17 Sep, 2016

SECOND EDITION

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2016

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Ashwin 2, 1423, Zil-Hajj 14, 1437

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Regd No DA 6238, Vol 4, No 140

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www.dhakatribune.com

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24 pages |

Price: Tk10

1 killed, 4 hurt in helicopter crash n Tribune Desk One person was killed after a small helicopter belonging to private Meghna Aviation crashed at Ukhia of Teknaf yesterday.

Four others were also injured when the Robinson R66 chopper went down near popular tourist spot Inani’s Rejukhal Bridge area just after 10am yesterday, police and Fire Service officials said.

“It was returning from Inani after dropping cricketer Shakib Al Hasan,” Cox’s Bazar Airport Manager Sadhan Kumar Mohonto said.

The dead, Shah Alam, 35, worked for the Eagle advertising agency.

The injured are the pilot, Wing Commander Shafikur Rahman, and passengers Shariful and his two sons, Ukhia police OC Md Abul Khayer said.

“The four suffered minor injuries,” the OC said, adding that they were being treated at an Ukhia clinic.

Jobayerul Islam, a spokesperson for Cox’s Bazar Fire Service, said that locals rescued the injured and rushed them to the clinic.

But Shah Alam succumbed to his injuries on the way. Preliminary examination of the body revealed that  PAGE 2 COLUMN 3

Shakib’s narrow escape n Tribune Desk

Fire service officials stand near the wrecked Meghna Aviation helicopter which crashed in Cox’s Bazar’s Ukhia yesterday killing one of the five passengers on the aircraft DHAKA TRIBUNE

47 Bangladeshis die during Hajj Sakhawat and n Adil Ishtiaq Husain With the latest death of Abdul Mannan of Narayanganj, the total death count of Bangladeshi Hajj pilgrims now stands at 47. Another 23 have been hospitalised.

A total of 101,829 Bangladeshis performed Hajj this year. Of them, 5,183 went to Saudi Arabia under government management.

Of the total 1,862,909 pilgrims, as many as 1,325,372 are foreigners and 537,537 domestic pilgrims.

This is the least number of pilgrims

in the last 10 years.

In 2012, more than three million pilgrims performed Hajj, the highest in the last 10 years.

The first Hajj flight left Bangladesh on August 4 and the first return flight carrying 419 Bangladeshis is set to reach Dhaka today.

Mannan, 58, died of high blood pressure and cardiac arrest at King Abdul Aziz Hospital in Mecca on Thursday, said Maksudur Rahman, counsellor (Hajj) of the Bangladesh consulate in Jeddah.

According to the medical reports, most of the pilgrims died be-

cause of old age complications, and heart and kidney failures, Maksud told the Dhaka Tribune over the phone yesterday.

Of the dead Bangladeshis, 36 are male and 11 females, a Hajj bulletin of the Religious Affairs Ministry said. Thirty-three of them died in Mecca, 8 in Medina, five in Mina and one in Jeddah between August 5 and September 15.

Religious Affairs Minister Motior Rahman is accompanying the Hajj management team in Saudi Arabia.

419 pilgrims to return today

The first return Hajj flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying 419 pilgrims is set to reach Dhaka airport at 8:40pm, Tasmin Aktar, assistant manager (public relations) of the national flight carrier, told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

According to Biman’s schedule, the flight will leave Jeddah at 11am local time (2pm Bangladesh time).

The return Hajj flight will continue till October 16.

Biman Chairman Enamul Bari told the Dhaka Tribune that they had transported an estimated

Road accidents kill 17

Tigers brace for favourite format

Coffee from the Hill Tracts

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

INSIDE Dhaka residents reluctant to use designated slaughter spots The city authorities in Dhaka designated certain spots for slaughtering sacrificial animals on Eid-ul-Azha this year and the city residents showed little interest in using them, just as they did last year.

The government this year designated 6,233 spots  PAGE 3

At least 17 people were killed and over 30 others injured in separate road accidents that happened in Brahmanbaria, Tangail and Madaripur yesterday.  PAGE 5

Bangladesh will start anew when they take on Afghanistan in a bilateral ODI series later this month at home.  PAGE 17

Thinking of coffee, various flavours from different parts of the world come to our mind. Despite the drink’s popularity, it was never commercially produced in Bangladesh, not until now.  PAGE 24

Bangladesh cricketer Shakib al Hasan had a narrow escape yesterday morning as a helicopter that dropped him in Inani, Cox’s Bazar crashed shortly after taking off, killing one person.

“I am fine, but feel rather shocked at the news of the chopper crash,” said Shakib when Bangladesh Cricket Board’s Media Manager Rabeed Imam contacted him yesterday. Shakib is scheduled to return to Dhaka tomorrow after completing the shoot for a commercial.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

Jamaat-ur-Ahrar claims Pakistan mosque attack n Reuters A suicide bomber shouted “Allahu akbar” and blew himself up in a packed mosque in northwestern Pakistan, killing at least 25 people and wounding 30 during Friday prayers, a local official said.

A splinter group of the Pakistani Taliban, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Jamaat-ur-Ahrar (TTPJA), claimed responsibility for the blast in Payee Khan, a village in Mohmand Agency that is part of the lawless Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) bordering Afghanistan.

The group said it was a revenge attack, accusing tribesmen in the area of launching an assault on its forces and of capturing militants and handing them over to the government.

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif condemned the bombing and said the “attacks by terrorists cannot shatter the government’s  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2016

BNP unhappy with court verdict on ICT judgement leak n UNB The BNP yesterday voiced dissatisfaction over a tribunal’s verdict punishing a lawyer in a case filed in connection with the leakage of the draft judgement of the International Crimes Tribunal 1 on executed war criminal Salauddin Quader Chowdhury.

“Our Barrister Fakhrul Islam was sentenced to 10 years in jail in an ICT case. What was his offence?

Was it for speaking the truth as he presented some documents and papers?” said Mirza Fakrul Islam Alamgir.

Fakhrul came up with the reaction to the verdict while talking to reporters at his Uttara residence.

The BNP leader said the country’s people have now no right of freedom of expression as 35 online news portals have been shut down. l

Money recovered from Tampaco ruins n Tribune Desk More than Tk1 lakh has been recovered from the ruins of the Tampaco Foils Limited factory in Tongi which burned down last week taking at least 34 lines.

Tongi police station’s Sub Inspector Suman Bhakta confirmed the recovery yesterday. The SI said Tk102,755 had been recovered intact and Tk7,000 worth of burned notes

as well as some other assets were found in the rubble on Thursday afternoon. The money is now being held by Gazipur City Corporation.

About 800 tonnes of rubble and 80 empty drums have been removed from the factory’s ruins.

From the evening of September 11, rescuers have been searching for 10 missing factory workers.

Army members have been working alongside the Fire Service and

the city corporation to help speed up the clearing.

On the early morning of September 10, the factory caught fire after one or several reported explosions were heard. Firefighters were able to bring the fire under control by the evening of the next day.

At least 34 have been killed in the fire, while another 40 have been injured. The 10 missing employees have not yet been found. l

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Army, Fire Service and Gazipur City Corporation staff are working together to remove the rubble from the site of the Tampaco Foils Limited factory, which burned down last week taking at least 34 lives and injuring 40. Photo taken yesterday RAJIB DHAR

47 Bangladeshis die during Hajj 49,545 pilgrims on 144 flights without leasing any aircraft during the pre-Hajj operations.

To ease the hassle of pilgrims, Biman has arranged city check-ins where they would be able to keep their luggage in the airline’s custody 24 hours prior to take-off.

Civil Aviation Minister Rashed

Khan Menon has already requested the Hajj pilgrims not to carry any Zamzam water (holy water) with them. He also requested the pilgrims not to bring luggages exceeding 46kg.

The airline will distribute Zamzam water among the pilgrims after their arrival in Dhaka. l

Jamaat-ur-Ahrar claims Pakistan mosque Shakib’s narrow escape resolve to eliminate terrorism from the country.”

“The suicide bomber was in a crowded mosque, he shouted ‘Allahu akbar’ (God is greatest) and then there was a huge blast,” Naveed Akbar, deputy administrator of Mohmand Agency, told Reuters.

He added that some fatalities appear to have been caused when part of the mosque caved in from the force of the blast.

“A portion of the mosque and verandah collapsed in the blast and fell on worshippers. We are still retrieving bodies and the injured from the rubble of the mosque,” the official said.

Local tribal elder Haji Subhanullah Mohmand said that local tribesmen had gathered a volunteer force, killed one insurgent and captured another.

“It seems to have enraged the militants and they got their revenge by carrying out a suicide attack in a

mosque today,” Mohmand said.

Pakistan’s frontier regions, which are deeply conservative and hard to access due to rough terrain, have long been the sanctuary of fighters from al-Qaeda, the Taliban and other militant groups.

In 2014, the army launched a major operation in other parts of FATA including North and South Waziristan against insurgents who routinely attacked government officials and civilians.

Security in Pakistan has improved in recent years – the military says “terrorist incidents” dropped from 128 in 2013 to 74 last year – but Islamist extremists continue to stage major attacks.

A bombing of lawyers in the city of Quetta killed 74 people last month, an attack claimed by both the Islamic State and Jamaat-ur-Ahrar, a breakaway faction of the Pakistani Taliban.

Jamaat-ur-Ahrar also claimed the

Easter Sunday bombing in a park in the eastern city of Lahore that killed 72 people, many of them children. l

1 killed, 4 injured he had suffered severe head trauma.

His body was kept at the Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital morgue, said the hospital’s Emergency Medical Officer Dr Wahiduzzaman Murad.

Police have said, quoting the injured pilot, that the passengers opened the door to take selfies and capture videos disregarding his warning, which made the aircraft lose balance.

However, the Dhaka Tribune has been unable to independently verify this claim or been able to speak directly to any of the other passengers.

Shakib later said that the incident was tragic, adding he was surprised after learning about the crash. l

In his prompt reaction to the incident, Bangladesh Test captain Mushfiqur Rahim said he was relieved to learn that his teammate was safe.

“All thanks to Almighty Allah.

This is what happens when you have blessings of 170 million people. Just happy to hear Shakib is safe and sound. But, may Allah grant Jannah to the person who lost his life. Let’s pray for the departed soul,” Mushfiq wrote on Facebook.

Meanwhile, BCB CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury said the board will keep a close eye on the ongoing developments.

“We are observing the situation very carefully. The cricketers are enjoying vacation and the board is closed. So, it is normal for us not to know about this (trip). We will discuss with our cricketers about commercial tours safety. We will aware them,” Nizamuddin told Bangla Tribune.

The chopper owned by Meghna

Aviation took Shakib and his wife to Inani. It went down near Inani’s Rejukhali bridge just after 10am yesterday, police and fire service officials said.

The reason for the crash could not be known yet. In the aftermath of the incident, border guard troopers and police were deployed at the crash site.

Police identified the deceased as Shah Alam, 28.

Ukhia police OC Mohammad Abul Khayer said the injured includes pilot wing commander Shafikur Rahman, passenger Shariful and his two sons.

Bangladesh cricketers are currently enjoying the Eid-ul-Adha vacation, following which they will resume training tomorrow, ahead of the upcoming home series’ against Afghanistan and England.

The Tigers will take on the Afghans in three one-day internationals before England arrive for two Tests and three ODIs. l

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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2016

Dhaka residents reluctant to use designated slaughter spots n Abu Hayat Mahmud

The city authorities in Dhaka designated certain spots for slaughtering sacrificial animals on Eid-ul-Azha this year, similarly as last year, and the city residents showed little interest in using them, just as they did last year.

Aiming to keep the streets clean, the government designated 6,233 spots in the 11 city corporations and 53 district towns in the country for slaughtering sacrificial animals this year.

In Dhaka, 1,000 spots were designated for Eid slaughtering – 496 spots in Dhaka North 504 in Dhaka South. The numbers were much higher than last year - 208 spots were designated for slaughtering animals in Dhaka North, while 285 in Dhaka South in 2015.

Authorities of both Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC)

also campaigned to raise awareness among the city residents about slaughtering their animals and dumping the waste at designated places, but only a handful of people followed the instruction.

But most Dhaka residents were found slaughtering their animals in front of their homes and on the streets. Ward councillors of the city corporations and political leaders were no different either, as this correspondent learnt after visiting different places in Dhaka during Eid holidays.

Salauddin Ahmed Dhali, councillor of Ward 17 under the DSCC and president of the Awami League Kalabagan unit, sacrificed his cattle on the street in front of his Kalabagan residence.

Locals said Mahbub Hossain, secretary of Kalabagan Awami League and resident of Shukrabad, and his followers suggested local people to slaughter their cattle at

their house, rather than go to the designated slaughter spots.

Faridur Rahman Khan Iran, councillor of ward 27 under the DNCC and former leader of Bangladesh Chhatra League, also slaughtered his cattle on the street in front of his residence in West Rajabazar.

When this correspondent contacted the trio in this regard, all of them refused to say anything about the issue.

Ironically, the ward councillors were instructed by the city corporations to coordinate and monitor their areas so that people used the slaughter sports, sources said.

According to an estimate by the city corporation sources, around 350,000 cattle – 100,000 in DNCC and 250,000 in DSCC – were slaughtered this year.

Due to people's disregard to the city authorities' request, the bad smell of blood remained on the

streets of Dhaka although the city roads are cleaned and wastes were removed soon after the ritual was observed.

When contacted, DNCC Mayor Annisul Huq said the city authorities succeeded in removing all wastes of slaughtered animals within 24 hours, although the scheduled time was 48 hours.

“It is true that a large number of city dwellers did not go to the designated slaughter places, but people are more aware about this issue than before. Many people went to the slaughter spots to sacrifice their animals,” he said.

Annisul said people also disposed of the waste at the designated spots, making it easier for the authorities to collect and remove the waste from the city in time.

Echoing Annisul's statement, DSCC Mayor Sayeed Khokon said he hoped Dhaka residents would gradually follow the instructions. l

Dhaka’s citizens have started to come back from their vacations at the end of the Eid holiday. Photo taken from Kamalapur Railway Station yesterday

PM in Montreal to attend GF’s Replenishment Conference n UNB Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arrived in Canada on Thursday afternoon on a four-day official visit at the invitation of her Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau to attend the Fifth Replenishment Conference of the Global Fund (GF)

in Montreal.

Canada is hosting the conference to work out ways to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria on September 16-17.

Bangladesh High Commissioner in Ottawa Mizanur Rahman received Sheikh Hasina at the at Pierre Elliott Trudeau Internation-

al Airport, Montreal, while senior officials of the Canadian Foreign Ministry were present.

After the reception at the airport, Hasina was escorted by a ceremonial motorcade to Hotel Omni Mont-Royal, Montreal where she will be staying during her visit to Canada. l

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MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Obaidul: No decision taken to shift Zia’s grave n S Bashu Das, Bandarban Senior Awami League leader Obaidul Quader has brushed aside media reports that suggest that the grave of BNP founder and former president Ziaur Rahman would be removed from the National Parliament premises.

“The government has not taken any decision to remove the grave,” Obaidul, also the road, transport and bridges minister now on a tour to Bandarban, said in response to a query at the Circuit House yesterday.

Media reports say the government is considering to move Zia’s grave from Chandrima Udyan – as it was reportedly built violating the main design – to Mirpur graveyard where a place is kept for the sector commanders of the 1971 Liberation War. The matter created much hype within the BNP. Party’s secretary general recently threatened the government not to shift the grave which the party leaders and supporters visit regularly.

The Awami League-led government has already removed the Independence Award given to Zia posthumously in 2003 from the National Museum.

About the BNP’s demand for mid-term polls, Obaidul Quader said: “The election will take place at the right time as per the parliamentary system. I do not think there is any need for a mid-term fun in the name of snap polls.”

During his exchange of views with the local public representatives, senior government officials and civil society members, Obaidul also said that the government would certainly implement the pending issues of the 1997 agreement, dubbed Peace Accord.

“The people of the hills will be able to see the full implementation of the Peace Accord,” the minister said in presence of State Minister for CHT Affairs Bir Bahadur Ushwe Sing.

He said that the government would turn the Chittagong Hill Tracts region into a tourist zone. “Plans are on the cards to establish a tourist village covering Cox’s Bazar and Bandarban,” Obaidul told reporters.

He later visited Chimbuk tourist spot. l

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UN concerned at ‘growing’ enforced disappearances n UNB The United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances has warned that enforced disappearances are on the rise, and expressed deep concern and frustration for what it defined as “a very frightening trend.”

“We’re seriously concerned that the number of enforced disappearances is increasingly rising with the false and pernicious belief that they are a useful tool to preserve national security and combat terrorism,” said the human rights experts during the presentation of its latest report to the UN Human Rights Council.

During the last year alone, the experts said, they dealt with 483 urgent actions out of 766 newly reported cases of disappearance in 37 States; more than three times higher than those reflected in their previous year’s annual report.

“This means more than one disappearance per day, and obviously it’s just the tip of the iceberg when we talk about the cases the Working Group receives.”

The experts expressed concern in particular about a steep increase in the so-called “short-term disappearances,” the unacknowledged deprivation of liberty which puts the individual concerned outside the protection of the law for a limited amount of time. “We strongly reiterate that there is no time limit, no matter how short, for an enforced disappearance to occur,” they said in their presentation.

Since its creation in 1980, the expert group has transmitted a total of 55,273 cases to 107 States, according to a message received here from Geneva.

The number of cases under active consideration stands at 44,159 in 91 States in total. During the last year, 161 cases were clarified.

The expert group also drew attention to a pattern of threats, intimidation and reprisals against victims of enforced disappearance, including family members, witnesses and human rights defenders working on such cases.

In its report, the Working Group also makes preliminary observations on the problem of enforced disappearances in the context of migration.

“We’re grateful for the interests shown by many delegations and other stakeholders on the crucial issue of enforced disappearances in the context of migration and would welcome any input thereon as we embark in further studying this issue,” they added in their presentation. l

Bumper harvest of radishes and bitter gourds has caused a massive drop in their prices in Poba Mohonpur upazila in Rajshahi. In wholesale, radish is Tk15 per kg and gourd Tk25. Even so, in Rajshahi city radish is Tk30-35 and bitter gourd Tk35-40. By the time these vegetables reach big cities like Dhaka or Sylhet they will be three or four times costlier. The vegetables in the photo have been packaged for shipping at Rajshahi’s Naohata market AZAHAR UDDIN

Bapex to dig 29 onshore gas wells in two years n Aminur Rahman Rasel Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Limited (Bapex) is planning to dig 29 onshore gas wells in the country in the next two years to ensure energy security, according to sources.

In order to carry out the digging, the state-owned company plans to buy a new rig and other necessary equipment, rent three more rigs, and conduct a two-dimensional seismic survey.

Bapex has already sent proposals to the Energy and Mineral Resources Division (EMRD) in this regard, sources told the Dhaka Tribune.

According to the proposals, the project will cost around Tk4,500 crore and Bapex hopes to extract around 425 million cubic feet of gas from these wells.

“The project will be implemented in two phases. Of the 29 wells, 23 will be exploration wells and 6 will be development wells,” said Md Atiquzzaman, managing direc-

tor of Bapex.

“We are hoping to extract 350 million cubic feet of gas from the exploration wells and 75 million cubic feet from the development wells,” he told the Dhaka Tribune in a recent conversation.

eral Resources for the first phase and from the Energy Security Fund of Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) for the second phase.

The government, however, has yet to fix the policy of spending

‘The project will be implemented in two phases. Of the 29 wells, 23 will be exploration wells and 6 will be development wells,‘

During the first phase of the project, 18 wells will be dug at the cost of Tk2,000 crore. In the second phase, Bapex will dig the 11 other wells, buy the new rig and conduct the seismic survey at the expense of around Tk2,500 crore, sources said.

Bapex has sought funds from the Gas Development Fund of the Ministry of Power, Energy and Min-

money from the Energy Security Fund; the BERC is currently working to formulate said policy, sources said.

Bapex MD Atiquzzaman said Bapex had gained full capacity to conduct any onshore exploration work and will hire necessary human resources on contractual basis to operate the rigs.

Terming Bapex’s new initiative

encouraging, Dr Badrul Imam, professor of geology at Dhaka University, said Bapex should be provided with both technical and financial assistance.

“Bapex has serious shortage of manpower, especially with technical skills. This issue must be resolved,” he told the Dhaka Tribune.

Prof Imam further said Bapex should be given absolute freedom to carry out its work. “If it has to wait for six months for a government decision in order to carry out a job, then it will be very difficult for Bapex to move forward with any project.”

Oil and gas exploration has been exhausted in most of the 28 onshore gas blocks in the country.

At present, energy giant Chevron is conducting exploration in three blocks while Krisenergy-Niko is exploring one block. Besides, state-owned Bangladesh Gas Fields Company Limited and Sylhet Gas Fields Limited are extracting gas from a few existing wells. l

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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2016

Road accidents take lives of 17 n Tribune Report

At least 17 people were killed and over 30 others injured in separate road accidents that happened in Brahmanbaria, Tangail and Madaripur yesterday.

In Brahmanbaria

Eight passengers of a microbus were killed and three others injured in a collision between a bus and a microbus in Bijaygnagar area in the morning.

Of the deceased, seven were identified as Habibur Rahman, his sons Abu Sufian and Md Kamran, their relatives Morshedur Rahman, Alin Hassen, Abdul Hannan and Mokter Mia. OC of Bijaygnagar police station Ali Ershad said: “Seven people died on the spot.”

In Tangail

Five people were killed and 21 others injured, as a bus turned turtle in Pungli area, Kalihati upazila.

The deceased are Asma Begun, 40, wife of Firoz Mia of Lalmonirhat, Asadul Habib, 15, son of Abbas Ali, Ripon, Shumon 25, and Monirul, of Lalmonirhat Elenga highway police outpost Sergeant Jahangir Alam said: “A Dhaka-bound bus turned turtle when its driver lost his control over the steering in Pungli area around 4:15am, injuring 25 people.”

A bus is being salvaged by a wrecker after an accident in Bijaygnagar area, Brahmanbaria that left eight people dead Tangail Medical College Hospital Emergency Medical Officer Towhid said five of the injured died when taken to the hospital.

In Madaripur

Four people were killed and 15 others injured as a bus hit a three-wheeler, locally named Ma-

Sariakandi municipality staff deprived of salaries n Nazmul Huda Nasim, Bogra

Officials and employees of Sariakandi Municipality, Bogra have not been getting their salaries for the last 35 months due to alleged negligence of former mayors and their mismanagement in fund dealing.

Jahangir Alam, engineer of Sariakandi Municipality, said: “A total of 15 employees of the municipality have been suffering a lot, as they did not get their salaries amounting Tk87.5 lakh for 35 months.

“Former mayors of the municipality had spent employee’s salary fund to other projects.”

The engineer along with license inspector, vaccination officer and electric lineman of the municipality urged authorities concerned to take steps to pay their salaries to ease their sufferings.

According to Sariakandi municipality office sources, though gov-

the municipality.

But the scenario has changed tremendously after Alamgir Shahi Sumon was elected as mayor on December 30, 2015. The newly elected mayor is trying to solve salary problems of employees, to improve citizens life style by taking massive development projects.

Alamgir Shahi Sumon said: “After being elected as mayor I am trying to improve mass people lives by constructing new roads and reformatting old ones, installing street lights and making people conscious about their rights.”

About rented office Sumon said: “Ex-mayors of the municipality did not build office but I am trying to build it. Now we are searching for suitable place to build it. We will call for tender after getting the place.”

He also said the he would take measures soon so that staff of the municipality get their salaries. l

ernment has established Sariakandi municipality in 1999, yet there is no permanent office building.

The sources said 13,768 voters among 18,543 people live in the municipality and local Awami League leader Abdul Hamid Sardar was elected as first mayor of the town. Lter, BNP leader Tipu Sultan was elected as mayor.

The two mayors of the municipality could not build an office building in the last 17 years, consequently employees of the municipality now have to work at a rented office.

During the period, municipality also did not fixed taxes for the inhabitants like holding taxes and business taxes.

In this time, municipality did not construct any road, build any dustbin, recruit sweepers and install any street light to improve lifestyle of citizens, alleged staff of

TEMPERATURE FORECAST FOR TODAY

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hendra, on Dhaka-Barisal Highway in Rajoir area of Madaripur around 12pm. The deceased could not be identified immediately.

36.0ºC Rajshahi

Police said, two of them died on the spot and two succumbed to injuries at Rajoir Upazila Health complex. l

‘Mentally challenged’ son kills father in Chittagong Mizanur Rahaman, n FM Chittagong A man was hacked to death allegedly by his “mentally challenged” son in Chittagong district’s Hathazari upazila yesterday morning.

The deceased was identified as Md Musa, 55, son of Saleh Ahmed member, a resident of Meghal union of the upazila, said police sources.

Police arrested Md Saiful Islam Sarek, 17, an HSC student, in this connection, said Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Md Latfur Rahman of Hathazari Circle.

“The incident took place at the Saleh Ahmed member house at Meghal union”, said the ASP. Quoting family members, the ASP Khulna

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

23.9ºC Srimangal

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said Sarek hacked his father with a sharp weapon when he was coming out from a toilet around 8:30am leaving him critically injured.

“Family members rushed Musa to Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) where on-duty doctor declared him dead around 10:30am”, said the ASP. Later, police arrested the boy and recovered the sharp weapon, said the ASP. “Family members told police that the boy is mentally challenged for last one year, but, police did find any abnormal sign in his behavior during primary investigation”, said the ASP Lutfur.

The body was sent to the CMCH morgue for a post mortem examination. A case was filed. l Sylhet

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Fajr: 5:10am | Zohr: 1:15pm Asr: 4:45pm | Magrib: 6:17pm Esha: 8:15pm Source: Islamic Foundation

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6 World

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2016

SOUTH ASIA

Myanmar soldiers jailed for village killings A Myanmar military court has jailed seven soldiers for 5 years each with hard labour for murdering five ethnic minority villagers in June, in a rare prosecution of military personnel. The seven, including 4 officers, will serve their time in civilian prisons, said a report from a court martial.

-REUTERS

INDIA

Indigenous people in Jharkhand protest law changes Thousands of indigenous people rallied in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand, protesting against the government’s proposal to amend decades-old land laws.The state government has proposed amendments to two pieces of legislation to allow it to buy up protected tribal land to lease to investors for non-agricultural purposes. -REUTERS

CHINA

Typhoon Meranti leaves 16 dead in China Typhoon Meranti has left at least 16 people dead or missing in China and an ancient bridge destroyed as it wreaked havoc on the country’s eastern coast, the government said Friday. The storm, described by the official Xinhua news agency as the world’s strongest typhoon this year and the worst to hit Fujian province since records began in 1949. -REUTERS

ASIA PACIFIC

North Korea ramps up uranium enrichment North Korea will have enough material for about 20 nuclear bombs by the end of this year, with ramped-up uranium enrichment facilities and an existing stockpile of plutonium, according to new assessments by weapons experts.

The North has evaded a decade of UN sanctions to develop the uranium enrichment process, enabling it to run an effectively self-sufficient nuclear program.

-REUTERS

MIDDLE EAST

IMF: Economic costs of Middle East wars exceptionally high Armed conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa are not only devastating the economies gripped by fighting, but are sapping growth in neighboring countries and those hosting millions of refugees, the International Monetary Fund said on Friday. After five years of war, Syria’s gross domestic product is less than half its pre-conflict level in 2010, while Yemen lost 25% to 35% of its GDP in 2015 alone.

-REUTERS

BRATISLAVA SUMMIT

EU leaders seek elusive road map after Brexit shock n Tribune International Desk

In a centuries-old castle in the middle of their fractious continent, European Union leaders on Friday anxiously sought to forge a sense of common purpose in the face of the planned departure of Britain and fundamental disagreements over everything from uncontrolled migration to the economy, reports The associated Press.

The 27 leaders, who are meeting without British Prime Minister Theresa May, hope their day-long talks in the Slovak capital will provide the broad outlines of a new “Bratislava roadmap” that should lead to a new-look EU by next spring.

The EU has been rocked by Britain’s decision in a referendum in June to leave the EU and is assessing the fallout on its future.

Despite the result, Britain is still a member of the 28-country bloc and will in all likelihood remain so for at least two years to come.

To leave the EU, May will have to trigger a two-year departure timetable and she hasn’t done it yet.

Top of the agenda is how to heighten security and better defence cooperation, secure external borders to deal with chaotic immigration and come through on measures to get the vast ranks of unemployed youth in Europe back to work.

Added urgency comes from the fact that countries like France and Germany hold elections next year where far-right and populist parties are seeking to exploit uncertainty generated by Britain’s decision to become the first country to walk out of the EU. Slovak Prime Minister - and summit co-host - Robert Fico said that “we all want to show unity and we all want to show that this is a unique project and we need to continue.”

France and Germany have been the EU’s driving forces since its inception over half a century ago, and they are cooperating intensely to get the project back on track ahead of a summit in the Italian capital next March, which will mark the 60th anniversary of the EU’s founding Treaty of Rome.

Critical situation

“We are in a critical situation,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel said.

“I hope that Bratislava stands

European Union leaders pose for a family photo during the European Union summit- the first one since Britain voted to quit- in Bratislava, Slovakia on September 16 REUTERS for the fact that we want to work together, and we want the problems that there are in Europe to be solved,” She immediately threw her country’s economic weight behind the planned reset.

“We have to show through actions that we can make it better,” she said.

French President Francois Hollande said the “Bratislava roadmap” consists of three simple themes to help restore the confidence of citizens in the European project.

“Protection, which is to say security; the preparation of the future, which means being able to be a great power on the global scale in terms of the economy and creating employment; and lastly to give hope to youth.”

Hollande is under intense pressure to come with some success as he is trailing in the polls ahead of next May’s French presidential elections. His far-right opponent from the National Front, Marine Le Pen, has already said she will call for an in-out referendum on EU membership if she wins.

The weeks preceding the Bratislava summit have seen an endless array of regional meetings of government leaders on how the EU should be run in the future.

Divisions have emerged along ge-

ographical or ideological lines, or a mix of both.

Refugee crisis

The refugee emergency has been specifically divisive. Countries in the east - Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and others - have openly opposed proposed solutions coming out of EU headquarters Brussels and even defied the wishes of their neighbors.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has been one of the most abrasive voice coming into the summit, saying there should be no more “lawmaking tricks” from EU institutions which he said circumvent the sovereign decisions and will of the nation-states on the migration issue.

Orban said that while the EU leaders had voted for voluntary refugee resettlement quotas, the EU parliament and the EU Commission transformed them into mandatory quotas. “I asked them not to do this anymore because the nation-states cannot accept it.”

The foreign minister of founding member Luxembourg last week called on the EU to consider kicking Hungary out over human rights issues.

Prime Minister Xavier Bettel sought to dampen down on that talk, describing the comments as

“awkward.” This was not his government’s policy, he insisted.

While the EU seeks to create common cause, Europe’s economy remains weak.

Debt crisis

Though Greece may have secured its euro future last year after its third international bailout, it’s still struggling to deliver on its promises to creditors. How to deal with the euro’s problems remains divisive on one-side pro-austerity countries led by Germany, on the other more social-minded governments.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, whose country has been at the centre of the region’s debt crisis and seen the arrival of hundreds of thousands of migrants, mostly from Turkey, over the last year said things cannot continue as they are.

“What Europe should not do is to continue sleepwalking in the wrong direction,” he said.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, though, insisted such internal quarrels have always been there.

As leader of a founding nation, he should know. “Differences are of all ages. When we started with six nations, they were there too.

We have to make sure we can fix them.” l

7

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2016

INSIGHT

USA

US refuses to support Modi’s position on Balochistan n Tribune International Desk The United States has unambiguously distanced itself from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s attempt to internationalise the Baloch issue and in the process has also assured Pakistan of its continued support to the country’s territorial integrity.

“The US government respects the unity and territorial integrity of Pakistan and we do not support independence for Balochistan,” US State Department spokesman John Kirby told a recent news briefing in Washington.

The Baloch issue came up at the State Department’s regular news briefing during the Eid holidays, when an Indian journalist asked Kirby to explain the official US policy on “human rights violations and the fight for freedom” in Balochistan.

The journalist reminded the US official that the Indian prime minister also was championing the Baloch cause and had raised it at various international platforms.

Apparently not satisfied with Kirby’s response, the journalist informed him that there were “persons and groups” in the United States who were working for Balochistan’s freedom. “Do you support – do you tolerate them (who are raising this issue) from US soil?” he asked.

“As I said, the government policy is that we support the territorial integrity of Pakistan and we do not support independence for Balochistan,” said the US official, repeating his earlier stance.

DT

World

THE BALOCHISTAN CONFLICT The Balochistan conflict has been going on for several decades. There are five main conflicts that happened but the fifth one is the only one still going on today.

This conflict involves three countries, Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan. The Balochistan region contains large amounts of oil & uranium, both which are very expensive and rare. the Balochs, however, want their independence, be their own country. Pakistan has had many conflicts with India, some of them being that they accused the Indians of helping Baloch nationalists.

There are three main ethnic-linguistic groups in the Balochistan land, Pakistani, Iranian and Afghan. All of these ethnic groups want to become independent from these countries and be recognised as Baloch.

There have been many killings and violent riotings in the past. Nowadays it can be considered a cold conflict, there is a lot of tension between who owns the land (Pakistan or Iran or Afghanistan) but the Baloch still won't give up and will fight for their freedom.

“So do you have any reaction to the Indian prime minister’s statements on that particular subject?” the journalist asked again.

“I think I just gave you our reaction to events there,” Kirby retorted.

The US position on Balochistan is a clear setback for New Delhi, which plans to use the UN General Assembly in New York next week to stop Pakistan from raising the current situation in India-held Kashmir.

Despite the Indian pressure, Pakistan is expected to focus on Kashmir inside the General Assembly, as well as in other sideline meetings, such as that of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is expected to arrive in New York on Sunday to attend the UN session and so far Kashmir is high on the list of issues he is likely to raise in his address to the General Assembly on September 20.

Modi will not attend the General Assembly this year. External Af-

fairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will represent him.

As foreign minister, she will speak days after Nawaz Sharif, giving India sufficient time to respond to the issues Sharif will raise in his speech.

“So if Sharif talks about Kashmir, he should be ready to see Balochistan raised inside the UN General Assembly,” said an Indian source familiar with the official Indian position on this dispute.

Modi’s campaign

In an address to the nation on India’s independence day, Modi talked about the situation in Balochistan and later urged Indian diplomats and media to highlight this issue in world capitals.

Pakistan reacted angrily to the speech, calling it a breach of international norms and intrusion in the country’s sovereignty.

Pakistani officials said the Indian prime minister was trying to hide the atrocities committed by

Indian security forces in occupied Kashmir by bracketing the situation in the Valley with Balochistan, which, unlike occupied Kashmir, was not a disputed territory.

They pointed out that Kashmir was an internationally recognised dispute and there were UN resolutions supporting the right of self-determination for Kashmiri people.

But last month, Bangladesh and former Afghan president Hamid Karzai supported the Indian position, encouraging Modi to continue his campaign against Pakistan.

The situation has raised alarms in Washington, where officials are urging both India and Pakistan to resume their dialogue for reducing tensions in South Asia.

“We strongly support all efforts between India and Pakistan that can contribute to a more stable and prosperous region, and that includes meetings at any level between Indian and Pakistani officials,” said the State Department’s deputy spokesman, Mark Toner.

In reply to a question about renewed tensions between South Asia’s two nuclear armed neighbours, Toner said at a news briefing that the United States had always encouraged direct talks between the two countries.

“Our long-standing position has always been that India and Pakistan stand to benefit from a normalisation of relations and practical cooperation,” he said. l

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

Diane James replaces Farage as head of Britain’s UKIP n AFP, United Kingdom

DIANE JAMES

Nigel Farage on Friday said UKIP had “changed the course of British history” with Brexit as he handed over leadership of the eurosceptic party, which faces an uncertain future without its charismatic chief.

Plainspoken Farage, one of the key faces of the campaign that secured Britain’s shock decision in June to leave the European Union, quit soon after the referendum saying his lifelong political ambition had been accomplished.

Diane James, an MEP, was announced as his replacement at the party’s annual conference in the seaside resort of Bournemouth where Farage used his farewell speech to hail the “fairytale” Brexit result.

“Without us there would have

Leader of UK Independence Party (Eurosceptic, anti-immigration)

Aged 56 Consultant in marketing products to healthcare services Member of European Parliament UKIP’s first female leader, replacing Nigel Farage been no referendum, without you and the people’s army there would have been no ground campaign,” said Farage, who has campaigned

for a British exit from the EU since the early 1990s.

James, the party’s home affairs spokeswoman, said UKIP was a “winning machine” but warned the party had only won a “heat” in the race to leave the EU and the exit document was not yet signed.

“Until we get a signature, we’re still in, they still tell us what to do,” she told party members.

Farage co-founded UKIP in 1993, growing it into Britain’s third party by the number of votes cast.

He said the party would continue pressuring Prime Minister Theresa May to go ahead with Brexit, warning UKIP would sweep up discontented voters from both right and left if the government failed to push ahead with the departure.

He said he would remain active in political life, with plans to travel

across Europe to meet similar political movements, but would not seek to influence the new UKIP leader.

End of the party?

The leadership campaign was thrown into turmoil as soon as it began, with the previous favourite candidate, Steven Woolfe, disqualified for submitting his candidacy 17 minutes after the deadline, citing computer problems.

Millionaire businessman Arron Banks, UKIP’s main financial backer who like Farage had backed Woolfe, has reportedly said he wants to create a new right-wing movement or party appealing to Brexit voters.

Banks could deal UKIP a potentially fatal blow if he decides to withdraw his funding -- another headache for new leader James. l

Trump to make statement on Obama birth

Republican Donald Trump said he planned to address President Barack Obama’s citizenship on Friday, prompting a call from Democratic rival Hillary Clinton to apologise for reviving the socalled birther movement which questions whether Obama was born in the United States. His campaign released a statement later in the day saying the candidate is convinced of the legitimacy of Obama’s presidency.

-REUTERS

THE AMERICAS

Mexico march seeks president’s resignation

A social media campaign drew hundreds to a march demanding President Enrique Pena Nieto’s resignation as Mexico prepared for its annual independence celebration. The turnout Thursday was small for a march in a city of 20 million residents, mostly drawing young people. But its timing reinforced the country’s dissatisfaction with Pena Nieto.

-AP

UK

London mayor Khan criticises Trump Visiting London Mayor Sadiq Khan on Thursday criticised Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s comments on Muslim immigration. Khan, who is of Pakistani descent and became the first Muslim mayor of a major Western capital when he was elected in May, arrived in Chicago to begin a US trip promoting trade ties. -AFP

EUROPE

EU anti-trafficking unit denies turning back migrant boats The EU anti-smuggling and people trafficking operation denied on Friday that it had returned any migrant boats to Libya, after Britain’s foreign secretary said it had turned back more than 200. Boris Johnson said after meeting Italy’s Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni in Florence on Thursday that the EU mission should turn back migrant boats as a deterrent and that it had saved 200,000 migrants. -REUTERS

AFRICA

Top AU legal team to observe Gabon poll challenge The African Union is putting together a high-level legal team to send to Gabon as soon as possible to help ensure the transparency and credibility of a much-awaited Constitutional Court election ruling, it said Friday. Gabon’s top court is set to decide on whether to sign off on President Ali Bongo’s contested re-election last month following a legal complaint filed by opposition candidate.

-REUTERS

DT

8

World

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2016

INSIGHT

Polling places become battleground in US voting rights fight n Reuters, Lincoln Park, Georgia Louis Brooks, 87, has walked to cast a vote at his neighbourhood polling place in Georgia’s predominantly black Lincoln Park neighbourhood for five decades. But not this year.

Brooks says he will not vote in the presidential election for the first time he can remember after local officials moved the polling station more than 3km away as part of a plan to cut the number of voting sites in Upson County.

“I can’t get there. I can’t drive, and it’s too far to walk,” said Brooks, a black retired mill worker and long-time Democratic Party supporter. He said he does not know how to vote by mail and doesn’t know anyone who can give him a ride.

A Reuters survey found local governments in nearly a dozen, mostly Republican-dominated counties in Georgia have adopted plans to reduce the number of voting stations, citing cost savings and efficiency.

In seven of those counties, African-Americans, who traditionally back Democrats, comprised at least a quarter of the population, and in several counties the changes will disproportionately affect black voters. At least three other counties in Georgia dropped consolidation plans under public pressure.

While polling place cutbacks are on the rise across the country, including in some Democratic-run areas, the South’s history of racial discrimination has made the region a focus of concern for voting rights advocates.

Activists see the voting place reductions as another front in the fight over Republican-sponsored state-wide voting laws such as stricter ID requirements that disproportionately affect minority and poorer voters who tend to vote for the Democratic Party.

Several of these have recently been struck down by courts that ruled they were designed to hinder minority voting.

“There is a history in those states of using different strategies to cut voting in minority communities,” said Leah Aden, senior counsel at the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Legal Defence and Education Fund.

“Hogwash,” said Robert Haney, chairman of the Upson County Board of Elections, denying that race was a factor in his board’s decision.

George Smith IV (Left) walks with Henry Wilder with the Thomaston-Upson County Branch of the NAACP in the Lincoln Park neighborhood in Thomaston, Georgia, US on August 16 Upson County has cut their polling places from 9 to 4, as part of nationwide poll consolidations, eliminating the one polling site in the predominantly black neighborhood of Lincoln Park REUTERS

'I can’t get there. I can’t drive, and it’s too far to walk,' said Brooks, a black retired mill worker and long-time Democratic Party supporter. He said he does not know how to vote by mail and doesn’t know anyone who can give him a ride “Nobody is trying to keep anybody from voting,” said Haney, adding that officials would send a ballot to the home of anyone who needed it. He said the cut in polling sites from nine to four was designed to increase efficiency by closing low-turnout sites, saving about $20,000.

The November 8 election will be the first presidential contest since the Supreme Court ruled in 2013 that Georgia and all or parts of 14 other states with a history of racial discrimination no longer need federal approval for election law changes like polling place consolidations.

Since the court ruling, the Reuters survey found, more than two dozen local governments in eight of those states have implemented new cuts in polling places. Two thirds of those were met with public opposition.

Four of the states - Arizona, Georgia, Florida and North Carolina - could be election battlegrounds in the fight for the White House and control of the US Senate.

Impact can be disastrous

“This is part of the story of voting in the South,” said Willie Williams, a black small business owner from Daphne, Alabama, where polling stations were cut to two from five during last month’s municipal elections over the objections of black voters.

Williams, who still keeps his father’s receipt for his poll tax - the tax some blacks in the South had to pay to qualify to vote before civil rights laws in the 1960s eliminated it - says the reduction was “just another tool in the tool kit for shaving off minority votes.”

Daphne city officials denied any racial motivation, saying the changes were meant to improve safety and create better access and parking for voters.

Still, Isela Gutierrez, a research director at the liberal group Democracy North Carolina, says the effects of such cutbacks can be wide ranging. “The elections boards aren’t lying when they say some of these locations have low

turnout and it makes better administrative sense to close them - but the impact can be disastrous.”

Numerous academic studies have found people are less likely to vote the farther they must travel and the longer they must wait in line, which becomes more likely with fewer voting sites.

“Some of these changes individually may affect only a small number of voters, but in the aggregate across the country it will be a very large number of voters,” said Danielle Lang, voting rights counsel at the Campaign Legal Center, a Washington-based voting rights and campaign finance group.

The issue gained prominence in a March primary in Arizona’s Maricopa County, where more than 30% of residents are Hispanic. A decision to slash polling places left voters in lines for up to five hours.

Republican county officials said they misjudged turnout.

Consolidations

Georgia has been an epicentre for efforts to reduce polling places since the Supreme Court decision.

And in that state, which has not backed a Democrat in a presidential election since 1992, polls show Republican Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton in a close battle for the presidency that could be decided by turnout of minority voters.

“If you want to restrict voter

turnout in minority and disadvantaged communities, a good way is to move a polling place somewhere they can’t get to,” said Stacey Abrams, Democratic leader in the Georgia state legislature.

Hans von Spakovsky, a senior legal fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation, said race was being unfairly inserted into the debate on polling place changes.

“It’s election officials making adjustments based on the changing ways people are voting,” he said.

A Reuters analysis, using voter registration lists for 2012 and 2016, found at least two Georgia counties where the changes disproportionately affect blacks.

A consolidation plan in Macon-Bibb County closed six polling places in black-majority neighbourhoods, and only two in white majority areas. McDuffie County’s decision to eliminate three polling places means two-thirds of the county’s black voters, and onethird of its white voters, will now vote in one location.

Other changes have had little impact on minority voters. In Georgia’s Lumpkin County, for example, where blacks are just 2 percent of the population, officials consolidated seven polling locations into one to make the county compliant with federal disability laws.

Voting rights groups in several states have tried to form patchwork networks to track the changes, which are not well publicized, and then fight back where necessary with threats of lawsuits, petition drives or complaints to federal officials.

In Upson County, Haney said, the elections board dropped a proposal to close a polling site in heavily black Salem, a sparsely populated rural area, after residents pointed out the hardship of travelling an extra 16km or more.

But the Lincoln Park site, which had just 230 voters cast a ballot in person on Election Day 2012, was more easily combined with a polling place in the centre of the nearby town of Thomaston, he said.

Kay King, the only African-American member of the elections board in Upson County and the only one to vote against the voting site closures, said she knew it meant some Lincoln Park residents would not be able to vote.

“They walk to the store, they walk to church - when you don’t have transportation to get to something like this, it makes you not want to do it, you just throw your hands up,” she said. l

9

DT

World

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2016

Kashmir MP quits India parliament to protest brutal policy n Tribune International Desk Pro-India Kashmiri lawmaker and leader of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Tariq Karra tendered his resignation from India’s parliament and his party on Thursday, after accusing the PDP of being a collaborator of Rashtriya Swayam-

sevak Sangh (RSS). ‘’The PDP has become a collaborator for fascist RSS governed BJP,” Karra told reporters.

Karra, one of the founding members of PDP, who got elected to the Lok Sabha in 2014 and was a close aide of the late Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed.

He is known as a prominent pro-India Kashmiri politician, who had always opposed the idea of a PDP-BJP alliance and even made his reservations known earlier also.

The resignation comes as the Kashmir Valley is battling months of the deadliest insurgency it has suffered in six years. Over 80 people

An Indian policeman fires a teargas shell towards demonstrators during a protest against the recent killings in Kashmir, in Srinagar on September 13 REUTERS

Pakistan rejects Indian claims of restraint in India-held Kashmir n Tribune International Desk The Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations in Geneva, Ambassador Tehmina Janjua, on Wednesday welcomed the remarks by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights regarding excessive use of force by Indian security forces in India-held Kashmir (IHK).

“Pakistan supported the position of the High Commissioner that an OHCHR team should visit India-occupied Kashmir to independently and impartially investigate the grave violations being perpetrated by Indian occupation forces over the past two months,” said Janjua.

She added the visit by the UN team would help address the culture of impunity which is prevalent in IHK. Ambassador Janjua said claims of restraint shown by India are simply preposterous.

“Jammu and Kashmir is an international issue recognised as such by a number of UNSC resolutions,” the permanent representative told the Human Rights Commission.

No agreement with India for using Pakistani land routes

The Foreign Office (FO) said that there is no agreement with India for using Pakistan’s land routes for supplies to Afghanistan.

The statement by the FO was a response to Indian Foreign Secretary’s statement regarding the Indian request for supply of wheat to Afghanistan through Pakistani territory.

The spokesperson added the request was made days before the extra-judicial killing of Burhan Wani.

“Instead of using the excuse of no response from Pakistan, India could have sent the supplies by open routes and it would have reached Afghanistan by now,” stated Zakaria.

The FO spokesperson elaborated that India has unleashed atrocities and by now has killed over 100 Kashmiris, blinded, either completely or partially, more than 700 Kashmiri youth.

Uptick in violence

In the worst civilian violence to hit the restive region of Indian-held Kashmir since 2010, at least 90 Kashmiri civilians have been killed and thousands more injured in Indian-held Kashmir in clashes with security forces after the killing of a prominent Kashmiri separatist leader Burhan Wani, in a military operation on July 8.

Wani, a 22-year-old commander of Kashmir’s largest pro-independence militant group Hizbul Mujahideen (HM), was killed along with two other separatists during a gun battle with Indian government forces.

Wani joined the HM group at the age of just 15, and was viewed as a hero by many in Kashmir. The state’s former chief minister Omar Abdullah tweeted after his death that he had become the “new icon of Kashmir’s disaffected”.

Witnesses said tens of thousands attended his funeral despite a curfew imposed by Indian authorities, chanting independence slogans.

Indian government troops in IHK have reportedly fired live ammunition, and used pellet guns and tear gas to control anti-government protesters.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called an emergency meeting to discuss escalating violence in India-held Kashmir amid anti-India protests.

Pakistan’s Foreign Office has also condemned the violence in Indian-held Kashmir.

Kashmir has been divided between rivals India and Pakistan since 1947, but both claim the territory in its entirety.

Violence had sharply declined in recent years following a major crackdown by the hundreds of thousands of Indian forces deployed in the region.

But a recent uptick in militant attacks has galvanised frustrated young Kashmiris, majority of whom deeply resent the Indian military’s presence. l

[This is an excerpt of a The Dawn article, which can be found at http://bit.ly/2d3hIyV]

have been killed and thousands injured in clashes with security forces.

The mass closure of mosques in Kashmir hampered the festival of Eid al-Adha this week.

“For the first time in history, the people of Kashmir were not allowed to offer Eid prayers. Certain shrines and even the Grand

Mosque were locked,’’ Karra told reporters on Thursday.

“Kashmiri blood is being spilled on the walls, lanes and drains of the valley,” he added.

The demonstrations were sparked by the killing of a popular militant leader, Burhan Wani, 22, in a gunfight with the army. l

DT

10

Kids

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2016

Reader’s corner

Illustration: Bigstock

The Christmas Dinner part 2

n Nusaiba Zyen We sat down on the table excitedly while my Mum had served the food on the table. They were all covered in red and green lids. She lifted all of the lids and our mouths fell open.

“Wow! They look delicious!” we exclaimed.

“Indeed. Your Dad and I are great cooks!”

Mum said.

“The turkey looks very delicious,” Dad said.

“Now let’s start to eat!” said Mum. There was Christmas pudding, Albanian pie, strawberry custard and some milk and cookies and of course, the turkey, which looked the most delicious of all. We all started choosing our items. We tried a little bit of everything. The food was so delicious that we did not speak a word during the meal.

“Now, let’s put some milk and cookies in front of the chimney!” said Claire, before getting a tray from the kitchen, after she had finished eating.

I got the milk and cookies which I had kept on the tray carefully. “Now you two have to go

to bed now,” said Dad. “Okay, Dad. Goodnight Mum. Goodnight Dad. Merry Christmas Eve! Hahaha!” we laughed. “Hahaha! Goodnight children. Merry Christmas Eve to you two as well,” Said Mum and Dad. We walked upstairs waving at Mum and Dad then brushed our teeth.

Then we headed to our bedroom and changed into our pyjamas. Claire had switched the light off and we both tucked up into our bed with our little teddy-bears. “Goodnight, Claire,” I said.

“Goodnight, Catherine,” said Claire. “I hope we get our presents tomorrow,” I said. “We sure will,” Said Claire. Then we closed our eyes. l

Do you want to share your stories with us? Email them to featuresdt@gmail. com under the subject “Kids”

colour it

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2016

cartoon

Baaaa-aaaa!

video game

SUPER MARIO GALAXY To the stars and more!

We have seen all kinds of superheroes, from Batman to Superman to the Hulk and more, but it’s not every day we see a domestic animal such as a sheep about to save its farm. Meet Sheep, our hero, an average farm animal in the Big City. He’s up against General Specific- the villain who wants to use Sheep to make a Sheep Powered Ray Gun. Sheep, along with his love Swanky the Poodle gets ready to fight General Specific. The silly humour makes it fun to watch; the show also portrays expressions and phrases in a literal meaning. The show is being aired in Cartoon Network but you can also buy the DVDs if you want to have fun with Sheep and become a part of his adventure!.l

If you are an avid Mario fan , then Super Mario Galaxy is worth pining for. With deep , addictive plots and settings, this game surpasses all of Mario’s previous adventures. The game begins with Mario receiving a note from his beloved Peach , asking him to go to the castle for a gift. But before he can talk to the princess, the infamous Bowser and his son arrive in a fleet of airships and use a giant UFO to pluck the Princess’ castle right out of the ground and into space. Now it is Mario’s mission to travel off to the galaxy, collect power stars for his ship and fly off to the center of the universe to rescue the princess and set everything right again. The game play is absolutely crazy but in the right way. Each of the levels are filled with clever , sometimes dangerous traps and puzzles

for Mario to navigate, all following the laws of physics and gravity. With a moderate to a slightly high level of difficulty , this adventure might at first be a bit frustrating to new players but it provides the exact intelligent and tough workout expected from a Mario mission. In all , this game is a must play and a definite thrill for all Mario Bros out there. l

book review

music

Macedonian Gajda 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Gajda bags are generally of sheep or goat hides.

Different regions treat the hides in a different way. Simplest methods involve the usage of salt.

The animal skin is the wind bag, and occasionally you’ll see one with hooves or even a head still attached.

These instruments are most popular in countries like Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey The instrument consists of parts like: Blowpipe, Chanter, Stocks, Drone, bags which are each treated in a different manner.l

DT

11

Kids

Travelling through time

Author: Polly Shulman Genre: Science Fiction Age: 10-12 years

The Story

When Leo finds a six inch version of himself, along with a beautiful tiny girl in a small alien machine, he is shocked and amazed. After this mysterious object leaves, he searches for it, and arrives at the buzzing New York City. Here he meets Jaya, the life-size copy of the very girl he had seen with his mini version, in that machine.

Together they time travel to 1890s London, in their innocent search but very soon they stumble upon a villain, who demands the machine from them and threatens to destroy the whole world, if his demand is not met.

Any Good?

The Wells Bequest is filled with adventure, tension, humour and thrill to keep its readers hooked to each of its pages.

Portraying strong themes on bravery, determination and gaining self respect, this book is a great read and suggestion for all. l

DT

Editorial

12

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2016

INSIDE

Hillary Clinton is sinking in the polls The drip, drip poison of the email scandal is having a corrosive effect on Hillary’s trustworthiness, already historically low PAGE 13

A crisis we can’t ignore A dedicated de-radicalisation program will serve as a crucial alternative to the vastly overburdened and overused criminal justice system. Such programs have particular benefits in helping to prevent extremists from sharpening their criminal expertise while simultaneously stemming the radicalisation of other prisoners PAGE 14

BIGSTOCK

Make public health a priority

Stereotyping the enemy Why would Bollywood have the time to explain how the people who were originally accused of terrorism were ‘extremist left-wing revolutionaries and/or ultra-nationalists?’

PAGE 15

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.

D

octors have warned of the potential health hazards in Dhaka following Eid-ul-Azha. It is important to take note and make sure these risks are contained.

The hours-long waterlogging suffered by the inhabitants of Dhaka, which was mixed with the blood of sacrificed animas, is a veritable disease outbreak waiting to happen.

Though this is common every year, incessant rain during the ritual has left with the now infamous “rivers of blood.” Potential health risks associated with the phenomenon cannot be ignored.

This can lead to not just waterborne diseases, but also skin diseases for those who have come into contact with the liquid. Blood mixed with water is contaminated, and it would be advisable to ensure that a potential outbreak is prevented.

It is unfortunate that many Dhaka residents did not heed the letter of the law, and did not sacrifice their animals in the designated slaughterhouses. If they had done so, many health hazards could have been averted.

It is also regrettable that the slaughterhouses were below capacity, and were unable to meet with the demands of the city, unable to cater to the multitudes who reside and choose to sacrifice their animals here.

But the mayoral initiatives to clean up the city within 48 hours have been commendable, and we hope that such efficiency can be applied to containing the potential disease outbreak.

The health and safety of our citizens should be a priority, and authorities should work in conjunction with doctors and health professionals to keep the city clean and disease-free.

It is unfortunate that many Dhaka residents did not heed the letter of the law, and did not sacrifice their animals in the designated slaughterhouses. If they had done so, many health hazards could have been averted

DT

13

Opinion

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2016

LETTER FROM AMERICA

Hillary Clinton is sinking in the polls Are the Democrats left with a bad candidate?

Despite all of Trump’s outrageous remarks, Clinton seems to be the only one who’s affected

The drip, drip poison of the email scandal is having a corrosive effect on Hillary’s trustworthiness, already historically low

n Fakhruddin Ahmed

D

emocrats had hoped that after the Republican Party had nominated Donald Trump at their convention in Cleveland in July, the Republicans would be stuck with an unpopular nominee. More and more it now appears that it is the Democrats who are wondering if they are stuck with a flawed nominee.

After the Democratic Party Convention in Philadelphia in July, Hillary Clinton had opened up a double digit lead over Donald Trump nationwide. According to the best election prognosticator in America, Nate Silver, by August 14, Hillary Clinton had an 89% chance of winning the presidency.

All the swing states -Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida, Virginia, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Iowa, and Nevada -- were solidly in her column. Even states Clinton was not supposed to win -Arizona and Georgia -- had turned slightly blue (Democratic). The election seemed all but over.

Since August 14 though, it has been all downhill for Hillary Clinton.

Her attempt to run out the clock on Trump with 80 days to go before the election, backfired.

Trump did not give up. He fired his campaign manager, hired a new one, and a new campaign CEO who belongs to a fringe far right group.

To soften his image, Trump attempted to reach out to the Latinos, visited an AfricanAmerican church, and even made a quick trip to Mexico.

Trump is on television 24-hours a day. He has numerous surrogates omnipresent on TV, who defend every outrageous gaffe by Trump.

Hillary Clinton is conspicuous by her absence from TV, and has very few surrogates defending her.

Clinton’s email scandal is also taking a toll on her poll numbers.

As the secretary of state, Hillary Clinton had installed seven servers at home. What initially looked like taking work home, now appears as though Clinton attempted to make her home the State Department.

As the FBI Director James

Comey said in his harsh critique of Clinton, she was grossly negligent in handling classified material.

Astonishingly, Clinton claimed that as secretary of state, she did not know that a “C” on top of a letterhead meant “classified”!

The drip, drip poison of the email scandal is having a corrosive effect on Hillary’s trustworthiness, already historically low.

Donald Trump believes that no publicity is bad publicity.

Although his new team has managed to keep him on script most of the time, occasionally he does go off script, such as with his bromance with Vladimir Putin, a fellow strongman.

But, it does not seem to cost him. On the contrary, his omnipresence on TV has made him a “normal” candidate.

His calling illegal Mexican immigrants rapists, criminals, and drug dealers, proposing banning Muslims from America, manhandling African-American protesters at his rally, and his misogynistic history does not seem to matter anymore. Trump

REUTERS

has normalised the outrageous.

Trump is riding a wave of white identity politics, or more precisely, white nationalism. Browning of America is making it a diverse nation. One-third of the Americans are now non-white. To many working-class whites, “America is our country.”

They are not going to accept America’s demographic transformation without a fight!

The election of the first AfricanAmerican president, Barack Obama, was a reminder to them of how much power they had lost.

Starting with Richard Nixon’s “southern strategy” in 1968, Republican presidential candidates started sending subliminal messages -- raciallycoded dog whistles -- to workingclass whites, especially in the South.

Ronald Reagan kicked off his presidential campaign in 1980 from Philadelphia, Mississippi, where in 1964 three students -two Jewish, one black -- who were registering blacks to vote, were murdered by the Ku Klux Klan.

George H W Bush aired the infamous “Willie Horton Ad” in 1988, implying falsely that the Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis’s policies resulted in black criminals on furlough raping and murdering white women.

Donald Trump has tossed aside the dog whistles and done away with niceties. In 2011, Trump fathered the “Birther Movement”

which claimed that Barack Obama was born in Kenya, therefore, is not a legitimate president of the US. From the time he descended the stairs of Trump Tower in New York City in June 2015 to declare his candidacy for the presidency, Trump has used the language of the working-class whites to connect with them -- illegal Mexican immigrants are rapists, criminals, and drug dealers who must be deported back to Mexico; Muslims are terrorists who must be banned from America; the police must be empowered to deal with the violent blacks; women are bimbos who must be kept in their place etc.

Trump’s popularity shot up to near 40% immediately after he declared his candidacy, and has remained there ever since.

Currently 70 years and three months old, Trump will be the oldest American president if elected in November. Hillary Clinton is one year and four months younger. Yet, while Trump seems indefatigable, Hillary Clinton’s health is now becoming an issue.

She momentarily lost consciousness, fell, bumped her head, and spent some time in the hospital near the end of her tenure as the secretary of state.

Last week, suffering from pneumonia, she had to leave the 9/11 memorial in New York, and was seen to be collapsing as she entered her limousine.

Her stamina and her ability to match Donald Trump’s efforts on the campaign trail will be a decisive factor in who wins in November.

According to Nate Silver, as of writing this piece, Hillary Clinton’s national lead over Trump has shrunk to 1.8%, and she now has 61% chance of winning in November.

However, Florida, Ohio, North Carolina, and Iowa have now moved into the red (Republican) column.

Good candidates win elections; bad candidates lose. Bill Clinton was a good candidate; Barack Obama was an excellent one. They are both two-term presidents.

Michael Dukakis (1988) and Al Gore (2000) were bad candidates.

Democrats are now wondering if Hillary Clinton is a good or a bad candidate. l Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed is a Rhodes Scholar.

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Long Form

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2016

A crisis we can’t ignore Recent events have galvanised the Muslim world against extremism. This is the concluding part of yesterday’s long form

n Atif Choudhury

I

n the aftermath of these attacks, a natural government response is to increase the power of, and boost spending for, the nation’s myriad security forces. Yet Bangladesh is already a heavily militarised and securitised state, complete with a liberal use of law enforcement authority.

It would be far more useful to craft specific solutions in the areas of security, political rehabilitation, civil society, and grassroots activism. Recommendations in all of these areas are detailed in The Comparative Jurist policy paper “Anti-terrorism and counterextremism in Bangladesh: From policy to grassroots activism.”

As the number of internal

We can overcome terrorism

DHAKA TRIBUNE

A dedicated de-radicalisation program will serve as a crucial alternative to the vastly overburdened and overused criminal justice system. Such programs have particular benefits in helping to prevent extremists from sharpening their criminal expertise while simultaneously stemming the radicalisation of other prisoners

armed conflicts in the Muslim world has increased over the past few decades, there has been a steady rise of extremism-inspired terrorism and militancy among segments of disaffected Muslim populations around the world.

The backgrounds of the Gulshan attackers continue to demonstrate that radicalisation can affect individuals of all educational levels and socio-economic backgrounds. In response, various Muslim countries have developed specialised programs for their citizens who have participated in activities involving terrorism and militancy, both within their borders and abroad. Likewise, various European countries dealt with its citizens returning from fighting in conflicts abroad.

The Saudi and Danish models

Most Muslim countries treat militancy and terrorism as crimes punishable by imprisonment or death, depending on the severity of the crime. Yet, several nations have also launched rehabilitation programs designed to “deprogram” select citizens from extremist ideology.

Indeed, while boasting some of the broadest and most

draconian anti-terrorism laws in the world, perhaps the most notable rehabilitation model is Saudi Arabia’s “Care Rehabilitation Center” (CRC).

Established in 2007, the CRC is located in a former resort complex outside Riyadh. The program’s two primary objectives include “changing perceptions and views” and “behaviour modification,” with the overall goal of creating an environment which “encourages detainees not to commit violence again.”

CRC features art therapy as well as religious and psychological counselling services in order to apply a “soft approach” in altering the hardline views of participants and their eventual re-integration to society.

The program features 205 “graduates,” but there are two major requirements: Participants must demonstrate a “willingness to change” and their activities cannot have resulted in injury or death of any Saudi nationals.

Saudi officials claim that the program is largely a success.

Participants include Saudi nationals accused of domestic or foreign terrorist-militant activities as well as released Guantanamo

prisoners.

Likewise, while most European countries punish citizens convicted of conducting militant and terrorist activities abroad with lengthy prison sentences, in 2007, Denmark launched its own rehabilitation program in Aarhus.

The program was initially designed to deal with right-wing soccer hooligans, but has now evolved to re-integrate Danish citizens returning from fighting in Syria.

Like the CRC in Saudi Arabia, the Danish program involves “counselling, help with readmission to school, meetings with parents, and other outreach efforts.” The program is a collaboration between police and welfare services.

A dedicated Bangladeshi counterextremism program

There are several potential legal and policy lessons that Bangladesh can learn from these rehabilitation models which will be crucial in conceptualising and implementing its own program.

While the exact contours of such a program will certainly require further analysis and input from specialised partner organisations and experts,

there are several foundational guidelines.

For instance, advisory panels of psychologists and other experts can help judges consider candidates for the program on a case-by-case basis, based on a number of aggravating and mitigating factors such as the nature and results of the activities they participated or attempted to participate in, the individual offender’s level of culpability, their socio-economic circumstances, the likelihood of danger they would pose to society, and demonstrations of remorse and willingness to reform.

The program may even be used to treat Bangladeshis who attempt to join or are former members of international terrorist groups like al-Qaeda and IS. A dedicated de-radicalisation program will serve as a crucial alternative to the vastly overburdened and overused criminal justice system.

Such programs have particular benefits in helping to prevent extremists from sharpening their criminal expertise while simultaneously stemming the radicalisation of other prisoners.

These programs also provide a substantial incentive to surrender, for both potential and active militants.

They also give concerned family members and friends a specialised avenue for referring troubled individuals without fear of their loved ones enduring strenuous interrogations, torture, or imprisonment.

In addition to the programs in Denmark and Saudi Arabia, there are additional programs in Algeria, Indonesia, and Malaysia.

The Bangladeshi government should carefully study and audit the programs to see which models (or which aspects from multiple models) would work best in a Bangladeshi context.

A manageable ailment

There are no silver-bullet solutions to the pestilence of violent extremism and political violence, and it can’t be accomplished overnight.

Indeed all of the recommendations featured here are intended to serve as a means of continuing a national dialogue, and it is the guidance of the experts on the ground which should be heeded.

Working towards enacting concrete solutions on both an institutional and grassroots level is the right step. Violent extremism and political violence are not insurmountable crises. South Asia has endured centuries of foreign subjugation, the horrors of Partition, and sectarian and ethnic carnage.

Muslim civilisation has overcome seven Crusades, Genghis Khan’s ravaging hordes, and the Bubonic Plague. The recent string of attacks in from Turkey to Malaysia -- and especially the attack in Mecca -- have galvanised the world against violent extremism in an unprecedented way.

We can and will overcome IS, alQaeda, and all of these anti-Muslim terrorists. l Atif Choudhury is a LLM candidate in Queen Mary University of London’s Public International Law program. This article is an adaptation of a policy paper published in William and Mary Law School’s The Comparative Jurist.

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15

Opinion

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2016

Stereotyping the enemy Do we really know terrorism as well as we think?

n Fardin Hasin

L

ast night, while scrolling through my TV to find something watchable, I came upon Sony Max airing Neerja. I knew the film had been received well both by critics and the audience. It was an inspiring and emotional tale of a 23-year old airline purser who was shot trying to save three American children. Neerja Bhanot was a hero who had the chance to save her own skin. Instead, she chose to help the passengers.

But there’s something that caught my eye -- the fact that the hijackers were all bearded and one of them was wearing a tupi and panjabi-pyjama. They looked more Indo-Aryan than Arab. The organisation they belonged to seemed to be similar to al-Qaeda.

It didn’t make sense.

In the 21st century, bearded alkhalla-wearing men storming a plane is somewhat believable; but the events shown in the film occurred in 1986. The Talibans were yet to take control of Afghanistan, 9/11 was 15 years away, and Osama bin Laden’s career was just getting started.

So who did these guys work for?

I turned to Google and Wikipedia.

I discovered that they were Palestinian Muslims employed by the Abu Nidal Organisation (ANO), created by the eponymous Abu Nidal, a Palestinian “patriotturned-psychopath” who splintered away from Fatah and PLO in 1974 because he thought they were softening up on Israel.

Far from being a Laden-influenced extremist with a warped sense of religiosity, Mr Nidal was an ultra-nationalist revolutionist who believed in violence.

He practically dedicated his whole life to it, having “ordered attacks in 20 countries, killing over 300 and injuring over 650” through his organisation.

None of his images depict him having a beard. There is more than one reference of his addiction to alcohol, and he was never in any way affiliated with any Islamist organisation. Abu Nidal believed in Arab nationalism and socialism, he was in the Iraqi Baath party for a while, and in various phases of his life, he was reported to have received patronage from countries such as Iraq, Libya, Kuwait, Egypt, and even USA. Safe to say: With all their evil, Gaddafi, Saddam, or Hosni Mobarak wouldn’t have backed Mr Nidal. He was even imprisoned in (and eventually expelled from)

Saudi Arabia for a short while and he didn’t seem to have any relations at all with the Pakistani ISI. So, there’s simply no reason as to why members of his organisation look like your garden variety religious zealots. Abu Nidal was a killer, but his ideology was derived from nationalism and socialism, or even socialism mixed with Muslim nationalism.

There is no evidence of him being influenced by dogmatic Islamism at all.

Even if we pursue the argument that the ANO did believe in religious fundamentalism and followers wanted to look accordingly, no statement by any survivors or any existing images of the hijackers who boarded the Pan Am flight indicate them having beards. There is also no explanation as to why Pakistani negotiators were addressing Palestinian hijackers in Urdu.

But we haven’t arrived yet at the last nail in the coffin. In the movie, there was a British individual, Rony Heston, who was singled out by the hijackers, tormented, threatened, and nearly killed. A little bit of research revealed this man to be Mike Thexton in real life, who wrote a book based on his traumatic experience, What Happened to the Hippy Man?, which far from being just a tension-filled account of a survivor, also contains a bit of humour.

The reason for that, as Mike revealed in an interview with the Telegraph, was because “there were so many parts of it (the hijacking) that were absurd,” though none of it felt funny to him at the time. He talked about the “absurdity of the piped music that provided the soundtrack to the hijacking,” the first message on the PA system sounding “surreal,” and a hijacker telling him (in English), “Oh, I am sorry for this. I do not like this fighting, this killing. I would like to go out dancing, go out drinking, go out with women.”

This is in sharp contrast to the movie, where the bearded terrorists just waved around guns, talked nervously amongst themselves in a foreign tongue and with the flight crew in Urdu (because even Palestinian terrorists know Urdu), spoke terrible English, tormented people mentally and physically, and killed mercilessly to prove their point. Yes, these terrorists were just as cruel in real life; they did kill 20 people, and to the blessing of the Almighty, were tried and

convicted for it. But were they the one-dimensional terror the movie made them out to be?

The only “Islamic” feel to the events in real life would be the real-life terrorists uttering “cries of ‘Jihad!’” before “they began shooting and throwing hand grenades into the crowd” gathered “in the middle of the plane.”

Several colleagues of Neerja who were working alongside her during the hijacking commented

Hollywood had its way with stereotyping Arabs and/or Muslims as terrorists. Why would Bollywood have the time to explain how the people who were originally accused of terrorism were ‘extremist left-wing revolutionaries and/ or ultra-nationalists?’

Films often provide a stereotypical version of terrorism saying that although Neerja was a wonderful person, it was actually the flight attendants “Astrid, Sherene, Sunshine, and Massey” who “in reality faced the ordeal,” and that the movie was pure fiction and portrayed the rest of the crew unfairly.

Nevertheless, Neerja didn’t do anything that hadn’t been done before. Hollywood had its way with stereotyping Arabs and/ or Muslims as terrorists. Why would Bollywood have the time to explain to the audience about how the people who were originally accused of terrorism were extremist left-wing revolutionaries and/or ultra-nationalists?

It seems to be that almost everyone has forgotten about the history of left-wing violence in the Muslim world. We Bangladeshis had sorboharas, Palestine had its fringe groups such as ANO, Pakistan saw “an attempted Soviet-backed coup d’état against the government of Liaquat Ali Khan, the first prime minister of Pakistan in 1951” (termed the Rawalpindi conspiracy), and the

whole Middle East experienced a Baathist reckoning in the 60s.

In many ways, the Taliban/ al-Qaeda/ISIS crowd simply borrowed the nationalistic narrative from their left-wing predecessors, infused it with puritanical takfirism, and amped up on the hypocritical selfrighteousness.

I mean, why do these people sacrifice their lives for ideals that are completely insane to the sound mind? Why do they commit these atrocities that would appear clearly wrong to another human being? What really drives them? Is it just religious self-righteousness?

A sadistic gratification off of killing the “infidels?”

We don’t fully know. We don’t know how these people think, how they process things, or how they see the world. It’s very easy to dehumanise what we can’t figure out; hence, in our movies, TV shows, and books, the terrorists are always so predictable. Whereas in real life, they are highly deceptive and complex characters.

In a recent interview with Al

Jazeera’s AJ+, Amaryllis Fox, a writer, peace activist, and former CIA clandestine service officer, said the discussion going on about “ISIS and the United States overseas” is “oversimplified.”

She said that the entire argument on all the sides was manufactured by a small group of people who make money off the war. The real solution to terrorism would be “to listen to them,” to have some inner reflection about foreign policies, and to stop seeing the enemies as just “sub-human psychopaths” who will always be coming at us.

Her words were directed at the Western world, but we have something to learn from it as well.

To understand why terrorists can sleep peacefully after shedding so much blood and killing so many innocent people, we need to understand their psychology, not just portray them as crazy gunwielding bearded men. Otherwise, in Amaryllis Fox’s words, “this never ends.” l Fardin Hasin is a freelance contributor.

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16 Sport

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2016

BFF plans big for U-16 girls

TOP STORIES

n Tribune Report Tigers brace for favourite format Bangladesh will start anew when they face Afghanistan in an ODI series later this month. The Tigers’ challenge will be to come back to form in 50-over cricket, which they last played in November, 2015, against Zimbabwe. PAGE 17

England Test captain Alastair Cook

Bayern train sights on Bavarian derby Bayern Munich turn their focus from their five-star Champions League opener to domestic duty and their bid to keep their perfect start to the season in a derby home to Ingolstadt today. PAGE 18

30 stitches for Australia’s Starc Australia’s leading fast bowler Mitchell Starc was in hospital yesterday following surgery on a leg wound which required 30 stitches. Starc suffered lacerations after colliding with training equipment on Thursday. PAGE 19

England ODI skipper Jos Buttler

Hameed, Batty, Ansari picked for Bangladesh tour n Reuters, London Teenaged opening batsman Haseeb Hameed was one of the three uncapped players named yesterday for England’s forthcoming tour to Bangladesh.

Surrey all-rounder Zafar Ansari and Northamptonshire batsman Ben Duckett are the others, while Ansari’s 38-year-old team mate Gareth Batty returns as one of the four spinners, 11 years after he was last selected for a Test.

Opener Alex Hales and oneday captain Eoin Morgan had decided not to tour Bangladesh over security concerns.

Most interest will now focus on whether Lancashire’s Hameed can succeed where Hales largely failed in solving the longstanding problem of an opening partner for captain Alastair Cook.

The 19-year-old has been prolific in county cricket this season, scoring more than 1,000 runs at an average of 52.

He would become one of the youngest players to appear for

England since the second world war.

“For someone so young, has had an impressive season,” said national selector James Whitaker.

“His four centuries, against some of the best bowling attacks in the country are testament to his outstanding temperament and attitude.

“Ben Duckett merits his callup to both squads after showing his qualities as an attacking batsman.

“His 220 not out for the England Lions in a 50-over game against Sri Lanka A earlier this summer was very special.”

Selecting four spinners for the Test matches will offer “plenty of options”, Whitaker added.

“Alongside Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid, we are excited about the qualities that Zafar Ansari and Gareth Batty bring to the squad.

“Zafar has great potential both with bat and ball and Gareth’s experience as one of the country’s best slow bowlers and his ability to be effective in subcontinent

conditions will be beneficial.”

Ansari was selected for the Test squad to tour Pakistan last year but had to withdraw with a thumb injury.

England play two Tests against Bangladesh next month, after three one-day internationals that begin on Oct 7.

Batsman Joe Root has been rested from the one-day squad.

Test squad

Alastair Cook (captain), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Zafar Ansari, Jonny Bairstow, Gary Ballance, Gareth Batty, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Ben Duckett, Steven Finn, Haseeb Hameed, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.

ODI squad

Jos Buttler (captain), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jake Ball, Sam Billings, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, James Vince, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood. l

United beaten but Saints enjoy win Manchester United went down to defeat in their opening Europa League group game on Thursday, while Premier League rivals Southampton won and Irish champions Dundalk claimed an impressive draw in the Netherlands. PAGE 20

(L-R) Newcomers Haseeb Hameed of Lancashire, Ben Duckett of Northamptonshire and Zafar Ansari of Surrey

Bangladesh Football Federation will provide monthly allowance, along with other facilities, and will start a year-long residential camp with the 23 members of the triumphant Bangladesh Under-16 girls football team.

The decisions came during the executive committee meeting at BFF House yesterday.

Golam Rabbani Choton will remain the head coach while Mahbubur Rahman Litu will be his deputy. BFF is also looking forward to improving the fitness and technical aspects of the girls team and will soon appoint a trainer who will work on their nutrition, among other things.

The U-16 girls will also have a goalkeeping coach and a female physiotherapist, according to BFF president Kazi Salahuddin.

As part of their preparation for the final round in Thailand, the girls in red and green are likely to play five-six practice matches against the likes of Japan, China and South Korea Bangladesh U-16 girls team became the unbeaten champions in the Asian Football Confederation Women’s 2017 Championship Qualifiers earlier this month, reaching the main round which will take place in Thailand in September next year.

Bangladesh joined hosts Thailand, Australia, South Korea, North Korea, Japan, Laos and China and the top three teams of this round will contest the Under-17 World Cup in Uruguay the following year.

As part of their preparation for the final round, the girls in red and green are likely to play five-six practice matches in Japan, China and South Korea.

Meanwhile, the BFF will also take care of the girls’ education aspect during the year-long camp and will provide teachers for English, Math, Bengali and General Studies following which they will be allowed to sit for their exam at their own registered schools.

The BFF will provide sport kits, along with regular clothing, for all the players during the camp.l

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Sport

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2016

Ballon d’Or returns home to France Football n AFP, Paris The Ballon d’Or deal between France football and FIFA has ended, the French publication and football’s governing body announced yesterday.

The coveted award will from now on return to its original home after France Football’s agreement with FIFA finished.

The next recipient will be determined by a vote of journalists - players (national team captains) and managers will no longer have a say.

“The contractual agreement between FIFA and France Football expired in January. We told France Football in early August that the contract would not be renewed,” the game’s governing body declared.

Argentina and Barcelona star Lionel Messi won the award for a record fifth time in 2015.

FIFA plans to continue its annual best player award to male and female players.

FIFA and France Football teamed up in 2010 since when only two players have been nominated for the title known as the FIFA Ballon d’Or - Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

The first Ballon d’Or was won by Stanley Matthews, at the time with Blackpool, who beat Alfredo Di Stefano for the inaugural title in 1956.

Up to 1994 only European players were eligible. From 2007 it honoured the world’s best player, with FIFA under former president Sepp Blatter entering into a deal with France Football in 2010 to merge the Ballon d’Or with FIFA’s best world player honour. l

This file photo dated June 16, 2015, shows the Bangladesh cricketers warming up during a training session in Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, ahead of the first of three ODIs against India MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

Tigers brace for favourite format n Minhaz Uddin Khan Bangladesh will start anew when they take on Afghanistan in a bilateral ODI series later this month at home.

The main challenge for the Tigers will be to come back to form in 50-over cricket, which they last played in November, 2015, against Zimbabwe at home.

Following a dream run last year which included series wins over Pakistan, India and South Africa, Bangladesh ended 2015 on a winning note, sweeping aside Zimbabwe 3-0 in the three-ODI series.

So with the arrival of the Afghans, Bangladesh will look to return back to winning ways in the three day-

night ODIs, all scheduled to be held in Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on September 25, 28 and October 1.

Till date, Bangladesh have faced Afghanistan twice in ODIs, winning one and losing the other. Afghanistan, who are still an ICC Associate member, humbled Bangladesh in the 2014 Asia Cup, winning by 32 runs in Fatullah. But since then, Bangladesh have come a long way in the 50-over format.

And it was evident in the groupstage match of the 2015 World Cup when the Tigers thrashed Afghanistan by 105 runs at Manuka Oval on their way to the quarter-finals for the first time in history.

The series against Afghanistan

can be the perfect platform for the Bangladesh think-tank before the ODI series against England, who are also scheduled to play two Test matches against the Tigers.

The 20-member preliminary pool for the Afghanistan series features young and uncapped cricketers like Bangladesh Under-19 captain Mehedi Hasan and middle-order batsman Mosaddek Hossian while experienced domestic campaigner Mosharraf Hossain was also included.

A positive outcome will be expected from the Afghanistan series which will herald Bangladesh’s start of a busy schedule ahead.

Following the home series’ against Afghanistan and England,

Bangladesh cricketers will get down to business in the fourth edition of the Bangladesh Premier League Twenty20, which precedes the tour of New Zealand.

After returning home, the Tigers will barely get the time to rest as they will fly off to India for the lone Test match in February next year.

The Tigers are also likely to visit Sri Lanka before heading off to Ireland in May for a 50-over tri-nation series against Ireland and New Zealand. They will then leave for England for the Champions Trophy.

Following the eight-nation tournament, Bangladesh will host Pakistan for a full series before flying off to Australia in what will be their first tour down under since 2008.l

Nadal floored by Delhi Morgan to lead England in India n belly in Cup opener AFP, Nottingham

n AFP, New Delhi Tennis star Rafael Nadal pulled out of Spain’s opening Davis Cup tie against India yesterday after being laid low by an upset stomach.

World number four Nadal was due to play India’s Ramkumar Ramanathan in the first singles rubber of the three-day contest being staged in the Indian capital. He will be replaced by teammate Feliciano Lopez.

“Rafael Nadal will not play the first game due to stomach infection,” an All India Tennis Association official told AFP. Spain’s David Ferrer, who is ranked 13th, is scheduled to play the second singles match of the day against Saketh Myneni. l

England selection chief James Whitaker expects Eoin Morgan to lead the one-day side in India even though he has opted out of the upcoming tour of Bangladesh on security grounds.

Morgan, England’s one-day international captain, and Alex Hales, who opened in both Test and limited overs cricket this season, informed the selectors before yesterday’s squad announcement they would not be touring Bangladesh.

Former Ireland batsman Morgan has won plaudits for overseeing an England revival in 50-over cricket following their embarrassing firstround exit at last year’s World Cup. “Eoin has done exceptionally well as captain,” national selector Whitaker told reporters at Trent

Bridge after announcing the squads for the Bangladesh tour.

“Over the last couple of years he’s established a really good leadership base. He’s down a marvellous job.

“It’s slightly disappointing that he’s turned this opportunity down, but we expect him to be captain in India.”

Whitaker, a former England batsman, added: “At the same time, we’ll review as we do after every series. And all I’ll say is, I expect him to be captain in India.”

The tour, which begins on September 30 and will include two Tests and three ODIs, had been called into question after an attack on a cafe in Dhaka in July which saw 20 hostages killed, including 18 foreigners.

However, the England and Wales Cricket Board gave the tour

the go-ahead after an inspection visit to Bangladesh led by team security chief Reg Dickason.

Michael Vaughan, a former England captain, was scathing about Morgan’s decision not to travel to Bangladesh.

“Morgan has made a huge mistake,” Vaughan wrote in his Daily Telegraph column on Monday.

“You tell (your team) to be strong so they can go the extra yard.

“I do not see how he can look them in the eye and ask them to do that in the future.”

But Jos Buttler, who earlier this week was appointed to lead the one-day side in Bangladesh, said he regarded himself as a standin skipper and that he expected Morgan to regain the captaincy for England’s three ODIs and three Twenty20s in India in January and February.l

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18

Sport

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2016

Barcelona trio expected to start at Leganes n Reuters, Barcelona

Barcelona attacking trio Luis Suarez, Neymar and Lionel Messi are set to start against their La Liga opponent Leganes

Striker Neymar believes Barcelona’s 7-0 demolition of Celtic on Tuesday shows how well the club’s three world-class forwards operate together and has set them up nicely for domestic challenges.

The Spanish champions meet promoted Leganes in La Liga today.

Against Celtic, Neymar, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez started together for the first time this season and combined to score six of Barcelona’s goals in their Champions League group opener.

Only Neymar started in Barcelona’s 2-1 defeat by Alaves last weekend, the club’s first loss at the Camp Nou since April 17.

Neymar, Suarez and Messi scored a total of 131 goals in all competitions when Barca retained the La Liga and King’s Cup trophies last season. Barcelona coach Luis Enrique understandably wants his renowned attacking trio playing from the start whenever possible this season.

Leganes were 2-1 losers at Sporting Gijon last weekend, their first defeat since gaining promotion to Spain’s top flight.

La Liga leaders Real Madrid have won all their games this season and are three points clear of Barcelona.

They play away to Espanyol tomorrow with Gareth Bale doubtful

after he sustained a knock on his hip during his team’s 2-1 home victory over Sporting Lisbon in their Champions League opener.

A last-gasp header from substitute Alvaro Morata handed Real victory on Wednesday.

Morata is expected to start against Espanyol in place of Karim Benzema, who earned his first start of the campaign in midweek but failed to shine against the Portuguese side.

LA LIGA Leganes Atletico Madrid Eibar Las Palmas

v v v v

Barcelona Sporting Gijon Sevilla Malaga

Espanyol, coached by former Real Madrid player Quique Sanchez Flores, have collected two points from their opening three games.

Atletico Madrid host Sporting Gijon today following a 1-0 win at PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League.

Saul Niguez scored for Atletico, who had won their first game of the season in a 4-0 triumph at Celta Vigo last Saturday.

Valencia have lost their opening three games and coach Pako Ayestaran is feeling the pressure ahead of tomorrow’s game at Athletic Bilbao.l

Bayern train sights on Man City eye home advantage Bavarian derby n AFP, London

n AFP, Berlin Bayern Munich turn their focus from their five-star Champions League opener to domestic duty and their bid to keep their perfect start to the season in a derby home to Ingolstadt today.

The reigning Bundesliga champions hammered Russian side Rostov 5-0 in Munich in their Group D opener to continue Carlo Ancelotti’s impressive start to life in Germany with five wins from five matches, 20 goals scored and none conceded.

Fellow Bavarian outfit Ingolstadt are 16th after two games, with one point, and rank outsiders to spring an upset.

Coach Markus Kauczinski insists his side won’t be overawed in the Allianz Arena, where they will be without French defender Romain Bregerie, who has been hit by a calf injury.

The match is the first of two at home for Bayern, who could be alone on top of the table by the end

of September - after Ingolstadt they host Hertha Berlin, the only other unbeaten team after two rounds.

Rising Bayern star Joshua Kimmich will be looking to continue his incredible run, having scored four goals in three matches.

BUNDESLIGA Bayern Munich Dortmund Hamburg Hoffenheim Frankfurt M’gladbach

v v v v v v

Ingolstadt Darmstadt Leipzig Wolfsburg Leverkusen Werder Bremen

The 21-year-old, who can play either midfield or defence, has scored his first goals for Germany, in the Bundesliga and in the Champions League, where he got a brace, in just 10 days.

Teammate Thomas Mueller, who also scored against Rostov, added: “I’ll have to stay hot on his heels until Saturday and make sure he keeps his feet on the ground. l

The Premier League season is only four games old, but ahead of today’s home game with Bournemouth, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City already appear the team to beat.

Last weekend’s impressive 2-1 derby win at Manchester United left City with the only 100 percent record in the division and they followed it up with a classy 4-0 Champions League victory over Borussia Moenchengladbach.

The Gladbach game was held back 24 hours due to a ferocious rainstorm on Tuesday, but Ilkay Gundogan, who made his debut in Wednesday’s rearranged fixture, does not believe it will have an adverse effect.

Sergio Aguero was City’s match-winner against Gladbach with a hat-trick - his second in the Champions League this season - but he is suspended for Bournemouth’s visit.

Kelechi Iheanacho, a goal-scoring replacement for Aguero against Gladbach, is expected to take the Argentine’s place at the tip of the

attack.

David Silva is due to miss out after sitting out the Gladbach game with an unspecified minor injury.

Eddie Howe’s Bournemouth registered their first win of the campaign last weekend by edging West Bromwich Albion 1-0.

Guardiola lost only four home league games in his three seasons at Bayern Munich and while Howe

EPL Everton Hull City Leicester City Man City West Brom

v v v v v

Middlesbrough Arsenal Burnley Bournemouth West Ham

is plotting how to outwit him, he freely admits how much he admires the Catalan’s work.

“I think they’re an outstanding team,” said the Bournemouth manager.

“When I watch them play, I enjoy it, and it’s rare for me to say that when I watch an opponent play.

They’ve been very impressive.”

Defending champions Leicester

City should have a spring in their step again when they welcome Burnley to the King Power Stadium today.

Claudio Ranieri’s men crashed 4-1 at Liverpool last weekend - the second defeat of their title defence - but made a memorable Champions League bow in mid-week by winning 3-0 at Belgian side Club Brugge.

“This has gone now. It’s been nice to enjoy it, but it’s gone now,” said Marc Albrighton.

“We’ll have a meeting about Burnley now and we’ve got to get our heads switched on to them. We’ll have no problem focusing on that.

“We know that’s our bread and butter. We need to concentrate on our league form and get some wins there and that’s where it matters.”

Arsenal, who visit Hull City today, will draw encouragement from having rescued a 1-1 draw from their mid-week trip to Paris Saint-Germain despite being outplayed for much of the game.

Everton, third in the table after Monday’s 3-0 win at Sunderland, welcome Middlesbrough to Goodison Park today.l

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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2016

Prof Hamidur Rahman CC fly off to Malaysia n Tribune Report

Kyrgios, Tomic give Aussies lead n AFP, Sydney

Professor Hamidur Rahman Cricket Club will tour Malaysia for an international club tournament in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The event, known as the Tun Ahmed Sarji Cup 2016, is a prestigious tournament hosted by Malay Cricket Association of Malaysia. The matches will be played at Bayuemas Oval and Kinrara Oval. Bangladesh along with India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Pakistan and Australia will take part in the tournament. The team will depart today and will face the hosts Malaysia in the opening match on Monday at Bayuemas Oval. l

DAY’S WATCH FOOTBALL STAR SPORTS 2

10:30 PM Bundesliga 2016/17 Monchengladbach v Werder Bremen

STAR SPORTS 4 8:00 PM Premier League 2016/17 Hull City v Arsenal 10: 20 PM Everton v Middlesbrough

STAR SPORTS SELECT HD 1 7:50 PM Premier League 2016/17 Manchester City v AFC Bournemouth

STAR SPORTS HD 4 7:16 PM Bundesliga 2016/17 Bayern Munich v Ingolstadt 04

TEN 1 5:30 PM Sky Bet EFL 2016/17 Cardiff City v Leeds Utd 8:00 PM Ipswich Town v Aston Villa

TEN 1 HD 8:50 PM French Ligue 1 2016/17 AS Monaco v Stade Rennais 11:50 PM Bordeaux V Angers

SONY SIX 5:00 PM La Liga Santander 2016/17 Leganes v FC Barcelona 8:00 PM Atletico Madrid v Sporting Gijon 10:30 PM Eibar v Sevilla 1:00 AM Las Palmas v Malaga

SONY ESPN 10:00 PM Serie A TIM 2016/17 Lazio v Pescara 12:30 AM Napoli v Bologna

TENNIS

7:00 PM Davis Cup 2016 World Group Semi Finals Doubles

Australia’s Bernard Tomic plays a return to Slovakia’s Jozef Kovalik (not pictured) during their Davis Cup World Group Play-off at Homebush Tennis Centre, Sydney, Australia yesterday REUTERS

Ceferin comes from nowhere to score UEFA top job n AFP, Ljubljana New UEFA boss Aleksander Ceferin has been a high profile lawyer and likes to take a risk but had no record in football until he took over Slovenia’s his football federation in 2011.

The 48-year-old has often appeared on Slovenian television speaking for high-profile defendants represented by his family law firm. The lean shaven-headed Ceferin said he has also crossed the Sahara five times, four in a car and once on a motorbike.

UEFA will be a new test of his taste for adventure and skills in keeping calm as it seeks to overcome the shock of losing ex-leader Michel Platini, implicated in FIFA’s corruption scandals, and facing challenges to its prized Champions League. Ceferin surprised people when he took over the presidency of Slovenia’s football association, the NZS, in 2011 and quickly joined FIFA’s disciplinary committee and UEFA’s legal committee.

He secured an overwhelming victory over Dutch rival Michael van Praag by 42 votes to 13 in Wednesday’s vote to head the world’s most important regional football confederation.

“People trust me,” he told a press conference when asked about his meteoric rise in recent months and his backers. “Nobody from behind the scenes can have 42 votes from all across Europe.”

Much of that support came from smaller European countries who feel football power increasingly concentrated in the hands of big clubs in England, Spain, Germany and Italy.

Besides reorganizing the NZS, Ceferin is also credited with bringing together the former Yugoslavi-

New UEFA boss Aleksander Ceferin an republics in 2015 to make them a football politics bloc.

“I was the first to bring to the same table the national associations of the former state (Yugoslavia), that we adopted a common positions and presented them to UEFA and by doing so improved our reputation within UEFA,” he told state television in a recent interview. Ceferin only emerged in international sports in June when he announced his bid to become UEFA president with the backing

of over a dozen European associations ranging from Russia to Scandinavian countries.

The football associations of Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland, with which he shares many ideas on reforming European football, urged him to run, he said.

“When that thing (scandal) happened to Michel Platini, the Scandinavians called me and told me ‘we believe you would be the perfect candidate for president’”, Ceferin told Ljubljana’s daily Delo.

“I’m little known in these circles so I have to introduce myself to each one of them,” Ceferin said recently.

“People want changes, they want a younger man with new ideas who has not been around since forever,” Ceferin added.

As a lawyer, he has cautiously abstained from criticising the handling of UEFA’s affairs but this month he lost his temper when a Norwegian paper accused him of being “the (FIFA) president’s man” in the race, an allegation he attributed to his main rival, the Dutch Michael van Praag.

“You can judge yourself who’s using the old methods. The one that meets football associations and presents them his programme to get their support or the one that invents stories to compromise the elections and desperately get at least some support,” Ceferin told Slovenian state media.l

Nick Kyrgios and Bernard Tomic claimed straight set victories to give Australia a commanding 2-0 lead over Slovakia after the opening day singles in the Davis Cup World Group playoff in Sydney yesterday.

The 15th-ranked Kyrgios shrugged off recent hip problems to whip through Andrej Martin 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 while the 21st-ranked Tomic completed a 7-6 (7/5), 6-4, 6-4 win over Jozef Kovalik.

Australia will stay in the premier World Group next year if they win one further match in the best-offive rubber at Sydney’s Olympic Tennis Centre.

Kyrgios was expected to have little trouble with the world No.127 Martin and cruised to victory in 1hr 40min to take his Davis Cup singles record to 4-3.

It came just over a week after he was forced to quit his third-round US Open match against Ukraine’s Illya Marchenko with a hip injury.l

30 stitches for Australia’s Starc after training mishap n AFP, Sydney Australia’s leading fast bowler Mitchell Starc was in hospital yesterday following surgery on a leg wound which required 30 stitches.

Starc, 26, suffered deep lacerations after colliding with training equipment on Thursday, Cricket Australia said.

Left-armer Starc, who was rested from Australia’s tour of South Africa later this month, is expected to have his left shin in a brace for up to three weeks to aid his recovery.

“There were no bone fractures or tendon damage to his leg and he underwent surgery to clean the wound and received approximately 30 stitches,” Cricket Australia Chief Medical Officer John Orchard said.

“He will remain in hospital for the next few days to minimise movement to his leg and will use an extension brace for the next two to three weeks until his stitches are removed.

“At this stage, barring any complications, we are hopeful he is on track to play at the start of the Australian summer.”

Australia will play South Africa in the first of a three-Test series, starting in Perth on November 3.

Starc, who had ankle surgery earlier this year, was Australia’s top performer with 24 wickets at 15.16 in the losing three-Test series in Sri Lanka last month. l

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Sport

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2016

RESULTS GROUP A Feyenoord

1-0

Man United

1-1

Fenerbahce

Vilhena 79

Zorya Luhansk Grechyshkin 52

Kjaer 90+5

GROUP B

0-1

BSC Young Boys

Olympiakos Cambiasso 42

2-1

APOEL

Astana

Vinicius 75, De Camargo 87

Maksimovic 45+1

GROUP C

1-1

FSV Mainz 05

Saint-Etienne

Bungert 57

Beric 88

3-1

Anderlecht

Qabala

Teodorczyk 14, Rafael 41-og, Capel 77

Dabo 20

GROUP D

1-1

AZ Alkmaar

Dundalk

Stijn Wuytens 61

Kilduff 89

3-4

Tel-Aviv

Zenit

Medunjanin 26, 70, Kjartansson 50

Manchester United’s Swedish forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic (L) takes a free kick against Feyenoord during their Europa League Group A match at De Kuip Stadium, Rotterdam, Netherlands on Thursday REUTERS

United beaten but Southampton enjoy Europa League win n AFP, Paris Manchester United went down to defeat in their opening Europa League group game on Thursday, while Premier League rivals Southampton won and Irish champions Dundalk claimed an impressive draw in the Netherlands.

Feyenoord sink United

Jose Mourinho’s reluctant return to the Europa League ended in embarrassment as Tonny Vilhena fired Feyenoord to a 1-0 win over Manchester United in their Group A opener in Rotterdam. Mourinho sent out a much-changed line-up that could not prevent United slipping to a second consecutive defeat after their painful loss to bitter rivals Manchester City in the Premier League. With only David de Gea, Paul Pogba and Eric Bailly retained from the side beaten by City, it was little surprise to see United deliver a disjointed performance. Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team had swept to the top of the Dutch league with five successive victories and they made their lethargic opponents pay when they got the only goal with 11 minutes left. Exposed down the right flank by Nicolai Jorgensen’s run that beat the offside trap, United’s defenders were noticeable by their absence when the unmarked Vilhena swept home from just inside the penalty area and the De Kuip arena exploded. United next host Zorya Luhansk, who drew 1-1 at home to Fenerbahce in Ukraine.

Austin stars for Saints

Claude Puel got his first victory as Southampton manager as the Premier League side eased to a 3-0 home victory over Sparta Prague at St Mary’s Stadium in Group K. The Frenchman was left fuming at the weekend when Southampton lost to a injury-time penalty at Arsenal. The boot was on the other foot this time when Costa was harshly adjudged to have handled the ball in the box when it struck his hand. Charlie Austin tucked away the spot-kick after just five minutes and then the striker headed in from a delicious outside-of-the boot cross from Cuco Martina to give the Saints a 2-0 halftime lead. Substitute Jay Rodriguez stabbed home in injury time to seal a comfortable night’s work.

Dundalk produce more heroics

Manchester United may have lost in the Netherlands, but Irish champions Dundalk came away with a 1-1 draw from their trip to AZ Alkmaar. They looked to be heading for a defeat at the AFAS Stadion after Stijn Wuytens bravely headed AZ into a 61st-minute lead. Wuytens took a punch in the face from Dundalk goalkeeper Gary Rogers as he attacked the ball and needed lengthy treatment before being taken off. There looked to be no way back for Dundalk after captain Stephen O’Donnell was sent off for a second yellow, but substitute Ciaran Kilduff netted the equaliser with a minute to go in their Group D opener. It was a fine result for Stephen Kenny’s side, who lost to

Legia Warsaw in the Champions League play-offs. Next up for them is a meeting with Maccabi Tel-Aviv in Dublin.

Zenit’s stunning comeback

The performance of the night came in the other game in the group as former UEFA Cup winners Zenit St Petersburg stormed back from three goals down with less than a quarter of an hour remaining to beat Maccabi Tel-Aviv 4-3 in Israel.

The hosts had appeared to be on easy street as two goals by Haris Medunjanin either side of a Vidar Orn Kjartansson header had them 3-0 in front. But Russian international Alexander Kokorin pulled one back on 77 minutes before Eli Dasa was red-carded for Maccabi. Substitute Mauricio further reduced the deficit and Giuliano equalised on 86 minutes, leaving plenty of time for the Montenegrin Luka Djordjevic to score the winner in injury time with a diving header.

Dream start for Sassuolo

Southampton’s English striker Charlie Austin celebrates scoring their second goal against Sparta Prague at St Mary’s Stadium in Southampton AFP

While Inter Milan were beaten at home by Hapoel Be’er Sheva and both Roma and Fiorentina drew on the road, it was a great night for another Italian side. Sassuolo started their Group F campaign with a 3-0 home win against Athletic Bilbao. Teenage Pol Lirola put Sassuolo ahead on the hour mark and they did not look back, Gregoire Defrel making it two on 75 minutes before Matteo Politano sealed the win.l

Kokorin 77, Mauricio 84, Giuliano 86, Djordjevic 90+2

GROUP E

2-3

Astra Giurgiu

Austria Vienna

Alibec 18, Sapunaru 74

Holzhauser 16-P, Friesenbichler 33, Alexander Gruenwald 58

Viktoria Plzen

1-1

Bakos 11

Roma Perotti 4-P

GROUP F

3-0

Sassuolo

Athletic Bilbao

Lirola 60, Defrel 75, Politano 82

3-2

Rapid Vienna

Genk

Schwab 51, Joelinton 59, Colley 60-og

Bailey 29, 90-P

GROUP G

1-2

Panathinaikos

Ajax

Berg 5

Traore 34, Riedewald 67

Standard Liege Dossevi 3

1-1

Celta Vigo

GROUP H

Rossi 13

0-1 Shakhtar Donetsk

Konyaspor

Ferreyra 76

Sporting Braga Andre Pinto 24

FC Salzburg

1-1

Gent Milicevic 6

GROUP I

0-1

FK Krasnodar Joaozinho 37

Nice

0-1

Schalke Baba Rahman 75

GROUP J Qarabag

2-2

Liberec

Michel 7, Sadygov 90+4

PAOK

Sykora 1, Baros 68

0-0

Fiorentina

GROUP K Inter Milan

0-2

Hapoel Be’er Miguel Vitor 54, Buzaglo 69

Southampton Austin 5-P, 27, Rodriguez 90+2

Osmanlispor

3-0

Sparta Prague

GROUP L

2-0

Steaua Bucharest

2-1

FC Zurich

Diabate 64-P, Umar 74

Villarreal

Pato 28, Jonathan dos Santos 45+1

Sadiku 2

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Country (6) 4 Illuminated (3) 7 Sky coloured (5) 8 Whole (6) 11 Weight (3) 12 Bound (4) 13 Observed (4) 15 Time in grammar (5) 16 Gem weight (5) 20 Greatest quantity (4) 23 Rational (4) 24 Gratuity (3) 25 Breaks out (6) 26 Angry (5) 27 Slippery catch (3) 28 Firm (6)

DOWN 1 Feeling of responsibility (5) 2 Passes away (7) 3 Consumes (4) 4 Old stringed instrument (4) 5 Metal (4) 6 Perfect score (3) 9 Born (3) 10 Make brown (3) 14 Effacement (7) 17 Sharp blow (3) 18 Insect (3) 19 Irritable (5) 20 Deep mud (4) 21 Gem (4) 22 English river (4) 24 Neckwear (3)

21

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Downtime

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2016

CODE-CRACKER How to solve: Each number in our CODE-CRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 2 represents H so fill H every time the figure 2 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

MONDAY’S SOLUTIONS CODE-CRACKER

CROSSWORD

DILBERT

SUDOKU

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Showtime

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2016

Singers turned actresses n Showtime Desk

Madonna There aren’t too many female artists who have had more influence visually than the “Material Girl” herself, whose mix of eye-popping fantasy and gritty urban realism videos continue to be a benchmark for a lot of musicians. Despite winning the award of Golden Globe’s Best Actress for 1996’s Evita, Madonna’s efforts in Hollywood has historically received mixed criticism from the audience. With heartfelt performances like that in A League of Their Own offset by the dreariness shown in Shanghai Surprise and Body of Evidence, we believe that the singer could have put in more effort in acting. Bonus points for Truth or Dare, though.

Beyoncé The voluptuous former frontwoman of Destiny’s Child, polarised critics with her performance in Austin Powers in Goldmember, Mike Myers’ third film and second inferior cash-in

paid Latin actress in film history.

Not bad for someone who got their start as a Fly Girl on In Living Color.

to Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. But there is no doubt that Beyoncé is best, understandably, in roles which combine both the art of music and acting, as we saw her in 2006’s Dreamgirls and 2008’s Cadillac Records. In the latter, which was a close-to-accurate account of the founding of pioneering blues and R&B label Chess Records, Knowles excels as legendary singer Etta James.

Jennifer Lopez It’s easy to mock JLo’s film career, given that two of her recent films Gigli and Jersey Girl are mere additions to her list of failures like Monster-in-Law, U-Turn and others. However, when she does shine, as she does with her performance in the hallucinogenic The Cell or opposite George Clooney in the beloved romantic thriller Out of Sight, JLo brings both empathy and power to her role. She’s currently the highest-

Palbasha’s EP released nShowtime Desk On September 11, Palbasha’s EP (Extended Play) Palbasha 1.1 was released from Mushroom Entertainment’s Banner ME Label worldwide. ME Label is the distribution partner for her EP to be released on all international, Bangladeshi and Indian platforms digitally.

Also, a music video was officially released titled “Tolpar” on ME Label’s official YouTube channel.

The EP contains four songs. The songs are, “Katena” featuring Sajid

Sarker, “Shondeho” featuring PrithwiRaj, “Tolpar” featuring Raihan Firoz and “Shudhu Obhiman” featuring Rumman Chowdhury.

The cover art for the EP is designed by Aswar Rahman with an old picture of Palbasha’s mother.

Palbasha said, “She is the 1.1 version of us. So it makes sense. It’s about time I dedicate something to her in a legit manner.”

The EP is available for download and stream on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, Google Play, GP Music, Robi yonder, Saavn, YouTube and more. l

Deborah Harry The blond lead singer was a New York mainstay during the mid-1970s to early-1980s, as she established herself as a key figure of the then-burgeoning punk and New Wave scene. Starting in 1976, the singer would pop up in whatever projects her friends were working on during the time, including the quasifictional downtown New York classic, Downtown 81, which was shot in 1981 but released in 2001. Harry’s acting career

went mainstream in David Cronenberg’s Videodrome, where the singer portrays a sadomasochistic psychiatrist to scummy TV network president James Woods. These days, most of her acting comes from documentaries made to reminisce the glory days.

Jessica Simpson Another beautiful blonde singer to have graced the silver screen is Jessica Simpson who rose to fame with her debut single “I wanna love you for ever” which was among the Top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100.

However, much like others in the list, Simpson failed to establish herself as a credible actress despite performances in movies like The Dukes of Hazzard, Employee of the Month and other cameos in various flicks.

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey was one singer cum actress who received her first award right after her second film and also a Razzie for the Worst Actress for her efforts in 2001’s Glitter, which scored a mere seven percent critic-approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. There was only one way to go from there.

After roles in a few direct-tovideo and little-seen films, Carey made news for her performance as a social worker in 2009’s Precious. Dressed down, cleavage hidden and a faint moustache (which may well have been grown), Carey’s subtle and strong portrayal of the role juxtaposed her “Look at me!” persona, which the singer had previously displayed for almost 16 years. l

WHAT TO WATCH Cinderella (2015) Star Movies 4:19pm When her father unexpectedly passes away, young Ella finds herself at the mercy of her cruel stepmother and her scheming step-sisters. Never one to give up hope, Ella’s fortunes begin to change after meeting a dashing stranger.

Cast: Lily James, Cate Blanchett, Richard Madden Kung Fu Panda HBO 9:30pm The Dragon Warrior has to clash against the savage Tai Lung as China’s fate hangs in the balance: However, the Dragon Warrior mantle is supposedly mistaken to be bestowed upon an obese panda who is a tyro in martial arts.

Cast: Jack Black, Ian McShane, Angelina Jolie

Snitch WB 7:04pm A father goes undercover for the DEA in order to free his son, who was imprisoned after being set up in drug deal.

Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Susan Sarandon, Jon Bernthal

Bad Boys II Zee Studio 9:30pm Two loose-cannon narcotics cops investigate the flow of Ecstasy into Florida.

Cast: Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Gabrielle Union Man of Steel Movies Now 9:30pm Clark Kent, one of the last of an extinguished race disguised as an unremarkable human, is forced to reveal his identity when Earth is invaded by an army of survivors who threaten to bring the planet to the brink of destruction.

Cast: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon l

Selim’s jeolousy

This Eid, veteran actor Shahiduzzaman Selim, starred in a telefilm titled Jealous. The film started off with two men, a poet and a rhymester, campaigning to get elected as the chairman of their local library. But little did they know, their kids were in love and equally worried about their fathers losing the election. This made things harder for them in a way; given their families don’t like each other.

To continue their relationship, they come up

with a plan to involve another person, who can run and win the election instead. The person who was approached turns out to be a seasoned politician who has never won an election because of hilarious circumstances. And after seeing the possibilities of winning, the man is determined to run but his family members raise objections. Comic situations placed throughout the film lead to a solid piece of entertainment.

Filled with sharp acting and smart gags, the 45 minutes long telefilm was an enjoyable treat.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2016

Paloma: not a baby any more Her mother, veteran actress, Poonam Dhillon entered the glamour world at a tender age of 16 after winning the title of Miss India. She debuted in Bollywood with her film Trishul. Poonam later married producer Ashok Thakeria in the year 1988 but they were separated in 1997. The couple has two kids, daughter Paloma and son Anmol. After a long break, she recently appeared in a TV serial.

Nowadays, she is a regular at fashion shows and other media parties. According to members of the fraternity, Poonam is still one of the great Indian beauties who seem to age like wine.

Bearing a striking resemblance to her mother Poonam, Paloma looks completely ready to enter Bollywood. l

A review of NTV’s telefilm Jealous

n Rayan Quddus

23

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Showtime

And even though it appears to be a light-hearted telefilm, it is actually a satire of political psychology. It caricatures how politicians can try to deceive their opponents and voters with false claims. The second act where the “star-crossed” lovers, execute their plan also shows how people can go to lengths to do things for their own good.

This doesn’t mean the people are bad, it simply shows how people are so different; no one is bad, it’s just a matter of perspective.

The climax was more or less predictable, but it was enjoyable because of its humour. And with the exception of the first five minutes, the story was very well paced. The plot and the performances are its stronger suits. Meanwhile, its camera work and editing deserves mild criticism. But overall, it was good. Currently, it is up on a verified YouTube channel of NTV Natok. You can watch it without the long advertisement breaks at your own leisure. l Rating: 3.5/5

n Showtime Desk After Navya Nanda and Jhanvi Kapoor, it is Paloma Dhillon who has been stealing the thunder on social media these days. Paloma, 21, is currently studying in Mumbai’s Jamnabai Narsee School and her Instagram posts are filled with fun and beautiful pictures of her having fun holidaying, partying and doing yoga.

South Park turns 20 n Showtime Desk South Park is without a doubt one of the most controversial as well as popular shows of all time.

The animated series has never shied away from commenting on relevant topics, from mocking religious figures to famous celebrities, it built a reputation of being a thought provoking comedy show.

The creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker met back when they were in college. They never thought of making a series that will become so popular. They just wanted to make sketches with fart jokes.

And now, here we are today, watching South Park’s 20th season. The show has polarised viewers for its vulgar content but received acclaim from critics an intellectuals, for its clever satires.

In fact there are some college courses in America about South Park and political commentary.

Last season, the show aired ten episodes with a linear narrative, unlike its earlier years. This season’s premier suggested that it would have a similar approach of its preceding year. The episode ended with a hook, but made some commentary on the upcoming hyped up US Presidential election,

addressing the candidates with hilariously vulgar words. It also makes fun of the “Colin Kaepernick not standing up for the national anthem” incident, vintage films which are getting reboots, and of course, a little bit of political correctness.

With everything happening in the world, and the show’s reputation of roasting pop culture, the upcoming episodes are something to look out for. l

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Back Page

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2016

HILLARY IS SINKING IN THE POLLS PAGE 13

HAMEED, BATTY, ANSARI PICKED FOR BANGLADESH TOUR PAGE 16

SINGERS TURNED ACTRESSES PAGE 22

Coffee from the Hill Tracts

Cultivation of coffee has gained popularity in the Chittagong Hill Tracts recently which has led many hilly people into producing coffee on small scale. Coffee has never been commercially produced in Bangladesh but now the scene is changing and the locally produced coffee has already earned a moniker – the Hill Tract Blend ABU BAKAR SIDDIQUE

n Abu Bakar Siddique Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute has been running a pilot project to promote coffee in the Khagrachhari for the last few years

When we wish to have a cup of coffee, many of us love to think about various flavours that are produced in Latin American, African or Indonesian blends. Despite the drink’s popularity, coffee was never commercially produced in Bangladesh, not until now.

The situation has been gradually changing in recent years as people living in the hilly areas have started producing coffee, though on small scale. The locally produced product has already earned a moniker – the Hill Tract Blend.

Fonkal Bawm is one of the farmers who has taken an interest in coffee plantation.

“I sold my first harvest of 80kg for Tk10,400 to a customer from Dhaka last year. I grew them on 25 trees,” he told the Dhaka Tribune

when this correspondent visited his plantation recently.

Inspired by the profit, this year, he has planted coffee seedlings on five acres of new land. It will take approximately four years for the newly planted coffee trees to bear fruit. There is typically one major harvest a year.

Coffee trees does not require separate land as they can be planted alongside other crops on the same plot.

Fonkal planted around 5,000 coffee trees in his five-acre orchard where he produces crops like papya and pineapple.

A number of indigenous communities have been living in the Chittagong Hill Tracts – Khagrachhari, Bandarbans and Rangamati – for a long time.

Among them, the Bawm community has long been growing cof-

fee at their homes since they drink it daily.

Commercial coffee production in the area got an unexpected boost when the “North End Coffee Roasters,” a popular coffee shop in Dhaka, started procuring coffee from the locals. The cafe introduced it as “Hill Tracts Blend,” an official of the North End said.

Apart from the Bawm, other indigenous communities have taken an interest in coffee plantation thanks to the patronisation of different non-government organisations including Arannayak Foundation and Moanoghar.

“We trained 51 Mro and Khumi families in Bandarban and gave them 15,300 seedlings this year to promote coffee cultivation,” Kirti Nishan Chakma, general secretary of Moanoghar, said.

“We hope the coffee trees will

bear fruits after four to five years.

We plan to buy coffee from them at fair price and introduce the product in markets at home and abroad,” he added.

Kirti said their efforts aim at ensuring socio-economic improvement of the hilly communities as well as setting up a secured marketplace for coffee producers in Bangladesh.

In addition, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute has been running a pilot project to promote coffee in the Khagrachhari for the last few years.

Department of Agriculture Extension Director General Md Hamidur Rahman told the Dhaka Tribune: “The government’s endeavour is still in the piloting phase. If we are successful, the government will promote coffee cultivation and its marketing in the hill tracts.” l

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