11 Oct, 216

SECOND EDITION

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016

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Ashwin 26, 1423, Muharram 9, 1438

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Regd No DA 6238, Vol 4, No 164

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www.dhakatribune.com

Recruiting women now new goal for terrorists Jamil Khan and n Mohammad Arifur Rahman Rabbi As law enforcement agencies continue their streak of successful raids, the new Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) seems to have resorted to new operational strategies.

The top leadership of the New JMB is now aiming to recruit more female members for the outfit in a bid to dodge law enforcers using security loopholes and manage its organisational activities, investigators said.

According to them, several female members have already joined the outfit but are not taking part in operational activities directly, rather participating in giving opinions.

Investigators disclosed these information based on primary interrogation of three female members of the outfit, who were arrested  PAGE 2 COLUMN 2

Four attacks have left three dead and one critically injured as a serial killer has been targeting landladies in Uttara.

The attacks have all taken place in Dakkhin Khan area.

Uttara police have been investigating the attacks after reports were filed.

Uttara Deputy Commissioner Bidhan Tripura said: “After analysing the crime scene, we suspect that all four attacks were carried out by the same person.

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ONE YEAR OF HUSSAINI DALAN BOMBING

Case trial awaits approval from govt n Kamrul Hasan

Police take three suspected female militants, who were arrested during Azimpur raid, to prison from Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court on Sunday. The court placed the suspects on remand for seven days DHAKA TRIBUNE

Serial killer posing as tenant on the prowl in Uttara, body count 3 n Mohammad Jamil Khan

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We think he may be suffering from mental illness.

“The serial killer might be targeting landladies for a reason.”

The issue became more prominent as CCTV footage went viral on social media and the people of Dakkhin Khan voicing their concerns.

From the CCTV footage, the suspect appears to be around 30-35 years old and dresses in a suit.

According to witnesses and police investigation, it appears

that the perpetrator goes around looking for apartments to rent.

Once an apartment with a ToLet sign found, it may be that he stakes it out to confirm whether there is a landlady or not.

The suspect tries to persuade the landlady for a private tour of the apartment and attacks when they are secluded.

From the wounds and witness testimony, it has been confirmed that he uses a machete.

Warnings were issued in the neighbourhood to create local  PAGE 2 COLUMN 2

The trial of last year’s bomb attack on a Tazia procession near the Hussaini Dalan in Dhaka has yet to begin, even though the case’s charge sheet was submitted at a Dhaka court nearly six months ago, claimed police.

The court is waiting for the approval of the government to begin the trial proceedings as the case was filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act 2009.

According to Article 40 (2) of the act, a court cannot take a case filed under the act under cognisance without the approval of the authority concerned in the government, sources told the Dhaka Tribune.

“We filed the charge sheet in late April, and on the same day we sent the documents to the Ministry of Home Affairs for its approval to  PAGE 2 COLUMN 2

Trump threatens Clinton with jail time n Reuters, St Louis Donald Trump, defiant amid a tide of criticism of his sexually aggressive remarks about women, said Hillary Clinton would go to jail if he were president and attacked her husband for his treatment of women in a vicious presidential debate less than a month before the US election.

The Sunday night debate, the second of three before the November 8 vote, was remarkable for the brutal nature of the exchanges between Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, and Clinton, his Democratic rival.

The New York businessman called Clinton a “devil” who repeatedly lies, someone with tremendous hate in her heart. The former secretary of state called Trump an abuser of women who is unfit for the White House.

There was a palpable sense of mutual contempt as they stood on stage, refusing to shake hands at the start. Moderators Anderson Cooper of CNN and Martha Raddatz of ABC both seemed at points to be grimly watching two trains collide.

Through it all, Trump, 70, and Clinton, 68, both landed punches  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

INSIDE Focus on small farmers for food security

ActionAid International’s Chief Executive Adriano Campolina speaks to Dhaka Tribune about industrial wages, agricultural policy and more.  PAGE 5

Domestic garbage hits human life

People of Habiganj municipality are suffering due to serious environmental pollution, as garbage has piled up near the Stadium and Brindaban Government College.  PAGE 6

UK, Finnish economists win the Nobel

British-born Oliver Hart and Finlandborn Bengt Holmstrom win the 2016 Nobel Economics Prize for their contributions to contract theory.  PAGE 32

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016

Myanmar mobilises troops near Bangladesh boarder n Tribune Desk

Myanmar has stepped up security in a Muslim-majority region near its border with Bangladesh, officials said on Monday, as authorities hunt for attackers who killed at least nine police officers.

Officials believe that members of the Muslim Rohingya ethnic minority launched three separate attacks in the early hours of Sunday, in which dozens of weapons and more than 10,000 rounds of ammunition were seized from border police.

Nine policemen were killed, one was missing and 5 were wounded.

Eight attackers were killed and two captured, police said. The Rohingya, who are mostly stateless and are subject to severe restrictions on their movements, make up the majority of the population in the northern part of Rakhine State.

Authorities in the township of Maungdaw on Sunday announced the extension of an existing order banning gatherings of five or more people and imposing a 7pm to 6am curfew.

State media said the military, known as the Tatmadaw had moved troops into the area by helicopter. Photographs on social media showed trucks full of infantry purportedly being deployed in the area. No detailed information has been released about the operation in the area near a border guard office at Kyiganbyin village, where as many as 90 assailants seized weapons and fled into the hills.

“The Tatmadaw, the police force and the Ministry of Border Affairs are working together to ensure security and restore law and order,” said Min Aung, a minister in the Rakhine State government, who declined to disclose the size of the force sent to the area. l

Trump threatens as they clashed over taxes, healthcare, US policy in the Syria civil war and Clinton’s comments that half of Trump’s supporters belonged in a “basket of deplorables.”

Trump took the stage in St Louis, Missouri, at the most perilous time of his 16-month-old candidacy.

He gave a more disciplined performance than at the first debate two weeks ago, but left Republicans torn over whether to publicly abandon a badly wounded candidate who is endangering closely contested congressional races, or to stand behind him in the dimming hope he can still win them the White House. l

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Recruiting women now new goal for terrorists during the September 10 raid on a militant den in Azimpur.

The arrestees are JMB leader Tanvir Qadri alias Abdul Karim’s wife Abedatul Fatema alias Khadiza, 35; Gulshan attack coordinator Nurul Islam Marjan’s wife Afrin alias Priyoti, 25; and New JMB leader Basahruzzaman alias Chajlet’s wife Shaila Afrin, 23.

The female members are now on a seven-day police remand, which started yesterday, under the custody of DMP’s Commissioner of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit.

When asked about security loopholes, sources said that the frequency of checking women is not the same as men. Unless a woman looks suspicious, police do not check them thoroughly, they said adding that militants were now using females mainly to pass operational details.

CTTC unit Additional Deputy Commissioner Sanowar Hossain agreed with the findings and told the Dhaka Tribune that they had found some evidence that the female unit of New JMB is on the verge of taking organisational form.

“However, the [female] unit is

in its primary stage as the members are yet to join operational activities,” added Sanowar, who is investigating New JMB activities.

He said: “The CTTC is now trying to make a database of these female members and drives are underway to arrest them by tracing their location.”

All the female militants claimed that they had joined militant activities as their husbands had forced them Females forced and tricked to join New JMB

Meanwhile, during yesterday’s hearing on remand prayer in the court, Shaila, wife of Basharuzzaman, claimed that she was forced by her husband to join New JMB. “We were misled into carrying out militant activities and were provided with false information about the outfit, she further claimed.

“We have realised our misdeeds

and we apologise to the nation for it. We just want to go back to a normal life,” Shaila said in the court.

On this issue, sources said that the New JMB has recruited several female university students after trapping them in love affairs and marrying them. Later, the females were forced into militant activities, they said.

A high official of the CTTC unit, requesting anonymity, told the Dhaka Tribune that Jebunnahar alias Shila is presently leading a section of the female unit of the New JMB. Shila is the wife of Major (retd) Jahid alias Murad, who was killed in CTTC’s Roopnagar drive on September 2.

“Even after her husband’s death, she is collecting female members for the outfit,” the official said.

ADC Sanowar said: “We are conducting drives in different suspected militant dens to arrest her but we are yet to have success.

“As we have to maintain certain procedures and manual systems to conduct drives, it is taking us longer to trace their location and arrest them.”

In some cases, the whole family is found to be involved with mili-

tant activities. One such example was found in the case of New JMB operational wing leader Faridul Islam alias Akash, who was killed in a drive in Patartek den in Gazipur on Saturday.

Akash’s mother Fulera Khatun, 45, sister Shakila Khatun, 18, and Salma Khatun, 16, were all found involved with JMB activities. They are now in police custody.

Before this, on July 4, police arrested one JMB female member named Rozina Begum from Kalihati of Tangail and based on her information, two others named Sazida Akther and Jannati alais Jemi were arrested.

In interrogation, all the female militants claimed that they had joined militant activities as their husbands had forced them.

Asked about the female militant members, CTTC chief Monirul Islam said they were working to trace the locations of the female members of the outfit.

Sources said that based on information, law enforcers on July 24 arrested female militants Nadira Tabassum Rani, Runa Begum, Habiba Akther Mishu and Rumana Akther Ruma from Uttarpara of Mashumpur of Sirajganj. l

Serial killer posing as tenant on the prowl in Uttara awareness. Authorities have asked locals to instruct their guards to be more vigilant.

Locals expressed their consternation yesterday as the perpetrator was yet to be caught.

“The sound of the doorbell has become a catalyst of fear for us.

We have even added metal grills in front of our main door so that we can identify the visitor first,” said Sangita Sarker, a landlady in Dakkhin Khan.

Four attacks in the span of three months

Investigations revealed that the first attack was on July 24. Sahida Begum, a resident of North Gawair of Dakkhin Khan was visited by a man who wanted to rent an apart-

ment. After discussions, he asked her to show him around the apartment. Her body was later found on the floor of the empty apartment.

It was thought to be a murder and robbery since the murderer had made off with her gold ornaments.

On August 21, Suraiya Akther, a landlady in East Mollartek, was killed in the exact same manner.

Another attack took place on August 31. The suspect tried to kill Jebunnesa Chowdhury, owner of a house in Dakkhin Azampur. She survived the attack and is now undergoing treatment. Both her eyes have been damaged in the attack.

The latest attack was on September 7 on Wahida Akther Shima, 48, of Danipara area of Gawair, Da-

kkhin Khan. Her husband Sohrab Hossain filed a murder case with Dakkhin Khan police station.

The case statement states that a flat on the sixth floor of the house was empty and a man sought to rent it. After initial discussions, Shima took him to show the flat around.

Shima’s body was later found by his family members who grew concerned after she had not returned.

She was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital immediately but the doctors declared her dead.

Uttara police are coordinating with members of the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit, Detective Branch (DB) and Rapid Action Battalion as they are also conducting shadow investiga-

tions. Law enforcement agencies suspect that the killer might have left the area since they have increased alertness.

Sheikh Rukunuzzaman, inspector (investigation) of Dakkhin Khan police station, said there were no CCTV cameras in any of the houses attacked.

“We have a CCTV footage from a building next door which is our lead. But the suspect’s face is not clear,” he said.

“We are attempting to draw a picture of the suspected killer taking help of the CCTV footage and information of witnesses and area of the people,” he added.

In 2009, another serial killer named Rashu Kha was arrested after he had killed 11 women. l

One year of Hussaini Dalan bombing begin the trial,” said Deputy Commissioner Masrukur Rahman of the Detective Branch of police.

Sub-Inspector Rakibul Hasan, general record officer at Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s (CMM) Court, told the Dhaka Tribune that the charge sheet could not be accepted at the court without the document carrying the government approval.

Deputy Commissioner Masruk said police had submitted the charge sheet within six months of the attack, and all the suspects had been arrested.

“Among the accused, three were killed in two gunfights with law enforcement in Dhaka. Ten other accused are in prison, five of whom have given confessional statement,” he told the Dhaka Tribune.

On October 24 last year, militants hurled hand-made bombs on a gathering of Shia Muslims in front of the 17th-Century Hussaini Dalan Imambara in Dhaka just before they were going to begin the annual Tazia procession. The attack killed two people and injured more than 60 people.

The Tazia procession is brought out by the Shia community in Dhaka every year on Ashura, which falls on Muharram 10 in the Islamic calendar and marks the death anniversary of Prophet Muhammad’s (SM) grandson Hussein, who was killed in the Battle of Karbala.

Masruk further said police had taken all security measures to make this year’s procession safe.

“Last year, we knew little about militant attacks and their style, but in the last one year we have learnt a lot and have prepared accordingly to make the procession safe,” he

told the Dhaka Tribune.

He said a three-tier security plan had been put in place, which includes dog squad, this year.

Mirza Firoz Hossain, superintendent of Hussaini Dalan Imambara, told the Dhaka Tribune that people brought out the procession hours after the attack last year, and they would bring out the procession this year as well.

He urged everyone, including members of the non-Shia communities, to come forward and make sure that the procession went peacefully. l

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016

Durga Puja ends today n UNB The five-day Durga Puja, the largest religious festival of Hindus in Bangladesh, will end today with the immersion of the idols of Goddess Durga.

Hindu devotees will also celebrate Bijoya Dashami to reaffirm peace and harmony among people.

The festival began on Friday through Maha Shashthi Puja, while the Maha Saptami Puja was held on Saturday, Maha Ashtami, Kumari Puja and Sandhi Puja on Sunday and Maha Nabami Puja yesterday.

According to Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad, Durga Puja is being celebrated in some 29,395 permanent and temporary puja mandaps across the country including 229 in the capital this year.

According to Hindu faith, Durga comes down to the Earth from the heaven to establish peace and harmony by annihilating evil forces.

President Abdul Hamid will host a reception at Bangabhaban at 11:30am today on the occasion. l

A Hindu woman offers her devotion at the altar of Goddess Durga during the Maha Nabami Puja at Kalabagan puja mandap in Dhaka yesterday

Nasim stuck in lift for 23 minutes at Bangladesh Secretariat

Health Minister Mohammad Nasim got stuck in a lift for over 20 minutes due to technical fault at Bangladesh secretariat Fire service men on Monday afternoon rescued him after prying open the door. The lift had been installed recently for the minister’s use only.

Information Officer of the ministry Parikshit Chowdhury confirmed the matter to Dhaka Tribune.

“The minister is okay now.”

However, Parikshit Chowdhury has blamed Public Works Ministry for installing the faulty lift. l

Gazipur

GAZIPUR RAID

Militant den’s caretaker, his wife detained Islam Akand, n Raihanul Gazipur

n Sohel Mamun

MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Police have detained the caretaker of the militant den at Patartek in Joydebpur, Gazipur and his wife to interrogate about the militants who used to live in the house before the Counterterrorism and Transnational Crimes (CTTC) unit of police raided it on Saturday.

The detainees are Osman Gani, 59, younger brother of the house owner, and his wife Salma Begum, 35, said Inspector Mominul Islam of Gazipur Special Branch of police yesterday.

“They have been on the run since the raid and were detained early today [yesterday]. They will be produced before court,” he told the Dhaka Tribune.

The building is owned by Osman’s brother Solaiman Miah, who lives in Saudi Arabia. In his absence, Osman, a former teacher of Jangalia Senior Fazil Madrasa in the district’s Kaliganj upazila, looked after the house and dealt

Tampaco factory rescue operation called off n Raihanul Islam Akand,

with the tenants.

The CTTC unit conducted a drive in the house on Saturday in which seven militants were killed. Police also recovered three small arms and locally-made sharp weapons from the house during the raid.

Dead bodies of 9 militants sent to Dhaka

The dead bodies of nine militants, who were killed in two separate anti-militant raids in Gazipur on Saturday, have been sent to Dhaka for post-mortem examination and identification, police said.

Three ambulances carrying the bodies started from Gazipur Shahid Tajuddin Ahmed Medical College around 4:45pm and reached Dhaka Medical College around 8:45pm yesterday.

Speaking to the Dhaka Tribune, Joydebpur police station OC Khandaker Rezaul Hasan Reza said the bodies would be stored at Dhaka Medical College morgue after the post-mortem examinations.

Seven of the militants were

killed during the CTTC raid in Patartek, while the other two were killed during a raid conducted by RAB in Harinal Paschimpara area.

Meanwhile, Dhaka Metropolitan Police has released the photos of Patartek militants on their Facebook page and urged people to help in identifying them.

Posted on Facebook on Sunday, the DMP message reads: “On October 8, 2016, seven militants were killed in a gunfight with police in Patartek, Gazipur.

“Based the information that we found during investigation and on the anti-militant raids, we know that the militants use different aliases in different places and times.

It is essential for us to find out their real identity for the sake of the investigation.

If anyone happens to know any of these militants, they are requested to forward the information to police via Gazipur police, the DMP Facebook page, or the Hello CT app.” l

Local administration has called off rescue operation at Tampaco Foils Limited factory in Tongi, Gazipur.

Gazipur Deputy Commissioner SM Alam made the formal announcement at a press briefing on Monday morning.

A total of 39 bodies have been recovered in the one-month operation after the tragic fire, said the official.

Moreover, some 36 people were given treatment in different hospitals and most of them returned home. Eight bodies have been kept at Dhaka Medical College mortuary and those will be handed over to families after DNA tests, he added.

“We are calling off the operation as rescuers and Army Dog Squad searched everywhere into the rubbles and found no more body.”

Later, the DC thanked all forces, organisations and volunteers who took part in the rescue operation.

A massive fire erupted at the Tampaco food and cigarette packaging factory after a huge explosion on September 10. The cause of the fire remains unknown. Gas supplier Titas Gas, in its report, claimed the gas leak did not trigger the fire.

It was Bangladesh’s worst industrial disaster since the 2013 Rana Plaza collapse that claimed the lives of over 1,100 readymade garment workers. l

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016

Cabinet okays draft bill to ensure quality of higher education n UNB The Cabinet yesterday approved the draft of “The Accreditation Council Bill, 2016,” aiming to ensure the quality of tertiary education, particularly the university one, in Bangladesh.

The approval was given at the regular weekly meeting of the Cabinet held at the Secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam said a 13 member council, as per the draft law, will be constituted headed by a chairman along with four fulltime and eight part-time members which will work for ensuring the quality of higher education.

Among the eight part-time members, Shafiul said one would be nominated by the University Grants Commission, one by the government having the status of joint secretary, president of the Association of the Private Universities in Bangladesh or a representative of the association, an expert of a reconsigned foreign accreditation agency and a representative of a related professional organisation to be nominated by the government.

Besides, an FBCCI entrepreneur, an educationist expert in educa-

tion administration and an ICT expert nominated by the government would also be the part-time members of the council, he added.

About the qualification of the chairman and members, the cabinet secretary said they must have 25 years of experience in teaching in public universities along with minimum 10 years of teaching experience as professors.

The cabinet secretary added that the council will also work to earn international recognition on accreditation through inter-state level discussions and mutual discussions with international organisations.

It will also arrange seminars, symposiums and necessary training, development and campaign programmes on accreditation.

The cabinet secretary said the cabinet endorsed the “Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA) Research Law, 2016” aiming to make the organisation more dynamic and time-befitting one.

Under the new law, he said, there will be an advisory council and a board of directors in the BINA. The council will guide the board of directors through giving advice time to time and policy support.

The agriculture minister will be the head of this advisory council while the agriculture secretary will be its vice-president, he said.

An open cylinder is seen inside an autorickshaw. Exposed cylinders like these often explode, causing deaths and injuries.

Photo taken from Dhaka’s Mohammadpur area.

MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

China announces Xi’s tri-nation visit n UNB Chinese Foreign Ministry yesterday officially announced the visit of its President Xi Jinping to Bangladesh, India and Cambodia.

The Chinese president is scheduled to arrive here on October 14. The visit is taking place three decades after Chinese President Li Xiannian visited Bangladesh in March 1986.

Tame elephant dies from electrocution Hussain, n Anwar Chittagong A domesticated male elephant, after running amok for an hour, died of electrocution in Kuaish area of Hathazari in Chittagong on Sunday evening.

a mahout came to the area from Kaptai around 7pm.

“But somehow, an elephant got separated from the group and triggered panic among locals when it went on an hour-long rampage, before falling into a ditch and dying.” the OC said.

‘The elephant might have been provoked as it is unlikely that a domesticated elephant will react in such a way’ According to locals, the elephant died when it came in contact with a live wire and fell into a nearby ditch.

Quoting locals, Officer-inCharge Belal Uddin Jahangir of Hathazari police station said that a group of three elephants accompanied with

“The elephant also destroyed some thatched houses in the area,” he added.

When contacted, Divisional Forest Officer SM Golam Mowla told the Dhaka Tribune that a three-member team had conducted a postmortem on the dead elephant.

“However, we are yet to receive the postmortem report. Primarily, it is being suspected that the 7-year-old male elephant died of electrocution,” he added.

“The elephant was buried at Kodala area of Rangunia upazila in Chittagong,” the forest officer said.

“The elephant might have been provoked as it is unlikely that a domesticated elephant will react in such a way,” said Dr AHM Raihan Sarkar, assistant professor of Chittagong University forestry and environmental sciences department.

Earlier on July 2, 2015, two elephants died from electrocution at Riverine Army Base in Kaptai of Rangamati. The 20-year-old male and 8-yearold female elephant died after their trunks came into contact with a live wire at the base. l

Announcing the visit, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lu Kang said President Xi will be paying State visit to Bangladesh at the invitation of his Bangladesh counterpart Abdul Hamid.

At the invitation of King Norodom Sihamoni of the Kingdom of Cambodia and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Xi Jinping will also pay State visits to Cambodia and attend the eighth

Brics Summit in Goa, India.

His three-nation visit will start from October 13 to 17, said the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson.

The Chinese president will have important talks with President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Both countries are now in discussions on a number of mega projects involving several billions dollars. l

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016

Focus on small farmers for food security ActionAid International’s Chief Executive Adriano Campolina speaks to DhakaTribune’s Shadma Malik and Adil Sakhawat about industrial wages, agricultural policy and more during his Dhaka visit know what happened? Exactly the opposite. So I am a staunch believer that better paid workers are better for the country.

ActionAid International’s Chief Executive Adriano Campolina, a Brazilian who has been involved in campaigns for land and food rights since his high school years, believes Bangladesh needs to have higher wages in order to have a more robust economy. As an agronomist who started his working life as a farmer, Adriano believes no amount of innovation can ensure food security, unless the main focus of policy is on small farmers.

In Bangladesh because of industrial development and climate change many people are migrating to cities. How do you view these types of migration?

What is your understanding of our garments industry?

Bangladesh is well known for its garments industry worldwide. It is true that we are seeing a bit of progress. But it’s time to collect ideas to make sure garments workers here get better wages, maternity leave, proper working hours.

Bangladesh has experienced many industrial accidents leading to death and injury of many workers.

What is your observation on the low wages for garments workers?

Unfortunately the garments sector is a race to the bottom. So many

ActionAid International’s Chief Executive Adriano Campolina players are trying to reduce costs in an aggressive way. What I understood by talking to workers here is that there has been some improvement when they are able to work together. At ActionAid, our position has always been that safety at workplace is fundamental, otherwise you face situations like Rana Plaza.

ADIL SAKHAWAT

workers and their rights. What is the situation?

When in Brazil we started organising the labour unions, one of the main things on our agenda was to make sure to increase minimum salary. At that time people would say, you are going to bankrupt the companies. They will not be able to pay a better salary and then there would be unemployment. You

You have been working a lot with

Bapex delays signing agreement with Chinese consortium n Aminur Rahman Rasel

Bapex delays signing agreement with a Chinese consortium for joint exploration of onshore gas over three major issues.

The reasons behind Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Limited (Bapex) delaying are unsatisfactory negotiations over profit sharing, disagreement over gas price and and the royalty amount to be paid to Chittagong Hill Tracts Regional Council.

“A delegation from China is scheduled to come this month for further discussions,” Bapex Managing Director Md Atiquzzaman told the Dhaka Tribune.

“We have already finalised a draft of joint venture agreement to sign a consortium of China-based Geo-Jade Petroleum Corporation, USA-based Longwoods Resources and Chinese Sinopec, these contracts need to be signed,” he added.

When asked about the Chittagong Hill Tracts Regional Council

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The food crisis in Thanchi where indigenous people have been facing starvation for decades what is the solution to these kinds of problems in your view?

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The Cabinet has approved the ICDDRB Act, 2016 at its meeting at the Secretariat in Dhaka on Monday afternoon.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina presided over the meeting.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Cabinet Secretary Shafiul Alam confirmed the approval in principal.

“ICDDRB will be led by a board of trustees with 12-17 members.

Four government representatives

Khulna

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Do you think the actions of development partners has a significant impact?

What ActionAid does is work with the poor and the communities. I believe that the state has a very important role to play but that role will be played correctly only if the communities are sufficiently informed and empowered to hold the state accountable. Sometimes the international community does not work sufficiently on accountability and build up communities to do that.

That is where focus is needed. l

Cabinet approves ICDDRB Act

will be US $3 million which will be forfeited within 90 days of notice upon failure to complete minimum work obligation.

According to the JVA Bapex will not invest in the venture but if commercially usable gas or oil is discovered then Bapex will get 35% of the explored gas or oil in the first year and gradually a larger share of profit of gas or oil over the years.

There has been a serious gas crisis in the port and industrial city of Chittagong. To overcome that crisis, the Bapex official said the government has emphasised the extraction of gas from the CHT region.

In 2010 a Bapex invitation for EoI to drill a series of wells in greater Chittagong to explore gas where Sinopec has expressed interest was later cancelled. On April, 2015, Bapex invited EoIs aiming to explore oil and gas from reputed international oil and gas companies to explore and develop four potential onshore gas structures in gas block 22, in the greater Chittagong region. l

royalty amount, Atiquzzaman said, among the four places, the issue of royalty affects Sitapahar and Kasalong of Chittagong Hill Tracts and that they are yet to fix the amount.

“We are discussing the matter and hope that issue will be resolved soon. The two relevant ministries will fix that,” he said.

However an official of Bapex asking not to be named told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday: “Bapex is yet to fix the royalty amount with the CHT Regional Council. The other things that have not been settled are profit sharing of gas and the price of gas.

Which is why the agreement has not been signed.”

According to the draft joint venture agreement (JVA) If an exploration finds a commercially usable field the production period will be 25 years and 20 years for an oil field with the possibility of a 5 year extension.

The investment from the Chinese Consortium is estimated to be US $100 million, according to the JVA. The Performance Guarantee

There is a natural tendency for migration to urban centres. But the lack of supportive policies for poor farmers is accelerating this. As rural people are always facing lack of sufficient infrastructure, farmer’s policies, credit, technical assistance, research and marketing – making agriculture extremely vulnerable.

I believe there is no solution for hunger outside of supporting smallholder farmers. People come up with miracle solutions, like some fertiliser or GM or nanotechnology.

But these things did not work.

To avoid crisis we have to address the issue of governance of the system. We have to have solid policies, as I said, policies for credit, for insurance, for warehouses and strategic management of grain reserves.

You have two options. You can try to make a farm look more like an industry. You control everything. But there is a limit to that. Agriculture is too vast. On the other hand, the majority of farmers in the world are on the land, have worked with it, have the knowledge, have the experience, so why not invest in them?

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will be part of this board. Each member will be given a tenure of three years with a maximum of one extension period,” he said.

However, the government will have to right to nominate local and international researchers and experts to strengthen the board.

Established in the 1960s, the ICDDRB has so far been an autonomous body, committed to solving public health problems in low- and middle-income countries through innovative scientific research. l

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Cox’s Bazar

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Fajr: 5:20am | Zohr: 1:15pm Asr: 4:30pm | Magrib: 5:56pm Esha: 8:00pm Source: Islamic Foundation

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016

SM Sultan remembered n Sultan Mahmood, Narail Marking the 22nd death anniversary of master artist SM Sultan, people of southern district Narail yesterday paid rich tributes to its celebrated son who earned a global fame for him and the country with his famous paintings.

Local sources said hundreds of people thronged Sultan’s mazar in the morning to pay their tributes offering wreaths and to seek eternal blessings for the departed soul.

Milad mahfil and special prayers were staged at the mazar premises under the auspices of different social and cultural groups and government organizations alongside discussions and review of the painter’s artworks.

They discussants recalled his role as one of the humanist painters who preferred to celebrate the people strength with his brush.

Narail district administration, SM Sultan foundation, Narail Press Club and SM Sultan Shishu Charu-O-Karukala foundation

organized different programmes including a children art competition to mark the day at “Shishu Swarga” established by sultan for the children.

Deputy commissioner and president of SM Sultan Foundation Helal Mahmud Sharif, Principal of Sultan Art College Professor Ashok Kumar Shil, former member secretary of Sultan Foundation Advocate Iqbal Hossen Sikder, district cultural officer Haider Ali and artist Balodev Adhikary, among others, joined the programmes For his achievement in fine arts, Sultan was awarded with the Ekushey Padak in 1982; the Bangladesh Charu Shilpi Sangsad Award in 1986; and the Independence Day Award in 1993. His works are held in several major collections in Bangladesh, including the Bangladesh National Museum, the National Art Gallery (Bangladesh), the S.M. Sultan Memorial Museum, and the Bengal Foundation.

Sultan died in Jessore combined Military Hospital on 10 October, 1994. l

It is difficult to take breath while passing by the dustbin on Habiganj Bypass Road, littered with garbage, as the residents of the town dump their household waste in and around the dustbin. The picture was taken yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

Domestic garbage hits human life Noor Uddin, n Md Habiganj People of Habiganj municipality have been suffering for a long time due to serious environmental pollution, as the garbage has been piled up on bypass road near the district Stadium and Brindaban Government College of the town.

According to municipality sources, the townpeople dump their waste in and around the dustbin. As a result, the road littered with the garbage, which is polluting the town, emit awfully bad odours, making it difficult to breathe in the air.

“To get released from this suffering players of the district along with local people are going to organise demonstration against the municipality, said Farhad Hossain Koli, general secretary of Habiganj District Krira Sangstha.

Koli said: “Sports loving people of the district do not

come at the stadium to watch games due to bad smells coming off from the dustbin.”

Claiming that they have already requested authorities concerned to clear the waste from the road, he said: “If the municipality authorities do not solve this problem within November, then will call an all out strike agonist the authorities.”

Locals said, people of the municipality have been dumping household waste at a dustbin on Bypass road of the town for a long time.

Everyday thousands of people including students of Brindaban Government College, players of the district and others use the road.

Tofazzel Sohel, general secretary of Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA), said: “The people and students cannot move along the Bypass road due to decomposed organic materials on the road.”

Blaming municipality au-

thorities for their negligence to build fixed dustbins, Sohel said: “The dumped waste also caused water logging in the town.”

Expressing his concerns over the unscientific and improper management of municipal solid waste, describing it as hazardous to human health, lawyer Uzzal Ahmed, a resident of the town, said: “Bad smells coming off the garbage from the dustbins, making it difficult to breathe in the air.”

He also alleged that municipality authorities are not aware to ease people’s sufferings.

Rowsho Sultana, a student of Brindaban Government College, urged to municipality authorities to clean the road to ease their suffering caused by home waste.

Dilip Dash, acting mayor of Habiganj municipality said: “We are trying to shift the dustbin to another place to ease people’s sufferings.” l

Manager of Reneta dipot fined Ali Badal, n Liakat Rangpur The Manager at Rangpur depot of Reneta Limited, a pharmaceutical and animal health product company in Bangladesh, has been fined recently for realizing extra money from medicine traders using fake price label on the packets of medicines.

The National Consumer Rights Protection Directorate, Rangpur, fined Munshi Al Imam Tk6 thousand

on Sunday, as he had been selling packets of Fenadin 120mg to local medicine traders, after putting a fake price tag of Tk400 instead of Tk355 on them.

Afsana Parvin, assistant director of the directorate’s Rangpur unit, confirmed the incident.

The directorate received a written complaint from Belal Ahmmed, a medicine trader of Khamarpara Alamnagar in Rangpur city, in this regard a few days ago.

Belal also submitted a packet of Fenadin with the fake price tag as evidence.

Both Belal and Imam were called for a hearing on the issue at the directorate and the latter was found guilty, said Afsana.

The manger was fined and also warned of strict actions if found deceiving people again, she added.

Though the fined amount was small, it would set an example for the corrupt people like Imam, Afsana opined. l

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016

Durga Puja festival enters Maha Nabami n Tribune Desk

Maha Nabami, the ninth day of the Shukla Paksha (waxing phase of moon) of Bangla Ashwin month and the third day of Durga Puja, the biggest religious festival of the Hindus, was celebrated yesterday amid much enthusiasm and religious fervor in different areas of Bangladesh.

In Khulna

The festival was being marked by puja, arati, recitation from scriptures, distribution of proshad, offering of devotional songs and bhajans, reported our correspondent.

A huge number of devotees were visiting different puja mandaps to have a look at goddess Durga with great excitement.

Besides, huge crowds were seen at every puja mandap throughout the day, especially in the afternoon.

At least 5,000 puja mandaps have been set up in ten districts of the division, said Shamaol Halder, former vice president of Bangladesh Puja Udjapon Parishad Central Committee, now in-charge of Khulna city Puja Udjapon Parishad.

Of them, 489 mandaps have been set up in Khulna city, 563 in Satkhira, 560 in Bagerhat, 628 in Jessore, 444 in Jhenidah, 604 in Magura, 593 in Narail, 217 in Kushtia, 102 in Chuadanga and 35 in Meherpur district.

Khulna district administration and Puja Udjapon Parishad Committee (PUPC) sources said 489 Puja mandaps were set up this year in the city, while 804 in the district.

Acting Commissioner of Khulna Metropolitan Police (KMP), said three-tier security measures had been adopted in the city areas.

He also said teams of police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), city especial branch of police and detective branch have already been deployed at all important points of the city.

In Rajshahi

The festival was marked by puja, arati, recitation from scriptures, distribution of proshad, offering of devotional songs and bhajans.

A huge number of devotees are seen visiting different puja mandaps

Devotees seen celebrating Maha Nabami, the third day of Durga Puja Festival. The picture was taken yesterday from Ramkrishna Mission Mandir in Barisal town DHAKA TRIBUNE to have a look at goddess Durga.

Anil Kumar Sarker, trustee of Hindu Development Trust, told BSS that of the 429 mandaps including 76 in the metropolis have been erected here, reports BSS. District administration has distributed more than 250 tons of rice to celebrate Durga puja this year.

Meanwhile, foolproof security measures were taken in the city and its adjacent areas to avert any untoward incident during the big religious festival of the Hindus.

Shafiqul Islam, Commissioner of Rajshahi Metropolitan Police, says four-tier security measures have been adopted in the city areas.

Teams of police, Rapid Action Battalion teams, city especial branch of police and detective branch have already been deployed in all important points of the city.

In Gaibandha

The whole district took a festive look as the Hindu devotees including men, women, boys, girls, youths and adolescents attired in fine dresses and thronging different puja mandaps with festive moods to have a look at goddess Durga.

Besides, hundreds of Muslims and people of other religious faiths are also visiting the mandaps decorated colorfully and exchanging greetings with their Hindu friends and neighbours on Durga Puja.

General Secretary of Puja Udjapon Parishad, district unit, Principal Paresh Chandra Saha said a total of 561 puja mandaps have been erected in all the seven upazilas in the district this year.

Of the total, some 84 mandaps were erected in Sadar upazila, 128 in Sundarganj upazila, 59 in Shaghata upazila, 64 in Palashbari upazila, 96 in Sadullapur upazila, 118 in Gobindaganj upazila and 12 in Phulchhari upazila.

Earlier, the ‘Bothan’ or the Shasti Puja, Maha Saptami and Maha Astami including Kumari Puja were also held at the puja mandaps in last 3 days, sources said.

In Joypurhat

Our correspondent said the whole district had taken a festive look as the Hindu devotees including men, women, boys, girls, youths and adolescents attired in fine dresses and thronging different puja mandaps

with festive moods to have a look at goddess Durga.

President of District Puja Udjapon Parishad, Agriculturalist Reboti Mohan said a total of 263 puja mandaps were erected in the district this year.

District relief and rehabilitation office sources said the district administration distributed 131.50 tonnes of rice for the puja mandaps to assist the Hindu Community to celebrate the festival smoothly.

In Rangpur

According to reports of BSS, tens of hundreds of the devotees of all ages including men, women, boys, adolescents, girls and youths have been thronging Puja mandaps on the Mahanabomi to have a glimpse at Goddess Durga and seeking blessings for their well-being.

The Puja mandap premises and adjoining areas have become overcrowded and worn eye-catching looks with traditional fairs arranged where handicrafts items, toys, household goods, sweets and other things are being sold.

According to police and Bangladesh Puja Udjapon Parishad (BPUP)

sources, the celebration will end through immersion of the idols erected in 5,120 Durga Puja mandaps in eight districts of the division after celebration of the Mohadashami tomorrow.

Local administrations, police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), PDB, REB, district and upazila units of BPUP have taken adequate steps for peaceful celebration of the festivity and uninterrupted power supply everywhere.

Besides, 28,236 trained male and female members of Ansar-VDP have been deployed at all 5,120 mandaps for ensuring peaceful celebrations of the Durga Puja festivity in all eight districts under Rangpur division.

According to official sources, a record number of 5,120 Durga Puja mandaps has been erected in Rangpur, Nilphamari, Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, Gaibandha, Panchagarh, Thakurgaon and Dinajpur districts in the division this year.

In Faridpur

The five day long Durga puja, the biggest religious festival of the Hindu community, has entered fourth day with enchanting festivity everywhere across the district, reported our correspondent.

According to official sources,726 puja mondops have been set up in the district this year to celebrate the Puja.

One hundred and fifty eight puja mondops were erected in Sadar upazilla 137 in Madhukhali , 130 in Boalmari, 47 in Alfadanga, 19 in Charbhadrasan,37 in Sadarpur,85 in Bhanga, 66 in Nagarkanda and 47 in Saltha upazilla, the sources said.

The celebration has entered the ‘Maha Nabami’ today when the devotees will recite from the holy books of Sanatan sects followed by ‘Arati’ in the evening.

LGRD & Cooperatives Minister Engineer Khondoker Mosharraf Hossain on Sunday and Monday visited at least 50 puja mondops where he was heartily welcomed by hundreds of the devotees.

The day was also celebrated in many other districts including Madaripur, Barisal, Shariatpur, Narayanganj, Thakurgaon and Kurigram. l

HC orders to stop Madaripur pond grabbing n Ashif Islam Shaon

The High Court yesterday ordered Madaripur district administration to take steps to stop within 24 hours filling of a 200-year-old pond targeted for grabbing.

An HC bench of Justice Md Rezaul Haque and Justice Md Jahangir Hossain passed the order following a primary hearing of a writ petition filed by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB).

Director of environment department, the district commissioner (DC) of Madaripur, superintendent of police (SP), upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) and officer-in-charge (OC) of Sadar police station have been asked to comply with the order and submit reports within two weeks.

In a ruling, the court asked the authorities concerned to explain why the earth-filling and a failure to put an end to it should not be declared illegal.

The HRPB filed the petition praying for the HC directives to stop the earth filling, attaching a copy of a newspaper report that said three local leaders of Jubo League and Chhatra League, both pro-Awami League organisations, had been filling up the pond of the district administration to grab it.

The pond, near a police outpost in the municipality area, was being filled up by Saifur Rahman Rubel Khan, former vice president of Madaripur

Government Najimuddin College and also nephew of Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan; Jahidul Islam, joint general secretary of the district Jubo League; and Tanvir Mahmud, the district Chhatra League’s general secretary, according to the report.

Saifur, Jahidul and Tanvir have been asked to stop the earth-filling and submit a compliance report to the court within two weeks.

The court also asked them to explain why they should not be

directed to lift the earth and sand from the pond at their own costs and restore it to its former state.

The trio and senior secretary of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives, environment secretary, director general of Department of Environment, its director and assistant director, Madaripur DC, SP and UNO and OC of Sadar police station have been asked to come up with the explanations within four weeks. l

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016

SOUTH ASIA

Car bomb kills 10 police in Afghanistan A suspected car bomb on Monday killed at least 10 police amid increased Taliban attacks on the besieged capital of the southwestern Afghan province of Helmand, with the toll expected to rise, a security official said. The blast, in the city of Lashkar Gah, killed 10 police officers, with at least 14 police and civilians wounded. REUTERS

INDIA

Indian troops battle suspected rebels in Kashmir Government forces were battling a group of suspected rebels inside a government compound on Monday in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir. Police said army and paramilitary soldiers cordoned off a government compound close to the main highway after gunshots were heard near saffron-rich Pampore town in the outskirts of the region’s main city of Srinagar on Monday. AP

CHINA

17 people killed in China building collapse At least 17 people were killed Monday in the collapse of a group of decrepit homes in eastern China’s Wenzhou city, state media reported. The cause of the collapses was under investigation, although reports said the four buildings were built in the 1970s by their farmer owners and were in a highly degraded state. AP

ASIA PACIFIC

Cambodian opposition MP jailed for Facebook post

A Cambodian opposition MP was jailed for two and a half years on Monday for posting a map on Facebook professing to show that the government had ceded territory to Vietnam. Phnom Penh Municipal Court found Um Sam An, 40, of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party, guilty of incitement to cause discrimination and instability when he repeatedly posted fake border maps on Facebook. REUTERS

MIDDLE EAST

Iraq SC rules against PM Abadi on VP positions Iraq’s supreme court on Monday ruled against a decision by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to scrap three vice-president positions.

Abadi cancelled the positions in August 2015, one year after he took over the premiership, as part of cost-cutting reforms, following an oil price collapse that curtailed the Opec nation’s income. REUTERS

FACTCHECK

Trump, Clinton and their debate claims n Tribune International Desk Donald Trump mischaracterised the record on Hillary Clinton’s defence of her husband and her own treatment of women when he brought up Bill Clinton’s sexual history and other episodes of the past. Clinton didn’t give a square account of the fallout from her email practices, reports The Associated Press.

A look at some of the claims in the second presidential debate: Trump: Asked whether the predatory behaviour with women that he described in a 2005 video amounted to sexual assault: “No, I didn’t say that at all.”

Fact: He certainly didn’t own up to sexual assault in his boastful remarks in 2005. But he clearly described groping and kissing women without their permission, using his celebrity to impose himself on them.

He described a specific sexual advance toward a married woman.

“I moved on her like a bitch. But I couldn’t get there.”

Trump on Hillary Clinton’s behaviour: When, as a young public defender, she was assigned to represent an accused child rapist: “She’s seen on two separate occasions, laughing at the girl who was raped. Kathy Shelton, that young woman, is here with us tonight.”

Fact: At no point was Clinton seen laughing at the victim.

In 1975, at the age of 12, Shelton was sexually assaulted in Northwest Arkansas. Clinton was asked by a judge overseeing the case to represent her alleged attacker.

After the prosecution lost key evidence, Clinton’s client entered a plea to a lesser charge.

Trump on women linked to Bill Clinton sexually: “Hillary Clinton attacked those same women and attacked them viciously.”

Fact: There is no clear, independent evidence that Hillary Clinton “viciously” attacked women who alleged or confirmed sexual contact with her husband.

To be sure, in the 1992 Democratic primaries, she was deeply involved in the Clinton campaign’s effort to discredit one accuser, actress Gennifer Flowers, who alleged she had a long-running affair with Bill Clinton. Both Clintons acknowledged past troubles in their marriage but sought to undermine Flowers’ claims. Bill Clinton later acknowledged in a 1998 court deposition that he had a sexual encounter with Flowers.

Clinton: “After a yearlong investigation, there is no evidence that anyone hacked the server I was us-

SECOND CLINTON-TRUMP DEBATE: KEY QUOTES "This is who Donald Trump is, and the question for us, the question our country must answer is that this is not who we are"

On Donald Trump’s sexual assault boasts

On use of private emails "That was a mistake, and I take responsibility for using a personal e-mail account"

"I respect his children"

"Certainly I'm not proud of it.

But this is locker room talk"

On Bill Clinton "If you look at Bill Clinton, far worse. Mine are words, his was action"

On something positive about each other

"She doesn't quit.

She doesn't give up.

I respect that"

On Russian influence "We have never in the history of our country been in a situation where an adversary, a foreign power, is working so hard to influence the outcome of the election"

On threats to jail Hillary Clinton "If I win, I'm going to instruct the attorney general to get a special prosecutor to look into your situation because there's never been so many lies, so much deception"

Source: AFP/Debate transcript/Photo: Chip Somodevilla/AFPPhoto/Getty Images

ing, and there is no evidence that anyone can point to, at all ... that any classified material ended up in the wrong hands.”

Fact: Maybe, maybe not. While there’s indeed no direct, explicit evidence that classified information was leaked or that her server was breached, it was nevertheless connected to the internet in ways that made it more vulnerable to hackers — and the public may never know who saw them. FBI Director James Comey has said: “We assess it is possible that hostile actors gained access to Secretary Clinton’s personal e-mail account.”

Trump on Bill Clinton: “He lost his license. He had to pay an $850,000 fine.”

Fact: Trump’s facts are, at best, jumbled. In 1998, lawyers for Bill Clinton settled with former Arkansas state employee Paul Jones for $850,000 in her four-year lawsuit alleging sexual harassment. It was not a fine, and there was no finding or admission of wrongdoing.

Trump erred in describing the legal consequences of that case. In a related case before the Arkansas State Supreme Court, Clinton was fined $25,000 and his Arkansas law license was suspended for five years. Clinton also faced disbarment before the US Supreme Court but he opted to resign from the court’s practice instead of facing any penalties.

Clinton: “We are now, for the first time ever, energy independent.”

Fact: Clinton inaccurately overstates the case. For the first time in decades the United States gets more energy domestically than it imports, but it is not yet energy independent as the country contin-

ues to rely on oil imports, from the Mideast and elsewhere. Estimates vary as to when the US might achieve energy independence.

Domestic oil production has greatly increased in recent years.

And at the same time oil imports as a percentage of consumption have dropped, according to the US Energy Information Administration. Oil imports have dropped from 3.58bn barrels in 2008 to 2.68bn barrels in 2015.

Trump: “I would not have had our troops in Iraq.”

Fact: Trump actually offered lukewarm support for invading Iraq before the war began. He’s repeatedly and erroneously claimed to have come out against the war before it started, telling Howard Stern in September 2002: “Yeah I guess so,” when asked if he would back an invasion.

This time, his claim was slightly different — that if he had been president at the time, he would not have invaded. It’s conceivable, at least, that he would have taken a position in office at odds with his stance as a private citizen. A few months before the March 2003 invasion, he did tell Fox News that the economy and threats from North Korea posed greater problems than Iraq.

Trump: Asked whether he had ever sexually assaulted a woman: “No, I have not.”

Fact: He’s been accused of it but a case has not been proved.

Trump’s first wife, Ivana Trump, accused him of rape in a deposition in the early 1990s. She later said she didn’t mean it literally, but rather that she felt violated. Trump was also sued for sexual harassment in 1997 by Jill

Harth, a woman who, along with her romantic partner, was pitching Trump to get involved in a pin-up competition in the early 1990s.

In a recent interview with The New York Times, Harth said Trump ran his hands up her skirt during dinner in 1992, and on another occasion, she said Trump tried to force himself on her in his daughter Ivanka’s bedroom. “Next thing I know he’s pushing me against a wall and has his hands all over me,” Harth told the newspaper.

Harth dropped her harassment lawsuit against Trump after he settled a separate breach of contract lawsuit. Trump has denied Harth’s allegations.

Trump: Asked whether his tweets directing people to check out a sex tape showed discipline: “It wasn’t ‘check out a sex tape.’”

Fact: Yes it was. Trump tweeted “check out sex tape and past” of former 1996 Miss Universe Alicia Machado, a woman whom Clinton discussed in the first presidential debate as an example of Trump’s derogatory comments about women.

Machado has publicly supported Clinton and criticized Trump for body-shaming her by calling her “Miss Piggy” and threatening to take away her crown for gaining weight.

The video Trump appeared to be referring to was from a Spanish reality show. In 2005, Machado, who was a contestant on the show, was filmed in bed, under the covers with a male contestant and speaking sexually about his body parts. The grainy footage doesn’t show nudity, though Machado has said that she was having sex in the footage. l

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016

INSIGHT

USA

Kashmir unrest prompts India’s biggest crackdown in decades n Tribune International Desk Anxious to quell anti-India protests in Kashmir, Indian forces are carrying out their most severe crackdown in more than two decades against civilian protesters, arresting more than 8,000 this summer across the disputed Himalayan territory, police said Monday, reports The Associated Press.

That includes 450 or so civilians being held, possibly for up to six months without trial, under a harsh security law criticized as a human-rights violation. India has said the separatist rebels - and civilians who help them - are undermining the country’s territorial integrity and forcing authorities to keep the India-controlled portion of Kashmir under tight control.

“This is, so far, the biggest crackdown against miscreants,” said a senior police officer, requesting anonymity because he was not authorized to share details of the crackdown.

For weeks, Indian authorities have carried out nighttime raids, rolling curfews and stops at roadblocks, but have failed to stop the rebel attacks and angry public rallies.

On Monday, government forces were battling a group of suspected rebels near a highway running by saffron-rich Pampore town, on the outskirts of the re-

gion’s main city of Srinagar.

Gunshots and grenade blasts were heard from the site, where units of the army’s special forces, paramilitary soldiers and counterinsurgency police had cordoned off and encircled a building, according to an officer who spoke on condition of anonymity, in keeping with department policy.

The officer said the two sides were exchanging intermittent gunfire. One soldier was reported injured.

Scores of people gathered on nearby streets to chant anti-India slogans in a show of solidarity with the rebels.

What’s the Kashmir people want

Most people in the Indian-controlled portion of the divided territory favour independence or a merger with Pakistan. Rebel groups have been fighting in the region since 1989, and more than 68,000 people have been killed in the armed uprising and ensuing Indian military crackdown.

While anti-India protests are somewhat common during warmer summer months, this year’s have been especially fraught amid widespread anger over the killing of a popular rebel commander by Indian forces in July.

India has responded with a clampdown that has nearly para-

Patients arrived every 10 or 15 minutes, brought on motorcycles by relatives with vomit-covered shoulders and hoisted up the stairs into southwest Haiti’s Port-a-Piment hospital, where they could rest their weak, cholera-sapped limbs.

Less than a week since Hurricane Matthew slammed into Haiti, killing at least 1,000 people according to a tally of numbers from local officials, devastated corners of the country are facing a public health crisis as cholera gallops through rural communities lacking clean water, food and shelter.

Reuters visited the Port-a-Piment hospital early on Sunday morning, the first day southwestern Haiti’s main coastal road had become semi-navigable by car.

At that time, there were 39 cases of cholera, according to Missole Antoine, the hospital’s medical director. By the early afternoon, there were nearly 60, and four people

had died of the waterborne illness.

“That number is going to rise,” said Antoine, as she rushed between patients laid out on the hospital floor.

Although there were 13 cases of cholera before Matthew hit, Antoine said the cases had risen drastically since the hurricane cut off the desperately poor region.

The hospital lacks an ambulance, or even a car, and Antoine said many new patients were coming from miles away, carried by family members on camp beds.

Inside the hospital, grim-faced parents cradled young children whose eyes had sunk back and were unable to prop up their own heads.

Rubble

Out on the streets, the scene was also shocking. For miles on end, almost all the houses were reduced to little more than rubble and twisted metal. Colourful clothes were littered among the chaos.

The region’s banana crop was destroyed with vast fields of plan-

Trump disagrees with Pence on Syria Republican Donald Trump publicly broke with his running mate, Mike Pence, on how to deal with the civil war in Syria in comments during Sunday’s US presidential debate that exposed further tensions within their campaign.

Pence in his debate last week with Tim Kaine denounced Russian President Vladimir Putin for his interference in Syria’s civil war and support for Assad. REUTERS

THE AMERICAS

Santos to donate Nobel prize money to victims

Indian army soldiers arrive near the scene of a gunfight between the army and suspected militants in Pampore, south of Srinagar on October 10 AFP lysed daily life.

More than 80 civilians have been killed and thousands injured in clashes with police and paramilitary troops. Two policemen have also been killed and hundreds of government forces injured in the clashes.

Police say they have detained at least 8,000 people on suspicion of participating in anti-India protests and throwing rocks at government troops, including more than 400 people picked up in nighttime raids in the last week alone. Many detained have been subsequently released on bail as

well, police said.

Officers are still hunting for at least 1,500 more people suspected of participating in protests, according to three other top police officers overseeing the crackdown operations. The officers also spoke on customary condition of anonymity.

Rights activists expressed alarm over the government’s targeting of protesters. Almost all of the thousands of suspects arrested in a crackdown in the early 1990s were either suspected militants or people accused of harbouring them. l

Cholera and destruction after hurricane in Haiti n Reuters, Haiti

DT

World

Colombia President Juan Manuel Santos says he’ll donate almost $1mi in Nobel Peace Prize money to the victims of Colombia’s half-century conflict. Santos made the announcement Sunday during a visit with his family and top government officials to an impoverished town in western Colombia where dozens of people were killed while stranded in a church during an intense battle between leftist rebels and far-right militias. AP

UK

MPs call for parliament vote on hard Brexit A group of British MPs called on Monday for a parliamentary vote on Britain’s future ties with the EU and warned hard Brexit was a grave danger. The call came after May’s government was forced into an embarrassing U-turn on Sunday when it backtracked on a proposal for companies to publish lists of foreign employees that caused widespread outrage. AFP

EUROPE

German police arrest IS bomb plot suspect A Syrian man suspected of plotting an Islamic State bomb attack was arrested Monday by German police with the help of 3 of his compatriots. Jaber Albakr, 22, had narrowly slipped through the police net Saturday when commandos raided his apartment and found 1.5kg of TATP, the homemade explosive used by jihadists in the Paris and Brussels attacks last year. AFP

AFRICA

Nearly a week after being devastated by the hurricane, Haiti is confronted with a growing cholera outbreak threatening to turn its disaster even more deadly AFP tain flattened into a leafy mush.

With neither government or foreign aid arriving quickly, people relied on felled coconuts for food and water.

The stench of death, be it human or animal, was everywhere.

In the village of Labei, near Port-a-Piment, locals said the river had washed down cadavers from

villages upstream. With nobody coming to move the corpses, residents used planks of driftwood to push them down the river and into the sea.

Down by the shore, the corpse of one man lay blistering in the sun. A few hundred meters to his left in a roadside gully, three dead goats stewed in the toxic slime. l

South Sudan: Rebels kill 21 civilians in ambush Rebels attacked trucks carrying civilians in South Sudan, killing 21 people, the government said, as violence between rival forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and his former vice president. The United Nations Mission in South Sudan said in a statement on Monday it had received reports of horrific violence being perpetrated against civilians in Central Equatorial State. REUTERS

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016

Western-backed Saudi coalition under pressure over Yemen raids n Reuters, Dubai An air strike on a funeral wake, widely blamed on Saudi-led warplanes, poses more trouble for a Western-backed Arab campaign against Yemen’s Houthis that has long been criticised for civilian losses.

The White House announced an immediate review of Washington’s support for the 18-month-old military push after planes hit mourners at a community hall in the capital Sanaa on Saturday, killing 140 people according to one UN estimate and 82 according to the Houthis.

The statement from Riyadh’s main ally, noting for the second time in as many months that US support was not “a blank check”, sets up an awkward test of a Saudi-US partnership already strained by differences over wars in other Arab lands.

The reproach also indirectly hands a propaganda win to Riyadh’s arch rival Tehran, a Houthi ally that has long seen the Sunni kingdom as a corrupt and domineering influence on its impoverished southern neighbour, diplomats say.

Sources in the Saudi-led coalition denied any role in the attack, but Riyadh later promised an investigation of the “regrettable and painful” incident, with US expert advice. The move was apparently aimed at heading off further criticism of a military campaign already under fire for causing hundreds of civilian deaths in apparently indiscriminate attacks.

Pressure

“There will be pressure on the campaign,” said Mustafa Alani, a security analyst close to Saudi Arabia’s interior ministry. While the coalition followed very careful rules and understood human rights concerns, “there will now be pressure to end the whole operation, or to restrict the operation”.

An estimated 10,000 people have been killed in the war and the United Nations blames coalition strikes for 60 percent of some 3,800 civilian deaths since they began in March 2015.

The outcry over civilian casualties has led some lawmakers in the United States and Britain as well as rights activists to push for curbs on arms sales to Riyadh, so far without success.

The coalition denies deliberately targetting civilians and says it goes to great lengths to ensure its raids are precisely targeted, with explosive loads calibrated to limit the risk of causing damage beyond the immediate target area.

The coalition accuses the Houth-

is, who seized much of the north in a series of military advances since 2014, of placing military targets in civilian areas. The Houthis deny this.

Fury in Sanaa at Saturday’s raid was echoed internationally.

A spokesman for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said any deliberate attack against civilians was utterly unacceptable.

Ban called for “a prompt and impartial investigation of this incident. Those responsible for the attack must be brought to justice”, the spokesman said.

UN emergency relief coordinator Stephen O’Brien described the attack as obscene and heinous.

There was dismay, too, in the ranks of the internationally recognised Yemeni government that the coalition is defending.

Dirty war

“It’s shocking to see that a target like this was hit,” said a senior official in the Saudi-backed government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. “It’s the latest in a series of attacks by all sides on civilian targets like homes and public gatherings that are turning this into a dirty war.”

“If anything positive can come from this, it would be increasing the will for a ceasefire that is needed.

But incidents like these before have just fuelled a desire for revenge.”

Yemen’s powerful ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh, a key Houthi ally, called on Sunday for an escalation of attacks against Saudi Arabia, demanding “battle readiness at the fronts on the (Saudi) border”.

Saleh’s remarks reflect the heightened political climate in Sanaa, but it was not clear what concrete effect they might have.

Houthi forces regularly fire rockets across the frontier, occasionally killing or wounding Saudi civilians, and bands of Houthi fighters stage border incursions almost daily.

The funeral wake was for the father of the interior minister of northern Yemen’s Houthi-run administration, Jalal al-Roweishan, who had died of natural causes on Friday.

Yemenis say the Roweishan family is widely respected and has good ties with many groups and tribes across Yemen’s political spectrum.

Mokhtar al-Rahabi, a spokesman for Hadi, condemned the attack on his official Facebook page on Saturday.

“Bombing a mourning hall in which there were dozens of civilians is not acceptable, even if leaders of the (Houthi) putschists were present. Our war is a war of morals.”

A statement issued by the alliance after Saturday’s raid reiterated that its forces “have clear instruc-

tions not to target populated areas and to avoid civilians”.

But the eventual prospect of a more limited military campaign -perhaps through tighter targeting parameters for air operations - and a possible reduction in Western support could deliver a blow to Riyadh’s efforts to confront perceived Iranian expansionism in its southern neighbour.

The Houthis and powerful local allies hold most of Yemen’s northern half, while forces working for the exiled government share control of the rest of the country with local tribes.

Compensation

Peace talks have made little headway. The Saudi-backed government of President Hadi insists on compliance with UN Security Council resolution 2216, which calls on the Houthis to withdraw from cities seized since 2014.

Riyadh has long accused Hezbollah’s ally Iran of backing the Houthis and seeking to transform the group into a replica of the Lebanese militia to use as a proxy against Saudi Arabia.

While Washington has long expressed understanding for Saudi concerns about Iranian activism in Arab lands, the US military has distanced itself from the coalition’s targeting decisions.

In June the US military withdrew personnel from Saudi Arabia who were coordinating with the Saudi-led air campaign, and sharply reduced the number of staff elsewhere who were assisting in that planning.

US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the lower staffing was not due to concern over civilian casualties. But the Pentagon also said that in its discussions with the coalition, it pressed the need to minimise civilian casualties.

Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, a United Arab Emirates (UAE) political scientist, said that if the coalition was found to be responsible for the killings, that should be acknowledged openly and compensation arranged.

He said no country wanted an end to the war more than Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other coalition members, while adding that it was up to the Houthis to respect resolution 2216.

“I think everyone realises this war has gone on way beyond what was originally expected. But the ball is in the Houthis court,” he said.

Armed demonstration outside UN office

Thousands of Yemenis, many of

Timeline: Major Saudi-led coalition attacks in Yemen in 2016

Since March 2015, Saudi Arabia has led a UK and US-backed military coalition against Houthi rebels in Yemen, with the aim of reinstating the ousted president, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who is living in exile in Riyadh.

More than 6,000 people have been killed since the conflict began – half of them civilians and more than 1,100 of them children, according to the UN. Here is a timeline of six major bombardments in Yemen this year by the Saudi-led coalition.

9 August

13 January

Ten students aged under 15 were killed in an attack that hit a school in the Haydan district in the northern Saada governorate, according to Medecins Sans Frontières (MSF). On the same day, in Razih district, also in the Saada governorate, an airstrike hit the house of the school principal, Ali Okri, killing his wife, four children and relatives. The UN chief, Ban Ki-moon, condemned the bombardment and called for an investigation.

An airstrike killed at least 15 civilians near the village of Bilad al-Rus, south of Sana’a. More than 25 other people were wounded. A Houthi-backed military base was located in the area.

27 February Coalition jets bombarded a crowded market in the Nehm district of Sana’a, killing at least 40 people, mostly civilians. At least 30 people were also reported to have been wounded.

15 March An attack in the village of Mastaba, in Yemen’s northern Hajja governorate, killed at least 97 civilians in one of the deadliest airstrikes since the military intervention. At least 25 children were among the dead.

Around 10 Houthi rebels were also believed to have been killed. Human Rights Watch condemned the attack at the time for causing “indiscriminate or foreseeably disproportionate loss of civilian life, in violation of the laws of war”.

them armed, gathered at the United Nations headquarters in Yemen’s capital Sanaa on Sunday calling for an international investigation into an air strike on a wake this weekend that was widely blamed on Saudi-led forces.

The attack - that killed at least 140 people on Saturday - hit a hall where rows of the city’s notables had gathered for the wake of the interior minister’s father.

The bombing of a potato crisp factory in the Nahda district of Sana’a left at least 10 people dead. It was the first airstrike by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen since the collapse of UN peace talks in early August. Among those killed was Saddam Hussein Abdu al-Burai, a 25-year-old man who was on his first day at work. A Houthi-controlled military maintenance camp was located approximately 20 metres from the factory.

13 August

15 August An attack on a Yemeni hospital run by MSF killed at least 11 people, including a member of charity’s staff. The facility was located in the Abs district of the Hajjah governorate in north-west Yemen. It was the fourth strike against an MSF hospital in Yemen in a year, and prompted MSF to withdraw from six facilities in northern Yemen. Juan Prieto, MSF’s head of mission in Yemen, has rejected any suggestion that its hospitals have been used for military activities. l

Source: THE GUARDIAN The Saudi-led coalition has denied any role in the incident, believed to be one of the deadliest strikes in the 18-month-old war in which at least 10,000 people have been killed.

Radios and mosque loudspeakers throughout the city blared mourning verses as demonstrators crowded the streets around the UN headquarters, many waving their rifles in the air. l

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Russia to create permanent naval base in Syria’s Tartus n Reuters, Moscow Russia intends to establish a permanent naval base on the site of an existing facility it leases at the Syrian port of Tartus, Russian Deputy Defence Minister Nikolai Pankov said on Monday, Russian news agencies reported.

Pankov’s statement is the latest sign that Moscow wants to expand its military footprint in Syria where

it has been helping President Bashar al-Assad fight rebels since 2015.

Moscow last week deployed S-300 surface-to air missiles to Tartus.

“We will have a permanent naval base at Tartus,” Pankov told Russian senators. “The necessary documents are already prepared and are in the process of being approved by different agencies. We hope we can ask you to ratify these documents soon.”

Senator Igor Morozov told the RIA news agency that the decision would allow Russia to operate more ships in the Mediterranean as they would have an enhanced facility at which they could refuel and resupply.

“By doing this Russia is not only increasing its military potential in Syria but in the entire Middle East and in the Mediterranean region as a whole,” said Morozov.

Russia already has a permanent air base at Hmeymim in Syria’s Latakia province from which it launches air strikes against anti-Assad rebels.

Moscow inherited a Soviet-era naval facility at Tartus when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, the Russian navy’s sole foothold in the Mediterranean. Despite some modernisation, it is currently fairly modest and unable to accommodate larger warships. l

Vladimir Putin

REUTERS

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TOP STORIES IEA: Energy efficiency accelerates despite low oil prices

Energy efficiency accelerated last year despite low oil prices, according to a report from the International Energy Agency published yesterday, driven in large part by gains in China. PAGE 13

Asia investors, traders bet on Clinton win Investors and traders in Asia indicated yesterday they are mostly increasing their bets on Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton winning the US presidential race after the second of three debates with Republican party nominee Donald Trump. PAGE 14

Gas crisis hits garment backward linkage industry n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi Gas crisis in the garment backward linkage industry has hit hard the production in factories, which is likely to affect the apparel export of Bangladesh, said people involved with the sector.

According to Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), there are about 150 backward linkage factories of washing, dying and knitting in the country. They are located in Gazipur, Savar, Ashulia and Manikganj.

BGMEA officials said as the government has increased gas supply to the fertiliser factories, the flow of the energy declined in the RMG backward linkage industry.

Authorities of a sweater factory located in Chandra, Gazipur informed the BGMEA that it was suffering three to four hours of gas supply disruption every day. They said the situation was responsible for hampering production of at least 12,500 pieces a day. The fac-

tory has 5,000 workers.

Another dying factory of the same area told the BGMEA that it cannot run the factory the most part of the day due to to the crisis.

‘The production in factories fell by at least 40% because of gas shortage’ BGMEA President Siddiqur Rahman said if the government failed give gas, there would be a shortage of raw materials in garment industry, Bangladesh’s largest export sector.

He urged the government to divert gas flow to the industry from fertiliser factories until the crisis is eased.

BGMEA Vice President Mahmud Hasan Khan Babu said the crisis has continued for last one and half months with a number of backward linkage factories of the gar-

ment sector located in Gazipur, Savar, Ashulia and Manikganj facing severe gas supply shortage.

He said: “The production in factories fell by at least 40% because of gas shortage.”

BGMEA said the crisis was getting intensified every day. “The garment sector will bear the brunt of the crisis as the situation might delay the shipment of products ready for export,” said Mahmud Hasan Khan Babu.

While talking to the Dhaka Tribune, many industry insiders also believed the shipment of garment products might delay as production is hampered.

Economist ABM Mirza Azizul Islam, however, rebuked the logic of shifting gas supply from fertiliser factories to the industrial sector as such decision “could hurt the agricultural sector.”

He rather stressed the need to extract gas from wells and explore more gas to resolve the present crisis.

Meanwhile, the manufacturers

claimed that the gas crisis in factories has pushed up the production cost since they have to make more new investment in setting up diesel generators for power.

Requesting not to be named, a BGMEA leader said he has imported a diesel generator at a cost of Tk1.5 crore to continue production in his factories.

“But the cost of diesel-generated power will be seven times higher than gas-generated power,” he added.

BGMEA communicated matter with managing director of Titas Gas Transmission Limited and Petrobangla, said a high official of BGMEA. He said: “If we do not get remedy (to the gas crisis), we will soon go to prime minister’s office with the demand.”

Dhaka Tribune failed to contact MD of Titas Gas, Mir Moshiur Rahman for his comment on the issue despite making repeated attempts over phone. He was not available on his mobile phone. l

Biman set to sell out two airbus aircraft Top central banks are set to double down Central banks’ repeated warnings that there are limits to what they can do to bolster the sputtering world economy could suggest they are about to pull back and pass the baton to governments. PAGE 15

Capital market snapshot: Sunday DSE Broad Index

4,689.3

-0.2% ▼

Index

1,121.8

-0.1% ▼

30 Index

1,760.0

-0.1% ▼

Turnover in Mn Tk

4,486.1 -19.8% ▼

Turnover in Mn Vol

155.8 -14.5% ▼

CSE All Share Index 14,411.5

-0.2% ▼

30 Index

13,024.8

-0.3% ▼

8,773.4

-0.2% ▼

Selected Index Turnover in Mn Tk

269.8 -39.0% ▼

Turnover in Mn Vol

10.1 -27.6% ▼

National flag carrier Biman Bangladesh Airlines has decided to phase out two decades-old Airbus 310 aircraft before going to lease two Boeing 767 aircraft in its fleet to tackle any immediate problem in its flight operation.

Meanwhile, Biman has already grounded the two aircraft as part of its bid to phase them out because of their excessive fuel consumption.

According to senior officials of the airlines, the two Airbus 310 were grounded on September 29 to sell the two aircraft.

In this regard, the management of the airlines is now planning to float an international tender notice to get a better price.

While talking to the Dhaka Tribune, Chairman of Biman Board of Directors Air Marshal Enamul Bari (Retd) said: “We don’t have any other option but to phase out the two aircraft due to their age-old complication as well as high fuel consumption.”

Earlier, Biman grounded four DC-10 aircraft which could not be sold despite repeated efforts.

DC-10s were the backbone of the Biman fleet for nearly a quarter century. Once the fleet numbered six aircraft.

COURTESY

n Ishtiaq Husain

The management of Biman had decided to phase out the two Airbuses in 2015 due to their high fuel consumption and unavailability of spare parts. Airbus, the manufacturing company of A310, had also stopped its production in 1998.

Moreover, it was facing technical glitches regularly in the last couple of years. In 2007, an A310 carrying 236 passengers and crew members suffered a collapsed nose gear during its take off. 14 people suffered minor injuries in the accident at Dubai International Airport.

In 1986, Biman purchased two brand new twin engine wide body Airbus A310 for its fleet to operate

flights across Middle-east, SouthEast Asia and regional flight. Later on, it bought two more A310s from Singapore Airlines and Air Jamaica.

At the very beginning, the two A310 served the national flag carrier smoothly as the aircraft was fuel efficient.

An engineer of Biman said: “During the last five years, fuel consumption of A310 on its medium-to-long range flight increased unexpectedly which was not bearable.”

In addition, parts and equipment of the aircraft are not available as only a few airlines operate these kinds of aircraft, he added.

Biman is one of Asia’s smallest flag carriers, operating only 10 aircraft on a network of 22 destinations, including 19 international and three within Bangladesh.

Its fleet currently consists of four 777-300ERs, two 777-200ERs, two 737-800s and two A310s. l

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016

IEA: Energy efficiency accelerates despite low oil prices n AFP, Paris Energy efficiency accelerated last year despite low oil prices, according to a report from the International Energy Agency published yesterday, driven in large part by gains in China.

The 1.8% efficiency gain last year came as crude oil prices had dropped as far as 60% from 2014 highs, yet still beat the 1.5% increase in 2014, and was triple the average annual gain in the previous decade.

Low oil prices typically reduce

investment in energy efficiency as the returns are smaller, but the IEA found government regulations concerning vehicles and buildings were driving gains.

While good news for climate change efforts, the efficiency gains come at a delicate juncture for the oil market, with global demand growth slowing and supply rising.

Efficiency helped keep energy demand flat last year in the 29 industrialised nations that are members of the IEA, while it increased by just 0.9% in China - the slowest rate in nearly two decades despite

6.9% growth.

China led the efficiency pack, racking up a 5.6% gain. Given that it is the world’s second largest economy, it contributed 0.4% to the 1.8% global gain.

“China’s progress on energy efficiency is now at a scale where it is making a significant mark on global energy markets,” said the IEA. The gains from efficiency are as large as China’s rapidly expanding renewable energy sector, and provided the added benefit of reducing air pollution.

While the acceleration in global

Saudi: $60 oil ‘not unthinkable’ by year-end n AFP, Istanbul

energy efficiency gains was positive, the IEA noted they would need to shift up from a trajectory of 1.8 to 2.6% annual gains to achieve global climate change goals.

However, there is much room for further improvement. The IEA said that efficiency standards still only cover 30% of global energy use, although that is up from 11% in 2000.

“Globally, two-thirds of the economic potential remains untapped,” said the IEA’s Executive Director, Fatih Birol, in the introduction to the report. l

ECB could hit inflation target by late 2018, early 2019

n Reuters

Euro zone inflation could approach the ECB’s target by late 2018 or early 2019 and so far there is no evidence that super-easy monetary policy is leading to asset price bubbles, European Central Bank President Mario Draghi said.

Speaking at the International Monetary Fund’s annual meeting, Draghi added that he also saw no evidence that low inflation has become embedded in wage setting, a big fear for policymakers as low wage growth could perpetuate low inflation.

“By year end or the first months of next year, (inflation) should pick up and move towards 1%, and later on, above 1%, essentially due to the base effect of energy prices,” Draghi told a press conference.

“Thereafter the inflation rate would continue to increase ... towards our objective to be reached by the end of the forecast horizon, 2018 or the beginning of the year after,” he added. l

Posmi Sweaters Limited arranges a three-day training programme on fire safety in the city yesterday

COURTESY

Posmi Sweaters organises training on fire safety n Tribune Desk Posmi Sweaters Limited has organised a three-day training programme on ‘Fire Safety, Rescue & First Aid’ for its workers.

The training began on October 8 and ended yesterday as part of factory’s effort for enhancing skills and confidence of the workers during emergencies.

The training session was inaugurated by Posmi Sweaters Ltd Executive Director Nihal Aruna Shantha De Silva, its Senior Assistant General Manager Md Mahbubul Haq, Production Manager Md Abdul Jalil and two trainers from Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association, said a press release yesterday.

A total of 50 participants attended the training programme, which

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was conducted by fire safety cell of BGMEA, where the trainers delivered theoretical and practical knowledge along with practical tests to the participants.

Currently, Posmi Sweaters Ltd has around 40% of its workers who were delivered with same training done by Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defense and Fire Safety Cell of BGMEA. l

Saudi Arabia said yesterday it was “not unthinkable” that the price of crude oil could surge to $60 a barrel by the end of the year but warned against drastic production cuts that might shock markets.

Speaking in the opening keynote speech at the World Energy Congress in Istanbul, Saudi Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih said that whatever the oil price the kingdom was in good shape to implement its reform vision to transform the structure of its crude-based economy by 2030.

For months pressured by concerns of slack demand amid a global economic slowdown at a time of a glut in supply, US oil rose above $50 a barrel in New York last week for the first time since June.

This came after Saudi last month agreed to a surprise output cut of oil cartel OPEC, the first in eight years.

“We are seeing the convergence of supply and demand,” said alFalih. “It is not unthinkable we could see $60 (a barrel) by the year end.

“But my eyes are not on the price but on supply and demand.”

He added: “OPEC should make sure not to crimp too tightly and create a shock to the market.

“We do not want to shock the markets into a process that could be harmful.”

The minister admitted that the kingdom had become “a little fat around the belly, a bit complacent” during the era of high oil prices but was now fully committed to its economic reform programme set out

by Deputy Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.

“The kingdom will be prepared to deal with whatever price emerges,” he said.

The minister said he believed that demand for oil would peak but “if it does happen we will be ready for it”. l

Sliding sterling is a long way from a crisis n Swaha Pattanaik Investors just had a glimpse into sterling’s future, and it’s not pretty.

The pound plunged within minutes from $1.26 to three-decade lows below $1.20 in Asian trading on Oct 7, without much rhyme or reason.

Other asset classes have been hit by such mayhem in the past. And the technical market factors that were to blame then were probably at play again. The difference is, there’s nothing unbelievable about the levels to which sterling fell.

Granted, the currency’s recent

weakness reflects investors’ growing concern about the economic outlook for the United Kingdom.

This is probably justified since Prime Minister Theresa May made it clear on Oct 2 that Britain will want to impose controls on immigration when it leaves the European Union, even if this means accepting some restrictions on its access to the continent’s single market in goods and services.

It is also true that Britain relies on what Bank of England Governor Mark Carney has called “the kindness of strangers” to finance

its hefty current account deficit, which was equivalent to 5.9% of GDP in the second quarter. However, such benevolence has yet to run out.

One indication is the buoyancy of other UK assets. The FTSE 100 Index is not the best guide, since about three-quarters of its constituent companies’ revenue is earned overseas. But even the more domestically-focused FTSE 250 Index of mid-cap stocks is up since the EU referendum. British government bonds have also rallied thanks to the BoE’s asset pur-

chases, with 10-year gilts proving the best-performing of any major government bond market in local currency terms since the June 23 vote.

As long as investors, particularly foreign ones, keep faith with British policymakers, there’s no reason to view sterling’s slide as a calamity. The pound may now have lost 14% against the dollar since the referendum, but major free-floating currencies have suffered far bigger drops without catastrophes coming to pass. The euro shed a fifth of its value against the dollar in the

twelve months to October 2000.

This is not to say that a sliding sterling is always a good thing. If the pound fell fast enough to undermine money managers’ confidence in British assets, the BoE might be forced to try to prop up the currency, creating further jitters. There’s nothing in currency options market which suggests that investors are worrying about this kind of scenario.

Swaha Pattanaik is a columnist for Reuters Breakingviews. The article was initially published at Reuters.

Business

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016

German exports post biggest rise in more than six years n Reuters German exports rebounded more than expected in August, recording their biggest rise in more than six years and dispelling fears that Europe’s biggest economy is heading for a slowdown.

Seasonally adjusted exports rose

by 5.4%, the largest rise since May 2010, data from the Federal Statistics Office showed on Monday, while imports increased by 3%.

The data signals that exports, which had been weakening and losing their traditional role as the main growth driver in Germany, will contribute to an expected ex-

pansion in the third quarter.

Analysts linked the jump in exports to an improving economy in China, but they warned that world trade remains weak and risks are high, especially from a possible “hard” exit by Britain from the European Union.

“This is a welcome amendment.

Republican US presidential nominee Donald Trump and Democratic US presidential nominee Hillary Clinton speak during their presidential town hall debate at Washington University REUTERS

Asia investors, traders bet on Clinton win n Reuters Investors and traders in Asia indicated yesterday they are mostly increasing their bets on Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton winning the US presidential race after the second of three debates with Republican party nominee Donald Trump.

Some, though remain cautious, saying there was still a chance of a surprise Trump win. They said many in the markets were wary after being burned by the shock “Brexit” vote in June.

MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan edged up around 0.1% by mid-afternoon in Singapore yesterday, while Wall Street index futures were little changed after Clinton exchanged barbs with Republican party nominee Donald Trump in the televised event, which was shown live across trading rooms during Asia’s morning.

“For those that think that Trump has a very, very low chance of winning the US elections it might be a good time to go long on global equities,” said Itay Tuchman,

Citi’s head of markets for Australia and New Zealand.

Markets could be prematurely pricing in a Clinton victory, as they did during the “Brexit” vote in June, when the United Kingdom voted unexpectedly to leave the European Union, said Lee Jin Yang, research analyst for Aberdeen Asset Management in Singapore.

“We need to remember that Brexit only became a key focus one week before the vote. The market had priced in near zero probability of it happening but it did.”

According to a CNN online poll, Clinton won the debate by 57% to 34%.

But Josh Crabb, head of Asian equities at Old Mutual Global Investors in Hong Kong, said he is wary of such polls - especially after Brexit.

“The way that mainstream media, and a lot of commentators, interpret the outcome of the debate may be different to what the voting public in general takes away,” Crabb said. “That is a concern because often, a lot of these polls have not been quite as accurate as people

are expecting.”

Mathan Somasundarum, a strategist at stock brokerage Baillieu Holst in Sydney, said a Clinton victory would reduce the risk of the United States adopting a strong trade protectionist policy. Trump has been highly critical of the NAFTA trade deal with Mexico and Canada as well as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which has yet to be ratified by the US Congress. He has promised to build a border wall and make Mexico pay for it.

“I would expect the US dollar to weaken and you would expect then there is some pressure coming off emerging markets, and then commodities, which (are a) proxy for emerging markets,” Somasundarum said. “China, commodities and the Aussie dollar should do better.”

While the markets had already begun to price in a Clinton victory even before the Republican party’s crisis over Trump’s 2005 remarks, some are beginning to game out what would happen if the Democrats won both houses of Congress, which are now Republican controlled. l

But world trade remains very weak. And there are new risks - for instance that of a hard Brexit,” said Thomas Schilbe of HSBC Trinkaus.

“The economy in China has stabilized. This is good for producers of capital goods.”

Weak data in July had raised concerns that the German econo-

my will slow in the third quarter.

But those concerns have largely quelled by positive figures in recent weeks.

Industrial production rose more than expected in August, posting its biggest increase since January to rebound from the steepest fall in 23 months last month. l

Top central banks are set to double down n Reuters

Central banks’ repeated warnings that there are limits to what they can do to bolster the sputtering world economy could suggest they are about to pull back and pass the baton to governments.

But a steady flow of research and a new tone in the debate among policymakers and advisers points in a different direction: rather than retreat, central banks are preparing for the day they may need to do more, even at the risk of antagonizing politicians who argue they already have too much power.

The shift can be seen in the acknowledgment by Federal Reserve policymakers that their massive $4tn balance sheet will not shrink anytime soon, or that asset buying may become a “recurrent” tool of future monetary policy. It can be seen in the comments of Bank of England officials who talk of crisis-fighting tools as now semi-permanent fixtures, or in the Bank of Japan developing a new monetary policy framework, in this case targeting long-term market interest rates.

Driving those developments is an emerging consensus among policymakers who now acknowledge that the global financial crisis has led to a fundamental shift toward

low inflation, tepid growth, lagging productivity and interest rates stuck near zero.

“We could be stuck in a new longer-run equilibrium characterized by sluggish growth and recurrent reliance on unconventional monetary policy,” Fed Vice Chair Stanley Fischer said last week.

For years, Federal reserve and other policymakers have discounted such a scenario, arguing that temporary factors were slowing the recovery and plotting a return to conventional pre-crisis policies.

Over the past months, though, that optimism has given way to an admission that such a return is increasingly elusive. Interest rates are set to stay low far longer than thought only a year ago and jumbo balance balance sheets accumulated through crisis-era asset purchases are now cast as a possibly permanent tool.

At the annual Jackson Hole Fed conference in August the discussion had shifted from the mechanics and timing of “normalization,” to how and whether to expand the central bank footprint yet again.

Policymakers still keep reminding governments they should help boost productivity and growth with reforms and, where possible, spending on infrastructure. l

CORPORATE NEWS

Mamun-Ur-Rashid has recently been promoted as managing director of Standard Bank Limited, said a press release.

Mamun started his career with National Bank as a probationary officer in 1984

MD and CEO of Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited, Mohammad Abdul Mannan has recently received Sardar Patel Award 2016 from Rajmata Shubhangini Raje Gaekwad, chancellor of Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda in India, said a press release

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016

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Tech

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016

Tech giants form organisation to spread AI knowledge Will automated robots cost us jobs? Will online face recognition destroy our privacy? Will self-driving cars mess with moral decision making?

n Nahid Farzana Changes are always taking place on the tech side and thus we are here now in this modern world. One recent subject of talk and hype in the tech world is

AI- Artificial Intelligence. There are so many perspectives among people regarding AI. While some have cherished the idea of AI, others are finding it scary. Many are concerned about issues such as- will automated robots cost us

jobs? Will online face recognition destroy our privacy? Will selfdriving cars mess with moral decision making?

To address such fears, the tech giants- Amazon, Facebook, Google’s DeepMind division, IBM,

and Microsoft are forming a new organization called the Partnership on Artificial Intelligence to Benefit People and Society. The group is established with the purpose of explaining and communicating the capabilities of AI. It will focus

on the dangers and basic ethical queries related to AI. The group will enhance communication among those who build AI, and incorporate opinions from academia and civil society.

The group will gather various perspectives on AI and later inform the public on the progress.

The process will be continuous instead of settling on a fixed set of ethics and values.l

Decision making tips for startups n Nahid Farzana

D

ecision making is very crucial for any startup.

The decisions won’t only impact you but also the company’s direction. In the early years of your startup- decision making could be very daunting and even scary. You will have to be very patient throughout and make your decisions very calmly.

Here are few tricks to help in your decision making.

Prioritise time

Startups have so many works and there’s hardly any routine. You need to jump between works and decision making in the early days.

It’s important to practice speeding up with any decision making. A startup has so many risks attached to it, but you have signed up for it.

Unless you take a speedy decision, you will find yourself lagging a lot behind. But do not make a hasty decision! Make sure you have thought about it and the impact of your decision in the long run.

For the irreversible decision, like launching date of your product or firing an employee- make sure

to collect enough information prior and take advice from others.

Focus on both short and long term

Take decisions thinking both about your short and long term goals. The decisions need to benefit you in the short term and also add value in the long term. Focusing only on near-term benefits may eventually push you towards the pit.

Empower the team.

How you sort out your decision adds great value to its magnitude.

Empowering individuals in the team who are closest to the problems will help decision making to a great extent. As the team grows- the members will add values to the company. The CEO of the startup needs to allow members to add values and be a part of the startup. Making decision alone will not only put pressure on the CEO but will demotivate the employees in the long term.

Figure out your go-to framework

As a startup, you need to clearly

know yourself, your company, your team’s priorities and the values that are true to your company.

You will have to make a countless decision on a daily basis. You should have a go-to framework

in making decisions. Figure out which framework works best for you and stick with it. Needless to say, it will require certain trial and error, but eventually, you will find the best one for you.l

Articles reprinted under special arrangement with SDAsia.com

17

DT

Tech

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016

3 tech tools for the disorganised Finding a method for the madness without having at least five tabs open, and I know I’m not the only one. Multitasking with the browsers might be just the ticket for a killer brainstorming session, but sorting out the information afterwards can be a nightmare.

This is where Toby, a handy Chrome extension comes in. It’s a tab manager with a little extra. It provides a one-click solution to all your tabs and helps you sort your tabs with handy lists. Add sites to your lists with a single click, or use the on-page drag and drop menu to manage tabs. Toby provides tab management that fits the way you work. With additional features that allow you to synch your tabs across devices, save, pin and delete tabs, and also a cool translate tool that allows you to do all this in a language of your choosing, it’s really the next level in multitasking.

Contact chaos

Getting a brand new phone is an amazing feeling. What’s a little less amazing is the hassle of importing your contacts to your new device.

Starting a new job somewhere, or going to a major networking event can be nerve-wracking; not least because it involves adding a bunch of contacts and their digits onto your phone. Over time, your contact list can start to resemble the Mohakhali flyover at midday.

Make it all simpler with Simpler.

n Sabrina Fatma Ahmad Cry as much as you will about the job market, there’s no denying that the recent startup boom has created all sorts of interesting avenues, particularly for all those anomalies who weren’t interested in subjects beyond the Sciencecommerce binary so favoured by our parents’ generation. There are all sorts of interesting niches you can carve out for your own unique talents. The evolution of workplace cultures has also meant that we’re slowly moving away from 9-5 and

office cubicles to a more organic way of doing things.

While all this sounds just dandy in theory, in reality, since we’re still exploring these new territories what it means for your work life is a lot of digital clutter, which starts out as exciting, and quickly ends up burning you out. But hey, this is 2016, and there’s an app for that.

Or three, even.

Tabs, tabs, so many tabs!

Yours truly, at least, has an incapacitating inability to perform the simplest browser functions

Simpler is your a contacts app that makes your address book smart and user friendly. Its intuitive user interface allows you to merge all duplicate contacts in one tap and keep your address book perfectly ordered, backs up your contacts and saves them securely in the cloud for every single change in your address book, and makes groups and collaborations a breeze.

The free app is available at the App Store and Google Play.

Meetings on the go

Unable to schedule your weekly meeting? With Workgroup, you’ll never have to worry again. This is a messaging service meant for getting group work done. With one account, you can create as many different groups as you want. You can get the meeting done virtually,

creating projects, setting deadlines and agendas.

You can add people or join the group in one click, so it’s easy to get everyone on board super fast.

Missed messages are sent as email digests, so no one has to fall out of the loop. If you’re coming back from a holiday (or have to deal with chatty group-mates who take forever to get to the point), it has a “noise-cancellation” feature that allows you to cut through the chatter and head right to the action items. It also archives all your conversations, and has a handy search option that lets you hunt down that reference across groups and devices. Available as a desktop app as well as a mobile app, it’s always accessible. Get started for free at www.workgroup.im l

DT

18

Biz info

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016

| session |

| learning |

Digital Humanities at the ENH department, BRAC University

Free online training by eshikhon.com

On September 29, 2016, the department of English and Humanities (ENH), BRAC University arranged its first session on the use of digital resources in academic research at the BRAC University GDLN Seminar Room. The session titled, “Useful ICT Competences for Doing Research’ was jointly organised and conducted by Muhammad Mustafa Munwar, an alumnus of ENH and a competent user of digital resources in academic research, and HamimAl-Ahsan, the university’s Education Technology Specialist.

In this well-attended session, Mustafa Munwar gave the first presentation which covered the applied aspects of using technology for academic research. This included techniques of annotation, usage of e-resources and cloud based storage such as Drop Box, Google Drive, I Drive etc.

In this mood of using digital technology effectively, HamimAl-Ahsan began the second part of the session with his surprise announcement of the launching of the project, Arshi Nagar, the first-ever one-stop

digital humanities platform in Bangladesh. Arshi Nagar will serve both as an instantlysearchable-database for BRACU English department and a digital ramp for thesis students and their supervisors to communicate virtually. BRAC University ENH has been trying to deploy Digital Humanities as an auxiliary enhancement of pedagogy and this project is a milestone in the history of humanities studies in Bangladesh. The ENH family is excited to be part of this new path, and is anticipating a great success of this project.l

| launch |

Lake City Shopping Complex opens to public

Eshikhon.com has taken another timely initiative of providing free outsourcing training around the country. In this initiative anyone can take free freelancing/ outsourcing course training from top and renowned trainers of Dhaka from all over the country.

Eshikon.com will be teaching, for free, 3-5 month courses that conventionally cost between Tk15,000 to Tk30,000 in any other popular training institutes.

After training, eshikhon.com will also demonstrate practical methods for earning money from the internet. A total of 1000 students among the applicants will be given a chance to attend 30 top-rated online earning courses such as Web Design, Web Development, Programming, Animation, Graphic Design, Android App Development, Video Editing, Data Entry, Affiliate Marketing, Search Engine Optimisation, Earning from YouTube and blogs across the country.

To attend these courses, applicants have to attend an online MCQ exam testing Bangla, English, basic computer and internet proficiency, with a total

of 60 marks and 90 minutes to complete the test. Applicants who will obtain over 40 marks in the exam will be eligible to apply for the course. At the next step, the first 1000 applicants who obtained over 40 marks in the exam will have to fill-up an application form with a Tk350 application fee. Applicants will receive the Online Class System (including video), batch number, time, date, essential software and data in their e-mail.

The next 1000 applicants who obtain the pass marks of 30, will be given a chance of 50% discount for any courses at eshikhon.com.

Bangladeshis at home and abroad can also attend these online courses. Previously, eshikhon. com’s entrepreneurs have trained 500 women on freelancing. Rural people who don’t have internet connections, can also buy eshikhon.com’s Tutorial DVD at a low price.

The last date of application for this initiative is the October 24.

Class will begin from October 28 to the November 5.

To apply for this and for more details go to: http://eshikhon. com/free-course/ l

| memorial |

Commemorating Syed Shamsul Haque at NDUB The Lake City Concord Shopping mall, the latest addition to the Lake City Concord Shopping Complex, was inaugurated in Khilkhet on October 8. Shahriar Kamal, the managing director of Concord Group, conducted the inaugural ceremony. Lake City Concord is the first township mega satellite city in Bangladesh located only at distance of 20

min from Baridhara Residential area. The project comprises of pollution free environment, roads with footpaths, schools, mosques shopping complexes, convention halls, gymnasiums, playgrounds, in-built water sources, car parking areas, gas & electricity supply and lastly all required residential facilities. In order to suffice resident’s every need,

“Lake City Concord Shopping Complex” comes with modern facilities along with technical advancements. Local and foreign fashion brand stores, cosmetic and jewellery stores, super shops, phone stores, electronic stores, utensil stores and restaurants are designed to be part of this mega shopping mall. l

Notre Dame University Bangladesh (NDUB) organised a discussion session to commemorate legendary author Syed Shamsul Haque on Friday, October 7. Father Subas Adam Pereira, CSC, registrar and chairman of the department of English Language and Literature, was the chief guest in this programme.

Teachers and students participated in this event where the life of Syed Shamsul Haque and his works were discussed in brief. The event also featured a short documentary on the life and work of the eminent author, and ended with a musical performance of songs penned by Syed Shamsul Haque. l

19

DT

Auto Connect

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016

The bold and the beautiful The 2014 Mazda Axela makes us fall in love all over again for being fun, super efficient and drop-dead gorgeous

n Tahsin Momin The 2014 Mazda Axela is allnew, with edgy styling, a host of tech features, and reworked engines. It drives as good as it looks; with phenomenal steering feel, and smooth engines and transmissions. And last but not least, the Axela’s new infotainment system has a newfound focus on smartphone integration, promising to allow its drivers to always be connected on the go.

Exterior

The 2014 Mazda Axela is a standout, in terms of styling and design, and its long hood and stubby back end design really casts it in a different dimension compared to most other cars in its class. Getting the automaker’s Kodo (soul of motion) design treatment, the Axela finally loses the creepy smile that haunted the face of the previous-generation car. The car now features the brand’s new blunt nose with a five-point grille leading into thin, slanted, swept-back all the way to the headlamps. An encompassing shoulder line that gracefully blends into the side panel and

a slanted roofline creates a somewhat softer but a very distinctive rear-end.

Interior

To be honest, after the striking exterior, the interior does feel like a bit of a letdown. There’s the mandatory large colour screen on top of the centre console, a sporty steering wheel, however the instrument cluster does look fairly ordinary. Even though the new car is a lot wider than before the space inside the cabin isn’t quite as generous as you might hope, particularly the headroom in the back (literally form over functionality). However the fabric on the seats are quite lust and they are in fact very comfortable. While there is a lack of space inside the cabin, there is a ton of storage capacity in the boot.

Performance

Powering the Axela is a 1.5-litre petrol engine that delivers 100bhp and 110lb ft of torque, and feels very responsive and gives good returns on economy and emissions. It doesn’t have to work hard to pull away from standstill and allows you more time to enjoy the Axela’s very capable chassis.

The Axela really is right up with

the class best for control and enjoyment, giving bored AllionPremio owners a new alternative.

The wider stance means that, even on the twisty tarmac, the Axela feels stable and roll-free, while its steering is quick and accurate.

In most cases the handling compromises ride comfort but it’s not the case here. There’s very little trade off in ride comfort for the Axela’s agility. It seems like the manufacturer has cracked that oh-so-tricky balance of comfort and joy.

Safety

In terms of safety the Axela is

very, as in very, very impressive. It has a blind spot warning system, automatic high-beam headlights, lane departure warning and Mazda’s new Smart City Brake Support, which can detect impending objects and initiate automatic braking at speeds below 30 km/h. There is also a forward collision warning system that warns the driver of impending collisions at speeds from 15 to 150 km/h.

Verdict

The most striking part of the Mazda Axela is the car’s overall value for money and affordability.

In comparison, most of the Axela’s competitors are strictly basic at that price range. The 2014 Mazda Axela is drop-dead gorgeous, fantastic to drive, and it’s now more prudent than ever before.

If you are in the market for a new sedan, forget the Allions and Premios, this is what you should consider.l

Available at:

Sal-Sabeel Cars House-7, Road-8, Gulshan-1, Dhaka-1212 9861897, 8827084 Price: Starting from Tk25 Lacs and onwards

DT

20 Editorial

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016

TODAY

The past catches up with Trump Trump went after President Bill Clinton’s extramarital affairs and accused Hillary of being his enabler.

Republicans were dismayed by Trump’s non-apology, arguing that a 59-year-old male does not use “locker room bante PAGE 21

Sheikh Hasina, maintaining strong ties with Russia and India, started to build ties with Beijing. Balancing China, India, and Russia is no easy task, but it is indeed Sheikh Hasina’s diplomatic wizardry PAGE 22

Single brown female Asking for the names of male figures in a woman’s life has to stop. And this problem isn’t gender-specific either.

Individuals exist as their own people; the so-called ‘stock’ that they come from shouldn’t be a required piece of information for a person to move ahead PAGE 23

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

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

BIGSTOCK

Sheikh Hasina’s diplomatic wizardry

Restricting NGO freedom a slippery slope

B

angladesh faces many problems, but NGOs are not one of them.

Clamping down on NGOs would be massively counter-productive, and foolish in the extreme.

Bangladesh is tremendously indebted to NGOs for its development. Curbing their freedom, which includes the freedom to scrutinise and critique government activities does not bode well for the country.

The legislation, to put it bluntly, smacks of authoritarianism.

Restricting the rights of NGOs is a slippery slope, and one we cannot afford to go down if we cherish the democratic and constitutionally guaranteed freedoms of this nation.

While monitoring and regulation are desirable, and even necessary, what the Foreign Donations Regulation Bill seeks is problematic on many fronts. For example, the bill’s provision to take action against “malicious” or “derogatory” comments is too vague and open-ended.

Furthermore, it is not clear as to exactly what constitutes an offense that would be grounds for revoking an NGO’s registration.

There is also the question of why this bill would apply only to NGOs relying on foreign donations, and not local ones.

No good can come from this law, and it will only hamper Bangladesh’s progress, and slow down our journey to becoming a middle-income nation anytime soon.

We urge the president to not sign off on this bill -Bangladesh can only succeed through empowered NGOs. This bill would take us in the opposite direction.

Bangladesh faces many problems, but NGOs are not one of them

DT

21

Opinion

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016

The past catches up with Trump Are you enjoying the US presidential show?

L E T T E R F R O M A M E R I C A

n Fakhruddin Ahmed

T

his is DEFCON 1 moment for the Republicans and their presidential nominee Donald Trump.

For 17 months since declaring himself a candidate for the US presidency in June 2015, Donald Trump had successfully operated under the radar. With only a month to go before the November

all released their tax returns.

That Trump refuses to release his, under the pretense that his are under audit, although he has offered no proof that they actually are, made people think he is hiding something. Trump’s refusal to show his tax return was always suspicious. Now it appears that he was hiding the fact that he has paid no federal income taxes for 18 years.

Accusations of misogyny have dogged Trump throughout his life. Last Monday, it was reported

by ABC news that Trump had behaved loutishly with women contestants while taping the show The Apprentice. The Trump

as the Republican nominee.

It was under the backdrop of these controversies that Trump appeared at the second presidential debate at Washington University in St Louis on Sunday evening. Another disastrous performance by Trump would have opened the floodgates for Republican legislators fleeing any association with Trump.

The second presidential debate

The debate itself was weird to say the least. The hostility between the two candidates was palpable.

They did not shake hands as they entered the stage. The format of the debate was Town Hall meeting,

Trump went after President Bill Clinton’s extramarital affairs and accused Hillary of being his enabler. Republicans were dismayed by Trump’s non-apology, arguing that a 59-year-old male does not use “locker room banter,” which is the lingo of trash-talking college jocks

8 election, Trump had hoped to run out the clock on any damning revelation that could derail his presidential bid. That was not to be.

The New York Times and The Washington Post delivered the Trump campaign two devastating one-two knockout punches in early October. The Trump campaign is now in the ICU, on life support.

On October 2, The Times published Trump’s 1995 tax return that claimed a loss of about a billion dollars the previous year, which meant that he may not have paid federal income taxes for 18 years. The loss flies in the face of Trump’s braggadocio that he is a successful businessman, who will do for America what he has done for himself.

What happened to Trump’s tax returns?

Trump has criticised 50% of Americans who avoid, or are not required to pay, federal income taxes. Polls show that 86% of Americans consider paying income taxes a civic duty. Hillary Clinton, Tim Kaine, and Mike Pence have

campaign vehemently denied those allegations stressing that Trump always treats women with respect.

What does Trump think of women?

On October 7, The Washington Post presented America with the second “October surprise” -- a real bombshell. An audio and video released by The Post showed that in 2005, on a Hollywood Access bus, Trump made utterly vulgar and predatory sexual comments about women, bragging about his attempt at bedding a married women, his habit of grabbing women by their genitals, forcing himself on them, adding that “they would let you do anything to them if you are a star!” -- Trump actually confessed to committing sexual assault, a felony.

Outrage was instantaneous and universal. Several prominent Republicans such as the Bush family, Condi Rice, Senator John McCain, and several Republican governors, senators, and congressmen not only rescinded their endorsement of Donald Trump for president, they also asked him to withdraw his name

where undecided voters in the St Louis area, selected by Gallup organisation, asked the candidates specific questions.

Unsurprisingly, the first question was about Trump’s lewd audio/video.

Sounding anything but contrite, labeling his conduct as “locker room banter,” Trump apologised to his family and America, but not to those he had abused.

Instead, Trump went after President Bill Clinton’s extramarital affairs and accused Hillary of being his enabler.

Republicans were dismayed by Trump’s non-apology, arguing that a 59-year-old male does not use “locker room banter,” which is the lingo of trash-talking college jocks.

It is hard to see how this helps Trump with the women voters, who constitute 53% of the electorate.

Having participated in numerous town hall meetings, Clinton engaged with the questioners and answered their questions in depth. Trump was clearly uncomfortable on the stage, stalked Hillary with a scowl, and did not answer most of the

Does he regret his comments from 2005? questions in full.

Instead, he pivoted to his talking points, blamed Hillary for everything, and promised to put her in jail if he was elected president. He was incoherent on foreign policy, and threw his running mate Mike Pence under the bus on their Syria policy, claiming that he had not spoken to Pence recently, and that his Syria policy was different than Pence’s.

In the vice presidential debate on October 4, Mike Pence articulated a muscular anti-Russia Syria policy which was at variance with Trump’s pro-Putin policy.

Besides, Pence stated that he was “offended” by Trump’s lewd video, and refused to substitute for Trump at a Wisconsin rally on October 8, when Speaker of the House Paul Ryan disinvited Trump. This was payback time.

A CNN poll of debate watchers declared Hillary Clinton the winner of the debate by 57% to 34%.

Does Hillary need Trump?

Hillary Clinton probably did herself a favour by not knocking Trump out in the second debate, because she wants Trump to be her Republican opponent. If Trump had performed very poorly in the debate, there would have been tremendous pressure on Trump to withdraw. If Trump were to withdraw, and were to be replaced by someone like Mike Pence, the dynamics of the race could change in favour of the Republicans. After all, with a two-term Democratic president

REUTERS

retiring, this is a change election.

Republicans worry about down ballot candidates -- senators, congressmen, and state office holders -- if Trump is at the top of the Republican ticket. Many Americans vote top to bottom in either the Democratic or the Republican column.

If someone is unwilling to vote for Trump, he/she may not show up to vote, or may vote for the Democrats. There is no way the Republican Party can oust their nominee.

Events have moved polls in this election cycle.

After a lacklustre Republican convention and a flawless Democratic convention, Hillary Clinton surged ahead by double digits, and her chance of victory improved to 89% by August 14, according to Nate Silver. However, as Clinton faltered, and her email scandal became the main news story, and as she collapsed while attending the 9/11 memorial on September 11, Trump nearly caught up with her.

After her superb performance in the first debate on September 26, Clinton has now opened up a sixpoint lead nationwide, and has an 82% chance of victory according to Nate Silver.

Trump’s lewd audio/video aired two days ago, and Clinton’s emphatic victory over Trump in the second debate will only improve Clinton’s chances of victory on November 8. l Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed is a Rhodes Scholar.

DT

22

Opinion

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016

Sheikh Hasina’s diplomatic wizardry Bangladesh now enjoys a balanced relationship with some of the key players of the world without an Awami League government.

A far-sighted Sheikh Hasina took her maiden visit to China as an opposition leader in what was then called an “ice-breaking” trip.

Beijing was exceptionally warm to her, and signalled that it was also courting her despite its strong relations with Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party.

But BNP made a blunder of its tested ties with China by allowing Taiwan to open a representative office with full consular services.

China thought BNP has given a slap on its face despite standing strong with it since military Ziaur Rahman’s time.

Dhaka-Beijing ties took a nosedive.

Sheikh Hasina, maintaining strong ties with Russia and India, started to build ties with Beijing.

Balancing China, India, and Russia is no easy task, but it is indeed Sheikh Hasina’s diplomatic wizardry

A far-sighted leader

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

n Nadeem Qadir

I

t has been 45 years since Bangladesh was born, with Russia in our favour and China along with the United States taking an “anti” stand in the name of what they called the “ping-pong diplomacy.”

Governments came and went, with the US recognising

Bangladesh reluctantly and China vetoing our entry into the United Nations.

China only recognised Bangladesh after the assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the man they held responsible for breaking up Pakistan.

Beijing steadily became Dhaka’s friend in the years that followed

Sheikh Hasina, maintaining strong ties with Russia and India, started to build ties with Beijing.

Balancing China, India, and Russia is no easy task, but it is indeed Sheikh Hasina’s diplomatic wizardry.

It is her leadership charm and charisma, along with strategic planning, that has put Bangladesh centre-stage of international and

regional politics.

In an attempt to carve out innovative ways to strengthen the more than three decade old bilateral and diplomatic relations with the emerging Asian giant, Sheikh Hasina undertook a highprofile five-day official visit to China since coming to power for the third time.

And it was her first foreign visit since taking charge of Bangladesh’s new government, after the landslide victory in the December 2009 elections.

The much anticipated high level talks between Sheikh Hasina and her Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao yielded a resolution to create a “closer comprehensive partnership of cooperation.”

This was a crucial stepping stone in Sheikh Hasina’s ambition to get a “comprehensive partnership” with Beijing, according to analysts.

The landmark talks dealt with a spectrum of issues that were significant for both countries.

China gave a positive answer to Hasina’s call for Chinese financial aid and technical support for development projects, collaboration in agriculture, and the power sector.

Chinese premier Web Jiabao assured Hasina of overall backing and support in all areas.

We have seen how the US has taken a U-turn on its relations with Bangladesh as Sheikh Hasina disagreed with Washington on some issues, including the execution of 1971 war criminals.

Now, with the upcoming visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping from October 14, this will take DhakaBeijing ties to new heights, as China has committed to becoming the number one development partner of Bangladesh.

It is already a major defence partner with tanks, frigates, and fighter jets in the Bangladesh armed forces, besides being a partner in the prestigious Padma Bridge project.

Bangladesh -- now for the first time since independence -- enjoys a balanced relationship with all the major players.

Beijing may now help in solving our probelms with neighbouring Myanmar, and also push Aung San Suu Kyi to open the road through her country to link South Asia to Southeast Asia and onto China. l Nadeem Qadir, a senior journalist, is a UNCA Dag Hammarskjold Scholar in journalism. He is the Press Minister of Bangladesh High Commission in London.

DT

23

Opinion

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016

Single brown female The fault is not in our people, but in our institutions

n SN Rasul

H

ere’s a story: A woman in her late 40s goes to pick up her divorce papers. Why she requires them now -- tax purposes, changing her name on her passport, setting up her own business -- is not very important.

When she was in her early 20s, she made mistakes. She was in love and ended up marrying a man who she later found out was addicted to Phensidyl. He was unemployed; she was selfemployed, scrounging for money.

Sometimes she would sit with knick-knacks and snacks outside Agrani School, where her daughter went, and sell them to the other mothers. Sometimes she acted as the middle woman for richer housewives who couldn’t be bothered to go into the blistering heat of Gausia or Dhaka College to order their excessively expensive kameezes.

Then she endured a decade and a half of physical and emotional abuse, culminating in an eventual last straw that forced her to kick her husband out of her apartment, an apartment she spent years saving up for, and took out a loan for, and paid a significant portion of her monthly income for.

Within the confines of the bureaucratic nightmare that picking up her divorce papers is already slated to be, she is the

A woman doesn’t need to have a man in her life

Asking for the names of male figures in a woman’s life has to stop. And this problem isn’t gender-specific either. Individuals exist as their own people; the so-called ‘stock’ that they come from shouldn’t be a required piece of information for a person to move ahead in their lives

victim of not-so-subtle instances of abuse. This abuse comes in many forms. Some ask her, even though it is not their business to, what led to her divorce. Some comment, saying how she could have ended up in such a situation.

She walks through the hallways and corridors as a pariah would, like some disease that the body of society instantly rejects.

It should be remembered that her mistakes have rung in her ears for years, from the voices of brothers and sisters, of neighbours here and there, of backhanded vocal putdowns overheard while she waited outside her daughter’s school to pick her up, in between

two bus trips to New Market.

Despite all of this, she remains elated, stubborn. She snaps back, humorously, “Apnake eto kotha bolte ke bolse?” -- Who told you to dig your nose so far into my business?

But the government doesn’t quite let her forget that, in spite of how much she has achieved, how many hurdles she has overcome as a single Bengali woman in this land of men.

You want to apply for a passport?

They want your husband’s name.

National ID? Husband’s name.

You want to go anywhere as a woman that requires some form to be filled in, your husband’s

name please. Of course, since her divorce, her father is the man responsible for her continued existence.

If not the husband, then of course, logic dictates that she lives with her father for, without a man in her life, how could a single Bengali woman survive?

There are three things wrong with this story: Firstly, the stigma of divorce. Now, yes, I know, that the upper-middle class elite have enough divorces in their midst to have rendered this a more acceptable thing for a woman or man to be. And in spite of the strides we have taken, questions still need to be answered,

DHAKA TRIBUNE

explanations still need to be given.

But that is a speck of dust compared to the universe of issues that divorce can lead to in other rungs of society. The questions, the judgement, the constant harassment.

Can you rent a place as a single woman with two daughters? No. Can you set up a business without being taken as a joke, unless you have a man who has his arm wrapped around your waist? No. Can you go anywhere without, first, having to prove yourself as a person? No. Secondly, this asking for the names of male figures in a woman’s life has to stop. And this problem isn’t gender-specific either.

Individuals exist as their own people; the so-called “stock” that they come from shouldn’t be a required piece of information for a person to move ahead in their lives.

There are a plethora of factors that lead to a person to exist not as the way society would generally expect him or her to be: The orphans, the widows

and widowers, the black sheep, the abused, the divorced, the forgetters of pasts. Institutions must realise that.

A woman is not an extension of her husband, the same way a man isn’t an extension of his father’s, whose sole purpose in life is to hold on to the family name and carry on his great-great-great grandfather’s legacy.

And finally, what kind of country are we living in that government workers, people who should be working for us, have the audacity to comment in such misogynistic and derogatory rhetoric with such confidence in their impunity?

The least that any person, man or woman, can expect is a modicum of respect from the people whose purpose is to help them as citizens of this country.

But I suppose if you find yourself in such a situation in this country, tough luck. In the end, you’re a woman, and there’s no cure for that. l SN Rasul is a Sub-Editor at the Dhaka Tribune. Follow him @snrasul.

DT

24 Sport

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016

Taijul replaces Mosharraf for third ODI

TOP STORIES

n Tribune Report

Bangladesh Cricket Board yesterday announced the 14-member Tigers squad for the third and final ODI against England, replacing Mosharraf Hossain with Taijul Islam.

Left-arm spinner Mosharraf was a part of the squad for the first two ODIs. The series deciding ODI between the two teams will be held tomorrow in Chittagong’s Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium.

How Stokes got away The intensity and buzz have reached fever pitch between Bangladesh and England both on and off the field in the ongoing three-match ODI series after the home side beat the visitors to level the series 1-1 on Sunday. PAGE 25

Squad

Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Imrul Kayes, Mosaddek Hossain, Shakib al Hasan, Mahmudullah, Nasir Hossain, Mushfiqur Rahim (WK), Sabbir Rahman, Mashrafe bin Mortaza (C), Shafiul Islam, Al Amin Hossain, Taskin Ahmed and Taijul Islam. l

Bhutan shock Bangladesh Bangladesh failed to make it into the Asian Football Confederation Cup 2019 Qualifiers after conceding a shocking 3-1 defeat against hosts Bhutan in the second leg playoff at Changlimithang Stadium yesterday. PAGE 26

Bangladesh cricket team arrive in Chittagong yesterday ahead of the third and final ODI against England tomorrow DHAKA TRIBUNE

‘It was all sorted out after the game’ n Tribune Report

Inquest into Hughes death opens A coroner’s inquest into the death of Phillip Hughes opened yesterday, almost two years after the Australian cricketer died when he was struck by a ball during a match at the Sydney Cricket Ground. PAGE 27

The second ODI between Bangladesh and England in Mirpur on Sunday was filled with incidents, both on and off the field, as the home side levelled the threematch ODI series 1-1.

As a result, lots of headlines were created with the Bangladesh fans making their feelings known on social media with regards to the Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes incidents.

And following the high-octane clash, England coach Trevor Bayliss gave his take on the controversial issues.

Here are the excerpts:

and the heat and that type of thing, some of these things can get out of proportion a little bit.

We have got to be on the lookout to make sure it does not distract us from the way we want to play the game and concentrating on what we do. We have spoken

is a case of just watching what he says and the way he reacts to that.

Stokes seemed upset at the end.

Is the spirit between the two teams ok?

It was all sorted out after the game and everyone is moving on. In

Immobile rescues Italy as Spain cruise Lazio and former Borussia Dortmund striker Ciro Immobile grabbed an injury-time winner as four-time champions Italy snatched a 3-2 comeback win at Macedonia on Sunday, narrowly avoiding a World Cup qualifying embarrassment. PAGE 28

Did you send any message to Buttler and the players to keep their cool?

I think when playing in the sub-continent with the crowds

While playing aggressive cricket, is there bound to be flare up?

Quite possibly but don’t forget there are always two teams in this type of argument and some of the teams around the world are not quite as pristine as they might like to make out. We are not going to back down from anything and certainly we have some characters in the team who will not back down.

Did Bangladesh cross the line?

I was not out there to hear exactly what was said. It was just a Level 1 offence so not massively over the top but the ICC (International Cricket Council) is doing the right thing, trying to stamp this kind of thing out. A lot of smaller things are being fined these days and rightly so, eventually hopefully a lot of that is kept out of the game.

made. Nothing to do with the report. Stokesy to his credit was the one trying to get clarification on what they actually meant. It was not directed at him personally but he was the one standing up to his team-mates.

Do you mind seeing players behaving like that. Standing up for themselves and each other?

England cricket team arrive in Chittagong yesterday about it before when the Pakistan series started and there will probably be a reminder from the coach leading into the third game.

Is the captain entitled to show passion?

Definitely. He gets respect for that as well from the rest of the guys. It

DHAKA TRIBUNE

these type of conditions and competition at top level, sometimes a few minds can be frayed a little but once everyone settles and gets on with the job, everything is fine.

What exactly happened at the end?

There were some other comment

I don’t encourage it but that is human nature. The way in which we react and what we might say in those heated situations is what the ICC are trying to crack down on and rightly so. It is in front of a worldwide audience and we are all there as role models for the young kids coming through and that has got to be stamped out of the game.

I have nothing against questioning or standing up for yourself but just the way we do approach it and what we do say. l

25

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016

Sabbir, Mashrafe fined but nothing on Stokes issue n Tribune Report

England’s Ben Stokes exchanges heated words with Bangladesh’s Tamim Iqbal following the second ODI in Mirpur on Sunday

Tigers fans vent fury at Stokes n Tribune Report England’s Ben Stokes found himself at the centre of a social media storm following Bangladesh’s 34run win in the second ODI at Shere-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur on Sunday.

In his immediate reaction on Twitter, Stokes claimed one of the Bangladesh cricketers, indirectly suggesting opening batsman Tamim Iqbal, had refused to shake hands with the visiting side after the game.

Stokes said, “Congrats to Bangladesh on the win tonight,outplayed us,what I won’t stand for is someone putting a shoulder to my teammate at handshakes.”

Stokes’ tweet was met with furore by the Bangladesh fans with thousands expressing their displeasure through social media.

Following the game, England captain Jos Buttler defended Stokes, saying, “Obviously emotions run high, and Ben is an emotional guy but he would not have reacted like that if nothing had happened.”

BCB lawyer Mustafizur Rahman Khan posted on Facebook, “The video clip post the 2nd ODI clearly shows that [Jonny] Bairstow ran into Tamim with his shoulder, and not the other way around. And then Ben Stokes pushes at Tamim in an act which can be classified as criminal assault.” l

How Stokes got away n Mazhar Uddin The intensity and buzz have reached fever pitch between Bangladesh and England both on and off the field in the ongoing three-match ODI series after the home side beat the visitors to level the series 1-1 on Sunday.

Bangladesh were on the verge of a memorable win in the first ODI on Friday but eventually lost the game by 21 runs. However, a 34-run victory in the second match brought Bangladesh right back to the series.

Amid all the action, the onfield rivalry between the two teams has taken a new dimension after English captain Jos Buttler got engaged in a heated conversation with the Bangladeshi fielders following his dismissal on Sunday.

Bangladesh captain Mashrafe bin Mortaza and Sabbir Rahman have both been fined 20 percent of their match fee while Buttler has received an official reprimand for breaching Level 1 of the International Cricket Council’s Code of Conduct during the second ODI at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.

And according to former Bangladesh captain and Bangladesh Cricket Board’s match

referee Rakibul Hasan, if the incident went unnoticed or was not reported by the on-field umpires, chances are less that action will be taken against the culprits.

“Look, the incident which happened after the dismissal of Jos Buttler has been witnessed by the on-field umpires and according to the report, the match referee has given his decision and fined Bangladesh captain Mashrafe and Sabbir as they breached the Article 2.1.7,” said Rakibul.

“They (Mashrafe and Sabbir) started the incident which relates to using abusive gesture or language. Buttler reacted to that so he was given an official reprimand for breaching Level 1 of the ICC’s Code of Conduct,” he added.

Along with the Buttler issue, another incident came under the spotlight when the Bangladesh players went to shake hands with the English cricketers. Buttler and his troop were sitting in their dressing room after losing the game following which they came to shake hands. The anger among the English cricketers was clearly visible for all to see.

However, what transpired later turned out to be the major talking

AP

point in the last couple of days.

Following the game, a video went viral on social media. The video shows England’s Jonny Bairstow apparently clashing shoulders with Bangladesh’s Tamim Iqbal.

England’s Ben Stokes, who was standing behind Bairstow, then pushed Tamim much to the anger of the Tigers supporters.

Till yesterday, there was no official statement from the ICC regarding the incident.

Regarding the Stokes incident, Rakibul said, “Ben Stokes and Tamim got engaged in a clash during the hand shake formalities. It may have remained unnoticed by the on-field umpires or not reported to the match referee. So in that case, there are less chances of penalising the culprit involved in the issue as there was no concrete evidence seen by the on-field umpires or the match referee.

“Sometimes the match referee also understands the intensity and emotions of the players and not take such issues beyond the game. However, Stokes, who officially tweeted regarding the issue, can be taken to task. If the match referee wants, he can take this tweet into account and start an investigation.” l

Bangladesh captain Mashrafe bin Mortaza and Sabbir Rahman have both been fined 20 percent of their match fee while England skipper Jos Buttler has received an official reprimand for breaching Level 1 of the International Cricket Council’s Code of Conduct during the second ODI at Shere-Bangla National Stadium on Sunday.

Both the Bangladesh players were found to have breached Article 2.1.7 of the ICC’s Code of Conduct which relates to “using language, actions or gestures which disparage or could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batsman upon his/her dismissal during an international match”.

Buttler, on the other hand, was found guilty of violating Article 2.1.4 which deals with “using language or a gesture that is obscene, offensive or insulting during an international match”.

The three players admitted their offence and accepted the sanctions proposed by Javagal Srinath of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees and, as such, there was no need for a formal hearing.

“The Bangladesh players overstepped in their celebration of Jos Buttler’s wicket which prompted an inappropriate reaction from the dismissed batsman and required the on-field umpires’ intervention.

We all want to see high intensity on the field of play but only as long as it is not provoking or antagonising or disrespecting the opponent,” said Srinath.

In accordance with Article 7.3 of the revised Code which came into effect on September 22, in addition to the sanction imposed for their breaches, one demerit point each has been added to the disciplinary record of the three players.

While this was the first offence for the rival captains, Sabbir has been sanctioned for the second time ever since the introduction of the revised Code. He had received two demerit points for breaching Article 2.1.4 in the series against Afghanistan on September 26. As such, he now has three demerit points against his name.

Pursuant to Article 7.6 of the Code, if the three players reach four or more demerit points within a 24-month period, their demerit points will be converted into, at least, two suspension points which will equate to a ban from their next match or matches. Two suspension points equate to a ban from one Test or two ODIs or two T20Is, whatever comes first for the player.

The incident happened in the 28th over of England’s run-chase when Mashrafe and Sabbir overreacted after Bangladesh’s LBW review against Buttler was successful with the England captain responding by making inappropriate comments.

Meanwhile, there was yet another incident just after the match when the players of the two teams went for handshakes only to get engaged in a heated conversation, namely Ben Stokes and Tamim Iqbal.

However, there were no comment and investigation on behalf of the ICC till yesterday. l

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016

Sylhet in driving seat in NCL n Tribune Report Sylhet were on the verge of setting Chittagong a challenging total when the third day’s play in the third round of the 18th National Cricket League concluded yesterday.

Having scored 444 in their first innings, Sylhet were batting on 74/2, leading the port city by 203 runs. Chittagong earlier scored 315 in their first essay.

Overnight batsmen Zakir Hasan (21) and Rajin Saleh (12) will look to extend their lead when the fourth and final day’s play begins today.

Meanwhile in the other tier two tie, Rangpur ended the day’s proceedings on 32 without loss in their second innings.

Rangpur earlier managed 234 in their first innings following which Rajshahi put up 268.

Rangpur trail by only two runs as the match is heading towards a draw, with the exception of any last-day heroics.

Elsewhere, the tier one game between Khulna and Dhaka Metropolis is also heading towards a stalemate with the latter posting 59 without loss in their first innings at stumps.

Khulna had registered 293 in their first innings.

In the other tier one encounter, Dhaka are in a strong position as Barisal ended the day on 103/1 in their first innings, in pursuit of the former’s tally of 523, featuring a fine century by Taibur Rahman (147) and half centuries from Abdul Mazid (96), Rony Talukdar (84), Nadif Chowdhury (75) and Zahiduzzaman (57*). l

18TH NCL, RD 3, DAY 3 TIER 1 DHAKA 523 in 132 overs (Taibur 147, Mazid 96, Rony 84) lead BARISAL 103/1 in 24 overs (Fazle 55*, Shahriar 40*, Sharif 1/20) by 420 runs KHULNA 293 in 104.4 overs (Nurul 103*, Razzak 45, Ziaur 45) lead DHAKA METROPOLIS 59/0 in 20 overs (Mehedi 34*, Shadman 23*, Rubel 0/9) by 234 runs TIER 2 RANGPUR 234 & 32/0 in 16 overs (Saymon 20*, Jahid 10*, Farhad 0/7) trail RAJSHAHI 268 in 82.4 overs (Junaid 126, Sanjamul 40, Saddam 4/46) by two runs SYLHET 444 & 74/2 in 23 overs (Sayem 26, Zakir 21*, Arif 1/25) lead CHITTAGONG 315 in 101.2 overs (Yasir 95, Tasamul 57, Shahanur 5/66) by 203 runs

Benoit-Pierre Laramee (CR), High Commissioner of Canada, felicitated the Bangladesh Under-16 women’s football team for their unbeaten title win in the Asian Football Confederation’s U-16 Women’s Championship 2017 Qualifiers recently COURTESY

Bhutan shock Bangladesh n Tribune Report Bangladesh failed to make it into the Asian Football Confederation Cup 2019 Qualifiers after conceding a shocking 3-1 defeat against hosts Bhutan in the second leg playoff at Changlimithang Stadium in Thimphu yesterday.

It was the first time the men in red and green lost to Bhutan in any international match. After the first leg ended goalless in Dhaka on September 5, Nepal qualified for the Asian Cup qualifying round with a 3-1 win on aggregate.

The visitors put up a horrible defensive display while conceding two goals in the first half. The home side went ahead with only

RESULT 3-1

Bhutan

Bangladesh

Dorji 4, Chencho 26, 76

Meshu 63

four minutes into the clock when defender Jigme T Dorji headed home a corner. Dorji was completely unmarked inside the danger zone and there was no individual player marking when the corner was taken. Goalkeeper Ashraful

Islam Rana was close to the scorer but missed the flight of the ball.

The second goal came from another awful display from the backfive in the 26th minute. A long ball from the right side of midfield was falling at the edge of the box. Rana and the veteran Mamun Miah were there but Chencho Gyeltshen outwitted the duo with a header that bounced into the net.

Bangladesh tried to stage a comeback after resumption as Atiqur Rahman Meshu pulled one back in the 63rd minute, heading home a Mamunul Islam corner.

Confident Bangladesh up against India n Tribune Report A confident Bangladesh kabaddi team will take on India in their second Group A match in the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup in Ahmedabad.

The match begins at 9:30pm (Bangladesh standard time) and Star Sports will telecast it live.

Bangladesh raiders began their campaign with a crushing 52-18 victory over England on the second day of the tournament on Saturday, outplaying their opponents in all the departments. Today’s victory over the hosts will ease Bangladesh’s bid of progressing to the next round.

India, on the other hand, started with a shocking defeat of 34-32 against Republic of Korea in the inaugural match on Friday before returning to winning ways, beating Australia 54-20 a day later. It will not be an easy task for Bangladesh as India are not only the hosts but also one of the favourites of the tournaments.

POINTS TABLE Team

GROUP A P W L

Sd

Pts

S Korea

2

2

0

28

10

India

2

1

1

32

6

Bangladesh

1

1

0

34

5

Argentina

1

0

1

-26

0

Australia

1

0

1

-34

0

England

1

0

1

-34

0

For opponents like Bangladesh, we will play against them with passion and aggression. That is the plan for all the games and we won’t take anyone lightly Bangladesh will be looking forward to their captain Mohammad Aruduzzaman Munshi, who led the

scoring charts with eight points out of 34 against England.

Knowing that kabaddi is the national sport of Bangladesh, India captain Anup Kumar is well aware ahead of the vital clash.

“For opponents like Bangladesh and Iran, we will play against them with the same passion and aggression. That is the plan for all the games and we will not take anyone lightly. Bangladesh are also a good team and we will minimise our mistakes and try to win it,” Anup was quoted as saying in the kabaddi world cup’s official website. l

Hemanta Vincent Biswas tried his luck from outside the box in the 72nd minute but his effort flew inches over the bar.

Jahid Hasan Ameli came off the bench in the 58th minute, replacing Shakhawat Hossain Rony.

The experienced striker missed a chance in the 74th minute while shooting straight to the goalkeeper following a Hemanta cross.

Chencho sealed victory two minutes later with a decent finish and could have extended the lead four minutes later if he had not missed a penalty. l

India, Pakistan shine in IHF Trophy n Tribune Report Both men’s and women’s team of India and Pakistan registered victories on the second day of the International Handball Federation Trophy tournament at different venues in the capital yesterday.

In the first match of the day in the men’s category, India overpowered Sri Lanka 52-14 with Nidish scoring 11 goals for the winners while Sitara netted five for the losing side. Pakistan defeated Nepal 32-16 in the second match. In the last match of the day, Afghanistan had to toil hard to beat Maldives 24-22.

In the women’s event, Sri Lanka beat Afghanistan 18-16 with Shuvashali netting 12 goals for the victors. India beat Nepal 45-16 in the second match while Pakistan outplayed Maldives 31-8 in the third match. l

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016

3RD TEST, DAY 3

QUICK BYTES

Scoreboard at stumps on day three of the third and final Test between India and New Zealand in Indore on Monday: India 1st innings: 557 for five declared (V. Kohli 211, A. Rahane 188, R. Sharma 51 not out) New Zealand 1st innings: overnight 28/0 (M. Guptill 17 not out, T. Latham six not out)

Ramos injury heaps more pain on Real Real Madrid’s injury crisis worsened on Sunday when influential defender Sergio Ramos was forced off in Spain’s 2-0 World Cup qualifying win away to Albania with a knee strain that could sideline him for up to a month. The centre back received treatment on the pitch after falling awkwardly while contesting a corner but was substituted by coach Julen Lopetegui in the 80th minute.

“Sergio’s injury looks like a strain and we hope that’s all it is but the doctors are the ones who have to determine what it is. He’s a very important player for us and his club,” the coach told a news conference. Ramos will undergo further tests when he returns to the Spanish capital.

REUTERS

South Africa select uncapped spin duo Uncapped spinners Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi were named in South Africa’s squad for next month’s three-match Test series in Australia yesterday as the Proteas seek to exploit a perceived weaknesses in their hosts’ batting. Faf du Plessis will again captain the team in the absence of injured AB de Villiers after leading the side in the two-test series against New Zealand last month, which they won 1-0. “Basically, we are following a horses for courses policy as we feel that spinners who turn the ball away from the right-hander are going to be particularly useful under Australian conditions” selector Linda Zondi said .

REUTERS

DAY’S WATCH

NEW ZEALAND M. Guptill run out (Ashwin) T. Latham c & b Ashwin K. Williamson b Ashwin R. Taylor c Rahane b Ashwin L. Ronchi c Rahane b Ashwin J. Neesham lbw b Ashwin B.J. Watling c Rahane b Jadeja M. Santner c Kohli b Jadeja J. Patel run out (Ashwin) M. Henry not out T. Boult c Pujara b Ashwin Extras (b6, lb5, w1, penalty 5) Total (all out; 90.2 overs)

India’s injured opener Gautam Gambhir is attended by the team physio during their third Test aganst New Zealand at Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore, India yesterday REUTERS

Ashwin six-for puts India in firm control n AFP, India Wily off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin backed himself yesterday to outfox any batsman in the world after his six wickets in the third and final Test against New Zealand put India in pole position to complete a whitewash.

Ashwin, who is the leading wicket-taker in the series with 20 dismissals, was again the standout performer as the hosts bowled out the tourists for 299 and secured a

258-run lead on day three of the match. India, who did not enforce the follow-on, were 18 for no loss in their second innings at stumps, with Murali Vijay (11) and Cheteshwar Pujara (1) stretching the lead to 276.

Opener Gautam Gambhir retired hurt on six after aggravating a shoulder injury, which he first suffered while fielding, as he dived into his crease to avoid a run-out.

Earlier Ashwin ensured that India continued their domination of the series at their newest Test ven-

Inquest into death of batsman Hughes opens in Sydney

KABADDI

STAR SPORTS 2

Kabaddi World Cup 8:30PM Iran v Kenya 9:40PM India v Bangladesh

FOOTBALL SONY SIX FIFA World Cup Qualifiers 2018 10:00PM Kazakhstan v Romania 12:30AM Germany v Northern Ireland

SONY ESPN FIFA World Cup Qualifiers 2018 12:30AM Slovenia v England 2:30AM Colombia v Uruguay 5:30AM Argentina v Paraguay

CRICKET STAR SPORTS 4 10:00AM New Zealand Tour of India 3rd Test, Day 4

ue, Indore’s Holkar Stadium, after recording his 20th five-wicket haul.

Opener Martin Guptill, who struck form with a gritty 72, and James Neesham (71) put up the main resistance against an inspired Indian attack. Guptill counter-attacked with 10 fours and two sixes during his 144-ball stay but was unlucky to be run out by Ashwin while backing up.

India are looking to complete their second successive home series whitewash against New Zealand. l

Brad Haddin was one among the witnesses examined on day one of the inquest into the death of Phillip Hughes INTERNET

n Reuters, Sydney A coroner’s inquest into the death of Phillip Hughes opened yesterday, almost two years after the Australian cricketer died when he was struck by a ball during a match at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Hughes was hit on the back of the neck by a rising delivery when batting for South Australia in a domes-

tic match on Nov. 25, 2014. He died two days later in a Sydney hospital.

Over the next week, the New South Wales Coroner’s Court will review the circumstances surrounding the incident to determine whether the 25-year-old’s death could have been avoided.

The court will consider evidence on “the nature of the play” during the match, the medical and emer-

gency response to Hughes’s injury as well as on whether protective equipment might have prevented the blow being fatal.

Evidence from Sean Abbott, the New South Wales cricketer who bowled the fateful delivery, as well as former and current Test players Brad Haddin, Doug Bollinger and David Warner will be heard.

Cricket Australia has already implemented the recommendations made in a 62-page independent report the body commissioned from a senior lawyer, David Curtain, which was released in May. The Curtain Report recommended that players be forced to wear helmets when facing fast and medium-paced bowling even if it concluded that such protection would not have prevented the batsman’s death.

Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland joined with the player’s former manager James Henderson in requesting that the privacy of Hughes’s family be respected during the hearing. l

R 72 53 8 0 0 71 23 22 18 15 0 17

B 144 104 25 4 6 115 48 52 26 13 5

299

Fall of wickets 1-118 (Latham), 2-134 (Williamson), 3-140 (Taylor), 4-148 (Guptill), 5-148 (Ronchi), 6-201 (Watling), 7-253 (Santner), 8-276 (Neesham), 9-294 (Patel), 10-299 (Boult) BOWLING Shami 13-1-40-0, Yadav 15-1-55-0, Ashwin 27.2-5-81-6, Jadeja 28-5-80-2, Vijay 7-0-27-0 INDIA 2ND INNINGS M. Vijay not out G. Gambhir retired hurt C. Pujara not out Extras

R 11 6 1 0

Total (0 wickets; 6 overs)

18

B 18 7 11

Fall of wickets 0-11* (Gambhir, retired not out, 2.5 overs) Bowling Boult 3-0-9-0, Patel 2-0-8-0, Santner 1-0-1-0 To bat: V. Kohli, A Rahane, R. Sharma, R. Ashwin, W. Saha, R. Jadeja, M. Shami, U. Yadav Toss: India

Indian detained over illegal gambling in SBNS n AFP, Dhaka Bangladesh cricket authorities said yesterday they have detained an Indian for suspected links with illegal gambling operations during the cricket series between Bangladesh and England.

The suspect was detained during Friday’s first one-day international of the controversial tour, held despite the country’s deadliest terror attack on a Dhaka cafe in July.

“Our anti-corruption officials found his movements suspicious so they detained him and handed him over to local police,” said Bangladesh Cricket Board spokesman Jalal Yunus.

Gambling is illegal in Bangladesh, whose cricket authorities threw out four Indian nationals last year for suspected involvement during a Twenty20 tournament.

Local police official Bhuiyan Mahboob Hossain said the suspect had been handed to the Indian High Commission after being interrogated, and had not been charged. l

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016

RESULTS GROUP D

Wales

1-1

Georgia

Bale 10

Serbia

Okriashvili 57

3-2

Austria

Mitrovic 6, 23, Tadic 74 Sabitzer 15, Janko 62

Moldova Bugaiov 45+1

Israel

1-3

Republic of Ireland

Long 2, McClean 69, 76 GROUP G

2-1

Liechtenstein

Hemed 4, 16

Albania

Goppel 49

0-2

Spain Costa 55, Nolito 63

Macedonia

2-3

Italy

Nestorovski 57, Hasani 59

Belotti 24, Immobile 75, 90+2 GROUP I

Ukraine

3-0

Kosovo

Kravets 31, Yarmolenko 81, Rotan 87

Finland

0-1

Croatia Mandzukic 18

Iceland

2-0

Turkey

Toprak 42-og, Finnbogason 44

Albania’s Berat Xhimshiti and Spain’s Andres Iniesta in action during their World Cup 2018 Qualifier at Loro Borici Stadium, Shkoder, Albania on Sunday REUTERS

Immobile rescues Italy as Spain cruise n AFP, Paris Lazio striker Ciro Immobile grabbed an injury-time winner as four-time champions Italy snatched a 3-2 comeback win at Macedonia on Sunday, narrowly avoiding a World Cup qualifying embarrassment.

Italy, who had needed a late penalty to salvage a point against Group G rivals Spain on Thursday, were staring at a shock defeat in Skopje against a Macedonia side ranked a lowly 146 in the world.

Torino striker Andrea Belotti had given Italy a 24th-minute lead just

four minutes after Palermo marksman Ilija Nestorokvski had crashed a drive off the crossbar for the hosts.

But Nestorokvski levelled just before the hour mark when he robbed Marco Verratti before tucking the ball past veteran goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.

Two minutes later, Macedonia were ahead when midfielder Ferhan Hasani finished a smart move involving Goran Pandev and Nestorovski.

However Immobile put Italy back on equal terms at 2-2 with 15 minutes left after good approach

Macedonia’s Stefan Ristovski is challenged by Italy’s Ciro Immobile during their 2018 World Cup Qualifying European Zone Group G match on Sunday REUTERS

work from Verratti and Candreva.

On 90 minutes, Marco Parolo had a header ruled out for offside before club teammate Immobile saved Italy with the winner two minutes into injury time, finishing off a Candreva cross.

Italy are second in Group G with seven points but Spain lead the way on goal difference after a deserved 2-0 win over Albania in Shkoder.

Chelsea star Diego Costa tucked away the first on 55 minutes past goalkeeper Etrit Berisha who had pulled off a series of fine saves in the first half.

Nolito hit the second of the night just three minutes after coming on as a substitute for Vitolo.

The only downside for Spain was seeing key defender and skipper Sergio Ramos suffer a left knee injury which could sideline him for three matches with his club side, Real Madrid.

In Group D, Southampton’s Dusan Tadic scored the winner as Serbia beat Austria 3-2 in Belgrade.

Newcastle’s Alexsandar Mitrovic had scored Serbia’s first two goals in the opening half as his side went top on seven points.

They lead the way on goal difference from the Republic of Ireland who beat Moldova 3-1 in Chisinau.

Hoolahan fed Shane Long to score after just two minutes for Ireland but Moldova, beaten 3-0 by Serbia

at home on Thursday, levelled in injury-time when Igor Bugaiov scored his first goal in five years.

West Brom’s James McClean was on target twice after the break to give Ireland the three points.

Euro 2016 semi-finalists Wales were held to a disappointing 1-1 draw by Georgia in Cardiff as their push to reach a first World Cup since 1958 hit a roadblock.

The draw followed a 2-2 stalemate against Austria four days ago as Chris Coleman’s side were left to regret not making the most of a host of chances in the first half.

Real Madrid star Gareth Bale headed Wales into a 10th-minute lead but Georgia hit back after the break, equalising through Tornike Okriashvili’s 57th-minute header.

Georgia nearly won the game late on when Valeri Kazaishvili struck the crossbar.

In Group I, Croatia won 1-0 in Finland at Tampere with Juventus striker Mario Mandzukic scoring the only goal after 18 minutes when Finland goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky allowed a cross from Andrej Kramaric to slip from his grasp.

Croatia have seven points and lead on goal difference from Iceland who followed up their comefrom-behind 3-2 win over Finland with an impressive a 2-0 victory over Turkey in Reykjavik.

Turkey defender Omer Toprak

put through his own goal in the 42nd minute before Alfred Finnbogason added a second just before the break. Ukraine are third, two points back, after a 3-0 win over Kosovo in a game played at Krakow in Poland. l

POINTS TABLE Group D W D L GD Pts

Teams

P

Serbia

3

2

1

0

4

7

Ireland

3

2

1

0

3

7

Wales

3

1

2

0

4

5

0

4

Austria

3

1

1

1

Georgia

3

0

1

2 -2

1

Moldova

3

0

0

3 -9

0

Teams

P

W

D

L GD Pts

Spain

3

2

1

0 10

7

Italy

3

2

1

0

3

7

Albania

3

2

0

1

1

6

Israel

3

2

0

1

0

6

Macedonia 3

0

0

3 -3

0

0

0

3 -11

0

Group G

Liechtenstein 3

Group I Teams

P

W

D

L GD Pts

Croatia

3

2

1

0

7

Iceland

3

2

1

0

3

7

Ukraine

3

1

2

0

3

5

Turkey

3

0

2

1

-2

2

Finland

3

0

1

2 -2

1

Kosovo

3

0

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CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Headwear (4) 4 Grinding tooth (5) 9 Wrath (3) 11 Glutinour formation in liquid (4) 12 Neckwear (5) 13 Facial feature (4) 14 Copied (4) 15 Used up (5) 19 Zodiac sign (5) 21 Missing (4) 25 Mine entrance (4) 26 Multitude (5) 28 Roofing item (4) 29 Snakelike fish (3) 30 Vestibule (5) 31 Transmitted (4)

DOWN 1 Sibilate (4) 2 Curve (3) 3 Sporting sides (5) 5 Much ornamented (6) 6 Doubling of a cord (4) 7 Church recess (4) 8 Rustic musical pipes (5) 10 Bid (5) 16 Glib and rapid speech (6) 17 Ornamental recess (5) 18 Fine-grained rock (5) 20 Lively frolic (5) 22 Scandinavian deity (4) 23 Fine sediment (4) 24 Dissolve (4) 27 Lair (3)

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016

CODE-CRACKER How to solve: Each number in our CODE-CRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 6 represents S so fill S every time the figure 6 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

SATURDAY’S SOLUTIONS CODE-CRACKER

CROSSWORD

DILBERT

SUDOKU

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016

Showtime

Syed Shamsul Haq remembered n Hasan Dabir Uddin On October 9, Bangal Foundation organised a commemorating meeting on the recently demised writer Syed Shamsul Haq at the Bangladesh National Museum Auditorium. The event commenced with the performance of two Tagore songs. The program was followed by a screening of a documentary on Syed Shamsul Haq titled, Jolershwarir Kathak.

Professor emeritus Anisuzzaman, Professor emeritus Serajul Islam Choudhury, actor and cultural personality Aly Zaker, writer Selina Hossain, cultural personality and one of the trustees of Liberation War Museum Mafidul Haq and the chairman of Bengal Foundation, Abul Khair, the writer’s son Ditio Syed Haq, were also present at the event and reminisced the recently demised writer.

Professor emeritus Anisuzzaman said, “Syed Haq wrote about our past and present and by doing so, he has paved our way into a more enlightened and progressive future.”

Professor emeritus Serajul Islam Choudhury said, “All the talent that Syed Haq possessed could hardly be contained by one person.”

Aly Zaker said, “Syed Haq had the ability to make the most profound statements in the simplest ways. I noticed it in his plays, especially Nuruldiner Sara Jibon.”

Writer Selina Hossain said, “I was first introduced with his writing through a poem published in Ekush-er Shoroney as anonymous. Then I discovered him by reading Kobi. I think, he is one of the most powerful writers of Bangali literature.”

According to Abul Khair Litu,“I had an intimate relation with Syed Haq which lasted till his death. I request everyone to read his work so that we can develop ours.”

Born in Kurigram on December 27, 1935, Shamsul Haq rose to fame with his incredible creation of poetry, plays and short stories.

Considered to be a pioneer of modern Bangla literature, Shamsul has written stirring poems such as Ekoda Ek Rajjey (1961), Boishakhey Rochito Ponktimala

Bangladesh High Commission, London hosts cultural programme

n Showtime Desk The Bangladesh High Commission in London hosted the “Summit Bangladesh Evening” on October 6, 2016 at the prestigious Nehru Centre in the heart of the city. It was dedicated to the freedom fighters and martyrs of the 1971 Bangladesh war.

The programme was originally named “Summit Evening of Young Bangladeshi performers,” but changed as the four young men could not arrive due to visa complexities.

Nadeem Qadir, minister (Press), organised and anchored the programme, while BritishBangladeshi artists Shammem Azad, Srity Azad, Gouri Chowdhury, Hashi Rani and

Sobira Sultana Sonia presented their numbers, which were cheered on by the crowd.

Khandaker M Talha, the acting High Commissioner of Bangladesh, in his speech said that the high commission would like to host more of such programs in collaboration with the Nehru Centre.

“This program will showcase Bangladesh and its talents,” he added. Talha also thanked the minister (Press), Nadeem Qadir for organising the event.

Nehru Centre assistant director, Vibhaji said she was delighted to give the venue for the event and looked forward to more programs, even on a jointventure.

Qadir, in his introductory remarks said, he was happy to be

able to organise the programme, the first ever by the high commission at the Nehru Centre.

He also added that the programme has three dimensions -- to present Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s Golden Bengal, give the young talents a platform for the British audience and bring together Bangladeshis and British-Bangladeshis.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in particular, wants that Bangladesh and its youths are projected properly, Qadir added.

He thanked the sponsors, Summit Communications Ltd from Dhaka and London’s Tower Hamlets, London Tradition, Hillside Travels, Sonali Business Centre, Faith Printers, Quantum securities, JMG Cargo, BBCCI, Bangla TV and Hamlets Training Centre.

Media partners were Bangla TV, Weekly Jonomot and Betar Bangla.

A seven-minute documentary sent by the four absent Bangladeshi performers was also screened.

A second show is set for October 9, in East London’s Brady Arts Centre. l

(1969), Birotihin Utsab (1969, Protidhwonigon (1976) and Opor Purush (1978).

He put diverse expressions of different Bangla dialects together in the context of modern expression, which took his creations to an extraordinary height.

Besides poems, he also wrote more than 50 novels including Stobdhotar Onubad (1987), Nishiddho Loban (1990), Khelaram Kheley Ja (1991) and Ayna Bibir Pala.

His plays Payer Awaj Paqa Jay

and Nuruldiner Sara Jibon set a milestone for modern Bangla theatre.

He also wrote many songs, some of which gained much popularity, and translated world classics like Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Tempest, Troilus and Cresida, and Ibsen’s Pyr Gynt.

Shamsul Haq won the Bangla Academy Award in 1966, Ekushey Padak in 1984 and Independence Award in 2000 for his contribution to Bangla literature. l

Oscar winning Polish filmmaker Andrzej Wajda dies n Showtime Desk Andrzej Wajda, the Oscar-winning Polish filmmaker who directed the widely lauded Kanal, Katyn and Man Of Iron, has died at the age of 90. The filmmaker’s death, who was a leading figure in the influential Lodz Film School of the 1950s, was confirmed by the Polish Filmmakers’ Association.

Wajda, best known for chronicling Poland’s struggle for democracy during half a century of communist rule, won international acclaim for Man of Iron (1981), which tells the story of the anti-Communist Solidarity movement.

Best known for his realistic WWII trilogy from the late 1950s, the controversial and politically vital filmmaker continued to work into the 21st century and was considered Poland’s preeminent filmmaker.

His latest film Afterimage, based on the life of Polish avant-garde artist Wladyslaw Strzeminski who was persecuted for refusing to follow the communist party

line during the Stalinist era, was selected as Poland’s Best Foreign Language Film nominee for next year’s Academy Awards.

His Man of Iron was awarded the Palme d’Or at the Cannes festival. In 2000, Wajda received an Academy Honorary Award in 2000, in recognition of the five decades of his work, the first eastern European director to win the lifetime achievement award at the Oscars. Wajda’s films also won a Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival and four nominations for Academy Awards, among other prizes. l

Happy birthday, Big B

n Showtime Desk Amitabh Bachchan is undoubtedly one of India’s

biggest global stars celebrating a stardom since the 1970s. Even though he does not like the nickname “Big B”, it somehow

stuck since people’s around him like to address him in a way which probably reflects his charismatic personality.

Today, the Padma Vibhushan recipient celebrates his 74th birth anniversary. Here are a few interesting facts about the legendary actor.

• Amitabh was one of the judges for the 1995 Miss World beauty pageant.

• The first Asian actor having a wax model of his likeness, showcased at Madame Tussaud’s in London.

• While filming Coolie (1983) he received a near fatal injury. He was hospitalised and the Indian press issued daily bulletins on his health.

• From 1970s to 1992, he was the highest paid Indian actor.

• In a BBC News Poll, Amitabh was named as the “Actor of the Millennium” ahead of luminaries such as Charles Chaplin, Sir Laurence Olivier and Marlon Brando.

• The facial characterisation of the Indian comic book character “Supremo” is inspired by him.

• Amitabh played double roles in ten films, Aadalat (1976), Don (1978), Kasme Vaade (1978),

Mad Max: Fury Road HBO, 9:30pm

The Great Gambler (1979), Desh Premee (1982), Satte Pe Satta (1982), Aakhree Raasta (1986), Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (1998), Lal Baadshah (1999) and Sooryavansham (1999). With Mahaan (1983), the audience saw him portray three roles.

• Amitabh’s actual surname was Shrivastava, but his father adopted the pen name Bachchan. The family too, adopted the surname. His father considered naming him Inquilab (Revolution) before deciding on Amitabh (unending brilliance).

• Amitabh is a vegetarian and a teetotaler.

• Amitabh’s other interest include collecting pens. The actor has a collection of over thousand pens. Mont Blanc gifts him a special pen every year on his birthday. l

n Showtime Desk

in Comilla to celebrate the festival with her family. They are enjoying Puja rituals together and have posted several pictures on social media.

Chittralekha Guha and Arnisha Guha celebrates in Comilla Actress Chittralekha Guha and Arnisha Guha is currently residing

Maria Noor was live Along with popular host Anik Khan, Maria Noor was live on Sunday late night show of ATN

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016

WHAT TO WATCH

Celebrating Puja

Bidya Sinha Saha Mim spending quality time with her fam Actress Bidya Sinha Saha Mim is celebrating this year’s Puja with her family and friends.

She is visiting various temples to see Devi Durga. Mim loves to take selfies and never forgets to capture herself at every venue.

She recently completed a photo shoot for Bishwa Rang by Biplob Shaha as the Devi herself.

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news. They went to cover the Bashundhora Residential area Puja mandop.

Joya Ahsan visiting several mandops Talented actress Joya Ahsan has visited several temples and is enjoying the festivities. Even though she very busy these days, she couldn’t let the opportunity go. She posed for the camera as she visited the temples around the city. l

In an apocalyptic world, a tyrant rules over a stark desert, controlling every drop of water. Two rebels, one escaping grief and the other reaching out to her childhood, are the last hope for a few.

Cast: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Rosie HuntingtonWhiteley, Riley Keough The Dark Knight Rises Movies Now, 9:30pm It has been eight years since Batman vanished into the night, turning, in that instant, from hero to fugitive. Assuming the blame for the death of DA Harvey Dent, the Dark Knight sacrificed everything for what he and Commissioner Gordon both hoped was the greater good. For a time the lie worked, as criminal activity in Gotham City was crushed under the weight of the anti-crime Dent Act. But everything will change with the arrival of a cunning cat burglar with a mysterious agenda.

Cast: Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anne Hathaway Act of Valor WB, 6:49pm When a mission to recover a kidnapped CIA operative unexpectedly results in the discovery of an imminent, terrifying global threat, an elite team of highly trained Navy SEALs must immediately embark on a heart-stopping secret operation, the outcome of which will determine the fate of us all. A fictionalised account of real life Navy SEAL operations, Act of Valor features a gripping story that takes audiences on an adrenaline-fueled, edge-oftheir-seat journey.

Cast: Roselyn Sanchez, Nestor Serrano, Emilio Rivera, Gonzalo Menendez, Dimiter D. Marinov l

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Back Page

GAS CRISIS HITS ALL GARMENT INDUSTRIES PAGE 12

‘IT WAS ALL SORTED OUT AFTER THE GAME’ PAGE 24

Streets deserted in fear in JMB stronghold Bagmara Jamil Khan, back n Mohammad from Rajshahi Bangmara upazila in Rasjshahi district is known as the birth place of the banned militant outfit Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB).

Reaching Rajshahi Rail Gate area around 5:30pm I hired a CNG-run auto-rickshaw to Bagmara which usually the costs about Tk800 to Tk1,000 for a round trip.

But since it was almost sunset I had to hire one for Tk1,600 as none of them wanted to go there.

I asked the driver, Hossain, why he was charing so much and he said: “It is very risky to go to Bagmara after sunset.”

Talking to a number of Bagmara residents I found that the eerie de-

serted streets is common phenomenon after sunset ever since the JMB high-ups have been tried and Bangla Bhai was hanged.

In 2015 there was suicidal attack on the Ahmadiyya mosque of Bagmara – killing one and injuring 10 others –that created an atmosphere of fear.

Investigators found out that the attacker Tareq Aziz was a member of the JMB’s suicide squad.

Bagmara upazila Chairman Jakirul Islam Sentu denied that people were living in perpetual fear saying: “The people here are day-labourers or farmers who stay at home after a long day of work.”

On June 6, JMB member Jamal Uddin, cited as a suspect in the charge sheet of the case filed against the mosque bombing was

killed in a gunfight with Rajshahi police. He turned out to be a member of the JMB suicide squad, according to police.

After Jamal was killed the investigation almost stopped.

Md Selim Hossain, officer-incharge of Bagmara police station, told the Dhaka Tribune that they are no longer involved with the case as it has been transferred to Rajshahi Detective Branch (DB).

The Dhaka Tribune tried to contact Bagmara Inspector Azad who has been closed a few days ago on charges of being affiliated with the JMB but he was unavailable.

Officer-in-Charge, Motiar said: “We are suspecting JMB is behind the attack, as part of their nationwide attack policy” l

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BIG B PAGE 31

UK, Finnish economists win the Nobel n Tribune Desk

Oliver Hart

Bengt Holmstrom

British-born Oliver Hart and Finland-born Bengt Holmstrom won the 2016 Nobel Economics Prize for their contributions to contract theory, helping the understanding of issues like the performance-based pay for top executives. “(Their work) lays an intellectual foundation for designing policies and institutions in many areas, from bankruptcy legislation to political constitutions,” the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said

on announcing the 8 million Swedish crown ($928,000) prize.

Hart is economics professor at Harvard University while Holmstrom is professor of economics and management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Hart’s work has helped understanding which companies should merge and the right mix of financing and when institutions such as such as schools should be privately or publicly owned, the academy said in a statement.

Holmstrom’s work helped how to formulate contracts for executives, the statement added.

The economics prize, officially called the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences was established in 1968. It was not part of the original group of awards set out in dynamite tycoon Nobel’s 1895 will. The literature prize is on Thursday. l

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