planner Farzana Islam, the then deputy chief inspector (Mills and Factories Directorate) Abdus Samad, Deputy Chief Inspector (Mills & Factories) Jamsedur Rahman, Deputy Chief Inspector Belayet Hossain, Inspectors (Engineering) Yusuf Ali and Shahidul Islam, Building Inspector Md Awlad Hossain, building contractor Md Nantu, Shafiqul Islam Bhuiyan, Monwar Hossain Biplob, Ataur Rahman, Abdus Salam, Biddut Miah, Syed Shafiqul Islam Johny, Rezaul Islam, Abdul Hamid, Abdul Majid, Aminul Islam (2), Nayon Miah, Yusuf Ali, Taslim, Anil Das, Md Shah Alam Mithu, and Abul Hasan.

Of the 41 accused, Anil Das, Shah Alam and Abul Hasan were indicted on charge of sheltering and helping building owner Sohel Rana to flee to India after the incident.

Seven accused Sohel Rana, Sarwar Kamal, Rafiquel Islam, Md Jannatul Ferdous, Balayet Hossain, Awlad Hossain, and Shafiqul islam are now in jail while 27 accused including Rana’s parents are on bail and the rest seven – Mahbubur Rahman, Farzana Islam, Syed Shafiqul Islam , Monwar, Rezaul, Nantu, Nayan Miah – are on the run. l

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War criminals Shamsul Haque and SM Yusuf Ali are escorted to a prison van by police after the International Crimes Tribunal sentenced them to lifetime imprisonment yesterday

RAJIB DHAR

3 Jamalpur al-Badr men to hang

Doctor’s family missing for a year

n Ashif Islam Shaon

Rahman Rabbi n Arifur and Kamrul Hasan

A special tribunal in Dhaka sentenced three absconding al-Badr men from Jamalpur to death and five of their cohorts to spend life in prison in a war crimes case.

Court found three of five charges of committing murder, abduction, confinement, torture and arson attacks in Jamalpur during the Liberation War to have been proved beyond doubt.

The nine month trial proceedings drew to a close with the three-member judges panel pronouncing a 289-page judgment in the presence of two of the accused on Monday morning.

The judges ordered the home secretary and the inspector general of police to arrest the six convicted fugitives, with the help of the Interpol if necessary.

The court said that the death of Md. Ashraf Hossain, Abdul Mannan and Abdul Bari would be en-

sured either by hanging or shooting as per the government’s decision.

Former chief of Jamaat’s Jamalpur district unit Prof Sharif Ahmed alias Sharif Hossain,, Harun and Abul Hashem will be jailed following their apprehension.

If the fugitives want to move appeals against their sentences with the Supreme Court’s Appellate Division, they need to surrender within 30 days, the verdict said.

Lawyers of convicts Advocate Shamsul Haque alias Badar Bhai and SM Yusuf Ali who are in jail told the media they had decided to appeal the verdict.

“We hope the appeals court will free them considering the facts and documents,” Defence Lawyer Gazi MH Tamim said.

Prosecution lawyer Tureen Afroz said her team was satisfied with the 100 percent conviction.

Six absconded convicts had a state appointed lawyer who did not talk about the appeal issues.

RAB: Tk15 lakh bounty for info on militants n Nazmul Huda Nasim, Bogra RAB has announced that it will pay up to Tk15 lakh and provide protection for those who will give information about terrorists or help with an arrest.

Speaking at a briefing in Bogra yesterday afternoon, RAB Director General Benazir Ahmed said any person with authentic information about militant activities will be rewarded, especially if they have left a terrorist group themselves.

“Any former militant who will provide solid information about the activities about the group he belonged to will be rewarded Tk10

lakh,” Benazir told media in Kajla Union in Sariakandi.

“If any information leads to a terrorist’s arrest, the informant will be awarded Tk5 lakh,” Benazir said.

Benazir assured that security would be provided to anyone providing information and also their families. He also promised legal help and rehabilitation for terrorists returning from the path of militancy.

On another note, RAB DG said Shafiul, one of the terrorists caught from the Sholakia attack, had been and trained in a place called Jamthal Ghat on the banks of Jamuna. Then he was sent towards Sholakia through Jamalpur. l

The convicts stood against the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971 and joined the al-Badr, the auxiliary force of the Pakistani occupational forces, to partner in crimes against humanity.

An estimated three million people were killed during the ninemonth war.

To pronounce the verdict Shamsul and Yusuf were brought to the tribunal from Kashimpur jail in a prison van around 9am yesterday and kept waiting at the tribunal’s custody. They were brought to the courtroom half an hour later.

After tribunal’s Chairman Justice Anwarul Haque’s introductory words, Justice Md. Shohrowardi started reading the judgment followed by Justice Md. Shahinur Islam. At the end, the chairman pronounced the sentences.

Their roles in 1971 in Jamalpur

On the July 7, 1971, armed members of Al-Badar including Ashraf,

Sharif, Mannan, Bari and Harun along with a few Pakistani soldiers, attacked some 100-150 locals.

They shot one Yad Ali Mondol to death on the spot. They captured Abdul Hamid Mokhter, Mohir Sheikh alias Madhu, Saidur Rahman alias Sadu Chairman and Abdul Hamid Khan alias Hiru. The victims were taken to Jamalpur PTI camp, confined there and tortured.

On July 22 after midnight the al-Badr men, took Sadu Chairman, Hiru and 16-17 other people from the camp to Jamalpur Soshanghat and put them in a queue on the bank of the river.

Among them Saidur Rahman alias Sadu Chairman saved his life by diving in the river. The al-Badr men killed Hiru and the others and dumped the bodies in the river.

Ashraf, Sharif, Mannan, Bari, Hashem, Shamsul and Yusuf were also involved in the abduction and murder of Awami League leader Nurul Amin on July 10. l

Kamal: I was misquoted n Tribune Desk Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal yesterday claimed that he was misquoted in media reports about his comments on Sunday on the recent militant attacks.

While responding to a question from a reporter at his ministry about some news articles over his comment that he was aware of the attack beforehand, the minister was quoted by news agency UNB as saying: “I did not say that…I said the law enforcers had intels that such attacks might take place but it was not known to them when and where such attack will

be carried out.”

At a discussion in Dhaka on Sunday, the minister for home affairs claimed that the government had intelligence that “something might happen in Gulshan” and had made “all kinds of preparations for it.”

On the Gulshan terror attack investigation, the home boss said attackers were carrying firearms in their backpacks as they walked into the premises of the Holey Artisan Bakery.

“Gulshan attackers came to Holey Artisan Bakery on foot in small groups and were carrying arms in rucksacks as seen in CCTV footage,” the minister said. l

A doctor’s family of five has been missing for the last year, with relatives now saying that the doctor and his children had severed communications since travelling to Turkey.

Since the terrorist attack at Holey Artisan Bakery, law enforcement agencies say nearly 300 people have been newly reported missing.

Of them, the identities of 17 people with suspected militant links have been disclosed.

The seven recently revealed are: Tawsif Hossain from Banani, Sezad Rauf alias Ark, Rokonuddin Khandokar from Rampura, Nayma Akther, Sad Kayes, Ramita Rokon, and Rezwana Rokon.

Yesterday, Halima Akhter, sister of missing Nayma, told reporters that Nayma was a professor at Kabi Nazrul College, Dhaka.

Nayma’s husband Rokon Uddin was the former registrar of Bangladesh Shishu Hospital and they had two children. Their eldest daughter Rezwana was the student of North South University’s English department and married to a student of the same department.

Halima said her sister told her that she along with her husband, two daughters, a son and their sonin-law Shishir was travelling to Malaysia first and then to Turkey as her husband got a job in a hospital there.

A year later Nayma called her and told her that they were all doing well in Turkey and hung up.

Rampura police OC Rafiqul Islam quoted Rokon’s brother as saying the family has been missing his last June. However he could not confirm why the family had moved.

Their absence is raising many questions and top police officials have been informed he said adding that no GD was filed in connection with the police station. l

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‘Women labourers lie to return home’ n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

Bangladeshi women labourers working abroad often say untrue things so they can return home, the overseas employment minister claimed.

Despite claims by Bangladeshi women labourers of being tortured and abused abroad, the government does not have a plan to stop sending women labourers to Saudi Arabia or other countries, Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Nurul Islam told parliament yesterday.

“Sometimes women labourers say false things to return home. They want to eat rice there but people in Saudi Arabia eat bread instead of rice. Many labourers suffer from home sickness and say various things to return,” Nurul said.

He said 506,506 women labourers had been sent to 68 countries in the last decade. l

Easy extradition between Bangladesh and India n Shohel Mamun Yesterday, cabinet decided to send Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal to India to from July 27-30 to simplify the extradition process.

The decision was made at a cabinet meeting lead by Sheikh Hasina at the Secretariat.

“A team lead by the Home Minister will go to India to discuss issues including militants and extradition” said public relations officer Sarif Mahmud.

The home ministry proposed adjusting the deportation process after the Indian government appealed for it. Cabinet has already approved an amendment regarding extradition in a treaty between Bangladesh and India which has been in effect since October 2013.

Cabinet Secretary Shafiul Alam told reporters that the amendment is for section 10 (3) and aims to simplify extradition between Bangladesh and India.

“Now both countries will be

allowed to extradite anyone with an arrest warrant issued against them” he said.

Currently, the treaty allows extradition after verifying the evidence found against the accused.

‘India and Bangladesh can now extradite criminals for trial if either country issues warrant for arrest’ The amendment will remove the verification process and in turn speed up extradition. A home ministry source told Dhaka Tribune Bangladesh authorities faced problems when arresting Nur Hossain, convicted of seven murders in Nayayanganj, due to the con-

straints of extradition law.

“India and Bangladesh can now extradite criminals for trial if either country issued a warrant for their arrest” said the Home Minister. He clarified that the amendment will not bring back BNP joint secretary general Salauddin Ahmed because he is liable in both Bangladesh and India.

“Salauddin will be brought back to Bangladesh after his trial in India is complete,” the Home Minister said.

Other cabinet business

Cabinet has also approved the draft of the “Bangladesh Jute Research Institute Act 2016” to conduct further research on jute and promote jute production.

Authorities will fill the vacant posts left by senior nurses with candidates from the national merit list if the quota of qualified nurses is not met.

“There are 9,616 senior nurses total” a cabinet secretary said. l

Minister poohpoohs massive earthquake prediction n Mohammad Al Masum Molla Relief and Disaster Management Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya yesterday claimed the chances of a big earthquake in Bangladesh were very low.

His claim contradicts a recent Nature Geoscience Journal report that says Bangladesh is likely to experience an earthquake with a magnitude of up to 9 on the Richter scale.

“To my knowledge there is a very low possibility of a big earthquake occurring. Over the last 200 years, there have not been any earthquakes above 8 on the Richter scale. If an earthquake with a magnitude of 9 or 10 happens, it will destroy the whole world,” Maya said.

The Tohoku earthquake that hit Japan in 2011 measured 9 on the Richter scale, according to the US Geological Survey.

“Bangladesh is ready to face normal earthquakes if needed,” he added. l

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Maheshkhali LNG terminal deal finalised n Aminur Rahman Rasel

Six years after the initiative was taken, the government has finally completed all formalities to build Bangladesh’s first floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) – popularly known as liquefied natural gas (LNG) processing terminal – in Maheshkhali, Cox’s Bazar.

Two agreements in this regard was signed between the government and Excelerate Energy Bangladesh Limited (EEBL), a subsidiary of US-based Excelerate Energy, at Petrobangla auditorium in Dhaka yesterday.

One agreement, on the project implementation, was signed be-

signing “a milestone.”

“Paperwork for the project implementation has been finalised today. Some of the groundwork has also been finished. We are hoping to see around 500mmcfd of gas being supplied by this FSRU by the end of next year,” he said at the ceremony.

He also said in terms of investment, this project may not a big one, but it certainly is critical for Bangladesh.

Daniel Bustos, chief development officer of EEBL, also termed it critical and said through this project, Bangladesh is entering the global LNG market. “I hope this LNG terminal will provide Bangladesh a gateway to new energy access.”

tween EEBL and Energy and Mineral Resources Division, and the other agreement, on terminal use, was signed between EEBL and the state-owned Bangladesh Oil, Gas and Mineral Corporation – more commonly known as Petrobangla.

According to the deals, the FSRU will be built on a built-own-operate-transfer basis and process imported LNG into natural gas. When fully operational, the terminal will add 500mmcfd – million cubic feet per day – of natural gas to the national grid.

Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, energy adviser to the prime minister who was present at the signing ceremony, termed the agreement

Bustos further said it was for the first time that a single entity was providing a complete solution in this sector. “We will implement the project on build-own-operate-transfer basis. Once in operation, the Maheshkhali terminal will significantly improve the energy situation in Bangladesh.”

Nasrul Hamid, state minister for power, energy and mineral resources, said prices of gas would be increased to some extent in near future as LNG price is higher than that of natural gas. “The country’s energy sector has to be competitive in terms of prices.”

Although the FSRU would be adding 500 mmcfd of natural gas to

the national grid, Nasrul said it was not enough to meet the national demand. “We will be needing 3,500 mmcfd of gas in the future to ensure sustainable development as well as smooth electricity supply and industrial production.”

He said the government had received offers for the construction of two more FSRUs in the country.

The agreement signing was attended by, among others, Nazimuddin Chowdhury, secretary, and Zanendra Nath Sarkar, deputy secretary at Energy and Mineral Resources Division, Istiaque Ahmed, chairman, and Syed Ashfaquzzaman, secretary at Petrobangla, and Marcia Bernicat, US ambassador to Bangladesh. l

DMP tenant info drive on n Arifur Rahman Rabbi Dhaka Metropolitan Police is initiating another data collection of tenant information after the recent arrests of two landlords in connection with the terrorist attack at Holey Artisan Bakery.

Last November DMP initiated the door to door program following a series of raids in apartments around the city involving militants, terrorists and bomb making operations.

DMP Deputy Commissioner (media) Masudur Rahman said :“We had given out around 20 lakh tenant info forms out which 18 lakh were submitted.”

On Sunday, police arrested a landlord from West Shewrapara, Dhaka on charges of not preserving necessary documents on his tenants believed to be the accomplices of the Holey attackers.

A grenade, black militant style

clothing and other materials used by the terrorists were seized from that house.

Police on Saturday arrested three people, including North South University’s acting pro VC Dr Gias Uddin Ahsan for renting out an apartment to the attackers of Holey Artisan Bakery.

Police found sand-filled cartons and used clothes there. They suspect the grenades used by attackers at Holey were carried in those cartons.

In February, DMP commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia said: “If someone does not provide information to DMP on time then they will be held responsible for any criminal activity taking place in their house.”

“If the tenants change it is the apartment owners responsibility to inform law enforcers and fill out a new tenant information form,” he added. l

Several left-leaning parties formed a human chain in front of the National Press Club yesterday demanding the cancellation of Rampal Coal Power Plant agreement and withdrawal of any establishment that would destroy the Sundarbans DHAKA TRIBUNE

SC orders Hazaribagh tanneries to pay daily fine of Tk10,000 Islam Shaon, n Ashif Ibrahim Hossain Ovi The Supreme Court has ordered the 154 tannery owners based in Hazaribagh, Dhaka to each pay a daily fine of Tk10,000 as compensation for causing harm to the environment – until they relocate to Savar.

A four-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice SK Sinha issued the order yesterday morning, reducing the fine from Tk50,000 fixed earlier by the High Court.

The court also directed the au-

TEMPERATURE FORECAST FOR TODAY

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general secretary at Bangladesh Tanners Association.

Earlier, tannery owners filed a petition against a High Court ruling that ordered each tannery to pay a daily fine of Tk50,000.

During the hearing, defence counsel Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh said: “The [tannery] owners have been trying day and night to relocate their tanneries [to Savar]. But the government has yet to finish the work of CETPs [common effluent treatment plants] there. The owners will move as soon as the work is complete.”

thorities concerned to redirect half of the money to Bangladesh Liver Foundation and the rest to the government fund.

After the verdict, leaders of Bangladesh Tanners Association and Bangladesh Finished Leather, Leather Goods and Footwear Exporters Association said they may file a review petition after obtaining the full text of the order.

“We are hoping to move to Savar industrial park before Eid-ul-Azha.

The rawhides collected from the sacrificed cattle will be processed there,” said Md Shakhawat Ullah, Dhaka

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He also requested the court not to consider tannery owners as criminals. The court asked him if they had deposited the compensation money; the counsel replied no.

On June 16, the High Court ordered Hazaribagh tannery owners to deposit the daily compensation until they relocated their factories to Savar Tannery Industrial Estate, as per the government decision.

The High Court also ordered the industries secretary to submit a report by July 17 on whether the owners had paid the fine and asked the environment secretary to file a Khulna

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separate report on the damage the tanneries had inflicted on the Buriganga River by the same deadline.

The court issued the ruling after hearing a petition filed by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh against the 154 tanneries in Hazaribagh which have not yet relocated to Savar despite a court order.

The government decided to relocate tanneries from Hazaribagh to Savar to save the rivers and people living in Hazaribagh from health hazards, after a long-standing demand from environmentalists and rights groups. l Sylhet

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Fajr: 4:45am | Zohr: 1:15pm Asr: 5:15pm | Magrib: 7:00pm Esha: 8:45pm Source: Islamic Foundation

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TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2016

Showcause notice to eight primay school teachers Islam Khan Rana, n Aminul Sirajganj A showcause notice has been issued to eight primary school teachers in Sirajganj for forging signatures of the staffs of the district education officer.

According to local sources, Abdul Salek, education officer of Sadar upazila, issued the notice to Md Aslam Uddin, assistant teacher of Sadar Upazila Shialkol Govt Primary School, Golam Rasul, teacher of Kanadapara Govt Primary School, Anwar Hossain of Rajapur Govt Primary School, Shohel Rana of Rajibpur-Ichamoti Govt Primary School, Billal Hossain of Porabari Govt Pri-

mary School, Bahulal Hossain of Pipulbari Govt Primary School and Rezaul Karim of Gazaria Govt Primary School.

Salek told the journalists yesterday Nasima Parveen, assistant teacher of Char Kalidasgati Govt Primary School had filed a complaint against Shohel Rana on June 15.

Shahidul Islam, the district education officer, said the eight teachers had forged signatures on the payment sheet.

After inestigation, the teachers had been issued the notice and asked to answer within seven working days. Shohel said : “ I am on two-day leave. I do not know about the incident.” l

Minor boy allegedly killed by drowning n Tanveer Hossain, Narayanganj A minor boy died after allegedly being pushed under water in the Buriganga River in Fatullah of Narayanganj on Sunday.

A team of Fire Service recovered the body of Rafin Ahmed,11, son of UAE expatriate Sultan Mia of Rajapur at Baktabali in Fatullah, from the river near Baktabali market area

yesterday, said Fatullah police.

Mujibur Rahman, maternal grandfather of the victim, said quoting two witnesses that a 15year old boy Wahid of the same area pushed his grandson under water repeatedly over a dispute between them, and at one stage Rafin was lost under water.

The incident took place while Rafin, Wahid and several other

boys of the locality were bathing in the river near Baktabali market on Sunday afternoon.

Kamal Uddin, officer-in-charge (OC) of Fatullah police station, said Mujibur had lodged a complaint against Wahid in this connection to file a murder case. After investigation, police would take decision about filing of the case, said Kamal. l

Alleged robber killed in B’baria ‘gunfight’ n Tribune Desk An alleged robber was killed in a ‘gunfight’ with police at Tan Mandail area of Akhaura upazila early yesterday. The deceased was identified as Saiful Islam.

Mosarof Hossain Tarafdar, officer-in-charge of Akhaura police station they got an information

that a gang was taking preparation for a robbery, a team of police conducted drive in the area.

However, sensing the presence of police, the robbers opened fire towards them, forcing the law enforcers to retaliate.

At one stage Saiful received bullet injuries and died on the spot.

Meanwhile two police members

were also injured in the incident.

Police also recovered a pipe-gun and locally made sharp weapons from the spot.

Saiful was accused in five cases filed with the police station, added the OC. Police recovered the body and sent it to Sadar Hospital for an autopsy.

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GULSHAN ATTACK

Family of Uzzal’s accomplice Milon in the dark Hossain, n Moazzem Lalmonirhat Family members of Milon, who has been arrested on charges of helping one of attackers of Gulshan cafe’ Uzzal, are still in the dark.

Police arrested Milon Hossain from Ashulia, Savar, outskirt of Dhaka, a few days ago for helping Uzzal in getting a job at a school.

Court of Senior Judge Hakim Najmur Rhman Nipu on Sunday placed Milon, hailed from Hatibandha upzila in Lalmonirhat, on a

four-day remand.

During preliminary investigation, he confessed to his involvement with militancy.

Police said Milon was a teacher at Madaribar Madbar Academy where he gave a job to Shafiqul Islam Uzzal, an attacker of Gulshan cafe’ who was killed during commando operation ‘Thunderbolt’.

Twenty-three people were killed by militants at Holey Artisan Cafe, Gushan, Dhaka on July 1. Five attackers were also killed during commandos operation.

Uzzal worked at the school for one year and returned back to his native house in Bogra on December last year.

According to family, Milon passed the SSC from Ketkibari High School in 2004 and HSC from Nageswari Degree College in 2006.

Later, he passed BA Honours from Uttara Town Degree College, Dhaka. Milon had been living in Pobnartek area, Ashulia with his wife and daughter for long. He is a teacher at Piar School and College.

Abdul Jalil, father of Milon, told the Dhaka Tribune that he used to

send money to Milon as he was going through financial hardship.

He said: “He came to house with my daughter-in-law and granddaughter on June 23. On July 13, he went back to Dhaka leaving behind his wife and daughter here. On July 14, I came to know that he was arrested. I went to Dhaka on July 15. Then, Ashulia police told me that they arrested him in connection with Gulshan attack.

“I cannot believe that my son is involved with militancy. If he is involved in the attack, he should get exemplary punishment. If he is in-

nocent, I demand his release.”

Neighbours of Milon – Nurnabi, Afzal Hossain, Monir Hossain, Ruhul Amin, and Azizur Rahman – said Milon was quite in nature and a religious person.

Riazul Islam, brother-in-law of Milon told the Dhaka Tribune that he was not involved in any political party. He was a very good person.

Officer-in-Charge of Hatibandha police station Rezaul Karim said: “We are keeping eye on Milon’s family. We take further step following higher authorities instruction.” l

Educational management system introduced n Anwar Hussain, Chittagong Chittagong district administration inaugurated Educational Management System (EMS) yesterday which will bring educational institutes in the city under full fledged digital surveillance.

The inaugural ceremony was held at Chittagong Deputy Commissioner’s office presided by Chittagong Deputy Commissioner Mesbah Uddin and attended by Chittagong Divisional Commissioner Ruhul Amin as the chief guest.

Spectrum IT Solutions Ltd developed the EMS, a repository for data collection, processing, analyzing and reporting of information about students, faculty and staff.

The EMS is a single online platform to monitor the day-to-day activities of an education institute.

EMS will use biometric date to monitor student and faculty attendance, prepare progress reports, have an online payment system and generate text messages for attendance.

“The biometric attendance device used in the EMS helps reduce the number of drop-outs and ensures a hundred percent attendance. The cost of the EMS is affordable at Tk 50,000,” said the deputy commissioner.

Chittagong Additional Deputy Commissioner (land acquisition) Md Doulatuzzaman said: “The EMS will also help check for anomalies and ensure transparency and accountability in the educational institutions.”

Faculties at the educational institutes where the EMS have already been installed express satisfaction with the system.

“We have installed the EMS service for the first time in Chittagong and we have greatly benefited from the system. It is also very user friendly,” said Saleh Ahmed Ansari, principal of Nangolmora Samsul Ulum Fazil Madrasah. l

Pro-liberation Progressive Teachers’ Association of Rajshahi University brings out a procession on the campus and forms a human chain in front of the university’s Senate Bhaban yesterday, protesting militant attacks in Gulshan and Sholakia and attacks on religious minorities in the country AZAHAR UDDIN

Bail of BNP leader Aslam rejected in sedition case n Tribune Desk The High Court yesterday rejected bail plea of Aslam Chowdhury, BNP’s joint secretary general, in a sedition case.

The High Court bench of Justice Enayetur Rahim and JBM Hassan rejected the plea.

Deputy Attorney General AKM Moniruzzaman Kabir said the court rejected the petition as it was not placed properly.

The sedition case was filed on May 26 on charges of hatching conspiracy with Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad to oust government.

Meanwhile, a Chittagong court yesterday put him on a three-day remand in a case filed with Kotwali police station in connection with subversive activities in 2014.

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Chittagong Metropolitan Police Nirmalendu Bikash Chakrabortry told the Dhaka Tribune that the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Harun-ur-Rashid passed the remand order after investigation officer (IO) of the case produced him before the court seeking seven-day remand in a subversive case.”

Earlier, another court asked police to quiz Aslam at jail gate in the same case after the BNP leader was produced with 10-day remand prayer on July 10, said court sources.

During the blockade and hartal enforced by BNP-led 20-party in November 2, 2014, a rickshaw puller had been wounded when miscreants hurled a crude bomb and petrol bomb targeting vehicles in Cinema Palace area under Kotwali police sta-

tion. Following the incident, Kotwali police station’s Sub-Inspector (SI) Sanjoy Kumar filed a case.

BNP leader Aslam became the talk of the country and headlines of the newspapers after his alleged meeting with an agent of Mosad, Israeli’s national intelligence agency.

Later, he was arrested by the detectives from capital’s Khilkhet area on May 15. He was sued on charge of hatching conspiracy against government on May 26.

Apart from that Aslam was also shown arrested in two arson cases after his arrest.

Aslam Chowdhury is the convener of Chittagong North Division BNP and also known to be a trusted lieutenant of BNP’s Senior Vice President Tarek Rahman who is now in the United Kingdom. l

Operation Irene begins at Ctg port

n Anwar Hussain, Chittagong Customs Intelligence has launched a special drive titled “Operation Irene” in Chittagong port yesterday.

The two-day long special drive is going on to stop illegal trafficking of small arms, explosives and drugs that are ending up in the hands of militants and terrorists in the guise of parcels. However, nothing suspicious was found during the special drive.

Along with 33 other countries, the special operation Irene is continuing in Bangladesh coordinated by the Regional Intelligence Liaison Office for Asia and the Pacific (RILO AP) of World Customs Organisations (WCO).

According to the officials of Customs Intelligence, smugglers use online shopping and parcel and courier services to bring in firearms, drugs and explosives. l

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SOUTH ASIA

Pakistani cleric probed over Baloch’s murder A prominent Muslim cleric in Pakistan who was censured for appearing in selfie photographs with murdered social media celebrity Qandeel Baloch is being investigated in connection with her killing, police said on Monday. Baloch, 26, described as Pakistan’s Kim Kardashian, divided opinion in the deeply conservative Muslim society with her risqué photos.

-REUTERS

INDIA

Deaths from toxic liquor rises to 33 Another 12 people have died after drinking toxic homemade liquor in northern India, taking the overall toll to 33 with dozens more fighting for their lives in hospitals. The victims, all from the same district in Uttar Pradesh state, fell ill after drinking the alcohol on Friday night and were taken to hospital suffering from severe stomachache, vomiting and blurred vision.

-AFP

CHINA

China to close part of S China Sea for army exercise China is closing off a part of the South China Sea for military exercises this week, the government said Monday, days after an international tribunal ruled against Beijing’s claim to ownership of virtually the entire strategic waterway.

Hainan’s maritime administration said an area southeast of the island province would be closed from Monday to Thursday.

-AP

ASIA PACIFIC

East Asian shipping emissions kill tens of thousands

A sharp rise in shipping emissions in east Asia is killing tens of thousands of people in the region every year and adding to global warming, a study said Monday. A team of Chinese and American scientists used records of more than 18,000 vessels observed in the region in 2013 to calculate emissions and their likely effect. They found that ship traffic in east Asia more than doubled since 2005.

-AFP

MIDDLE EAST

Suicide bombings kill 11 in Yemen Two suicide bombers tried to ram vehicles laden with explosives through two Yemeni military checkpoints near the government-held port city of Mukalla on Monday, killing 11 people. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks near the capital of Hadramout province. -REUTERS

Q&A

Turkey's failed coup d'état: What we know so far Some 7,500 people have been detained in Turkey and almost 9,000 officials sacked after a failed coup at the weekend which has stunned the country.

Here is what we know so far about the dramatic events of Friday night and how the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has responded.

How did the coup attempt unfold?

Soldiers shut down two of the bridges spanning the Bosphorus in Istanbul at around 7:30pm (local) and shortly after, military jets were heard flying low in the capital Ankara.

At around 11:30pm, a group within the military announced it had seized control of Turkey and that the country was now under martial law. Troops appeared on the streets of Istanbul and Ankara.

Erdogan, addressing the nation via a FaceTime call to the CNN Turk television channel, urged people to take to the streets and resist the coup, which they did in their thousands.

Soldiers in Istanbul opened fire on protesters and fighting erupted in Ankara, with planes bombing the parliament building.

Erdogan flew into Istanbul early Saturday where he was greeted by a sea of supporters, and shortly after the government announced it had regained control and that the coup had failed.

More than 290 people were killed, according to official figures, including over 100 putschists.

Is it over?

Authorities wasted no time in launching a ruthless crackdown to root out suspected coup plotters in their own ranks.

But in a sign that the situation has yet to return completely to normal, security forces and putschists briefly clashed at an air base in the central city of Konya on Sunday.

There was also an incident Sunday evening at Istanbul's second airport Sabiha Gokcen, where police fired warning shots at putschists who were resisting arrest.

They eventually surrendered.

Who was behind the coup bid?

It remains unclear who exactly was behind the attempted power grab. The coup was declared by a group within the army calling itself the Council for Peace in the Homeland, saying it was intervening "to ensure and restore consti-

A damaged car is seen next to an armored military vehicle in front of the police headquarters in Ankara on July 18

It remains unclear who exactly was behind the attempted power grab. The coup was declared by a group within the army calling itself the Council for Peace in the Homeland, saying it was intervening “to ensure and restore constitutional order, democracy, human rights and freedoms” tutional order, democracy, human rights and freedoms".

Erdogan has furiously pointed blame at his arch-foe Fethullah Gulen, a US-based Islamic preacher whose Hizmet movement has a powerful presence in Turkish society, including the media, police and judiciary.

Gulen has categorically denied any involvement in the plot and has suggested it could have been staged by Erdogan himself to cement his grip on power, a theory that has been raised by other critics and some analysts.

How has the government reacted?

By Monday some 7,500 people including top army commanders,

judges and prosecutors had been detained as Erdogan vowed to stamp out the "virus" of the putschists.

A total of 103 generals and admirals have been detained in sweeps across the country as well as 2,389 soldiers, according to Turkish media reports. A military aide to Erdogan, Ali Yazici, was also held.

The crackdown is not limited to the military, with arrest warrants issued for 2,745 judges and prosecutors, according to state-run news agency Anadolu.

The suspects are being charged with membership of an "armed terrorist organisation" and attempting to overthrow the government by force, the Hurriyet Daily News reported.

REUTERS

The message from authorities is clear: they will show no mercy in the wake of the coup.

Also, nearly 9,000 officials have been sacked.

Erdogan even said Sunday that Turkey would now consider reinstating the death penalty.

What are world powers saying?

World powers rallied behind Erdogan on the night of the coup, with key strategic partners including the United States and European Union offering support for Turkey's elected authorities.

But there has been international concern over the mass arrests, with US President Barack Obama urging Ankara to "act within the rule of law" in the aftermath of the failed putsch.

The European Union's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said Turkey would be barred from joining the bloc if it reinstated the death penalty.

"Democratic and legitimate institutions needed to be protected," she said.

"Let me be very clear... no country can become an EU state if it introduces the death penalty." l

Sources: REUTERS, AFP, USA TODAY

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TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2016

Coronation in Cleveland: GOP prepares to nominate Trump n Reuters, Clevelnad With his running mate squared away and the Republican Party more or less behind him, Donald Trump prepares for a prime-time moment this week that few would have predicted a year ago: his anointment as the party’s presidential nominee.

The wealthy businessman’s coronation in Cleveland will come at the end of the four-day Republican National Convention that kicks off Monday. Befitting the candidate’s unrestrained nature, the convention is expected to be a more spontaneous affair this year than past iterations.

On Saturday, Trump gave a preview of his showmanship, honed over the years as a reality television star. While officially presenting his vice presidential running mate, Indiana Governor Mike Pence, he detoured frequently to hit Democratic rival Hillary Clinton and tout his own business record.

Trump did recognise, however, that he picked the conservative Christian to help unify a party that has struggled to come to terms

with the real estate mogul’s unorthodox stances and off-the-cuff campaign style. It was an admission of sorts that he needs the veteran politician’s yin to counter his outsider yang in preparation for the November 8 election.

Trump’s Saturday appearance was the last time he is scheduled to speak before his acceptance speech on Thursday night.

“His convention speech will be the most important moment of the campaign and the largest television audience that has ever watched him,” Republican strategist Matt Mackowiak said.

“The stakes could not be higher.

I expect it to be a prepared speech that is very well-developed, with poll-tested language for maximum effect. He only has one chance to deliver his nominating speech.”

The disorganised nature of the running mate rollout - in which Trump failed to fully project the power of the partnership - had some Republicans worried that they could see more of the same at Cleveland.

“The speech that Trump gave today (Saturday) did not seem

USA

Open carry gun rights cause jitters in Republican convention

CLINTON HOLDS LEAD Collated opinion poll results, in % 60

53.3 50

Donald Trump

Hillary Clinton July 17

43.8 40.6

40

30

33.7 July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar April May June July 2015 2016 Source: RealClearPolitics

like he actually wants to share the stage, but knows that he has to in order to succeed with his campaign,” said Republican strategist Ron Bonjean.

“As a master entertainer, Trump knows that he’ll have to be much more direct with his messaging and needs to tighten up his delivery when the convention begins.”

The showmanship goes only so far, though. If Trump is to suc-

ceed in capturing the attention of American voters during primetime viewing hours, Bonjean said, “he must focus on talking about their problems and what he can do to solve them.”

Trump’s campaign has released a list of planned speakers for the convention. But it has yet to publish a full schedule or announce who will speak in the coveted prime-time slots. l

Black Lives Matter: A movement that defies definition n Reuters “Black Lives Matter” has become a mantra for people protesting police violence against African Americans.

It’s a hash tag, a popular t-shirt slogan and a movement that is loosely organised – by design.

Black Lives Matter was founded by three women who popularised the slogan during protests over the 2012 killing of Trayvon Martin, an African-American teen who was shot by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer in Sanford, Florida.

It has a website (BlackLivesMatter. com) and a network of chapters. But the idea is bigger than the organisation.

Although the march where five Dallas police officers were fatally shot on July 7 was organised by another group, news reports described it as a Black Lives Matters event.

“The convenient narrative has been for people, for the media to say, ‘Well, this was organised by Black Lives Matter’,” said Tezlyn Figaro, a publicist for Next Generation Action Network, the group that organized the event. The rally “had no affiliation with Black Lives Matter.”

The confusion flows in part from the decentralised structure of the Black Lives Matter organisation and its founders’ desire that it remain open and inclusive.

“Not everyone who shows up at a

demonstration is a full-fledged member of BLM, (but) they’re welcomed and encouraged to participate,” Melina Abdullah, a representative of the group’s Los Angeles chapter, said in a conversation with Reuters in June.

During the standoff with police negotiators Thursday, the shooter invoked the slogan, saying he was “upset about black lives matter,” according to Dallas Police Chief David Brown.

The organisation disavowed the violence in a post on its web page.

“This is a tragedy - both for those who have been impacted by yesterday’s attack and for our democracy,” it said.

“There are some who would use these events to stifle a movement for change and quicken the demise of a vibrant discourse on the human rights of Black Americans. We should reject all of this. Black activists have raised the call for an end to violence, not an escalation of it.”

That didn’t stop a wave of social media criticism attempting to tie the violence to the movement. But US Attorney General Loretta Lynch, speaking about the demonstrations inspired

by Black Lives and other groups, drew a bright line between the gunman’s actions and “lawful protest and protected speech.”

“Do not be discouraged by those who use your lawful actions as cover for their heinous violence,” Lynch said on July 8. “We will continue to safe-

WHAT’S BLACK LIVES MATTER? Ü Black Lives Matter is a chapter-based national organisation working for the validity of Black life. It is an activist movement, originating in the African-American community, that campaigns against violence toward black people. Ü In 2013, the movement began with the use of the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter on social media after Trayvon Martin’s murderer, George Zimmerman, was acquitted for his crime, and dead 17-year old Trayvon was posthumously placed on trial for his own murde Ü Black Lives Matter is a call to action and a response to the virulent anti-Black racism that permeates our society. Black Lives Matter is a unique contribution that goes beyond extrajudicial killings of Black people by police and vigilantes. Ü It goes beyond the narrow nationalism that can be prevalent within Black communities, which merely call on Black people to love Black, live Black and buy Black, keeping straight cis Black men in the front of the movement while our sisters, queer and trans and disabled folk take up roles in the background or not at all. Ü Black Lives Matter affirms the lives of Black queer and trans folks, disabled folks, black-undocumented folks, folks with records, women and all Black lives along the gender spectrum. It centers those that have been marginalized within Black liberation movements. It is a tactic to (re)build the Black liberation movement.

Sources: BLACK LIVES MATTER guard your constitutional rights and to work with you in the difficult mission of building a better nation and a brighter future.”

Some said the best way to define the movement is by continuing to push a positive message. After a vigil Friday in Dallas for the slain officers,

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Richmond Punch played “Amazing Grace” on his violin.

“We need to frame out a way to come back to peace,” said Punch, 35, an African-American Dallas resident and Black Lives Matter contributor.

“The guy who committed this act, he doesn’t stand for what America is.” l

Even gun rights advocates are questioning whether people should be allowed to carry rifles and handguns during protests at this week’s Republican National Convention in Cleveland in the wake of the shootings of 6 police officers in Baton Rouge. Backers as well as opponents of Donald Trump have expressed concerns about the prospect of weapons being carried in open sight around the convention site.

-REUTERS

THE AMERICAS

Colombia coca cultivation jumps 39% ahead of peace accord Coca cultivation in Colombia rose 39% last year as farmers ramped up production on hopes they would be paid to switch to legal crops if peace is signed with Marxist FARC insurgents. The increase in coca cultivation also coincided with the suspension last year of aerial fumigation using the herbicide glyphosate, Defence Minister Luis Carlos Villegas said. -REUTERS

UK

In May’s first test, UK MPs vote on nuclear deterrent British Prime Minister Theresa May will face her first parliamentary test on Monday when lawmakers vote on replacing the ageing submarines that carry Britain’s nuclear weapons.

MPs are almost certain to approve the construction of 4r new submarines to carry the existing Trident missile system and their nuclear warheads, at a cost of £41bn.

-AFP

EUROPE

Nato, US, EU warn Turkey on coup crackdown The United States, EU and Nato on Monday warned Turkey to respect the rule of law after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government launched a massive crackdown following the failed coup. Germany and the EU also said any move by Turkey to reinstate the death penalty for the plotters of the uprising would derail Ankara’s long-stalled EU membership bid.

-AFP

AFRICA

Uganda opposes arms embargo on South Sudan Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni said he was opposed to a UN plan to impose an arms embargo on his neighbour South Sudan, saying it would weaken its army just as the country was trying to contain a resurgence of violence.

The statement came after UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the Security Council to block arms sales in South Sudan.

-REUTERS

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INSIGHT

Iran hardliners gain authority in backlash that could sideline Rouhani n Reuters, Ankara A year after Iran’s nuclear deal with the West, hardliners are gaining authority in a backlash against pragmatic President Hasan Rouhani that his allies say could leave him sidelined or push him out of power in an election next year.

Rouhani, who was elected in a landslide in 2013 on a promise to reduce Iran’s diplomatic isolation, delivered the agreement that resulted in a lifting of financial sanctions in return for curbs on Tehran’s nuclear programme.

The deal had the grudging approval of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the arch-conservative in office since 1989, whose ultimate authority outranks that of the elected president.

But now that the negotiations are over, Rouhani’s supporters say that Khamenei and his followers are trying to restrict the president’s authority or replace him. In the face of such pressure, Rouhani himself may decide not to stand again.

Already, hardliners are blaming the president’s faction for the failure of the deal to deliver a swift improvement in living standards, at a time when prices for oil exports are low and promised foreign investment has yet to arrive.

“The political infighting has intensified in Iran. The legitimacy of the establishment is at stake,” said a senior official, who asked not to be identified.

“It will deepen further until the presidential election next year,” the official said, adding that Rouhani himself now had “serious doubts about running for a second term”.

Rouhani’s allies believe his personal popularity and the prospect of Iran coming out of its political and economic isolation have panicked hardline allies of Khamenei, who fear losing power and aim to bring the presidency to heel.

“Hardliners want a president who is closer to their camp and gets his directions from Khamenei’s allies,” a reformist former official said, speaking on condition of anonymity like other figures within Iran contacted for this story.

“If they fail to find a candidate, then they will impose more limits on Rouhani in his second term.”

Revolutionary ideology

Iran’s political system allows elections for president and parliament, but gives a hardline watchdog body power to veto laws and decide which candidates may stand.

Since taking over from the Islamic Republic’s founder Ayatollah

Rouhollah Khomeini, Khamenei, now 76, has made sure that no group, including among his own hardline allies, has gained enough power to challenge his authority.

Khamenei’s allies control the bulk of financial resources as well as the judiciary, the security forces, public broadcasters and the Guardian Council which vets laws and election candidates.

“Khamenei’s ideal set-up is to have weak presidents who can be held accountable for the frustrations and economic malaise that many Iranians feel,” said Iran analyst and senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Karim Sadjadpour.

What mattered most for Khamenei was not “the support of the electorate, but the support of the protectorate,” he said.

“Khamenei can live without the admiration and social media likes of Iran’s urban sophisticates, but not without the loyal support of 150,000 Revolutionary Guardsmen and their Basij henchmen,” said Sadjadpour, referring to an elite military force and its affiliated militia.

Not needed now talks are over?

The parlous state of Iran’s economy pushed Iran’s top leaders to accept Rouhani as the best option to resolve their nuclear dispute with the West. But Rouhani’s allies believe that those close to Khamenei no longer see Rouhani as useful.

“Now the nuclear crisis is over.

Hardliners want to retake the control by weakening Rouhani. An election victory next year will cement hardliners’ grip in power,” said a Rouhani ally.

“Rouhani was elected to resolve Iran’s nuclear issue.”

In recent months Khamenei has spoken about the importance of “revolutionary ideology” and the “resistance economy”, seen as veiled criticisms of Rouhani’s policies of political and economic engagement with the West.

There is no clear challenger lined up to stand against Rouhani yet, but hardliners could reach a consensus on a high-profile candidate for the election in coming months.

“Rouhani’s policy of interaction with the world ... scares the hardliners as they believe that without confrontation, particularly with the West, the Islamic Republic could stop being a revolutionary state,” said Meir Javedanfar, an Iranian-born Israeli lecturer on Iran at the Interdisciplinary Centre Herzliya in Israel.

The hardliners fear that could

From right to left, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, and former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani attend Supreme Leader's meeting with authorities of the country and ambassadors of Islamic countries, in Tehran on July 6 REUTERS

Rouhani’s allies believe his personal popularity and the prospect of Iran coming out of its political and economic isolation have panicked hardline allies of Khamenei, who fear losing power and aim to bring the presidency to heel ultimately “lead to the establishment’s collapse,” he added.

High expectations

Hardliners have criticised Rouhani for the slow pace of economic recovery, saying his government was duped into accepting concessions on Iran’s nuclear program while getting little back in return.

“The focus at the moment is of course on the economy and that will be the battleground for the next election,” said Ali Ansari, director of the Institute of Iranian Studies at

the University of St. Andrews.

“The expectations Rouhani created around the deal were going to be difficult to reach, and popular disappointment, no doubt encouraged by the hardliners, is likely to rebound on him.”

Partly because of unilateral US sanctions that remain in place, major European banks and investors are holding back from doing business with Iran.

So far, Iran has secured banking links only with smaller financial institutions, and the US banks remain

prohibited from doing business with Iran directly or indirectly.

Foreign investors also face other risks, like complex regulations, lack of transparency within Iran’s banking system, unclear dispute resolution mechanisms, labour issues and corruption.

For many ordinary Iranians, a sense of disillusionment has set in, because expected economic improvements have failed to materialise, and Rouhani’s government has fallen short of delivering a hopedfor easing of social restrictions.

The government was tainted by the leak of payslips of some top executives, which were dozens of times the average monthly income of an Iranian urban household. The source of the leak has yet to be identified.

“I am struggling to pay my rent and look at the salaries these people get. They only care about people when our votes are needed,” said government employee Reza, 32, who said he voted for Rouhani. l

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Faith in govt drops, leaders jeered as France mourns Nice victims n Reuters, Paris/Nice Crowds jeered France’s leaders at a tribute on Monday to victims of last week’s truck attack in Nice and an opinion poll showed a sharp drop in confidence in the ability of President Francois Hollande’s government to combat terrorism.

Before and after a minute of silence held to pay respects to the 84 dead, many of the thousands gathered in the south-coast resort city of Nice chanted “resign, resign” at Manuel Valls, the Socialist prime minister. Others yelled “Hollande, resign”.

The poll published in Le Figaro newspaper showed 33% of respondents were confident in the current leaders’ ability to fight terrorism, down sharply from confidence levels of at least 50% in the wake of two major attacks last year.

“The government promises us things but nothing sticks,” Nice city resident Antony Fernandez told Reuters TV. “What have they done up to now to make us feel safe? And yet what do we expect? Every six months we’re going to mourn for more dead?”

The latest poll came at a mo-

ment when, less than a year from a presidential election, political opponents have fast abandoned the initial restraint that usually prevails on such occasions to sharply criticise Hollande and his government.

Ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy, who is competing in a November primary for the ticket to run as presidential candidate for France’s mainstream centre-right parties, said overnight Hollande’s government had failed to do all it could.

In Thursday’s attack, delivery man Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel

ploughed a 19-tonne truck into crowds of revellers, killing 84. It has plunged France back into a state of grief, fear, and now political recrimination.

Politics under scrutiny

The government has struck back by denouncing opponents for breaking ranks so fast.

Speaking ahead of the nationwide minute-of-silence on Monday, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve accused the government’s opponents of breaking ranks in an unseemly way.

Voters also denounced the lack of restraint among competing politicians while many of those killed in Thursday’s attack on the seafront Promenade des Anglais boulevard had yet to be identified or buried.

As tributes drew throngs of people back to the scene of the carnage, police investigated, with some four of the six people arrested after the attack transferred early on Monday for questioning at the headquarters of France’s counter-terrorism department in the western edge of Paris. l

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TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2016

TOP STORIES Grameenphone revenue jumps 8% in H1 Grameenphone has witnessed an increase of 8.1% or Tk5,560 crore revenue in the first half of 2016.

Subscription and traffic revenue grew by 10.9% with growing contribution from data service, which is said to help achieve the higher revenue growth.

PAGE 13

United Group gets licence for IT park The United Group will establish an IT-based economic zone in Dhaka, which will be the first of its kind in Bangladesh.

PAGE 14

Dollar rallies with Fed rate hike back in focus The dollar rallied yesterday after forecast-beating US retail sales data bolstered expectations that the Federal Reserve will hike interest rates this year, while the Turkish lira recovered after being hit by the weekend’s attempted coup.

PAGE 14

Capital market snapshot: Monday DSE Broad Index

4,571.8

0.3% ▲

Index

1,119.5

-0.1% ▲

30 Index

1,787.3

0.2% ▲

Turnover in Mn Tk

4,963.4

32.7% ▲

Turnover in Mn Vol

151.3

32.4% ▲

All Share Index 14,038.6

0.3% ▲

30 Index

12,984.3

0.4% ▲

CSE

Selected Index

8,544.9

0.3% ▲

Turnover in Mn Tk

320.0

8.2% ▲

Turnover in Mn Vol

12.2

29.0% ▲

ADB: Bangladesh economy to defy weak global prospects, Brexit n Tribune Business Desk Despite weak global prospects and Brexit, Bangladesh economy will remain robust driven by its garment sector, said Asian Development Bank yesterday.

In a supplement to its Asian Development Outlook 2016 report released last March, ADB now forecasts 2016 growth for the developing economies at 5.6%, below its previous projection of 5.7%.

For 2017, the growth is seen unchanged at 5.7%.

“Although the Brexit vote has affected developing Asia’s currency and stock markets, its impact on the real economy in short term is expected to be small,” said Shang-Jin Wei ADB’s Chief Economist.

“However, in the light of tepid growth prospects in major industrial economies, policy makers should remain vigilant and be prepared to respond to external shocks to ensure growth in the region.”

The latest report said growth in 2016 and 2017 led by South Asia, and India in particular, continues to expand strongly, while China is on track to meet earlier growth projections.

Meanwhile, South Asia is expected to be the fastest growing sub-region led by India, whose economy has shrugged off global headwinds and is on track to meet ADB’s March fiscal year 2016 (year to March 2017) projected growth target of 7.4% supported by brisk consumer spending and an uptick in its rural economy, it said.

In Pakistan, the report said, further improvements in energy supply, higher infrastructure investments and an improved security environment will help push up growth in 2016 and 2017 while the Bangladesh economy will remain robust on the strength of its garment sector.

Although the Brexit vote has affected developing Asia’s currency and stock markets, its impact on the real economy in short term is expected to be small, says ADB’s chief economist Shang-Jin Wei REUTERS

South Asia is expected to be the fastest growing subregion led by India, whose economy has shrugged off global headwinds In Southeast Asia, growth projections for the sub-region in 2016 and 2017 will remain unchanged at 4.5% and 4.8% with solid performances by most economies in the first half of 2016 driven by private consumption.

The exception was Vietnam where the economy came under pressure from a worsening drought that caused a contraction in the agriculture sector.

In East Asia, despite muted ac-

Stocks continue to stay flat n Tribune Business Desk Stocks continued to stay flat amid volatile trade yesterday with higher turnover.

The market opened higher in the morning but dipped after mid-session before closing marginally positive, brokers say.

The DSE benchmark index

DSEX gained 12 points or 0.3% to close at 4,571.

The blue-chip comprising index DS30 rose over 3 points or 0.2% to 1,787.

The DSE Shariah Index DSES edged 1.7 points or 0.2% to 1,119.

The Chittagong Stock Exchange Selective Category Index CSCX was up 24 points to 8,544. l

tivity in Hong Kong, China and the Republic of Korea, growth forecasts are unchanged at 5.7% in 2016 and 5.6% in 2017 while the world’s second largest economy, China is on track to meet its projected growth of 6.5% in 2016 and 6.3% in 2017, accroding to the report.

It said continued soft commodity prices and recession in the Russian Federation have further dampened the growth outlook for Central Asia, with the earlier 2016 forecast of 2.1% trimmed to 1.7%, and 2017 cut to 2.7% from 2.8%.

It added that the slump in revenues from hydrocarbon exports are affecting fiscal consolidation efforts in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, while lower remittance, particularly from the Russian Federation, continue to hurt domestic consumption in the sub-region.

In the Pacific, growth for 2016

is expected to moderate to 3.9% in 2016 from 7.1% in 2015, with the Fijian economy reeling from Cyclone Winston. However, there are some bright spots with stronger-than-expected tourism receipts aiding the Cook Islands and Samoa, while Vanuatu’s economy is being boosted by the roll-out of post-cyclone reconstruction work and other major infrastructure projects, it said.

The report now projects inflation for developing Asia to come in at 2.8% for 2016 and 3.0% for 2017—a 0.3 percentage point rise for each year from the previous forecasts. The rise is due largely to a recovery in oil and food prices. Oil prices rebounded from early-year lows and food prices rose nearly 9% in June 2016 from the year earlier, marking the fifth consecutive month the index has risen in value. l

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Business

TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2016

Grameenphone revenue jumps 8% in H1 n Ishtiaq Husain Grameenphone has witnessed an increase of 8.1% or Tk5,560 crore revenue in the first half of 2016.

Subscription and traffic revenue grew by 10.9% with growing contribution from data service, which is said to help achieve the higher revenue growth.

Dilip Pal, chief financial officer (CFO) of Grameenphone, presented at a press conference in Dhaka yesterday.

Data revenue grew by 64.6% year

on year with 186.4% growth in corresponding volume. Voice revenue also grew up by 4.8% with healthy development of minutes of usage.

During second quarter of 2016, revenue grew by 6.6% to Tk2,810 crore.

“We have delivered double digit subscription and traffic revenue growth during the first half of 2016.” said Dilip.

He added: “Our simplified customer centric products and continued investment on 3G coverage expansion are driving this growth.”

He said: “This solid revenue

growth and efficient spending resulted in improved Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization (EBITDA) margin. Earnings per share were stable despite higher depreciation and amortization.”

“I am happy to announce that Grameenphone Board of Directors declared interim dividend at the rate of 85% of paid up capital,” Dilip said.

During the first half, Grameenphone acquired 200,000 new subscribers, taking the number of subscribers to 56.9m. This constitutes 7.1% of subscription growth

RMG buyers to continue business with Bangladesh n Tribune Business Desk

Global buyers of apparel products assured manufacturers that they will continue business with Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, the Accord said it will continue its safety assessment despite the terror attack in the Gulshan restaurant that killed 20 including 13 foreigners.

The assurance came to the BGMEA leaders at an Accord meeting on Fire and Building Safety designed to discuss safety progress and challenges regarding remediation held in the capital yesterday.

Quoting a high official of H&M, the highest importer of clothing products from Bangladesh, BGMEA president Siddiqur Rahman told the Dhaka Tribune over phone that “They will continue business with us”.

“They do not have plan to reduce or shift business from Bangladesh and they will work with us.”

The law enforcers are pro-

active in providing security for the foreigners living here or for those opting to visit Bangladesh to negotiate business deal.

He added that the government has made its assurance that it is committed to providing security to the foreigners any where in the country.

“The Accord will continue its work like every body else.

It is monitoring and assessing safety situation in the readymade garment factories in Bangladesh,” Rob Wayss, executive director of the Accord, told reporters before a meeting with BGMEA leaders.

Commenting on business issues by the signatories brand, Rob said it is their issues.

Referring to several statements from some major brands, Rob said they will remain committed to Bangladesh and are also monitoring the safety situation in this time.

Industrial Police are providing security for industrial zone. If anyone needs securi-

ty to send buyers to industrial zone or to bring them to the city, the police will provide security, he added.

Those who will visit Bangladesh will get security for their movement.

“If they do not come here, we will go there, but it would increase our cost of business.”

It is too early to comment on the adverse impact of recent attacks, Rahman said, commenting on the Bangladesh Garment Buying House Association claim of losing orders.

“Till today, we did not get any complaint from manufacturers of losing or cancelling orders.”

There will have no adverse impact in the country’s business if the situation ends here, because it is a global phenomena and taking place across the globe, he said.

But if the situation continue, it would leave an adverse impact on the sector as it is a global phenomena, he adds. l

MoU signed for insurance service thru digital centres n Tribune Business Desk

A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between Access to Information (a2i) programme and Green Delta Insurance Company Limited to provide insurance service through union digital centres.

Kabir Bin Anwar, director (administration) and project director of a2i programme and Farzana Chowdhury ACII (UK), managing director and CEO of Green Delta Insurance, signed the MoU on behalf of their respective sides on Sunday at the Prime Minister’s Office, said a press release.

The deal is expected to help rural people

take various insurance policies like fire insurance through digital centres.

Initially, the centres will provide insurance service on a pilot basis. It will gradually be scaled up to all the centres across the country.

By providing the insurance policies, the agents in the digital centres will be getting a specific commission for each policy sold. By adding insurance with the agent banking service in the centres, the Financial Inclusion programme in Bangladesh is expected to receive a further boost.

Each union digital center is a modern and ICT-enabled one-stop service centre, the press release said. l

with SIM market share of 43.3% as of May 2016. The mobile phone operator acquired a healthy 6.1m internet users, taking the period-end base to 21.8m.

Grameenphone CEO Rajeev Sethi said: “First half of 2016 has been a solid one for Grameenphone with strong growth momentum in place.”

“Data continues to grow with healthy user addition and volume consumption. We complet ed rollout of 10,000 3G sites, taking the population coverage to 90%.”

“Our voice revenue is also grow-

ing with encouraging minutes of usage. This will help us in maintaining the momentum as we move forward,” added Rajeev.

Net profit after taxes for the first half was Tk 1070 crore with 19.2% margin compared to Tk1,050 crore with 20.4% margin of the corresponding period of 2015. Higher revenue and efficiency in operating expenditure led to a healthy EBITDA (before other items) of Tk3,060 crore with corresponding margin of 54.8%. Earnings per share (EPS) for the period stood at Tk7.92. l

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TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2016

ADB trims 2016 growth forecast for developing Asia n Reuters

The Asian Development Bank lowered its 2016 growth forecast for developing Asia yesterday, citing the slowing US economy and nearterm shocks from Britain’s decision to leave the European Union.

Developing Asia, which groups

45 countries in the Asia Pacific region, is now expected to expand 5.6% this year, slightly weaker than a March forecast of 5.7%, the ADB said in a supplement to its Asian Development Outlook 2016.

The shock British vote in June to secede from the EU has chilled already tepid growth in the euro

area and has shaken global financial markets.

The Manila-based multi-lateral lending agency kept its 2017 growth estimate for the region at 5.7%, however.

“Although the Brexit vote has affected developing Asia’s currency and stock markets, its impact on

the real economy in the short term is expected to be small,” said ADB chief economist Shang-Jin Wei. The ADB believes China is still on track to grow 6.5% this year and 6.3% in 2017, with government plans to cut excess industrial capacity in the world’s second-largest economy expected to weigh on

growth next year.

China’s economy expanded slightly faster than expected in the second quarter but private investment growth shrank to a record low, suggesting future weakness which could pressure the government to roll out more support measures. l

The United Group receives a prequalification licence yesterday from the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority COURTESY

United Group gets licence for IT park n Tribune Business Desk The United Group will establish an IT-based economic zone in Dhaka, which will be the first of its kind in Bangladesh.

Once established, this is expected to create around 10,000 jobs and attract foreign investments to the country.

The United Group received a prequalification licence yesterday from the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA), said a press release.

The zone will be named the “United City IT Park” and built on a nearly 2.5-acre land in Shatarkul area of the capital.

BEZA Executive Chairman Paban Chowdhury handed over the licence to United Group Director Malik Talha Ismail Bari.

Talha Ismail Bari is also managing director of the United City IT Park.

With the pre-qualification licence, United Group can now start the zone’s development work like environmental impact assessment and feasibility study. After completion of the work, the group will get a full licence to establish the economic zone.

The United Group currently have investments in healthcare, energy, manufacturing, port and maritime, real estate, education, and service sectors.

BEZA has so far given prequalification licences to seven local private companies to set up economic zones.

But the licence to the United Group is the first to set up an IT-based economic zone. l

Kerry: EU-US trade deal could ease Brexit damage n AFP, Brussels US Secretary of State John Kerry said yesterday that a massive EU-US trade deal could soften any damage caused by Britain’s exit from the European Union following last month’s referendum.

The treaty, bogged down in negotiations, has “a very significant ability to act as a counter” to the negative effects of Britain’s eventual divorce from the EU, Kerry told

a press conference in Brussels.

“It’s our job to make sure that we adequately inform people about the facts of how TTIP will actually work for the people of Europe,” Kerry said.

“It will protect jobs, it will protect their regulatory rights, protect their abilities with respect to labour and the environment,” he said.

Negotiators from the US and the EU are currently in trade talks to finalise the proposed TTIP. l

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Business

TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2016

Dollar rallies with Fed rate hike back in focus n AFP, Sinagpore

The dollar rallied yesterday after forecast-beating US retail sales data bolstered expectations that the Federal Reserve will hike interest rates this year, while the Turkish lira recovered after being hit by the weekend’s attempted coup.

Official figures on Friday showed US retail sales advanced 0.6% in June, signalling a pickup in consumer spending, which drives about two-thirds of the world’s biggest economy. They also came a week after a massive surge in US jobs creation last month.

“The market is pricing in a great-

China woes dent S’pore exports, more stimulus may be needed n Reuters, Singapore Singapore’s exports skidded in June as shipments to China and Europe continued to contract, suggesting the trade-reliant economy may need more stimulus to support a fragile recovery in the face of weak global demand and concerns over Brexit.

The affluent city-state’s economy grew slower-than-expected in the second quarter as underlying weakness in its key financial services industry added to the pressure on output from a depressed manufacturing sector.

Non-oil domestic exports (NODX) fell 2.3% last month from a year earlier, the trade agency International Enterprise Singapore said in a statement yesterday.

That was slightly better than the median forecast of a 3% fall in a Reuters poll, but partially unwound an unexpected rise in May on gold and

pharmaceuticals shipments.

Some economists say the government may need to boost fiscal stimulus in the event of more pressure on the economy.

“With MAS’ policy complicated by the strength in the S$NEER, there is still space for subsequent off-budget fiscal measures should the economic outlook deteriorate further,” said Weiwen Ng, an economist for ANZ in Singapore.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore manages policy by letting the Singapore dollar rise or fall against the currencies of its main trading partners based on its nominal effective exchange rate (NEER).

In April, the central bank eased policy by setting the rate of appreciation of the policy band at zero percent.

But the Singapore dollar has remained strong on demand for safe-haven in emerging Asia, putting further pressure on both exports and inflation. l

RBI’s Rajan: India needs to continue push for financial inclusion n Reuters India needs to continue fine-tuning rules on collateral and interest rates to ensure financial institutions have enough incentives to keep lending to the poor, central bank Governor Raghuram Rajan said yesterday.

Rajan said the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) would continue to look at the rules as it seeks to find a careful balance between the needs of the poor and the push for profits by financial institutions.

As such, Rajan said the RBI may look at easing rules that at present prohibit taking col-

lateral for loans below a certain size for some population segments, and reducing the ceiling rates for loans provided by micro-finance firms.

“I am confident that in the foreseeable future we will bring formal financial services to every Indian who wants them,” Rajan said at a seminar on financial inclusion in Hyderabad, according to a copy of a speech released by the RBI. “Financial inclusion will be an important element in ensuring access and equity, necessary building blocks for the sustainable growth of our country.” l

er probability of a Fed rate hike in 2016,” said Stephen Innes, senior trader at OANDA Asia Pacific.

“To be exact, US interest rate futures are pricing in a 40 percent chance of a 25 (point) hike in December. The accelerator has been an intense round of US data on the heels of strong June employ-

ment figures.” A Fed rate increase typically encourages investors to the US currency for better returns, boosting its value.

In Singapore morning trade, the dollar was at 105.60 Japanese yen, up from 104.79 yen in late New York trade on Friday.

The greenback also rose against

most other Asian currencies, with the South Korean won and India’s rupee each down 0.2%, while the Indonesian rupiah slipped 0.1%.

Malaysia’s ringgit shed 0.9% and the Singapore dollar dipped 0.1%.

However, the euro rose to $1.1069 from $1.1041 Friday and to 116.87 yen from 115.70 yen. l

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Tech

TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2016

Tech roundup Some new tech tid-bits for a new week has enough flavour to bring in the audience on a regular basis.

Theatre chains will have to continue to bring in extra bonuses that most moviegoers will never experience at home. Only time will tell if theatres can maintain a healthy capacity of avid movie lovers.

Upgrade for 10

There’s going to be a huge upgrade coming for all you Windows 10 users this August 2. Microsoft recently stated that

n Mahmood Hossain While the rest of the world loses their minds over playing Pokémon Go, it’d be unwise to completely dismiss or disregard the other note-worthy news in the tech world.

Something small but good

The network giants Netflix have recently released a new feature for subscribers. Flixtape (how originally) is a new service that allows viewers to put together a short playlist of films or shows that can be shared throughout social media or with someone special. It’s like bringing an IMDB movie playlist to life. The only drawback that movies available will be determined by where you are currently located.

The instructions are very simple and to the point. It’s like any other media player that allows you to put together a playlist, except this only has films. So if you’re trying to get all romantic with your significant other and put together a modern-day mix-tape, Flixtape is a pretty darn good choice. You name your Flixtape, add or remove movies from the list, customise your cover and share away.

Film advancement

Netflix seems to be a common theme here, but it’s relating to a very important topic. While most of us may assume that home video streaming services like Netflix are taking over, the everyday theatre are going to be given a huge upgrade. The truth is, home theatre setups are getting better and better, which makes life a tad difficult for theatre chains around the world. Filmmakers will continue to create entertaining content but mostly to get butts in those seats. It’s only natural that cinema technology advances to hopefully retain the audience

at an appropriate rate. Take the American theatre chain AMC for example. They are currently the largest IMAX partner in North America. They also have a premium theatre chain called AMC Prime that give moviegoers an amazingly comfortable seating that shakes and rumbles at certain parts of a movie. This has been tagged as “4D movies”.

Soon enough, IMAX shot digital cameras will provide the virtual reality experience for audiences.

Sure it’ll cost a bit extra, but it

this ‘Anniversary Update’ will be absolutely free. With legitimate registration, Microsoft also let us know that there over 350 million active users of Windows 10 all over the world. So why exactly is this an important update for Windows users? Don’t worry, just because it says anniversary it’s not going to be a radical change. However, there are some really cool changes in its features.

The first to note is the user is now able to activate Cortana on the lock screen. That means you

Soon enough, IMAX shot digital cameras will provide the virtual reality experience for audiences

can ask the Windows personal assistant to turn your favourite playlist on without unlocking your device. The updates continue with an improved Microsoft Edge browser that saves more battery than any other leading browser in the market. And of course, the bigger draw will be for the gamers out there. The new update will allow the new Xbox Play Anywhere feature for most devices. You can start a game on your Xbox One, and continue the same game where you left off on a Windows 10 PC. Windows Hello will also let you unlock certain password protected sources on your PC. You’ll be able to use your fingerprint and a shot of your iris as your password.

There are plenty of more details and features that will be available for Windows users this August.

Here’s another warning though, if you haven’t downloaded Windows 10 for free yet, get to it! The free version will only last up until the end of this month. Trust us, you’ll be cheating yourself if you don’t. l

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Gaming

TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2016

In the paper, the news, every day I am Celebs tap into gaming addiction, cash in on their fame

n Sabrina Fatma Ahmad While Kanye West was busy tweeting Mark Zuckerberg about his financial problems, his wife Kim Kardashian was laughing all the way to the bank with a cool $80 million in profits from her game Kim Kardashian: Hollywood, proving once again, that the folks up at Glu Mobile really know their business.

Banking on the success of their original venture Stardom: the A-list, and its equally popular sequel Stardom: Hollywood, decided to hitch their wagon to Mrs West’s brand power and the gamble paid off. The casual role-playing game would rake in a revenue of $100million in its first year, according to Forbes magazine, and continues to make bank for its titular character.

“Everyone quickly recognised the tremendous business opportunity” The buzz was enough to make other celebs sit up and take notice.

Celeb siblings Kendall and Kylie Jenner soon followed their famous sister with their own app Kendall and Kylie, and the numbers were so good (Thinkgaming.com reports a daily revenue of $15,628) that even reigning pop princesses have jumped on board for a piece of the action. Katy Perry released Katy Perry Pop in December last year, and no less than Britney Spears followed suite with Britney Spears: American Dream this May. There’s even a Bollywood version of the game.

Basic gameplay

For each of the games, you start from the bottom as a nobody with big dreams, and a serendipitous tip-off from one of your friends leads you to the path of stardom, where, depending on whose life you’re playing, you’ll have to sing, act, make celebrity appearances, until you stand at the very pinnacle, adored by fans, worshipped by the press. There’s usually one big antagonist who has it in for you throughout the game, trying to foil your every move, and providing a little bit of competition.

How they compare

The original Glu Game Stardom: The A-list took the basic tycoon game format, added customisations and then sent it out to the world.

Stardom: Hollywood took it a step further with tongue-in-cheek references to actual movies, sly nods to real life gossip and trivia, and is a treat for film buffs and pop-culture geeks as you keep wondering what you’ll come across next.

Kim K’s game, in focusing on the rise and rise of the reality-TV star, took a lot of the creative talent and work ethics out of the game-play and replaced it with media savvy and empty consumerism. As Jessica Winter, the features editor at Slate magazine said, “With 21stcentury shades of Pygmalion and Fitzgerald’s Bernice Bobs Her Hair,

KK:H allows Kim to enshrine the lessons of her climb to the top without having to write a memoir.

That KK:H has achieved its success by mimicking another Glu Mobile game, Stardom Hollywood, also maps neatly onto Kim’s biography, which itself mimics the template set by her one-time employer Paris Hilton: a voyage from L.A. socialite to sex-tape protagonist to realityTV star to generalised stander-in-

front-of-things.” Make no mistake; for all the criticism one has for the soullessness of the game, it is still the top earner amongst Glu Games, and has expanded from a phone app to a desktop version available on Facebook.

Kendall and Kylie went all out with personalising their game with real video clips and a feature that allows you to Instagram actual screenshots from your progress,

but the resulting app is buggy, slow and prone to hanging.

Ms Perry tried to bring the conversation back to the creative aspect of the long road to fame, but perhaps got a little too creative, what with the “Katy Vision” feature taking the storyline down what feels like one long acid trip, and predictably enough, this is one game that tanked.

The other one that didn’t get far is the Bollywood game, which is actually not a Glu Games product, but an attempt at copying the format, and not a very good one.

Some how pose maro as an activity doesn’t sit well in the stomach.

Moving on to the latest release, the Britney Spears game take elements from the Stardom format, includes a live chat option, and allows the player greater control over the storyline.

Whether it will have the same success as KK:H, only time will tell.

However you feel about the content of the games, there’s no denying that the intimate access into the lives of celebs can make an experience as addicting as those gossip tabloids you pretend you don’t read. And the numbers don’t lie. We’re hearing rumours that Nicki Minaj, Demi Lovato, and weirdly, Jason Statham are also in talks with Glu Games for their animated biographies, so it looks like we can look forward to a lot more where Stardom came from. l

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Biz Info

TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2016

| youth forum |

| hospitality |

“TELENOR YOUTH FORUM 2016” opens for entries in Bangladesh

Jovago launches iOS app for Apple users in Asia

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 Telenor Youth Forum was announced at a press conference on July 16, at a local hotel. Syed Tanvir Husain, director, center of expertise, people and organisation, and Sayed Talat Kamal, head of external communications, Grameenphone Ltd, were present on the occasion.

The forum will take place in Oslo, Norway, in December 2016.

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 “Digitalisation for Peace”.

Under the local selection process, 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. Two candidates will be selected from each of the 13 countries where the Telenor Group operates,

including Bangladesh. 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 2016. 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 heads from Telenor.

Last year, Abreeshme Haque of Institute of Business Administration (IBA) and Sabab Rahman, also of IBA won the local contest of Telenor Youth Forum and represented Bangladesh 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. Check out the Youth Forum website for more.

Applications can be submitted through following link: https:// www.telenor.com/youthforum/ application-requirements/ l

| orientation |

Freshers' orientation and youth leadership training program

The freshers' orientation of Cambrian Education Group and a youth leadership training program was recently held at Mirpur Indoor Stadium on July 16.

Sheikh Kabir Hossain, former international director, Lions Clubs International and chairman, private university owners association was present

as the chief guest. Nurul Amin, national parliament member, members of Lions Clubs International and around eight thousand students were present at the event. Among them, about 1500 students were officially registered.

The guests discussed the importance of proper educational

guidance. The chief guest appreciated Cambrian Education Group for their contribution in education. Moreover, he emphasised on how moral education can restrain the country from terrorism and extremism. He urged everyone to stay vigilant in such alarming situations. l

Africa’s leading online hotel booking platform, Jovago.net, has launched its first iOS app in Asia (Myanmar, Pakistan and Bangladesh) which will further revolutionise hotel booking experience for iOS users in the region.

The largest online hotel inventory in Africa has officially launched its iOS app in Asia, which will further transform the way travelers book hotels online using their mobile devices. This is part of Jovago’s drive to provide an exciting mobile user experience for its Apple clients.

“The launch of the iOS app is a great step towards our efforts in creating faster and flexible booking experience to our customers who are looking for accommodation across Asia,” said Paul Midy, CEO of Jovago. “There is a need to tap into the vast growth of mobile devices in Asia and with the iOS App, more of our

customers can readily access our growing inventory of hotels on the go,” he added.

The iOS app, which has a sturdy repute for being quick and secure, will allow customers to find and book accommodation from the site’s list of over 3,000 hotels in Asia and over 200,000 the world over; all in the palm of their hand. Travelers can take advantage of the app using their Apple devices to view profile pages for listed hotels including pictures, descriptions, locations, amenities and reviews; as well as get exclusive deals and offers and have the best price guaranteed.

“Six months after the launch of the Android app, today Jovago offers an app with all our latest options and technologies,” said Abdesslam Benzitouni, Global Head of Public Relations. “Apple users represent around 25% of our visitors; therefore, we want to provide the best hotel booking experience to all mobile users in the continent,” added Abdesslam.

Notably, the iOS application is the latest version of the Android, well advanced and without possible software bugs. As the use of smartphones boom in Asia, mobile travel bookings have also become more commonplace than the conventional booking methods, with Jovago recording approximately 60% of online bookings per day in the region.

In a bid to help its clients keep up with the trends, Jovago.net is committed to keep diversifying its technological tools, in order to promote thousands of hotel options.

The iOS app is now available in the App Store to the entire community of Apple users for free.

Jovago offers a 10% discount for all iOS users for their first booking. l

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Auto Connect

TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2016

The long con of the short lived Twentieth Century Motor Car Company; a company that went on to pull off one of the most bizarre automotive heist of the 20th century

n ASM Foysal The finest trick of the devil is to persuade the world that he does not exist. In a rather ghoulish irony, the Twentieth Century Motor Car Company did exactly the opposite. In concept, the Twentieth Century Motor Car Company had all the right components to compete against the titans, General Motors, Ford and Chrysler, in their territory.

Their signature prototype, The

Dale, was their primary weapon to take out the big three.The 1970’s oil crisis had hit the American economy hard and the Dale was the beacon of light, which was to hit the marketplace in 1974, to lead the general people away from the darkness and depression. It was around the same time the Ford Mustang II was set to hit the market. However, the Dale seemedlike the winner of the two, it was the ground breaking answer

to the exuberant fuel costs at the time.The dale in fact was unlike anything they have ever seen.

The Dale was an off looking thing by any standards, two wheels in the front, one in the back, kind of a reverse Reliant Robin. In spite of the peculiar design, the Dale was supposedly very stable because of its extremely low center of gravity.

TCMCC claimed the Dale would be powered by an 850CC boxer engine and it would do 70 miles to

thousand Dales a year and she had already sold over half a year’s production lineup. Her unassuming yet confident manner was largely responsible for the hype of the Dale to spread across the country.

While on one front the Dale was making waves on the popularity and publicity scale, on the other it was generating suspicion and naturally so, everything the Dale had to offer was too good to be true. The California department of

the gallon and reach a top speed of 85 miles an hour. Weighing at only one thousand pound, the body of the Dale was made of a superlight composite material called Rigidex and they claimed the material to be 70 times stronger than steel!

Regardless of the state-of-the-art and revolutionary technology, the Dale was priced at $2000.

Surely this awe-inspiring innovation would require a face to go with it, enter Elizabeth Carmichael, the domineering California girl set to take the Dale to lime light. She had a mechanical engineering degree, a passion for cars and to top it off, she also possessed a degree in marketing. Her high intelligence, beguiling charms and endearing personality was what secured the Dales “future,” a future beginning with 3 million USD in advanced sales. According to reports, the TCMCC production line would manufacture over two hundred

motor vehicles took a keen interest on TCMCC and discovered that the company was not going into large scale production, quite far from it, their production line was better suited to produce fictitious Dales than any real ones. Even with 3 million USD is advanced sales, their production facilities were nonexistent. The DMV shutdown TCMCC’s car selling operations and dealership franchises and the California authorities turned up the heat on her. It was quite clear the entire operation was a sham but Elizabeth was ahead of the game, she moved herself and the company’s head office to Texas but that didn’t last too long.

The California authorities were investigating and unravelling the fragments of treachery that was the Twentieth Century Motor Company. The factories were completely empty, not a single piece of evidence suggested that there were any cars being

produced in spite of the company having acquired millions of dollars in capital. A prototype of the Dale was eventually found in the research and development lab of TCMCC and what they discovered was a far cry from what was initially promised.

To begin with, the vehicle had no engine, upon closer inspection the rear wheel was found to have been held on by two-by-four lengths of wood. the accelerator wasn’t attached to anything, the windows were made of god knows what glass, they would bend to and fro. The doors were put on by regular door hinges, ones you’d expect to see on the doors in a house. To their credit, the vehicle did have a body but that’s all there was to it, the Dale was nonexistent!

The Dallas police couldn’t get their hands on Liz Carmichael, she proved too smart for that, but they did make an interesting discovery.

They found out that Liz wasn’t the woman she said she was; in fact, she wasn’t a woman at all! She was formerly known as Jerry Dean Michael, a wanted man by the FBI since 1961 on several accounts ofcounterfeiting and jumping bail.

“Her” credentials were completely falsified, and she managed to evade capture for a while. When finally, she was caught, she got extradited back to California. After serving over two years in prison she was released in parole. She died in 2004 of cancer.

The Twentieth Century Motor Car Company was a house of cards, stacks sitting on top of others ready to tumble over at the slightest draft of air. A web of lies that cost investors millions of dollars. Truth is often stranger than fiction and to be fair to the investors, even the greatest of story tellers would be hard put to match the elaborate scheme of Elizabeth Carmichael. l

DT

20 Editorial

TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2016

TODAY

Thy kingdom come Why is the government continuing to blame the opposition when the attack has every evidence to suggest that it was IS? Why is the BCL now hammering its nail into one of the few places that enjoys a relative form of freedom?

PAGE 21

De-radicalising Bangladesh in four steps Radical Islamism may seem to some, if not many, as the most feasible and lucrative way of a successful conveyance of grievance, especially when all other peaceful avenues seem not to exist anymore PAGE 22

It’s time to get even There is no time to waste. We should not dissipate our energies by mindless, unplanned actions. Inconveniencing everyone by sealing off the roads in Gulshan is a typically inadequate and largely ineffective measure 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.

We need to get our priorities straight. Restaurants aren’t the problem

T

he recent decision by the government to take action against Holey Artisan Bakery for “operating illegally” is a clear case of the government’s inability to set its priorities straight.

This comes as part of a wider decision to shut down all restaurants, educational institutes, and hospitals operating without permission in the Gulshan area in Dhaka.

Though initiatives to uphold the rules is normally a good idea, to do it now in the wake of the horrific attack where many innocent people lost their lives, is an insensitive attempt at passing blame and distracting from the real issue.

Moving in on the owners of Holey Artisan as a consequence of what happened on that terrible night is a shameful move on part of the authorities, and is victim blaming at its worst.

What happened almost three weeks ago was a tragedy, but this is not what this country needs right now.

The government needs to focus on investigating what led to the attack in the first place, and to prevent incidents such as these from happening in the future.

As of last night, questions still remain with regards to what really occurred, and about the actions taken by the government since then.

Blaming the owners of well-known establishments, which provide much-needed employment to countless across the city and nation, and shifting the focus on to them and their personal and financial goings-on will solve nothing.

We need to focus on what’s important.

The government needs to find the real masterminds behind the incident instead of clouding the issue.

Moving in on the owners of Holey Artisan as a consequence of what happened on that terrible night is a shameful move on part of the authorities, and is victim blaming at its worst

DT

21

Opinion

TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2016

Thy kingdom come We’re heading into a future we’ve seen before

n SN Rasul

M

y friends, family, and acquaintances are under the impression that the world is coming to an end.

To paraphrase something George Carlin once said with regards to global warming: The earth will be fine. It’s we that won’t survive it.

One needs to merely look out the window to realise that both the people around me, and George Carlin, are right in their own regards. As attack after attack rains down upon us, as we find more and more people in our midst who sympathise, who choose to remain blind, who choose to turn the other way, who choose to give up, as generalisations start to rule our judgement, as our thoughts get policed much like our rights, as authorities refuse to accept the existence of a real threat and instead choose to create a completely fabricated narrative, as governments almost topple, one can’t help but feel that, indeed, the world as we know it, is coming to an end.

As of writing this column, the latest supposedly religious extremist attack had been carried out on three bauls in Chuadanga.

They were asleep when a gang of about 12 men came with “indigenous weapons” to swoon in on the unsuspecting singers, and started hacking with them.

The latest news states that they

The threat of terror, the potential for conversion, the inherent roots of violence have become as indigenous to the world as the weapons used to swing at three unsuspecting singers.

But who cares about the rest of the world?

For most Bangladeshis, the world is right here. And within the world, there are divisions, classes, lines drawn out of money and wealth, heritage and dynasty.

The Holey incident burst a bubble; the Sholakia incident proved to us that the bubble never really gets eradicated. Who knows the names of the victims? Who will remember them?

Nationalists and patriots complain that I paint a grim picture. The fact that our peers, people in our midst, are choosing to take the path now-oft travelled is not indicative of the Bangladesh we know; that Bangladesh still exists.

The same sentiment is mirrored in the PM’s address to the nation: How the Gulshan attack has dented the country’s “esteemed position.”

What esteemed position? Last time I heard, I still had to linger in the heat in public to get an Indian visa. What esteemed position allows the world to see us as the excreta of the world? What country in an esteemed position allows little for the freedom of its citizens, and lets its inhabitants linger in shrouds of mystery and opacity?

Choosing to remain blind won’t solve anything

Why is the government continuing to blame the opposition when the attack has every evidence to suggest that it was IS? Why are they concentrating only on private universities, when terrorists come in all shapes and sizes? Why is the BCL now hammering its nail into one of the few places that enjoys a relative form of freedom?

remain in critical condition.

This followed Nice, as a deranged Tunisian drove and shot into the Bastille Day celebrations on the Promenade des Anglais, killing more than 80 people in the process.

Before that, there was Baghdad.

Before that, Turkey. Before that, Sholakia. And before that, Holey Artisan.

And before that? Foretellings and premonitions, bullets zipping past ear sockets and into innocent hearts, screaming: The end is nigh.

Bangladesh was no heaven and no haven, even before the Holey incident. And there’s no chance of it improving any time soon.

With the government, as always, choosing to focus on the wrong foes, merely to keep its stronghold on its perennial pseudodemocratic leadership over the country, the public awaits for truth regarding what really took place.

As each day brings new revelations about the incidents (Nibras and Abir were roommates?), the public is left wondering, left in the dark,

trying to search for the needle in giant bureaucratic, intentionally ambiguous haystack that is the government’s investigation into the matter.

All we’ve been left with are questions: Where are Tahmid and Hasnat?

Why are they being held back?

Why did they deny that they had them? Why are they admitting they have them now? Who are the other two attackers who were arrested?

Why did they give false names for the terrorists first? In what

world is it okay for a government to so blatantly lie to our faces?

Why is there continued impunity for their actions? Why have we accepted this method of interrogation and investigation?

Why is the government continuing to blame the opposition when the attack has every evidence to suggest that it was IS? Why are they concentrating only on private universities, when terrorists come in all shapes and sizes? Why is the BCL now hammering its nail into one of the few places that enjoys a relative form of freedom?

How did the government allow this to happen, if, as Home Minster Asaduzzaman claims, they “knew everything”? Why are conspiracy theories regarding the incident more believable than every single thing the government’s representatives spit out of their mouth?

And the way things are progressing, it seems unlikely that we’ll be getting the answers

BIGSTOCK

we seek. The world will continue to burn while those who burn it refuse to acknowledge the fact, for denial serves to contribute to its destruction as much as the physical act of it.

Is this how the world will end, with nary a denouement? No neat little tying up of all loose points, no peace at the heart of this turmoil?

But maybe Carlin was right: The world has always had phases.

People have come and gone, risen and fallen. Terror has always struck fear in our hearts, only the name of the game has changed.

Leaders need enemies to pit against us, and the disenfranchised reactionaries need to feel like their position in the world, too, must matter.

Go back, come again. Rinse, repeat, recycle. Hold the door open and let the past in, so that we can go into a future we’ve seen before. l SN Rasul is a Sub-Editor at the Dhaka Tribune. Follow him @snrasul.

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TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2016

De-radicalising Bangladesh in four steps We are in a crisis. How can we get out of it? This is the first part of a three-part long form

n Asif Shibgat Bhuiyan

T

he Dhaka terrorist attack has sufficiently confirmed with evidence that we are in a crisis. After some contemplation, I think I can come up with the following four steps that we should immediately, as immediately as possible that is, partake in order to restore parity of common sense. I personally recognise myself as a committed Muslim, and an ardent student of the faith, the effect of which can be obviously noticed in this writing.

But despite my bias, I will argue that the steps presented are still very practical and some are empirically observable. I have tried to be less rhetorical (much less than many famed intellectuals and journalists of the country) and less verbose and have come straight to the point. Some of the concepts presented may seem a bit elaborate and perhaps even repetitive. I think they only point out to the importance of the concepts in contention. So here they are:

Progressive religious education can stop kids from getting the wrong idea

RAJIB DHAR

Ensuring political equilibrium

By political equilibrium I mean a true democratic politics, not a pseudo one. The essential element of a democratic politics is the presence of a strong opposition party. The effect of the absence of a strong opposition party will not only be felt in the immediate parliamentarian democracy, but also will trickle down to the deterioration of other less immediate but equally important, if not more, values such as freedom of press and freedom to associate and congregate (which is exactly what is happening in Bangladesh).

Whoever argues that Islamic militancy is a discrete affair not related to the local political dynamics is dangerously wrong, and such shallow assessment will only lead to a wrong diagnosis to the actual problem.

Lack of political equilibrium serves as the Goldilocks condition in the radicalisation of Islam. Let me pose two arguments in its support.

Firstly, a mere look at all the countries that have been proved to be the breeding grounds or shelter for militancy confirms that one of the common elements in them is

Radical Islamism may seem to some, if not many, as the most feasible and lucrative way of a successful conveyance of grievance, especially when all other peaceful avenues seem not to exist anymore

this lack of political equilibrium.

Hence, the claim that the ongoing political structure is required, even if not desirable in and of itself, to fight the so-called fight against terrorism, is not tenable. It is tantamount to saying that what helps infest the pests is in turn the insecticide to terminate them. This non-functional democracy will only help cement radical Islamism in a country where previously it was not getting a strong foothold.

Secondly, the manifestation of political dissent may no longer follow the previous unarmed demonstrative routes as we have seen in the 90s. In order to understand this, we need to summon a concept called “path dependence.� Path dependence, a concept more used in sociology and economics, refers to the phenomenon that the ultimate

outcome of a sociological or historical event doesn’t always follow a predictable pattern, rather it is affected by all the accidental occurrences along the journey.

Hence the recent upsurge of IS in one area has its effect on how rebellious voices will manifest their dissent in some other seemingly separate place. Radical Islamism may seem to some, if not many, as the most feasible and lucrative way of a successful conveyance of grievance, especially when all other peaceful avenues seem not to exist anymore. Path dependence entails that, after the rise of al-Qaeda and IS, the whole language of dissent and rebellion, especially in a Muslim majority country, will find a new direction and momentum.

If that is true -- which to me it is -- then the foremost remedy

of the problem is to bring back a representative government and a strong opposition party in order to break the Goldilocks condition.

Introduction of a progressive and credible mass religious education

It should not miss anyone the demographics of the miscreants of the recent terrorist attacks. Most of them seem to be coming from the higher rungs of the socio-economic hierarchical strata. A new tide which has flowed across globally in the Muslim communities has engulfed Bangladesh too.

A free flow of data and information has rejuvenated Islamic knowledge and how it is obtained through the internet and social media. Since the last decade, a good portion of the Bangladeshi youth has explored Islam from globally reputed

scholars, lecturers, websites, books, pamphlets, and articles which are cognitively and ideologically more powerful than the materials and sermons provided by the traditional local imams and religious personalities.

But as with everything with the internet, this unrestricted flow of religious materials has also opened the floodgate for the radical version of religious hermeneutics.

Opposed to the more contextualised, pragmatic, and nuanced presentation of a moderate Islamic approach by the majority, this radical approach takes the overly rhetorical, literal, and self-empowering route, which can often prove fatally more straight forward, free of hypocrisy, and action-packed. The chance of the latter to put an indelible mark in the impressionable minds of the youth is unmistakable. l The second part of this long form will be published tomorrow.

Asif Shibgat Bhuiyan is the co-owner of Taqwa School, an Islamic Education platform based in Bangladesh which aims to popularise Islamic knowledge in Bangladesh and Bengali speaking people.

DT

23

Opinion

TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2016

It’s time to get even

To fight the threat of IS, we need to be organised and precise

We may need to take the fight to IS, wherever in the world they are

REUTERS

There is no time to waste. We should not dissipate our energies by mindless, unplanned actions. Inconveniencing everyone by sealing off the roads in Gulshan is a typically inadequate and largely ineffective measure

n Ghiasuddin Bhuiyan

I

am consumed by a cold fury.

When I have been crossed (and I mean seriously crossed) in my professional and personal life, I have always acted on the principle: Don’t get mad, get even.

It is time now for the people of Bangladesh, in all their united majesty, to get even. We must be thoughtful, and react with forceful precision against our enemies.

Look at all the aggressions committed against us for which we need to exact our revenge. Most heinous of all is the besmirching of Islam, a life-affirming religion full of the highest spiritual good, which has been portrayed to the world as if it is the opposite, helping to create even more Islamophobia, and so, directly harming us by negatively impacting all our interactions with outsiders.

Then there is the humiliation and mass killing of innocent citizens of Bangladesh, including my friend Ishrat, whose murder we must avenge if we are not to hang our heads in shame.

The showy, brutal killing of foreigners is another obscenity which is a massive insult to the traditions and self-respect of our nation, as we have always been known for our hospitality -- and for this, the perpetrators must be made to pay.

The killing of foreigners has also damaged our nation’s economy (affecting the interests of citizens of all classes) which has to be considered an act of treason, punishable by the death penalty.

So, in the face of these horrid crimes, how should we hit back?

Firstly, we congratulate the government for the commando operation launched against the

perpetrators.

Then we need to go to the next step of targeting the evil masterminds who are pulling the strings, and brainwashing these idiotic young people.

We need to take an unemotional, rational approach. In my view, the first step is to develop a highly capable action-cum-intelligence agency.

Of course, it is sad it has come to this, but we have no more choice in the matter. In the modern world, wars are no longer primarily fought by battleships and military hardware. The main battles take place by proxy using the services of highly trained intelligence agencies.

Bangladesh has always been on the receiving end of such interventions. We have always passively accepted these acts of war without retaliating. But no more.

We can be sure that these IS attacks which have so badly hurt our national interests have also been conducted by some intelligence agency or other; nothing of this order of gravity and scale happens in the world by accident.

These are all carefully planned actions, even though a clever cover story is concocted to confuse and fool people.

We cannot afford to be naïve simpletons any more. Accordingly, we need to fight with the same weapons of deception, spy-craft, and signals intelligence, based on deep study of the political and social conditions which apply.

For this purpose, Bangladesh needs to build an intelligence institution. I have enough confidence in the capability of our people, and the rage which motivates us today, to be sure that it will have as much skill as any, and as much chance of getting results.

The honourable prime minister should immediately call in the experts, both military and civilian, to set up such a semi-secret actioncum-intelligence agency, and provide them with the financial resources to operate. We can take help from other such agencies in the world, but be beholden to none of them.

We need an independent capability to face such attacks,

and to take pre-emptive action if necessary. I would argue that by not having an organised independent capability means leaving our country and its people completely defenseless against the threats which loom.

It would be the equivalent of scrapping our armed forces completely, and dismantling our frontiers.

In this new theatre of combat, and especially given that IS and its master agency have made it perfectly clear that they intend to target us in the future, we must have the weapons to fight this kind of war.

Terrorists who are captured can be valuable assets. We need a highpowered agency which can make such distinctions instead of relying on ordinary policemen who can’t help but go about their work in a heavy-handed manner.

The principal idea is to take the battle to the IS masterminds wherever they are, not wait supinely for the next blow from them. We should plan to send highly trained commandos all the way to Raqqa if necessary, to stalk and take out the key leaders.

Our enemies have declared war on us. While it is good for morale to write and publish endless articles denouncing the enemy, we also need to take physical action, both offensive and defensive, tailored to take on these wicked forces.

For this, we urgently need to develop a sophisticated organ of intelligence-based operatives, which should be focused on external threats only.

There is no time to waste. We should not dissipate our energies by mindless, unplanned actions.

Inconveniencing everyone by sealing off the roads in Gulshan is a typically inadequate and largely ineffective measure.

Improved religious education is important in the long run, but a more muscular response right now is also necessary.

We must work in a level-headed manner to carefully identify the path of maximum short-term impact, and act decisively. There is no better way to start than for the government, and united people of Bangladesh, to immediately develop intelligence-based forces with which we can get even, massively and thoroughly, with these scoundrels who have made the mistake of tweaking the tail of the tiger. Anything short of this would amount to dereliction of duty on our part. l Ghiasuddin Bhuiyan is a freelance contributor.

DT

24 Sport

TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2016

TOP STORIES

China to send 416 athletes to Rio China will send 416 athletes to Rio de Janeiro next month, its largest overseas delegation in Olympic history, continuing its pursuit of medals that saw it take second spot in the table behind the United States four years ago. PAGE 25

Yasir tops rankings after Lord’s heroics Pakistan leg-spinner Yasir Shah has knocked England seamer James Anderson off the top of the International Cricket Council Test rankings in the aftermath of his match-winning heroics at Lord’s, London. PAGE 26

A trio of photos show the Bangladesh footballers during the logo-unveiling ceremony of the upcoming ninth edition of the Bangladesh Premier League. Bangladesh captain Mamunul Islam along with his national team mates pose for photographs with the BPL trophy (top), Mamunul takes a selfie (bottom right) while the footballers display their respective teams’ jerseys alongside local models

BPL logo, trophy unveiled n Tribune Report

Donald’s recordequalling double-ton Glamorgan teenager Aneurin Donald equalled the record for the fastest double-century in first-class cricket with a stunning innings against Derbyshire on Sunday. Donald’s knock included 15 sixes. PAGE 27

Messi still the best, says Ronaldinho Lionel Messi is still the best player in the world despite never winning a major international trophy for Argentina, former Barcelona team mate and Brazil legend Ronaldinho said on Sunday. Messi is his country’s top goalscorer with 55 strikes. PAGE 28

The logo-unveiling ceremony of the upcoming ninth edition of the much-awaited JB Bangladesh Premier League took place at a city hotel yesterday.

This season’s professional football league will kick off at MA Aziz Stadium in Chittagong this Sunday while the opening ceremony is likely to be held tomorrow in the port city.

A total of 12 clubs will take part in the league which will be hosted in four venues – Dhaka, Chittagong, Sylhet and Mymensingh.

The league comprises a total of 122 matches.

This will be the first time in history 75 percent of the league fixtures will be held outside the capital, informed Bangladesh Football Federation’s senior vice president Abdus Salam Murshedy during the ceremony.

On the other hand, BFF president Kazi Salahuddin in his short speech requested for cooperation between the federation and the 12 clubs.

Meanwhile, Youth and Sports Minister Biren Sikder said the ministry is planning to reno-

vate and construct 490 stadiums across the country. He also stated that there will be tenders for 131 stadiums in two months in a bid to regularise football.

Although Saif Global Sports, a concern of Saif Power Tec, holds the rights of the BPL, Jaj Bhuiyan Group is the title sponsor of the forthcoming edition.

Chairman of Saif Global Sports Tarafdar Ruhul Amin assured of providing top security during the league and while urging for a combined effort, he also pledged once again to spread the game of

football across the country.

“We want to bring back the glory days of football. Next year we will start working with the clubs for the development of the respective clubs, and football as well,” said Ruhul Amin yesterday.

After speeches from the BFF officials, sponsors’ representatives, organisers and the Minister, the captain of the 12 top-flight clubs unveiled the home and away jerseys following which the premier league trophy was showcased to the media. l

Villavarayan delays return to Dhaka n Mazhar Uddin

The Bangladesh Cricket Board has said the national team’s strength and conditioning coach Mario Villavarayan, who was scheduled to conduct the training camp of the 30-member Bangladesh preliminary squad from tomorrow, will not be available due to personal reasons.

“Due to some personal reasons Mario Villavarayan is unable to join the training camp from [tomorrow]. However, he will be joining the camp very soon. The other foreign coaching staffs including coach Chandika Hathurusingha is expected to arrive in Bangladesh in the first week of August,” said BCB CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury.

Villavarayan, who is currently in Sri Lanka on holiday, was supposed to arrive in Bangladesh ahead of the training camp. In his absence, trainer Iftekharul Islam will conduct the Tigers’ strength and conditioning camp from tomorrow.

Meanwhile, BCB’s Australian physio Brett Harrop has resigned from his job for “family reasons”, according to the board. l

25

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Sport

TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2016

China to send 416 athletes to Rio n Reuters, Shanghai Afusi to replace Manik at Jamal? n Tribune Report Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club are likely to terminate their head coach Shafiqul Islam Manik and in his place, Nigerian tactician Joseph Afusi could rejoin the Dhanmondi giants for the third time.

Manik, who joined the Bangladesh Premier League champions in February this year and guided the side in the AFC Cup where they only won one out of six matches, trained the club yesterday morning which could be his final day with the club.

The club however, have not officially informed the veteran coach about the termination. But Manik said there is a letter for him at the club which he has not seen yet.

Sheikh Jamal’s football manager Anwarul Karim Helal said Manik’s termination has not been made official yet but informed that Afusi is likely to arrive in the country on August 1.

The former Muktijoddha Sangsad, Mohammedan Sporting Club and Chittagong Abahani coach failed to bring any success in the two professional tournaments so far – Independence Cup and Federation Cup – this season. However, he had missed out on the services of key players who joined elsewhere at the beginning of this season.

Afusi first joined the club as a player-cum-coach in the 2010-11 season. He retook the charge of the club in June last year after Maruful Haque was sacked. Afusi won the top-flight title twice with Sheikh Jamal and also earned the Federation Cup crown in 2013-14. l

Chinese Communist Party Politburo Standing Committee member Liu Yunshan greets members of the Chinese delegation before a launch ceremony in Beijing yesterday AP

China will send 416 athletes to Rio de Janeiro next month, its largest overseas delegation in Olympic history, continuing its pursuit of medals that saw it take second spot in the table behind the United States four years ago.

The country will send 256 women and 160 men to compete in 26 sports, the government said during a ceremony unveiling the team in Beijing yesterday, state news agency Xinhua reported. It fielded 396 athletes in the London 2012 games.

“This is the largest ever Olympic delegation China has sent overseas,” Cai Zhenhua, deputy director of China’s General Administration of Sport, was reported by Xinhua as saying. He added that the delegation has 711 members including 29 foreign coaches. l

WADA: Moscow lab protected doped Russian athletes at Sochi n Reuters, Toronto

Widespread doping and manipulation of tests by Russian athletes and officials at the Sochi Olympics, overseen by the ministry of sport, was confirmed by the World Anti-Doping Agency yesterday, further fuelling calls for a complete ban on the country from the Rio Games.

According to the WADA’s independent commission report, which was led by Canadian law professor and sports lawyer Richard McLaren and unveiled at a Toronto news conference, a Moscow laboratory protected

Russian athletes during the 2014 Sochi Winter Games.

McLaren, who was a member of WADA’s independent commission which last year exposed widespread doping and corruption in Russian athletics, leading to the ban on Russian track and field athletes from Rio, said the Russian Ministry of Sport oversaw the manipulation of athletes’ analytical results and sample swapping.

The report addressed accusations made by former Moscow Anti-Doping Laboratory head Grigory Rodchenkov, who two months ago told the New York Times dozens

of Russians used performance-enhancing drugs in Sochi with approval from national sports authorities.

Rodchenkov claimed that up to 15 Russian medal winners at the Sochi Winter Games were part of a program in which tainted urine samples were switched for clean ones.

According to McLaren, Rodchenkov and all other witnesses interviewed were deemed credible and the personnel at the Moscow laboratory did not have a choice in whether to be involved in the state-directed system.

Many organisations, includ-

ing the United States Anti-Doping agency, have said that the Sochi revelations should lead to a blanket ban on Russia.

However, Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee indicated last week that he was reluctant to see athletes from one sport punished for the crimes of those, or officials, from another.

Russian President Vladimir Putin staked his reputation on the Sochi Games, which at around $50 billion was the most expensive in Olympic history. Russia topped the medal table with 13 gold medals and 33 overall. l

Ba’s horror leg-break ‘could end career’ n AFP, Shanghai

Demba Ba (L) of Shanghai Shenhua reacts after breaking his left leg during the 17th round football match of the Chinese Super League against Shanghai SIPG in Shanghai on Sunday AFP

Former Chelsea striker Demba Ba’s career could be over after the 31-year-old suffered a horrific broken leg in the Shanghai derby at the weekend. The Senegalese marksman tangled with SIPG defender and captain Sun Xiang in the 63rd minute of his side’s 2-1 Chinese Super League victory.

As the pair fell, Ba’s left leg was caught between the turf and his opponent’s boot, bending at a sickening angle and then appearing to snap gruesomely below the knee.

Shenhua’s medical team raced on to the pitch without waiting for the

referee’s signal and the match was stopped for eight minutes while the Chinese Super League’s top scorer, with 14 goals, was treated on the pitch before being taken to hospital.

Speaking after the match, a visibly shaken Shenhua coach Gregorio Manzano said the incident was potentially career-ending.

“In my 33 years as a coach I have won, drawn and lost games, but today is the most bitter victory because what happened to Demba Ba is what no one ever wants to see,” Manzano said. “Football is unfair sometimes to let such a terrible thing happen to such a good man.

That could end a player’s career.”l

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26

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TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2016

IN NUMBERS

4-4

Pakistan’s win-loss record in Tests against England at Lord’s; only Australia, with a 15-7 record, have done better here against England. This win, though, was Pakistan’s first at Lord’s since 1996; in four Tests here between 2001 and 2010, they lost three times - twice to England and once to Australia.

Wickets for Yasir Shah, his first ten-wicket haul in Tests; his previous best was 9 for 155, against Sri Lanka in Galle last year.

The previous record for most wickets by a Pakistan bowler in a Lord’s Test: Waqar Younis took 8 for 154 in 1996, which was also the last time Pakistan won a Test here.

Yasir’s haul is also the second best by an overseas spinner at Lord’s, and only the seventh instance of a ten-for by any spinner here. The previous such instance was way back in 1974, when Derek Underwood took 13 for 71 against Pakistan.

Tests England have lost, out of their last five at Lord’s: in 2014 they lost to India, while Australia beat them last year. In 24 previous Tests here between 2002 and 2013, England had a 13-3 win-loss record, losing twice to South Africa and once to Australia.

Wickets for Yasir after 13 Tests, the most by any bowler at this stage of his career.

The next best is Australia’s Charlie Turner, a right-arm fast bowler who played in the 1880s and 1890s, who had 81 wickets after 13.

Instances of two bowlers taking a ten-for in the same Test - Yasir and Chris Woakes both achieved the feat here. The last such instance was in 2008, in a Test between Sri Lanka and India in Galle.

Balls faced by Woakes in this Test - 96 in the first innings and 108 in the second.

Add his match haul of 11 for 102, and it makes him only the fourth player to take a ten-for and face 200-plus deliveries in a Test (in matches where balls-faced data is available).

The others who have achieved it are Michael Bevan (1997, v West Indies), Chaminda Vaas (1995, v New Zealand) and Allan Border (1989, v West Indies). Woakes’ match figures of 11 for 102 are the fifth best for England in a defeat.

Number of dismissals in the 40s in this Test: Joe Root, James Vince, Gary Ballance and Jonny Bairstow for England; and Mohammad Hafeez, Asad Shafiq and Sarfraz Ahmed for Pakistan.

Only once in Test history have more batsmen been dismissed between 40 and 49: in an Ashes Test at Edgbaston in 1989, when eight batsmen fell in the 40s. There have only been three other Tests with seven dismissals in the 40s.

England’s Nos. 4, 5 and 6 all fell in the 40s in their second innings, the third such instance for any team in Test history.

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3 Pakistan players perform press ups as they celebrate winning their first Test against England at Lord’s

Pakistan celebrate with press-ups, military salute n AFP, London Pakistan celebrated their victory over England in the first Test at Lord’s on Sunday by performing a series of press-ups although defeated skipper Alastair Cook admitted it wasn’t pleasant viewing.

Misbah-ul-Haq’s side went on an army boot camp before the tour to improve their infamously poor fitness, and senior batsman Younis Khan led the squad in performing a routine of press-ups followed by a military-style salute in front of the ground’s famous Pavilion.

Misbah, 42, had celebrated in similar fashion on the opening day on Thursday after reaching a hundred that helped set up his team’s 75-run win.

“The team was really hoping that we get a chance, because I got a chance after scoring a hundred. I did that and everybody wanted to do that. That sends a small tribute to all those army men who were working really hard (with us),” said Misbah.

England captain Alastair Cook, asked for his views on Pakistan’s unusual post-match display, said: “You don’t take any offence, but certainly at that emotive time it’s not pleasant viewing. They (Pakistan) are entitled to do what they want. It’s united them and shows what a challenge we’ve got.” l

Yasir tops rankings after Lord’s heroics n AFP, London

Pakistan leg-spinner Yasir Shah has knocked England’s James Anderson off the top of the International Cricket Council Test rankings in the aftermath of his match-winning heroics at Lord’s.

Yasir’s maiden 10-wicket haul

in the first Test against England helped Pakistan secure a 75-run win and made him the first Pakistani to top the table since his fellow leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed 20 years ago.

The 30-year-old climbs from number four to the top of the ICC bowlers’ rankings following his

Spinners with 10 wickets in a Test at Lord’s Player Johnny Briggs Hedley Verity Sonny Ramadhin Roy Tattersall Derek Underwood Derek Underwood Yasir Shah

Country (ENG) (ENG) (WI) (ENG) (ENG) (ENG) (PAK)

Wickets-Runs 11-74 15-104 11-152 12-101 11-70 13-71 10-141

Opposition v AUS v AUS v ENG v RSA v NZL v PAK v ENG

Year 1886 1934 1950 1951 1969 1974 2016

REUTERS

10 for 141 figures against England, which included Sunday’s second-innings figures of four for 69.

Remarkably, Yasir’s superb display came in his first Test outside of Asia and the United Arab Emirates.

Yasir Shah said he was grateful for the wealth of leg-spin knowledge in the Pakistan camp after his maiden 10-wicket Test haul set up victory over England at Lord’s.

Shah’s return of 10 for 141, including Sunday’s second-innings figures of four for 69, was pivotal to Pakistan’s 75-run win over England in the first of a four-Test series at Lord’s on Sunday.

But in bowling coach Mushtaq and tour manager Intikhab Alam, both former Pakistan leg-spinners, he had plenty of experience to call upon.

Meanwhile victorious captain Misbah-ul-Haq, who helped forge Pakistan’s strong position in the match with a first-innings century in his maiden Test at Lord’s, praised his team’s resilience.

“I am really proud of the team, the way that they fought and just come out and show really good skills and mentally everyone was strong. It was a really good win for us,” he said.

This was Pakistan’s first Test at Lord’s since the infamous 2010 spot-fixing scandal. l

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QUICK BYTES Lampard gets better of Drogba in battle of Chelsea ‘old boys’ Frank Lampard scored for the fifth time in six games and claimed bragging rights over former Chelsea team mate Didier Drogba as New York City FC beat Montreal Impact 3-1 in Major League Soccer on Sunday.

New York City’s David Villa opened the scoring in the 35th minute with his MLS-leading 13th of the season before rookie Jack Harrison put the visitors 2-0 up with a brilliant solo effort just before the break. Montreal’s Harry Shipp scored from long range in the 55th minute before Lampard redirected a pass from Villa with five minutes left to seal the win.

REUTERS

Karlovic becomes oldest Tour winner Ivo Karlovic offered further proof that tennis careers can continue blossoming long after players reach their 30s when he became the oldest ATP title winner for 37 years at the weekend. The 37-year-old Croat outlasted Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller 6-7(2) 7-6(5) 7-6(12) to win the grasscourt Hall of Fame Championships in Newport, Rhode Island - becoming the oldest champion in the tournament’s history. In saving three match points before downing Muller, the big-serving Karlovic became the oldest Tour winner since Marty Riessen (37 years, nine months) in Lafayette in 1979.

REUTERS

Donald smashes record-equalling double-ton

Glamorgan teenager Aneurin Donald equalled the record for the fastest double-century in first-class cricket with a stunning innings against Derbyshire on Sunday. Donald’s knock included 15 sixes, with his 200 from just 123 balls equalling the mark set by former India international Ravi Shastri in his home country in 1985. The 19-year-old came to the crease at Colwyn Bay with his side 96-3 in the County Championship encounter, and immediately went on the attack before reaching his maiden Championship ton with a six.

AFP

Cuadrado to return to Chelsea after Juve loan New Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has confirmed winger Juan Cuadrado will return to the club after a season-long loan at Italian champions Juventus. The Colombian, who joined Juve from the Premier League side in August, scored four goals in 28 league matches last season to help the club to a Serie A and Coppa Italia double. The 28-year-old had made little impact in 15 Chelsea appearances since moving to Stamford Bridge from Fiorentina for an estimated 23.3 million pound ($30.80 million).

REUTERS

Ko heads NZ entries for golf at Rio Olympics World number one Lydia Ko will be New Zealand’s sole entrant in the women’s golf tournament at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, with Danny Lee and Ryan Fox taking the two men’s spots. Ko is one of New Zealand’s top medal prospects in Rio, having taken the LPGA tour by storm since she turned professional in late 2013. The 19-year-old has won two major championships in the last 12 months and finished no worse than a tie for third in the other three.

REUTERS

Injured Robben out for six weeks Bayern Munich winger Arjen Robben has been ruled out for around six weeks after sustaining a groin muscle injury in Saturday’s friendly against lower division side Lippstadt, the Bundesliga champions said. The 32-yearold, who made only 15 league appearances in an injury-hit 2015-16 season, scored once in Bayern’s 4-3 win in manager Carlo Ancelotti’s first game in charge, but was forced off after 35 minutes. “FC Bayern will be without Arjen Robben for the next month and a half after the Dutch winger sustained a groin muscle injury in Saturday’s friendly away to Lippstadt,” the club said in a statement on its website (www.fcbayern.de).

REUTERS

DAY’S WATCH CRICKET SONY SIX 6:30AM Caribbean Premier League Jamaica v Trinbago

STAR SPORTS 1 11:30PM Natwest T20 Blast 2016 Northamptonshire v Birmingham

FOOTBALL SONY SIX 7:20PM Premier Futsal League Kolkata v Goa Mumbai v Chennai

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Messi still the best, says Ronaldinho n Reuters, Chennai

Lionel Messi is still the best player in the world despite never winning a major international trophy for Argentina, former Barcelona team mate and Brazil great Ronaldinho said on Sunday.

The 29-year-old Messi, who retired from internationals last month after Argentina lost to Chile in the Copa America final, is his country’s top scorer with 55 goals.

The five times World Player of the Year has played in three Copa America finals and the 2014 World Cup final, but lost them all.

Cristiano Ronaldo, his frequent rival for FIFA’s prestigious Ballon d’Or, recently won Euro 2016 with Portugal, to reignite the debate about which of the two is the world’s best player.

“For me, Messi leaving international football does not change anything,” Ronaldinho told reporters on Sunday.

“He is still the best football player in the world. The respect I have for him doesn’t change at all...

“And if he really has decid-

ed to leave international football then the sport will miss his presence, and so will the fans,” added Ronaldinho, who plays in India’s Premier Futsal league.

Ronaldinho, who played at Barcelona for five years from 2003, said he had nurtured Messi when the pair played together at the Nou Camp.

He said the Argentine had followed in his footsteps by helping to guide Brazil forward Neymar at the Spanish champions.

“I am not there to see. But I believe the attention and dedication I had for Messi, is the same thing Messi is doing for Neymar because it’s very important for a more experienced player to share things with younger players,” the 36-year-old Ronaldinho said.

“And that I believe is one of the reasons that Neymar has adapted to the club and their style of play.”

Ronaldinho has been without a club since a two-month spell at Brazilian side Fluminense last year and has not ruled out playing in the Indian Super League. l

Goa 5s’ Ronaldinho plays against the Bengaluru 5s’ Elias during their Premier Futsal Football League match in Chennai on Sunday. Sunday evening saw Ronaldinho’s Goa team take on Paul Scholes’ Bengaluru side, though it was the veteran Brazilian playmaker who duly dominated proceedings by scoring five goals in a 7-2 trouncing. Ronaldinho got off to a flying start, sticking away a hat-trick before half-time. However, his best goal came in the second period, when he sent an impudent lob into the Bengaluru goal and then, in customary style, had a little dance to celebrate AFP

Ronaldo, Bale on Uefa best player shortlist n AFP, Paris Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid team-mate Gareth Bale headlined a 10-man shortlist announced yesterday for the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award.

Ronaldo struck the winning spot-kick as Real claimed an 11th Champions League title, beating city rivals Atletico Madrid on penalties in May, before leading his

country to Euro 2016 glory.

Fellow Portugal and Real teammate Pepe also features on the shortlist along with Wales star Bale, who steered his country to the semi-finals of the European Championship in their first appearance at a major finals since 1958.

Ronaldo is favourite to the win the award for a second time, after scooping the honours in 2013-14, which would see him draw level

with Barcelona’s Lionel Messi.

Atletico striker Antoine Griezmann was also nominated after his six goals at Euro 2016 earned him the player of the tournament.

Messi was one of two Barcelona players to make the list along with Luis Suarez, while Bayern Munich duo Manuel Neuer and Thomas Mueller, Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon and Real midfielder Toni Kroos were also included. l

SHORT LIST Bale (Real Madrid & Wales) Buffon (Juventus & Italy) Griezmann (Atletico & France) Kroos (Real Madrid & Germany) Messi (Barcelona & Argentina) Muller (Bayern & Germany) Neuer (Bayern & Germany) Pepe (Real Madrid & Portugal) Ronaldo (Real Madrid & Portugal) Suarez (Barcelona & Uruguay)

Size not big issue for new boy Musa n AFP, London Leicester’s record signing Ahmed Musa admits the best decision he ever made was giving up goalkeeping to become a striker so feared that he is looking to make an immediate impact on the Premier League.

The 23-year-old Nigeria international moved to the King Power Stadium for £16.5 million (19.7 million euros) from CSKA Moscow earlier this month and, having given up his goalkeeping ambitions as a schoolboy because of his diminutive stature, the 5ft 7in tall forward

has no worries about coping with the physical challenge of the English top flight.

Musa became a striker while still at school when he decided to hang up his goalkeeping gloves.

He believes it was a decision that made his career, which has now taken him to England as a short-term understudy and potential longer-term replacement for England striker Jamie Vardy, who is six years his senior.

But Musa believes the pair could also operate in tandem.

“I was a goalie between 10 and 12,” he revealed.

“But changing was the best decision of my life because I would never have been good enough to become a professional goalkeeper.

“It was difficult at first but then you get used to the fact you are not very big. A lot of people used to tell me ‘Musa, you are too small to be a striker.’

“But I said: ‘It doesn’t matter what size you are, it’s what you can do that matters’. I think I am like Jamie Vardy. I have speed, I like to work hard, we are similar in lots of things. Am I faster? I can’t say yet, I have never played with him. But I am looking forward to finding out!. l

Juve to break bank for Higuain n AFP, Milan Italian champions Juventus are set to pay a hefty 94.7 million euros ($105m) release clause in Gonzalo Higuain’s contract with Napoli to lure the Argentina star to Turin, reports claimed yesterday.

Higuain joined Napoli for 40 million euros from Real Madrid in 2013 and has since gone on to become one of the most exciting, and bankable stars in Italy’s top flight.

The 28-year-old centre-forward hit a stunning 36 goals last season to break Gunnar Nordahl’s 66-yearold record of 35 goals for AC Milan in a 20-team season, which he achieved in 1950.

Now the Argentina star is set to break Napoli hearts by joining their bitter, northern rivals in a deal that could see Juventus offer several players and pay the massive release clause to Napoli to secure Higuain’s services.

According to widespread reports in the Italian media, Higuain has personally agreed to the move.

La Gazzetta dello Sport said Juventus are willing to offer striker Simone Zaza and defender Daniele Rugani as part of the deal. l

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Maximum amount (4) 3 Backbone (5) 8 Notion (4) 9 Self-satisfied (4) 11 Brings up (5) 12 Wan (4) 14 Garden tool (3) 15 Slowly (mus) (5) 18 Riverside embankment (5) 19 Greek letter (3) 21 Water pitcher (4) 24 Essential (5) 26 Labyrinth (4) 27 Poet’s Ireland (4) 28 Tears (5) 29 Whirl (4)

DOWN 1 Disguise (4) 2 Meal course (4) 4 Filled pastry (3) 5 American state (5) 6 Roman emperor (4) 7 Blackboard support (5) 10 Strong wind (4) 11 Replenish (5) 13 Even (5) 16 Swarm (4) 17 Cut off (5) 18 Ancient tongue (5) 20 Weary (4) 22 Coarse file (4) 23 Niggardly (4) 25 Also (3)

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CODE-CRACKER How to solve: Each number in our CODECRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 10 represents Y so fill Y 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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Showtime

TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2016

A “Famous” feud:

Kanye West and Taylor Swift battle it out

n Achol Chowdhury In case you aren’t one of Kim Kardashian’s 84 million followers on twitter or don’t follow her on Snapchat either, yesterday Kim Kardashian took to the popular app posting videos of a phone conversation between Taylor Swift and Kanye West, the two of whom have had bad blood since the 2009 VMAs. Swift famously took the stage and voiced her disapproval in her Grammy ‘Album of the year award’ speech addressing the scandalous lyrics that outraged West who claimed to have called her and received her blessing, but Tay - through her PR team - denied this conversation took place and that Kanye just called

to ask if he could release the song on her twitter account.

But in the Snapchat videos, West is seen calling Swift to let her know about a line in his song “Famous” where he says “I feel like me and Taylor might still have s**/Why? I made that b**** famous.” This, according to Swift’s PR team, are lyrics she strongly opposed of since it sent a “strong misogynistic message.”

Kim Kardashian said she had videos to prove the conversation actually took place, Taylor’s legal teams issued a cease-and-desist against the husband-wife duo.

In the Snapchat story though, Tay thanks Kanye for letting her know beforehand saying, “I really appreciate it.” And “This is so nice.” Even saying “I’m going to

Jon Stewart reuniting Stephen Colbert n Showtime Desk Apparently, Jon Stewart just couldn’t stay away from this year’s election. The former Daily Show host is set to take part in Stephen Colbert’s Late Show live episodes for the Republican National Convention. Stewart also appeared on the Late Show on Monday.

Stewart’s role isn’t yet clear, but Colbert, the former Daily Show correspondent, has two full weeks planned for The Late Show on CBS covering both the Republican and Democratic conventions, which he has

dubbed: “The 2016 Trumpublican Donational Conventrump” and “The 2016 Democratic National Convincing, A Technically Historic Event: Death. Taxes. Hillary,” respectively.

Colbert broadcasted live on Monday, with on-site teams in Cleveland for the Republican convention and Philadelphia for the Democratic event. His guests for the two weeks of live shows include Senator Elizabeth Warren, John Oliver, Jeff Daniels, KeeganMichael Key and former US Congressman Anthony Weiner. l

be on a Grammys red carpet and they’re going to ask me about it and I’ll be like, ‘he called me.”

Taylor swiftly responded, posting a lengthy message on Instagram accusing duo of “character assassination” claiming that she never “heard” the song and wasn’t aware she would be called “that b****.”

The drama that ensured caused a massive Twitter storm, where user @Phillipasolo says, “i want all of taylor swifts exes to come together to write one big song about her, “we are the world” style,” and user @NarryMcCuddly says, “When Kim had that video all along but waited till National snakes day to post it #Kimexposedtaylorparty” l

It is heartbreaking n Showtime Desk It’s never easy to lose a baby, but this was an especially tough one to lose as it was the first for the couple. Just two months into her pregnancy, reality star Courtney Stodden heartbreakingly lost her first child to a miscarriage. The 21-year-old and her husband, Doug Hutchinson, 55, broke the super tragic news that Courtney suffered a miscarriage in early July.

“It is with a heavy heart to inform you that last week Courtney Stodden suffered a heartbreaking miscarriage,” Courtney’s manager Gina Rodriguez revealed in

a statement to a magazine.

Gina added, “Courtney and her husband, Doug, are at an emotional loss for words and are using this time to grieve with their close family and friends. Please respect their privacy as the couple try to cope with losing their precious baby and seek the support they both need.”

They first announced that they were expecting in May, and although Courtney admitted that she was “overwhelmed” by her pregnancy, she spent the following two months flaunting her growing belly on social media. l

Remembering Humayun Ahmed on Maasranga TV

n Mosharraf Kabir Marking the fourth death anniversary of iconic writer and filmmaker Humayun Ahmed, Maasranga TV has arranged a number of special programs today.

The programs include a talk show titled Bahumatrik Humayun,

which will be aired at 10:02am, featuring writer Syed Shamsul Haque and Ahmed’s wife, actor Meher Afroz Shaon.

Featuring songs from Humayun Ahmed’s films, a program titled Fair & Lovely Cine Tune will be aired at 2:30pm.

Based on a story of Humayun

Sonakshi Sinha parties with rumoured beau

n Showtime Desk While Sonakshi Sinha was making heads turn with her film choices and with big money involved, her love life too was part of a lot of gossip. She has been linked with many but then it was heard that she apparently got back with her ex Bunty Sajdeh. Now, we even have a picture of the two having fun.

Judging by this picture, it seems that she had a blast and enjoyed herself to the fullest.

Moreover, as expected, Sonakshi turned up the quirkiness quotient in a big way courtesy of her cute expression.

Now, that’s what we call having some pure and unadulterated fun. On the professional front, she was last seen in Tevar, which under-performed at the ticket window. At present, the 29-year-old is gearing up for the release of Akira. Furthermore, she also has Force 2 in the near future. l

Ahmed, a special TV drama Joitoree will be aired at 8:10pm.

Directed by Meher Afroz Shaon, the drama casts Riaz and Sporchia in the leads. A musical program titled Nakhshatrer Raat performed

by Bari Siddiqui will be aired at 11pm. l

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New Han Solo in the making n Showtime Desk The Hail, Caesar! star will take over the reigns of the iconic character played by Harrison Ford for an upcoming Star Wars spin-off movie. Speaking at a Star Wars Celebration event in London on July 17, where Alden appeared to officially announce the news, he revealed how he won the part.

Alden disclosed, “I screen tested with Chewbacca - I’d never acted with a Wookiee!”

John Boyega - who joined the film franchise as Finn in 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens was also there to congratulate Alden for securing the part and compared him to Harrison, 74.

Boyega’s message reads, “Oh man, you’re playing Han Solo, man. Damn! He’s smiling just like him!”

Alden’s name has been in the mix for a while and rumours circulated earlier this year that he was reportedly finalising a deal with Disney and Lucasfilm to play the iconic space smuggler

in the science fiction franchise.

Despite the big reveal, fans are still being kept in the dark about the story’s plot but it has been confirmed that it will focus around, “an origin story about Han Solo and Chewie.” The film is thought to be titled Han Solo: A Star Wars Story and is set to be released on May 25, 2018. l

WHAT TO WATCH Eragon Star Movies, 11: 30 PM In his homeland of Alagaesia, a farm boy happens upon a dragon’s egg -- a discovery that leads him on a predestined journey where he realizes he’s the one person who can defend his home against an evil king.

Cast: Ed Speleers, Jeremy Irons, Sienna Guillory, Robert Carlyle, Djimon Hounsou Limitless HBO, 6:31 AM With the help of a mysterious pill that enables the user to access 100 percent of his brain abilities, a struggling writer becomes a financial wizard, but it also puts him in a new world with lots of dangers.

Cast: Bradley Cooper, Anna Friel, Abbie Cornish Man of Steel Movies Now, 11: 15 PM Forced to confront his secret extrastellar origin, Superman learns to fight for Earth when it gets invaded by members of his own race.

Cast: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane

Amazing Spiderman 2 Z- Studio, 2: 35 PM When New York is put under siege by Oscorp, it is up to Spider-Man to save the city he swore to protect as well as his loved ones.

Cast: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx The Ugly Truth Warner Bros, 7: 27 PM A romantically challenged morning show producer is reluctantly embroiled in a series of outrageous tests by her chauvinistic correspondent to prove his theories on relationships and help her find love. His clever ploys, however, lead to an unexpected result.

Cast: Katherine Heigl, Gerard Butler, Bonnie Somerville, Yvette Nicole Brown

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ADB: BD TO DEFY WEAK BPL LOGO, TROPHY REMEMBERING GLOBAL PROSPECTS PAGE 12 UNVEILED PAGE 24 HUMAYUN AHMED

‘Don’t worry, I’m in Iraq for jihad’ Mizanur Rahaman, n FM Chittagong

Despite getting a Facebook message from their son saying he had gone off to Iraq to join the Islamic State (IS) group, a Chittagong Navy family withheld the information for a year and a half, police sources said.

Marine engineer Najibullah Ansari, missing since January 2015, contacted his family on social media to tell them he was in Iraq to take part in “jihad.”

But it was not until a year and a half later, when television channels started carrying images of missing people in the wake of the Gulshan and Sholakia terror attacks, that Najibullah’s father Md Rafiqullah Ansari, filed a general dairy (GD) with police.

Rafiqullah, a Navy man at Chittagong Naval base on leave prior to retirement, filed the GD with Chittagong City EPZ police station on July 10.

“Najibullah has been without trace since he went abroad in January 2015. His father filed a general dairy to locate him after seeing his photo on TV,” Officer-in-Charge (OC) of EPZ police station Abul Kalam Azad told the Dhaka Tribune.

The GD says Najibullah contacted his family for the last time via his Facebook account and told his younger brother that he was in Iraq to take part in jihad.

“I have come to Iraq. Tell father and mother not to worry for me.

I have come here for jihad. I will never return home. I will call if I can manage time,” according to a screen shot of the message seen by the Dhaka Tribune.

The Dhaka Tribune located Na-

jibullah’s Facebook account and found that he had posted on January1, 2015 a photo of himself wearing a marine engineer’s uniform inside a ship. That appears to have been his last post.

“Najibullah went to Iraq from his work abroad. His family hid it from everyone because IS was not a major topic at the time,” the OC said.

Najibullah passed his SSC and HSC examinations from Rajshahi Cadet College in 2005 and 2007, respectively, securing GPA 5 in both examinations, the OC said quoting the GD. He then went to Malaysian Maritime Academy on an American Eagle Tanker Company Internship and completed his higher education there at the beginning of 2012.

The OC said Najibullah then began work as a marine engineer aboard ship.

Najibullah has not returned to Bangladesh since 2012, OC Abul Kalam added.

The OC said the missing man’s father told police in January 2015 that Najibullah had sent a message on Facebook saying he had gone to Iraq to join IS. “But he filed the GD only after seeing his son’s photo along with nine others on TV,” the OC said.

In the GD, Rafiqullah said an intelligence agency had contacted him at the time he first told police about the Facebook message and asked him for his son’s passport number, which he provided to them.

Days later, Rafiqullah said he was told by an officer of the intelligence agency that his son Najibullah could not be brought home because his whereabouts

Missing marine engineer Najibullah Ansari poses in uniform aboard a ship in his last known Facebook post on January 1, 2015 were unknown.

A top police official of Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) told the Dhaka Tribune that the Najibullah case was discussed at the monthly crime conference held yesterday at CMP HQ. “The man went to Iraq to join IS. According to procedure, the CMP Special Branch (SB) has been informed and the issue was discussed in the monthly crime conference,”

CMP Assistant Commissioner (AC) of Bandar Circle Jahedul Islam told the Dhaka Tribune.

“We also informed the SB office in Dhaka. The police are trying to determine whether Najibullah is in Iraq or not,” AC Jahedul said.

Chittagong district police said some five teenagers and young men including three madrasa students have been missing from three upazilas in the district. l

Gang-raped Indian girl raped again by same men n Tribune Desk

BIGSTOCK

A Dalit student of Haryana had been admitted to a hospital after being gangraped by a group of men including some charged with sexually assaulting her three years ago, reports AFP. The student, 21, was found unconscious in bushes along a highway in Haryana Wednesday night. She had been abducted from her college before being drugged and raped in a car, said police.

Deputy Superintendent of Haryana Police Pushpa Khatri told AFP that the student, who is still in the hospital, had

identified all the five offenders -- two of whom were currently on bail in connection to a case lodged for raping the same girl in Bhiwandi district in 2013.

“We have formed several teams to arrest the accused”, said DSP Khatri.

The victim’s family has accused the five of threatening them prior to Wednesday’s attack, demanding the family withdrew the 2013 rape case.

“They [the accused] were constantly threatening us to settle the matter outside court. They even offered us a hefty amount, but we didn’t agree,” the Hindustan Times quoted the victim’s

brother as saying.

The family also alleged they had been forced to move to the neighbouring district of Rohtak in the state after the 2013 attack because of constant harassment by the accused.

Members of the Dalit community held small protests in Rohtak on Sunday demanding justice for the victim.

According to official records, 36,735 rape incidents had been reported across India in 2014. Activists, however, claim this number to be much higher because of the social stigma attached to sexual crimes. l

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3 Hindu priests get death threats n Tribune Desk Three Hindu priests in Rangpur and Pirojpur have been threatened with murder amid a spate of attacks on minorities across Bangladesh.

The priests are Bijoy Chakraborty from Rangpur, and Ruhidas Pal and Salil Mukherjee Sibu from Pirojpur.

Our district correspondents say the priests have informed police and filed general diaries yesterday.

In Rangpur, Bijoy, priest at a temple in Rangpur city’s College Road area, said one of the temple disciples found a letter addressed to him in a yellow envelope on the temple floor yesterday morning.

The letter, unsigned, warned Bijoy to be prepared for death. The disciple gave the letter to Bijoy, who informed police right away.

This incident has created panic among the more than 100 Hindu families who live in the same neighbourhood, Bijoy added.

“We are looking into the matter,” said ABM Zahidul Islam, OC at Rangpur Kotwali police station.

“We have taken steps to ensure security in the temple.”

In Pirojpur, Ruhidas Pal, a priest at Palpara Durga-Kali Temple, found a letter on the temple floor on Sunday night, threatening him with murder, said Narendranath Roy, secretary of the temple.

The letter also read: “The killing mission is in Pirojpur now. You don’t need to know who we are… All Hindu priests, leaders and employed persons will be killed one by one.”

“He informed me of the matter, which I relayed to Pirojpur Deputy Commissioner Md Khairul Alam next morning,” Narendranath said.

The other priest, Salil, from Central Kali Temple in Pirojpur town, said he found an envelope in the temple yesterday morning.

“I found a letter inside it that said I would be killed.”

He immediately informed the temple management committee and police about the letter. Pirojpur Sadar police station OC Masumur Rahman confirmed it.

Meanwhile, An unidentified man has threatened to kill a priest’s assistant at Deshbondhu Bishwakalyan Geeta Ashram in Baufal upazila, Patuakhali, our district correspondent reported yesterday.

The man, donning a rain coat, approached the assistant, Paritosh Saha, 70, at the temple yesterday morning and said, “Your days are over. Get ready to die,” said Baufal police station OC Azam Khan Faruki. l

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