25 Aug, 2016

SECOND EDITION

THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016

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Bhadra 10, 1423, Zilqad 21, 1437

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Regd No DA 6238, Vol 4, No 120

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

‘Zia planned Dipan murder’ n Arifur Rahman Rabbi Sacked army official Syed Ziaul Haque masterminded the murder of Faisal Arefin Dipan because the Jagriti Prokashoni publisher had brought out a book by slain secular writer-blogger Avijit Roy, a key suspect in the case has told police.

Moinul Hasan Shamim, a leader of Ansarullah Bangla Team, made the admission following his Tuesday night arrest from near Tongi’s Cherag Ali Market, said DMP’s Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit chief Monirul Islam.

Shamim – who also uses the aliases Sifat, Samir and Imran – was captured based on information from another detainee named Shihab alias Sumon, Additional Commissioner Monirul told a press conference yesterday.

On October 31, Dipan – who was friends with Avijit and had published one of his books – was hacked to death inside his office at Dhaka’s Aziz Super Market.

Shamim, 24, was the person in charge – also known by militants as “Masul” – of the five-member sleeper cell that killed Dipan. He

actively participated in the attack, the CTTC chief said.

During primary interrogation, Shamim admitted that he had met Zia – sacked as an army major for his involvement in a failed coup in December, 2011 – a couple of times, and that Zia had given the team motivational speeches on the necessities of waging an armed jihad.

On August 13, investigators named Zia as the mastermind behind the recent blogger murders.

Ansarullah, now working under the name of Ansar al-Islam, is believed to be representing al-Qaeda in the

Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) which is behind 13 attacks since 2013.

Shamim also trained the sleeper cell in a rented house in Tongi, before moving to a separate rented house in Mohakhali for final preparation of the murder.

A former student of Sylhet’s Madan Mohan College, Shamim was also involved in the 2014 murder of Morshed Babu in Savar, and had a case has against him in Chhatak of Sunamganj, Monirul said.

Meanwhile, a Dhaka court yesterday placed Shamim on a six-day remand in Dipan murder case. l

6.8 magnitude tremor shakes Bangladesh n Tribune Desk A powerful earthquake of 6.8 magnitude, originating in Myanmar, shook the capital Dhaka, Chittagong city and other parts of Bangladesh yesterday afternoon.

However, there was no report of casualties or damage till the filing of this report at 9pm yesterday.

In Dhaka, people were seen to rush out of buildings in panic as three to five jolts were felt around 4:35pm.

According to USGS, the earthquake’s epicentre was in north-central Myanmar near the town of Chauk.

Bangladesh Meteorological Department said the origin was 526km South-East of BMD Seismic Centre in Agargaon, Dhaka.

The quake was felt throughout south and southwestern Bangladesh close to the border with Myanmar.

Meanwhile, the earthquake shook central Myanmar, killing at least three people including two children, local officials said, and damaging some of the famous pagodas in the Southeast Asian nation's ancient capital of Bagan, reports Reuters.

Tremors were felt as far away as Thailand, where witnesses reported high rise buildings swaying in Bangkok.

A fire department official from regional capital Magwe said two young girls were killed when a riverbank gave way in Yenanchaung township, south of Chauk.

One person was killed and an  PAGE 2 COLUMN 2

Rescuers work following an earthquake at Pescara del Tronto, central Italy yesterday

An earthquake flattened towns in central Italy early yesterday, killing at least 120 people and burying some alive in their sleep, with volunteers and firefighters racing to free those trapped under mounds of rubble as darkness fell.

The quake razed mountain homes and buckled roads in a cluster of communities some 140km east of Rome. It was powerful enough to be felt in Bologna to the north and Naples to the south,

each more than 220km from the epicenter.

“I was blown away by what I saw. We haven’t stopped digging all day,” said Marcello di Marco, 34, a farmer who travelled from the town of Narni some 100 km away to help with emergency services’ rescue efforts in the hamlet of Pescara del Tronto.

In the nearby village of Accumoli, a family of four, including two boys aged eight months and nine years, were buried when their house imploded.

Ripon, n Asaduzzaman Narsingdi International terrorist group Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack on a Hindu grocer in Narsingdi sadar on Tuesday.

Chittaranjan Arya, 48, who stays beside a Kali Temple in Raghunathpur Choitab area of the sadar upazila, came under machete attack around 9pm on Tuesday.

He was first taken to a private clinic at Pachdona. But as his condition deteriorated, he was later to Dhaka Medical College Hospital at 11pm.

Two people were arrested for their alleged involvement in the attack.

“Yesterday, fighters belonging to the Islamic State targeted a Hindu priest with blade weapons in Bangladesh’s Narsingdi district,” IS’ Amaq agency said yesterday afternoon.

The Bangla version released later, however, mentioned him as one of the patrons of the temple.

Madhabdi police OC Mohammad Ilias said that Chittaranjan had conflicts with some local people.

“We are investigating whether anyone else killed taking advantage of the dispute.” He added that a case would be filed after investigation.

According to locals and police, Chittaranjan was at his shop when three men came to the spot on a motorcycle. Two of them wearing masks attacked him with machetes.

At that time, as the wife of the victim and another woman came

REUTERS

120 killed as quake flattens towns in central Italy n Reuters

IS claims first attack since Gulshan

As rescue workers carried away the body of the infant, carefully covered by a small blanket, the children’s grandmother blamed God: “He took them all at once,” she wailed.

The army was mobilised to help with special heavy equipment and the Treasury released 235 million euros ($265 million) of emergency funds. At the Vatican, Pope Francis dispatched part of the Holy See’s tiny firefighting force to help in the rescue.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 2

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

INSIDE Five JMB men caught in Gazipur Rapid Acton Battalion (RAB) in Tongi, Gazipur has detained five suspected members of the banned militant outfit Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), including the trainer of its recently unearthed female wing.  PAGE 3

Bihar’s chief minister slams Farakka India’s controversial Farakka Barrage has not only been a headache for Bangladesh, but is now also proving to be a pain for its creators as well.  PAGE 32

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016

1 killed, 14 hurt in Kabul university attack

Gulshan attack suspect Hasnat Karim denied bail n

n Reuters

Md Sanaul Islam Tipu

A Dhaka court yesterday rejected the bail petition of Hasnat Reza Karim, a Bangladeshi civil engineer with British nationality, in the connection the Gulshan terror attack case.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Sazzadur Rahman scrapped the petition submitted by his counsel Shah Mohammad Shahab-Uddin the same day.

On Monday, another court sent Hasnat to jail after police produced him before it on completion of his eight-day remand.

Hasnat is the only person arrested in connection with the July 1 militant attack on a Gulshan eatery, the worst in Bangladesh’s history, that killed 24 people including 17 foreigners.

Hasnat, a former North South University teacher, was formally arrested on August 3.

Police detained another survivor, University of Toronto student Tahmid Hasib Khan, the same day.

He was sent to jail on Saturday after his remand ended. l

Moinul Hasan Shamim, an accused in publisher Dipan murder case, is produced yesterday before the CMM court MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Foreign staff and dozens of students were trapped inside the campus of the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul on Wednesday after suspected militants attacked it with explosives and gunfire, a senior government official said.

The interior ministry official said that elite Afghan forces had surrounded the university compound, where shooting lasted for more than an hour after the assault began around 6:30pm local time.

Witnesses at the scene said gunfire had since stopped, and special forces had made their way into the compound.

News on casualties was sketchy, but Mohammad Saleem Rasouly, head of hospitals in the Afghan capital, told Reuters that at least one student had been killed and 14 wounded.

Islamist militant groups, mainly the Afghan Taliban and a local offshoot of Islamic State, have claimed a string of atrocities aimed at destabilising the country and toppling the Western-backed government of President Ashraf Ghani.

No one has claimed the university attack yet. Early reports

suggested that several gunmen, some wearing suicide vests, were involved, the official said.

“Several gunmen attacked the American University in Kabul and there are reports of gunfire and explosions,” he said. “They are inside the compound and there are foreign professors along with hundreds of students.”

Ahmad Shaheer, a student, told Reuters by telephone that he was trapped inside the university. “We are stuck inside our classroom and there are bursts of gunfire,” he said.

It is the second time this month that the university or its staff have been targeted. Two teachers, an American and an Australian, remain missing after being abducted at gunpoint from a road nearby on August 7.

Taliban insurgents control large swathes of Afghanistan, and local armed forces are struggling to contain them, especially in the provinces of Helmand to the south and Kunduz to the north.

NATO ended its combat mission in December 2014, but thousands of troops remain to train and assist Afghan forces, while several thousand more US soldiers are engaged in a separate mission focusing on al-Qaeda and Islamic State. l

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

IS claims first attack since Gulshan to the shop hearing him screaming, the attackers fled the scene leaving a machete on the spot.

The OC said that Chittaranjan was hacked on the head, neck, hands and abdomen.

Additional Superintendent of Police Shafiur Rahman said that they were investigating the incident.

It is the 26th attack claimed by IS supporters in Bangladesh, in which 46 people including seven Hindus have been killed, since September 28 last year, according to Amaq.

On July 1, five IS members killed 23 people including 17 foreigners in their last attack on a Gulshan eatery.

No militant group, however, claimed responsibility for the attack on a police check-post at Sholakia of Kishoreganj on July 7, the Eid Day. Two police officers were hacked to death while a housewife was killed during gunfight between the police and the militants.

The government denies that IS has organisational base in Bangladesh, and instead, blames a new faction of banned militant group Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) for the recent targeted killings including the Gulshan and Sholakia attacks. l

6.8 magnitude tremor shakes Bangladesh other injured when a tobacco processing factory collapsed in the town of Pakkoku, to the north, the duty officer at the local fire department said.

There were no other confirmed casualties, and early reports suggested limited damage overall.

“My house shook during the quake. Many people were scared and they ran out of the buildings,” said Maung Maung Kyaw, a local official of the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party.

“Some of the old buildings have cracks. The biggest damage is to the bank building in the town. The

damage to other buildings isn’t that significant.”

The quake struck at a relatively deep 84 km (52 miles), the USGS said.

Chauk is about 35 km (20 miles) from Bagan, known as the “City of 4 Million Pagodas” and a major draw for Myanmar’s nascent tourism industry.

Yangon-based travel agent Amy Saw, who had been in touch with her firm’s Bagan office, said some of the pagodas there had been damaged, and the Ministry of Religious Affairs put the number sustaining some kind of damage at 65.

According to the 2014 census, Chauk has a population of about 45,000, with around 185,000 living in the surrounding area. It was a thriving oilfield during the British colonial era.

“So far as we heard from our local staff, a three-storey building collapsed in Chauk and a pagoda was badly damaged in a Yenanchaung,” a fire department official in Magwe told Reuters.

Ko Tin Ko Lwin, a resident of Yenanchaung township, told Reuters that a pagoda that had been cracked before the quake had collapsed, while electricity poles and

some trees were felled.

The quake shook buildings in Myanmar’s biggest city of Yangon and in other towns and cities, witnesses said.

Office buildings in the Thai capital Bangkok, to the east of Myanmar, shook for a few seconds, residents there said.

Myanmar is in a seismically active part of the world where the Indo-Australian Plate runs up against the Eurasian Plate.

In March, 2011, at least 74 people were killed in an earthquake in Myanmar near its borders with Thailand and Laos. l

120 killed as quake flattens towns in central Italy Rescue workers used helicopters to pluck survivors to safety in more isolated villages cut off by landslides and rubble.

Aerial photographs showed whole areas of Amatrice, last year voted one of Italy’s most beautiful historic towns, flattened by the 6.2 magnitude quake. Many of those killed or missing were visitors.

Scores of people are believed unaccounted for, with the presence of the holidaymakers making it difficult to tally.

Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, who

gave the latest toll figure after visiting the area, called for national unity.

“We Italians are very good at arguing and being polemical but now let’s stand in solidarity and pride alongside those who are rescuing others,” he said. “Today is a day for tears. Tomorrow we can talk of reconstruction.”

Voices under the rubble

Patients at the badly damaged hospital in Amatrice were moved into the streets and a field hospital was set up. Accumoli’s mayor, Stefano

Petrucci, said some 2,500 people were left homeless in the local community of 17 hamlets.

Residents responding to wails muffled by tonnes of bricks and mortar sifted through with their bare hands before emergency services arrived with earth-moving equipment and sniffer dogs. Wide cracks had appeared like open wounds on the buildings that were still standing.

Most of the damage was in the Lazio and Marche regions, with Lazio taking the brunt of the dam-

age and the biggest toll. Neighbouring Umbria was also affected.

All three regions are dotted with centuries-old buildings susceptible to earthquakes.

Residents of Rome were woken by the tremors, which rattled furniture, swayed lights and set off car alarms in most of central Italy.

“It was so strong. It seemed the bed was walking across the room by itself with us on it,” Lina Mercantini of Ceselli, Umbria, about 75km away from the hardest hit area, told Reuters. l

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016

Five JMB men caught in Gazipur

A RAB team yesterday detains five JMB members with arms and explosives from Tongi and Gazipur

Islam Akand, n Raihanul Gazipur Rapid Acton Battalion (RAB) in Tongi, Gazipur has detained five suspected members of the banned militant outfit Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), including the trainer of its recently unearthed female wing.

The detainees are former Canadian student Rasheduzzaman Rose, 30, Mohammad Abdul Hai, 36, Sahabuddin alias Shihab alias Rocky, 23, Firoz Ahammed Sheikh alias Firoz alias Ansar, 27, and Saiful Islam, 29.

RAB also recovered two pistols hidden inside books, two magazines, eight bullets, three improvised bombs, a large quantity of explosives, 16 knives, two machetes and jihadi books from a bookstore and a mobile recharge shop at Hajipukur area.

The guns were cleverly concealed

inside books at the store, owned and operated by Firoz since 2013.

RAB says the detainees had confessed that they were gathered there to plan for fresh attacks. Rasheduzzaman and Hai arrived recently in the district from Chittagong and Sahabuddin from Pabna.

RAB says Rasheduzzaman is the trainer for the female wing of JMB and the acting ameer of the southern region.

The first three were detained from Tongi Chourasta area around 12:30am and based on information they yielded, the other two were detained from Choydana Hajirpukur area around 5am, said RAB 1 Deputy Director Maj Safiul Azam Siddique.

Following the information gleaned from two arrested JMB members - southern zone leader Mahmudul Hasan and female wing coordinator Aklima Rahman Moni - their intelligence received infor-

mation of JMB members who were gathering at a place in Tongi area and detained them.

Mahmudul had deployed Rasheduzzaman as the trainer for the group’s female members and after his arrest the man took over as acting southern zone ameer.

A straight-A student from Jhenaidah, Rasheduzzaman went to St Mary’s University in Halifax, Canada for his undergrad, where RAB claims he was radicalised by some middle eastern friends. Although he was a graduate from the university he started a small business in his native village in 2014.

He later got acquainted with Mahmudul through Abdul Hai, and started working for JMB. Abdul Hai was involved in Islamic Foundation’s Quran education programme in 2010 and is the secretary general of Jhenaidah district Ahle Hadis.

He used to organise JMB meetings in the district.

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PHOTO: RAB

RAB said detained Sahabuddin is a close friend of Sholakia attacker Shafiul and received training together at several training centres.

Shafiul and Sahabuddin are from the same village in Dinajpur and the former recruited the latter.

Firoz used to work for terror group Ansarullah Bangla Team’s chief Jasim Uddin Rahmani. After Rahmani’s arrest in 2013 he came to Gazipur and started working with JMB. He used to store and transport weapons and explosives using his bookstore. His store was also a meeting place for terrorists, RAB said.

Saiful, who was detained from Hajirpukur area from his cell phone trade shop, used to transfer money for the terror group and provide unregistered SIMs to JMB members, RAB said.

RAB 1 Ops Officer Muhit Kabir Serniabat told the Dhaka Tribune that the detainees were handed over to Tongi police station. l

Govt taking preparation for Kerry’s visit n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman The government is taking preparation for the upcoming visit of US Secretary of State John Kerry to Dhaka.

“US Secretary of State John Kerry will come to Bangladesh on August 29. We are happy that he is coming to Dhaka,” Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali said after inaugurating a seminar at Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies in the city yesterday.

“We have been engaged for a long time to have this visit but due to some reasons he could not come,” the minister said.

Mahmmod Ali had a meeting with Kerry last year and invited him to visit Dhaka and the US secretary accepted it.

Kerry’s predecessor and the current US presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton, came to Dhaka in 2012.

Former Bangladesh Ambassador to US Humayun Kabir told the Dhaka Tribune that the US secretary of state is coming to this region and as Bangladesh is an important country for the North American country, he is coming to Dhaka.

He said the foreign minister has invited him and Kerry is honouring the invitation.

In the visit, the bilateral relationship would be reviewed and new areas of cooperation would be explored, he said.

The visit is taking place in the backdrop of growing terrorism all over the world including Bangladesh.

Kabir said the security cooperation between the two countries is ongoing matter and Bangladesh is receiving their assistance for many years.

“We will have to decide what type of assistance we want,” he said. l

BNP Chairperson Khaleda for scrapping Rampal coal plant n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has demanded that the government cancel all procedures to set up the 1,320MW coal-fired power plant at Rampal of Bagerhat for the sake of the Sundarbans mangroves forest.

“There are alternative fuels for generating electricity and places to install power plants … but the Sundarbans has no alternative,” the three-time former premier said during a press briefing at her Gulshan office yesterday.

In her written statement, Khaleda said that while other countries are moving away from coal-based power plants, Bangladesh’s decision to build one just on the

edge of the biggest mangrove forest is hypocritical, irrational and non-profitable.

She suggested that the government concentrate on renewable sources.

Of the total project cost, Bangladesh would bear 15%, India 15 % and the rest 70% would be provided through bank loans. She said that if the Indian company failed to repay its share of the loan, Bangladesh would have to take up the whole burden.

Again, investing only 15% of the project and taking 50% of the total tax-free profit was not fair as it was Bangladesh that would have to face 100% environmental adversity, said Khaleda.

She observed that producing electricity by jeopardising the country’s ecology was anti-state and anti-people.

She alleged that although the government had all the documents on the adverse impact of the power plant, it was refusing to change its stance, rather became desperate to implement the project hurried-

ly. “It proves that the autocratic government does not care about public opinion and the country’s interests.”

The BNP chief alleged that people were sceptical and concerned about the government’s desperateness to execute the project hurriedly though it is not economically profitable.

She said that the government was implementing the project ignoring the objections of Unesco, Ramsar Convention and even the Bangladesh’s Forest Department.

She alleged that around 8,000 families were evicted from their land and denied compensation.

Khaleda mentioned that Indian’s National Thermal Power Plant

wanted to establish a coal-based power plant in Madhya Pradesh, but the Indian government rejected the proposal as it would adversely affect the environment. “... so they are doing it in Bangladesh only for business interests. And the Bangladesh government, who is not responsible to people, has given the approval.”

She said that the PDB would have to buy electricity from the Rampal plant at double price and then sell to people in a subsidised price. “It raises questions why the government has taken up such a loss project. Since the government does not have any satisfactory answer, it is repressing the protesters.” l

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016

Quasem's counsel irks SC n Ashif Islam Shaon The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court adjourned till Sunday the hearing on a review petition filed by death-row convict war criminal Mir Quasem Ali challenging his death sentence.

A five-member panel headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha began hearing the review petition yesterday morning but it was adjourned as the defence counsel repeatedly sought time for preparation.

The court granted the defence four days rejecting a three-week time petition. The bench also expressed anger at Mir Quasem's chief counsel Khandaker Mahbub Hossain for seeking time repeatedly despite being warned previously.

On July 25, the court granted Quasem one month following a time petition on the “preparation” ground. That day the court said that they would not entertain any such petition in future.

Yesterday, when the fresh time petition was placed, the chief justice said that the ground of the petition was not acceptable.

The hearing started around 9:35am with Mahbub submitting on behalf of the Jamaat-e-Islami leader. The adjournment petition mentioned that the senior lawyer could not take “preparation to place arguments” as his assistant, Mir Quasem's son barrister Mir Ahmed Bin Quasem, had been “picked up by law enforcers.”

According to family sources, Ahmed was picked by plainclothes police from his house at Mirpur DOHS around 10:50pm on August 9. However, local police station and DMP authorities said that they had no idea about the arrest.

The International Crimes Tribunal sentenced al-Badr commander Quasem, now 64, to death on November 3, 2014 on two charges including killing seven people after abduction in Chittagong. Known

as “Bangali Khan” for atrocities, Quasem was also awarded a total of 72-year imprisonment on eight other proven charges of abduction, conspiracy and planning.

Later, the Appellate Division upheld the tribunal’s death sentence.

The death warrant against Quasem was issued on June 6 after the apex court released its full verdict. As the convict filed a plea seeking review of the verdict, the court set June 21 for the hearing.

The hearing date was first deferred until July 25 and then until yesterday based on time petitions.

In 1967, Quasem joined Islami Chhatra Sangha, then student wing of Jamaat, while studying at Chittagong Collegiate School. He later became its Chittagong city unit general secretary. He played an important role in forming al-Badr Bahini during the war.

He set up makeshift torture camps at different places in the port city in 1971. l

Arrest warrants for two Tavella murder accused n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu A Dhaka court yesterday issued arrest warrants against former BNP ward commissioner MA Qaiyum and another accused in connection with the murder of Italian citizen Cesare Tavella at Gulshan on September 28 last year.

Dhaka’s Metropolitan Sessions Judge Md Kamrul Hossain Molla issued the order after taking the charges against the seven accused into cognisance. The Gulshan OC was asked to submit a report on the execution of the order by August 31.

Qaiyum and another accused Sohel alias Bhangari Sohel have been on the run since the case was filed.

Tavella, an aid worker and veterinary surgeon, was shot dead by a gang of three youths, who came on a motorcycle, at Road 90, Gulshan 2 in the evening on September 28

last year. He had been living alone in Dhaka to work on food security issues for a Netherlands-based NGO. After the murder, international terrorist group Islamic State claimed responsibility. But the investigators have found that BNP leader Qaiyum planned the murder as part of a conspiracy to create anarchy, embarrass the government and send a message to the foreigners that they were not safe in Bangladesh.

Qaiyum’s brother MA Matin coordinated the murder and he hired three killers to kill a “white man” (foreigner) and Tavella became their prey, the charge sheet says.

The five other accused – Qaiyum’s brother Abdul Matin, Tamjid Ahmed Rubel alias Shooter Rubel, Russell Chowdhurya alias Chakki Russell, Minhajul Arefin alias Bhagne Russell and Shakhawat Hossain Sharif – are now in jail. l

TOXIC GAS LEAK IN CHITTAGONG

Ammonia level in the air comes down n Anwar Hussain, Chittagong

Two days following the toxic gas emission at a fertiliser factory, the presence of ammonia in the air has come down to a tolerable level, claims Chittagong fire service department.

An air quality test conducted yesterday morning found the presence of ammonia in the air at 10ppm (parts per million) within a radius of 200 metre from the source of emission.

Jasim Uddin, deputy assistant director of Chittagong Fire Service, told the Dhaka Tribune that the presence of ammonia gas in the air was recorded at 10ppm-20ppm on Tuesday night.

“However, today [yesterday], in the morning, we recorded the level of ammonia in the air at 10ppm.”

“We have stopped spraying water to the source of the emission from 3am today [yesterday]. But as many as 40 fire fighters are still working to bring the situation under control,” said Jasim.

Water quality

A team of Chittagong Department of Environment yesterday found that the levels of pH, dissolved oxygen (DO) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) in the water samples collected from nearby water bodies in the area were well above the standard levels.

The DoE team led by senior chemist Kamrul Hasan collected

the water samples from 11am until 7:30pm on Tuesday. The collected samples were tested in the laboratory of Chittagong DoE yesterday.

The laboratory test revealed that the pH level of the two adjoining ponds of the fertiliser factory stood at 9.94 and 8.54 respectively which was beyond the standard level stipulated by the Bangladesh Environment Conservation Act, 1997 [Standard pH value is 6.5-8.5].

The level of Dissolved Oxygen (DO) collected from the two ponds stood at 1.39 and 4.00 [Standard Value is 4.5-8.5]. Besides, the level of Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) collected from the two ponds was recorded at 324 and 264 [Standard Value is below 200] which was beyond the standard level stipulated by the Environment Conservation Act, 1997.

Environmentalists worried

Environmentalists have cautioned that water (used for diluting the level of ammonia in the air) mixed with ammonia might enter the Bay of Bengal through the Karnaphuli since the fertiliser factory is located on the south bank of the Karnaphuli River.

Muhammad Edris Ali, associate professor of Chittagong Hazi Md Mohsin College chemistry department, said maximum caution should be maintained while applying water to dissolve the level ammonia in the air. l

Socialist Women’s Forum holds a rally in front of the National Press Club to demand justice against murders of women and children yesterday MEHEDI HASAN

AG: Relocation not to hamper war crimes trials n Tribune Desk Attorney General Mahbubey Alam thinks that the relocation of International Crimes Tribunal from the High Court premises will not hamper the war criminals' trial.

“There is nothing to be worried.

This will not leave an impact on trial,” he told reporters at his office yesterday afternoon.

He hinted that the Supreme Court authorities wants back the old building only to ease its space problem.

The chief legal officer of the country said he witnessed space

problem at Appellate Division's record room while visiting it to enquire about old case dockets on war crimes. “I was astonished.

There was no space to move for pile of case dockets.”

“The court actually needs a lot of space. The judges do not have enough space. Sitting arrangements are made on the verands; records are kept in vulnerable places.”

The matter of sending letter from the Supreme Court administration to the law minister asking to relocate the tribunal to free space was revealed on Tuesday.

Asked if the authorities will preserve the old building as a heritage after getting it back from the tribunal, the Attorney General said the building was constructed in 1905 and it is not that old to be preserved as heritage.

Asked if the building has a historical value as the trial of notorious war criminals were held there, he said that the trial was conducted by the judges, not the building.

“The verdicts will be remembered as a part of country's history.

The verdicts will be preserved for years.” l

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016

JnU students continue strike for dormitories n Rafikul Islam The students of Jagannath University (JnU) continued boycotting classes and exams yesterday as part of a two-day strike protesting the police attack on them.

In the morning, they took position at Paltan intersection in Dhaka, demanding dormitories on the vacated land of Dhaka’s old central jail, resulting in heavy traffic congestion there.

Later, the agitating students took position at the university’s main gate up to Ray Saheb Bazar intersection around 8:30am and then in a procession proceeded towards Bangshal after breaking a police barricade around 10am.

Police obstructed them at the Bangshal intersection where they started a demonstration, as they

tried to move towards the Prime Minister’s Office to submit a memorandum.

Students have been demanding the announcement of specific locations of the new dorms and to transfer the old central jail plot to the university for building new dorms since August 1.

JnU Samajtantrik Chhatra Front President MM Mujahid Anik said: “Our demonstration will continue until the demands are met. Our demonstrations are strengthening day by day.”

There will also be a gathering at Shaheed Minar around 3pm on Friday, where people from the civil society and leaders of various organisations are expected to be present.

On Saturday, human chains for demanding halls would be organised in all public universities, he said. l

Students of Jagannath University yesterday blocks the Paltan intersection demanding new dorms

Charge framed against 51 top Destiny officials n

Md Sanaul Islam Tipu

A Dhaka Court yesterday framed charges against 51 top officials of Destiny Group including its Managing Director Rafiqul Amin, Destiny 2000 President Lt Gen (retd) Harun-Ar-Rashid, and 49 others in two money laundering cases filed for alleged swindling of around Tk4,200cr.

Judge Md Kamrul Hossain Mollah of Dhaka Senior Special Judges Court framed the charges after rejecting discharge petitions filed by six of the 51 accused including Rafiqul and Harun-Ar-Rashid.

After the charge framing, the court fixed September 27 for recording deposition of witnesses in the two cases filed by Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

The court also shifted the cases documents to Special Court-5 to testify prosecution witnesses.

Rafiqul and Harun along with four others appeared before the court and pleaded not guilty and demanded justices after the charges were read out to them.

Six accused – Jasmine Akhter Milon, Rafiqul, Mohammad Hossain, Didarul Alam, Ziaul Haque Mollah and Saidul Islam – are now in jail while Harun-or-Rashid is on bail. The remaining 44 accused are still on the run.

‘The accused misappropriated about Tk4,200cr through its tree plantation project and the cooperative firm and laundered money abroad’ Earlier on May 4, 2014, the Anti-Corruption Commission submitted two charge sheets against a total of 51 top executives of Destiny Group on charge of their involvement in laundering around Tk4,118cr.

According to the probe reports, Destiny Group President M Harun-ur-Rashid, a former army chief, Managing Director Mohammad Rafiqul Amin and 17 others embez-

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Karnaphuli tunnel work to start Oct 10

zled around Tk2,257cr.

The reports said accused Harun and Rafiqul in association with the others embezzled the money by selling over six crore trees to 17.5 lakh customers.

After filing the cases, the commission arrested a total of eight accused including Harun-Ar-Rashid and Rafiqul Amin. Later, Harun-Ar-Rashid got bail from the High Court.

On July 31, 2012, the Anti-corruption Commission (ACC) filed two cases with Kalabagan police station in the capital against 22 Destiny officials on the charge of laundering the money.

After running probe for nearly 22 months, two ACC investigators – Mozahar Ali Sarder and Tawfiqul Islam – submitted the charge sheets against the 51 Destiny officials on May 4, 2014.

According to the charge sheets, the accused misappropriated about Tk4,200cr through its tree plantation project and the cooperative firm and laundered money abroad.

The accused embezzled the money in the name of paying salaries, honorarium, commission, incentives and promotional costs.

They transferred the money to their bank accounts and those of the group’s 20 companies. says the charge sheets. l

Destiny officials Gofranul Huq, Sayed-ur Rahman, Mejbah Uddin Swapan, Syed Sazzad Hossain, Irfan Ahmed Sunny, Farha Diba, Jamshed Ara Chowdhury, Sheikh Tayebur Rahman, Nepal Chandra Biswas, Zakir Hossain, Azad Rahman, Akbar Hossain Sumon, Shirin Akhter, Lt Col (retd) Didarul Alam, Rafiqul Islam Sarkar, Majibur Rahman, Sumon Ali Khan, Saidul Islam Khan Rubel, Abul Kalam Azad and 26 other accused are still on the run.

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n Shohel Mamun The construction work of much-awaited Karnaphuli Tunnel at Chittagong will begin on October 10 this year.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, who will be visiting Dhaka is likely to lay the foundation stone alongside Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, said a Foreign Ministry official.

Iftekhar Kabir, project director of the Karnaphuli tunnel, said: “The proposed multi-lane tunnel will connect Chittagong city with the other side of the Karnaphuli River and also the proposed Asian Highway and the Dhaka-Chittagong-Cox’s Bazar Highway, aiming to improve regional connectivity.”

“The proposed 3.5km tunnel will cost $705 million. It will reduce the distance between Chittagong

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and Cox’s Bazar by road, apart from easing the heavy port-city-bound traffic from Dhaka,” Kabir added.

Road Transport and Bridges Ministry signed a deal with Chinese firm China Communication Construction Company (CCCC) Ltd for building the tunnel last year.

During Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Beijing visit in June last year, a memorandum of understanding was signed between Bangladesh and China for the Karnaphuli tunnel.

The tunnel will be built on a government-to-government basis; work is expected to conclude within 2020.

Karnaphuli tunnel, the first of its kind in Bangladesh, will connect to the Chittagong-Cox’s Bazar highway as well as easing communication with India and Myanmar once the Asian Highway is completed. l

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Fajr: 5:05am | Zohr: 1:15pm Asr: 5:00pm | Magrib: 6:36pm Esha: 8:30pm Source: Islamic Foundation

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016

Gaibandha facing severe load shedding n Md Tazul Islam, Gaibandha Although situation of electricity supply has improved across Bangladesh over the last two years, people of Gaibandha are still suffering from severe load-shedding.

People residing in Sadar upzila said power supply throughout the country reached at its peak with production of over 8,300 megawatts every, they still had to face load shedding for several hours in a day, hampering their regular activities.

Modasseru Zaman, an NGO employee, who is a resident of Collegepara in the district town told the Dhaka Tribune that SSC and PSC candidates could not study properly at night due to severe power outage.

Advocate Sirajul Islam, convenor of Nagorik Parishad district chapter, said: There is no load shedding in neighbouring districts – Rangpur, Nilphamari and Manikganj, but people of the district have been suffering from load shedding over a month, I do not know why this discrimination?”

He also urged the authorities concerned to form a probe committee to find out the reason behind the anomalies.

Mukul Mandal, owner of a rice mill, said: “We merely get electricity four hours in a day. Production in my mill is being severely hampered. I have been counting loss for the last couple of weeks.

To grab the attention of authorities, hundreds of people from all sections of life holding kerosine lamps brought out a procession in BD road area in the district town yesterday, demanding uninterrupted electricity supply.

President of Gaibandha unit Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal Shah Shariful Islam, Secretary of Communist Party of Bangladesh, General Sec-

SOLAKIA ATTACK

Another accused place remand n Bijoy Roy Khoka, Kishoreganj A Kishoreganj court on Wednesday placed one of the accused in Solakia attack case on a five-day remand.

Judge of Chief Judicial Magistrate Court Abdus Salam Khan passed the order following investigation officer of the case Md Morshed Zaman, officer-in-charge of Kishoreganj Model police station, produced him before the court seeking 10-day remand prayer for investigation.

On the Eid-ul-Fitr morning of July 7, 4 people – two policemen, a woman and an alleged attacker – were killed in a terror attack. l

People from all walks of life hold a human chain in Gaibandha district town yesterday, demanding uninterrupted electricity supply retary of Bangladesh Pahila Parishad Riktu Prasad, among others, addressed the rally.

Speakers at the rally said although production of electrify was sufficient, they had to suffer from severe power outage everyday almost five hours.

They also said people of the district faced about 20 hours power outage in the last two days (Monday and Tuesday), much to create

anger among the rural people.

They also alleged that a section of unscrupulous officials of the Power Development Board (PDB) were doing brisk business capitalizing electricity. The section gave illegal electricity connections to different factories, taking bribe.

The use of rundown electricity supply lines, risky transmeters and lack of essential equipment is also responsible for the load shedding.

They also vowed to launch tougher movement, if smooth power supply is not ensured soon.

Executive Engineer of Gaibandha Power Development Board told the Dhaka Tribune that the demand of electricity in the district was 22 to 24 megawatts while it got only 13 to 14 megawatts each day from Polashbari grid-line.

He said Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB) distributed

Three of a family killed over land dispute in Habiganj n Md Noor Uddin, Habiganj A man killed three people, including his sister-in-law and her daughter, and injured his nephew at Birsingha village in Madhabpur upazila of Habiganj on Tuesday night over a land dispute.

The deceased were Jahanara, 40, wife of Saudi expatriate Giasuddin, their daughter Sharmin, 25, and Shimul, 27, a neighbour.

According to police sources, Giasuddin, who is now in Saudi, had long been in dispute with his

brother Taher Miah over the ownership of a piece of land.

Assistant Superintendent of Police Raselur Rahman said Taher engaged in an altercation with the family members of Giasuddin around 9:15 pm.

Taher was furious and at one stage stormed the house of Giasuddin and slit the throats of Jahanara and her daughter Sharmin with a sharp weapon, killing them on the spot.

Taher also chopped Shimul with the weapon as he tried to prevent him. Jahanara’s son Sujat also got

injured during the attack.

Later, locals sent Sharmin, Shimul and Sujat to Madhabpur Upazila Health Complex where doctors declared Sharmin and Shimul dead.

Meanwhile, Taher was caught by locals and they handed him over to police.

On Wednesday morning, when Taher was produced before the court, he admitted that he had killed the trio over land dispute and family feud, said Muktadhir Hossen, officer-in-charge of Madhabpur police station. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

power to different districts across the country.

He said: “As we are not getting power supply according to our demand, we have to go on load shedding.”

Atul Babu, assistant engineer of Palashbar 132/33KV Grid, told the Dhaka Tribune that they had nothing to do in this regard, as Dhaka Load Dispass Centre controlled the power distribution system. l

NATORE BOAT CAPSIZE

Two more bodies recovered n M Kamal Mridha, Natore The bodies of two farmers, who went missing after a boat capsized in the Padma River in Lalpur upazila, Natore on Tuesday, were recovered on Wednesday.

Firefighters recovered the bodies of Jamal Uddin, 52, and Arzed Ali, 43, residents of Bilmaria of the upazila, in the morning.

Six people went missing after an engine-run boat capsized in the mighty river on Tuesday morning.

A boat carrying about 50 labourers sank in the river around 8:30am. l

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016

People suffer due to water transport strike n Tribune Desk Country wide water transport workers strike from early Tuesday to press home their 15-point demands has brought sufferings to the common people.

Our correspondent from Barisal said thousands of commuters faced severe hardship as water vehicles on Barisal-Dhaka-Barisal Routes in southern region has remained suspended for two days due to wildcat strike enforced by workers.

On Tuesday night MV Farhan-8, MV Sundarban-10, MV Parabat-11, MV Suravi-9 and MV Kirtankhola-2 left Barisal port for Dhaka after law enforcing agencies ensured safety and security of the vessels, said Mustafizur Rahman, Barisal river

port officer.

On Wednesday morning MV Parabat-12, MV Tipu-7 and MV Suravi-7 arrived Barisal from Dhaka and left Barisal port for Dhaka at night, the port officer said.

Local offices of the company said although most of cabin passengers boarded on launch duly, but number of deck passengers were not satisfactory due to closure of local connecting routes.

Hundreds of porters, hawkers, makeshift shop owners depend on river port activities deprived from earning their livelihoods due to strike of river transports.

Ekin Ali, acting president of Barisal unit, and joint-convener of Noujan Sramik Federation (water transport workers association),

claimed their strike going on successfully and plying of some passenger launches on Barisal-Dhaka route will not affect their movement.

Saidur Rahman Rintu, central vice-president of launch owners association and owner of Sundarban launch fleet, said most of workers of the launches plying on Barisal-Dhaka route enjoying higher scale than demanded by the workers federation.

But locals alleged that mass people, especially in the river isolated areas of southern region, traders and businessmen, daily passengers, patients facing sufferings due to water transport strike.

Operational activities of goods laden cargo vessels has remained halted in the 16 jetties in Chittagong

as the workers of the vessels have been refraining from their works yesterday, said our correspondent.

Following the indefinite strike, Chittagong Chambers and Commerce Industry (CCCI) feared severe container and ship congestion at the outer anchorage and Chittagong port, said an official press release of CCCI. The press release said due to the strike, supply of the industrial goods and raw materials have remained halted.

The CCCI president Mahbubul Alam sought the intervention of Shipping Minister Shahjahan Khan to bring an end of the strike.

Water Transport Cell (WTC)’s Joint Secretary Kazi Aatul Kabir Ranju told Dhaka Tribune: “A total

of 611 various goods laden lighter vessels are still stranded across the country while loading and unloading of the goods in different ghats in Chittagong and outer anchorage were also halted following the strike.”

Nousramik Sangram Parishad’s convener Wazul Islam Bulbul told Dhaka Tribune: “The indefinite strike continued for the second consecutive day throughout the country demanding to increase minimum wages.

Bulbul said: “After another wildcat strike throughout the country in April, the government earlier announced new wages chart for the cargo vessels’ workers as per of demands holding a meeting with them.” l

Resistance Day for Repression against Women observed n Bipul Sarkar Sunny, Dinajpur

Police pick up two female garment workers on a van after a clash that took place between RMG workers and police in Chittagong city yesterday

RABIN CHWDHURY

Chittagong station road turns into battlefield Mizanur Rahaman, n FM Chittagong Station Road area of Chittagong city yesterday turned into battleground when some 300 workers of a Readymade Garment (RMG) factory clashed with police leaving at least 30 people, including 10 policemen, injured.

Police detained around 110 RMG workers, most of them female, in this connection, said Abdur Rahim, assistant commissioner of Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP).

He added that the detainees were sent to Kotwali police station for taking the next course of action after verifying the identities of the workers The clash ensued when police tried to drive out the workers from

the Station Road near New Market area at around 11am on Wednesday after the agitated workers of one Asian Apparels Limited took to the street demanding shifting their factory from city’s Uttar Kattali area to Station Road.

The demonstrating workers hurled brick chips targeting police when the law enforcers attempted to take the RMG workers out triggering the clash, said witnesses.

At least 10 policemen including CMP’s Kotwali Zone’s AC Abdur Rahim, Kotwali police station’s Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md Jasim Uddin, Inspector (Investigation) Nur Ahmed were wounded in the clash.

Two constables, an Ansar member and six garment workers were admitted to Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH), said Assistant

Sub-Inspector (ASI) Pankaj Barua of the hospital’s police outpost.

Police and demonstrating workers said the authorities shifted the factory from the five-storied main office building at Station Road to Uttar Kattali area under Akbar Shah police station few months ago prompting workers’ dissatisfaction.

The workers alleged that after shifting the factory at Uttar Kattali area some female workers were allegedly harassed by the some outsiders.

The matter was informed to the factory authority but they did not care about it.

And for this, the workers were demanding to shift the factory to the earlier place, added the workers.

To press home the demands,

the factory workers on Tuesday evening put a barricade in front of their main office for one hour and staged demonstration.

OC Jasim Uddin said the workers had lifted their barricade on Tuesday following the assurance of the factory administration that they will sit with the workers to come to a solution on Wednesday.

However, the workers blocked the important New Market road again in the morning and staged demonstrating creating long tailback and public sufferings, said the OC. “The agitated workers started to hurl stones on police personnel while they were asked to remove the barricade from the road, hurting ten policemen including the OC and Inspector,” AC Kazi Abdur Rahim told the Dhaka Tribune. l

The Resistance Day for Repression Against Women was observed on Wednesday in commemorating the 21th death anniversary of Yasmin Akter, who was killed after gang-rape by some unruly policemen in Dinajpur.

Different social-cultural organisations, including Mahila Parishad, Polli Sri and Mahila Bohumukhi Shiksha Kendra offered doa at the grave of Yasmin and arranged discussions, marking the day.

Later, Mahila Parishad held a rally at Das Mile intersection demanding trail of all the killings that have taken place recently. They also urged all people concerned to implement existing laws strictly to put an end to the repression against women. President of Mahila Parishad Kaniz Rahman and General Secretary Dr Marufa Begum took part in the rally.

Yasmin, 14, who was a domestic help in Dhaka, was going to her native home in Dinajpur on August 23.

Then, a police patrol van picked her up from district town assuring that they would drop her at home safely.

But, her body was found near the same spot after several hours.

The death of Yasmin then triggered massive outage across Bangladesh. Since then, the day has been observed as the Day of Resistance Against Violence Against Women in the country.

On August 27, seven people were killed by police firing while they were staging demonstration, protesting the killing in Dinajpur town.

Trial of Yasmin case began on September 21, 1996. Three policemen were sentenced to death on August 3, 1997. l

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016

SOUTH ASIA

Karachi’s next mayor to run city from behind bars The imprisoned politician Waseem Akhtar, who was arrested last month on suspicion of aiding alleged militants, is almost certain to be the next mayor of Karachi and will run the teeming metropolis via video link from his prison cell. Akhtar is a member of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement which swept local elections in December.

-REUTERS.

INDIA

Youth killed in new antiIndia protests in Kashmir Indian government forces fired shotguns and tear gas in India’s portion of Kashmir on Wednesday to break up new protests demanding an end to Indian rule in the disputed Himalayan region, killing a young man and wounding at least 50 other people. Suspected rebels later hurled a grenade at patrolling police and paramilitary soldiers.

-AP

CHINA

China denies restricting activities of UN rights envoy China denied on Wednesday that the government had restricted the activities of a visiting United Nations-appointed human rights envoy. Philip Alston, the UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, said the Chinese government interfered with his work during a visit to China by blocking access to individuals whom he had hoped to meet.

-REUTERS

ASIA PACIFIC

One killed, 30 wounded in southern Thailand explosions

One Thai person was killed and 30 wounded when two bombs exploded late on Tuesday near a hotel in the southern Thai beach town of Pattani less than two weeks after a series of blasts hit the south. The blasts came less than two weeks after a series of explosions hit three of Thailand’s most popular tourist resorts and a town in the south of the country.

-REUTERS

MIDDLE EAST

Russia deeply worried by Turkish operation in Syria Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday Moscow was deeply worried by the escalation of tension on the Turkish-Syria border after Ankara sent military forces into Syrian territory.

Turkish special forces, tanks and jets backed by planes from the USled coalition launched their first co-ordinated offensive into Syria on Wednesday.

-REUTERS

Afghans push India for more arms despite Pakistan’s wary eye n Reuters, New Delhi India is set to deliver more arms to Afghanistan to help it fight Islamist militants, Kabul’s envoy to New Delhi said, even if Pakistan is wary of closer military cooperation between countries lying to its east and west.

India has provided a little over $2bn in economic assistance to Afghanistan in the last 15 years, but has been more measured in providing weapons in order to avoid a backlash from Pakistan, which sees Afghanistan as its area of influence.

Last December, after years of dragging its feet, New Delhi announced the supply of four attack helicopters in India’s first transfer of lethal equipment to the government in Kabul since the hardline Islamist Taliban movement was toppled.

Kabul immediately deployed three of the Russian Mi-25 attack helicopters to go after insurgents, and the fourth will be inducted in the next few weeks.

Shaida Mohammad Abdali, the Afghan ambassador to India, said regional security was deteriorating and Afghan national forces were in dire need of military supplies to tackle the Taliban, Islamic State and other militant groups.

“We are grateful for the four helicopters. But we need more, we need much more. Today we are heading into a situation that is worrisome for everyone in the region including India,” he told Reuters in an interview.

On August 29, the head of the Afghan army, General Qadam Shah Shahim, is expected in New Delhi to submit a list of military equipment drawn up in consultation with the US military, Indian defence officials said.

It is not yet clear how much would be paid for and how much would be handed over for free.

The equipment includes more Mi-25s, smaller helicopters used for transporting troops and medical emergencies, and spares for existing Russian-origin aircraft in the Afghan air force fleet.

“The agenda for the army chief’s visit is clear. We will be finalising the enhancement of defence ties,” Abdali said. India, he added, had told the Afghans that it would do whatever it could to meet the security forces’ requirements.

Indian leader rankles Pakistan

The fact that much of the pro-

A helicopter donated by India is parked at the airport in Kabul on December 25, 2015 posed equipment originates from Russia need not be a stumbling block to an agreement, the United States has said, despite Western sanctions against Moscow.

Russia and the United States share a common goal in stabilising Afghanistan, and India can act as a go-between to help re-equip Afghan forces which fall well short of the capacity required despite billions of dollars in US spending.

The Afghan government lost control or influence of nearly 5 percent of its territory between January and May, the US government’s top watchdog on Afghanistan said in a report, highlighting the challenges its forces are facing.

But the move to increase cooperation with Afghanistan is likely to aggravate fears in Pakistan of being wedged between two hostile neighbours.

Relations with both countries have cooled lately.

Afghanistan says Pakistan must do more to stop militants operating on its territory, while India has blamed Pakistan for unrest in the disputed region of Kashmir.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi turned up the dial a notch by making a rare reference to Pakistan’s restive Baluchistan province in a recent speech.

Asked about the prospect of closer military ties between Afghanistan and India, a Pakistan foreign ministry spokesman said the government did not comment on bilateral ties between two countries.

But he warned against attempts to destabilise Pakistan, which, like its arch-rival India, has a nuclear arsenal.

“Our expectation is that India should not be allowed to use Afghan soil to create instability in Pakistan.”

According to an Indian defence ministry official, discussions with Kabul included the possibility of increasing the number of Afghan officers being trained in Indian military institutions each year from around 800 now.

US support

The United States, which has allocated more than $68bn to train and equip the Afghan security forces since 2002, has welcomed greater Indian military assistance to fill shortfalls in hardware and personnel.

Earlier this month, the commander of US forces in Afghanistan, General John Nicholson, held talks with Indian officials to find ways in which New Delhi could

REUTERS

help the Afghan air force, which is struggling to maintain ageing Russian aircraft because of sanctions on Moscow.

Nicholson said donor nations had contributed $4.5bn to Afghanistan, but those funds could not be used to buy Russian aircraft or spare parts because of the restrictions triggered by the conflict in Ukraine.

India is not constrained by such considerations and can export Russian-made equipment it already owns or source hardware and spares from Russia to send on to Afghanistan.

“Any additional aircraft or spare parts that India can provide Afghanistan would be greatly appreciated and welcomed by them to help build and maintain the Afghan Air Force,” Nicholson said at the end of his trip.

A Russian diplomat said Moscow supported efforts to strengthen Afghan forces, even if it cannot directly equip it.

“Our policy is simple; we would not like to be involved directly, but we would support any initiative that strengthens the ability of the Afghan authorities to fight against terrorist groups and stabilize the situation in the country,” the diplomat said. l

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016

USA

FACTBOX

Major earthquakes in Italy since 1908 n Reuters, Rome A strong earthquake brought down buildings in mountainous central Italy early on Wednesday, trapping residents and sending others fleeing into the streets. A preliminary count hours after the quake struck put the death toll at more than 50.

The ANSA news agency said 35 of the dead were in the town of Amatrice alone, with another 17 dead in the province of Ascoli Piceno, which includes Pescara del Tronto.

Here is a list of major earthquakes in Italy since the start of the 20th century: Ü December 28, 1908 - More than 82,000 people are killed in a 7.2 magnitude earthquake which reduces Sicily’s second largest city Messina to rubble and damages the city of Reggio Calabria across the straits on the mainland.

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Ü January 13, 1915 - Some 32,600 are killed when an earthquake measuring 7.0 strikes Avezzano in central Italy. Ü July 27, 1930 - A quake measuring 6.5 strikes the region of Irpinia in southern Italy, killing around 1,400 people. Ü May 6, 1976 - An earthquake measuring 6.5 rocks Friuli in Italy’s northeastern corner, killing 976 people and leaving 70,000 others homeless. Ü November 23, 1980 - Some 2,735 people are killed and more than 7,500 injured in an earthquake measuring 6.5. The epicentre was at Eboli but damage was reported over a huge area towards Naples. Ü December 13, 1990 - Earthquake centred in the sea off Sicily kills 13 people and injures 200. Ü September 26, 1997 - Two earthquakes measuring 6.4 kill 11 peo-

ple and cause serious damage to the Basilica of St Francis in Assisi, damaging priceless Medieval frescoes. Ü July 17, 2001 - Earthquake measuring 5.2 shakes the northern Italian region of Alto Adige, killing one woman. Ü October 31, 2002 - An earthquake measuring 5.9 hits Campobasso, south-central Italy, killing 30 people, most of them children, in San Giuliano di Puglia. Ü April 6, 2009 - A powerful earthquake strikes the Abruzzo area east of Rome. It kills more than 300 people and devastates the 13th century city of L’Aquila. Ü May 29, 2012 - More than 16 people are killed and 350 injured in the second big earthquake to hit the area around Modena in northern Italy. An earlier quake nine days earlier killed nearly 10 people. l

Poll: Clinton leads Trump by 12 points Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton leads Republican rival Donald Trump by 12 percentage points among likely voters, her strongest showing this month, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on Tuesday. The August 18-22 poll showed that 45% of voters supported Clinton, while 33% backed Trump ahead of the November 8 election.

-REUTERS

THE AMERICAS

Colombia, Farc finalising peace deal

The damaged tower bell with the clock signing the time of the earthquake is seen in Amatrice REUTERS

Colombia’s president Juan Manuel Santos says that the government negotiators and leftist rebels are putting the final touches on a historic peace deal and hope to announce it in the coming hours. Earlier, government negotiators told local news media that all major obstacles to a deal have been cleared up in around-the-clock sessions that have been taking place in Cuba for the past week.

-AP

UK

Owen Smith to block Brexit talks if no second vote

US ELECTION

Supreme Court: Why it matters n Tribune International Desk No one likes an even number on a court that makes decisions by majority vote. Yet that’s just what the Supreme Court has been left with, eight justices, since the death of Antonin Scalia in February, reports The Associated Press.

Four cases ended in a tie after Scalia’s death. With Senate Republicans refusing to confirm President Barack Obama’s choice to succeed Scalia, the outcome of the presidential election will determine whether the ninth, tie-breaking justice moves the court right or left. How much can one vote matter?

In key decisions in recent years on health care, gun rights, samesex marriage, voting rights and campaign finance, the vote was 5-4. And more Supreme Court appointments probably await the next president because two justices will be older than 80 and a third will be 78 come Election Day.

Where they stand

Both Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump have made the future of the Supreme Court part of their pitch to their respective party faithful.

In talking about the court, Clinton has stressed her support for abortion rights, LGBT issues and

immigration. Trump has released a list of 11 conservative state and federal judges whom he would consider nominating if elected.

Why it matters

The current vacancy is the moment both sides alternately have wished for and feared. Supreme Court nominations are always important because a justice can serve a quarter century or more.

But the stakes are even higher when the president has a chance to put a like-minded justice on the court to take the place of an ideological opponent. Such a switch can change the outcome of some of the court’s most important cases.

That’s the tantalising opportunity for Democrats and why Republicans have been resolute in refusing to consider Obama nominee Merrick Garland. Though Garland has a reputation as a moderate, he still would be left of Scalia on most issues.

A Clinton victory in November would, with the confirmation of Garland or someone else as the ninth justice, immediately shift the court to the left and result in a majority of justices nominated by a Democratic president for the first time since 1969.

If Trump is elected, he presumably would restore the court’s conservative tilt by appointing a like-minded successor to Scalia.

So the direction of a court closely divided between conservatives and liberals is at stake. The

US SUPREME COURT JUSTICES Justice Antonin Scalia has died at the age of 79. He was the longest serving justice on the current supreme court after taking his seat on September 26, 1986. He was nominated by president Ronald Reagna.

Nominated by Republican President

Nominated by Democratic President

A leadership candidate for Britain’s opposition Labour party, Owen Smith, said on Wednesday he would try to get parliament to block talks on leaving the EU unless the government promises a 2nd referendum or election. Prime Minister Theresa May will wait until next year to trigger Article 50 but it is unclear if the process can be started without a parliamentary vote.

-REUTERS

JOHN ROBERTS (Chief Justice), 61 Birth place: Buffalo, NY Nominated by: George W Bush Took seat on: September 29, 2005

RUTH BADER GINSBURG, 82 Birth place: Brooklyn, NY Nominated by: Bill Clinton Took seat on: August 10, 1993

ANTHONY KENNEDY, 79 Birth place: Sacramento, Calif Nominated by: Ronald Reagan Took seat on: February 18, 1988

STEPHEN BREYER, 77 Birth place: San Francisco, Calif Nominated by: Bill Clinton Took seat on: August 3, 1994

Study: Germany’s antiimmigration party gains allegiance

LARENCE THOMAS, 67 Birth place: Pin Point, Ga Nominated by: George HW Bush Took seat on: October 23, 1991

SONIA SOTOMAYER, 61 Birth place: Bronx, NY Nominated by: Barack Obama Took seat on: August 8, 2009

SAMUEL ALITO, 65 Birth place: Trenton, NJ Nominated by: George W Bush Took seat on: January 31, 2006

ELENA KAGAN, 55 Birth place: New York, NY Nominated by: Barack Obama Took seat on: August 7, 2010

The three-year-old anti-immigration Alternative for Germany party (AfD) has established a solid base among those Germans who demonstrate a political allegiance.

The study by the German Institute for Economic Research and Humboldt University reinforces expectations that the anti-immigration party will make a strong showing in state elections next month in Berlin and in the east.

-REUTERS

Source: US supreme court

Supreme Court may be the least understood of the three branches of government, but its decisions affect Americans rich and poor.

A switch of one vote would have doomed Obama’s health care overhaul in 2012, kept the heart of a voting rights law in place in 2013 and prevented some Americans from marrying their same-sex partners in 2015.

Chances are Trump or Clinton will have other Supreme Court vacancies to fill, nominations that could cement conservative or liberal domination of the court for decades.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

is 83, Justice Anthony Kennedy is 80, and Justice Stephen Breyer is 78. Justices tend to retire when their replacement is likely to be of similar ideology.

Garland or another Democratic nominee could be expected to reinforce support for abortion rights, look favorably on executive actions to deal with immigration and climate change and be more willing to uphold campaign finance restrictions. Trump’s choices probably would come down on the other side of those issues and be more skeptical about gun control and consideration of race in higher education as well. l

EUROPE

AFRICA

Algeria clears IS-tied militants east of capital Algerian forces have cleared out IS-affiliated militants from the mountains east of Algiers, 2 years after they kidnapped and beheaded a French tourist in the former al Qaeda stronghold. Algeria, emerging from a 1990s war with armed Islamists, has been carrying out operations to flush out remnants of militants from Jund al-Khilafa, or Soldiers of the Caliphate. -REUTERS

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World

THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016

Balochistan: The troubled heart of the ChinaPakistan Economic Corridor n Tribune International Desk China’s push to materialise its “One Belt, One Road” dream in South Asia demands empirical study of the political role Beijing envisages in the region, especially in Pakistan. China’s western neighbour, Pakistan, was one of the first countries where China began its OBOR project, under the framework of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a series of projects that stands to connect the Asian giant to Central Asia and Europe in the long run. CPEC will connect China’s largest province, Xinjiang, with Pakistan’s Gwadar port in Balochistan, the largest and most impoverished province of Pakistan. Balochistan has been under attack by separatists, insurgents, and Islamic militants – now including the Islamic State (IS) – for over a decade.

Insurgency and armed conflicts in Balochistan are not a new phenomenon. The violence dates back to late 19th century when Balochistan came under the administration of the British empire. During the early 20th century, Balochistan strove to become a “British free” region; later on, it was forcibly annexed by newly founded Pakistan in 1948. The inhabitants of the mineral rich area, constituting one-third of Pakistan’s total area of 800,000 square kilometers, are still striving for provincial autonomy as promised by the father of the nation and the constitution of Pakistan.

However, continuous suppression by the federal government through military might has turned this quest into a separatist movement.

Today, the main questions that arise from the continue violence are twofold. Who is causing the unrest?

And who will benefit?

Violence in Balochistan: A conspiracy against CPEC?

In February 2013, Pakistan awarded operational contract of Gwadar port to China amid American pressure to look for alternatives. This port is a linchpin for China’s dream of OBOR, providing the Maritime Silk Road with a link to the Arabian Sea. The port at the mouth of the Persian Gulf provides China with the shortest route to the oil rich Middle East, Africa, and most of the Western hemisphere. Gwadar will have the estimated capability to handle to 19 million tons of crude oil per year, which will be sent to China after being refined at the port.

The attraction of Gwadar port is the main reason for China to build a 2,000km of road and rail infrastructure worth $10.63bn in Pakistan, stretching from Gwadar to eventually connect with Kasghar. Moreo-

ver, a network of gas pipelines will be set up to finally connect Pakistan with Iran. Tehran has already completed its part, as per a 2013 deal, and is waiting for Pakistan to finish its section. This was originally envisioned as a so-called peace pipeline among Iran, Pakistan, and India but it now seems China will replace India and feed its energy hungry industry with Iranian gas.

On August 8, a blast in Balochistan’s capital, Quetta, killed at least 95 people. The same day Pakistan’s prime minister and army chief visited the injured and labeled the attack an attempt to sabotage CPEC in an official statement. Balochistan’s chief minister accused India’s intelligence agency Raw of being behind the attack whereas national media linked the bombing to “India backed Afghanistan.”

The Pakistani government claims that Baloch separatists receive training in camps in Afghanistan established by India. Balochistan also borders the tribal area of Pakistan, where forces are combating Islamic terrorists with their own links to Afghanistan.

Historically, the separatist and anti-state elements in Balochistan have also been linked to Afghanistan and India. In 1970s, Afghan President Daoud Khan established militant camps in his country to train Baloch separatists. This continued to be the case until President Hamid Karzai’s government, when he assured Islamabad that Afghan soil would not be used against their neighbor. However, Pakistan continuously accused the Indian embassy in Afghanistan of funding militants against Pakistan.

The recent wave of terrorism in Balochistan has brought this blame game back.

The Pakistani leadership has publicly accused India and Afghanistan of involvement in insurgency and terrorism in Balochistan for decades. Interestingly, now it has also linked such activities to Iran, whose Sistan province borders Balochistan. The only land route that connects both countries travels through these regions. Pakistan is not happy with growing bilateral ties between its old rival India and old friend Iran, especially given the potential impact on CPEC. On March 25, while Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani was on his maiden foreign visit to Pakistan, law enforcement agencies disclosed the arrest of an alleged Raw spy, Kulbhushan Yadav. Pakistani authorities claimed Yadav had entered Pakistan from Iran and was actually arrested on March 3. The Indian government admitted that Yadav was a former

naval officer, but denied any involvement with him.

Pakistan asserts that India is bent on sabotaging CPEC by funding and training anti-state elements in Balochistan. The claim is supported by India’s official concern over CPEC and a potential Chinese naval base in Gwadar to ensure Chinese maritime hegemony in Indian Ocean.

CHINA-PAKISTAN ECONOMIC CORRIDOR The China Pakistan Economic Corridor comprise more than 35 energy and infrastructure projects. Of its $46bn price tag, $34bn will go energy projects and $12bn will go infrastructure projects.

Why India against CPEC

India greatly opposes the proposed CPEC route and development at Gwadar port mainly for two reasons. First, the planned route passes through the controversial territories of Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir between India-China and India-Pakistan respectively. Second, India fears that Gwadar will double as a Chinese naval base. Despite clarifications from China and Pakistan that the port will be used only for economic purposes, India is still wary of developments in Gwadar, fearing that it will give the Chinese navy access to Indian Ocean.

Mirroring previous statements, India’s foreign minister in a recent meeting with her Chinese counterpart stressed that India would “resolutely oppose” CPEC because it passes through Pakistan-administered Kashmir, which India claims to be its territory. Last year, India’s prime minister termed the corridor “unacceptable” for the same reason.

As a substitute to Gwadar, India has invested in Iran’s Chabahar port, just 72km from its rival port.

In May 2016, India, Iran, and Afghanistan signed a trade corridor deal giving India land access to Central Asia from Chabahar, bypassing Pakistan. The closest land route for India to access Central Asia is to the west, through Pakistan; however despite many bilateral efforts the two countries have yet to reach an agreement that would allow Indian trucks on Pakistani soil. Therefore, as an alternate though longer route, India will access Iran’s Chabahar from the sea, and from there its goods will enter Afghanistan and eventually Central Asia and Russia.

Moreover, Afghanistan will now have access to Indian Ocean, which was not possible without passing through Pakistan earlier.

The US and Balochistan

The US Congress has also expressed concerns regarding human rights violations in Balochistan, making Pakistan wary of an intrusion into the Islamic Republic’s internal matters. Further, on the geopolitical stage, the United States is more supportive of India’s “Look East” policy than China’s OBOR and in

Port Qasim Coal-Fired Power Plant Sahiwal Coal-Fired Power Plant Gwadar Coal Power Project Suki Kinari Hydropower Station

$1.9bn $1.6bn $360m $1.8bn

Peshawar-Karachi $2.6bn Motorway (Multan-Sukkur section) Karakoram HIghway Ph ase 2 (Raikot-Islamabad section)

$3.5bn

ML-1 Railway Project

$3.7bn

Gwadar International Airport

$230m

Source:pc.gov.pk

past, Washington had proposed its own “New Silk Road” connecting South and Central Asia.

The US House of Representative Committee on Foreign Affairs convened a congressional hearing on Balochistan on February 8, 2012. At the hearing, it was argued that Balochistan is under siege by the federal government and rights of the Balochs are restricted. Pakistan’s military was also accused of using “American arms” against their own people in Balochistan. The event’s chair, Dana Rohrabacher, has advocated for self-determination in Balochistan, even up to independence. As a result, Pakistan decried the Congressional hearing as direct interference in its internal affairs.

Given the US track record of meddling in the internal affairs of many countries under the guise of human rights, Islamabad assumes that the US agenda in Balochistan is far greater that just human rights violations. The United States, as a stabiliser of the balance of power in

Asia, has backed India as a potential competitor with China. The rivalry visibly surfaced when US-backed India failed in its bid to be included in Nuclear Suppliers Group over Chinese opposition. India held China solely responsible for its failure.

Decades ago, the looming threat of Soviet expansion in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean convinced Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto to offer President Richard Nixon the chance to establish a US naval base at Gwadar. The idea was also supported

by China. But apparently Washington could not understand the importance of the port — until China took it over. The port will open gateways for China to destinations where the United States is already present or intends to maintain its hegemony, including Central Asia and the Gulf States. l

[This is an excerpt from a The Diplomar article, which can be found at http://bit. ly/2bi85ie]

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World

THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016

Japan, China, S Korea unite in condemning N Korea missile n Tribune International Desk

Japan, China and South Korea agreed to urge North Korea to refrain from provocation and follow UN Security Council resolutions, after its latest missile launch towards Japan early on Wednesday.

Foreign ministers from the three

Asian neighbours also sought to soothe their often-testy relations, and have reached an understanding on a trilateral summit meeting in Japan this year, a Japanese official said.

“We have confirmed that we will urge North Korea to exercise self-restraint regarding its provocative action, and to observe the UN.Securi-

Suu Kyi picks ex-UN head Annan to lead Rakhine State team n Reuters Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi picked former UN chief Kofi Annan on Wednesday to lead a commission to stop human rights abuses in Rakhine State, where violence between Buddhists and minority Rohingya Muslims has cast a pall over democratic reforms.

More than 100 people were killed in violence in the northwestern state in 2012, and some 125,000 Rohingya Muslims, who are stateless, took refuge in camps where their movements are severely restricted.

Thousands have fled persecution and poverty in an exodus by boat to neighbouring South and Southeast Asian countries.

“The Myanmar government wants to find a sustainable solution on the complicated issues in Rakhine State, that’s why it has formed an advisory commission,” the government said in a statement released by Suu Kyi’s office.

Suu Kyi is barred from the presidency by a junta-drafted constitution, but runs Myanmar as state counsellor and foreign minister.

The plight of Myanmar’s Muslims has raised questions about the democracy champion’s commitment to human rights and represents a politically sensitive issue for her after the end of decades of repressive military rule exposed communal tensions.

The Rakhine commission would include nine independent members, including six Myanmar citizens and three foreigners, the government said.

Annan, in a statement issued by his foundation in Geneva, said he welcomed the opportunity to support efforts to promote peace, reconciliation and development in Rakhine State.

The commission would

Former UN chief Kofi Annan REUTERS

meet for the first time on September 5 in Yangon, he said, adding: “I look forward to listening to the leaders and people of Rakhine and to working with the state and central authorities to ensure a more secure and prosperous future for all.”

Annan was Ban Ki-moon’s predecessor as UN secretary-general from 1997-2006.

He shared the Nobel Peace Prize with the United Nations in 2001.

The commission, which includes members of the Muslim and ethnic Rakhine, mostly Buddhist, communities, would focus on conflict prevention, aid, reconciliation, human rights and development, the government said.

It will publish a report within a year of its formation.

Ban will visit Myanmar at the end of August. Suu Kyi will go to the United States in September, when she is expected to address the UN General Assembly.

While Suu Kyi has eased into her role as de facto head of state, former president Thein Sein, who oversaw the early stages of Myanmar’s gradual reopening since 2011, has stepped down from the helm of his military-backed party that ran Myanmar until November elections. l

ty Council’s resolutions,” Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida told a news conference after hosting the meeting with his Chinese and South Korean counterparts.

A North Korean submarine fired a ballistic missile on Wednesday that flew about 500km towards Japan, a show of improving techno-

logical capability for the isolated country that has conducted a nuclear test and as series of missile launches this year in defiance of UN sanctions.

In the face of the North Korean threat, cooperation among Japan, China and South Korea was more important than ever, Kishida said

after his meeting with China’s Wang Yi and South Korea’s Yun Byung-se.

Yun promised South Korea’s support to realise a trilateral summit by year’s end, as well as to cooperate economically and to achieve a successful summit of the Group of 20 big economies next month in China. l

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12 Business

THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016

TOP STORIES

Bangladesh close to ink $6bn deal with China n Kayes Sohel

WPP sees signs of post-Brexit recovery in British ad market WPP, the world’s largest advertising group, reported a better than expected jump in first-half net sales and said its British operations showed signs in July of a “post-Brexit recovery”, sending its shares to a record high.

PAGE 13

Gold steady ahead of global central bankers meeting Gold was largely unchanged yesterday as markets shifted focus from hawkish comments by a Federal Reserve official over the weekend to a meeting of global central bankers later this week that might provide hints on the timing of a US interest rate increase.

PAGE 14

China central bank cash injection signals leverage, asset bubble concerns China’s central bank injected cash into money markets through 14day reverse repo agreements for the first time since February in a sign policymakers were worried rising leverage could stoke bubbles in the bond market.

PAGE 15

Capital market snapshot: Wednesday DSE Broad Index

4,554.3

-0.2% ▼

Index

1,107.4

-0.4% ▼

30 Index

1,748.2

-0.5% ▼

Turnover in Mn Tk

4,961.3 -15.8% ▼

Turnover in Mn Vol

106.4 -17.7% ▲

CSE All Share Index 13,998.7

0.0% ▼

30 Index

12,763.1

0.0% ▼

Selected Index

8,521.3

0.0% ▼

Turnover in Mn Tk

243.1

0.7% ▼

Turnover in Mn Vol

7.6

3.7% ▲

Bangladesh is close to finalise a deal with China for six mega projects valued over $6 billion, diplomatic sources said.

The deal is believed to be signed during the upcoming visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping in the second week of October next.

“The government has already written to the Chinese government, seeking $6.07 billion for funding six projects,” said an official of the Foreign Ministry.

The six projects included construction of a marine drive expressway and coastal protection from Sitakunda to Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar ($2,856.56 million), converting of the middle-gauge rail track into a dual-gauge one from Akhaura to Sylhet ($1,756.05 million), pre-payment meeting

CHINA-FUNDED PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION COST FIGURE IN MILLION ($) Marine drive way and coastal protection – 2,856.56 million Dual-gauge rail track –

1,756.05 million

PDB pre-payment meeting – 521.56 million Mongla Port modernisation 249.17 million Barapukuria coal mine extension project 256.41 million project for Bangladesh Power Development Board’s distribution zones ($521.56 million), expansion and modernisation of Mongla Port facilities ($249.17 million) and extension of the existing underground mining operations of Bara-

pukuria coal mine to increase the production capacity of the mine ($256.41 million).

A Chinese state-owned company has already agreed to fund and help implement modernisation and expansion facilities at Mongla Port.

The Mongla Port Authority and the China National Complete Engineering Corporation signed a memorandum of understanding last year.

An Economic Relations Division (ERD) official said China has already given green signal to fund the projects under a limited tender instead of direct procurement method.

Bangladesh has already agreed to receive credit under limited tender processing system for the China-funded projects.

To accelerate the process, the Cabinet Committee on Economic

Affairs recently approved limited tender criteria proposal forwarded by the ERD. Earlier, China wrote to Bangladesh that it will not finance any new Bangladeshi projects unless limited tender processing system for the Chinese firms has not been introduced.

Bangladesh government has so far selected Chinese contractors under direct procurement method to implement projects under the Chinese concessional loans and preferential buyer’s credit.

Now the bidders would be selected through a limited tender for Chinese-supported projects.

Earlier, Bangladesh introduced the limited tendering method for India, which allows only Indian companies to participate in the tender for projects supported with New Delhi’s soft loans of $3 billion. l

EPZs export earnings surpass target in FY 16

Sonargaon Economic Zone gets pre-qualification licence

n Tribune Business Desk

n Tribune Report

Bangladesh’s export earnings from manufacturing units at Export Processing Zones (EPZs) have seen 9.21% rise to $6.67 billion in the last fiscal year.

EPZ factories contributed about 20% to the national export of $34.25 million in the last fiscal year of 2015-16.

According to Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA), in the last fiscal year, Bangladesh earned $6.67 billion, which is 11.27% or $667 million higher against the export target of $6 billion set for FY’16.

In fiscal year 2014-15, Bangladesh fetched $6.11 billion, exporting products produced at factories located in the country’s eight EPZs. In 2015-16 fiscal year, the enterprises of Chittagong EPZ exported

goods worth of $2.42 billion, Dhaka EPZ $2.18 billion, Karnaphuli EPZ $823.28 million, Adamjee EPZ $563 million, Comilla EPZ $308.33 million, Mongla EPZ $75 million, Ishwardi EPZ $115 million and Uttara EPZ $189 million.

Currently, there are eight export-processing zones in the country operating under BEPZA. Manufacturers at the EPZs area enjoy especial facilities to run factories such as uninterrupted electricity and gas supply and other services on fast track basis.

EPZ factories produce traditional garments, textile and knitting items, electronic and Electrical Products, Motor car parts, mobile phone parts, Camera lens and parts, Bicycle, Battery, Golf shafts, Leather Products and Foot-Wear, Energy Savings and LED bulbs, Furniture, Tent, etc. l

NBR crosses July target n Tribune Report The National Board of Revenue has surpassed Tk88 crore in its revenue collection for the first month of ongoing fiscal year 2016-16.

The authorities have collected Tk9597 crore revenue against its target of Tk9509 crore set for July 2016, according to an NBR press release issued yesterday.

NBR Chairman Md Nojibur Rahman said coordinated efforts by all officials of revenue department and appointment of eligible persons to right posts at the right time contributed to the development.

The satisfactory progress in resolving pending cases and pending revenue collection have led to the success, according to the NBR boss. l

Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA) has awarded a pre-qualification licence to Unique Group to establish a special economic zone at Sonargaon in Narayanganj district.

The economic zone styled “Sonargaon Economic Zone” will be established on a gross area of 55.078 acres of land at Pirojpur union of Sonargaon.

BEZA Executive Chairman Paban Chowdhury yesterday handed over the licence to Unique Group Managing Director Mohd Noor Ali at a function in BEZA office, said a press release issued yesterday.

Situated in only 25km away from zero point of Dhaka, the zone will generate around 10,000 employments in next five years, the release said.

Addressing the function, Unique Group Managing Director Noor Ali said: “The economic zone will play important role in contributing to developments of country’s GDP.” “The ongoing economic zones have already attracted keen interest from foreign investors and many have expressed their interests in establishing heavy industries. The economic zones will play important role in attracting foreign currency by attracting foreign investments,” he said.

The government has a target of setting up 100 economic zones over 30,000 hectares of land which is expected to generate employment of about 10 million people. Apart from Sonargaon Economic Zone, BEZA has so far awarded pre-qualification licences to eight other local private companies to set up 10 economic zones in the country. l

Stocks fall for 5th day n Tribune Business Desk

lower.

Lanka Bangla Securities said the market has not shown any sign of recovery yet.

There did not seem to be much exuberance in the market. Stocks that sparked a rally in previous sessions were likely to be short-lived, but investors remained watchful about the indicators for any further movement in stocks.

Of 322 issues traded, 117 closed higher, 136 lower and 69 remained unchanged.

MJL Bangladesh was the most traded shares for the second straight session with shares worth Tk23 crore changing hands.

It was followed by National Tubes, Olympic Industries, Delta Life Insurance and Apex Tannery. l

THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016

ICT Division opens women and children security app

Stocks continued to fall for the fifth straight session yesterday with a steep decline in trading activities.

Most low-cap sectors shone on the day while large-cap sectors declined marginally.

The benchmark index of Dhaka Stock Exchange DSEX fell over 9 points or 0.3% to settle at 4,554.

The DS30 index, comprising blue chips, lost nearly 9 points to 1,748.

The DSE Shariah Index was marginally down 4 points to 1,107.

The Chittagong Stock Exchange Selective Category Index CSCX witnessed a fractional rise of 0.7 points to 8,521.

After reaching almost Tk600 crore in previous session, trading ac-

tivities declined 32% to Tk496 crore.

Engineering, power and pharmaceuticals continued to dominate trading activities, together accounting for about 50% of the total turnover.

Low cap services and real estate sector was the best performer, soaring over 2%, followed by paper and printing (about 2%) and tannery industries (1.5%).

Banking sector remained unchanged. Non-banking financial institutions, mutual fund and engineering sectors increased marginally.

Textile sector was the worst performer as it declined 1.7% after rising 1.3% in previous session.

Cement, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications and power edged

Banglalink launches e-shop for SIM sale n Ishtiaq Husain

YUASA battery sales, service Centre now at Mirpur

Mobile operator Banglalink has recently launched an e-commerce platform named ‘e-shop’ for customers to sell mobile SIM card.

Through the e-commerce any customer can buy SIM card from home.

The willing customers can order two types of package, using the e-commerce site. According to Banglalink Sales Department, the price of regular SIM is fixed at Tk200 while special package SIM costs Tk401.

An official of the operator said as most customers like to purchase products online, the company always strives to provide its customers with services as per the demand.

The management is really happy to launch the service which has started getting popularity.

Banglalink said those who will purchase the new products online will get a special offer such as 4GB data bonus in first month, of which 2GB can be used for 24 hours, while the rest from 12am to 12pm.

For Special offer, the new connection price would be Tk401 (SIM price Tk200 & Tk201 for 4GB data).

Tk100 will be added to the customer’s main account. To get a desired number, customers will have to enter e-mail address and NID number, using e-shop site.

The online customers will get their products through home delivery service within three days. They can also pay in cash on delivery.

The service providers of Banglalink will visit customer’s address with their biometric devices to verify subscribers’ identity.

Replying to a question, another official of the operator said it is tough to determine so early how the response is, but they are, however, getting good response. l

n Tribune Business Desk The ICT Division yesterday launched an app titled “Managing violence against women and children”.

After installing this app, nobody needs to go to police station if any woman and children want to file any complaint against any criminals.

Meher Afroz Chumki, state minister for Women and Children Affairs, and Zunaid Ahmed Palak, state minister for ICT, inaugurated the app at a programme held in Bangladesh Computer Council au-

n Tribune Business Desk Japanese battery giant YUASA recently launched its third sales and service centre at Khaleque Service Station at Mirpur in the capital to meet growing consumer demand.

Like the other Sales & Service Centers, this sales & service centre 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 2nd 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) in Bangladesh.

Japan Solartech Bangladesh has invested USD 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 sister concern of Padma Oil Company Ltd. Md Nur Hossain Howlader, asst general manager (Sales) of Padma Oil Company Ltd (POCL) and Md Reaz Ahmed, head of business, Japan Solartech Bangladesh Ltd (JSBL) inaugurated the sales & service centre. Top executives of POCL, ELBL and JSBL, business partners and valued customers were also present on the occasion.

Md Nur Hossain Howlader said: “Eastern Lubricants Blenders Ltd. (ELBL) introduces World’s renowned battery brand “YUASA” in Bangladesh. Now YUASA battery available at your nearest Padma nominated filling stations and bat-

Japanese battery giant YUASA opens its third sales and service centre at Khaleque service station in the capital’s Mirpur yesterday COURTESY tery shops. YUASA is the largest supplier of original equipment batteries to the automobile industry where major global automobile brands such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Honda, Toyota, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Ford, TATA, Hino etc have tested and recommended YUASA battery.”

Md Reaz Ahmed said: “To distribute YUASA battery in Bangladesh we are developing a completely new channel (Filling Station based) like the first world countries to ensure real 24/7 back up services. We will inaugurate one more sales and service center in Dhaka city by September’16, 4 more in Chittagong & Sylhet and by this year all the other divisional cities will have minimum one sales and service center of YUASA battery.

The Sales and Service Centers will be served by well equipped and technically skilled people to ensue

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Business

prompt after sales services”.

While explaining the benefits of maintenance-free YUASA battery, Abu Ahmed, head of sales and marketing of JSBL, said: “Compared to the conventional batteries, YUASA battery will give 60 percent more durability because of the use of high quality thick glass mat in the manufacturing process.”

Ahmed also stated that “YUASA battery will ensure smooth and accurate DC supply to all the electrical and electronic components of cars to have hassle free driving experience.” YUASA has offered a free lucrative wall clock and other gift hampers with every battery purchase from this sales and service centre until 31st August 2016 to mark the launching program.

The company requests all its customers to call the hot line number 01755660212 for any query. l

ditorium.

Chumki said this app will play a vital role in protecting Women and Children.

In his address, Palak said there is no need to download separate forms to lodge any complaint.

After submitting the complaint, it will automatically reach the women affairs department, he added.

Nasima Begum, secretary to the Women Affairs Ministry, Shyam Sunder Sikder, secretary to the ICT Division, Ashraful Islam, executive director of Bangladesh Computer Council were, among other, present on the occasion. l

WPP sees signs of post-Brexit recovery in British ad market n Reuters WPP, the world’s largest advertising group, reported a better than expected jump in first-half net sales and said its British operations showed signs in July of a “post-Brexit recovery”, sending its shares to a record high.

Run by high-profile businessman Martin Sorrell, the UK group said investments in technology had helped to reduce some costs, while the plunge in the pound following Britain’s vote to leave the European Union had helped reported revenues.

In the long term, however, Sorrell said clients were cautious about big investments as they wait to see what type of deal Britain can secure with its global trading partners.

The firm has little pricing power, he said, and the second half could be tougher than the first due to challenging comparative figures from last year.

“In April to June we saw a slowdown in the UK before the vote and after the vote in July we saw some strengthening,” Sorrell, a leading advocate of EU membership, told Reuters.

“So it’s mixed at the moment.

It’s still very uncertain because what business wants is certainty and what the government wants is room to manoeuvre.”

WPP offers branding, media planning, market research and consultancy services, with clients including Ford, Unilever, L’Oreal and Tesco.

The group has been outperforming rivals in recent years, doing particularly well in the United States. l

Business

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016

Gold steady ahead of global central bankers meeting n Reuters Gold was largely unchanged yesterday as markets shifted focus from hawkish comments by a Federal Reserve official over the weekend to a meeting of global central bankers later this week that might provide hints on the timing of a US

interest rate increase.

Spot gold XAU rose 0.07% to $1,339.2 per ounce by 3:11 pm EDT, having hit a two-week low of $1,331.35 in the previous session. The most active US gold GCcv1 futures for December delivery settled up $2.70, or 0.20%, at $1,346.1 per ounce.

Prices fell on Monday after week-

end comments by the Fed’s No 2 policymaker, Stanley Fischer, saying that the US central bank is close to hitting targets for full employment and 2% inflation, raising the prospect of a US rate increase. US Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen may provide more clarity on interest rates in a speech at the meeting of central bankers, an

annual gathering in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, starting Aug 25.

“We’re very much locked into a range here and we’re just waiting for Janet,” said Bart Melek, head of commodity strategy at TD Securities in Toronto.

“The sense going into that meeting is that the Fed may be a little

bit more hawkish than previously and if the Fed does go hawkish, we could see gold retrace back to $1,300 or maybe slightly lower.”

The Fed last week sent mixed messages in the minutes of its July meeting, though some members have suggested that rates could rise as soon as September. l

Eight Fed banks urge discount rate increase n Reuters

The number of regional Federal Reserve banks calling on the central bank to raise the rate it charges commercial banks for emergency loans rose to eight in July, minutes from the Fed’s discount rate meeting released yesterday showed.

That compared to six in June, showing growing confidence among Fed policymakers in the US economic outlook.

The Federal Reserve banks of Kansas City, Richmond, Cleveland, San Francisco, Boston and St. Louis renewed their push for an increase and were joined this time around

by Philadelphia and Dallas.

Those that wanted an increase cited “actual and

expected strengthening in economic activity and their expectations for inflation to gradually move toward the 2% objective.”

The Fed decided to hold the discount rate steady at 1% and policymakers agreed to keep the main benchmark interest rate unchanged at the subsequent policy meeting on July 26-27.

Of the Fed’s 17 policymakers, 10 have a vote on the rate-setting committee. Six are permanent members confirmed by Congress, while the other four spots rotate each year among the regional Fed banks.

The heads of the Cleveland, Kansas City, Boston and St Louis Feds are all voters this year on the main rate-setting committee. l

CORPORATE NEWS

IDLC has recently opened its 34th branch in Mymensingh, said a press release. Deputy Commissioner of Mymensingh, Mustakim Billah Faruqui inaugurated the branch at the presence of Arif Khan, CEO and MD of IDLC Finance Limited

Prime Bank has recently donated a freezer van to Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), said a press release. The bank’s head of marketing, AOM Rashed handed over the van’s key to Md Asaduzzaman Mia, commissioner of DMP

China central bank cash injection signals leverage, asset bubble concerns n Reuters China’s central bank injected cash into money markets through 14day reverse repo agreements for the first time since February in a sign policymakers were worried rising leverage could stoke bubbles in the bond market.

Analysts say the switch to longer tenor, higher interest rate injections may signal the central bank is concerned that too much of shortterm borrowing is flowing into the bond market. For most of 2016, the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) has effectively targeted the lower interest seven-day rate, with cash injections nearly every day.

The PBOC on Wednesday injected 90bn yuan ($13.55bn) into money markets through seven-day reverse bond repurchase agreements (repos) and an additional 50bn yuan through 14-day reverse repos on Wednesday, traders said.

“The PBOC appears to be signalling to banks to move away from a reliance on short-term liquidity and head towards more longer term liquidity,” wrote Jonas Short, Head of NSBO Policy Research in Beijing in a Wednesday note.

The major worry for policymakers, some analysts say, is that rising repo leverage and the over-reliance of smaller banks on short-term liquidity threatened asset price bubbles in the debt market, and added to systemic banking sector risks.

“The market read this (the 14-day queries yesterday) as the signal that PBOC may want to curb leverage in bond market as funding cost from 14-day reverse repo is higher than from 7-day and overnight reverse repo, which may increase costs for leverage,” wrote analysts from OCBC Bank in Singapore Wednesday.

“The recent rally in bonds fuelled by leverage on the back of stable short-end funding raise concerns about potential asset bubble risks in China’s bond market.”

Indeed, Chinese debt has sold off over the past week as doubts on further broad-based monetary easing have risen and investors took profits following a sharp rally in onshore bonds, which pushed the ten-year Chinese treasury to seven-year lows in mid August.

The market reaction was swift, with the volume weighted seven-day rate, considered the best general indicator of liquidity in China trading at 2.5% by mid afternoon Wednesday, up ten basis points (bps) from Tuesday’s closing average rate.

Analysts suggested small banks could bear the brunt if short-term liquidity remains tight. l

15

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Business

THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016

DT

16

Feature

THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016

Seriously done parenting

PHOTO: BIGSTOCK

n Max Mystel

S

o now that the Olympics are all done and dusted, I would like to wish all the winners, a hearty congratulation.

As a youngster I have always been fond of sports and the athletics. In fact, I have a few accolades, well accolade to be precise, of my own.

Now, I may not be an Olympic worthy athlete, but I shall have you know, that back when I was in school, I used to be a gold medalist…at pillow fighting.

The game is played between two adolescent men, sitting opposite each other, on a padded horizontal pole, with their legs dangling downwards.

Very much like how you ride a bike or a horse. The only difference being, your legs are grasping at nothing but oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide and other gases I can’t name now, basically air.

Anyway, sitting in this position, the objective is to maintain balance and beat the hell out of the opponent till he falls to ground in a perpetual mess/concoction of blood, tears and vomit - liquefied lunch which was basically a boiled egg, during tiffin time, packed by mummy with love. The teachers loved it too.

Moving on from that wonderful description of this game, let’s get back to why I got the medal.

I was known for my beautiful pillow swings, which was also feared by other competing pillow fighters – a total of three including me because our parents wouldn’t allow us to participate in any other sports.

Anyway, this one swing of mine was nicknamed, the diabolically devastating, dangerously destructive, diligently divergent “pillow uppercut.”

After dealing a decisive uppercut to my final opponent who was three years younger than me and probably was as sad as me since we made it to the pillow fighting championships, I clinched the medal.

Since then, that medal has helped me usher many a friend over to my house to fulfill my need for attention.

Just kidding, I didn’t have any friends. I wore that medal to show off in front of guests, ushered by my parents.

We all had great times, especially my mom and dad. They finally had something to show off besides the A’s I got in school, which was never enough, because my classmate got A*’s.

They found some eerie solace

All this is basically about how a material medal is not what is always necessary to build a young mind

in the fact that despite that kid getting all A*’s he didn’t have the pillow fighting gold medal. Such is the power of a gold medal.

However, I hated that kid more than anything else. Thanks to him, I got beaten up several times and was exposed to questions such as: "What does he have that you don’t?"

To which I could only think of these things: a Play Station, a guitar, a girl friend, a sporty dad, a cool mom, no boiled egg for tiffin, ninja turtle action figures and most importantly friendship, something that his parents encouraged.

Although they took measures to ensure his safety and kept tabs on the kind of people he hung around with, they, nonetheless, encouraged him to socialise. Does that mean my parents did any less in terms of providing safety and security for me?

No, they made sure I was safe at all times, however, I wasn’t allowed to make friends because I was taught that all people are bad, everyone has an agenda and that I shouldn’t take up any sports competitively – besides pillow fighting – because a sound education meant everything.

Lastly, you the reader must be wondering what all this is about.

All this is basically about how a material medal is not what is always necessary to build a young mind.

Allowing a child the freedom to explore, travel, socialise and adventure into all sorts of things besides the quintessential A* or GPA 5 is what helps build an independent, confident and bright young mind.

Pair it with a little love and care and you have a bright young citizen of the country. l

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DT

Feature

THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016

Did you just turn me off ? n Touhid Kamal

D

id you know, no matter how charming, smart or socially engaging you are, the person you like can be turned off in an instant over two seconds, as a result of a simple behaviour or habit? And trust me, the effect remains!

So, I have researched on some of the key turnoffs that repel others, listed down based on gender. Best of luck finding yours!

What turns off Bangladeshi women?

“There are too many guys who are too cool to read. Guys, reading is education. Be educated. And that’s hot.”

– Nabila, 26 year old employee of BGMEA. “There is nothing worse than seeing a guy walking around with a spear toe. Yes, we all have them but we should all clip them! It’s a matter of personal hygiene. I also hate men who wear flip flops with everything. We don’t live near the beach, you know?!”

– Farhana, 27 year old research assistant at the Islamic University of Technology.

“It’s a real turnoff when guys gossip about another person’s body and features. It doesn’t matter if you are saying it behind their back, maybe you talk bad about me too!”

– Nusaiba, 26 year old student of North South University “When I am on a date and the guy starts eating away relentlessly without even looking at me or bothering to share - that’s a major turn off. I don’t mean to finish your food but we are at a new place I just want to be able to taste what their dish offers.”

–Raida, 25 year old volunteer for Jaago Foundation.

“It’s somehow implanted in our culture that men know about everything just because they are men. We are educated as well and sometimes there are topics we know more about than you do.

Respect that.”

—Shahreen, 27 year old research assistant at University of Manitoba.

“A turn off for me is when men forget birthday’s and anniversaries. Also, a major turn off is when they say their “mom could have cooked much better.”

Also, when they just stop saying that they love you.”

Photo: Bigstock –Natasha, 32 year old human resource specialist.

“It is a major turn-off for me when a man is not aware of his bad breath. I can even tolerate profuse sweating but bad-breath? That’s a big NO! Men who brag are not my kind either. It turns me off right away when he starts bragging about his photography skill or maybe singing skill or whatever he has in his bucket of pride just to impress me.”

---Juthi, 26 year old marketing professional.

“Whenever a guy tries to impress me by saying “you’re not like other girls” and degrading other girls to impress me is a massive turnoff for me.”

– Elma, 26 year old employee at BRAC. “I still see a lot of guys who don’t know how to dress. Do you know that women find it a major turn off when a guy is not dressed properly? Trying to be badass when they’re mama’s boy is a

turnoff too.”

–Adity, 25 year old teaching assistant at the University of Saskatchewan.

What turns off Bangladeshi men?

“I find it horrible when girls use slangs. I also dislike shallow girls the ones who prefer appearance and money.”

—Nasser, 25 year old student at North South University.

“The tendency of hating the victor after losing in a logical argument is a major turn off for me, especially if you are in a relationship with the girl.”

– Sameer, 29 year old employee of a digital marketing company.

“When I see a woman who is very self-centered and always thinks that the world revolves around her - that is a big turn off for me. I appreciate humility in women.”

- Akib, 26 year old student at the University of Texas, Austin. “‘Oh my God! You are so good

at this. I wonder why my ex was never like you.’ That’s a universal turn off for men.”

- Kashfee, 27 year old certified accountant.

“For any guy in a relationship, I suppose the biggest turn off would be when they don’t give you space.

Also, when they say things like, “You don’t miss me anymore!”

Why the heck am I calling you if I don’t miss you anymore?!!”

– Partha, 26 year old graduate of BRAC University.

“Ever faced a situation when you had to do all the talking? Women who can’t drag conversation or lack a sense of humour is also a big turn off. You don’t need to talk all the time, just be present in the conversation.”

– Wahid, 29 year old businessman.

“Nowadays girls change their tones and accents while flirting with men. Trust me, it’s a major turnoff. Do you talk to your parents with that tone?”

– Rubayet, 27 years old graduate of

the University of Tumpro, Sweden.

“I find many girls who don’t do anything except gossiping, going to classes and eating at restaurants - that’s not healthy. Girls who are not passionate about anything is a huge turn off for me” – Atik, 24 years old student of BRAC University.

“For me the biggest turn off would be the immature behaviour of women. If a woman can’t act her age then it is a big no for me. Bad dressing sense is also a major turnoff.”

– Shabab, a 22 year old who lives in Netherlands. l

Touhid Kamal is a freelance contributor.

DT

18

Feature

THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016

Why ‘garage ventures’ can’t flourish in Dhaka? n Mahmood Sadi

I

nformation Technology (IT) companies, especially startups in Bangladesh has an idealised picture of the "Silicon Valley," in which a company can be started from nothing by pretty much anyone in a garage.

This idealised picture is sketched based on the idea that tech giants like Amazon, Apple, Google, Harley Davidson, HP, Mattel, Microsoft and Dell among many others were started by previously unknown genius founders from incredibly humble beginnings of simple garage operations and became multi-national, billion dollar corporations.

I would like to argue that the idea of starting these businesses from zero is largely misrepresented. The garage by itself is significantly more than meets the eye.

Needless to say I will be basing this on facts. I have visited some of the houses in the Southern Half of San Francisco peninsula and I can tell you that the garages in even the simplest of those houses have better amenities than some of the highly priced office buildings in Dhaka.

Why is the garage so good?

First of all, to a Bangladeshi, any neighbourhood of Santa Clara Valley in California (where Silicon Valley is located) would appear as a dreamlike place with spacious roads and houses nestled amidst the picturesque hills.

Then when you learn about the rent of one of those houses, the very existence of a garage would make you think that there is enough wealth available to support a fairly large non-essential space to experiment with ideas.

That garage has all the amenities which come with the house-air conditioning, proper ventilation, water supplies, continuous electricity and obviously very high speed internet-something which not even many of the offices in posh neighbourhoods in Dhaka get properly even after paying hefty amounts.

Besides, a typical garage is larger than what most families in Bangladesh live in as their primary space.

Also, one should not forget that the value of the garage also comes from the safe neighbourhood which allows business founders to work on their project without the danger of their inventions and small profits being taken away by criminals or competitors.

A neighbourhood where private property and inventions are

Photo: Bigstock

If you’re not allowed to tinker and sell your products without going through complicated bureaucratic systems to setup expensive companies and pay all kinds of taxes, you can say good-bye to any start-up

respected is of huge invisible value and unfortunately is not present in most parts of the Bangladeshi capital.

The other necessary factors Aside from the obvious amenities that come with a Silicon Valley garage, there are other factors too. There is no doubt that when you are building a ‘garage start-up’ you must have enough savings to support not only your business expenses no matter how small they are, but also your own living expenses between the time you start working full time at your business and the time the operation starts making enough revenue to provide you with profits you can live off. This typically takes at least 1-3 years.

In Silicon Valley, it is possible for a young entrepreneur to come

up with that savings before going for a garage venture because there are scopes for many different kinds of part time work. Jobs like working in a fast food shop or car washing facility pay one of the highest amounts in the world in Silicon Valley.

Now once you take all these into account, the idea of starting a business in a garage becomes less readily available than one would initially think. It’s basically open for people who can afford a house in a fairly rich neighbourhood, have good education and work experience and have freely available funds.

Such conditions exist for a significant number of people in a developed country like USA but it’s almost non-existent in nations like Bangladesh. In an ever wider scope the garage business can only

survive if the laws of the country support such initiatives in general.

If you’re not allowed to tinker and sell your products without going through complicated bureaucratic systems to set-up expensive companies and pay all kinds of taxes, you can say good-bye to any start-up. Start-up experimentations require freedom of business.

The case in Bangladesh There is no doubt that the tech start-up culture has carved its niche in Bangladesh. Having worked in the IT sector for two years and later covering news from it for the next six, I can say that the younger generation has been swept away by the dream of being an IT entrepreneur rather than just a salary earning programmer.

The problem is that the ventures by most of the young IT entrepreneurs are confined within getting small or mid level projects in online marketplaces.

Most of the entrepreneurs work individually from their home as those projects can be developed by a good lone programmer. There is no doubt that developing those projects obviously increases the programming skills of the individuals and earns them enough money to support themselves.

However, the dream of bringing out breakthrough ventures like the ones at Silicon Valley remain a distant dream. In this era of massive computational capacity, it’s nearly impossible to develop

an enterprise level IT product by an individual. It has to be developed by a team and for that either ‘office space’ or ‘garage’ is needed.

And there lies the problem. It is not feasible for an IT entrepreneur to rent an office in the commercial district of Dhaka because the rent there is out of his/her capacity.

Even for a small IT company, renting space in the commercial district is not feasible. That’s why more than half of the IT offices in Dhaka are located in residential houses.

The recent government moves and drives of removing commercial establishments from the residential quarters of the capital put the IT entrepreneurs in serious peril because now it has become even harder for them to come up with a breakthrough venture through establishing an office.

That’s not all. Before the budget of 2016-17 fiscal year, IT establishments used to pay a 9 per cent VAT on house rent. Now it has been raised to 15 percent.

The leaders in the IT sector have requested the government time and again to lessen the VAT but the government doesn’t pay heed to their appeal.

No wonder that the talented IT entrepreneurs of Bangladesh have yet to come up with any breakthrough products because half of the success depends on the right environment where talents can bloom. l

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Biz Info

THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016

| award |

GSK and Save the Children call for Bangladeshi innovators GSK and Save the Children have launched their fourth annual $1 million Healthcare Innovation Award, which rewards innovations in healthcare that help to reduce child deaths in developing countries and have the potential to reach even more children.

Bangladesh-based BRAC won part of the prize fund in 2013 for their “Manoshi” program which delivers a comprehensive package of health services for women and children in Dhaka.

This year, until September 7, Bangladeshi organisations can once again nominate innovative healthcare approaches they have implemented. These innovations must have resulted in tangible

improvements to under five child survival, be sustainable, and have the scope to be scaled-up and replicated. BRAC received $300,000 to pilot test the Manoshi program in Freetown, Sierra Leone, where under-five and maternal mortality rates are amongst the highest in the world.

The award is one of a number of initiatives from GSK and Save the Children’s five-year partnership, which combines the two organisations’ expertise and skills with the aim to help save one million children’s lives. Since 2013, more than a dozen inventive approaches – from a paperless immunisation records system to

an affordable diarrhoea treatment kit – have been recognised through the award. This year, as well as recognising approaches that have helped reduce child deaths, the award will give special attention to innovations that focus on the hardest-to-reach children.

ErumShakir, general manager for GSK in Bangladesh, said: “When it comes to reaching the most vulnerable Bangladeshi children with quality healthcare, no single organisation has all the answers. So we’re always searching for new and different ideas, wherever they might be. Our award recognises that some of the best solutions to development challenges come

| hospitality |

Special weekend getaway at Six Seasons Hotel

from people living with them.

Tough conditions can stimulate innovation, generating solutions that are relevant and adaptable. If these bright ideas can be shared across countries and continents, the impact could be profound.”

Outlining the focus of this year’s award, Ali Forder, director of programme, policy and quality at Save the Children, added: “Extraordinary progress has been made in recent years to reduce the number of children dying before their fifth birthday. Despite this progress, more than five million children still die each year and millions of children are being left behind because of their gender, poverty, or ethnic identity;

because they live in remote areas or urban slums; or because they are caught up in conflicts. We want to seek out and recognise ways in which these children can be reached.”

A judging panel, made up of experts from the fields of public health, science and academia, will award all or part of the funds to one or more of the best healthcare innovations. Further details on the judging process and criteria can be found online at www. healthcareinnovationaward.org Entries close on September 7, 2016 at 11:59pm (GMT). Winners are expected to be announced in December. l

| offers |

Tastebud is now offering a special cupcake deal. You can get six mini red velvet cupcakes for free, when you buy any 12 regular cupcakes.

Six Seasons Hotel is offering a special weekend getaway package at Tk12,999. The couple’s accomodation includes the use of swimming pool and fitness centre, buffet breakfast, buffet dinner with bunka’s all-you-can-order or 30 min couple’s spa, a fruit basket on arrival as well as late check-out at 5pm.

The Saran Room Spa is also introducing the new silver and gold card program. The silver card is priced at Tk35,000(net) where you can enjoy one month

of unlimited 1 hour massages per day plus complimentary one time use of pool, steam and sauna.

The gold card priced at Tk42,000 allows users to enjoy one month of unlimited 90 minute massages per day plus complimentary one time use of pool, steam and sauna and 10% off any Six Seasons’ food and beverage outlets.

Furthermore, they also have a “1 Hour New Guest Promo” offer where new guests receive one hour aromatherapy or Thai

traditional massage for only Tk3,333 (net).

At the Sky Pool Restaurant, they are offering the ultimate international buffet with incredible views, bringing you a live grill section, pasta station, chocolate fountain, BBQ ribs, lamb shanks and much more. The offer is valid only on Thursday and Friday nights, priced at Tk3,111 (net) –buy one get one free offer available.

For reservations contact: 01987009810.

DT

20 Editorial

THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016

TODAY

The pensioners’ club The whole world is increasingly turning to young politicians for leadership and new ideas, and the Bangladeshi youth expects the people in charge to do the same PAGE 21

Terror in a touch MOHAMMAD AL-MASUM

We must openly acknowledge that a woman’s life is tangibly affected by these encounters. Although such a cultural shift has already begun, we need to increase our focus on evidencebased strategies to complete the process PAGE 22

A cure for bigotry, anyone?

Empathy is not a cerebral trait, it is an emotional one. To instill it, the cold statements of facts alone won’t do. One needs to toil, laugh, and cry alongside men and women of different skin colour, race, and religion to harness it 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.

Follow the Sherpur model to protect our children

T

here is a lot to be learned from initiatives being taken in the villages near Sherpur which have prevented children from drowning.

These districts have set up nominal day care centres, called “anchals,” which have been extremely successful in preventing deaths from drowning in the locality.

These 702 anchals, set up by seven unions, provide the care and attention that many of these children need when their parents are at work, giving them a chance to engage in a variety of activities while also allowing them to socialise with other children.

Bangladesh is a country crisscrossed by innumerable waterbodies and one that is prone to floods, which is why it is imperative that both the government and districts across the nation, and their respective localities, take a leaf out of Sherpur’s book.

Unfortunately, drowning is the leading cause of death amongst children in Bangladesh, accounting for two out of every five deaths.

We cannot sit by and watch while 18,000 of our children die every year.

These anchals provide an excellent way of bringing that number down. And, since these are run by local women, with effective infrastructures put in place by the Centre for Injury Prevention and Research, Bangladesh, they are also cost-effective and provide jobs for the locals.

This initiative will also be helpful in providing much-needed education to these children, which should include teaching them how to swim, and creating awareness amongst the locals with regards to preventing childhood injury and drowning.

Losing a child is not just an unquantifiable loss for the parents, but also for the nation. The death of one child is a death too many. The rest of the country should adopt similar strategies to ensure that we lose no more of our children in this manner.

Losing a child is not just an unquantifiable loss for the parents, but also for the nation. The death of one child is a death too many

DT

21

Opinion

THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016

The pensioners’ club The need for introducing young blood in our political cabinet is greater than we realise

We only have a handful of young ministers in an ocean of old ones

n Nur E Emroz Alam Tonoy

T

he majority of the Bangladeshi population is in the 30s which makes up an estimated 60% of the workforce, with a life expectancy of 70 years of age. Almost all of our cabinet ministers are over 60, which is admirable considering their health complications and levels of energy.

It has been 45 years since we were liberated and a handful of our serving parliamentarians were actually born in liberated Bangladesh.

Most of those who are lucky enough to represent us in the parliament were not nominated by the party due to their merits -- in most cases, they were nominated to continue their fathers’ legacies.

The current Bangladeshi cabinet is a reminder of the Greek philosopher Pleto’s teachings which dictated that the young must submit to the rules of the elders -- teachings written over 2,000 years ago.

Participation of elders in the Westminster system is not an exclusive phenomenon that takes place only in Bangladesh.

Under a functional democratic system, it would be extremely discriminatory even to suggest that age should be a matter for an individual to hold an elected office.

It must also be considered that,

because of life-long involvement and sacrifices, our political figures were able to create a larger than life image of themselves.

I personally have desire and respect for such achievements. But then again, we must admit that political office and government business is not just about individual image or past achievements.

The ruling of the elders reached an extreme height in Bangladesh.

Earlier this year, during the G8 summit, Prime Minister Seikh Hasina met Prime Minister of Canada Justin Tredeau, Prime minister of UK David Cameron, and Prime Minister of Italy Matteo Renzi -- all of them in their 40s.

Barack Obama and Bill Clinton were elected as presidents of the United States in their 40s, and even the Chinese Communist Party is turning to their younger generation for leadership.

Now, have a careful look at our cabinet. Mr Muhit is in his 80s, then Matia Chowdhury, Tofail Ahmed, Amir Hossain Amu, and almost all other cabinet ministers are either in their 70s or in late 60s.

They are the same ministerial faces from the 1996-2001 cabinet, which only means that virtually no changes have been made even after 16 years. The new additions are also as old as them, with few exceptions.

It is clear that they have served our nation to their fullest. Now,

RAJIB DHAR

expectations.

The leadership revolution of advanced democracies negates the age-old idea of “ministers having life-long experience in politics.” It is an illusion created by powerhungry politicians to continue their rein of power.

The whole world is increasingly turning to young politicians for leadership and new ideas, and the Bangladeshi youth expect the people in charge to do the same.

Therefore, the ministers must echo our voices.

Because of health complications, ministers and cabinet members fail to engage and energise the young workforce.

Under their leadership and watch, Bangladesh has become the champion of corruption and still remains one of the most corrupt countries in the world.

I have yet to see a politician in Bangladesh who opted for voluntary retirement with respect and dignity. Politicians here seem to continue their career with the same old agendas and ideas until death claims them; and after their

The whole world is increasingly turning to young politicians for leadership and new ideas, and the Bangladeshi youth expects the people in charge to do the same. Therefore, the ministers must echo our voices

it is high time for fresh ideas and new faces.

Our current cabinet ministers fail to communicate with the new generation of Bangladeshis, which is 60% of the workforce.

What is the point of having cabinet ministers who cannot communicate with such a vast portion of society?

I’m part of the 60% and my friends are also from the same age bracket. Whenever I discuss politics and government with my friends, we actually talk about the young ministers like Junaid Ahmed Palak, Tarana Halim, Anisul Haque, and sometime Obaidul Quader Chowdhury -because, somehow, we feel that they are communicating with us.

They understand our language.

I cannot remember when was the last time we had a conversation in relation to ministerial performance of the greats like Matia Chowdhury, Tofail Ahmed, or Amir Hossain Amu. It seems my friends are not even interested in criticising them,

and it is not our fault.

The ministers fail to include us in their speech and actions.

The generation gap between us is far too great. They talk about the past, while we want direction for the future.

It is not that we do not respect them or don’t acknowledge their sacrifices, we do. It is not that we are not pro-71, because it is our generation who made war tribunals a reality. The fact is, we’re just not on the same wavelength.

The same applies to those who have become parliamentary representatives to continue their fathers’ legacies.

There is visible evidence that they are not credible enough to receive our attention, even to be criticised.

It is a fact that Annisul Huq receives far greater attention than Sayed Khokon, but someone like Nazmul Hasan Papon can never compete with Junaed Ahmed Palak or Tarana Halim in terms of social media attention and

death, their children claim their positions.

Their hunger for power and greed have become so extreme that the younger generation of politicians are, in fact, at their mercy. The youngsters cannot ask for responsibility, cannot present their ideas in fear of the “elders” in politics.

I’m not suggesting any radical changes because that would be impossible, unrealistic, and unreasonable.

All I’m asking is for balance: More representation of the youth in the cabinet, a balance between tradition and new ideas.

Then, maybe, at some point, we might be able ask more important questions like why the younger generation has to carry the burden of their elders’ failures in politics, or if we will ever be able to do something about our lead position in the downward race of corruption. l Nur E Emroz Alam Tonoy is a blogger and online activist.

22

DT

Long Form

THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016

Terror in a touch What can we do to curb sexual harassment and its consequences? This is the concluding part of yesterday’s long form

n S Hasan

A

s a society, we must first and foremost come to the agreement that all forms of sexual harassment, from verbal abuse and inappropriate touching to graver cases of assault, must be treated with seriousness.

We must openly acknowledge that a woman’s life is tangibly affected by these encounters.

Although such a cultural shift has already begun, we need to increase our focus on evidencebased strategies to complete the process.

What can be done to make our cities and communities safer for women and girls?

Speak up

Research suggests that one of the most important tools for dismantling harassment involves labeling it for what it is.

Appropriately naming harassment can empower victims as well as bystanders to acknowledge that harassment is not okay.

We must continue to use various media outlets to spread awareness of harassment in an open, honest, and accessible manner, and enlighten communities to support the victims instead of their harassers.

Education

Our school curricula should evolve to reflect the importance of respecting women’s rights and promoting gender equality.

Students, in their developmental years, must engage in conversations about safety for all, rights to one’s body, and the wrongfulness in violating bodily integrity.

Young girls, in particular, must be encouraged to stand up for themselves and their security and safety, as well as report to authorities, if they have experienced harassment.

They should be made aware of the resources available to them for support in case of harassment.

Physical education programs should also incorporate selfdefense lessons to empower young women.

Institutional support services

There is a crucial need for regular awareness campaigns within workplaces and schools, to promote gender equality and discuss sexual harassment-related topics.

It’s time to talk about it In addition, it is vital to enact and implement institutional policies to deal with situations of harassment. Schools and workplaces can appoint a goto person, such as a trained counsellor, to provide support services for victims of harassment, and link them to law enforcers or health care resources, if necessary.

Safe transit

Support services should also be available for women in transit, through various women’s organisations, so they can report incidents of concern.

Although a band-aid solution like segregated seating arrangements may be considered for women travelling alone on public buses. As plans of Dhaka’s new metro system are underway, conversations must also be held on ensuring women’s safety on the proposed trains.

Infrastructural changes

Safety audits should be conducted to identify public spaces which are considered to be especially unsafe for women, so that the municipality can focus on improving the infrastructure in these areas (eg increased street lighting to enhance safety).

Promoting bystander action

Awareness campaigns should not only target victims and harassers,

BIGSTOCK

We must openly acknowledge that a woman’s life is tangibly affected by these encounters. Although such a cultural shift has already begun, we need to increase our focus on evidence-based strategies to complete the process

but also bystanders. Everyone should be encouraged to be a better bystander. According to hollaback!, a global movement to end harassment, “even a knowing look to the person being harassed can reduce their trauma and experience of isolation.”

Strengthen law enforcement

Sexual harassment-related laws must be strengthened and the public must be made aware of them. Law enforcers should receive training, specifically to deal with sensitive sexual harassment situations.

By ensuring better laws and appropriate law enforcement, women can be encouraged to seek help from the police without feeling shame or a lack of confidence in the police.

Psychological counselling

Counselling services should be accessible to women from all walks of life, wishing to discuss

their experiences of sexual harassment.

Services can be provided through free-of-cost, trained volunteer-run help-lines. This is all the more important in a society like ours, where victim-blaming and stigma are prevalent.

This is a preliminary list of considerations to reduce the incidence and impact of sexual harassment faced by women regularly. This is, by no means, a feat to be achieved in a day or by a single person.

A multi-pronged approach involving government authorities, women’s organisations, the media, the general public, schools, work places, and trade unions must be mobilised to reduce sexual harassment and promote respectful gender relationships in all settings.

Otherwise, sexual harassment will forever be a problem. l S Hasan is a freelance contributor.

DT

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Opinion

THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016

A cure for bigotry, anyone?

There is a lot of prejudice in the world, but there are more than enough means to eradicate it

One of the many cures for bigotry

n Syed Raiyan Nuri Reza

B

orn in Dhaka, raised in Tehran -- growing up in a residential complex with neighbours from across the world and attending an international school, I have experienced my share of multi-culturalism, political heterogeneity, and, to a more limited extent, religious pluralism.

One might expect, spending my time with playmates from Nigeria, Bosnia, Afghanistan, Iran, along with a bunch of other nations, sharing a classroom with Turks, Pakistanis, Sri Lankans, to name a few of the nationalities, my former school had enlightened me with profound wisdom and nuanced understanding of differing cultures.

It had not.

For I am not all the wiser about Buddhism and Dharma Chakra, for having a best friend who happened to be Buddhist, nor do I know an awful lot about Jehovah’s witnesses for having another friend subscribing to their belief.

The thing is, it mattered not.

When it came to a game of football in our backyard or typical hangout, none of this were a decisive factor.

We all pretty much kicked the ball in the same way irrespective of our nationality and laughed in the same manner, and, in our angst, shed the very same tears and when it came down to it, cussed like every other person.

It is not to say there was no

BIGSTOCK

instance of animated discussion on divisive topics -- be it on the legality of capital punishment, delivering a verdict on the current Iranian regime, or the much more serious issue of what slogan one must sing, “Forca Barca” or “Hala Madrid.”

Now, the issue is how to deliver it. Because, you know, changing the demographic of one’s locality is a nigh impossible task, nor is it practical to move in to such places.

So, when we have limitations to what could be possibly experienced, we can turn to

Lafayette, an African American who takes up the alias of Moon Girl, as the most intelligent character in its Earth 616 universe and casting a Pakistani American, Kamala Khan, as the new Ms Marvel.

Also worthy of applause of

Empathy is not a cerebral trait, it is an emotional one. To instill it, the cold statements of facts alone won’t do. One needs to toil, laugh, and cry alongside men and women of different skin colour, race, and religion to harness it But, in those rare instances of blood-boiling and passionate polemics, our relationships survived unscathed. Hence, we are all the same underneath, a mere statement of fact to most was a visceral experience for me.

I credit these experiences in my formative years for my global perspective today, one immunised against racist rhetoric and buttressed on tolerance. And therein lies my point. Empathy is not a cerebral trait, it is an emotional one.

To instill it, the cold statements of facts alone won’t do. One needs to toil, laugh, and cry alongside men and women of different skin colour, race, and religion to harness it.

So there you go, we do seem to have a cure for bigotry.

fiction, art, literature, and media.

All of them allow us to transcend practical boundaries: To travel to worlds that never were, see things from perspectives our upbringing and culture don’t allow us to, and learn of the struggles and glories of a people we seldom think of.

These mediums too played a role in sculpting my worldview and further strengthening my inclusivity.

Gorging on books with the savage glee of a bibliophile, I got to see the humanised representation of many characters seldom seen in my own life, or at least hear what they have to say unfiltered by cultural bias.

And this is exactly why I, though never having read a comic book, applaud Marvel for its decision to certifying Lunella

Rick Riordan’s decision to feature a diverse cast for his bestseller series: The Heroes of Olympus, Kane Chronicles, The Trials of Apollo and Magnus Chase, and The Gods of Asgard.

I have no qualms over the fact that Hermione’s role in Harry Potter and The Cursed Child was given to Noma Demezweni, which went against fans’ assumption that the said character absolutely needs to be white, and I salute JK Rowling for giving her blessings for this choice.

Nor should the naysayers frown at the assumed futility of what Marvel, Rick, or Rowling are doing.

The Pulitzer Prize winning writer and the venerated scholar Steven Pinker, in his book The Better Angels of Ourselves, tells of the decline of violence in modern

times and identifies six different historic trends: The pacification process, the civilising process, the humanitarian revolution, long peace, new peace, and the rights revolutions.

Humanitarian revolution is the term the author uses for the first organised movements to abolish socially-sanctioned forms of violence like despotism, slavery, dueling, judicial torture, etc, in Europe in the 17th and 18th century, and rights revolution is what the author calls the recognition of rights of women, ethnic minorities, and the LGBT community in the 20th century.

Steven Pinker strongly suggests that the rise of enlightenment values and humanitarian reforms that happened almost immediately after the technological innovations in book publishing, increasing popularity of novels and epistolary novels, increasing literacy, were not just a mere coincidence.

In rights revolution, he singles out the technologies that allowed for greater mobility of ideas -say television broadcasting and the internet -- and points out to the substantial increase in book publishing.

Perhaps better literacy and even greater representation of ethnic minorities and fringe members of society was all we would have needed to avert the unsavoury Trump situation. l Syed Raiyan Nuri Reza writes from Tehran.

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24 Sport

THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016

TOP STORIES

Of women’s football, unseen struggles Bangladesh men’s team might have played their first official match in 1973, less than two years after independence but it took the women’s senior national side nearly 37 years to contest their first official game in 2010. PAGE 25

Bauza hoping to ease Messi workload New Argentina head coach Edgardo Bauza said on Tuesday that he wants to see his side rely less on Lionel Messi, after the Barcelona forward’s brief retirement from international football. PAGE 26

Faulkner claims hat-trick against SL Seamer-allrounder James Faulkner became the sixth Australian cricketer to claim a hat-trick in one-day internationals, achieving the feat in the second match against Sri Lanka yesterday. PAGE 27

Schweinsteiger not giving up on United German midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger said yesterday that Manchester United would be his “last club in Europe” and vowed to fight for his place in the team. Schweinsteiger, 32, has been frozen out by new United manager Jose Mourinho. PAGE 28

Bangladesh cricketers Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah try their best to move the roller during training at SBNS yesterday

Come to Bangladesh, Mash urges England n Minhaz Uddin Khan Bangladesh limited-over captain Mashrafe bin Mortaza yesterday urged the England players to go ahead with their October tour of Bangladesh.

Mashrafe’s plea came yesterday, a day before the England one-day squad sits for a security briefing with the three-member delegation that recently visited Dhaka.

The ECB’s security advisor Reg Dickason, director of cricket operations John Carr and Professional Cricketers’ Association CEO David Leatherdale will present their findings to the English cricketers as part of an “open discussion”.

“To each and every player I would say, you should come. I can assure you that you can play cricket wholeheartedly. You don’t have to think of anything else. It will be a competitive series. Our friendship will get deeper if we play this series,” said Mashrafe.

“As a player, I would urge for cricket to continue. These incidents are happening all over the

world and if we postpone playing now, there will be a time when we would have to stop the game. We all have to keep our faith on the ECB team that visited recently as well as the two boards,” he added.

England, who are scheduled to reach Dhaka in September for two

ported that the ECB is concerned regarding the travelling of its team within the cities. Mashrafe however, believes the BCB and the government has already provided enough assurances to the ECB to go ahead with the tour.

“They (ECB) can speak about

I can assure you that you can play cricket wholeheartedly. You don’t have to think of anything else. It will be a competitive series. Our friendship will get deeper if we play this series Tests and three ODIs, raised security concerns following the terrorist attack in Dhaka last month.

The three-member ECB delegation visited Bangladesh last week to assess the security arrangements and met the Australian and the British High Commissions, the Bangladesh home ministry and the local security agencies.

The issue gained heat after a British news daily on Tuesday re-

something that they feel needs to be addressed. I don’t know in what context this was talked about but I think that we have the ability to transport the players safely. I think the BCB can handle this quite well, since this is not a very difficult job,” said Mashrafe.

“England have been with us from day one and I believe they will be with us now as well. They sent their team to the Under-19 World Cup,” he added. l

MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

Morgan: ECB won’t force players to tour n Reuters, London

England will not force any player to tour Bangladesh, limited-overs captain Eoin Morgan said, in the wake of the July 1 attack on a Dhaka cafe in which 22 people were killed.

England’s one-day squad will receive a briefing today from a three-member panel which toured Bangladesh to assess security for the series, comprising three one-dayers and two Tests there in October.

“I don’t think anybody will ever be forced to go on a particular tour,” Morgan told BBC Radio 5 live.

“I think it’s important for us to get together as a group, and be informed by people who we trust in order to make the right decisions and go from there.”

Australia pulled out of their tour of Bangladesh last year over security concerns and did not compete in the Under-19 World Cup in the south Asian country for the same reason.

England’s one-day team is scheduled to leave for Bangladesh on Sept. 30 and Morgan had full faith in the wisdom of the England and Wales Cricket Board. l

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016

Saintfiet angry at BGF GS: We tried to hold ‘unprofessional’ approach onto Margarita n Tribune Report Bangladesh’s newly-appointed head coach Tom Saintfiet yesterday showed anger and frustration regarding the “unprofessional” approach of five national players who took part in an inter-service game without permission from the Belgian tactician.

The five footballers – midfielders Mamunul Islam and Sohel Rana, forward Jewel Rana, defender Rayhan Hasan and goalkeeper Shahidul Alam Sohel – played for Bangladesh Navy yesterday and skipped the national team’s training camp at Kamalapur Stadium.

Saintfiet informed that he didn’t give permission to the footballers in question but the quintet received the green signal from the Bangladesh Football Federation and team manager Iqbal Hossain, thus angering the Belgian coach.

“11 players are not here.

There is no national team in the world who can prepare six days before a match without 11 players. Six players are coming back from Bhutan, for what I understand, and five players are not here on training so it’s very unprofessional. Do you know why they are not in here? I know but I didn’t give permission, I don’t agree,” said a visibly irritated Sanitfiet.

The 43-year-old coach continued, “What steps I can take? I have contract for two months and I need to win against Bhutan. I can kick 10 players out and then I lose 5-0 against Bhutan, what do I do. This is responsibility for Bangladesh and they are not professional. I’m professional coach. I didn’t give permission for anyone.”

On the other hand, Bangladesh manager Iqbal said, “We [BFF] gave the players permission to play. We tried to make the coach understand but may be he didn’t

realise the situation.”

Bangladesh will play their first match of the Asian Football Confederation Cup Qualifiers Play-offs against Bhutan on September 6 at Bangabandhu National Stadium.

Meanwhile, due to the upcoming AFC Under-16 Women’s Championship 2017 Qualifiers, starting from Saturday at BNS, the men in red and green had to practice at the astro-turf of Kamalapur Stadium.

Regarding the change in practice venue, Saintfiet said, “Very big difficulties.

Every national team must train in this stadium (BNS) where they have to play but AFC don’t allow us to train here because of a women’s competition.

“I can train on club ground at Sheikh Jamal but it is a small pitch. It also has grass but not real size for a match.

So what can I do, very unprofessional.” l

n Tribune Report Born to a Bangladeshi father, Russian gold medal winner in rhythmic gymnastics Margarita Mamun had turned down an offer to be a part of the Bangladesh contingent in the recently concluded Rio Olympics 2016.

According to Bangladesh Gymnastics Federation general secretary Ahmedur Rahman, Margarita had rejected the proposal in 2012 as she was a part of the junior Russian team and on the verge of moving to the senior side.

Ahmedur also claimed that reports on Margarita participating for Bangladesh in the age-level competitions are false. Margarita visited Bangladesh in 2009 but poor infrastructure of gymnastics in the country meant the federation failed to help her in her pursuit.

“We were unable to draw a conclusion because we needed to look into our files. But we are now sure that Margarita never participated for Bangladesh. There have been media reports of her participation in junior level competitions for Bangladesh, which is not true,” Ahmedur told Bangla Tribune.

“The federation had discussions with her in 2009 when she came to Bangladesh through the Russian Embassy. Margarita’s discipline is rhythmic gymnastics which is not practised in Bangladesh and has no in-

frastructure, no coach. So we could not keep her with us,” explained Ahmedur.

But in 2012, the BGF contacted Margarita and asked her to join Bangladesh for the 2016 Olympics.

“It is being said Bangladesh had turned her down, which is not true. BGF president Sheikh Abu Bashir had contacted Margarita and asked her to join Bangladesh. But her mother replied that Margarita was a part of the Russia junior team and had a good opportunity to make it into the senior side,” Ahmedur informed.

Margarita was born in Moscow to a Bangladeshi father and a Russian mother - Anna - a former rhythmic gymnast herself. Her father Abdullah al Mamun, a Bangladeshi engineer, settled in Moscow where the gold medallist grew up. Margarita turned into a sensation after winning gold in rhythmic gymnastics for Russia in the just concluded Rio Games. l

Of women’s football and unseen struggles n Shishir Hoque Bangladesh men’s football team might have played their first official match in 1973, less than two years after independence but it took the women’s senior national side nearly 37 years to contest their first official game in 2010.

The occasion was the 2010 South Asian Games where Bangladesh lost 1-0 against neighbours Nepal. The women in red and green though fared better as the Games wore on, winning two and losing one in their remaining matches.

In the same year, Bangladesh hosted the first edition of the South Asian Football Federation Women’s Championship in Cox’s Bazar where they reached the semi-finals, having earned their biggest win so far against Bhutan (9-0).

However, despite a promising display in the inaugural edition, Bangladesh exited in the group stages in the following edition two years later, losing against India and Sri Lanka.

Fast forward two years, Bang-

ladesh took part in the Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers for the first time in history but lost all their games, against Iran, Philippines and Thailand, including their biggest defeat against the Thais, conceding 15 goals without reply.

This is the brief summary of the women’s team, a tale littered with inspiring wins and near misses.

However, it all started to change last year when a spirited group of girls from Kolsindur, a remote village near the Indian border in Mymensingh, set their footprints in the international level.

Bangladesh made history by winning their first ever international title when they emerged as the champions in the Asian Football Confederation Under-14 Girls’ Regional (South and Central) Championship.

They won the same title this year for the second time in a row, remaining unbeaten, and more impressively, defeating India for the first time ever. The Bangladesh girls netted a record 25 goals in the tournament. Since 2010, Bangladesh gradually went from strength to strength but it was anything but a smooth ride before that time.

Following instruction from world football governing body Federation of International Football Association in the early 2000s, Bangladesh Football Federation

decided to promote women’s football in the country.

But the fundamentalist groups protested against the project, threatening with dire consequences. Other women’s sports like swimming and wrestling also faced warnings from the fanatic groups.

Sports organisers protested till 2004 to introduce women’s football on the pitch and finally on October 4, 2004, they were successful in their pursuit as the first ever women’s football tournament kicked off with the participation of eight teams. In the tournament opener, Dhaka beat VDP 1-0.

The tournament ended success-

fully without any incident.

Six months later in April 2005, for the first time in history, Bangladesh women’s team participated in the AFC U-17 Championship in South Korea. Bangladesh lost all the matches, against Hong Kong, Guam and the mighty Japan, due to a lack of preparation.

The Bangladesh girls’ heroic effort did not go unnoticed as the AFC paid tribute to them for partaking in the tournament.

Sports organisers showed determination to move ahead with the development project of women’s football against all odds. During that time, there was no regular

women’s team. The teams were formed with players from different disciplines like handball, volleyball, swimming and athletics.

Slow progress ensued but in 2009, Bangladesh finally launched the first ever national women’s football championship, comprising 25 teams from as many as 23 districts, across four different venues in the country.

Women’s football events are now held regularly throughout the country but spare a thought or two for all the female footballers of the recent past who made it possible through their courage and ever-lasting determination. l

Bangladesh Under-14 girls’ team are on cloud nine following their title victory in the Asian Football Confederation U-14 Girls’ Regional (South and Central) Championship earlier this year COURTESY

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Sport

THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016

RESULTS 0-3

Roma

Porto

Felipe 8, Layun 73, Corona 75 Porto won 4-1 on aggregate

Beer-Sheva

2-0

Celtic

Sahar 21, Hoban 48 Celtic won 5-4 on aggregate

Legia Warsaw

1-1

Dundalk

Kucharczyk 90+2 Benson 19 Legia Warsaw won 3-1 on aggregate

Monaco

1-0

Villarreal

Fabinho 90+1-P Monaco won 3-1 on aggregate

Viktoria Plzen

2-2

L Razgrad

Duris 7, Misidjan 17, Mateju 64 Keseru 90+5 Ludogorets Razgrad won 4-2 on aggregate

Porto’s Felipe (R) scores against AS Roma during their Uefa Champions League qualifying play-off second leg at Olympic Stadium, Rome, Italy on Tuesday REUTERS

Nine-man Roma suffer Champions League woe n Reuters, Berne

of his goal which allowed Miguel Layun to slot Porto’s second into an empty net. Almost immediately, Jesus Corona turned his marker inside out before scoring the third.

Dundalk, beaten 2-0 at home, made a brave effort in Poland and went ahead when Robert Benson thundered home an unstoppable volley in the 19th minute.

The Irish side were given further hope when Legia’s Adam Hlousek was sent off in the 67th minute, but they were caught on the break as Michal Kucharczyk levelled in stoppage time, ending their dream. l

Celtic squeezed past Hapoel Beer Sheva 5-4 on aggregate despite a 2-0 loss in Israel and Ludogorets held Viktoria Plzen 2-2 away to secure a 4-2 aggregate win.

Roma became the third successive Serie A team, and the sixth in the last eight seasons, to lose in the playoff round, leaving Italy with only two representatives - Juventus and Napoli - in today’s group-stage draw.

Roma have had their fair share of recent European disasters after losing 6-1 to Barcelona last season and 7-1 at home to Bayern Munich two

years ago, but not even they could not have imagined how Tuesday’s game would unfold. Their initial confidence was shattered when Felipe headed Porto in front from Otavio’s cross but the real trouble began in the 39th minute when midfielder De Rossi was sent off for a high tackle on Maxi Pereira.

Amid angry Roma protests, he was replaced by Palmieri who lasted only 11 minutes before he was dismissed for a shocking lunge.

Roma goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny booked his place in rogue’s gallery with a reckless charge out

Argentina coach hoping to ease Messi workload

‘Rooney would be great for MLS’ n Reuters

n AFP, Buenos Aires

Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney would be a “great signing” for Major League Soccer, Portland Timbers owner Merritt Paulson has said, adding that the 30-year-old still has plenty to offer.

Former England midfielders Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, Italy’s Andrea Pirlo, Spain striker David Villa and Brazilian Kaka are among the big-name players who have joined the MLS in recent years.

“I would argue he (Rooney) still has some good soccer ahead of him.

I think he would be a great signing for MLS - 100 percent MLS would be attractive for him,” Paulson told the Mirror. “Keeping in mind that is a very talented footballer, who has quality soccer ahead of him, you are not talking about a 34 or 35-year-old. I get excited about the impact he would have in the MLS more than a guy who is coming in later in his career.”l

Pique expects Barca to benefit from Neymar’s Olympic glow

AS Roma suffered another European humiliation on Tuesday when they had two players sent off, lost 3-0 at home to Porto and missed out on the Champions League group stage.

After drawing 1-1 in Portugal in the first leg of the playoff tie, Roma started as favourites but never recovered after Felipe gave the visitors an eighth-minute lead.

They imploded completely when Daniele De Rossi and his replacement Emerson Palmieri were

New Argentina head coach Edgardo Bauza said on Tuesday that he wants to see his side rely less on Lionel Messi, after the Barcelona forward’s brief retirement from international football.

But former Sao Paulo coach Bauza persuaded the five-time world player of the year to continue his international career, after taking over as boss from Gerardo Martino.

He will oversee his first matches in charge in 2018 World Cup qualifying against Uruguay and Venezuela next month.

“Do not always give it to him to make a play or score a goal, but create conditions that mean that it is not down to Messi to solve everything,” Bauza told.

“Depend on the team. I want to stop everything from depending on him... We all know that when the

shown straight red cards either side of halftime.

Monaco joined Porto when they beat Villarreal 1-0 after a late penalty by Fabinho sealed a 3-1 aggregate win, and Legia Warsaw, Celtic and Ludogorets Razgrad also qualified, although none of them won on the night.

Ten-man Legia drew 1-1 at home with Irish part-timers Dundalk, but progressed 3-1 on aggregate to become the first Polish side to reach the group stage of Europe’s premier club competition for 20 years.

Former European champions

ball goes through him something different can happen, but we need help from the team. Having the best player in the world does not guarantee that you will win games, but it does guarantee that there will be fear in the opposition.” l

n Reuters Neymar should return to Spain with renewed enthusiasm after leading Brazil to their first soccer gold medal at an Olympic Games, Barcelona defender Gerard Pique said.

Neymar, who has scored 85 goals in 141 games in his three seasons at Barcelona, was given permission to stay in Brazil until after international games early next month.

“I think it’s a good decision to grant him (Neymar) that,” Pique told El Mundo Deportivo. “He has earned it.

“I’m sure he is very happy and will come with a lot of enthusiasm to Barcelona.”

Neymar scored the winning

penalty in a shootout against Germany in Saturday’s gold medal game at the Maracana stadium in Rio and then stepped down as Brazil captain, a position he had held since September 2014.

“It has been a difficult tournament for him,” Pique said.

“To play at home means you have the pressure to win but Ney (Neymar) is accustomed to that.

He has proved why he is one of the best in the world by scoring that penalty in the final.”

Neymar has been away since May 23 after helping his club to win a La Liga and King’s Cup double last season. He is set to play for Brazil in 2018 World Cup qualifiers after being named in new coach Tite’s squad. Brazil take on Ecuador in Quito on September 1.l

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016

QUICK BYTES Tigers’ first practice match today The 30-member Bangladesh preliminary squad will play against each other in the first of three practice matches, starting from today, at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, ahead of their upcoming bilateral home series against England.

The cricketers will be divided into two teams and take part in a 50-over game. The remaining two matches will take place on September 2 and 5.

The Tigers are scheduled to play two Tests and three ODIs against England in October.

–TRIBUNE REPORT

Germany’s Marin signs with Olympiakos Olympiakos have signed German midfielder Marko Marin from Chelsea for an undisclosed fee, the Greek champions announced on Tuesday. While the club did not announce the duration of the contract, Greek media reported it was a three-year deal. Marin, 27, had been with Chelsea since 2012, but only made six EPL appearances, before spending loan spells at Sevilla, Fiorentina, Anderlecht, Trabzonspor and Borussia Moenchengladbach.

–AFP

Gudjohnsen signs up for Indian Super League The veteran former Chelsea and Barcelona forward Eidur Gudjohnsen signed up yesterday for the third edition of the Indian Super League as the marquee player for FC Pune City. The much-travelled Icelander, a two-time winner of the English Premier League with Chelsea and a Champions League winner with Barcelona, said he still has an appetite for the game at age 37.

–AFP

Watford sign Janmaat from Newcastle Watford have signed Netherlands defender Daryl Janmaat from Newcastle United on a four-year contract, the Premier League club announced yesterday. Although no financial details were disclosed, British media reported that Watford paid a fee of around 7 million pounds ($9.28 million) to acquire the right back. Janmaat, who has 27 caps for his country, made 32 league appearances last season.

–REUTERS

DAY’S WATCH TENNIS TEN 3 11:00 PM WTA Tour 2016 Connecticut Open: QF 1

Australia all-rounder James Faulkner (R) celebrates with teammates after the dismissal of Sri Lanka batsman Koushal Perera in Colombo. Faulkner became the sixth Australian cricketer to claim a hat-trick in one-day internationals, achieving the feat in the second ODI match against Sri Lanka AFP

Ancelotti defends ‘ticking time-bomb’ Ribery n AFP, Berlin Bayern Munich’s new coach Carlo Ancelotti has defended veteran winger Franck Ribery, who has been dubbed “a ticking timebomb” in the German media for a string of on-field tussles.

Bayern start the new Bundesliga season tomorrow at home to Werder Bremen and Ancelotti says people are getting carried away in their criticism of Ribery.

“People are currently exaggerating a little in terms of Ribery,” the Italian told broadcaster Sport1.

“History has shown us that he has always been a correct (well-behaved) player.”

But Ribery, who has been sent

off six times in 12 years as a professional footballer, has been involved in a series of recent scuffles.

The 33-year-old shoved his elbow in the face of Borussia Dortmund midfielder Felix Passlack during a challenge in Bayern’s 2-0 German Super Cup win a fortnight ago. At minnows Carl Zeiss Jena last Friday, the Frenchman struck a Jena defender on the head while vying for the ball in a 5-0 romp in the first-round of the German Cup. He also pushed over Inter Milan’s Felipe Melo during a match on Bayern’s pre-season tour of the USA in July.

Ribery, whose contract expires in June, was not sent off for any of the fouls, only booked for the inci-

dents with Melo and Passlack.

Ex-Bundesliga referee Thorsten Kinhofer described Ribery as a “ticking time-bomb”.

“Sure, he gets fouled a lot, but he is also easily irritated,” Kinhofer added in German daily Bild.

“The opponents try to make use of that by provoking him. It can also be tactics. The question is whether he’s willing to learn at his age.”

But Ancelotti says the matter should be put to bed as Bayern attempt to win a fifth straight league title in his first season in charge after replacing Pep Guardiola.

“I think we should forget the matter and leave it at that,” he said.

“He (Ribery) has trained well and is ready to start the new season.” l

Faulkner claims hat-trick against Sri Lanka n Reuters, Colombo All-rounder James Faulkner became the sixth Australian cricketer to claim a hat-trick in one-day internationals, achieving the feat in the second match against Sri Lanka yesterday.

The 26-year-old left-arm bowler got his first wicket when he trapped Kusal Perera leg-before with the final delivery of his eighth over.

He returned to dismiss Angelo Mathews with the first delivery of his ninth over, getting the rival captain caught at long-off, and bowled Thisara Perera with his next ball to complete the hat-trick. Faulkner, whose 4-38 in the first one-dayer earned him the man-of-the-match award and helped Australia take a 1-0 lead, finished with figures of 3-45. l

Bangladesh Navy pose for photographs following their 2-1 win against Bangladesh Army in the ‘InterServices Football Competition 2016’ yesterday COURTESY

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Chelsea need to be better at killing off games, says Conte n Reuters Chelsea must develop a ruthless mentality to kill games and not invite pressure from their opposition, manager Antonio Conte has said after his side endured a tense finale in their 3-2 League Cup win against third-tier Bristol Rovers.

Two goals from Michy Batshuayi handed Chelsea a 3-1 lead at the interval but Ellis Harrison’s penalty early in the second half for Rovers ensured a nervous finish to the second-round game for the Premier League side.

“We must understand when you have the people to kill the game you must,” Conte told the British media.

“When you leave it open, a situation like tonight can happen and until the game has finished you are afraid (of a draw).”

England manager Sam Allardyce recently said he would be open to hold talks with John Terry over a possible return to international football, and Conte said it would not be right for him to interfere in the situation.

“I’m a former international team coach so I know this situation and prefer it to be solved between Sam Allardyce and John Terry,” the former Italy manager added. “That’s the right way.

“John Terry has a great attitude during training and is working very hard. I’m very happy with his commitment.

“But for the international team, it is important for it to be solved between Sam Allardyce and John Terry.”

Chelsea welcome Burnley in their next Premier League fixture on Saturday. l

Chelsea’s Eden Hazard shoots at goal against Bristol Rovers during their EFL Cup second round match at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday

REUTERS

Liverpool cruise, Chelsea squeeze in Cup n AFP, London

Daniel Sturridge scored twice as Liverpool strolled into the League Cup third round with a 5-0 win at Burton Albion on Tuesday, while Chelsea edged third-tier Bristol Rovers 3-2.

Divock Origi, Roberto Firmino and Sturridge all scored as Liverpool, last season’s beaten finalists, crushed Championship side Burton, who are managed by ex-Liverpool midfielder Nigel Clough.

Michy Batshuayi marked his full Chelsea debut with a brace against

Bristol Rovers, while Victor Moses was also on target as manager Antonio Conte enjoyed a third straight competitive win. Premier League teams Crystal Palace, Everton, Hull City, Swansea City and Stoke City also went through, Peter Crouch scoring a hat-trick for Stoke in a 4-0 win at Stevenage.

But Watford lost 2-1 at home to third-tier Gillingham after extra time and West Bromwich Albion were beaten 4-3 on penalties by League One side Northampton Town following a 2-2 draw.

Klopp handed a debut to Cam-

eroonian centre-back Joel Matip and welcomed back winger Sadio Mane following a shoulder injury at Burton’s Pirelli Stadium.

Mane teed up Origi to break the deadlock with a clever back-heel in the 15th minute before Nathaniel Clyne crossed for Firmino to head in the visitors’ second goal.

A Tom Naylor own goal just after the hour made it 3-0 and Sturridge came off the bench to complete the rout with a late brace, tapping in James Milner’s cross and slamming home from Mane’s pass.

At Stamford Bridge, Batshuayi

put Chelsea ahead in the 29th minute by sweeping in Nemanja Matic’s cross and two minutes later Pedro Rodriguez set up Moses for a tap-in.

Batshuayi claimed a second from Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s cross, but Bristol Rovers scored either side through Peter Hartley and Ellis Harrison to keep Conte’s men on their toes until the final whistle.

Manchester United, holders Manchester City, Arsenal, Leicester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Southampton and West Ham United will all enter the competition in round three.l

Schweinsteiger not giving up on Man United

Guardiola confirms Bravo on his way to replace Hart

n AFP, London

n AFP, Manchester

German midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger said yesterday that Manchester United would be his “last club in Europe” and vowed to fight for his place in the team.

Schweinsteiger, 32, has been frozen out by new United manager Jose Mourinho and is yet to make a competitive appearance this season. But with the close of the transfer window just a week away, he told fans in a statement posted on Twitter that he has no desire to leave Old Trafford.

“MUFC will be my last club in Europe,” Schweinsteiger wrote.

“I respect other clubs, but Manchester United was the only one which could make me leave Bayern Munich. I will be ready, if the team needs me.

He joined United for a reported fee of 14.4 million pounds ($19.1 million, 16.9 million euros) a year ago and made 31 appearances last season, scoring one goal.

But he has disappeared from view since Mourinho was appointed manager, prompting speculation he will be allowed to leave the club. Schweinsteiger announced his international retirement last month after 120 appearances and 24 goals. l

Pep Guardiola insisted on Tuesday that he will continue working with Joe Hart at Manchester City, even as Barcelona goalkeeper Claudio Bravo flew in to replace the unwanted England international.

Hart has been the most high-profile victim of Guardiola’s new reign as manager of the Premier League club, with the City boss publicly announcing his preference for a goalkeeper who can play better with the ball at his feet.

Bravo flew in to Manchester from Barcelona on Tuesday to complete his reported £17 million

($22 million, 20 million euros) transfer from the Spanish club, a move that will see Hart relegated to third choice at the Eastlands.

“I have an excellent relationship with Joe. We are clear - him with me, I with him. We spoke about football,” said Guardiola.

“So I can’t deny what everybody knows. Barcelona, seven to 10 days ago, were the first ones to announce contact with Manchester City.

“But I’m sorry guys, until the deal is complete or not complete (I can’t speak), but at the moment the player (Bravo) is not our player,” Guardiola also told reporters. l

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Country bumpkins (6) 4 Wet, soft earth (3) 7 Select group (5) 8 Tempt (6) 11 Tool (3) 12 Hawaiian garlands (4) 13 Track (4) 15 Impressions left by blows (5) 16 Discharges (5) 20 Pour out (4) 23 Incline (4) 24 Lacking discipline (3) 25 Capable of producing crops (6) 26 Out of order (5) 27 Raining (3) 28 Swarmed (6)

DOWN 1 Give up (5) 2 Letter (7) 3 Ooze (4) 4 Thin fog (4) 5 American state (4) 6 Early freshness (3) 9 Born (3) 10 Metal (3) 14 Stir violently (7) 17 Curved bone (3) 18 Old cloth measure (3) 19 Place (5) 20 Docile (4) 21 Way out (4) 22 Sail support (4) 24 Jurisprudence (3)

29

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Downtime

THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016

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

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

Some letters of the alphabet may not be used.

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

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

CALVIN AND HOBBES

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

PEANUTS

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS CODE-CRACKER

CROSSWORD

DILBERT

SUDOKU

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Showtime

THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016

Mulholland Drive voted best film of 21st century into a top 100.

Directors featuring most on the list were Wes Anderson, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Christopher Nolan, Michael Haneke, Paul Thomas Anderson and the Coen Brothers.

The full top 100 list can be seen in BBC Culture’s website; the top 20 movies are as follows:

n Showtime Desk Mulholland Drive has been voted the best film of the 21st century in a poll by 177 film critics from 36 countries, which was carried out

by BBC Culture. The surreal noir, regarded as one of director David Lynch’s finest, was also named one of the greatest films of all time by British magazine Sight & Sound, earlier this year.

Mulholland Drive, which stars Naomi Watts and Laura Harring, was released in 2001 and earned David Lynch an Oscar nomination for best director. It tells the story of an aspiring actress who moves to Los Angeles and befriends an amnesic woman. The neo-noir mystery film was not one of the year’s highest grossing films at the box office but it received a warm praise from critics.

The list is followed by Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood For Love from 2000, Paul Thomas Anderson’s There Will Be Blood from 2007, Studio Ghibli’s animation, Spirited Away from 2001 and Richard Linklater’s heavily Oscar-nominated, Boyhood from 2014.

“We wanted to find out the best films in recent memory.

These are the films that most people feel strongly about,” said BBC Culture’s Matthew Anderson.

“We hope that this list will spark discussion and debate, not just among critics and film aficionados, but among everyone who enjoys movies and has an opinion about what is required to make a good one.”

Each of the critics polled, chose ten movies, which created a list of 599, and was then sorted

• Mulholland Drive (David Lynch, 2001) • In the Mood for Love (Wong Kar-wai, 2000) • There Will Be Blood (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2007) • Spirited Away (Hayao Miyazaki, 2001) • Boyhood (Richard Linklater, 2014) • Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry, 2004) • The Tree of Life (Terrence

Malick, 2011) • Yi Yi: A One and a Two (Edward Yang, 2000) • Separation (Asghar Farhadi, 2011) • Inside Llewyn Davis (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2013) • No Country For Old Men (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2007) • Children of Men (Alfonso Cuarón, 2006) • Zodiac (David Fincher, 2007) • The Act of Killing (Joshua Oppenheimer, 2012) • 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days (Cristian Mungiu, 2007) • Holy Motors (Leos Carax, 2012) • Pan’s Labyrinth (Guillermo Del Toro, 2006) • The White Ribbon (Michael Haneke, 2009) • Mad Max: Fury Road (George Miller, 2015) • Synecdoche, New York (Charlie Kaufman, 2008) l

STAR UPDATES

Shakib’s New TVC

The World’s best all-rounder, Shakib Al Hasan is busy shooting his latest TVC. This time, it’s a Life Buoy soap TVC where Shakib will be seen telling the audience the benefits of washing hands.

Drama for Eid

Adnan Faruque Hillol is now busy with his Eid schedule.

He is currently shooting for Khairuzzaman Babur Premghotito, which is a drama written and directed by Alvee Ahmed and produced by Drik.

Babu presents Heeramon Pakhi n Showtime Desk Actor Fazlur Rahman Babu is a popular personality within the Bangladeshi TV industry. We also learned how talented a singer he is, ever since he made his singing debut in the critically acclaimed film, Monpura back in 2009. The song, “Dhoro Bandhu Amar Keho Nai” became an instant hit.

He released his solo album, Dubadubi in 2010. Since then, Babu has sung for a number of mixed albums. After six long years, Babu is finally ready to present his second solo album, Heeramon Pakhi.

The album contains seven

songs written by Nazir Mahmud, with the musical arrangement completed by Mushfique Litu.

It is scheduled to be released on next Eid. Babu informed that all the songs of the album have already been recorded. “I took the gap intentionally. After Monpura, I feel that I sang too much. I realised that music is my passion and acting is my profession. I should not mix the two. That is why I took the time to think and sing exclusively for my audience.”

Heeramon Pakhi will be released under the banner of CMV. l

Kona’s wind of change

The popular musical program of Gaan Bangla from last Eid, Wind of Change has garnered a lot of fan following. That’s why it’s back and this time, Robi is sponsoring the show.

Recently, talented singer Kona was found recording for the program.

Abu Sayeed’s latest film at Montreal Film Festival

WHAT TO WATCH Wild Wild West WB 10:35pm

Me, Myself & Irene Star Movies 9:30pm

Filmmaker Abu Sayeed’s latest flick, Dressing Table is set to be premièred at the 40th Montreal World Film Festival which has started from today. The film is scheduled to be screened on August 26, 27 and 29, under the “Focus On World Cinema” section.

Abu Sayeed, one of the pioneers of independent cinema in Bangladesh, has made plenty of critically acclaimed, independent films in the past, including the likes of Kittonkhola (2000), Shankhonad (2004), Nirontor (2006) and Rupantor (2008). Abu Sayeed has previously won the National Film Award in nine different categories including the Best Film and Best Director in 2000.

The film has been submitted to the Censor Board and is scheduled to be released in the last week of September. A trailer has already been released on YouTube.

The story of Dressing Table, revolves around two lead characters, Shila and Ruhul, both brought up in different orphanages who end up marrying each other later in the film. Portraying a lower-middleclass family living through dire financial conditions, they are struggling to make their lives better. They do not own a dressing table at their home,

which is considered to be an essential piece of furniture for a newly married couple. One day, Ruhul purchases an old dressing table for their little family. Even though it’s old, Shila is delighted to have it. Next morning, while cleaning the dressing table, she finds an old diary in its drawer.

At this point, the story turns to a whole new path.

A nice-guy cop with dissociative identity disorder must protect a woman on the run from a corrupt exboyfriend and his associates.

Cast: Jim Carrey, Renee Zellweger, Chris Cooper, Robert Forster, Richard Jenkins Ace Ventura: Pet Detective Movies Now 4:20pm

A goofy detective specialising in animals goes in search of a missing dolphin mascot of a football team.

Cast: Jim Carrey, Courteney Cox, Sean Young, Tone Loc, Dan Marino The Matrix HBO 11:56pm Tarin Rahman, a beauty who received widespread recognition from the Lux-Channel i Superstars pageant, breathes life in to the role of Shila and is set to debut on the big screen with Dressing Table.

Alongside Tarin, the film also casts A K Azad, S K Firoz, Mohammad Bari, Nadia Khanam, Ifat Trisha, Khalilur Rahman Kaderi and Paresh Acharja.

The film’s story, screenplay, cinematography and editing has been done by the director himself with Impress Telefilm Limited producing it. l

THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016

Bansali’s next project with Kangana-SRK n Showtime Desk

The two best hired guns in the West must save President Grant from the clutches of a nineteenthcentury inventor-villain.

Cast: Will Smith, Kevin Kline, Salma Hayek, Kenneth Branagh, Ted Levine

n Showtime Desk

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A computer hacker learns from mysterious rebels about the true nature of his reality and his role in the war against its controllers.

Cast: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, CarrieAnne Moss, Hugo Weaving, Joe Pantoliano l

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Showtime

Rumours have been rife that Shah Rukh Khan and Kangana Ranaut are going to work in a Sanjay Leela Bhansali film.

The actress was the showstopper for designer Tarun Tahiliani, who flagged off the Lakme Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2016 on Tuesday night. The fiveday fashion gala began from Wednesday at St. Regis.

When asked about it, Kangana told a news portal: “Sanjay sir just spoke to me about the film, saying that he wants to make it with me and Shah Rukh sir.

But it’s at a very premature stage. It’s not that I am working with Shah Rukh sir tomorrow or something like that…

So, yeah, like I said, it’s at a very premature stage.”

She is one of the few actress in Bollywood whose box-office scorecard has not depended on the male lead of her films, and her versatility has won her fans like megastar Amitabh Bachchan and superstar Aamir Khan, and now, she is likely to star opposite Shah Rukh Khan.

On the big screen, Kangana will next be seen in a biopic on Rani Lakshmibai, a character she feels inspired by in many ways. “I think Jhansi Ki Rani is a very relevant film for many reasons and one of them is the reminder of the amount of sacrifice and work that has been put out by people. It’s also a reminder to value things much more than we actually do and to instil that passion and pride for our country, which people, even in testing times had.”

Rani Lakshmibai, a fiery queen of Jhansi, had taken up arms against the British in 1857 to free her state. l Source: Bollywood Life

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016

$6BN BD-CHINA CLOSE TO BEING SIGNED PAGE 12

MASH INVITES ENGLAND TO BD PAGE 24

MULHOLLAND DRIVE VOTED CENTURY’S BEST FILM PAGE 30

Bihar’s chief minister slams Farakka n Abu Bakar Siddique India’s controversial Farakka Barrage has not only been a headache for Bangladesh, but is now also proving to be a pain for its creators as well.

Although many local and international experts have previously argued against the barrage, India’s Bihar state’s Chief Minister Nitish Kumar recently became the most high-profile critic to slam the construction of the barrage built on the trans-boundary Ganges.

According to the Indian Express newspaper, Nitish demanded the removal of Farakka in West Bengal that was causing the increase of silt in the Ganges.

He said the benefits from Farakka Barrage were far less than the damage being caused by it. “It is due to the barrage that the level in various rivers of Bihar have gone above previous records despite rainfall having been 14% below normal,” the newspaper quoted him as saying.

The Bihar chief minister made this demand during a meeting with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi on Tuesday.

Nitish is the first heavyweight Indian politician taking a stand against the barrage, which is solely responsible for making huge sufferings for the lower riparian Bangladesh during lean period.

In late 2014, nine Indian citizens – including fishermen and environmentalists – filed a writ petition with the National Green Tribunal of India against different government agencies, claiming annual compensation for the economic and geological damage caused inside India, including those caused by Farakka.

The petition claimed that the Farakka Barrage was liable for environmental losses of Rs3,226 crore annually.

Expressing his hope to get

the desired compensation, one of the petitioners told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday that the writ was still in hearing stage at the National Green Tribunal.

Difficulties in Bangladesh

Hydrology experts say the Farakka barrage, which was built to revive the Kolkata port by diverting water through Hoogly river in West Bengal, dries up the lower riparian Bangladesh during dry seasons.

Causing the rise of salinity levels in southern Bangladesh was one of the most devastating outcomes caused by the 104 mighty gates of the barrage.

Prof Ataur Rahman, chairman of water resources management department at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet), said: “Between the 1974 and 1996 period, water ruling of India through the Farakka Barrage has made vast areas of Southern Bangladesh an extreme saline-prone zone, which hampers the region’s agriculture and water sector extensively.”

Environmental lawyer and activist Syeda Rizwana Hasan said: “If India, an upper riparian of the Ganges, was facing difficulties, then the fate of Bangladesh as the lower riparian of Farakka, is easily understandable.”

Drying up tributaries like Mohananda, Gorai and Bhairob and the barrage’s unilateral withdrawal of water were other consequences suffered

by Bangladesh until the 1996 signing of the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty was by both countries.

Following the treaty, the situation improved to some extent as Bangladesh has been receiving a guaranteed volume 35,000 cusec of water for every ten consecutive days between March 11 to May 10 each year. l

Dhaka Tribune

Editor: Zafar Sobhan, Published and Printed by Kazi Anis Ahmed on behalf of 2A Media Limited at Dainik Shakaler Khabar Publications Limited, 153/7, Tejgaon Industrial Area, Dhaka-1208. Editorial, News & Commercial Office: FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka 1207. Phone: 9132093-94, Advertising: 9132155, Circulation: 9132282, Fax: News-9132192, e-mail: news@dhakatribune.com, info@dhakatribune.com, Website: www.dhakatribune.com