31 July, 2016

SECOND EDITION

SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2016

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Shraban 16, 1423, Shawwal 25, 1437

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Regd No DA 6238, Vol 4, No 95

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

BGB busts RSO meeting, AL MP flees n Abdul Aziz, Cox’s Bazar BGB members on Saturday afternoon arrested four people including a former commander of Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO) and a Saudi national while holding a secret meeting in Teknaf.

Awami League lawmaker from Cox’s Bazar 4 constituency Abdur Rahman Bodi, Teknaf Upazila Chairman Jafar Ahmed, Vice-Chairman Maulana Rafique Uddin and Baharchhara Union Chairman Aziz Uddin also attended the meeting held at the house of Maulana Syed Karim in Shamlapur area of Baharchhara.

“But they managed to flee the scene before we reached the house,” Teknaf 2 BGB Commander Lt Col Abuzar Al Jahid said.

The four arrestees are former RSO commander Hafez Salaul Islam, a resident of Dakkhin Muhuri Para in Cox’s Bazar; Syed Karim; Saudi national Abu Saleh Al Gambi; and Maulana Md Ibrahim of Dhaka.

The three others present at the meeting fled the scene, said the battalion’s Deputy Commander Maj Abu Russel Siddique, who led the drive conducted by a special BGB team around 3:30pm.

Police say Salaul was arrested several times in the past but managed to get bail.

When contacted, Bodi claimed that he had not been present at the meeting, rather assisted the BGB

Hizb ut-Tahrir spreads web in Chittagong Mizanur Rahaman, n FM Chittagong

Former RSO commander Hafez Salaul Islam (in white punjabi) and Saudi national Abu Saleh Al Gambi kept at the BGB’s Teknaf camp after their arrest from Shamlapur area yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE men in arresting the four.

The four detainees were being questioned at the Teknaf BGB camp when this report was filed at 9:45pm.

The RSO is a Myanmar sectarian outfit, and has connection with several local militant groups including outlawed Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB).

According to police and local

sources, Salaul has close ties with the ruling party MPs from Cox’s Bazar and Teknaf, and several other leaders of the BNP and its ally Islami Oikyo Jote.

He recently set up an Islamic centre at Dakkhin Muhuri Para allegedly by grabbing seven acre land of the Forest Department and three acres from the locals. The activities of RSO are operated from this cen-

tre, say sources.

On the other hand, lawmaker Bodi has long been accused of patronising illegal Rohingya immigrants in his area.

Recent RSO arrests

Detectives in November 2014 arrested five militants – RSO leaders Salamatullah and Shafiullah,

The activists of banned Islamist outfit Hizb ut-Tahrir’s Chittagong unit are carrying out secret campaigns targeting mosques and educational institutions, police say.

Their activities have increased recently. They are now working in “cut-out system” in which one group has no connection with the other groups while recruiting fresh operatives from youths of different strata of the society to join their movement for establishing a Caliphate state.

Seven members of such a group were arrested from the port city’s Bakalia, Panchlaish and Stadium areas during separate raids in the last six days. Five of them are university students – three from Chittagong University, and the two others from International Islamic University Chittagong (IIUC)  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 3

Another brutal attack on Baul fans in Chuadanga n Mehedi Hasan, Chuadanga Unidentified miscreants have tortured two elderly Baul fans at Damurhuda in Chuadanga, burned their houses and also threatened them to leave the area.

The incident took place only two weeks after three elderly Baul followers including two women were hacked at Jibannagar of Chuadanga.

Earlier, Baul festival organiser Zakaria Hossain Zakir was killed in the district on December 10 last year.

The latest attack took place at the house of Julmot Ali Shah at Gobindapur village after Friday midnight.

Julmot said: “Eight to ten people armed with sharp weapons and hand bombs attacked the house when we were sleeping.

“They first snapped the  PAGE 2 COLUMN 3

Two elderly Baul fans show their hair cut off by miscreants at Damurhuda in Chudanga early yesterday. Their house was also torched

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n Tribune Desk None of the bodies of the nine militants killed in the Kallyanpur raid has been claimed by families even though four days have passed since the incident.

The nine militants were killed during Operation Storm 26 on Tuesday morning after Mirpur police found the den of militants on late Monday night.

Apart from the nine, one militant who sustained injuries and was arrested by police is undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital while another named Iqbal managed to flee.

Bhuiyan Mahbub Hossain, officer-in-charge of Mirpur police station, told the Dhaka Tribune nobody had approached them to receive any of the bodies.

Police have so far identified eight of the nine militants - Shazad Arko, 24, Taj-ul-Rashik, 25, Akifuz-

zaman, 24, Jobayer Hossain, 20, Motiar Rahman, 24, Abu Hakim Nayeem, 33, Abdullah, 23, and Raihan Kabir, 22.

Sohel Mahmud, assistant professor of the forensic department at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, told the Dhaka Tribune only Shazad Arko’s father came to the hospital to identify his son’s body on Wednesday afternoon.

“But after seeing the body, he said he was confused if it was Arko and left the morgue. I advised him to agree for a DNA test to identify Arko’s body beyond any doubt. In the evening, Dhaka Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner (media) Masudur Rahman confirmed that it was Arko’s body.”

Besides, the bodies of five Gulshan’s Holey Artisan restaurant attackers have not yet been claimed by family members although almost a month has passed after the attack.

The five are Nibras Islam, Rohan

Imtiaz, Meer Sabeh Mubasheer, Khairul Islam Payel and Shafiqul Islam Ujjal.

The body of restaurant chef Saiful Islam, who was mentioned in the First Information Report as an accused, also remains at the mortuary of Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka.

The family members of Khairul Islam Payel and Shafiqul Islam Ujjal told the Dhaka Tribune they were waiting to receive the two bodies.

Ujjal’s mother Asia Begum and Payel’s sister Hosney Ara earlier said they want the bodies no matter what crime the two men had committed.

Officer-in-Charge (investigation) of Gulshan police station Salauddin Ahmed told the Dhaka Tribune they had not yet received any application claiming any of the bodies of the Gulshan attackers.

“Saiful Islam’s family said they would receive his body but did not contact us later.” l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

14 Gulshan, Kallyanpur militants’ bodies still unclaimed

RAB busts gun factory n Mohiuddin Molla, Comilla

RAB has seized gun-making devices and arrested three men in a raid on a house in Comilla city.

RAB-11 Comilla’s Crime Prevention Company 2 Commander Mustafa Kaizer said the force raided ‘Nayan Villa’ in the city’s Shuvopur last evening and found two gun-making devices and some local weapons.

Three men were caught red-handed from the house, he added.

The detainees have been identified as the landlord’s son Majidul Haque Rajib, 34, Saiful Islam, son of Nazrul Islam from Uttar Chartha, and Shahidul Islam, son of Shamsul Haque of Golabari.

Kaizer said the men will be interrogated to learn whether they are involved with terrorism. l

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Hizb ut-Tahrir spreads web and BGC Trust University.

The three CU students were arrested from Bakalia along with another Tahrir member had five books, 10 membership forms, 60 news release and magazines in their possessions.

As per the law, a banned organisation cannot conduct any kind of campaigns in any form and its members are tried under the Anti-Terrorism Act. Police say the Tahrir men have adopted “cut-out system” to protect their coordinators and planners.

Two other outlawed militant groups – Ansarullah Bangla Team and Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh or JMB – were also found running operations in this system.

They also take different names and change locations frequently.

OC of Bakalia police Abul Mansur said that the detainees could name only one of their unit leaders as Ashiq, who used to meet them and give directions.

He said that they were trying to arrest Ashiq and dig out more information about the organisation’s top leaders and their activities in Chittagong region.

Police claim that former judge of the Feni judicial court Sheikh Omar Sharif Al Maruf Rasel is coordinating the activities in Chittagong. He walked out from jail on bail on May 30, only three days after his arrest.

The militant group – banned in many countries – launched its activities in Bangladesh in 2000, but it was declared banned in 2009 for carrying out anti-state activities. It

was involved in the failed coup in army in December 2011.

Last year, a former CU student and Tahrir leader Shafiur Rahman Farabi was arrested for instigating the murder of secularists including Avijit Roy. He is also accused of threatening the prime minister.

The group hit the headlines again after the arrest of its member Golam Faizullah Fahim in Madaripur for hacking a Hindu college teacher in June.

Meanwhile, intelligence reports suggest that over 400 members of the group have remained missing after getting bail. Moreover, some 100 others took arms training recently to carry out attacks.

Over a dozen of Tahrir leaders were arrested last year while trying to go to Syria to join the Islamic State group. They had also trained youths to prepare them for the war in Syria and Iraq.

Despite facing ban, the group carries out street campaigns and holds brief processions and rallies in front of mosques. Its website is also found operational.

After Fahim’s arrest, its top leaders declared all-out war against the democratic forces and again urged the armed forces to take over power and establish Caliphate.

CMP Additional Commissioner (crime and operation) Debdas Bhattacharya told the Dhaka Tribune that they were working to trace the printing press that publishes Tahrir’s campaign documents. He said that they were also monitoring social media. l

AL MP flees as BGB raids RSO meeting the later an Awami League leader in Bandarban; Mohammad Alam, a Pakistani national who is also the vice-president of Global Rohingya Centre (GRC); Saudi Arabia-returned Abdul Majid; and teacher at a Hefazat-e-Islam madrasa Mohammad Amin – from a Chittagong hotel while distributing funds.

Several CMP officials then said that the Bangladesh wing of RSO had been split over share of foreign funds. Before the arrest, the militants were distributing funds among them for donations to mosques, madrasas and providing other facilities for the Rohingyas in Myanmar and Bangladesh.

The officials suspect that RSO is working closely with the local militant groups – JMB, Ansarullah Bangla Team, HujiB and Hizb utTahrir – to materialise their goal

of establishing Islamic rule in the country incorporating parts of Myanmar and India.

In December the same year, police arrested Rohingya militants Nur Hossain aka Rafikul Islam, Yasir Arafat and Omar Karim from Dhaka’s Lalbagh with five detonators, two gel explosives and several bomb-making ingredients in their possessions. Police said they had connection with the JMB. The law enforcers also found the involvement of RSO men in the 2012 communal attack on Buddhist temples and houses in Ramu of Cox’s Bazar.

MP Bodi again

Influential Awami League lawmaker Bodi earlier topped several lists prepared by the police and an intelligence agency of players be-

hind three top criminal activities in Teknaf – human trafficking, yaba smuggling and illegally naturalising Rohingya immigrants, as well as illegal hundi business. He was listed along with 26 of his relatives.

The home minister in September last year, however, claimed that they had not found the involvement of the ruling party lawmaker in drug smuggling.

The controversial lawmaker was sued by the Anti-Corruption Commission in 2014 for gaining wealth beyond known sources of income.

He is currently on bail in the case.

Bodi joined the BNP in 1996. He later joined the Awami League failing to win in parliament elections.

He became a member of parliament for the first time in 2008 with the Awami League ticket and then in the January 5 polls last year. l

Another brutal attack on Baul fans in Chuadanga electricity connection; then tied me, my wife Momena Khatun and my friend Harendranath to two trees and tortured us severely.

They also cut off our topknots.”

While leaving the place, the attackers poured petrol and burned two houses. “They told us to leave the area within 10 days or they will slaughter us and bomb the house,” Julmot told the Dhaka Tribune.

Eight-year-old Rakib, who fled the house during the attack, later freed them and called the locals.

Chuadanga Superintendent of

Police Md Rashidul Hasan visited the place yesterday noon and directed the officials concerned to arrest the culprits.

A case was filed with Damurhuda police.

Attack on Baul fans – people who follow the mystic songs of Fakir Lalon Shah – is a common phenomenon in the country.

Earlier, a prominent Baul fan from Kushtia, Sanwar Hossain, was hacked to death in a militant attack on May 20. His friend, Islami University teacher Saifuzzaman,

was critically injured in the attack. Police blamed banned outfit Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh for the attack.

On November 15, 2014, militants linked to al-Qaeda affiliate Ansarullah Bangla Team killed Baul follower Prof AKM Shafiul Islam, a teacher of Rajshahi University’s sociology department near his house in Chouddopai area of Rajshahi.

On November 21, 2011, the house of Rakhal Shah at Damurhuda came under attack allegedly by the members of JMB. l

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‘Militants have used up all their strength’ n Tribune Desk Militants who planned attacks in the country have applied all their strength in executing them, so it is unlikely that they would launch another attack soon, said Monirul Islam, chief of Counterterrorism and Transnational Crimes (CTTC) unit of police.

“They [the militants] revealed themselves after they finished all preparation for the attacks. They applied all their strength in those attacks; they will not be able to launch another attack immediately,” he said at a round table discussion in Dhaka yesterday.

“However, we must maintain vigilance regardless,” he cautioned.

The discussion, titled “Preparations Against Militancy,” was organised by the Bangla Tribune and sponsored by the Dhaka Tribune and Ekattor TV. Ekattor TV broadcast the event live.

Monirul said: “We have been taking steps to combat militancy for a long time now. The government realised in 2009 that a sound legal infrastructure was necessary

DMP Counterterrorism chief Monirul Islam speaks at a round table “Preparing Against Militancy” where journalists and civil society members also took part DHAKA TRIBUNE to fight against militancy, and laws were passed to ensure that.”

That includes the ICT act to counter cyber crimes, as militants also use cyber space for recruitment, the CTTC chief added.

“These militants are not very organised. They are inspired by IS ide-

ology and follow their propaganda.”

Security analyst Brig Gen (retd) Habibur Rahman, another participant, said there was no alternative to careful monitoring in order to combat militancy and terrorism.

“We have to remember that just a we prepare to tackle terrorists,

they also prepare to evade law.

We need to consider all potential ways of terror attacks and prepare accordingly to prevent them,” he said. “Emphasis should be given on preventive measures so we can thwart any attack.”

Cyber security expert Tanvir

Hasan Zoha said law enforcers must not underestimate militants and their monitoring network.

“Their modus operandi is always evolving; so are the ways to combat them. But it would be a grave mistake to think we can always track them. Militants’ network have many layers, and Bangladesh has just begun the primary work to track them,” he said.

However, he said the law enforcement agencies have the resources required to track militants. “Which is why they can confidently say that another terror attack is unlikely to take place in immediate future.”

However, that does not mean the authorities can relax, said noted journalist Zayadul Ahsan Pintu.

“The terror masterminds are still out there. There is no scope to relax our vigilance until they are caught.”

Moderated by Mithila Farzana, the discussion was also attended by psychiatrist Dr Meghla Sarkar, blogger and writer Arif Jebtik, anthropologist Rasheda Rawnak Khan and Bangla Tribune acting editor Zulfiqur Russell. l

5 top militants may be hiding in India Singapore arrests

Facebook-based Tahrir preacher

n Tribune Desk

At least five listed Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) militants, including the mastermind of Gulshan terror attack which claimed 24 lives, is suspected to be hiding in India, reports the Times of India.

One of them is Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury, a native of Sylhet and a former expatriate in Canada who is believed to be the coordinator of Islamic State (IS) in the country, said the report published on Friday.

The other four are Junoon Sikdar, Najibullah Ansari, ATM Tajuddin and Bangladesh-born Japanese citizen Mohammad Saifulla Ojaki.

According to the Times of India, the quintet may have entered the Indian territory by crossing “the porous border.”

They are among the 68 individuals whose names were disclosed

by Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) as missing persons a few days ago.

The list contains individuals aging between 15 and 40 years who have been suspiciously missing since 2011.

According to sources, Tamim, who is also known as Abu Ibrahim al-Hanif, left Canada in 2013 and could not traced after that. His interview appeared in the June 2016 issue of Dabiq – the propaganda magazine published by IS. Junoon, who is originally from Comilla and was a computer science student in a private university in Dhaka, was arrested by police in 2009 under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

n Tribune Desk

Clockwise: Tamim Ahmed, Mohammad Saifulla Ojaki, Junoon Sikdar, Najibullah Ansari, ATM Tajuddin DHAKA TRIBUNE He was again arrested in 2013 for his alleged links with Ansarullah Bangla Team, the offshoot of the al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent. A known recruiter of the jihadi group, he was later released on bail and left for Malaysia.

Najibullah, a native of Chapainawabganj, went to Malaysia to study marine engineering. Last year, his father filed a general diary with Chittagong police after Nazibullah wrote to his brother that he had decided to join IS and move to Iraq.

Tajuddin, who was studying

computer engineering at a USbased university, went missing in 2013. A general diary was filed with Lakshmipur Sadar police station earlier this month.

Ojaki, alias Sujit Debnath, a professor of business administration at Asia Pacific University, Japan, has been missing for a year. His father Janardan Debnath filed a general diary in this regard in Nabinagar.

The Times of India also reported that Assam police busted a JMB camp two months ago in Chirang district, which was used for training local youths. l

Police in Singapore have detained a Hizb ut-Tahir member named Zulfikar Mohamad Shariff for spreading radical Islamist ideology online and radicalising at least two other citizens.

The 44-year-old man was arrested and detained in Singapore this month, according to a statement from Singaporean Home Ministry on Friday.

Zulfikar made numerous Facebook posts that promoted and glorified terror group Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) or Daesh and its violent actions.

His postings contributed to the radicalisation of at least two other Singaporeans.

Zulfikar came under the spotlight in 2002 for challenging mainstream Muslim leaders and agitating for primary schoolgirls to be allowed to wear the headscarf in schools there.

He resettled his family in Australia that year, and continued to pursue extremism by joining Hizb ut-Tahrir. He also established and maintained contact with radical preachers such as Musa Cerantonio in Australia and radical British cleric Anjem Choudary.

Zulfikar cultivated an Internet

following by setting up an online group in 2013. He used Facebook to agitate on Muslim issues in Singapore as a means to spread his radical ideology, and get his online followers to reject the secular democratic nation-state system and replace it with an Islamic caliphate.

He was issued with a detention order for a period of two years.

In recent times Singapore has arrested at least 35 Bangladeshi nationals, all expat workers, in connection with plotting terrorist activities. Most were sent back home but four were sentenced to jail terms.

A Dhaka Tribune investigation in Singapore last week found that radical Islamist propaganda books were being distributed among Bangladeshi expat workers there that pushed young men towards jihad. l

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Suspected militant’s father files GD Mizanur Rahaman, n FM Chittagong The father of Sabbirul Islam Konik has filed a General Diary (GD) with the Chittagong police station on Friday night.

Sabbirul was mistakenly identified by his father as one of the militants killed during Operation Storm 26 on Tuesday in Kallyanpur, Dhaka.

Officer-in-Charge (OC) Abul Mansur of Bakalia police station said:“Azizul Haque Chowdhury, father of Sabbirul, filed a GD stating that his son has been missing since February 21.”

He added that:“Sabbirul has left home saying he was attending a friend’s wedding in Raozan upazila.”

After the fierce gun battle between militants and cops in the Kallanpur den, police released the photographs of the nine militants killed.

Azizul had thought one of killed militant was his son from the photographs released.

Later Azizul expressed confusion after Chittagong police showed him an enlarged photo-

graph of the body on Wednesday while Azizul told police that he would like to travel to Dhaka to confirm the identity.

Police had identified one of the militants as Sabbirul, but it turned out to be a Md Jobayer Hossen, 20, from Noakhali.

Joybayer’s identification was confirmed through his fingerprints and national identity card.

OC Abul Mansur told the Dhaka Tribune :“Azizul travelled to Dhaka to verify the body’s identity and confirmed that it was not his son. He then decided to file the GD seeking his son’s whereabouts.”

“Now police have started gathering information about Sabbirul and are trying to locate him”, the OC added.

Azizul Haque Chowhdury, is a revenue officer of Chittagong City Corporation. He is also the former president of Borumchara union Awami League unit.

Family noticed sudden change in Sabbirul According to the proctor of International Islamic University Chittagong Professor Dr Mohammed Safiuddin, Sabbirul was admitted

Sabbirul Hoque Kanak to IIUC a in 2014 at the department of Economics and Banking.

“He was a student here two years ago but he dropped out because he failed to attend semesters consecutively” said the proctor.

The police however claim that Sabbirul was admmited to IIUC in the middle of 2013.

There have been allegations that Jamaat-e-Islami has been funding

IIUC. Chittagong city unit Jamaat Ameer ANM Samsul Islam is the chairman of Board of Trustees of IIUC. During a press conference on Wednesday Superintendent of Chittagong Police, Nure Alam Mina said: “family members had noticed sudden change in Sabbirul after he was admitted to the university.”

“Sabbirul often argued with family and friends over the right ways to pray and other religious issues, he was also vocally argumentative about “unethical” activities of his relatives”, the SP added.

“He did not use soap or eat meat unless he had slaughtered it himself, this dramatic change in his behaviour led his family to suspect that someone was influencing him greatly”, said SP. “Sabbirul had a fierce arguments with his father about him going to shrines as he violently opposed that idea,” said the SP. SP Mina further said that the young man had also previously left the house saying he was attending Tablig Jamaat for about 10 to 15days. l

AL round table urges formation of new cell n Abu Hayat Mahmud Speakers of a round table convened by the Awami League Publicity and Publication Cell have urged the government to create a separate cell for Islamic experts across the country. They met yesterday at the Engineers Institution Bangladesh.

President of AL Publicity and Publication Cell and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s political advisor HT Imam chaired the discussion. Bangladesh Jamiatul Olama chairman and the Chief Imam of Sholakia Eidgah Allama Farid Uddin were present.

“Islam advocates for peace, not terror and killings. We should unite against terror like we did during the Liberation War, only then can we ensure that Bangladesh is free of terror,” HT Imam said.

“We have stopped violence from BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami before. In the same way, we can fight against terrorism,” he added.

HT Imam also claimed even though a group of national and international conspirators are trying to establish militancy in Bangladesh, their efforts will be in vain because Bangladeshis will reject any anti-state conspiracies.

Allama Farid Uddin chimed in and said suicide and murder are the highest offenses, everyone should unite to protest against terrorism and militancy. l

Activists of National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas and Mineral Resources, Power and Port bring out a procession yesterday protesting Thursday’s police attack on the committee’s members during a peaceful rally RAJIB DHAR

BCS forms executive committee n Shohel Mamun

The Executive Committee of BCS 31st administration cadre has been formed at a general meeting in Dhaka’s BCS administration academy on Friday.

Shariful Alam Tanvir, Nezarat Deputy Collector of Dhaka and Rakib Hasan, Nezarat deputy collector of Comilla has been elected as president and secretary respectively in the committee.

Assistant commissioner Jubay-

er Hossain, Atiqul Islam, Shohag Hossain and Sifati Jahan have been elected as vice-president in the committee and assistant commissioner AFM Firoz Mahmud and Pranab Kumar Ghosh elected as joint secretary. l

DMP: No need to evict bachelors n Tribune Desk The police have not issued any instruction to homeowners in Dhaka to not rent to bachelors or to evacuate flats shared by men, a senior official has said.

“We have just asked the landlords to collect and keep detailed information on tenants,” Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Deputy Commissioner Masudur Rahman told reporters yesterday at the DMP media centre in Dhaka.

Following the July 1 Gulshan terror attack, police have claimed they have spotted at least 24 dens of terrorists cooping in Dhaka’s flats.

The suspected militants in Dhaka’s Kallyanpur, who were killed during a gun battle with police on July 26 were staying in a flat there since mid-June. The Gulshan restaurant attackers were also staying in a flat in Bashundhara residential area.

Across the capital, many homeowners are now switching from ‘mess’ arrangements – shared rooms and flats for single men – to renting to families. Many mess tenants have been asked to vacate their rooms and new messes are nowhere to be found.

Thousands of young men from across Bangladesh who come to study or work in the capital live in shared flats. Renting a flat was already very difficult for single men due to owners’ preference for families, the ongoing situation has become more difficult.

After the Kallyanpur incident the bachelors have already started sufferings in the capital while many existing bachelors were issued eviction notice as an urgent basis.

Now, the situation is one way landlords are evacuating them, and on the other way, no one is comfortable to rent them, creating anxiety among many.

Regarding this matter, DC Masudur Rahman said their main concern was whether the landlords were collecting details on all tenants properly.

Police has not issued any instructions to house owner to issue notice to bachelors for leaving rented houses.

“Whom to rent the house is a personal matter of the house owners,” he said. “We only want to ensure overall security for all,” he added.

“So we have asked owners to collect complete information on tenants,” he said.

Responding to a query, the DMP official said ‘block raid’ operations were ongoing in the city.

During the raid, police were asking for National Identity Cards (NID) of residents. Tenants below 18 years of age will have to produce their birth certificates, he added.

Police have already delivered tenant information forms which the tenants have to fill up and submit to local police stations, he reiterated. l

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ICSID Tribunals seek evidence of Niko’s corruption n Aminur Rahman Rasel

The picture shows a team of Wasa cleaning the Kutubkhali canal in Jatrabari of the capital as the clogged canal causes waterlogging in adjacent areas DHAKA TRIBUNE

Bidders ask to postpone Matarbari bid indefinitely n Aminur Rahman Rasel Two Japanese bidders have requested the Coal Power Generation Company Bangladesh Ltd (CPGCBL) to keep the tender submission process for the construction of Matarbari power plant project closed for an indefinite period, citing security reasons following the Gulshan terror attack.

In a letter sent last week, Sumitomo Corporation and Marubeni Corporation requested CPGCBL to keep tender submission closed indefinitely for the 1,200MW coalbased power plant in Matarbari in Cox’s Bazar, said an official, wishing not to be named.

Confusion over the project rose after 20 nationals including seven Japanese were killed in a terror attack at a Dhaka cafe.

Following the letter, CPGCBL pushed the tender submission deadline back by one month from the original deadline of July 24.

However, the Japanese companies did not seem satisfied with the extended deadline.

In a recent video conference with Power Division Secretary Monowar Islam, also the CPGCBL chairman, and the company MD, representatives of Sumitomo and Marubeni took a strong stance on this matter, the official told the

TEMPERATURE FORECAST FOR TODAY

THUNDERSHOWER WITH RAIN SUNDAY, JULY 31

He added that seeking extension of deadline was a normal process and it did not mean that the tender process had halted.

Earlier on Friday, the Japan Times reported that the tender process for Matarbari project had been stopped due to security reasons in the wake of the Gulshan terror attack.

State Minister for Power Nasrul Hamid told reporters that the two Japanese companies, who were supposed to take part in the bidding, had expressed reluctance.

The Matarbari plant will have an installed capacity of 1,200MW, with two units producing 600MW each.

It will use imported coal to meet the rapidly rising power demand. The government is building the Matarbari coal-fired power plant to ease the electricity shortage.

This project is the biggest in size in the power sector in terms of both investment and power generation capacity, in Bangladesh’s history.

The construction of the two units of the plant is scheduled to start in January 2017, with operations set for 2023.

The company will borrow $3.7 billion from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) at an annual interest rate of 0.1 percent over 30 years, with an initial ten-year grace period. The rest of the money will come from government funds. l

Dhaka Tribune.

During the video conference, the Bangladesh government officials tried to convince the Japanese by extending the deadline. However, the Japanese did not agree with the proposal and remained firm on not submitting the tender unless indefinite extension was allowed.

In the video conference, the Japanese bidders said they were now observing the situation in Bangladesh.

“The Japanese will not submit any tender in Bangladesh until the situation gets normal,” said the official, quoting the company representatives.

The security concerns involve the main construction project of Matarbari power plant. For the other relevant tasks of the project, the government has assigned 10 armed police officers and 57 armed ansar members each to each site to ensure security.

Following a request from Japanese bodies, the government has also green signalled a permanent police camp at the project site to ensure security.

“We have extended the deadline for a month. If they want more time, we are ready to cooperate with them,” CPGCBL MD Md. Abul Quasem told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

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Niko Resources (Bangladesh) Ltd, the local arm of Canadian oil giant Niko, along with BAPEX and Petrobangla, have been ordered to submit documents on corruption within August 8, 2016.

The order has been made by International Tribunals, an international arbitration tribunal, under the World Bank’s International Centre for Settle of Investments Dispute (ICSID).

ICSID issued the order on July 29, 2016 with regards to two pending international arbitration cases.

The two cases were filed in 2010

by Niko, where one deals with the payment of gas supplied by Niko to Petrobangla and the other deals with the declaration of non-liability for the blowouts in the Chatak Gas fields in 2005.

On May 26, 2016, ICSID suspended all proceedings for the two arbitration cases filed by Niko against Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Limited (BAPEX) and Petrobangla.

This was in light of ICSID’s decision to examine whether Niko’s contracts for gas production in Chatak were procured through means of corruption.

Niko had admitted that the Gowlings law firm, which represented Niko in connection to the criminal cases, had additional information relevant to investigation of the Bangladesh Anti Corruption Commission (ACC), a Canadian investigation, and possibly a US investigation.

Accordingly, the Tribunals has order Niko to submit corruption documents by August 8, 2016.

BAPEX and Petrobangla had also informed the Tribunals that Niko’s legal counsel admitted that they possessed but had not produced

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additional information relating to the Bangladeshi and Canadian corruption investigations.

Accordingly, the Tribunals has also ordered BAPEX and Petrobangla to inform the Tribunals by August 8, 2016 about their record-keeping practices and provide a list of all relevant documents related to the corruption issue.

BAPEX and Petrobangla has also requested the Tribunals to seek additional evidence from Canadian authorities.

The Tribunal observed that the Canadian police received assistance from Bangladesh, Japan, Switzerland, Barbados, United States and the United Kingdom and specifically mentioned the FBI, City of London Police, World Bank, the US Department of Justice, the Bangladesh ACC, and a number of other organizations.

Once sufficient information has been received and relevant parties involved with contract negotiations identified, the Tribunals will decide who should provide witness testimony.

On July 19, 2016 the Tribunals had issued a Declaratory Decision affirming its view that it has exclusive subject matter jurisdiction on the validity of the contracts and whether they were procured by corruption.

Accordingly, BAPEX and Petrobangla have been instructed to communicate this to the relevant authorities and courts of Bangladesh and to seek to end inconsistent proceedings in Bangladesh.

Barrister Moin Ghani, co-counsel for BAPEX and Petrobangla, informed Dhaka Tribune, “The corruption issue is a very serious matter and will have important consequences for Niko’s claims.

ICSID does not protect investments procured through corruption.” l

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Fajr: 4:55am | Zohr: 1:15pm Asr: 5:15pm | Magrib: 6:55pm Esha: 8:45pm Source: Islamic Foundation

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SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2016

Flood situation worsens as rivers rise n Tribune Desk

The flood situation in Faridpur, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Jamalpur, Bogra and Munshiganj districts worsened further yesterday, as waters in the rivers flowing through the districts are swelling.

Gaibandha Water Development Board sources said the Brahmapurta, the Jamuna and the Gaghat rivers are flowing 91 cm above their danger marks.

Some fresh areas were inundated due to rise in water levels in the rivers. One hundred and 61 chars went under water in four upazilas – Sundarganj, Saghata, Fulchhari and Sadar – of the district.

Around 2 lakh families of these chars are passing days in great miseries as they need emergency supplies. Many of them have taken refuge on nearby highlands and embankments, reports UNB. District Health Department sources said 65 medical teams are working in the flood-affected areas. Some 9,000 flood victims have taken shelter in 122 shelter centres. Besides, 3 people drowned in floodwater in the last few days, officials said.

In Kurigram, more areas were flooded on Friday as the Brahmaputra water is surging.

Meanwhile, Naru Das, 15, son of Kandura Das of Hatiya union in Anantapur area of Ulipur upazila, died from electrocution when he went to fish in floodwater in the morning, said Abul Hossain, chairman of the union.

Mahfuzur Rahman, executive engineer of Kurigram Water Development Board, said the Brahmaputra was flowing 99 centimetres above its danger level at Chilmari point while the Dharala 88 cm above its red mark at Kurigram bridge point.

Aminul Islam, in-charge of district flood control room, said 719 villages in 56 unions have been flooded leaving 6.15 lakh people marooned.

Top left, Flood water submerges Zarultala Bazar in Islampur upazila of Jamalpur Top right, Flood victims who have taken shelter on a dyke ealier in Shimla under Sirajganj, heading for safer place after the dam collapses Vehicles plying on flooded SherpurJamalpur Road in Nandir Bazar area of SherpurJamalpur DHAKA TRIBUNE

Besides, around 53.30km embankment has been damaged by floodwater. The number of damaged bridges and culverts has been increased to 29 in addition to destruction of 525.8 km roads.

Dr Aminul Islam, civil surgeon of the district, said 85 medical teams are working in the flood-affected areas.

Akter Hossain Azad, acting deputy commissioner of the district, said some 675 metric tonnes of rice were allocated for the affected people and 575 metric tonnes have

already been distributed.

In Faridpur: the flood situation in different parts of the district has taken a serious turn with the Padma River water kept on swelling.

Faridpur Water Development Board sources said the Padma was flowing 75 centimetres above the danger level at Goalanda point in the last 12 hours.

Some 50,000 people in three upazilas-- Sadar, Charbhadrason and Sadarpur--are reeling under floodwater.

Besides, academic activities in

different educational institutions are suspended as most school buildings in Dicrir Char, Narartek, Aliabad, Gadadhardangi and East Chartepakhola under sadar upazila have been submerged by floodwater.

In Jamalpur, seven people, including four children, drowned in floodwater in Islampur upazilas in the last two days, said Upazila Nirbahi Officer Didar A Alam M Maksud Chowdhury.

Besides, several villages under 50 unions of six upazilas in the district were inundated by floodwater as the

Jamuna River continued to swell.

In Bogra, the flood control dams along the Jamuna River are in the verge of collapse at 20 points in Sariakandi, Dhunat and Sonatala as the water of the river is increasing day by day. People are living in fear of flood the river water started entering villages through the dams.

In Munshiganj, the Padma River is flowing 41 cm above the danger mark at Bhaggokul point on Friday, said WDB executive engineer Abdul Awal. l

Teachers call for protesting militancy Suspected robber killed n Tribune Desk Leaders of Rangpur district unit of Bangladesh Teachers’ Association (BTA) yesterday called for resisting militancy, terrorism, fundamentalist extremism, secret killings and conspiracies against the country.

They made the call at a human chain organised by district unit of BTA on Press Club premises in the city in protest against recent killings of the innocent citizens, secret and targeted killings and militant attacks in the name of religion in the country.

A large number of leaders of BTA, teachers of different educa-

tional institutions participated in the hour-long programme with President of district unit of BTA Masud Hassan presiding.

General Secretary of district unit of BTA Principal Atiar Rahman, Headmaster Abul Mujan Azad,Principal Mohammad Ali, President of district unit of Bangladesh College-University Teachers’ Association Principal Wahed Mian and its General Secretary Rawshanul Kaiser Sangram, spoke.

The speakers strongly condemned the recent militant attacks and killings of innocent foreigners and local citizens at Gulshan in Dhaka and Sholakia in Kishoreganj,

terrorism,militancy, secret and targeted killings and fundamentalist extremism in the country.

Terming Islam as the religion of peace, they said that those, who are involved with terrorist and militant activities, secret and targeted killings of the innocent people, are the enemies of Islam, reports BSS. They called upon the teachers and common people irrespective of their caste, creed, religion and profession for strengthening the hands of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in resisting militancy, terrorism and secret killings to establish permanent peace in the country. l

in gunfight with police n Nayan Khondoker, Jhenaidah An alleged robber was killed in a gunfight between his cohorts and police at Katakhali in Maheshpur upazila in the district yesterday.

Identity of the deceased could not be known immediately.

Aminul Islam, officer-in-charge of Maheshpur police station, a team of police launched a drive in the area around raound 2:30am.

After being informed, a gang of robbers were taking preparation to commit robberry, a team of police

conducted a drive in the area.

Sensing the presence of the law enforcers, the gang members hurled bombs at them. Police immediately retaliated with gunfire.

At one stage, one of the gang members was caught in the line of fire and died on the spot.

However, the other members of the gang managed to leave the spot Police recovered the body and took it to Maheshpur police station. Police also recovered two pipe-guns, five bullets, three crude bombs, two sharp weapons from the spot. l

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SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2016

A little effort makes a big difference

(Left) Life has become easy for women in Bandarban’s Pledey village as they collect water for family chores from a reservoir set up beside the village. (Right) Earlier, they had to walk a long distance through forests and hills to collect water from a waterfall DHAKA TRIBUNE

n Abu Bakar Siddique Forty-five-year-old Lislang Mro used to visit the only waterfall, located around 700 metres from her house in Pledey village in Bandarban, thrice a day to collect water for family chores.

The route, from her home to the waterfall, is entirely hilly. Also, the path is somewhere slippery and somewhere rocky, making the journey cumbersome.

But Lislang and womenfolk of 20 families of the village have walked the entire path daily, throughout the year, to collect water and to bathe at the waterfall even during the rainy season as the place is the only source of water for the villagers.

Many of the women even sustained injuries after they slipped

over on the hilly path but still they had no option but to go there for water, an essential part of people's daily life.

The situation, however, has changed in the last few months and they are no longer required to do the difficult task of transporting water from the waterfall to their homes. They now collect water from the reservoir set up beside the village.

To enjoy this facility, they built a tiny concrete barrier down the stream to stop the water from flowing down. The water was thus arranged to come down to the nearest location of the village via pipes.

The water is then reserved in a large concrete reservoir containing three chambers. Of those, the first two are used as purifiers.

“The reservoir near the village is a great relief for us. Now we do not have to take the hilly path and walk through forest to collect water and having baths,” said Khamchong Mro, head of the village.

“In addition, the natural purifying system of the reservoir gives us clean water. This is ultimately reducing the incidence of water-borne diseases among the village people,” he said.

He also thanked Arannayk Foundation that brought this change in how women collect water for daily needs of their families by taking a number of initiatives, including conserving forest and setting up the water reservoir in the village.

Farid Uddin Ahmed, executive director of the foundation, said things were not as easy as they ap-

pear now.

“We had to make the locals understand the relation between the forest and the water source first.

“Usually, the hilly villages in the country where different indigenous communities live largely depend on nearby creeks as water sources.

But in the recent time, many creeks dried up after the monsoon because of rapid deforestation.

“Later, we arranged training and distributed funds to engage the villagers in alternative livelihood activities so that their dependency on forest resources can be avoided,” explained Farid.

Arannayk Foundation was formed by joint supervision of the governments of Bangladesh and the US. Initially, the local community in

'Lawyers' role vital to make judiciary more meaningful, effective' n Tribune Desk Some senior lawers at a discussion in Rajshahi yesterday said responsive role of the practising lawyers was very vital towards making the judiciary more effective, meaningful and litigants friendly.

They said the lawyers must have commitment, professionalism and vast knowledge on all the existing laws in the country so that they can contribute to the litigants and the society as a whole.

They were addressing a daylong training titled "Canon of Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Advocacy How to Move towards the Court" held at Cooke Jar Conven-

tion Centre in the city.

Legal Education Committee of Bangladesh Bar Council organized the training in association with UNDP. More than 276 newly enrolled lawyers from Chapainawabgonj, Naogaon, Natore and host Rajshahi attended the training.

Vice-chairman of Bangladesh Bar Council Abdul Baset Majumder addressed the training as chief guest while Abdul Matin Khashru, MP, and Chairman of Role and Publication Committee Md Yeahihya spoke as special guests with Advocate Kazi Najibullah Hiru, Chairman of legal education committee of Bangladesh Bar council, in the chair.

Bar Council Secretary Jahurul Alam, Acting District and Session Judge of Rajshahi Tarique Murshed Siddiqui, Tribunal Judge KM Shahid Ahmed and Advocates Jahid Anwar and SM Rezaul Karim also spoke, reports BSS. In his remarks, Abdul Baset Majumder said the Bangladesh Bar Council approved and adopted the Canons of Professional Conduct and Etiquette and urges all advocates to conform to these Canons in their conduct with regard to the members of the profession, their clients, the courts and the public in general.

The lawyers have to abide by those canons of professional conducts to

maintain the ethical standard.

Former law minister Abdul Matin Khashru said the present government places significant priority on improving human security, law and order and prevention of corruption. Prevention of corruption was a key plank in the Government's pre-election manifesto also.

He urged all concerned to make good use of time so that the pending cases can be tried within the shortest possible time. "The coordination between judges and lawyers are essential during trial. If the Bar maintains at least 80 per cent of the code of conducts and ethics, an order in lawyers' profession will surely prevail," he added. l

Pledey village established a management plan for their village under which they planted native species of trees in the degraded forest land. The species include bamboos planted in foothills.

They also strengthened monitoring and protection measures, and established a revolving loan fund using their own savings. Later, Arannayk Foundation made some donations.

From the fund, the locals took loan based on their need and plan to begin alternative livelihood activities, including gardening, cattle rearing and small business.

Also, the villagers played the key role in selecting the site to have the reservoir built. Arannayk Foundation later set up the facility free of charge. l

USTC students besiege VC’s office n Anwar Hussain, Chittagong Students of University of Science and Technology, Chittagong yesterday besieged the office of vice-chancellor Prof Dr Pravat Chandra Barua.

The students assembled around 12:30 pm and laid the siege to the VC office protesting at the university’s decision of shifting Pharmacy Department to a new building on the campus.

Santana Chakrabarty, a second year student of Pharmacy department said the students were unwilling to move to the newly-constructed building. l

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SOUTH ASIA

2 sisters shot dead in Pakistan honour killings A man killed his two sisters on the eve of their weddings in Pakistan’s central Punjab province, police said Saturday, in the latest case of so-called “honour” killings in the country. Kosar and Gulzar Bibi, aged 22 and 28, were shot dead by 35-yearold brother Nasir Hussain on Friday as they prepared to marry men they had chosen themselves -AFP

INDIA

2 Indian soldiers among four killed near Kashmir border

Two soldiers and two suspected rebels were killed overnight in a gunbattle in Indian-administered Kashmir near the disputed territory’s de facto border with Pakistan, the Indian army said Saturday. The firefight occurred in Naugam sector, some 120km northwest of the main city of Srinagar, after soldiers intercepted the militants attempting to infiltrate the territory from Pakistan.

-AFP

CHINA

Afghan Taliban delegation visits China to discuss unrest

A delegation from the Taliban visited China earlier this month to discuss the situation in Afghanistan. A delegation led by Abbas Stanakzai, head of the Taliban’s political office in Qatar, visited Beijing on July 1822 at the invitation of the Chinese government.

-REUTERS

ASIA PACIFIC

Indonesia detains 7 after attacks on Buddhist temples

Indonesian authorities detained seven people in northern Sumatra island on Saturday on suspicion of attacking several Buddhist temples the previous nigh. North Sumatra provincial police said the seven were part of a mob that damaged at least three temples and other property in the town of Tanjung Balai, near Medan. -REUTERS

MIDDLE EAST

UN envoy proposes extension of Yemen peace talks

The UN’s envoy Saturday asked Yemen’s warring parties to pursue peace negotiations in Kuwait for another week after the government said it was quitting the UN-brokered talks. Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed’s appeal appears to be a last-ditch attempt to rescue the four-month negotiations in Kuwait City which are on the verge of collapse. There was no immediate comment from the Yemeni government of from the Iran-backed Huthi rebels.

-AFP

Monsoon floods kill at least 52 in India n Tribune International Desk Indian authorities on Saturday tried to rescue thousands of people stranded in flooded villages after a week of heavy rain killed at least 52 people and uprooted tens of thousands of others from their homes in the states of Assam in the remote northeast and Bihar in the east.

Twenty-six deaths have been reported in Assam, where incessant downpours have damaged roads and snapped telephone cables in several districts, a government statement said.

Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh flew over the worst-hit areas on Saturday and said the floods were “very serious.”

Twenty-six deaths also have been reported in Bihar due to drowning and home collapses in

An Indian man carries a gas cylinder through a flooded street during a rainstorm in New Delhi on Saturday AP 10 districts bordering Nepal.

The Bihar state government was running more than 350 relief

camps providing food and other necessities to the flood victims.

The federal government-run Na-

tional Disaster Response Force was helping with relief efforts.

Vast tracts of Assam’s Kaziranga National Park, home to the rare onehorned rhino, and another wildlife reserve were under water, the state government said in a statement.

Forest officials found the remains of six rhinos drowned by floodwaters in Kaziranga, the statement said.

Another rhino was killed in another national reserve in the state.

The Brahmaputra River and its tributaries were overflowing their banks in 18 of Assam’s districts, washing away roads and highways and toppling power pylons. Floodwaters entered homes in at least 14 districts, leading to house collapses.

Floods are an annual occurrence in Assam and many parts of India during the June-September monsoon season. l

INSIGHT

‘New UK PM unhappy with Hinkley project’ n Reuters, London New British Prime Minister Theresa May was unhappy with the “gung-ho” approach her predecessor took to Chinese investment in Britain, a former colleague said on Saturday, after the new British prime minister cast into doubt a high-profile Chinese-funded nuclear project.

Britain had been due to sign off on Friday on a plan by France’s EDF to build two new reactors at Hinkley Point, with financial backing from China General Nuclear (CGN), in a deal championed by David Cameron as a sign of Britain’s openness to foreign investment.

Instead, just hours before the signing ceremony was due to take place May’s government announced it would review the project again, raising questions over Britain’s approach to infrastructure deals, energy supply and foreign investment.

“When we were in government Theresa May was quite clear she was unhappy about the rather gung-ho approach to Chinese investment that we had,” Britain’s former business secretary Vince Cable told BBC Radio.

“As I recall, she raised objections to Hinkley at that time.”

Britain and EDF first reached a broad commercial agreement on the Hinkley Point project in 2013 while the Chinese involvement was sealed two years later when London laid on a state visit for President Xi Jinping, designed to cement a “Golden Era” between

HINKLEY NUCLEAR POWER PROJECT

7%

of UK’s electricity enough for over

5m

homes

€100m

9000000

contribution annually to the local economy during peak construction or €2bn during project lifetime

tonnes (oapproximately) of CO2 avoided each year, equivalent to roughly 2m cars

1995

Last time UK opened a new nuclear power station

3.2

Gigawatt power plant with two reactors

25,000

new employment opportunities created during construction

Mohammad Razon / Dhaka Tribune

the two countries.

The about-turn came little more than a month after Britons voted to leave the EU in a referendum that forced the resignation of Prime Minister Cameron and the promotion of May. In the weeks that have followed, May has been keen to state that Britain remains open for business. But she has also said the government should be able to step in to defend a key sector from foreign ownership if necessary.

Potential security risks have been

cited as a concern about the project in some quarters. Last year, Nick Timothy, who worked closely with May in the past and is now her joint chief of staff, raised concerns about Chinese involvement in Hinkley.

Timothy said security experts were worried the state-owned Chinese group, which owns a stake of about a third in the project, would have access to computer systems that would allow it to shut down Britain’s energy production.

The two new reactors at Hinkley Point, in southwest England,

would provide about 7% of Britain’s electricity, helping to fill a supply gap as coal plants are set to close by 2025.

Although EDF and CGN are responsible for the $24bn cost, Britain has committed to pay a minimum price for the power generated by the plant for 35 years.

Critics, including some British lawmakers and academics, say the country would be overpaying at that minimum price, which equates to double current market levels. l

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SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2016

INSIGHT

USA

Trump’s Russia reset ideas alarming allies, many in US n Tribune International Desk Donald Trump’s flurry of offhand remarks and abrupt zingers on Russia — praising Vladimir Putin, dismissing Nato — have jolted the world, not to mention the US presidential campaign.

With Russia’s behaviour rattling nerves in the US and elsewhere, Trump is accused of cozying up to a “dictator.” Of threatening the very underpinnings of America’s relationship with Europe. And of naiveté.

Some of the GOP presidential nominee’s goals are consistent with long-held US views, many experts say. The idea of fostering US-Russian cooperation isn’t outlandish.

After all, Hillary Clinton tried to “reset” relations with Russia when she was secretary of state. Also, past US administrations of both parties have quietly complained that other Nato members should pay their share to the alliance.

It’s what Trump is willing to do to achieve those goals and the way

Vladimir Putin

Donald Trump

he expresses his views that have shocked many foreign policy experts.

The notion of refusing to defend Nato allies who don’t pay their bills, for example, or of buddying up to Putin despite his aggressive stances is jarring to Democrats and Republicans alike.

And it’s on the minds of foreign leaders.

On Wednesday, Trump offered this vision for rosier US-Russian relations: “I would treat Vladimir Putin firmly but there’s nothing that I can think of that I’d rather do than have Russia friendly — as opposed to the way they are right now — so that we can go and knock out ISIS

together along with other people and with other countries,” he said.

“Wouldn’t it be nice if we actually got along with people?”

Trump praised the Russian president for having “better leadership qualities” than President Barack Obama. Trump said he would consider lifting sanctions against Moscow and recognising Russia’s annexation of Crimea.

As for Nato, Trump said the basic idea of the alliance was OK but that “it’s got to be modernised.

And countries that we’re protecting have to pay what they’re supposed to be paying.”

Days earlier, he suggested he would decide whether to protect Nato allies against Russian aggres-

REUTERS

sion based on whether they had “fulfilled their obligations” financially.

His invitation for Russia to help unearth the deleted emails from Clinton’s State Department years appeared to violate a cardinal rule against foreign meddling in US politics.

Yet Democrats are not the only ones to recoil at Trump’s remarks.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, among other top Republicans, swiftly expressed disagreement with the nominee and promised that other Nato members can count on the US to defend them.

Obama’s early hope for that reset with Moscow had largely evaporated even before Russia’s 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula and its military intervention in eastern Ukraine, which unnerved countries on Nato’s eastern flank that fear they also may be targets of Russian intimidation or aggression.

Against that backdrop, Trump’s remarks raising doubts about honoring US Nato commitments created an international uproar. l

Afghan troops press offensive against IS n Reuters, Jalalabad

When Afghan troops pushed into Kot, a district close to the border with Pakistan, this week, they found many of the houses empty, with posters plastered on the walls and black flags left by departing Islamic State fighters.

Backed by US special forces troops and airstrikes that authorities say have killed hundreds of Islamic State fighters in recent weeks, the Afghan army has launched an offensive against the movement, which is now believed to be confined to three or four districts in eastern Afghanistan.

Afghan commanders said they faced little resistance as they pushed into Kot after a heavy air and artillery bombardment as fighters pulled out into nearby mountain areas.

“We have already destroyed their training camps in Kot district and the operations will expand to other districts too,” said Shereen Agha, an Afghan army spokesman.

Provincial government spokesman Attahullah Khogyani said 78 Islamic State fighters had been killed in the operation and many bodies had been concealed inside houses to hide the number of fatalities they had suffered.

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World

Involving both regular army and special forces, the operation in Nangarhar, dubbed “Wrath of the Storm”, coincided with last week’s suicide bombing in Kabul that killed at least 80 people and wounded more than 230 more.

The operation, the Afghan army’s first major strategic offensive of the summer, was planned well before the attack on a demonstration by mainly Shia Hazara people in Kabul.

But that attack, which was immediately claimed by Islamic State, added urgency to the operation, which military officials say has pushed IS fighters back into the mountains of southern Nangarhar.

Abdul Hakim, one of the residents left in the dusty town bazaar, gave a careful welcome to the incoming troops.

“I am very happy to see the government forces defeated Dae’sh (Islamic State) and saved us from the atrocities and terror,” he said as troops moved about pulling down the posters and flags covering many of the surrounding walls.

However after innumerable false dawns in decades of conflict in Afghanistan, officials in the Nato-led coalition that provides assistance to Afghan forces are cautious about declaring success against Islamic State, which Pres-

Hacker breaches a computer system Clinton campaign uses Officials say a computer service used by the campaign of Hillary Clinton was hacked as part of a broader breach of the Democratic National Committee. The breach affected a DNC data analytics programme used by the campaign and a number of other organisations, according to the Clinton campaign. The campaign did not specify what types of data the service was analysing.

-AP

THE AMERICAS

Brazil arrests Lebanese man linked to Hezbollah The Brazilian police said Friday they have arrested a Lebanese man with suspected links to the Hezbollah who was wanted on drug-trafficking charges. Fadi Hassan Nabha, 42, who had a three-year-old Interpol notice out for his arrest, was detained in Caieiras, in the Sao Paulo metropolises.

-REUTERS

UK

Pokemon GO players robbed at gunpoint in London park Three teenagers playing the hit game Pokemon GO have been robbed at gunpoint in a north London park and forced to hand over their mobile phones, British police said on Saturday. While one suspect demanded that the three teenagers hand over their phones, a second revealed what the police said was a handgun from his waistband. The three teenagers handed over their phones and left the scene unhurt.

-REUTERS

EUROPE

Belgium arrests 2 men suspected of planning attack

Afghan security forces inspect the site of a suicide attack on the outskirts of Kabul on June 30 AP ident Ashraf Ghani promised to “bury” in January.

Western officials say the army has increasingly taken the offensive against the insurgents, both Taliban and Islamic State, and prevented the fall of district and provincial centres.

Islamic State first appeared in Afghanistan at beginning of 2015 and US officials say some 70% of its fighters come from the TTP, the Pakistani Taliban, many from the Orakzai area in the frontier region on the Pakistan side of the border.

Previously considered a much smaller threat than the Taliban,

their bitter enemies, the Kabul bombing underlined how dangerous they could be, even without holding large tracts of territory.

Afghan and US military officials believe the concentrated attacks on the movement over the past six months have killed many of its fighters and leaders and weakened the group, despite its ability to mount the Kabul attack.

Gen John Nicholson, the senior US commander in Afghanistan, said this week that the number of Islamic State fighters, estimated at around 3,000 in January, has been roughly cut in half and now stood at between 1,000-1,500. l

Belgian police arrested two men suspected of planning an attack in the country after house searches on Friday evening, federal prosecutors said on Saturday. The two, named as 33-year-old Nourredine H and his brother Hamza H, will appear before a judge on Saturday to determine whether they should be held in custody beyond an initial 24 hours.

-REUTERS

AFRICA

Tunisia government faces vote of confidence Tunisia’s parliament was gathered on Saturday for a vote of confidence that could see Prime Minister Habib Essid unseated after just a year and a half in office.

Essid’s government has been widely criticised for failing to tackle the country’s economic crisis. Essid has been under growing pressure since President Beji Caid Essebsi appeared on local TV in June to slam the administration.

-AFP

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SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2016

In tribute to son, Khizr Khan offered citizenship lesson at Democratic National Convention n Tribune International Desk When US army captain Humayun Khan was ordered to Iraq a dozen years ago, his father wanted to talk to him about being an American Muslim soldier sent to war in a Muslim country.

His son, though, was focused only on the job at hand.

“I asked him: ‘How do you feel about the whole Iraq deal?’ ” recalled Khizr Khan, who became a US citizen after emigrating from Pakistan in 1980. “He said: ‘Look, that’s not my concern and that’s not my pay grade. My responsibility is to make sure my unit is safe.’ And that’s all he would talk about, and nothing else.”

Captain Khan, 27, died on June 8, 2004, after he told his men to take cover and then tried to stop a suicide bomber outside the gates of his base in Baquba. And on Thursday night, speaking about his son at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Khan gave a voice to Muslim Americans outraged by the anti-Muslim pronouncements of the Republican nominee for president, Donald J Trump.

In a speech that electrified the convention and turned Khan into a social media and cable news sensation, he waved a pocket Constitution and challenged Trump: “You have sacrificed nothing and no one.”

Trump’s call for restrictions on Muslims entering the country is acutely personal, Khan said, in an interview on Friday, adding that he had no plans to campaign for Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, nor had the campaign asked him to.

Trump’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment on Khan’s remarks. In December, Trump called for “a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on.” More recently, he has pledged to suspend immigration from any country “compro-

mised by terrorism.”

If restrictions on Muslim immigration had been in place decades ago, Khan said, neither he, a lawyer with an advanced degree from Harvard Law School; his wife, Ghazala, who taught Persian at a Pakistani college before raising three boys in the Washington suburbs; their eldest son, Shaharyar, who was a top student at the University of Virginia and a co-founder of a biotechnology company; nor Captain Khan, who posthumously earned the Bronze Star, along with a Purple Heart, for saving the lives of his men, would have been allowed to settle here.

A third son, Omer, who works at his brother’s biotech company, was born in the US. “If it was up to Donald Trump, he never would have been in America,” Khan exclaimed about his deceased son during his speech, his wife by his side. Khan said that Trump “wants to build walls and ban us from this country.”

“Let me ask you: Have you even read the US Constitution? I will gladly lend you my copy,” Khan said, addressing Trump directly, while pulling a miniature version of the country’s founding document from his coat pocket.

Khan said he admires both Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama, though Thomas Jefferson is his real hero.

Khan’s odyssey from lawyer and legal consultant to prime-time DNC speaker began in December, when he got a phone call from a writer for Vocativ, an online publication, who wanted his thoughts on Trump’s statements about Muslims.

Khan criticised Trump’s statements as un-American in an article published by Vocativ. A few weeks later, he got a phone call from a Clinton campaign official, who had seen the article and asked if his comments could be used in a tribute for his son at the convention.

“I said, ‘What a wonderful honour,’ ” he recalled in the interview.

“Who am I to say, ‘No’?”

Months later, the campaign asked

The teleprompter shows the speech for Khizr Khan, who's son Humayun was killed serving in the US Army ten years after September 11, 2001, at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on Thursday REUTERS

Khizr Khan, whose son, Humayun SM Khan was one of 14 American Muslims who died serving in the US Army in the 10 years after the 9/11 attacks, offers to loan his copy of the Constitution to Republican US presidential nominee Donald Trump, as he speaks while a relative looks on during the last night of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on Thursday REUTERS if he and his wife would come to the convention. “The initial plan was just to go there and stand and talk to the media afterwards,” he said. “Then somebody called and said, ‘Would you like to say a word or two?’ ” Time was tight and the schedule packed, he was told. The campaign asked whether he needed speech-writing help or any coaching. “I said: ‘I really don’t, I have my thoughts in my head,” he said. “I won’t make it an hour-long speech, just let me say what I want to say. It will be heart-to-heart.”

Nothing from the speech, he said, was the product of the campaign, including his dig at Trump’s lack of military service. It all flowed pretty easily, because he had been thinking about these things for quite a while, he said.

Khan expressed great faith in the Constitution and in a political process that bolsters a belief that “an unqualified person will never get to this office.”

“I respect the Republican Party as much as the Democratic Party,” he said. But he added: “I definitely will continue to raise my voice out of concern that the Republican leadership must pay attention to what is taking place.”

Khan met his wife at Punjab University in Lahore, Pakistan.

They moved to Dubai, where their two eldest sons were born, then arrived in Houston, renting a $200-a-month apartment. Eventually they settled outside Washington, where Khan worked at a mortgage company and law firms.

Captain Khan, in his free time, taught disabled children to swim. At the University of Virginia, he joined the ROTC programme, and majored

Khizr Khan, who's son Humayun, left, was killed serving in the US Army, speaks at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on Thursday REUTERS in psychology, his father said. He planned to attend law school.

His last conversation with his parents was on Mother’s Day 2004. His mother said: “ ‘I don’t want you to be a hero. I want you to return back to me safely,’ ” Khan recalled. “Of course I will,” he promised her. “But Mother, you should know I have responsibility for these soldiers, and I cannot leave them unprotected.”

The bomber who took Captain Khan’s life drove an orange-andwhite taxi toward the base. Had the captain not warned his men to take cover, “there would have been more casualties,” his brigade commander, Dana Pittard, said in an interview.

Recalling the captain’s potential as he watched Khan’s speech, Pittard said, “I had to leave the room, it brought back such a flood of memories.”

After their son’s death, Mr. Khan

and his wife, who had moved to Charlottesville to be close to their other sons, had the university’s ROTC cadets over for dinner once a year. Khan would give them each a pocket-size copy of the Constitution, just like the one he brandished on Thursday, said Tim Leroux, who used to run the ROTC programme.

University officials let Khan read an application essay his son wrote for a residential college. In the essay, Captain Khan wrote of how “liberty requires vigilance and sacrifice” and that those who are “beneficiaries of liberty must always bear this in mind, and keep it safe from attacks.”

“That summed up his later life,” Khan said. l

[This is an excerpt of a NEW YORK TIMES article, which can be found at http://nyti. ms/2aesT6W]

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SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2016

Al-Nabaa, an online magazine of the Islamic State group, shows Mohammad Daleel in an article published AP

Little known jihadist inspired latest wave of lone wolf attacks n Mohamad Bazzi A wave of attacks against civilians in Europe over the past month has rekindled fears of self-radicalised, "lone wolf" perpetrators inspired by and acting in the name of Islamic State, but without having direct contact with the group.

The attacks began on July 14 in Nice, France, when a Tunisian man drove a 19-tonne refrigerated truck into a large crowd watching Bastille Day fireworks, killing 84 people and injuring hundreds. It took 36 hours for Islamic State to claim responsibility for the atrocity, issuing a statement that called the attacker "a soldier of the Islamic State" who had responded to its leaders' call "to target states participating in the Crusader coalition that fights the caliphate." But despite the claim, French investigators have so far found no evidence that the driver had been in contact with any Islamic State operatives.

Four days after the Nice attack, a 17-yearold boy, an asylum-seeker from Afghanistan, went on a rampage on a train near the German city of Wuerzburg, wounding five people with an ax before being killed by police.

On July 24, a Syrian man who had been denied asylum in Germany blew himself up outside a wine bar in the city of Ansbach, wounding 15 people. Before the attack, the man had recorded a cell phone video in which he pledged allegiance to Islamic State and declared that Germans "won't be able to sleep peacefully anymore."

And on Tuesday two assailants linked to Islamic State attacked a church in northern France, killing an elderly priest by slitting his throat and seriously wounding a hostage.

French police shot the perpetrators as they left the church.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for all four attacks, and it now seems that the group will be quick to adopt nearly every attack on civilians in the West. These claims of responsibility tend to be somewhat generic - they don't show Islamic State's involvement in the planning or execution of attacks - but they do help the group in its propaganda efforts.

These "lone wolf" attacks are not an accident. They are the result of an organised, decade-old movement within Islamic jihadism to decentralise attacks and make them more diffuse. This trend predated the emergence of Islamic State - it can be traced back to al-Qae-

da after the September 11, 2001 attacks. While al-Qaeda was a hierarchical organisation, its leader Osama bin Laden and his deputy and eventual successor, Ayman al-Zawahiri, realised that maintaining training camps and central control was not going to work after the group was forced out of its base in Afghanistan under US bombing. Before the September 11 attacks, bin Laden had relied on recruits trained at Afghan camps, and many had personally pledged allegiance to him.

But even while in hiding, bin Laden and Zawahiri frequently addressed their supporters through dozens of videos, audiotapes and internet statements. They encouraged new recruits to act autonomously under al-Qaeda's banner, and they helped inspire hundreds of young men to carry out suicide or conventional bombings in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Spain, Britain and elsewhere.

After a large number of al-Qaeda's leaders were killed, captured or forced to flee, one of bin Laden's former bodyguard in Afghanistan described the group's revamped operations to an Arabic newspaper. "Every element of al-Qaeda is self-activated," he said. "Whoever finds a chance to attack simply goes ahead. The decision is theirs alone."

Today, Islamic State has expanded and perfected this concept of the "leaderless jihad."

And it is now wreaking havoc and spreading fear, both in the West and in the Middle East.

The latest wave of attacks in France and Germany fits into a series of appeals by Islamic State leaders for their supporters to carry out lone wolf assaults that use any means necessary to kill civilians, especially in the West. As the group continues to face a US-led bombing campaign against its strongholds in Syria and Iraq, it is losing the territory and fighters that make up the backbone of its self-declared caliphate. As a result, Islamic State is turning toward both centrally organised plots and individual attacks carried out by sympathizers to reassert its claim as the world's leading jihadist movement.

With the spate of attacks over the past month, a few individuals are heeding Islamic State's call - and causing a far greater fear to sweep Europe. l

[Mohamad Bazzi is a journalism professor at New York University and former Middle East bureau chief at Newsday. The opinions expressed are his own.]

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12 Business

SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2016

TOP STORIES Low-cost fund needed to relocate RMG accessory factories

n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi

Bangladesh Garments Accessories and Packaging Manufacturers and Exporters Association tells the Dhaka Tribune in an exclusive interview.

PAGE 13

BoJ deflates with ‘disappointing’ stimulus The Bank of Japan deflated investor spirits Friday with underwhelming tweaks to its giant stimulus plan that fanned worries its monetary policy arsenal is almost empty.

PAGE 14

India’s strategic oil reserves unlikely to stir market India’s initial plan to build-up its strategic petroleum reserves (SPR) is not shaping out to be the dramatic event that some in the market had hoped could help reignite global oil demand. PAGE 15

Capital market snapshot: Past Week DSE Broad Index

4,538.3

-0.3% ▼

Index

1,111.2

-0.3% ▼

30 Index

1,771.5

-0.4% ▼

Turnover in Mn Tk

19,631.2 -18.0% ▼

Turnover in Mn Vol

444.4 -33.0% ▼

CSE All Share Index 13,963.6

-0.3% ▼

30 Index

12,855.6

-0.5% ▼

Selected Index

8,499.3

-0.3% ▼

Turnover in Mn Tk

1,401.4 -38.1% ▼

Turnover in Mn Vol

29.2 -55.8% ▼

Tourism Board moves to regain foreigners’ confidence n Ishtiaq Husain Bangladesh Tourism Board (BTB) is going to undertake a ‘trust building’ program to bring back the tourism sector from the brink, which was hit hard by the July 1 Gulshan cafe terror attack.

Since the deadly attack, which killed 22 people, mostly foreigners, international visitors have been cancelling their scheduled trips in Bangladesh.

“Under this situation, we have taken a move to regain the confidence of the foreigners,” said Nikhil Ranjon Ray, a joint secretary of the BTB, while talking to the Dhaka Tribune.

Bangladesh embassies at different countries can play a vital role to achieving our objective, expressing their solidarity to the killed Japanese and Italian citizen, he said.

On July 1, militants stormed an upscale restaurant in the capital’s diplomatic zone. According to the government report, nine Italians, seven Japanese, one Indian and three Bangladeshis were killed in the attack.

The luxury hotels in Dhaka and tour operators are passing difficult time despite assurance from the government to provide proper security for the foreigners.

For example, an international event on telecommunication, scheduled to be held in Dhaka from Sept 29 to Oct 6, has been

The Holy Artisan Bakery at Gulshan after the deadly terrorist attack on July 1 canceled. About 450 foreign nationals were supposed to attend the event, which has now been shifted to Thailand. The BTB has recently held a meeting with all the stakeholders to tackle the situation.

According to the plan, the government will hold more meetings with the employees of Japanese organisation like JAICA and JATA to restore their confidence.

Masud Hossain, managing director of Bengal Tours, an inbound tour operator that mainly handles Japanese tourists, said: “At this moment, we are not in a

Four firms to procure power transformers for Chittagong n Tribune Business Desk Four companies - local and foreign – will procure distribution transformers and accessories for development of the power system in Chittagong and easing the problem of load-shedding there.

Power Division’s proposal to permit local and foreign firms to procure transformers and accessories will be placed in next meeting of the cabinet committee on public purchase for approval, official sources said.

Officials said Chittagong experienced up to 165 megawatt of load-shedding in July, which is a significant rise from 63mw in the same month last year.

New distribution transformers to be placed in different areas are

expected to increase total power generation in Chittagong in a year.

According to the proposal, the local and foreign firms will develop 11/0.415KV, 250KVA distribution transformers and accessories in five lots in Chittagong district.

The firms are Energypac Engineering Ltd, M/S GEM CO Ltd, M/S Microtech and Poly Cables Industries Ltd. Energypac Engineering Ltd will procure distribution transformers for two lots – lots 1 and 2 while other firms will supply distribution transformers and accessories to the remaining lots.

The total cost of procurement of the transformers and accessories will be Tk75.46 crore.

According to Bangladesh Power Development Board (PDB), some  PAGE 13 COLUMN 5

position to invite Japanese to visit Bangladesh.”

“We should express our solidarity to them at the individual level as well as the government can also motivate them by pointing its finger to the global terrorism scenario. Bangladesh is not a separate island. We will have to root out terrorism globally.”

After attack, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced that the government will do everything to protect people’s life. At the same time Prime Minister said her government is determined to ‘root out terrorism and militancy’ from

DHAKA TRIBUNE

the country.

Taufiq Rahman, managing director of Journey Plus, who is mainly handling the European market, said: “Tourism Board should outreach ‘Prime Minister’s speech’ which will help foreigner’s to bring back their trust as the highest authority of the country is sincere about combating terrorism.”

Kazi Wahidul Alam, editor of fortnightly tourism newspaper named The Bangladesh Monitor, suggested to immediately form a crisis management team to handle the current volatile situation of country’s tourism sector. l

SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2016

Low-cost fund needed to relocate RMG accessory factories n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi Bangladesh Garments Accessories and Packaging Manufacturers and Exporters Association tells the Dhaka Tribune in an exclusive interview.

In order to keep up compliant issue, the manufacturers of garment accessories need low-cost fund to relocate factories outside the capital, BGAPMEA president Md Abdul Kader Khan told the Dhaka Tribune in an interview.

DT: What does the RMG sub-sector need to make the sector compliant as buyers are strict about safety and compliance issues?

Kader: Since RMG retailers are not allowing sourcing accessories and packaging materials from a non-compliant factory, manufacturers have to relocate their factories to make them compliant in order to meet buyers requirement.

The task of relocation is very expensive, and building the factories as per the buyers’ requirement, monetary support is needed. That is why we need low-cast fund on easy terms.

According to the sector people, at least 25% of the factories have to relocate from the capital and

adjoining areas to make them compliant. Currently, there are 1,465 members of Bangladesh Garments Accessories and Packaging Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGAPMEA).

sary measures to brand Bangladeshi garment accessories in global markets. While Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) can crate opportunity to participate in the global expos to display products.

We are not getting incentives against export though we are running our business under the same guideline. If the incentives are given, the exporters would be able to grab more market.

Does Bangladesh have enough skilled manpower?

Skilled manpower is a must for productivity enhancement and quality improvement. We lack enough skilled manpower.

There is no institution that train the workers for the sector, which is a must to get the sector to flourish.

If the government gives us land and financial support to establish a training institution, it would help us export a lot of accessories meeting local demands.

How can accessories help in earning $50 billion target by 2021?

If the government wants to materialise the vision 2021, it has to concentrate on the sector as it is providing a lot of support to the RMG sector, the lifeline of the export earnings. In FY’14-15, accessories contributed $5.6 billion to RMG export.

If the accessories producers get proper government attention and can re-arrange the sector, it would

What are the challenges facing the sector?

Abdul Kader Khan be able to contribute 10% to 15% to the earning of $50 billion by 2021.

How can Bangladesh produce standard products?

Investment in new technology is required to go for higher production and quality. For this, the sector needs policy support including tax waiver on the import of machinery and low-rate bank loans.

What should the government do to expand export market?

The government should ask its commercial wings to take neces-

Getting gas and electricity connection is a big challenge to the sector.

On the other hand, another challenge is the price hike of gas as the government is going to raise it for the industrial connection.

How does the sector help to reduce lead time risk?

Bangladesh makes world-class accessories and is able to meet 100% local demands. If manufacturers import accessories from other countries, it takes time, which is risky to meeting lead time for shipment.

But, we are helping the RMG manufacturers reduce the risk of shipment delay by providing products within a short time frame. l

Grameenphone lifts stocks in past week n Tribune Business Desk Heavyweight Grameenphone was in the driving seat to keep stocks afloat as their earnings attracted investors in the midst of downbeat mood.

Trading in the past week that ended Thursday, however, was cautious over the new monetary policy for the six months announced on Tuesday.

The benchmark index of Dhaka Stock Exchange DSEX lost marginally 15 points or 0.4% to close 4,538.

The DS30 index, comprising blue chips, was down 8 point or 0.5% to 1,779. The DSE Shariah Index also edged only 3 points lower to 1,114.

The Chittagong Stock Exchange Selective Category Index CSCX fell 29 points or 0.4% to 8,499.

Grameenphone, a leading mobile phone operator in Bangladesh, climbed almost 5% since publishing its financial performance for the second quarter of this year.

The company accounted for 4.5% of nearly Tk300 crore in trade value added to the DSE daily average turnover in the past week.

The week’s daily average turnover declined 1.6% over the previous week.

“The concentrated gains helped pullback in the indexes, ending three week’s slow gains,” a broker say.

But trading still remained subdued as investors were in cautious mood throughout the week after the July-December monetary policy statement.

Trading was concentrated on three sectors—engineering, pharmaceuticals and power, accounting for about 50% of the total turnover.

LankaBangla Securities said stocks ended with moderate loss in benchmark index, after the Bangladesh Bank’s announcement of a cautiously accommodative monetary policy for first half of fiscal year 2017.

IDLC Investments said the market was traded in a thin band throughout the week, with volatile move in stocks prices.

However, few issues showed steep moves as their respective quarterly declarations entered the market, it said. l

Japanese battery giant YUASA launches its 2nd sales & service centre at Cosmo Filling Station at Uttara in the city on Thursday COURTESY

Battery giant YUASA opens outlet at Uttara n Tribune Business Desk Japanese battery giant YUASA has recently launched its second sales and service centre at Cosmo Filling Station at Uttara in the capital to meet growing consumer demand, said the company in a statement yesterday.

This outlet will sell exclusively YUASA batteries and offer after and pre sales services as part of continuous efforts to enhance customer satisfaction.

YUASA, the largest motorcycle battery manufacturer and second largest car battery manufacturer in the world, has teamed up with Japan Solartech Bangladesh Limited to offer original equipment under a Technical Service Agreement (TSA)

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13

Business

in Bangladesh.

Japan Solartech Bangladesh has invested US$15 million to set up a state of the art battery factory in Chittagong having production capacity of 30,000 units per month.

In Bangladesh, YUASA battery is marketed by Eastern Lubricants Blenders Limited, a subsidiary of state-owned Padma Oil Company Ltd. Md Abul Khair, managing director of Padma Oil Company Ltd (POCL) and executive director of Eastern Lubricants Blenders Ltd, inaugurated the sales and service centre.

He said: “World’s one of the renowned battery producer brand YUASA is now in Bangladesh at your nearest Padma approved filling station.” l

PRAN honours Somaliland importer n Tribune Business Desk PRAN, a leading food processor and exporter in Bangladesh, on Thursday awarded an importer of Somaliland for his outstanding contributions to popularise PRAN products in the African country.

Md Eleash Mridha, director of PRAN Group, handed over the award to Mohamed Omar Abdi, proprietor of Hadrawi Trading Establishment, as the best performer of African region.

Md Mizanur Rahman, chief of export at PRAN, Md Ehsanul Siddique and Major (retd) J Kabir Sakib, senior managers (Export-Africa Region), were present during the award-giving ceremony held at PRAN-RFL Centre in Dhaka.

PRAN Group gave away the prize considering his performance for the fiscal year 2015-2016, said Mizanur Rahman.

Hadrawi Trading Establishment is planning to buy PRAN products worth around $8 million for the current financial year, he added.

Hadrawi Trading Establishment has been importing various kinds of PRAN products including fruit drinks, beverage, snacks, confectionery, biscuit, spices, & vegetables. l

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12

Four firms 750,000 subscribers of the BPDB in Chittagong have experienced up to 165mw of load-shedding in July, which was only 63mw last year.

Chittagong has a total of 13 power plants with a total generation capacity of 1,474.3mw. Of the plants, six public sector power plants produce 1,060mw and the rest 414.3mw of electricity is produced by rental power plants.

In March last year, total electricity generation of the 13 power plants stood up to 1,003mw.

BPDB saw a record electricity generation of 1,098mw in Chittagong on April 14 last year against the highest demand of 812mw during the peak hours.

Of the three state-owned gasfired plants, only one unit of Raozan Thermal Power Plant is now receiving around 23m cubic feet (mcf) of gas to generate 80mw of electricity.

The remaining power plants are now generating up to 758mw against the highest demand of 1,036mw in pick season.

PDB can accumulate up to 938mw of electricity including the supply from the National Load Dispatch Centre (NLDC) for distribution in Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar, Rangamati, Khagrachhari and Bandarban.

Besides, a 50mw unit among five hydropower stations remains shut due to a fall in water level in Karnaphuli in Kaptai. l

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SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2016

BoJ deflates with ‘disappointing’ stimulus n AFP, Tokyo The Bank of Japan deflated investor spirits Friday with underwhelming tweaks to its giant stimulus plan that fanned worries its monetary policy arsenal is almost empty.

The central bank did not expand a massive bond-buying programme - a cornerstone of its years-long battle against deflation - despite hopes for a one-two punch to boost the sluggish economy, after Tokyo unveiled a huge spending package this week.

Japanese officials are under pressure as the fate of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s bid to reignite the

world’s number three economy, dubbed Abenomics, looks increasingly gloomy.

“The market had expected more than what the BoJ announced today, which triggered some disappointment,” said Yosuke Hosokawa, head of the forex sales team at Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank.

“This shows the ceiling for monetary policy.”

The BoJ’s gathering was its first since Britain’s shock vote to quit the European Union.

The decision last month hammered financial markets and sparked a yen rally that is threatening corporate Japan’s bottom line -

fanning concerns about growth.

Government figures on Friday morning did little to soothe those worries, with inflation and household spending falling last month.

Business confidence is sitting at its lowest levels since Abe swept to power in late 2012 on a ticket to fix the once-booming economy.

The weak readings Friday will aggravate worries about second-quarter economic growth. Japan dodged a recession in the first three months of the year.

The BoJ’s plan is to double purchases of exchange-traded funds to about six trillion yen annually, and inflate a US dollar lending pro-

Samsung extends lead over Apple in smartphone market n AFP, Washington Samsung extended its lead in the global smartphone market over Apple in the second quarter, gaining from the launch of its updated flagship handsets, surveys showed.

The South Korean giant delivered 77 million smartphones in the quarter, up 5.5% from a year ago, for a market share of 22.4%, research firm IDC said.

That compared with a 15% drop in sales for Apple’s iPhones, which accounted for 11.8%, IDC said.

Samsung got a lift from the March launch of its Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge flagship models, with an upgraded processor, waterproofing and other features, IDC noted.

Apple, despite the launch of its more affordable iPhone SE, failed to keep pace and reported weaker sales compared to a year ago.

A separate survey by Strategy Analytics had a similar estimate, with Samsung at 22.8% to 11.9% for Apple.

Neil Mawston, executive director at Strategy Analytics, said he sees Samsung making further gains this year.

“With a new Galaxy Note 7 flagship model rumored to be on the way, Samsung will be able to strengthen its smartphone leadership into the second half of the year,” Mawston said.

“Apple continues to face iPhone fatigue among consumers and the new iPhone SE model has not been able to stem that trend.”

IDC’s Ryan Reith said the saturation of many markets has forced makers to rethink their strategy.

“Apple is beginning to put more emphasis on ‘device as a service’ to try to prevent lengthening replace-

ment cycles,” he said.

“This is a growing theme we have heard more about from PCs to smartphones. Additionally, the overall China market slowdown continues to ramp up competition in other high growth markets like India, Indonesia, and Middle East.”

Both surveys showed China’s Huawei the number three vendor with a 9.4% market share.

Other Chinese vendors were in the top five.

According to IDC, Oppo and Vivo were fourth and fifth with 6.6 and 4.8% respectively.

The Strategy Analytics report showed Oppo with 5.3% and Xiaomi fifth with 4.3%.

IDC said overall smartphone sales rose 0.3% to 343.3 million units, while the second survey showed a one percent rise to 340 million. l

gramme for Japanese firms doing business overseas.

ETFs are securities linked to a share index or other investment, such as commodities or bonds, that trade like common stock.

‘Wishy washy’

But the central bank opted to leave its 80tn yen annual bond-buying programme unchanged, amid worries that expanding the scheme could spark volatility in Japan’s debt markets.

The BoJ also held off cutting interest rates deeper into negative territory, after banks hit back against the plan first announced in January.

Negative rates are meant to encourage lending to people and businesses by effectively charging banks to keep excess reserves in the BoJ’s vaults.

But lenders have complained they are eating into their financial results.

Some analysts said the BoJ likely felt compelled to take some kind of action Friday in a nod to the government.

“The decision was rather wishy washy, as it was far below market expectations which have gone through the roof” in recent weeks, said Kohei Iwahara, an economist at Natixis Japan Securities. l

CORPORATE NEWS

City Bank has recently held its 33rd annual general meeting, said a press release.

The bank’s chairperson, Rubel Aziz presided over the meeting

Social Islami Bank Limited has recently held its 371st board meeting, said a press release. The bank’s chairperson, Major Dr Md Rezaul Haque (retired) presided over the meeting

Spain ups 2016 growth forecast, unemployment to drop n AFP, Madrid Spain on Friday upped its growth forecast for the year and predicted that unemployment would drop both in 2016 and 2017, despite a seven-month political deadlock that has many concerned.

The government said Spain’s economy would grow 2.9% overall in 2016, up from the 2.7% predicted in April - a figure that had already been put forward by Economy Minister Luis de Guindos.

In a statement, the economy ministry also predicted a drop in unemployment to 18.6% in 2016 compared to 20% in the second quarter, and then 16.6 percent by the end of 2017.

But it revised its forecast for GDP growth in 2017 down to 2.3% from 2.4%.

The updated economic forecast was published just hours after the Ine statistics agency said Spain’s economic growth had slowed slightly in the second quarter.

GDP expanded by 0.7% compared to a 0.8% rise in the previous three months, it said.

The economic data comes as Spain remains without a fully-functioning government more than seven months after December elections failed to give any party an absolute majority, leaving a parliament divided broadly among four groupings.

Efforts to forge a coalition were

unsuccessful as rival parties were unable to overcome their differences, prompting repeat elections in June with a similar result.

On Thursday, King Felipe VI tasked acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, whose conservative Popular Party came first without an absolute majority, with forming a government.

But he faces an uphill challenge as most other parties refuse to back him, raising concerns that Spain could eventually head to a third round of elections at a crux time.

The country is only just emerging from a damaging crisis, and its economy grew at one of the fastest paces in the eurozone last year, with GDP rising 3.2%. l

Standard Bank Limited has recently held its half yearly business conference, said a press release. The bank’s MD and CEO, Md Nazmus Salehin presided over the conference

Standard Chartered Bank, Bangladesh has recently honoured individuals and institutions who served as outstanding examples in the agriculture sector of Bangladesh in recent time through AGROW Award. Commerce Minister, Tofail Ahmed was present at the award giving ceremony along with the bank’s CEO, Abrar A Anwar, said a press release

15

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Business

SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2016

India’s strategic oil reserves unlikely to stir market n Reuters, Singapore India’s initial plan to buildup its strategic petroleum reserves (SPR) is not shaping out to be the dramatic event that some in the market had hoped could help reignite global oil demand.

While New Delhi has not shown its full hand in revealing its intentions, the first reports that SPRs might provide 90 days of net import coverage had stoked industry hopes of an important new pillar of oil demand.

Indications now, however, are for much far less than this: shipping brokers say it’s possible the entire initial SPR buildup in the world’s third-biggest oil consumer could be handled by just a handful of Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) tankers.

Indeed, India’s initial SPR plan pales in comparison to a programme that is ten-fold bigger in China and is a further sign that Asia’s demand outlook may not be as strong as expected.

“I don’t see the Indian SPR having much movement on crude prices, mainly being that there is so much crude available,” said Matt Stanley of brokerage Freight Investor Services (FIS) in Dubai.

India initially plans to build up oil reserves of 5 million tonnes (almost 40 million barrels) at three locations Visakhapatnam, Padur and Mangalore - equivalent to almost 10 days of its average daily imports of 4 million bpd.

About 1 million tonnes of crude has been filled at the Visakhapatnam site, according to Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Limited, a special purpose company managing construction of the reserve facilities.

Construction and commissioning at the other two sites is in the process of being completed.

Building up India’s initial crude storage requirements equates to 220,000 barrels a day (bpd) of tanker demand, according to a report by Braemar ACM Shipbroking.

This amount “could theoretically be covered by two or three VLCCs if all came from

the Middle East,” said Lars Spangberg, a tanker broker at Switzerland’s Ifchor Tankers.

There are also doubts about whether India’s SPR purchases will be met by existing supplies. Instead, they might come from new production, meaning that they would not tighten the global oil market.

“The new storage facilities could stimulate an increase in crude oil production from countries like Iran which are ready to add new oil to an already over supplied market,” said Luigi Bruzzone of shipping brokerage Banchero Costa (Bancosta).

Dwarfed by china’s programme

With the global oil market suffering from two years of oversupply, India has been touted as having the potential to pick up any slack from China and help rebalance the market.

Even though India’s oil demand growth is strong, its SPR programme is dwarfed by an estimated 400 million barrels of crude China has imported over the past few years to build its own SPRs, which are equivalent to some 60 days of its 7.4 million bpd imports.

It is also tiny when compared to the United States, where reserves stand at almost 400 days of its daily imports of over 8 million bpd.

Shipping industry hopes that India’s SPR programme could lift tanker charter rates are also set to be disappointed.

“Unfortunately, India is too close to the Middle East for this to make a big impression on the tanker market,” Spangberg said, although he said that some of the crude could be chartered from West Africa.

Both India’s and China’s SPRs remain smaller than those of International Energy Agency (IEA) members, where import-dependent countries are required to hold reserves equivalent to at least 90 days of net import demand.

In the longer term, however, the impact may be bigger.

Both of Asia’s biggest oil importers want to mirror the IEA policy to have 90 days worth of import requirements in reserves. l

Oil tankers are seen parked at a yard outside a fuel depot on the outskirts of Kolkata

REUTERS

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Career

SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2016

The perfect team Working with certain people with a knack for narcissism and entitlement is always a formula for adversity. Apart from these, there are some people with traits you should equally avoid. Period.

Dishonesty

Not all people will work for the betterment of your startup, and you need to accept that. There are loads of people in the world waiting for the right opportunity to strike, mostly for their own selfish reasons. Dishonest employees with their deceitful ways will undoubtedly create chaos in the workplace, sometimes without your knowledge. Worst of all, dishonest employees might cause great losses to the business if they are somehow working in finance. No startup founder wants to get swindled out of money at great personal loss.

Lack of vision

This is probably the worst mistake any startup founder can make. The vision you have for your business and its future must be shared by your partners and should trickle down to the employees as well.

Recruit people with the same ideology, someone whose visions align perfectly with the startup’s

n Farhan Rahman Minhaz Anwar, the CEO of Betterstories limited, weighs in on building the perfect team for your startup. Back in 2008, he spent countless nights pondering why people in Bangladesh were unable to take advantage of numerous opportunities in the market, which eventually led him to establish Betterstories Limited.

He set out to prove to the world, and especially to himself, that his work mattered, and actively continued to contribute to the society. Minhaz Anwar, along with his team at Betterstories Limited, is trying to change the narrative of Bangladesh and of Asia, one startup at a time. Putting emphasis on the importance of team work, he narrates his story on building the perfect startup team.

Traits in business partners

Success in the early stages depends on the founding partners, and how they conduct themselves.

“I’ve learned that building the perfect founding team is still the biggest issue startup founders face,” says Minhaz Anwar. At the beginning, any business is nothing but an idea. To execute said idea, everyone needs to be able to perform a diverse range of functions, and complement

and support each other in order to achieve the desired goal.

Assuming that the potential partners are qualified enough, here are the unique traits Minhaz Anwar says to look for in your business partners.

Whether they like it or not, people with integrity tend to become role models because honesty is a symbol of ethical leadership

Integrity

Any partner operating in full honestly will undoubtedly gain the trust of other people, especially those they work with closely. There are basically three kinds of people you get to knowthe unsuccessful, the temporarily successful, and those who become and remain successful.

The difference between them is character. Whether they like it or not, people with integrity tend to become role models because honesty is a symbol of ethical leadership- trust is something all partners look for when starting a business.

Complementarity

Any additional partners to the business should complement the founders. They should be a tightly knit, well-oiled machine that balances each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Everyone should be aware of each other’s tasks and responsibilities, even the smallest miscommunication between partners could result in disaster. It

is of vital importance to search for partners who you know you can work with; partners who can add value to the company instead of just getting in everyone’s way.

Flexibility

Everyone has their own opinion, which can become problematic in some cases if it remains overlooked-and-ignored. A startup’s founding team usually has around 3-5 people working closely, and flexibility becomes a necessity. Many decisions, big or small, needs to be taken quickly at most times, and agreeableness may be a problem. Even if they are out-voted by the other partners, a certain amount of bad blood and hostility may linger, which can be devastating in the long run.

People you should avoid

“Somehow, the bad traits always seem to overshadow the good ones,” adds Minhaz Anwar.

vision. There is no reason to take someone in just because they are your best friend, or your family.

Teaming up with people whose interests don’t match with the business is merely a cocktail for disaster.

Establishing a line of power Startups usually start small, with a small team of handpicked personnel. They are a reasonably intertwined group; at first glance, you wouldn’t recognise the CEO from an employee. While getting your hands dirty and working alongside your employees is encouraged, there still needs to be some sort of power establishment, a hierarchy that is followed by everyone.

Ranks, and titles

It’s quite common for startup employees to just be referred as employees. Most don’t bother assigning ranks to these

employees, and therein lies conflict. Nobody is sure who is superior to whom, and assigning responsibilities becomes a challenge. Creating a chain of command sets an example, it makes everyone aware of their position. Your employees will know who to report to, who to complain to, instead of just winging everything.

Draw the line

An employee handbook may seem unnecessarily strict for your little startup, however, there must be some rules dictating what exactly is expected from employees, and even the executives. That way, if somebody’s behavior or performance crosses the line, you don’t necessarily have to be the bad guy. The rules will do the work for you.

Effective recruitment methods in Bangladesh

In this tumultuous business world, hiring and retaining top talents is a critical challenge for all startups. There are many effective recruitment methods followed

by Bangladeshi entrepreneurs to seek out talent- the internet, and employee referrals being the most prominent ones. Other forms being summits and conventions, where you get to meet fellow entrepreneurs and enthusiasts as well.

Internet

In this age of social media, it would be extremely foolish not to utilise it to the fullest. No one reads ads on newspapers anymore, things have become much more digitised. Advertising on the internet allows the business to cast a much bigger net to attract qualified employees. More reach ensures more applicants, ergo, better chances to reel in talented and skilled personnel.

Employee referrals

Existing employees themselves can actively help in the recruitment process because most are often well connected to qualified talents through their professional networks. Employee referrals can exponentially cut down recruitment expenses and it also guarantees the applicants effectiveness in the firm, as they receive firsthand knowledge about the firm’s culture through their relationships with the person who referred them in the first place. l Article was published under a special arrangement with www.startup-bd.com

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Internships

SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2016

PHOTO: BIGSTOCK

How to (successfully) ask for a raise n Muzakkir Hossain So you’ve been working the same job for sometime now and you think you deserve a raise. But do you really? When do you bring up the question? How much should you expect? Here is what you need to know to confidently and successfully talk to your boss to give you the raise you deserve.

Generally, salary raises are awarded annually, but this can depend on the economy and the field you are working for. Intense and competitive industries like finance and technology are more elastic to changes in salary. Other than the annual raise, there are a couple other instances when you can expect a raise: if you work in a highly competitive industry where employees are

You should know when raises are provided if you have been working at the company for more than a year

So do you deserve a raise?

Be honest with yourself here.

Before you can ask your boss for a raise, you should be confident that you really deserve it. An ill deserved raise can hurt your boss’s relationship with the other employees and push you out of the inner circle. However, if you genuinely deserve a raise, then do go for it and show that you know how much you are worth.

valued highly or if you are an extraordinary employee who goes above and beyond to take on extra responsibilities.

When should you ask for it?

Now that you are convinced that you do deserve a raise, it is time for you to scope out the perfect time to ask for it. As with most cases of asking for something, timing is key. You do not want to

interrupt your boss’s lunch to ask him.

On a more serious note, you should consider when raises are normally granted at your company. If you have just been awarded a raise, then as much as you think you deserve it, you will probably be refused. On the other hand, if your salary has not seen much improvement for a while, say a couple of years, then there is no wrong time to ask your boss for a raise.

If you are expecting a significant annual raise, you should ask your boss well ahead of the period when annual raises are normally handed out.

You should know when raises are provided if you have been working at the company for more than a year. If not, well, then you should probably wait it out and prove your competence.

Bringing up the topic Depending on how you bring up the subject of a raise to your manager can affect your entire negotiation. Some bosses prefer a subtle approach to the topic, while others prefer a rather straightforward approach.

Regardless of whether your boss does not beat about the bush or otherwise, you should be straightforward when asking for it.

Once you have decided to broach the topic, do not be a wimp about it as it will reflect on your confidence in your competence. Plan how you want to say it, but by the time you leave the meeting, you should have outlined that your skill has improved, that you are of increased value to the company and you wish to be recognised as such.

To help you do this, you should start thinking a week before the big talk. Note down all your worthy accomplishments since your last raise and keep them with you during your meeting. For some of you, tooting your own horn might not be your cup of tea.

If you are highly productive and successful, you probably perform all your duties and more without it having to come on the radar.

The only way your boss will know about all your accomplishments is if you tell him/her.

How much should you ask for and expect Before you request a raise, you need to know how much you can ask for. Dig around your company’s recent history to see how much your company grants for a raise. Say your company gives out an average of 4% a year.

In that case, requesting a 15% increase will be inappropriate.

If you believe that your performance as of late has been extraordinary, then you can safely ask for a 1%-2% over the company average.

If your company doesn’t have regular annual raises, then you have to research outside into similar companies in the same field. Consider your job position and the responsibilities you take, the size of the company and the economic area.

Once you have a number in mind, you can start negotiating.

One method is to blurt out the number you have in mind and hope that your manager agrees. A slightly better technique is to wait for your boss to suggest a figure, and if it is lower than yours, you can ask for more. If it is higher, then lucky you!

Rejection Dealing with rejection is hard. If you are refused a raise, it is not advisable to threaten to leave the company. While you might be given a raise, it will seem like you are not loyal to the company and a promotion will be hard to come by. The best course of action in this case is to ask your boss when you can ask for a raise again and aim to have a longer list of accomplishments by then.

Happy bargaining! l

DT

18

Feature

SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2016

5 budgeting hacks helping you to save money part of your budget. Even if this is just a small amount every week, using it to celebrate milestones in your long-term goals can help motivate you to stay committed to your financial goals.

4

Avoid temptation. We all have them: Friends, places, and activities that drag us down into budget-busting territory. Your best bet for dealing with them is to flat out avoid them.

Change your route to work to avoid the coffee shop selling those delicious but expensive lattes.

Don’t go to the bar for ‘just another drink’. Wanting to save money does demand a little effort.

5

Maximise savings. How’s your credit? If it’s good, call your lenders to ask about qualifying for reduced rates on your loans, credit lines and, even credit cards.

Don’t get discouraged when pursuing wealth management goals, even if they seem out of reach. Stay on track and try one or more of these budgeting tips today – your progress may surprise you.

Disclaimer:

n Munirul Islam It’s easy to fall off track when saving up for special goals like a new home, a new car or a new addition to the household. Dinners and drinks here, concerts and events there – expenses can add up quickly. Before you know it you have fallen behind in your savings plan and wealth management.

Don’t despair though, as these clever budgeting hacks may be just what you need to avoid spending temptations, achieve your financial goals, and even grow your savings.

We all have them: Friends, places, and activities that drag us down into budget-busting territory

1

Visualise it. Are you working towards a tangible goal, such as a new car or home? If so, constant reminders of your objective may help you stick to your budget and inspire you to find ways to increase savings to meet your goal faster.

Post pictures of your goal around your home and office. Tape one to the corner of your bathroom mirror and on the fridge door. Use a digital image of the goal as your screensaver on your desktop, your laptop, tablet, and smartphone.

You will be faced with reminders of what you are working towards everywhere you go.

2

Create subtle reminders. Reset passwords on your digital devices to remind yourself of savings or debt-paying goals. For example, say you want to pay off your

credit-card balance. Set your password to something like "pay down credit card". If you are saving for a home, set another password to "home down payment".

Be careful not to use the same password for every device or online account. Use rather multiple financial goals as password inspiration, making it more difficult for electronic fraudsters to get into your accounts. (As an added bonus, these passwords can have a combination of the letters, symbols, and numbers often required by password generators.)

3

Celebrate it. Sticking to a budget and a financial plan is hard work, so celebrate small achievements, such as paying off the first debt, or the first chunk of saved money towards your new car. You should also include an entertainment fund as

This article is written for general information purposes only. The information contained does not constitute legal, financial, purchasing, and/or investment advice and neither does it make any recommendation or endorsement regarding the companies and/or services mentioned herein. Although care has been taken to ensure information accuracy in this article, MetLife, Bangladesh does not warrant or represent, expressly or impliedly as to the accuracy or completeness of the information herein and in no event shall MetLife, Bangladesh be liable to the reader or to anyone else for any claim, howsoever arising, out of or in relation to this article.

All applicable laws, regulations, and current MetLife, Bangladesh rules should be referred to in conjunction with this article. l

The author is the Head of Brand & Communications at MetLife, Bangladesh.

19

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Biz Info

SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2016

| workshop |

Zapping cancer in remote areas More than 11,000 women die due to cervical cancer every year in Bangladesh. Cervical cancer has hardly any symptom at an early stage when it is completely treatable. Most of the patients seek for aid at a stage when the cancer has already spread throughout the body. Therefore, early detection is necessary to cure and prevent the disease. The situation is worse in hard-to-reach areas where women do not easily get any access to health services, let alone gain information about cervical cancer.

The aforementioned points were highlighted in a workshop titled “Cervical Cancer Prevention and Management in Hard to Reach Areas of Bangladesh in a Sustainable Approach” at the Institute of Public Health in Mohakhali, Dhaka.

Friendship organised the workshop with support of NonCommunicable Disease Control Program (NCDC) of Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), in collaboration with Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) and Female Cancer Foundation (FCF), Netherlands.

“We know the risk factors of cervical cancer and we know how to prevent it. That is why

we prioritise this disease. If we screen women every six months and provide them with treatment at an early stage, we would be able to cure it. Friendship has been working on cervical cancer prevention, one which is appreciative,” said Professor Dr Md Shamiul Islam, director, Hospital and Clinics, DGHS who attended the workshop as chief guest.

He also stressed the need for a joint effort with NGOs to provide the service to women in hardto-reach areas of Bangladesh, in respect of cervical cancer screening service.

Runa Khan, Founder & Executive Director of Friendship

chaired the workshop. She said, “It took us more than one year to convince people in the hard to reach areas that cervical cancer screening is necessary. Today, those women are coming to us by themselves. Nearly 50 thousand women have been screened in the last few years and almost 1500 were found cervical cancer positive. 20 were sent to referred, and rests were treated by us”.

She also urged for government’s continuing support to fight against cervical cancer.

“We need to increase awareness and demand screening services by introducing a low cost effective model,” said Dr Kazi

Golam Rasul, deputy director and head of Health, Friendship.

Dr Mohammad Atiqullah Sayeed, program specialist, Health Services, Friendship emphasised that if mid-level service providers receive training as per the national curriculum, there would be more skilled manpower trained for the future. Dr Naheed Nazrul, team leader, Hospital Services, Friendship and Dr Omar Ali Sarker, program manager, NCDC, DGHS also presented in the workshop.

Dr Faruque Ahmed Khan, associate professor, CME; Dr Jala Ahmed, principal, IHT; Dr Zebunnesaa Hossain, principal, FWVIT, Azimpur; Dr Habibullah

Talukder Ruskin, associate professor, Cancer Epidemiology National Institute for Cancer Research Hospital, Mohakhali; Dr Zahidur Rahman, secretary, State Medical Faculty; Dr Ashish Kumar Shaha, deputy director, Medical Education, DGHS; Dr Mithila Faruque, assistant professor and head of The Department Non Communicable Diseases, Faculty of Public Health, Bangladesh University Health Science, Mirpur; and Shaikh Md Zunaed Ali, executive director, SlopB Bangladesh attended the workshop as special guests. l

| motivation |

| talk |

Speaking up

PATA’s meeting at Dhaka Regency

Don Sumdany Facilitation and Consultancy, in association with the EMK Center, brings forward “Speak Up without Hiccup,” presented by Bombay Sweets Co Ltd, to be held on August 6 at the EMK Center.

This day-long workshop is for individuals longing to improve

their public speaking skills, get rid of the fear of speaking and unleash their true potential on stage.

Diversified speakers from different backgrounds will come under one banner to enthuse about public speaking. The panel of guests include Rubaba

Dowla, chief service officer, Airtel Bangladesh; Naveed Mahbub, founder, Naveed’s Comedy Club; Syed Tanvir Husain, director, Grameenphone; Sabbir Nasir, executive director, ACI Logistics; Rezaul Hossain, chief commercial officer, bKash; Quazi M Ahmed, CEO, Future Leaders; Ayman Sadiq, founder, 10 Minute School; and G Sumdany Don, CIO, Don Sumdany Facilitation and Consultancy.

Dhaka Tribune will be the media partner of this event along with others such as GTV, ICE Business Times, bdbews24.com and ColoursFM 101.6.

Other partners for the event include Cooper’s (food partner), Ticketchai. com (online ticketing partner).l

A joint meeting of the PATA Bangladesh Chapter and SKAL Bangladesh was held on July 23 at Dhaka Regency Hotel & Resort.

The meeting included discussions on several issues related to the recent Terror Attack in Gulshan and its aftermath, strategies and possible action plans to alleviate the ongoing image crisis of Bangladesh tourism industry and the preparatory activities

of upcoming tourism events in Bangladesh.

Effective safety and security drills were also a core topic of conversation to avoid all future risk.

The meeting was chaired by Shahid Hamid FIH, chairman of PATA Bangladesh Chapter. Vice chairman of the Chapter, advisors and other stakeholders from different tourism entities were also present. l

DT

20 Editorial

SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2016

INSIDE

Why this eviction drive needs to stop No one will go from Gulshan or Dhanmondi to Purbachal for a coffee or a haircut. And the commercial space rent is so high, and the advance amount needed is so large, that none of the small business owners can afford it PAGE 21

Ban religion-based politics, again Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had banned Jamaat along with all religion-based political parties after independence. It was military dictator Ziaur Rahman, failing to get support from the mainstream and the progressive forces for his rule, who gave Jamaat a new lease on life

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

PAGE 22

Let our tigers roar

The elephant in the room Moreover, why -- despite all the warnings -- was the government unable to anticipate something of this sort?

What made the government disbelieve the warnings? Should the government revise its plans to contain militancy in Bangladesh?

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.

T

he Bengal Tiger is more than just a symbol for Bangladesh.

Sadly, according to the latest census from last year, the tiger population in Bangladesh has fallen to dangerously low levels.

There may be as few as 106 tigers in the Bangladeshi side of the Sundarbans.

The population estimate varies depending on the survey methodology used, but one thing is for certain: The tiger population is dwindling, and this does not bode well for Bangladesh.

We need to do all we can to protect our tigers. This means incorporating smart GPS systems for better surveillance and the formation of community patrol groups for better monitoring.

Human intervention is largely responsible for pushing tigers to the brink of extinction. This must be stopped. Robbers and poachers connected to international smuggling rackets must be brought to book. It is up to the Forest Department to take these concerns seriously.

More than just a symbol of national pride, the Bengal tiger occupies a delicate place in the biodiversity and ecological balance of the Sundarbans.

The tiger’s habitat is a vital wildlife sanctuary and a natural bulwark against the sea. Our ability to protect both the tiger and the Sundarbans, then, is an indicator of our development as a nation.

Other nations which have undergone industrialisation and population growth have been able to use increasing prosperity to improve their ability to preserve wildlife and the environment. There is no reason Bangladesh should not be able to do the same, and protect its most iconic animal.

Failing to do so would not just harm our ecological balance, but also damage our national pride.

We hope Bangladesh places more priority on reducing destructive activities that endanger wildlife, and remembers to cherish our national treasures. l

More than just a symbol of national pride, the Bengal tiger occupies a delicate place in the biodiversity and ecological balance of the Sundarbans

DT

21

Opinion

SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2016

Why this eviction drive needs to stop The government’s current eviction drive is wrong on many levels. But there are better alternatives

Think of all the people who worked in this building

n Kazi Inam Ahmed This eviction drive needs to stop.

Here’s why.

It’s the wrong time for the eviction

After a terror attack, the city is in a state of shock, and needs strength to go out again so that life gets back to normal. Instead of giving this people strength, the plan is for a shut down.

Jobs matter

You can’t just shut down in a day’s notice. Think of the staff who work at these restaurants, and think of the shops. Think of their families in the villages or at home who depend on their earnings.

A place to go

The young generation needs places to go to. The city does not provide enough parks, fields, and public hang out spaces like we see in other mega cities. But we do have neighbourhood cafes where kids meet and hang out. Where will they go to hang out now? Mosques?

MEHEDI HASAN

Killing young entrepreneurs

In the 70s, 80s, and 90s, you could set up industries, a real estate business, or get government contracts with smaller investments. Nowadays, for young kids it is impossible to do such a business for Tk30-40 lakhs.

So cafes, small boutique shops, and small food supplies are the

the two options makes sense.

No one will go from Gulshan or Dhanmondi to Purbachal for a coffee or a haircut. And the commercial space rent is so high, and the advance amount needed is so large, that none of the small business owners can afford it, and it makes no sense.

No one will go from Gulshan or Dhanmondi to Purbachal for a coffee or a haircut. And the commercial space rent is so high, and the advance amount needed is so large, that none of the small business owners can afford it businesses they are doing. This is a huge blow to those kids.

Commercial space makes no business sense

The government’s argument is that these businesses should move to commercial spaces in commercial roads or Purbachal. None of

There is not enough commercial space

If you try to remove all the residential-based businesses to commercial plots, the city would need over 7,000 plus commercial plots, all of them holding buildings that are 12 stories high. That number of commercial plots does not exist.

And who would want to go to a building with cafes on each floor?

What I think needs to be done

For now, there needs to be a stop to the eviction, and a clear message to all that we want life to get back to normal. Dhaka will not live in the fear of terror.

Make long term plans to decentralise the city. There are not enough commercial roads, so we need to figure out a way to allow -- in certain residential areas/zones -- the necessary services of restaurants, groceries, clinics, doctors offices, education institutions.

Any big city will have all necessary services in their neighbourhoods. If the city planners in 40 years did not have the foresight to keep spaces for these services, and now start demanding that all of these have to move to Gazipur or Purbachal, it does not seem like a logical response. l Kazi Inam Ahmed is a director of Gemcon Group.

22

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Opinion

SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2016

Ban religion-based politics, again The party of war criminals should have no place in the politics of Bangladesh

n Nadeem Qadir

A

ban of the Jamaat-eIslami is on the cards, especially more so, after its activists have been found with terrorist activities in Bangladesh.

Recently at a seminar at the House of Commons in London, I witnessed a drama that I relish to write about for you. Jamaat’s EU spokesman Barrister Abu Baker Mollah took the floor to raise an issue, when State Minister Tarana Halim contradicted him.

She told the chair, Ann Maine MP of the ruling Conservative Party, that had she known Jamaat would be present in the seminar, she would not have joined it, and will not join in the future if this happens again.

Ruling Awami League activists present shouted “terrorist,” when Maine asked Mollah to leave. He refused, and continued to make his statement. Maine called the police, who threw Mollah out.

Amid cheers from the Awami League activists, the seminar resumed. What a day! It was a moment of great joy, and one only wished that our society in general would treat Jamaat in totality in the same way. I feel lucky to have witnessed this.

Labelled as a criminal organisation, the party of war criminals is the root of bringing religion into politics and linking it to terrorism.

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur

Treat Jamaat like a criminal organisation

NASHIRUL ISLAM

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had banned Jamaat along with all religion-based political parties after independence. It was military dictator Ziaur Rahman, failing to get support from the mainstream and the progressive forces for his rule, who gave Jamaat a new lease on life

Rahman had banned Jamaat along with all religion-based political parties after independence. It was military dictator Ziaur Rahman, failing to get support from the mainstream and the progressive forces for his rule, who gave Jamaat a new lease on life along with permitting religion-based parties as well as pro-Pakistani elements.

Khaleda Zia took Jamaat to new heights by appointing two Jamaat leaders -- later executed after being convicted of war crimes -- as cabinet ministers. What a shame!

Then Jaamat started to work to gain full state power and homegrown terrorist organisations were born under the banner of Islam and Jihad. One Jamaat leader had told me in an interview in 2002 that they would singularly rule Bangladesh by 2012.

The government is waiting for a court case on Jamaat, before taking a decision on whether to ban it or not, while the BNP wants the government to ban it first before they take a decision on whether to quit its friendship with Jamaat or not.

Which means, fairly, there is a large agreement that Jamaat should be banned.

Banning Jamaat should be followed by banning all religionbased political parties and organisations.

It is these religion-based groups that breed radicals and intolerance to other faiths. Which means we must return to the pre-1975 state on these groups to end terrorism in Bangladesh -- born with secular values.

The change should start now before this ban is placed legally.

The first is to start in schools, where religious studies should have one focus: Religion is a way of life which proposes to respect others’ faiths, and that God teaches love and kindness, but not violence.

Then comes madrasas.

Syllabuses should be seriously scrutinised, and a sub-district official will regularly monitor the institutions in his area, including the background of teachers.

Every mosque should daily recite verses of the Holy Qur’an with meaning to spread the real message of Islam on the sound system before every azan or call for prayers.

Now that it is clear that institutions like the North South University can also be a breeding ground for terrorism, all educational institutions should focus on their lists of teachers and students, who show behavioural problems. A psychoanalyst is a necessity.

In Notre Dame College, Dhaka, we had a catholic priest as Director

of Guidance (DOG) and we laughed at the initials. But I remember how helpful he was. There was a teacher who just had allergies to someone coming from St Joseph High School. So, I decided to quit his classes.

The DOG noticed that I was not in my class, and he befriended me.

I told him about myself, my family, my depression as I missed my martyred father, and my problem with the teacher. He talked with the teacher and sent me back to the class. After a few days, the teacher hurled a chalk eraser at me because I had long hair.

I informed the DOG, and he officially withdrew me from that class, as the college had no rules to have short hair. I was put in the biology lab, where I learned and helped other students. A life changed!

Let us change Bangladesh! l Nadeem Qadir, a senior journalist, is a UNCA Dag Hammarskjold Scholar in journalism. He is the Press Minister of the Bangladesh High Commission in London.

DT

23

Opinion

SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2016

The elephant in the room How did militants get access to such a secure diplomatic zone?

n Aaqib Md Shatil

I

t started almost a year ago.

Last September, three men in a motorcycle shot an Italian aid-worker, Cesare Tavella, from a very close distance in the high-security diplomatic zone of the country, and fled the scene subsequently without facing any challenge from any of the security agencies. For the first time in country’s history, Islamic State claimed an attack in Bangladesh.

The government agencies that paraded dozens of men in front of the media as the local coordinators of IS prior to the attack, opted for a continuous denial on the presence of IS militants in Bangladesh just after the attack.

Government officials, rank and file, put the blame on some opposition party men, and eventually the law enforcers put ahead “the Big Brother theory” according to which, a BNP leader ordered some individuals to carry out an attack on any foreign national, with a view to destabilise the government.

However, these theories failed to satisfy the US Director of National Intelligence, James R Clapper. The intelligence chief of the US questioned Bangladesh’s public insistence that the killings of foreigners was the work of the BNP and Jamaat, and were intended to discredit the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

The attack on Holey Artisan gave rise to a lot of questions

Moreover, why -- despite all the warnings -- was the government unable to anticipate something of this sort? What made the government disbelieve the warnings? Should the government revise its plans to contain militancy in Bangladesh?

On the other hand, the massacre continued. The immediate next victim was a Japanese farmer in Rangpur, Kunio Hoshi, who was killed similarly. IS was prompt to claim the attack despite the government’s denial that the militant outfit doesn’t exist in Bangladesh.

After the death of Kunio Hoshi, IS has claimed about two dozen attacks in Bangladesh, including the horrible Gulshan attack.

The Gulshan attack opened many eyes not only because the brutality was beyond imagination,

but also for the selection of place for the attack, which was inside the high-security diplomatic zone of the country.

Two times in less than a year, miscreants acknowledged by IS as their fighters managed to intercept the security system of the diplomatic zone of the country, and claimed more than 20 lives, including one and half dozen foreign nationals.

From the very beginning, the government decided to deny, and tried to put the blame either on BNP-Jamaat, or on banned militant

outfits like JMB. Even before the submission of any charge sheet, cabinet ministers were found terming these attacks as a part of a conspiracy to discredit the country’s government.

They even blamed Rita Katz of SITE Intelligence Group, who was circulating the news of IS involvement in Bangladesh attacks for spreading fake news without proper verification. In rebuttal, Rita Katz denied any doubt on the authenticity of the reports in an official statement, asked the government of Bangladesh to

REUTERS

rather face the truth, and focus its aggression on its real enemy, IS, not on those who warn them about it.

Among the visible measures taken by the government, the rounding up of thousands of people from across the country in an antiterror campaign this June, created a buzz in the nation that ended up as a campaign of mass arbitrary detention of mostly opposition activists and petty criminals.

The Gulshan attack that followed that anti-militant campaign proved how effective it was in reality.

So far, even after the ghastly attack in the capital, the actions from government high-ups could not be considered as enough.

Though the militants inside the restaurant slaughtered 20 people during the siege, and had it circulated in a news agency known to have affiliation with IS, and IS released photographs of the five militants who took part in the attack, Bangladesh’s home minister blatantly denied any connection of IS with the incident.

The inspector general of

police had promptly claimed that the militants who died in the attack were Akash, Bikash, Don, Badhon, and Ripon, and police was searching for them. None of the names matched with the real names of the militants.

Moreover, after the attack, police sent five photographs of militants with the name of the deceased to the media outlets where a chef of the restaurant was identified as Akash, a suspected militant according to police.

Even if the claim were true, how did militants on the run get access into the diplomatic zone of the country? Moreover, why -despite all the warnings -- was the government unable to anticipate something of this sort? What made the government disbelieve the warnings? Should the government revise its plans to contain militancy in Bangladesh?

The Gulshan attack has left us with many such questions that need answers immediately. l Aaqib Md Shatil is an Executive of Brand Development at Build Better Bangladesh Foundation.

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TOP STORIES

Dejection to elation for sprint duo It was almost certain that none from the Bangladesh athletics team would go to the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro when the Bangladesh Olympic Association received no wild-cards on the deadline day of July 14. PAGE 25

SL romp to huge win over Australia Experienced left-arm spinner Rangana Herath claimed four Australian wickets to spin Sri Lanka to a remarkable 106-run victory on an intriguing final day in the weather-hit first Test in Pallekele yesterday. PAGE 26

Brazil coach hails captain Neymar Barcelona star Neymar was hailed as “a good guy with a huge heart” after being named captain of the Brazil Olympic team on Thursday.

Coach Rogerio Micale admitted that appointing the star as skipper was an easy decision. PAGE 27

Argentina need Leo, says acting FA chief The acting head of Argentina’s FA, Armando Perez, insisted he would do all he could to lure Lionel Messi out of international retirement during an upcoming visit to the Barcelona superstar in Spain. “We need Messi,” Perez stressed to AFP on Friday. PAGE 28

An action of the Bangladesh Premier League match between Brothers Union and Team BJMC in Chittagong’s MA Aziz Stadium yesterday

RABIN CHOWDHURY

BJMC, BU share spoils, Muktis thrash Arambagh Hoque from n Shishir Chittagong A late equaliser by Nkwocha Kingsley helped Brothers Union escape with a 1-1 draw against Team BJMC in the Bangladesh Premier League at MA Aziz Stadium in Chittagong yesterday.

Midfielder Moklesur Rahman Mukul gave BJMC the lead in the early stages of the first half before Nigerian striker Nkwocha’s header brought parity to give both the sides their second consecutive draw in the league.

BJMC head coach Mong Kra Marma was disappointed with the share of the spoils. “We played better and should have won the game. I think it’s our bad luck that we couldn’t hold onto the lead till the final whistle,” said Mong.

Brothers head coach Balgopal Maharjan on the other hand seemed satisfied with the result but expressed frustration with the midfield for not keeping enough ball possession.

BJMC began the game bright-

ly, creating their first real chance in the 11th minute after some fine build-up play between Samson Illiasu, Jakir Hossain Ziku and Mehedi Hasan Tapu. Mehedi though failed to beat the opposition goalkeeper in a one-on-one situation.

while Brothers looked disorganised in midfield. They tried to stage a come-back in the last few minutes and in the 86th minute, Mohammad Roni provided a cross into the middle but none of his team mates inside the box failed

We played better and should have won the game. I think it’s our bad luck that we couldn’t hold onto the lead till the final whistle Mukul put BJMC ahead just three minutes later. Brothers defender Nazimuddin Mithu gave a back-pass to the custodian Uttam Barua who couldn’t receive it properly and while the ball was rolling towards the goal, Mukul poked the ball inside from two yards.

The Gopibagh outfit went close to scoring once in the opening half when Nkwocha’s strike from outside the penalty area hit the crossbar at the half-hour mark.

BJMC continued to dominate possession after the resumption

to connect.

Moments before the final whistle, Nkwocha gave his side a sigh of relief by equalising the margin in the 94th minute from the same build-up. This time, Nigerian striker headed home from the middle of the box following a Roni cross from the right flank.

Later in the day at the same venue, riding on a brace from Nigerian striker Ahmed Kolo Musa, Muktijoddha Sangsad earned a comfortable 3-0 victory over Arambagh Krira Sangha.

Musa opened the scoring in the 36th minute through a neat penalty after defender Shariful Islam Shajib was caught for handball inside the danzer zone.

Arambagh goalkeeper Mitul Hasan made two superb saves at the hour mark; the first one denied Shohag’s free-kick from 25 yards while the second was even better as he fisted away a powerful strike by Sohel Rana from 35 yards for a corner.

Musa doubled the lead in the 80th minute as he dribbled past the Arambagh custodian in the left side of the box before calmly sending the ball into the net.

Javed Khan sealed victory five minutes later. Breaking into the left of the box, the substitute forward cut inside the keeper and placed the ball into an empty net.l

RESULTS Team BJMC

1-1

Mukul 14

Arambagh

Brothers Union Nkwocha 90+4

0-3

Muktijoddha

Musa 36, 80, Javed 85

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Aaqib predicts bright future for pacemen n Mazhar Uddin Former Pakistan fast bowler Aaqib Javed started the week-long pace bowling camp after he arrived in Dhaka on Friday.

Following his arrival, Aaqib informed the media in Mirpur yesterday that Bangladesh have a bright future in the fast bowling department and that the Tigers will produce more pacemen in the coming days.

It has been a while since the Bangladesh Cricket Board wanted Aaqib as the new fast bowling coach for the national side.

The 43-year old, who is the cricket operations director of the Pakistan Super League franchise Lahore Qalandars, denied the offer but expressed his willingness to work on a short-term basis.

“It has been three-four times that the BCB has invited me to come and work with them in different capacities. Now I am settling down a bit after quitting the United Arab Emirates job. I joined as a director of cricket operations at Lahore Qalandars,” said Aaqib.

“I told the BCB that I can come and help your bowlers. Money is not a problem. I can offer you three-four weeks in different times

of the year. It is important to build a good relation between a coach and a board and it is not just about a piece of paper.

“I am passionate. I am a proper coach. The thing that drives you is passion. You can’t coach for 16 years if you don’t have the passion to work and improve others,” he added.

Although Aaqib will be working with the national and the High Performance fast bowlers for just seven days, he stated that the time will be more than enough to get his ideas across.

“I always believe in process, which means you can make a difference. In a week, you can transfer some knowledge but you can’t actually move them into progression.

Sometimes it is difficult to accept something that is not suitable but I can transfer knowledge, give them a plan and after three months, I can come and see what levels they have reached,” said Aaqib.

“Having discussed with the local coaches also, my belief is that some key points should be told to the players. I will try my best to transfer these to the boys. It would not make a difference if I am not around after six-seven days, but they should

Bangladesh’s newly-appointed fast bowling coach of the High Performance unit, Aaqib Javed (R), imparts instructions to his charges in Mirpur yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK know where they are headed.”

Aaqib, who took 182 wickets in 163 ODIs, said there is a lack of a fast bowling role model in Bangladesh. With that said, the former right arm fast bowler informed that the likes of Taskin Ahmed, Rubel Hossain and Mustafizur Rahman will definitely inspire many in the coming days.

“I think there is a lack of a role model. Being a Bangladeshi, whatever picture or video you show them of a fast bowler, it won’t inspire the youngsters unless you show them a Bangladeshi bowling at 145kph. But it has happened recently,” explained Aaqib.

“Three of your guys (Taskin, Rubel and Mustafizur) have been

showing youngsters that they can bowl fast. That confidence is there.

And this is the beginning. We used to have only a few fast bowlers but when Imran [Khan] came up as a role model, we never looked back.

After Rubel, Taskin and Mustafizur, you will have many fast bowlers in the next few years. Your own role models.” l

Mezbah, Shirin’s dejection turns into elation

n Shishir Hoque It was almost certain that none from the Bangladesh athletics team would go to the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro when the Bangladesh Olympic Association received no wild-cards on the deadline day of July 14. The country’s fastest man and woman, Mezbah Ahmed and Shirin Akter, barely harboured any hopes after that.

However, on July 18, Shirin was informed that she, along with Mezbah, will be flying off to Rio after getting wild-cards at the last moment. Before Shirin could be-

lieve what she just heard over the phone, she called her good friend and team mate Mezbah. It was around 12:30am.

“When the deadline crossed, we knew that we wouldn’t go to the Olympics. It broke my heart. Four days later when I heard the news, I couldn’t believe it at first. I called my friend Mezbah and informed him. I think he was still in doubt.

He later told me he slept peacefully after hearing the news but I couldn’t sleep the whole night,” said Shirin.

Among many similarities, Mezbah and Shirin both hail from the south-western part of Bangladesh; the former from Bagerhat and the latter from Satkhira. They are the youngest members of the seven-member Bangladesh contingent for the Rio Olympics.

They started their athletics schooling together in 2007, having

been admitted to the BKSP and till today they have remained friends.

Both of them are now at Bangladesh Navy and will be travelling to the Olympics for the first time ever in the 100-metre sprint event.

“She stood beside me and lent her helping hand whenever I faced problems. She also seeks help from me and I try my best to support her. Before she runs for a sprint, she asks me to point out the mis-

takes and share them with her. We got admitted at BKSP together and were taught by Kafi sir,” said Mezbah.

Both said it has been a longterm dream for them to partake in the Olympics. “The Olympics is a dream for any athlete. When I was admitted at BKSP in 2007, I started dreaming of the Olympics and reaching the peak. I’m very happy.

I don’t know how to express it. I have been thinking as to how I will go there, how I will adapt with the weather, how can I represent my country over there. I’m very excited,” added Shirin.

The athletics pair’s Olympics targets are also similar. Both are aiming to record their personal best timing. Mezbah’s best timing so far is 10.72s while Shirin’s is 11.99s, both set in the South Asian Games in Guwahati this year. Both went to the Glasgow Common-

wealth Games in 2014 but their timings there were nowhere near their personal bests.

Among the five athletes from Navy who will be going to Rio, Shirin is the only person who is not a service-holder. She is studying Islamic Studies at Rajshahi University and is currently in her second year. The pro-Vice Chancellor, department chairman and friends of her university congratulated her after the Olympics confirmation.

This Olympics would be a special occasion for both Mezbah and Shirin. Their second favourite sport is football, after athletics, while both of their favourite football team is Brazil.

“I have been a Brazil fan since my childhood. Now I will be going there to take part in the biggest sporting event. It is going to be a very special moment in my life,” said Mezbah.l

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SCORECARD SRI LANKA 1ST INNINGS 117 all out (D de Silva 24, K Perera 20; Josh Hazlewood 3-21, Nathan Lyon 3-12) AUSTRALIA 1ST INNINGS 203 all out (A. Voges 47; Rangana Herath 4-49, Lakshan Sandakan 4-58 SRI LANKA 2ND INNINGS 353 all out (Kusal Mendis 176; Mitchell Starc 4-84) AUSTRALIA 2ND INNINGS (Overnight Australia 83 for three) S. Smith lbw b Herath A. Voges c & b Herath M. Marsh lbw b Herath P. Nevill c Chandimal b De Silva M. Starc c & b Sandakan N. Lyon lbw b Sandakan S. O’Keefe b Herath J. Hazlewood not out Extras:

R

B

55 12 25 9 0 8 4 0 0

125 47 37 115 3 16 98 7

Total: (all out in 88.3 overs)

161

Fall of wickets 1-2 (Warner), 2-33 (Khawaja), 3-63 (Burns), 4-96 (Voges), 5-139 (Marsh), 6-140 (Smith), 7-141 (Starc), 8-157 (Lyon), 9-161 (Nevill), 10-161 (O’Keefe) Bowling Pradeep 6-3-16-0, Herath 33.3-16-54-5, D. Perera 13-3-30-1, Sandakan 25-8-49-3, De Silva 11-7-12-1.

Result: Sri Lanka won by 106 runs

Sri Lanka celebrate after the dismissal of Australia’s Peter Nevill during the fifth and the final day of their opening Test match at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Pallekele yesterday AFP

Herath spins Sri Lanka to memorable win over Australia n Reuters Rangana Herath claimed four Australian wickets to spin Sri Lanka to a remarkable 106-run victory on an intriguing final day in the weather-hit first Test in Pallekele yesterday.

A hamstrung Steve O’Keefe and Peter Nevill tried to delay the inevitable with nearly 30 overs of dogged resistance but could not

deny Sri Lanka only their second Test win over Australia which put the hosts 1-0 up in the three-match series.

Chasing 268 runs for victory, Australia eventually folded for 161 in Steve Smith’s first loss as their Test captain.

Australia set a new record as the last 154 deliveries of their innings did not produce a single run.

O’Keefe and Nevill also featured

in the slowest partnership in Test cricket among those that lasted at least 100 balls.

It was a remarkable win for Sri Lanka, who were shot out for 117 in the first innings and were reeling at six for two in the second before Kusal Mendis made an epic 176, which earned him the man-of-thematch award.

Herath, who claimed 4-49 in the first innings, took 5-54 in the sec-

ond and fittingly sealed the win by bowling O’Keefe, who is unlikely to take part in the remainder of the series, towards the end of the afternoon session.

The weather-hit match got off to another delayed start following steady morning drizzle and Sri Lanka attacked with spin from both ends to unsettle the visitors who resumed on 83 for three.

Herath ripped the heart out of

Australia’s middle order with three telling strikes in the morning session.

The left-arm spinner sent back Adam Voges and Mitchell Marsh before dealing the biggest blow when he trapped Smith lbw to end the Australian captain’s spirited resistance.

Smith hit just one boundary in his gritty 55 which was only the second 50-plus score in the match.l

Shooter Baki flies off to Rio today Taylor sparkles as New n Zealand close on win Tribune Report

Abdullah Hel Baki will be the first member from the Bangladesh contingent to fly off to Rio de Janeiro as the shooter will leave here for Brazil today along with his Danish coach Klavs Christensen.

The silver medallist of the Commonwealth Games, Baki will take part in the 10-metre air rifle event in the shooting discipline which will be held on August 8.

“It will be hard for me to cope with the conditions over there due to time difference. Because, when the competition gets underway there, it will be night-time in Bangladesh. I will try my best to adjust with the conditions before the event and I’m already preparing myself,” said the shooter.

Like others in the contingent, it will not be the first time Baki will be travelling and playing in Brazil as he went there in March to take part in the ISSF World Cup in Rio which he believes will help him to prepare better for the big events.

Baki doesn’t want to keep his mind busy thinking about winning medals. Rather, he believes that if he can continue his form from the preparation camp, he can make the final eight. The target as usual is to record the best timing.

The shooting federation announced that they will award Tk one crore for a gold medal, Tk 50 lakh for silver and Tk 25 lakh for bronze while Tk 10 lakhs will be given to the athletes who qualify

for the final round.

Chef de mission of Bangladesh contingent, ATM Zahirul Alam, and Bangladesh Olympic Association director general Fakruddin Haider will also fly for Rio today.

Among other athletes, swimmers Mahfizur Rahman Sagor and Sonia Akter Tumpa and sprinters Mezbah Ahmed and Shirin Akter will fly off tomorrow. Golfer Siddikur Rahman will fly a day later along with archer Shyamoly Roy. l

n Reuters, Bulawayo Ross Taylor and BJ Watling scored centuries as New Zealand closed in on victory against hapless Zimbabwe after day three of the first Test yesterday.

Taylor finished unbeaten on 173 and shared a sixth-wicket stand of 253 with Watling (107) to take the touring side to 576 for six declared in their first innings, a lead of 412.

Seamer Trent Boult then took three quick wickets as Zimbabwe closed the day on 121 for five, still 291 runs shy of making New Zealand bat again on what remains a flat wicket.

Craig Ervine (49 not out) and captain Graeme Cremer (14 not out) will resume in the morning, with the side hoping to have Regis Chakabva and Sean Williams back after the pair missed the third day through illness.

Zimbabwe came out all guns

blazing in their second innings and scored at close to six an over throughout, even as the wickets tumbled.

Hamilton Masakadza (four) steered a Tim Southee delivery to Taylor at first slip inside the first over before Brian Chari (five) was bowled by Boult.

1ST TEST, DAY 3 ZIMBABWE 164 & 121/5 (Ervine 49, Raza 37, Boult 3/33) v NEW ZEALAND 576/6 dec (Taylor 173, Watling 107, Latham 105) New Zealand lead by 291 runs Boult induced an edge from Chamu Chibhabha (seven) to Taylor and trapped debutant Prince Masvaure lbw for a golden duck as Zimbabwe were reduced to 17 for four.

The wicket was a 150th in Tests for the New Zealand seamer.l

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SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2016

QUICK BYTES Argentina Olympic team robbed at Mexico hotel Argentina’s Olympic football team complained Friday that cash and electronics were stolen from its players’ hotel rooms while they were playing a friendly in Mexico.

Argentina Football Association (AFA) vice president Claudio Tapia said the theft took place when Mexico and the South American team played to a 0-0 draw in the central city of Puebla on Thursday night.

–AFP

Gameiro joins Atletico French striker Kevin Gameiro has joined Atletico Madrid on a four-year deal from fellow La Liga side Sevilla, the Champions League finalists said yesterday. The 29-year-old scored 67 goals in three years at Sevilla and though no financial details of the transfer were released, media reports suggested Atletico signed the France international for an initial fee of 32 million euros.

–REUTERS

PSG interested in Jese Paris Saint-Germain head coach Unai Emery said yesterday that the French champions could sign Real Madrid forward Jese Rodriguez before the end of the transfer window. The 23-year-old would provide support in attack to Edinson Cavani for PSG. –AFP

DAY’S WATCH FOOTBALL SONY ESPN 10:00 AM International Champions Cup PSG v Leicester City

CRICKET TEN 2 1:30PM New Zealand Tour of Zimbabwe 1st Test, Day 4 9:00PM India Tour of West Indies 2nd Test, Day 2

SONY SIX 9:30 PM Caribbean Premier League T20 Trinbago v St Kitts 2:00 AM Jamaica v St Lucia

FORMULA ONE STAR SPORTS 4 5:55 PM FIA F1 World Championship Main Race: Germany

TENNIS TEN 1 11:00 PM WTA Tour 2016 Rogers Cup: Final

Brazilian footballers take part in a training session at Serra Dourada Stadium in Goiania, Goias State, Brazil, on Friday, just days ahead of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. The Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be held in Brazil from August 5-21 and September 7-18 respectively AFP

Monfils beats Raonic in Toronto, Djokovic wins n Reuters Frenchman Gael Monfils maintained his run of brilliant form when he nullified Milos Raonic’s big serve to eliminate the local favourite from the Rogers Cup in Toronto on Friday.

Monfils displayed his renowned athleticism in a high-quality quarter-final, relying on his lightning-fast court coverage to manufacture a 6-4 6-4 victory over the losing Wimbledon finalist.

The 10th seed set up a semi-final against top seed Novak Djokovic, who overcame poor serving and 33 unforced errors to beat Czech Tomas Berdych 7-6(6) 6-4 in an error-riddled match.

Second seed Stan Wawrinka and third seed Kei Nishikori met in yesterday’s other semi-final.

Five days after ending a drought of more than two years by winning an ATP event in Washington, Monfils took his hot form with him north of the border.

The capacity evening crowd did their best to lift powerful Canadian

Raonic, but Monfils, whose attitude has often been questioned, did not buckle against the fourth seed.

Earlier, Djokovic staved off three set points in a first set tiebreak before improving his career record against Berdych to 25-2.

The Serbian admitted he was lucky to advance after saving seven of eight break points.

“Bit fortunate I must say,” he said in an on-court interview. “My serve just wasn’t right today. I just completely lost my rhythm, and he was taking over control of my second serve, attacking it.

“On a quick surface like this you need a good serve. Today it wasn’t to be but I won in straight sets. I must be pleased with the way I hung in there. That’s all.”

In the afternoon session, Swiss Wawrinka advanced with a comprehensive 6-1 6-3 victory over big-serving South African Kevin Anderson.

Next up for Wawrinka is Japaneese Nishikori, who battled past unseeded Bulgarian Grigor Dimi-

trov 6-3 3-6 6-2.

The Japanese player, who reached the final in Miami and the last four in both Madrid and Rome in ATP Masters 1000 events earlier this season, emerged victorious in a see-sawing encounter that lasted a little more than two hours. l

Brazil coach hails ‘huge-hearted’ captain Neymar n AFP, Rio de Janeiro Barcelona superstar Neymar was hailed as “a good guy with a huge heart” after being named captain of the Brazil Olympic team on Thursday.

Coach Rogerio Micale admitted that appointing the international star as skipper was an easy decision to make for a team who have never won football gold at the Olympics.

“Neymar has exceeded my expectations. He is appreciated, he’s a good guy with a huge heart especially around the younger players,” said Micale.

“He has shown that he is more than just a great player - he’s a great man admired by everybody.”

Micale said he had no fears that Brazil could become a one-man team.

“I want to be dependent on Neymar. What coach in the world would not want a Neymar in their team?”

At the Olympics, which get under way on August 5, Brazil are in Group A in the first round where they will face South Africa, Iraq and Denmark. l

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SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2016

Argentina need Messi, says acting FA chief n AFP, Buenos Aires The acting head of Argentina’s FA, Armando Perez, insisted he would do all he could to lure Lionel Messi out of international retirement during an upcoming visit to the Barcelona superstar in Spain.

“We need Messi,” Perez stressed to AFP on Friday, with Argentina left in shock after the five-time world player of the year announced his retirement following a penalty shootout defeat to defending champions Chile in last month’s Copa America Centenario final.

“I get to Madrid on Saturday.

I’ve spoken with Jorge, his father, who told me he would be available on these days,” said Perez.

“We’ll see what he tells me.

I want to know the reasons that drove him to quit the national team and to see if I can do something to get him to come back,” he added.

Perez is also due to meet Sevilla coach Jorge Sampaoli, the man who led Chile past Argentina to their maiden Copa America title a year ago and is AFA’s “number one candidate” for the vacant manager’s role.l

‘Man United target Pogba not a done deal’ n AFP, Paris No deal has been reached between Juventus and Manchester United concerning the touted transfer of French international Paul Pogba, the player’s agent Mino Raiola insisted Friday.

“Journalist = parrots. No deal done between clubs,” Raiola wrote on Twitter. “It’s a game between Italy press and UK press.”

Mourinho all but confirmed United were interested in signing Pogba last week, stating: “You have smoke, you have fire. I am not going to try to make you naive and believe that we are not trying for one player.”

Raiola responded on Twitter the following day: “There is no deal done regarding Paul Pogba, lots of bla bla bla.” l

Juventus defender Medhi Benatia (R) shoots to score against South China during their friendly at Hong Kong Stadium yesterday. Juventus won 2-1

Ranieri sets survival target for champions Leicester n AFP, Los Angeles With a first Premier League title under their belts and a place secured among Europe’s footballing elite, Leicester City could be forgiven for expecting the silverware to just keep coming.

But the Foxes’ Italian boss Claudio Ranieri is keeping his players’ feet firmly on the ground, insisting the goal for 2016-17 remains the same as 12 months earlier - avoiding relegation.

“It’s the same this season at the start - to achieve 40 points, at the beginning, to be solid and to believe in yourself,” the 64-year-old Italian said.

Leicester, 5,000/1 outsiders in pre-season, were crowned champions for the first time in their 132-year history in May, handing Ranieri his first domestic title as a manager. They were due to lock horns in the pre-season International Champions Cup in Los Angeles yesterday with French title winners, Paris Saint-Germain.

Ranieri, who will surely have the tougher task, has been busy in the transfer market, beating the club record outlay twice in a week to secure French midfielder Nampalys Mendy for £13 million ($17.2

million, 15.4 million euros), and Nigerian forward Ahmed Musa for £16.6 million.

One of Ranieri’s biggest headaches ahead of the season opener at Hull will be keeping his team of newly-minted all-stars together, with big-spending Premier League rivals dangling lucrative contracts.

Welsh international midfielder Andy King - the only player in the Premier League era to have won titles in the top three tiers - gave the manager a boost by signing a four year deal Friday.

The 27-year-old, who made his Leicester debut in 2007, joins 19-year-old Ben Chilwell in committing to the King Power Stadium along with Jamie Vardy, who has rejected an offer from Arsenal.

Ranieri told reporters King was “a good example for everybody,” and described Chilwell as “one of the best young players in the UK.” But the team’s all-action defensive midfielder N’Golo Kante went earlier this month on a five-year deal to Chelsea for a reported £32 million.

Ranieri said he expected Leicester to cope fine without the star, as they had when Argentine midfielder Esteban Cambiaso moved to Greek giants Olympiacos in the last

close season.

Kante’s team-mate, Algerian international Riyad Mahrez, has also been at the center of summer transfer speculation alongside Kasper Schmeichel and Danny Drinkwater.

Ranieri said however he expects all three to still be at the club when the transfer window closes.

“I think they want to stay with us to try to improve our last season.

We know it is very difficult but we are ambitious,” Ranieri said.

“It is important they sign, stay with us and (get) experience in the Champions League.”

Ranieri said the chairman, Thai billionaire Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, was ready to fork out if the manager decided he needed more players. l

AFP

Wenger keen to sign forward before new season n Reuters Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has said he wants to add one more attacking player to bolster his ranks before the new Premier League season.

Arsenal’s efforts to recruit attacking reinforcements have been thwarted with French club Olympique Lyonnais saying this week that they had rejected a 29 million pound ($38.26 million) bid for striker Alexandre Lacazette.

“At the moment I have not too many attacking options in terms of experienced players,” Wenger told reporters following 2-1 win over the MLS All-Stars team.

“There are also a few players who did not play (against the MLS all-Star team), like (Santi) Cazorla and of course (Mesut) Ozil and (Aaron) Ramsey are at home. (Olivier) Giroud is also not here.

“So we have options but we will still look outside to find one more.”

Arsenal’s chief executive Ivan Gazidis has said that the club does not have the financial strength to “outgun” their league rivals in the transfer market, and Wenger described the money being spent on players recently as “scary”.l

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Small nail (4) 5 Pretended (4) 10 Dry (4) 11 Eggs (3) 12 Surpass (5) 13 Was ahead (3) 14 Live coal (5) 16 Take for granted (6) 18 Teacher (6) 21 Operatic airs (5) 23 Wildebeest (3) 24 Slow and solemn (mus) (5) 26 Top card (3) 27 Untidy state (4) 28 Mexican dollar (4) 29 Hurried (4)

DOWN 2 Speed contests (5) 3 Land measure (3) 4 Perplexing situation (7) 6 Cavity (4) 7 Reluctant (6) 8 Insane (3) 9 Table-shaped hill (4) 15 Rubeola (7) 17 Spiritualists’ meeting (6) 19 Concise (5) 20 Disturbance (4) 22 Regrets (4) 23 Opening (3) 25 Snake (3)

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Downtime

SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2016

CODE-CRACKER How to solve: Each number in our CODECRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 8 represents S so fill S every time the figure 8 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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30

Showtime

SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2016

A Bengali is making fun of Bengalis, and Bengalis love it

n Chandrima Pal Humour is an unfunny beat these days. Satire is trickier. But Sawan Dutta seems to be doing a neat job in her vlogs that take the sting out of her harshest lampoons with a sensuous voice, a poker-faced metronome and an accent that is probably the most recognised one after the American – the Bengali one.

The music composer, producer and musician’s alter ego is a

Bong Aunty with hot pink lips, big bindi, thick glasses and black sari, who has captured the Bengali imagination with a certain fierceness. The internet sensation sings of things that Bengalis all over the world hold dear – Boroline (a green tube of multipurpose skin cream that has travelled the world and time), maccher jhol (fish curry) and the monkey cap (selfexplanatory), in tones that jazzswing from stern and matronly to seductive.

True, she is equally passionate about living in Mumbai for seven years and a Harmonica Man or even Auto-tune among other things, but the responses to the vlogs poking fun at her kind has “blown” her away. She clocked 15,000 plus views and more than 1,000 subscriptions on her YouTube channel within hours of going live with Maccher Jhol – in which she takes up a popular recipe and marries it to an abiding Bengali concern, acidity.

The serial on top

n Nazia Lopa MTV’s Girls On Top is a Hindi romantic television series, which is broadcasted on MTV India. The series is produced by BBC Worldwide Productions and is aired on Monday tthrough Friday at 6pm.

The series showcases the issues faced by young women in the

country. The three independent girls in the show, Isha Jaisingh, Gia Sen and Revati Chauhan are shown trying to deal with job issues, love issues and domestic issues in the city of Mumbai.

This serial has rapidly gained popularity. Everyone who’s seen the show knows that all the three lead actresses, Saloni Chopra, Barkha Singh and Ayesha Adlakha

“This entire vlogging process is as much of a learning, analysis and discover tool for me as anything else, to try and see what really works versus what I think or hope will work...each post is an education in audience behaviour!

No one’s more surprised than me at the enthusiasm with, which the Bong character’s been received!

I’d not really thought of extending it beyond Boroline until I saw the unexpected reaction the song and video evoked! So a huge learning curve for me there,” said Dutta in a conversation with scroll.in.

Dutta, who was part of the original lineup for veteran Indie band Indian Ocean, said she began these blogs to do creative and artistic work that was free of commercial considerations.

She did not want to sing about heartbreak either as is the norm.

“But I wanted something that was honest, straight from my heart,” she said. Dutta was aware of how touchy Bengalis are about being made fun of, and says she posted the first Boroline video with “some trepidation… wondering how much of a negative reaction it would evoke.”

“For some reason I was assuming we Bongs are not great at laughing at ourselves. The reaction

was a very very pleasant eyeopener! After this experience, with these three songs, I’d say we’re as cool, if not cooler than any other people about having a sense of humour about ourselves!”

But would Bengalis have received the songs as spontaneously had she been a “Non-Bengali Dutt” instead of a Dutta? Sawan laughed. “Perhaps you are right...it is because I’m a Bong and therefore making fun of my own kind. I’ve been receiving the odd request to do a Mallu thing and so on, but somehow I don’t quite feel right about doing that. So a non-Bong Dutt doing it may or may not have had a similar impact.”

Dutta teams up with her techwiz husband CB Arun Kumar for the videos, which take around ten days to shoot and a couple of weeks to post. “I don’t remember the last time I worked as hard without a break!” she says. Going by the popularity of her latest vlog, Dutta assured us: “Bong Aunty ain’t going away!”l

Reprinted under a special arrangement with Chandrima Pal

WHAT TO WATCH have massive acting talent and they display it in full glory on the show. Audience has found, Isha, Gia and Revati’s friendship really strong because Saloni, Barkha and Ayesha are extremely compatible in real life.

Girls On Top breaks the clutter of the over-the-top drama serials, by having an edgy plot. This alone is one reason why the audience is getting hooked on to it. It’s very clear that the audience can relate to the girls in many ways, who are just “typical Mumbai girls.” But what set them apart are their “never say die” attitude and their will to change the very chauvinistic society. This serial also aims to bring about a change, beyond entertaining and inspiring girls. Girls On Top aims to bring about a much-needed change in the perspective of society in general. A change in perspective is the first step towards a better world.

In an age where every time girls log online, a disgusting and terrifying crime against women graces your newsfeed. Girls On Top is a brave, much-needed effort.

Watch it, and make others watch it too. Change begins here. l

The Mummy Returns Star Movies 9:30pm The mummified body of Imhotep is shipped to a museum in London, where he once again wakes and begins his campaign of rage and terror.

Cast: Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah The Intern HBO 9:30pm 70-year-old widower Ben Whittaker has discovered that retirement isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Seizing an opportunity to get back in the game, he becomes a senior intern at an online fashion site, founded and run by Jules Ostin.

Cast: Robert De Niro, Anne Hathaway, Rene Russo Ocean’s Eleven WB 5:31pm Danny Ocean and his eleven accomplices plan to rob three Las Vegas casinos simultaneously.

Cast: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon

Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted Zee Studio 7:45pm Alex, Marty, Gloria and Melman are still fighting to get home to their beloved Big Apple. Their journey takes them through Europe where they find the perfect cover: a traveling circus, which they reinvent - Madagascar style.

Cast: Ben Stiller, Jada Pinkett Smith, Chris Rock Monster Hunt Movies Now 9:30pm In an ancient world where monsters rule the land while humans keep to their own kingdom, a baby monster, Wuba, is born to a human father and monster queen.

Cast: Baihe Bai, Boran Jing, Wu Jiang

Yet another ‘reworked’ hit song in Bollywood

n Nazia Lopa Baar Baar Dekho’s lead pair Katrina Kaif and Sidharth Malhotra have not published a trailer just yet. Instead they gave their fans “Kala Chashma.” The reworked, retuned version of yesteryear hit has Katrina and Sidharth grooving and we have already started practicing those dance steps.

Baar Baar Dekho’s Kala Chashma is the latest addition to the party anthems. The song, which features Katrina and Sidharth, is definitely a dance number that will now be all over the playlists. But the question

is why a remake again? Does the Bollywood music industry lack originality? Also, why refresh an old hit by simply having Badshah rap in it? Are there no music composers to work on original content? Is everyone simply looking at jazzing up an existing hit?

“Kala Chashma” is the reworked, retuned version of the past hit “Tenu Kala Chasma Jach Da Eh”. Bollywood is full of examples of such songs, which found popularity and only then a place in a Bollywood film, like, “Chull” (Kapoor and

Sons) and “Saturday” (Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhaniya), “Soch Na Sake” (Airlift) and “Tung Tung Baje” (Singh is Bliing). There is also “Tamil Fever”, “Gud Naal Ishq Mitha” and “Zaroori Tha”.

These were all songs which were sung by artists, found a fanbase and were then picked up by Bollywood music directors to be so called reworked.

And now it is “Kala Chashma”.

As mentioned, this new song is also composed and recreated

by Badshah, with vocals of Amar Arshi, Badshah and Neha Kakkar. Yes, Badshah again.

Rapper Badshah’s songs like “Ladki Kar Gai Chull”, “Abhi Toh Party Shuru Hui Hai”, “SaturdaySaturday” and “Dhup Chik Hori Se” have already created waves in Bollywood. Yo Yo Honey Singh seems to have been replaced with Badshah nowadays.

However, Badshah stated in the past that he is not keen on composing for the Hindi film industry because underground artists look up to him. We are wondering what inspiration he is giving to his fanbase by rapping on old hits? Composing involves original content but the ‘remake’ trend is a nice way of saying rehash and nothing new to offer. l Source: Indian Times

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Only one for Infinity War n Mahmood Hossain Seems like the folks at Marvel steered into a 180 with the initial announcement of having two parts to their upcoming Avengers: Infinity War film. Disney recently confirmed that the film will not need two movies to conclude, but have decided to end it all in one film. The film is still set to release on May 4, 2018. However, the previously planned Infinity War part two has now been renamed to an “Untilted Avengers” project, while it’s still slated to be released on May 3, 2019.

Pressing the rewind button, Marvel had initially planned to have two parts to Infinity War on October 2014. The Russo brothers (directors of the film) went on record to say that the fourth Avengers project would be

split into two films, and that they would be separate the two films, instead of having one large film split in half.

Production of Infinity War is expected to begin later this year and the Russo brothers are directing from a script written

by Christopher Marcus and Stephen McFeely. The inspiration and back-story comes from the Infinity Gems described throughout the Marvel stories.

The successful siblings were also behind blockbusters like Captain America: Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War. The latter became 2016’s top grosser by taking in $1.16 billion worldwide.

The first two Avengers films have grossed nearly $3 billion worldwide; The Avengers took in $1.52 billion and Age of Ultron with $1.41 billion. l

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TOURISM BOARD MOVES TO REGAIN FOREIGNERS’ CONFIDENCE PAGE 12

BJMC, BU SHARE SPOILS, MUKTIS THRASH ARAMBAGH PAGE 24

No crime since land swap

A piece of land at Patgram of Lalmonirhat formerly known as Bhotbari enclave has been allocated for building a police station to maintain law and order DHAKA TRIBUNE

Nesa Alo, back from n Jebun Patgram and Moazzem Hossain from Lalmonirhat It was September 28, 2014 midnight. A pregnant woman named Selina Begum was brutally murdered by her husband at their house in a former enclave named Bhotbari under Patgram of Lalmonirhat.

The body was left there for three days as no police came even after being informed about the murder of the 26-year-old woman. As the land fell under the Indian territory, the Bangladeshi police were reluctant to get involved in the case.

On the other hand, the Indian police were not informed about the matter immediately as the police

station concerned at Mekhliganj in Cooch Behar was not close to the land.

Recalling the murder, Jobeda Khatun, a 70-year-old resident of Bhotbari, said she had never heard about such cruelty in her entire life. She said they had never got justice in any of the offences that took place on the land.

“But the situation has changed soon after the swap of enclaves on July 31 last year as the Bangladeshi law enforcers are now patrolling the area regularly, while the government has also allocated a piece of land for setting up an office here,” she said.

Jobeda who lost her husband 10 years ago also feels privileged as she got her first-ever national identity card. Now she hopes to get the allowances allocated by the Bangladesh government for the elderly people.

Habibur Rahman, who filed a case over the murder of Selina as her neighbour, said the victim’s family had not got justice due to the absence of a proper authority.

“Now peace prevails here as the law enforcement agencies are very active.”

Selina’s body was finally taken to Patgram police station and kept there for 19 days since India’s Mekhliganj police had taken much time to take the body “due to bureaucratic complexities,” said Habibur.

He said that Selina’s death had exposed the helpless situation of the former enclave’s residents, and hoped that such incident would never recur at Bhotbari.

Shahnoor Islam, a farmer of Bhotbari, said this land had once been a safe haven for the criminals.

“But the villagers have not experienced a single incident of offence since the land swap,” he said. l

Putul receives Ibrahim memorial medal n Tribune Desk Suchana Foundation Chairperson Saima Wazed Putul was awarded with Dr Mohammad Ibrahim Memorial Gold Medal yesterday for her work on autism and neurodevelopmental disorders.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith handed Saima Wazed the medal at the Birdem Hospital Auditorium in Dhaka.

Bangladesh Diabetic Association President Prof Dr AK Azad also received the gold medal.

Saima Wazed, the daughter of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, received her medal in recognition of her contributions to tackle autism and neurodevelopmental disorders and AK Azad Khan for his special role in diabetes prevention and for receiving the Global Award from the International Diabetes Federation.

Presided over by Freedom Fighter Dr CM Dilwar Rana, the function was also addressed by Prime Minister’s Media Adviser Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury. l

The dirty handprint n Zaineen Karim You’re in your car but not going anywhere. As you wait in the excruciating Dhaka traffic, you hear a knock. A skinny little kid rubs his hands all over your window leaving behind those ugly marks you’ll tell your driver to clean off later.

“Please help me,” he implores: “I have nothing to eat.”

Now what do you do?

A: Ignore - look the other way, look at your phone, look anywhere but at him; eye contact must be avoided at all costs ...

B: Tell him to get lost - shake your head, shoo him away with a wave of your hand, you could even shout ...

C: Give the kid what he wants - peer at him for some time before reaching for your wallet and fishing out the

dirtiest, smallest taka note you can find, proceed to hold the very edge of that note between your thumb and your index finger and hand it to the boy after rolling down your window the slightest bit - god forbid his hand touches yours.

You usually go with option A since everybody says you should never pay a beggar - giving in encourages them to wander the streets instead of getting a real job. Today you’re feeling a little superstitious and so you find the generosity to go with option C. You hand the little boy the grimy, torn note.

Much to your relief, he gives you a quick “thank you” before going off to bother other unsuspecting passengers.

The light turns green and you couldn’t be happier to speed away before all the other kids in the vicinity rush to your window after noticing

your act of benevolence.

You have just made the perfect escape, you tell yourself, and you feel like a hero. You’re just too kindhearted for your own good. Tonight, you can sleep peacefully feeling like you might have contributed something to the world.

Meanwhile, that boy keeps roaming the streets. Eventually, he’ll find a few friends and they’ll play together. If you go up and talk to them, they’ll smile and eagerly carry on a conversation with you.

“Would you like to join a round of our game?” They might offer.

They’ll introduce themselves - Shima, Shukkur, Raqib, Minhaz, and Brishti - and ask for yours in return. If you ask them where they live they can’t give you a specific address. Instead they’ll name localities like Bhatara, Natun Bazar and Shahzadpur.

“My parents sell tea,” Minhaz will tell you.

“Mine beg on the streets,” Brishti will say.

“My father is a rickshaw driver,” Raqib will pipe in with the greatest pride.

You’ll find that the rest are on their own.

Raqib is the only one who goes to school, Shukkur and Minhaz had to drop out and Shima and Brishti have never been.

You might ask them what they want to be when they grow up, but make sure you prepare for confused expressions and an awkward silence.

“I have no idea where I’ll be years in the future because I don’t even know where I’ll go tonight,” Brishti may finally speak up to tell you.

If you happen to ask what they ate today, Shima will eagerly tell you: “I had

a mango and some juice.”

If you ask what she’ll eat tomorrow she’ll flash you a small smile and give you an uncertain: “Let’s see.”

Shukkur might talk about how it’s hard for him to anticipate how much he’ll earn.

“On a good day I’ll get recruited to do some sort of work,” he’ll say.

Otherwise, he’ll wait by the wayside for you to pass by.

You could even get scholarly and tell them much of the world believes children shouldn’t have to beg on the streets or work.

They’ll be quick to refute that with a “How else are we supposed to live?”

Tomorrow, they’ll wake up and once again set out to explore the streets and markets of their fortune. Who knows, you might even run into one of them. If you do, make sure you say hi. l

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